Serpent Ancestor

The area of this cave dwelling was quite large, something Xu Hei wouldn’t have been able to take away in the past.

But now, with the black pearl left by Night Sky, which had a space exceeding five thousand zhang, he could easily accommodate the entire cave dwelling.

With Xu Hei’s strength, moving it was a breeze.

He immediately left the cave dwelling, placed his hands on it, and gently lifted.

”Boom!”

With a thunderous roar, the spherical cave dwelling was effortlessly lifted by Xu Hei, enveloped by his Divine Sense, and easily stored within the black pearl.

Afterward, Xu Hei took out the communication talisman and said, ”It’s done. Don’t forget your reward.”

”As expected of you, even faster than I imagined,” came Qing Shuang’s response from the communication talisman.

This was the task Xu Hei had to complete.

Qing Shuang wanted to become the clan leader, so she couldn’t be involved in these shady dealings.Thus, Xu Hei had to handle things secretly from behind the scenes.

The minions of the Thorn lineage had to be eliminated, especially the direct descendants, who couldn’t be swayed and had to be dealt with on the spot.

Of course, Xu Hei would also use a jade slip to record evidence, though he didn’t think Qing Shuang would turn against him.

…………

Upon returning to the Wood Spirit Clan.

Xu Hei temporarily stayed at Qinglin Tower, where the Spiritual Qi was abundant, and there was a daily supply of delicious food and pills, perfect for his cultivation.

With the intelligence from Qinglin Tower, Qing Shuang quickly learned about the current situation within the clan.

”Two years ago, Elder Qing Mu suddenly announced a closed-door seclusion.”

”Qinglin Tower has been deserted for five years, unmanaged, and has been replaced by another, Qingxuan Tower.”

”Many experts from the Qingteng lineage have been assigned to external tasks.”

”……”

In front of Qing Shuang, a young girl in green clothes and light makeup slightly bowed, reporting the gathered intelligence one by one.

This was Cai Wei, an intelligence officer from Qinglin Tower, in the late Divine Power stage, one of her few capable assistants.

”So it seems, five years ago, the Thorn King had already started laying out his plans, anticipating my return with the clan leader’s seal.”

Qing Shuang’s eyes were exceptionally grave.

Originally, she had quite a few helpers in the Qingteng lineage, but all of them had been dispatched for various reasons, leaving only a few still within the Wood Spirit Clan’s territory.

Moreover, whether those people were still loyal to her was unknown.

Apart from Cai Wei, she dared not trust anyone else.

She thought that after five years of seclusion, her return would be a grand act of revenge and comeback, but her opponent’s methods far exceeded her expectations.

”Hahaha, Junior Sister Qing Shuang, it’s a relief to see you return safely!”

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside Qinglin Tower.

The doors of Qinglin Tower were pushed open with a bang, and a familiar young figure stepped in from outside. He wore a long robe, a smile on his face, exuding confidence and elegance.

It was none other than Qing Xuan, whom she hadn’t seen in five years.

Compared to five years ago, Qing Xuan’s aura had slightly strengthened, but he was still a notch below Qing Shuang, who had received the inheritance of the Lotus True Monarch.

”Qing Xuan? You still dare to show up in front of me?”

Qing Shuang immediately stood up, the Golden Lotus at her brow emanating waves of pressure as she stepped forward.

”Oh, Junior Sister Qing Shuang, what are you saying? You’ve been missing for so many years, and now that you’ve returned safely, of course, I have to come and pay my respects.”

Qing Xuan showed no sign of being an outsider, holding a copper bell that blocked all the golden light outside, while waving his hand.

Two figures emerged behind him.

One of them was Liu Feng, the top subordinate of the Leaf King.

As the strongest disciple of the Leaf King, Liu Feng’s strength was undeniable, the strongest existence below the three Grand Elders.

The other was Wang Dashan of the Stone Spirit Clan.

”Haha, I heard Junior Sister Qing Shuang encountered many dangers in the Immortal Burial Valley, and now that you’ve returned safely, it’s naturally a good thing! Also, I heard you brought back a foreigner, why not introduce them?” Liu Feng said with a smile.

Facing the unfriendly visitors, Qing Shuang remained silent.

At this moment, Xu Hei’s voice drifted over.

”What, is my reputation not loud enough? Do I still need an introduction?”

Xu Hei’s figure had somehow already appeared to the side.

Liu Feng’s gaze immediately locked onto him, a hint of battle intent flashing in his eyes, then he smiled and said, ”Brother Xu, your name is well-known, I’ve heard people mention you before. Seeing you today, you truly are extraordinary. It’s a pity, though, that you’ve met the wrong people.”

His words had a pointed meaning.

But Xu Hei didn’t take it to heart, only sneered, ”We’re all two-faced scoundrels here, no need to point fingers.”

This remark left Liu Feng speechless and even stunned Qing Shuang and Qing Xuan.

Xu Hei not only mocked Qing Xuan but also insulted Qing Shuang.

The scene became a bit awkward.

Qing Xuan was the first to break the silence, awkwardly smiling as he cupped his hands, ”Fellow Daoist Xu, we indeed had some misunderstandings back then, but we’re all smart people here. Regardless of whether we were enemies or friends before, now we should stand where it benefits us.”

”This is Wang Dashan beside me. His strength didn’t rank in the top three of the Stone Spirit Clan, but now, in just five short years, the strongest of the Stone Spirit Clan, Ancestor Shi Mo, has already been defeated by him!”

”Wang Dashan is now the strongest in the Stone Spirit Clan!”

As Qing Xuan spoke, Wang Dashan stepped forward, exuding a powerful and heavy aura, slightly distorting the space around him! The gravity was even stronger than before, causing countless cracks to appear on the floor of Qinglin Tower.

Qing Xuan’s intention was clear.

Wang Dashan followed him, and his strength soared, which was the benefit he brought.

Xu Hei remained silent, but Qing Shuang’s face darkened.

Qing Xuan’s visit wasn’t just to show off or to be sarcastic, but with a purpose!

He was poaching people right in front of her!

Although Xu Hei’s background was clear, making it impossible for him to have any collusion with Qing Xuan, it was hard to say in the future.

Qing Xuan had managed to poach so many people from her side, showing that his methods were far from simple.

”Oh? Go on,” Xu Hei said with a half-smile.

He was curious about what Qing Xuan would say to persuade him.

”Fellow Daoist Xu, you know, for the past five years, our Thorn lineage has been capturing foreign cultivators extensively, putting you on the wanted list.”

At this point, Qing Xuan smiled and said, ”Hey, guess what, I actually caught one.”

Xu Hei’s eyes immediately narrowed.

”What did you say?” Qing Shuang exclaimed.

She knew that Xu Hei had a life-and-death feud with the Flame Demon Ancestor, and one of her promises was to mobilize the entire clan to hunt down the Flame Demon Ancestor once she became the clan leader.

But from Qing Xuan’s tone, had he already captured him?

Had her future promise already been fulfilled by Qing Xuan in advance?

This was her greatest concern.

”Qing Shuang, don’t look at me like that. Capturing a foreign cultivator, what’s the big deal? Not all of our Thorn lineage are useless.”

Qing Xuan smiled slightly but didn’t dwell on the topic, nor did he have any intention of secretly communicating with Xu Hei.

But he believed the message he conveyed was clear enough.

”Fellow Daoist Xu, the clan leader’s succession ceremony is not far off. You don’t need to rush your decision. Take your time, and on that day, give your answer.”

”My friends, Qing Xuan’s friends, have never betrayed me.”