Serpent Ancestor

”It’s truly like searching high and low only to find you here. Perfect, let’s settle the old scores once and for all!”

Behind Jiang Nine Phoenix, a pair of flaming wings unfurled, her entire body ablaze, crowned with a crimson phoenix crown, like a fire deity descending to rule the world, directly entering her strongest form. The overwhelming pressure she exuded was even more formidable than in the past.

It seemed that not only had her injuries healed, but her strength had also advanced over the years in the Void Realm.

Back then, she could easily suppress Xue Yang, Luo Gang, Gongsun Bo, and others in successive battles. If it weren’t for Xu Hei’s treachery, she wouldn’t have been defeated.

And today, she no longer feared the so-called Star Sword Formation.

”It’s you!”

Xu Hei’s expression changed as he unexpectedly encountered that bird person here.

That bird person had set a three-year appointment with him, which Xu Hei hadn’t taken seriously at all, having fled to the Void Realm in the second year.

Yet, unexpectedly, they met again.

This woman’s temper was as fiery as ever, starting a fight without a word.”Boom!!”

The Fire Phoenix Seal loomed overhead, its pressure surging forth, freezing space. Xu Hei’s body felt as if it were being crushed by countless mountains, making even breathing extremely difficult.

This was spatial confinement, more advanced than a trapping formation, rendering any teleportation abilities ineffective.

Within this confinement, the surging flames raised the temperature to its limit, turning the ground beneath into a crimson hue. If it were outside, it would have long turned into a sea of lava.

Xu Hei felt his entire body burning, his robes igniting, his skin on the verge of melting.

”This bird person is stronger than before.” Xu Hei’s gaze was grave.

Jiang Nine Phoenix was exceptionally talented, and her breakthroughs were expected.

But in terms of progress, who could compare to Xu Hei over the years?

As countless fire phoenixes attacked, Xu Hei remained unfazed, forming a seal with his palm, and the Star-Moon Sword moved, slicing through the confined space.

”Galaxy in the Sky!”

”Swish!”

In an instant, a dazzling star river formed in the space, like a Milky Way waterfall hanging upside down in the sky. The sword light illuminated the heavens, turning the gloomy cemetery into a silvery white.

Xu Hei’s self-created sword move, Galaxy in the Sky!

Ye Li and Gu Yunxi both cast their gaze here, captivated by the beautiful sword light.

”What... what a beautiful sword light!” Ye Li exclaimed in awe.

The confined space shattered under this sword, like a calm sea hit by a giant stone, stirring up surging waves that swept across the sky.

”Crash!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix heard the sound of a tsunami as the sword light swept through the fire phoenixes, clearing the sea of fire within a radius of ten thousand meters with a single sword.

Even the Fire Phoenix Seal couldn’t withstand it, emitting cracking sounds, trembling incessantly, intimidated by the power of this sword.

”Is that... a near-fifth-grade magical treasure?”

Jiang Nine Phoenix stared at the Star-Moon Sword, her eyes filled with disbelief.

The Fire Phoenix Seal was a near-fifth-grade magical treasure, and to break it could only be done by something of the same grade.

”Star-Moon Nine Transformations!”

Xu Hei softly chanted, and the Star-Moon Sword shot forward, transforming into nine identical sword shadows in mid-air, forming a sword formation that charged at Jiang Nine Phoenix.

Jiang Nine Phoenix raised her hand, and the Fire Phoenix Seal quickly descended, enveloping her and forming a defense, burning all the approaching sword shadows, melting the sword light.

Then, Jiang Nine Phoenix’s wings fluttered, her figure flickered, passing through the layers of sword shadows, rushing towards Xu Hei’s true body.

”Phoenix Dance!”

Wherever Jiang Nine Phoenix passed, she left behind trails of fire phoenix afterimages in the air, her steps dazzling and beautiful, like a divine bird dancing, yet beneath this beauty lay a heart-stopping killing intent!

Too fast, so fast that Xu Hei’s eyes saw countless afterimages, making it extremely confusing to discern the real from the fake.

Suddenly, Xu Hei felt a strong sense of crisis from behind, a massive flaming wing already upon him, slashing towards his back.

”Gravity Reversal!”

Xu Hei remained calm, his mind moving.

”Boom!!”

In an instant, a strong repulsive force appeared between the two, causing the space to twist and expand rapidly. Jiang Nine Phoenix’s wings stiffened midway, holding on for just a breath before being flung back, pulling away by ten thousand meters.

Xu Hei raised his hand, aiming at Jiang Nine Phoenix from a distance, pressing down hard.

”Gravity Technique!”

”Boom!!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix fell to the ground like a cannonball, creating a human-shaped crater.

These were advanced applications of earth-based divine abilities, mastering the Gravity Technique to its fullest was Xu Hei’s greatest achievement over the years.

