Serpent Ancestor

A day later, two figures arrived at the ruins of the Miao Xian Sect.

They ventured underground to the scene of the incident. The Spirit Stones had been taken, even the eight formation flags were destroyed by the sword formation, and the most precious Spirit Gathering Pearl was also ruined.

”Damned scoundrel!”

One of the middle-aged cultivators was furious.

”Could it have been discovered by the old immortals of the Yan Dao Sect?” the horse-faced young man hesitated.

”We just started our operation. Even if the Yan Dao Sect discovered it, they couldn’t have arrived so early. There must be someone else!” the middle-aged cultivator gritted his teeth.

The Yan Dao Sect they mentioned had always been a target of their vigilance.

”Should we collect the Spirit Stones from the other places in advance?” the horse-faced young man asked.

They had multiple Spirit Gathering points in the eastern wasteland, totaling six, and they could reliably produce two Supreme Spirit Stones every decade.

These were cultivation resources for the Divine Transformation stage Ancestors within the sect, and they couldn’t afford to be careless. It was the most valued place in the sect.”Absolutely not. The Yan Dao Sect has been watching us for many years. Every step we take must be cautious and prudent, lest we lose more than we gain.”

A shadow flickered in the middle-aged cultivator’s eyes as he said, ”Since that thief has discovered the secret here, he won’t give up easily. Set up some bait and wait for him to take the hook.”

”Understood!” The horse-faced young man cupped his fists.

”And also, investigate the origin of this sword formation.”

”Yes!”

…………

Xu Hei ran frantically for seven days straight before he dared to stop.

Although the sense of crisis in his heart had long disappeared, Xu Hei had done something so significant that he couldn’t afford to be careless.

”Supreme Spirit Stone, I actually got a Supreme Spirit Stone!”

Xu Hei panted heavily, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, and laughed out loud.

He took out half of a Supreme Spirit Stone, bit off a small piece, swallowed it, and began to absorb and refine it.

In an instant, a rich stream of upper realm Spiritual Qi burst from the Spirit Stone, penetrating every inch of his flesh and blood, undergoing layer upon layer of refinement, and merging into his Elemental Infant.

Xu Hei’s Elemental Infant was a small snake, and at this moment, the snake was slowly growing larger.

This was a visible improvement in cultivation.

The Supreme Spirit Stone, which could allow a Divine Transformation stage cultivator to practice, was unimaginably precious, incomparable to ordinary Spirit Stones, and not even eligible for exchange.

In just one day, Xu Hei refined that bite of Spirit Stone, and his cultivation improved by about ten percent.

Xu Hei didn’t linger long. He changed locations, and after three days of stealth, he bit off another piece of the Supreme Spirit Stone, refining and absorbing it.

In each place, Xu Hei never stayed for more than a day, clearing away traces before moving to the next place to cultivate.

It took him a month to consume half of the Supreme Spirit Stone completely.

And Xu Hei’s cultivation reached seventy percent of the initial Elemental Infant stage.

With the remaining whole Supreme Spirit Stone, Xu Hei could completely use it to break through to the mid-Elemental Infant stage.

Having just arrived at the outer battlefield, such a rich harvest made Xu Hei feel somewhat unreal, but he didn’t rush to consume it. He hid it well and stayed away from this area.

…………

After changing his appearance and expelling impurities from his body, Xu Hei finally emerged from the soil to the surface.

Dressed in a black robe, of medium build, with an average face, except for slightly darker skin, Xu Hei was no different from a rogue cultivator passerby.

Ahead in the wasteland appeared a human city.

This was the most peaceful place Xu Hei had seen along the way, and it was also his chosen resting place.

Of course, the peace here was only relative to other cities, as there was no absolute peace on the outer battlefield.

The city was named Sansha City, as the name implied, it was entirely built of sand.

The City Lord was at the Great Perfection of the Elemental Infant stage, and upon entering the city, one could obtain the City Lord’s protection by paying a certain amount of Spirit Stones.

The entrance fee wasn’t much, only ten thousand Spirit Stones.

However, the insurance fee was high, with no upper limit. The person who wanted to kill you had to pay ten times your insurance to be able to kill you.

For example, if Xu Hei paid ten thousand Spirit Stones for his insurance, then the assassin would have to pay a hundred thousand Spirit Stones to kill him.

