Serpent Ancestor

”Letting someone like you become the domain master is truly unsettling.”

Xu Hei’s words were like a heavy hammer, striking Meng Sheng’s head, leaving him bewildered and the entire venue silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes converged on him, including some demonic beasts who opposed Meng Sheng in their hearts but dared not speak out loud, as well as the older generation who hadn’t expressed their stance, all casting hopeful glances.

Xu Hei, though relatively inexperienced, had been in the Penglai Sea for less than three years.

Yet he was the greatest hero of the battle against the sea god and was personally appointed by the Demon Lord to receive the Simulated Combat Tower.

He was the most unique of them all.

Meng Sheng smiled and said, ”So, Fellow Daoist Xu, do you have any plans to improve the Penglai Sea?”

”I do not,” Xu Hei shook his head.

”Do you have a candidate to recommend for the position of domain master?”

”None.””Since there’s none, the domain master position remains vacant, leaving the Penglai Sea leaderless. What hope is there for the future?” Meng Sheng shrugged helplessly.

This was indeed true; without a leader, it was like a pile of loose sand.

The Nine-Eyed Toad also advised, ”Xu Hei, I respect your contributions, but what Meng Sheng says is not false. Having him temporarily act as the domain master is indeed beneficial for us!”

Unconsciously, the Nine-Eyed Toad changed his wording to ”temporarily act,” clearly noticing Xu Hei’s anger and wanting to take a step back.

Xu Hei sighed, not wanting to get involved in such matters, but he had to stand up.

Xu Hei leaped up, landing on the central high platform.

He approached Meng Sheng, who just watched him quietly, smiling, ”I wonder what insights Fellow Daoist Xu might have?”

Xu Hei said, ”Actually, letting you manage temporarily isn’t out of the question.”

”Oh?” Meng Sheng’s eyes lit up, just about to wait for Xu Hei’s next response.

Suddenly—

”Smack!!!”

Xu Hei suddenly struck, a Dragon Tail Swing as swift as lightning, hitting Meng Sheng’s face.

This sudden move caught everyone off guard; no one reacted in time. They just saw Meng Sheng’s body, whipped into a bloody mess, then shatter into wooden fragments scattered on the ground.

Clearly, he had used Body Swap, replacing himself with a puppet.

Looking again at Meng Sheng, he had already landed a thousand feet away, touching his swollen face, glaring at Xu Hei, ”What are you doing? I am...”

”Whoosh!”

Xu Hei didn’t care what he was saying, charging forward like a ghost, arriving in an instant, and another Dragon Tail Swing came.

The entire venue was in an uproar; no one expected Xu Hei to be speaking amicably one moment and then suddenly take action the next.

This was their neighboring island master, who had just gained many supporters. Was he not afraid of causing a big scene?

Only Hai Teng looked excited; he had long been displeased with this one but was not in a position to act.

Meng Sheng dared not fight back; Xu Hei was now a great hero, and injuring him would not be beneficial for his future management. But he also wouldn’t sit idly by.

”Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...”

In an instant, Meng Sheng repeatedly swapped his position, returning to the high platform, only to see Xu Hei suddenly swap positions too, appearing right in front of him.

”Condense Ice!”

With a thought, Xu Hei froze the air within a hundred-mile radius, even freezing the puppet threads in the air, making it impossible for the opponent to swap positions again.

Meng Sheng immediately summoned an armored house to protect himself, layering countless heavy metals, shouting from inside, ”Fellow Daoist Xu, calm down, don’t be impulsive!”

”Lightning Draw!”

Xu Hei ignored it, activating the fifth form of the Azure Dragon Immortal Spell, Lightning Draw!

”Boom!”

The next second, thunder descended from the sky, exploding all the puppet threads, along with Meng Sheng’s armored house, causing a thunderous explosion. Lightning penetrated inside, and screams and Meng Sheng’s horrified voice came from within.

He couldn’t believe Xu Hei could harm him. As a late-stage Elemental Infant cultivator, did Xu Hei already possess late-stage Elemental Infant combat power?

No matter how much he didn’t believe it, the fact was the fact!

The armored house shattered, Meng Sheng broke out, but was frozen by the external ice. He simply stopped resisting, spreading his limbs, forming a large character, as if ready to be killed.

”Progress replaces the outdated, sacrifices are inevitable, this is the price of change! Come on, Xu Hei, let me be the first sacrifice!”

Meng Sheng’s demeanor of facing death with equanimity truly changed the expression of the Confucian scholar, and the Nine-Eyed Toad below was stunned.

The other demonic beasts also prepared to stop Xu Hei, really fearing he would kill Meng Sheng.

No matter what, he was one of the island masters of Penglai Island, highly respected, with countless disciples, and he had the inheritance of the Divine Puppet Sect. How could he have no backing?

Killing him would be like tearing the face apart! It could break the peace between humans and demonic beasts that had lasted for countless years, potentially leading to war.

”You think I don’t dare?”

Xu Hei drew the True Dragon Sword, his eyes resolute, stabbing towards Meng Sheng.

”Don’t act recklessly!”