Xu Hei had taken the path of earth, though not as formidable as the Earth Flood Dragon Mo Cang of the past, he had carved his own path.

At this moment, many figures had already arrived in the distance, watching the battle ahead, unsure whether to approach.

”It’s that mysterious woman!”

Gongsun Bo immediately recognized the red-haired woman, the terrifying figure who had once suppressed an area in the underground cavern.

What’s more outrageous was that at this moment, that red-haired woman was being crushed to the ground by Xu Hei’s distant strike, a scene he witnessed firsthand. In just a few years, Xu Hei had become so ridiculously powerful?

”Whoosh!!”

It wasn’t long before Jiang Nine Phoenix flew out of the pit.

She trembled all over, her movements stiff, clearly resisting the ever-present Gravity Technique, which significantly slowed her speed.

”Courting death!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix’s fury was uncontrollable, and what infuriated her even more was that the rat she had once hunted down was now able to match her evenly, something she couldn’t accept.

”I refuse to believe you can be my match!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix stepped on the Phoenix Dance again, charging forward, the surging flames turning the sky into a sea of fire. Flaming clouds formed various shapes of birds, each possessing the power to burn a city, the red glow filling the sky, a phenomenon of heaven and earth, ten thousand birds facing the phoenix!

”She’s serious now.” Xu Hei’s eyes were grave.

Subsequently, Sun Wuxiang, Xiong Yan, and others also arrived one after another.

They had all received orders to come and kill Xu Bai, but upon arrival, they saw Xu Hei and Jiang Nine Phoenix locked in a life-and-death battle.

Those who survived to this point were no simpletons; they didn’t act rashly, observing the situation from the shadows.

Jiang Nine Phoenix was unlike these renowned masters; no one had seen her before, yet her displayed strength was awe-inspiring. This phenomenon of heaven and earth was something no one else could achieve.

”Who is this woman, and why have we never heard of her before?” Ling Wushuang frowned.

”And have you heard of that man?” Sun Wuxiang sneered.

Ling Wushuang was speechless.

Undoubtedly, Xu Hei and Jiang Nine Phoenix were both unfamiliar faces, emerging as new masters, each more fierce than the last.

At this moment, an elderly voice came through.

”This woman is the Phoenix Maiden of the Ancient Jiang Clan, Jiang Nine Phoenix.”

Everyone turned towards the voice, seeing Master Wu Yuan standing behind them, speaking calmly.

”Ancient Jiang Clan?” Ling Wushuang still looked puzzled, shaking his head, ”Never heard of it.”

”The Ancient Jiang Clan is a cultivation family from the Upper Realm. As someone from a cultivation star in the Mortal Realm, it’s normal you haven’t heard of it.” Wu Yuan said calmly.

”Upper Realm family!”

Everyone was filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

They only knew that the Outer Battlefield was a fragment separated from the Upper Realm, and some of its relic sects were existences they could never hope to reach in their lifetime.

An Upper Realm family, how terrifying must that be?

No one doubted Master Wu’s words.

Ling Wushuang couldn’t help but ask again, ”And who is that man?”

Wu Yuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head, ”I don’t know.”

”……”

Everyone fell into silence.

Jiang Nine Phoenix being from the Upper Realm Jiang Clan was already shocking enough, and yet even Master Wu didn’t know Xu Hei’s background.

In truth, Xu Hei had no particular background.

But his astonishing combat power made people inevitably associate him with those major forces.

…………

At this moment, after several rounds of fighting, neither Xu Hei nor Jiang Nine Phoenix could gain the upper hand.

After unleashing the phenomenon of heaven and earth, Jiang Nine Phoenix was like a fiery war god, burning everything in her path to ashes. Xu Hei could only maneuver the Star-Moon Sword to evade, occasionally launching sneak attacks, looking for her weaknesses.

With the Gravity Reversal divine ability, anything tangible trying to approach him was wishful thinking, placing Xu Hei in an almost invincible position.

”Jiang Nine Phoenix, we have no deep-seated hatred, why must you kill me on sight?” Xu Hei said coldly.

”Hmph! You stole my spiritual pool and claim there’s no deep-seated hatred?” Jiang Nine Phoenix retorted angrily.

”Your spiritual pool? The Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth is ownerless, just because you say it’s yours, it is? Is that what your parents taught you?”

Xu Hei retreated while mocking.

Jiang Nine Phoenix was instantly enraged, her hatred for Xu Hei beyond words. Back then, she was severely injured underground, yet was tormented by him from afar. And he was like a rat, fleeing whenever he couldn’t win.

Whenever she thought of it, she felt immense shame, unable to focus on her cultivation.

How could she wash away the humiliation without killing Xu Hei?