This also led many desperados to choose Sansha City to rest and recuperate. As long as they paid enough money, they were safe enough.

”If I were to use a Supreme Spirit Stone as an insurance fee, wouldn’t it take ten Supreme Spirit Stones to kill me?” Xu Hei mused.

However, this thought could only remain in his mind. If he dared to take out a Supreme Spirit Stone, even the City Lord of Sansha City might personally take action to kill him.

After Xu Hei paid the ten thousand Spirit Stones entrance fee.

The guard at the gate asked, ”What about insurance?”

Xu Hei looked around and took out a fourth-tier Magical Treasure, one of the spoils from the Snake Catchers Sect, and handed it over.

Then, he registered his name and received an insurance Token, entering the city.

The first thing Xu Hei did upon entering the city was to visit a general store to buy a map.

The map wasn’t comprehensive, covering only a small part of the eastern wasteland, not as good as the one given by his mentor, but it marked some dangerous areas, which was sufficient for now.

”Liefeng City, so it’s here.”

Xu Hei looked at a point on the map.

This was the place Luo Gang had told him about, considered the largest city within a million miles, reportedly guarded by several Great Perfection Elemental Infant stage cultivators. It turned out Luo Gang had such a significant background.

”Hehe, is this fellow Daoist new here?”

The map seller, an old man, smiled at him.

”Sansha City, it’s indeed my first time here.”

Xu Hei replied nonchalantly.

The map seller’s eyes flickered slightly, and he smiled, ”Actually, I have a larger, more complete map here. Would fellow Daoist be interested?”

”Of course.” Xu Hei naturally wouldn’t refuse.

The map seller beckoned with his finger, and Xu Hei approached. He saw the seller take out a sheepskin scroll and spread it out on the counter.

This map was not only larger but also more complete, depicting not only cities, terrain, and dangerous areas but also the ruins of ancient sects.

The seller immediately began to introduce it to Xu Hei.

”Many secrets can’t be shown on the map, but I know them, like this Tianyun City, formed by a meteor impact, with a sunken terrain...”

The old man pointed at the map, detailing each landmark.

Every danger zone and the cultivators who had met their end there, the old man recounted in detail.

”And this Divine King’s Hall ruins, it was said to be a blessed land rich in Spiritual Qi, frequented by cultivators for practice. But after a great calamity, all the cultivators there perished, and the Spiritual Qi suddenly vanished. What a pity.”

The map seller sighed.

Xu Hei’s brow twitched. This was strikingly similar to the Miao Xian Sect. Perhaps there was a similar device underground, used to gather Spiritual Qi and produce Supreme Spirit Stones.

However, he dared not visit a second time. Having been stolen from once, they would surely be on guard, and going there now would be courting death.

During this time, the map seller had been secretly observing Xu Hei’s expression. Seeing his calm demeanor, unmoved, he changed the subject and introduced other things.

”Tell me about Liefeng City,” Xu Hei said.

”Liefeng City is a legendary place in the eastern wasteland, ranked among the top three cities in the region, and is the safest place. It’s said to be guarded by eight Great Perfection Elemental Infant stage cultivators...”

The map seller immediately began to introduce it.

”Boom!!”

Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside, a rumbling vibration spreading in all directions.

Someone was fighting.

Xu Hei originally didn’t want to pay attention, but his sensing Token suddenly reacted, making his heart stir. Was it someone he knew?

Xu Hei hurriedly left the map shop and came to the street.

He saw a silver-haired girl dashing along the street, her figure flickering, appearing and disappearing, pursued by a yellow-robed cultivator with a ball of flames in his palm.

”Silver-haired Witch?” Xu Hei didn’t expect to encounter an acquaintance here.

Ah Yin was wearing a thin garment. Although she wasn’t injured, she looked rather disheveled, her aura barely perceptible, mostly in a phantom state.

The yellow-robed cultivator was extremely fast, and with a flick of his fingers, a fire dragon surged forth, burning towards Ah Yin’s back. Yet she, in her phantom state, avoided the fatal strike, only to be surrounded by flames, in a perilous situation.

”Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...”

Countless ground spikes shot up, the yellow-robed cultivator’s incantation changed, and a web of heaven and earth covered Ah Yin from all four directions, trying to trap her.

”Oh ho! A show to watch.” Xu Hei pulled up a chair and sat down, watching from the street side.