Serpent Ancestor

As a summoned creature from the Netherworld, the Bronze Burning Demon wore shackles, dragging chains, with no trace of emotion in its eyes, only the desire to kill.

”Kill!”

With a command from Hei Huang, the demon from the Netherworld charged toward Jiang Bufan.

…………

Divine Puppet Sect, forbidden grounds of the sect.

Xu Hei sat cross-legged on the ground, his physical form completely dissipated, leaving only a phantom shadow in place.

That was his primordial spirit.

His form had already entered a state of sitting meditation, and even the fragmented primordial spirit was on the verge of returning to nature.

Xu Hei’s five strands of Dragon Qi had long left his body, wandering the earth like birds without nests, like homeless wanderers.

In a moment, Xu Hei’s primordial spirit also dissipated, his form and spirit both extinguished, everything returning to the earth. Dust to dust, soil to soil.His consciousness plunged into darkness, chaotic and unordered.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Suddenly, a glimmer of light appeared in Xu Hei’s consciousness, and he felt himself wandering beyond the heavens.

In a daze, he saw the land of Shenzhou, saw the East Sea, saw the extreme north, saw the Western Cang Realm, and saw the countries he had once traveled through.

Even the Moon Star above his head was clearly visible.

This left Xu Hei bewildered.

It was a very wondrous feeling, difficult to describe.

At this moment, it seemed as if Xu Hei was no longer himself, but had become the entire land, he was the Divine Continent Star.

However, the images in Xu Hei’s consciousness were gray and colorless, visible yet lifeless.

”Am I dead?”

”Is this what the world after death is like?”

Xu Hei pondered.

His primordial spirit and physical body had both dissipated, and the remaining consciousness had transformed into the land itself, able to see all living beings upon it.

At this time, Xu Hei’s consciousness arrived at the battlefield.

He saw many familiar figures, the humanoid Hei Huang, Xu Bai, saw Tianji Shangren, saw the puppet incarnate of Gongshu Zi, and also saw Han Te.

He saw the fiercely fighting Hai Teng, the ghostly Night Owl, and many brothers who had once fought alongside him.

”Am I dreaming?”

Xu Hei was astonished.

In his consciousness, his former friends were all battling against the cultivators of the Spirit Realm.

Xu Hei instinctively wanted to join in, but remembering his current situation, he dismissed the thought.

He was simply too tired.

He had already returned to the earth, unable to fight any longer, and even if he could join in, what difference would it make?

The Five Elemental Heavenly Corpse was already holding his companions at bay, how could he alone be a match for Jiang Bufan?

The outcome would not change.

Rather than that, it would be better to wander beyond the heavens, watching the tides of the world rise and fall, as a spectator, no longer having to live so wearily.

Xu Hei’s heart was more peaceful than ever, he only wanted to be a spectator, this feeling of sinking into the earth was intoxicating.

His consciousness slowly blurred, the gray world shrinking, seemingly about to vanish completely.

”So, death really is liberation,” Xu Hei thought to himself.

Just like that, he continued to indulge, letting his consciousness slowly fade away, his body gradually decompose, everything returning to the land.

Perhaps, this wasn’t a bad ending after all.

”Little Xu!”

In a daze, suddenly, Xu Hei heard a sharp voice.

It was Hei Huang roaring.

”At a time like this, you’re still sleeping? You finally woke me up, and now you’re sleeping again, who the hell let you sleep? Get out here!”

Hei Huang roared while fighting, his shouts shaking the earth to its core.

Hei Huang raised his hand, delivering a Heavenly Demon Finger, blasting the Fire Elemental Heavenly Corpse away, leaving a gaping hole in its chest.

Xu Hei’s consciousness suddenly became clearer.

In front of Xu Hei’s consciousness, Hei Huang’s phantom appeared, looking at him, like an illusion.

Then, the white-haired Tianji Shangren appeared as well, calmly looking at him, smiling, ”Fellow Daoist Xu, you and I are fated, I can grant you a fortune! This time, it’s real!”

Tianji Shangren sat beside Hei Huang, also a phantom.

”Grand Elder, Xu Hei, are you willing to become the next sect master?”

At this moment, Gongshu Zi’s figure also appeared in Xu Hei’s consciousness, but not in the form of a metal puppet, rather as a slender young man.

This was his remaining thought.

In front of Xu Hei, the three stood side by side, quietly looking at Xu Hei, seemingly real yet illusory.

”Xu Hei.”

Finally, Xu Hei heard a gentle voice, causing him to tremble, his previously calm heart stirring with intense waves.

He looked to the side of the three, where a fourth figure appeared.

”Xu Hei, do you remember me?”

It was a woman in white, her skin fair, her figure graceful, yet her eyes filled with tears, looking at Xu Hei with a complex expression.

Those familiar eyes, the gentle voice, the stunning face, without a trace of the softness a woman should have, only the resilience forged through trials.

”You are... the Green Emperor?”

Xu Hei looked at her, his voice trembling.

”There’s no Green Emperor,” the woman in white shook her head, her gentle eyes looking at Xu Hei, ”I’ve always been Xu Bai.”

Xu Bai.

Hearing this name, Xu Hei’s consciousness felt as if struck by a heavenly thunder, his mind blank.

Xu Bai, born with him in the Myriad Serpent Valley, step by step from the Spirit Communion Stage to now, though she left him midway, it was beyond her control.

As a woman, Xu Bai was never a weakling in need of protection.

It was always her, silently supporting and protecting Xu Hei from behind.

She never uttered a word of complaint.

And what Xu Hei gave, was merely some meager kindness when she first reached the Spirit Communion Stage.

”Xu Bai...” Xu Hei felt his nose tingle, lowered his head, and said, ”All these years, you’ve worked hard.”

