Serpent Ancestor

”Courting death!”

Xu Hei stomped his foot, causing the ground to tremble and unleash a destructive wave that expelled the Phantom Yin Ghost. Suddenly, a surge of black gas erupted from the ground like a volcano, targeting Xu Hei, clearly triggered by some restriction.

Seizing the opportunity, the Phantom Yin Ghost turned and darted toward the black mist in the sky, seemingly trying to escape.

”Boom!”

Xu Hei was struck by the black gas from the restriction, his face turning pale as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He suppressed the turbulent spiritual power within him and let out a Dragon Shatter Roar, immobilizing the Phantom Yin Ghost. With a wave of his hand, the Night Demon Wings transformed into a massive net, enveloping the sky and earth.

Xu Hei knew that such ghostly creatures must be eliminated in one go, or they would become a persistent nuisance.

”Since you’re here, you might as well stay!”

Xu Hei clenched his fist, and the Night Demon Wings rapidly contracted, binding the ghostly creature within. The Demon God Cauldron swelled with the wind, rushing toward the Phantom Yin Ghost.

The Phantom Yin Ghost struggled for a moment before being sucked into the Demon God Cauldron, which refined it in a few breaths, leaving no trace.

Xu Hei retracted the Night Demon Wings and the Demon God Cauldron, his face pale as he sat cross-legged.This Phantom Yin Ghost had cultivation at least at the peak of the early Divine Transformation stage. In the outside world, Xu Hei wouldn’t fear it, but in this Land of the Moon, where restrictions were everywhere, a slight misstep could lead to ambush.

He had just been affected by a restriction, resulting in some injuries.

”Besides the Demon God Cauldron, my means of dealing with ghostly creatures are still too limited.”

”The Thousand Thunder Centipede can condense pure Yang divine thunder, but this insect is still in a semi-crippled state and can’t be relied upon.”

”Speaking of which, this spider silk armor not only isolates divine sense detection but also defends against divine sense attacks, which has been a great help.”

Xu Hei took a pill, quickly adjusting his state while reviewing the earlier battle.

He had just entered the Land of the Moon and already encountered a Phantom Yin Ghost. Who knows what other troubles might lie ahead? He needed to remain vigilant.

Xu Hei meditated for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn before standing up again.

After the Phantom Yin Ghost was refined, it turned into a pure liquid. Xu Hei sensed that it might help in healing his primordial spirit.

This was an unexpected delight.

”Wait a minute!”

At this moment, Xu Hei seemed to realize something, his eyes flashing as he muttered to himself, ”The Phantom Yin Ghost can only transform into things it has seen, which is why it took my form.”

”Earlier, the Phantom Yin Ghost turned into Yellow Spring Grass. Doesn’t this mean that there really is Yellow Spring Grass in the Land of the Moon?”

Thinking of this, Xu Hei’s eyes lit up.

But soon, he dismissed the idea of searching for it. Although Yellow Spring Grass was precious, it didn’t significantly aid his cultivation and could only be sold. The risk wasn’t worth it.

Xu Hei continued on his way, moving forward.

Before long, some scenery began to emerge from the mist ahead. As he approached, he saw an endless thicket of brambles.

The bramble thicket blocked the path ahead. Nourished by the Yin energy, it had existed for countless millennia and had already developed spiritual essence.

”Who’s there?”

Xu Hei turned his gaze to a certain spot nearby and shouted loudly.

From the shadows emerged two figures, a man and a woman, both wearing bamboo hats and dressed in black, their eyes cold with a hint of wicked charm.

Seeing Xu Hei, they were also momentarily stunned before removing their hats to reveal their true faces.

”Heh, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it’s Fellow Daoist Xu. We must be fated to meet here!” Wei Wudao laughed.

”Wei Wudao, Ji Qing...”

Xu Hei’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank.

Aside from the Blood Refining Sect, the people he was most wary of were these two in front of him.

If it were just one of them, Xu Hei wouldn’t be afraid, but with both present, it was quite unfavorable for him.

”So, are you two also stuck in front of this bramble thicket?” Xu Hei asked.

”That’s right,” Wei Wudao replied, looking ahead. ”I don’t know how deep this thicket is. I sent a ghost to probe, but once it goes beyond a thousand feet, it mysteriously loses contact, as if something swallowed it. That’s why we hesitated to proceed.”

Hearing this, Xu Hei released a few Thousand Illusion Ants to venture into the thicket.

As expected, once they went beyond a thousand feet, they mysteriously vanished.

This made Xu Hei furrow his brows.

”Fellow Daoist Xu, this place is quite strange. How about joining forces with us to explore it? If we encounter danger, we can look out for each other,” Wei Wudao suggested.

Xu Hei remained silent.

Wei Wudao continued, ”If you don’t wish to, you can wait here. Perhaps your friends will arrive, and you can team up with them, making it easier.”

”However, as far as I know, this bramble thicket isn’t the only route. They might have gone elsewhere. Moreover, the ghostly creatures here love to feast on living beings. The longer you stay, the more likely you’ll attract a swarm of them. We’ve already encountered no less than three waves of ghostly creatures on our way here. Staying here long-term would only be more dangerous.”

Wei Wudao’s last sentence caught Xu Hei’s attention.

Indeed, as he traveled, he often felt as if something was watching him from the black mist, like some filthy creatures were lurking in the shadows.

Most likely, it was those ghostly creatures.

One or two weren’t a big deal, but if the ghostly creatures had spiritual essence and joined forces, gathering seven or eight to attack at once, it would be a major problem.

Xu Hei didn’t dare to recklessly release his divine sense, so staying put was certainly unwise.

”Joining forces, I was thinking the same! But I’m not skilled at dealing with these ghostly creatures. If there’s real danger, I’ll have to rely on you two,” Xu Hei said, cupping his fists.

Wei Wudao thought for a moment, then nodded. ”No problem. Fellow Daoist Xu, just keep an eye on the rear to prevent ghostly creatures from ambushing us. Leave any danger ahead to us.”

”Alright!” Xu Hei agreed.

Immediately, the three formed a team and ventured into the bramble thicket.

Wei Wudao and Ji Qing led the way, with Xu Hei bringing up the rear.

Wei Wudao unfurled a large flag, and wherever it passed, the bramble thicket parted to form a narrow path. After they walked a hundred feet, the path behind them would automatically close, which was quite magical.

The initial stretch posed no danger, but as they ventured a thousand feet in...

”Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

Suddenly, several black vines shot out from the bramble thicket on both sides, like venomous snakes, stabbing toward the three of them.

”Heh, so it’s ghost vines. No wonder the ghosts I sent disappeared here!”

Wei Wudao sneered, taking out a small purple-black flag. A fierce wind arose, and countless fierce ghosts flew out, tearing into the ghost vines.

Ji Qing also summoned a black scythe, casually slicing down, cutting most of the ghost vines, preventing them from getting close.

Each time a ghost vine was cut, a wailing cry echoed, as if it were a living creature rather than a dead object.

Among the ghost vines were some green dots, wandering souls that could devour human spirits, which Ji Qing captured with a gourd. The fierce wind blowing in was also blocked by Wei Wudao’s ghostly banner.

”These two truly deserve their reputation as demonic path cultivators. They handle these rare ghostly creatures with such ease,” Xu Hei thought in amazement.

Seeing the two so adept, Xu Hei felt reassured.

Yet, for some reason, Xu Hei had a strange feeling—these two seemed not to be traversing this path for the first time. They could anticipate any danger, almost too skillfully.