”I must kill you, you rat!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix moved like a ghost, closing in instantly. Xu Hei stepped on his sword to dodge, only to see countless fiery feathers shooting out, enveloping him.

”Useless, Gravity Reversal!”

Xu Hei changed his hand gesture, and the approaching feathers flew back again, unable to get close.

Jiang Nine Phoenix noticed this, and with a flick of her finger, she looked at Xu Hei and said, ”Heartfire, Phase Shift!”

Suddenly, Xu Hei felt a pain in his heart, as if it were being burned by flames.

A strange flame ignited in his heart, flowing into his meridians, threatening to burn all his meridians and bones to ashes.

”This is...”

Xu Hei’s expression changed, coughing up blood, flames swirling around it.

Heartfire, an intangible entity, Xu Hei didn’t even know how it appeared!

Jiang Nine Phoenix seized the opportunity, flying up close, enveloping Xu Hei within her phenomenon of heaven and earth.

With his meridians being burned, he couldn’t use any divine abilities. Taking advantage of this moment, Jiang Nine Phoenix closed in within ten meters of Xu Hei, a very dangerous distance!

”Let’s see how you escape!”

Jiang Nine Phoenix reached out, her hand transforming into a phoenix claw in mid-air, capable of tearing the sky apart and burning the Void.

But Xu Hei’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

”September, teleport!”

Xu Hei’s mind moved, and the Star-Moon Sword beneath his feet vanished on the spot, crossing the spatial distance, suddenly appearing before Jiang Nine Phoenix.

”This is...” Jiang Nine Phoenix only had time for one thought.

The next second.

The Star-Moon Sword had already pierced through her chest, entering her heart.

Her hand stopped just ten inches from Xu Hei.

The teleportation of the Star-Moon Sword was Xu Hei’s hidden trump card, capable of ignoring spatial distance, reaching a speed no one could perceive.

However, the distance was limited, and after years of experimentation, it could only teleport about three meters at most.

This was a technique Xu Hei had created by observing the escape techniques of senior cultivators before their deaths, combining and refining them.

Those cultivators, before dying, would sacrifice their flesh and burn their souls to increase their speed to an extreme, capable of crossing space, teleporting thousands of miles in one go.

Of course, Xu Hei wouldn’t go to such extremes, nor did he have the ability to teleport that far in one go.

But the shock this brought to everyone was immense.

At this moment, everyone widened their eyes, stunned by Xu Hei’s recent strike.

”Teleportation?”

”How is that possible?”

”Isn’t that a Divine Transformation Stage ability?”

”Could that flying sword be a fifth-grade magical treasure?”

Exclamations erupted from the crowd.

Ling Wushuang’s expression changed dramatically. In fact, he could also perform flying sword teleportation! But that was his strongest trump card, usable only two or three times, and he hadn’t even used it in a life-and-death battle with Sun Wuxiang.

Mainly because he feared that after using it, he wouldn’t be able to kill Sun Wuxiang, and his Unparalleled Divine Ability would be stolen by the latter.

”This guy can also teleport with a flying sword, what is his background?” Ling Wushuang’s face turned grim.

Discovering that his strongest trump card, which he had always kept in reserve, was casually used by someone else, was an infuriating feeling.

The various thoughts of the onlookers happened in an instant.

The most shocked among them was undoubtedly Jiang Nine Phoenix.

”Your meridians were supposed to be burned, how can you still use divine abilities, this is impossible...”

Various incomprehensible thoughts flashed through Jiang Nine Phoenix’s mind.

Of course, Xu Hei wouldn’t reveal that his dragon veins were immune to burning, but at this moment, Xu Hei didn’t pursue the advantage. After landing a successful strike, he quickly retreated, the Star-Moon Sword also withdrawing simultaneously.

”Swish!”

The next second, a vast sea of blood surged forward, engulfing the spot where Xu Hei had been.

Simultaneously, it also engulfed Jiang Nine Phoenix.

It was Xiong Yan making his move.

This demonic cultivator had been watching for a long time, waiting for the moment when both were severely injured to strike. In his view, killing Xu Bai wasn’t as convenient as taking down these two.

But to his surprise, Jiang Nine Phoenix was indeed heavily injured, yet Xu Hei was only slightly wounded, his meridians intact.

”One actually got away!”

Xiong Yan squinted his eyes, the sea of blood enveloping Jiang Nine Phoenix, quickly retracting, intending to escape.

”Truly courting death.”

Xu Hei shook his head silently, knowing that this woman still had the Nirvana Fire up her sleeve. Even if Xiong Yan hadn’t launched a sneak attack, Xu Hei didn’t plan to continue pursuing. Against such an opponent, it was best to take it slow, wearing them down to death was the correct approach.

Sure enough, just a breath after Xiong Yan’s sea of blood flew away, a piercing scream emanated from within.