”Xu Hei, hold on!”

”Don’t be impulsive!”

Various voices called to stop him, thinking Xu Hei was just venting some anger, teaching the other a lesson. Who knew he was serious?

Xu Hei’s combat power was indeed astonishing, although partly due to Meng Sheng not fighting back, but to suppress a late-stage Elemental Infant without any defense was unprecedented.

Meng Sheng’s pupils shrank, filled with disbelief, Xu Hei was really going to kill him.

The Confucian scholar was about to intervene, but it was too late; the speed of the Black Dragon Sword’s teleportation was something even the sea god couldn’t dodge.

”Slash!”

The Black Dragon Sword pierced through, stabbing Meng Sheng’s physical body.

With one strike, the surging Sword Qi scattered, slicing Meng Sheng into pieces, blood and flesh scattering, crumbling into dust, both form and spirit destroyed.

The entire venue fell silent.

The demonic beasts were dumbfounded, just staring blankly, the Confucian scholar struck as if by lightning, completely stunned.

Xu Hei, really killed Meng Sheng?

But immediately, the Confucian scholar noticed something was wrong; Meng Sheng didn’t have an Elemental Infant escape, his physical body, though possessing flesh, had bones that looked fake.

Moreover, how could a late-stage Elemental Infant cultivator be so easily slain? Not a bit of resistance?

”Crack!”

Meng Sheng’s body fell, revealing silver-glowing bones inside, the flesh gone, leaving only a metal skeleton.

”A puppet?!”

The entire venue was in an uproar. Many demonic beasts, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it was a puppet, or it would have been a big issue.

”It turned out to be a puppet, what a pity.”

Xu Hei deliberately shook his head, seeming somewhat regretful.

In fact, he had known all along it was a puppet.

Meng Sheng could fool everyone, but not Xu Hei, who had a sixth sense.

Now, under Yu Jianqiu’s blindfold training, he had developed a sixth sense, integrating his perception of danger, constantly strengthening it, successfully transforming this perception into a sixth sense that could affect everything.

Beyond the five senses, beyond Divine Sense.

Of course, the sixth sense was usually hard to manifest, only strengthened when the five senses were obscured, which was why Yu Jianqiu always wore a blindfold. He needed the sixth sense to strike the sea god’s heart with one sword.

Xu Hei had seen through Meng Sheng as a puppet, which was why he dared to act recklessly.

He wanted to make a statement to Meng Sheng—

If you want to covet the Penglai Sea, be prepared to die.

He didn’t care what backing you had, he was just a madman, whoever came would die!

…………

”Madman, madman! Truly insane!”

At this moment, Meng Sheng’s true body, deep within Penglai Island, cursed furiously.

He had prepared countless plans, ready for all sorts of challenges, fearing no one. He even had a plan to deal with Xu Hei.

But he never expected Xu Hei to be an unreasonable madman, daring to kill him, and doing so without hesitation.

He wasn’t afraid of reasonable people, nor of the overbearing, but he feared those who didn’t care for their lives.

This directly led to the failure of his plan.

”Damn it!” Meng Sheng clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, yet helpless.

The strength and talent Xu Hei had just displayed, coupled with his merit, meant he couldn’t be dealt with forcefully, which was what troubled Meng Sheng the most.

Moreover, even if he used force, was he really Xu Hei’s match?

…………

At this moment, on the high platform.

Xu Hei spat out a breath of fire, burning Meng Sheng’s puppet corpse to ashes.

Then, he shouted loudly, ”This time you got lucky, next time you dare to come, I’ll kill you every time I see you.”

Xu Hei’s words were deliberately directed at Meng Sheng outside the venue, knowing he surely had spies here, able to listen to everything.

He wouldn’t really dare to kill, but he needed to create this mad image to instill fear in the opponent.

The demonic beasts looked at each other, some feeling it was a pity, some relieved, some thinking Xu Hei was meddling too much.

Meng Sheng could improve their lives, bring better conditions, Xu Hei’s actions would surely cause some criticism, which was normal.

But Xu Hei didn’t explain much; he just looked at the demonic beasts outside, solemnly saying, ”Everyone! I know nothing about management, nor who is more suitable to be the domain master, but I understand one principle.”

”Borrowed prosperity from others is false prosperity; only one’s own strength is real strength!”

”The movement of heaven is full of power. Thus the superior man makes himself strong and untiring!”

Xu Hei’s words echoed in the ears of every demonic beast, resonating loudly, lingering for a long time.

He brought advanced technology, he occupied our land, and we became slaves to the technology.

The territory of the demonic beasts should be developed by the demonic beasts, even if it’s slower, even if it’s a bit behind.

But, this is their own home!

All the demonic beasts were reflecting on Xu Hei’s words, unable to calm down.

Xu Hei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and under countless gazes, he flew into the distance, leaving a silhouette, disappearing at the horizon.

Hai Teng trembled with excitement, quickly following behind, pursuing Xu Hei.

Unknowingly, Xu Hei felt a warmth in his heart.

A drop of crystal-clear blood slowly formed with the beating of his heart.