Serpent Ancestor

The Wood Spirit Clan’s border.

Qing Shuang stood atop a towering tree, watching the three figures depart until they vanished from sight.

Initially, she tried every means to make Xu Hei stay.

But only now did she realize that they were from entirely different worlds.

The three Grand Elders of the Wood Spirit Clan were gone: Old Greenwood Demon fell to a conspiracy, the Thorn King was slain by Xu Hei, and the Leaf King was marked with a soul imprint.

With the three Grand Elders gone, only she, the clan leader, remained at the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage, leaving her without rivals or threats.

Unknowingly, Xu Hei had resolved all her problems.

No one could threaten her position as clan leader anymore.

Although the overall strength of the Wood Spirit Clan had diminished, as long as the foundation, the spirit sand mines, and resources remained, and with the spiritual qi returning to the land from the deaths of the three at Great Perfection, the Wood Spirit Clan would inevitably rise again!

”Fallen petals are not heartless things; they turn into spring soil to nurture flowers.”The deceased wood spirits would become nourishment for the next generation, and the deaths of the three Grand Elders would serve the same purpose.

”I will abide by the Ancestor’s teachings and swiftly select the next three Grand Elders to balance the clan leader.”

”Xu Hei...”

Thoughts swirled in Qing Shuang’s mind as she gazed in the direction Xu Hei had disappeared, thinking to herself, ”I owe him so much, an indebtedness I fear I can never repay in this lifetime.”

The gap between her and Xu Hei was too vast.

In the future, whether Xu Hei stayed or left, this debt of gratitude would remain unpayable.

...

Beyond the Dark Star, at the convergence of the Seven Stars.

Fifty years had passed since the Spirit Realm cultivators invaded and Xu Hei fell into the Dark Star.

Now, the situation among the Seven Stars had undergone earth-shattering changes.

The Divine Puppet Sect, once at its peak due to the emergence of the Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation, was untouchable, even bringing prosperity to the Divine Continent Star.

But in the past twenty years, it had been besieged by many.

Flame Star, Ming Star, and Renwang Star initially refrained from rash actions, instead using resources provided by Elder Mo to develop in secret, recover losses, and cultivate new Divine Transformation experts.

Once they grew stronger, they dealt a fatal blow to the Divine Continent Star.

Thirteen years ago, the Blood Refining Sect allied with the Ancient Tomb Sect, sending numerous experts to the Divine Continent Star, massacring over ten empires, and jointly killing over a thousand Elemental Infant cultivators of the Divine Puppet Sect, seizing vast territories and leaving devastation in their wake.

Ten years ago, Daoist Sparrow captured three high-ranking members of the Blood Refining Sect, sealing them with formations and using their lives as leverage to force a retreat.

Eight years ago, the Yan Dao Sect joined the fray, with Huang Tiancheng personally breaking the seal formation on those three, plunging the Divine Continent Star into another crisis.

That same year, the Tianhen Sword Sect declared war on the Divine Puppet Sect.

Five years ago, over eighty percent of the Divine Continent Star’s land was occupied and divided by foreign cultivators, with over fifty percent of the population enslaved.

...

Under the siege of multiple forces, the Divine Puppet Sect was like a floating duckweed in the sea’s waves, drifting and sinking, always on the brink of being torn apart by the tides and facing eternal doom.

Yet, as long as the Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation remained and Daoist Sparrow lived, the Divine Puppet Sect could hold its ground, unmoving like a mountain.

It was a treasure capable of resisting ascended cultivators, the crystallization of wisdom and power from the sect’s ancestors.

But that was all it could do.

With the formation in place, the sect’s mountain gate could remain intact, but hoping for more was a fool’s dream.

Now, most of the Divine Puppet Sect’s assets had been seized, its land taken, its subsidiary sects annihilated, and the mortal empires it controlled wiped out. Any disciple leaving the sect was sure to be killed.

The entire sect was gripped by fear and panic.

”I quit the Divine Puppet Sect, I’m joining you, just spare my life!”

”I am at odds with the Divine Puppet Sect!”

”Lords, I’m here to defect to you, you can plant a soul imprint, just spare us!”

That day, a total of thirteen Divine Puppet Sect disciples, including two carefully nurtured core disciples, defected from the sect.

They went to the Tianhen Sword Sect’s outpost outside the sect, swore a deadly oath, and joined the Tianhen Sword Sect.

This was the tenth batch of defectors this year.

The number of previous defectors, missing, or killed was countless and uncountable.

And in such circumstances, even if the mountain gate was never breached, what awaited the Divine Puppet Sect was a slow death.

”Haha, the Divine Puppet Sect is nearing its end!”

”As far as I know, the entire Divine Puppet Sect has only about a hundred people left, all stubborn old folks who’ve been there for centuries, the young disciples have long fled!”

”A sect like this has no hope!”

”The Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation may be formidable, but can it hold forever?”

”When the lords from the Spirit Realm arrive, even the Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation will face destruction.”

Outside the Divine Puppet Sect, a group of disciples surrounding the mountain gate loudly discussed, unconcerned about their words reaching inside the sect.

This was just the tip of the iceberg for the Divine Puppet Sect.

Meanwhile, deep underground, Huang Tiancheng and two other Grand Elders of the Yan Dao Sect had planted formation flags everywhere, forming a large-scale formation that surrounded the entire Divine Puppet Sect.

”This formation is called the Spirit Extraction Formation, as the name suggests, once activated, it can extract the spiritual qi from within the encirclement!”

”In less than three years, the spiritual qi within the Divine Puppet Sect will be completely drained, making cultivation impossible!”

Huang Tiancheng stated calmly.

The formation flags for this Spirit Extraction Formation were naturally given to him by Elder Mo, who provided him with one.

Afterward, he spent twenty years meticulously studying the formation flag, finally replicating a complete set.

Elder Mo’s only request was that when the Divine Puppet Sect was trapped, he would add fuel to the fire, drain their spiritual qi, and deliver a fatal blow.

If the Divine Puppet Sect resisted tenaciously and effectively, Huang Tiancheng could remain neutral.

But once the Divine Puppet Sect was on the brink of destruction, he had no choice but to strike and kick them while they were down.

He knew that if he didn’t choose a side now, the Yan Dao Sect would face extinction.

”Divine Puppet Sect, in the game of winners and losers, no one can stop the momentum of heaven and earth, neither you nor I. Going with the flow, this is the Dao of Heaven.”

Huang Tiancheng sighed inwardly.

How could he not hate Elder Mo? Not hate the Spirit Realm cultivators?

The interference of the Spirit Realm in the mortal world disrupted the balance and harmed the natural order, but he was powerless to stop it, unable even to stand by idly.

Not choosing a side meant a dead end for him.

But by stepping on the Divine Puppet Sect, the Yan Dao Sect could immediately resolve its crisis, remain unscathed, and even gain substantial benefits.

Any rational sect master would know what choice to make.

”By my calculations, that Spirit Realm cultivator should be arriving soon.”

Huang Tiancheng looked toward the horizon, toward the vast cosmos, his eyes flashing with resentment.