Serpent Ancestor

Hai Teng transformed into an arrow leaving the bowstring, shooting out the moment the space shattered, landing thousands of feet away. He looked at Xu Hei, seemingly realizing something, and gritted his teeth, ”Mind your own business!”

Xu Hei ignored this stubborn man, focusing solely on the Thorn King, his gaze unwavering.

The feeling the opponent gave him was incredibly strong.

Among the powerful figures Xu Hei had encountered, aside from that Spirit Realm cultivator, this was the strongest!

It was an instinctive perception as a cultivator; this person was definitely not at the Divine Transformation Stage! He gave Xu Hei a feeling similar to that of a Spirit Realm cultivator.

Void Shattering Stage!

Although there was no rejection from the laws of heaven, the opponent definitely possessed Void Shattering level combat power.

”Thorn King, one of the three Grand Elders of the Wood Spirit Clan, captured Qing Shuang, captured Hai Teng, captured all the high-ranking members of the Qingteng lineage, yet did not kill them. Was your goal merely to lure me here?” Xu Hei spoke coldly.

As a cultivator from another race, Xu Hei didn’t think he was worth the other’s attention, even more so than everyone else.

”That’s right! The so-called position of clan leader, elder, even the rise and fall of the Wood Spirit Clan, I don’t care about any of it. My target is only you!”The Thorn King nodded, admitting it straightforwardly.

This was very unusual.

If it was to reclaim the elder position, it would be enough to eliminate the clan leader. Even with his current combat power, if he wanted to be the clan leader, no one would dare to object.

But his only target was Xu Hei!

”Why?” Xu Hei raised an eyebrow and asked, ”Do you have another purpose in targeting me?”

”Hahaha, another purpose? You overestimate yourself. You are the strongest besides me in the Dark Star, the one most likely to break through to the Void Shattering Stage!”

”And my goal is simply to kill the strongest, nothing more!”

The Thorn King’s answer was so simple it left people speechless.

He just wanted to kill Xu Hei because Xu Hei was the strongest, for that reason alone.

Xu Hei said nothing more, nodding, ”I understand.”

Upon careful thought, the only difference between him and the others was strength. The opponent targeting him seemed to have only this reason.

Because he was the strongest.

”Heh, you seem to have misunderstood. Let me clarify.”

The Thorn King sneered, ”Remember, you are the challenger!”

The Thorn King’s voice carried boundless confidence and authority, like a king ruling over the world, with all subjects bowing before him.

He didn’t think Xu Hei was qualified to challenge him, being the strongest Grand Elder in history, the only one to reach the Void Shattering Stage.

He had enough strength to be proud.

He created the Nine Extremes Return to Origin, forcibly stepping into the Void Shattering Stage. Although his physical body was destroyed, it was an unprecedented feat.

Xu Hei was the challenger.

Xu Hei shook his head, saying no more. He closed his eyes, his entire body surging with power, pushing the strength of his physical body to the limit, his bones emitting thunderous sounds.

The white robe on Xu Hei’s upper body exploded, veins bulging, muscles swelling, even the space around him twisted, generating a powerful gravitational pull.

Dust and debris in the air were all drawn towards Xu Hei, and as they approached within ten feet, they were crushed into powder by the terrifying aura.

”Good, very good, you are qualified to fight me!”

The Thorn King laughed heartily, his voice booming like thunder. He pressed a hand to the ground, and in an instant, a towering giant tree grew wildly, transforming into a sky-piercing pillar, reaching into the clouds.

This giant pillar connected the heavens above and the earth below, with no end in sight, as if it were a pillar supporting the sky.

”Overturn the Earth!”

The Thorn King whispered.

The sky-piercing pillar came crashing down towards Xu Hei, as if the entire sky was about to collapse.

”What a powerful Divine Ability! This move is at least a Three-turn Divine Ability!”

Xu Hei’s eyes were solemn. Within this collapsing giant tree, he saw the Wood Law, the Earth Law, and a law he didn’t recognize.

Xu Hei dared not be careless, quickly dodging to the side.

But he found that no matter how he dodged, the sky-piercing pillar always came crashing down towards him, its position not deviating in the slightest!

Xu Hei realized he was encountering the same situation as Hai Teng, with relative space frozen, making escape impossible.

”This is that mysterious third law, seemingly with the effect of freezing space...”

Xu Hei’s eyes flickered, and he clenched his palm, forming seven or eight black light spheres, compressing them together into a massive black sphere!

This was the effect of compressing true essence to the limit according to the White Emperor’s teachings.

”Boom!!”

Xu Hei stomped his foot, advancing instead of retreating, charging head-on towards the giant tree, the ground beneath him shattering with his step.

”Bang!!”

Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Xu Hei’s seemingly small figure collided with the sky-piercing giant tree, the space around them shattering like glass, forming devouring spatial cracks.

This battle had surpassed the Divine Transformation level, reaching the Void Shattering Stage!

Even the laws of the mortal realm appeared, suppressing the overflowing energy, maintaining spatial balance.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the center of the collision, unblinking.

”Whoosh!”

Moments later, a pitch-black shadow shot out from the center of the collision, crashing into the ground, creating a deep pit.

It was Xu Hei, who had been knocked flying.

And the sky-piercing giant tree also dispersed.

”Xu Hei... actually fell into a disadvantage!” Qing Shuang’s eyes showed surprise.

It was the first time she had seen Xu Hei being suppressed in battle.

”Your physical body is indeed extraordinary. Even without using any Divine Abilities or Magical Treasures, you possess near Void Shattering combat power! Saying you are invincible in the mortal realm is not an exaggeration!”

”However, against me, it’s still not enough!”

The Thorn King declared loudly.

Invincible in the mortal realm, but Void Shattering cultivators possessed the power of the Spirit Realm.

He just hadn’t ascended yet. If not for his physical body being destroyed, how could he be trapped in such a small place?

”Boom!!”

Xu Hei burst out from the ground, his entire body engulfed in raging flames, three laws pouring into his body from his brow.

Three-phase fusion, activate!

Xu Hei stepped on seven stars, moving with teleportation speed, reaching the Thorn King, and with a punch, shattered the void.

The Thorn King’s body shattered, but regrew completely from another underground root.

Another Divine Ability, Flower Shifting and Tree Replacing!

”Thousand Turns Hundred Thorns!”

The Thorn King waved his hand, and a massive web of long vine thorns rose from the ground, entangling together, enveloping Xu Hei from all sides, leaving no gaps.

”Combine!”

The Thorn King clenched his fist, and the thorny vines suddenly closed in, attacking Xu Hei at the center, even slicing through space.

This was a combination of the Wood Law, Sword Dao Law, and his final unknown law, another Three-turn Divine Ability.