”Will I... see you again?” Xu Bai looked deeply at him.

Xu Hei raised his head, all his remaining consciousness focused on her, as if to imprint her in his mind, never to forget.

Xu Hei’s voice was filled with determination, ”Yes! Definitely!”

At this moment, Xu Hei’s gray world instantly became colorful, the consciousness in chaos awakened, and the wandering Dragon Qi became active again.

”My friends, my family, my fellow sect members, they are all still in the world.”

”At a time like this, how can I sleep?”

”At a time like this, how can I fall?”

At this moment, Xu Hei’s will grew stronger, unprecedentedly powerful! When a cultivator’s consciousness is strong enough, it forms a remnant thought, existing in the world for endless ages, unable to be erased.

And Xu Hei’s will surpassed any Divine Transformation Stage he had ever seen!

”I cannot sleep, I must wake up!”

”Now is not the time to rest!”

With a roar, under his strong will to survive, the four phantoms before him all disappeared.

Hei Huang’s figure vanished, transforming into a pitch-black Dragon Qi, holding its head high, dominating the world with boundless majesty and dominance.

Gongshu Zi’s phantom disappeared, turning into a complex mechanism dragon, containing infinite changes.

Tian Jizi’s figure faded, becoming a vague and ethereal Dragon Qi, seemingly interwoven with infinite fate.

Xu Bai’s form transformed, becoming a verdant grass dragon, covered in lush green leaves, with wings on its back, like the king of all trees, eternally spring.

Four new strands of Dragon Qi spiraled ahead.

Looking at the four Dragon Qi before him, Xu Hei fully understood.

”Gathering Dragon Qi, this is the true meaning of gathering Dragon Qi.”

His first Dragon Qi was the golden Dragon Qi he was born with, representing his own fate.

The second Dragon Qi was born among the cultivators of the Divine Continent Star in the land of the Earth God, representing the fate of his compatriots.

The third Dragon Qi was born among the Wood Spirit Clan of Dark Star, representing the fate of the Wood Spirit Clan.

The fourth Dragon Qi was formed after he slaughtered the Blood Refining Sect cultivators and saved many cultivators on the outer battlefield, representing the fate of those slaves.

The fifth Dragon Qi was born in the Divine Puppet Sect, representing the fate of the sect.

As long as Xu Hei rewrites fate, reverses cause and effect, and is recognized by all beings, it signifies the birth of Dragon Qi.

In the mortal realm, fortune can be large or small, perhaps belonging to a race, or perhaps, to a person.

These four Superior Immortals carried the fate of too many people, each person’s fortune was extremely astonishing, as long as Xu Hei reversed their fate and gathered their will, it signified the birth of Dragon Qi!

”Nine Dragons Unite!”

With a thought, the newly born four strands of Dragon Qi quickly converged, merging with his original five strands of Dragon Qi.

Nine Dragons Unite, forming a colorful and robust Dragon Qi, merging into Xu Hei’s fragmented primordial spirit.

His already shattered primordial spirit began to repair at a visible speed, not through external force, but through the natural repair of the laws of heaven.

Fragments of the primordial spirit drifted in the void, piecing together like shattered glass, fitting seamlessly.

Before long, Xu Hei’s complete primordial spirit appeared.

And it wasn’t over.

Xu Hei’s Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage primordial spirit power was rapidly growing, advancing to a higher level.

”Buzz!!”

The void surged with violent waves, layer upon layer, boiling like a tsunami, sweeping in all directions, above the nine heavens, dark clouds gathered, blocking the sunlight.

At this moment, not only above the Divine Puppet Sect, but the entire Divine Continent Star was covered by dark clouds, shrouded in darkness.

”What is happening?”

”What happened?”

All living beings on the Divine Continent Star wore expressions of confusion and fear, looking at the obscured sky.

Even the cultivators in battle paused, looking at the heavens with uncertainty, not understanding what had occurred.

Only a few Void Shattering Stage old monsters, and Jiang Bufan, seemed to realize something, their eyes widened, their hearts surging with immense waves.

”This aura is...”

”Indeed, quite similar to when I was young!”

”No mistake, this scene, I will remember for a lifetime!”

Various thoughts flashed through the minds of the Superior Immortals.

They didn’t speak, just exchanged glances, understanding what had happened.

Someone was about to break through the void and ascend!

Before ancient times, breaking the void meant ascension, but since their era, breaking the void no longer equaled ascension, it was merely a step beyond the Divine Transformation Stage.

After ancient times, the Seven Stars entered the age of the end of magic, spiritual qi depleted, resources scarce, even gathering the power of one star couldn’t break through the Divine Transformation Stage, let alone ascend.

But now, someone had taken that step.

Without any hint, everyone thought of the one whose fate was intertwined with theirs, Xu Hei!

If anyone could rewrite their fate, if anyone could bring them back to prominence.

It was Xu Hei.

And all of this, to Jiang Bufan, was undoubtedly a thunderbolt. His originally solemn gaze became somewhat grim.

Mo Xingtian’s death was already beyond his expectations.

The subsequent joining of five Void Shattering Stage combatants was an unexpected surprise, forcing him to use all his means.

No matter what kind of trouble, with Jiang Bufan’s preparations, he could handle it.

Though the situation was currently at a stalemate, given more time, he could still resolve this group! The Void Shattering of the mortal realm was always just the mortal realm, incomparable to the Spirit Realm cultivators.

But now, a new change had occurred!

One after another, endlessly, this made the once confident Jiang Bufan feel some urgency, he must quickly resolve this group and seize the Demon God Cauldron!

Otherwise, he might really capsize in a ditch!

”Phoenix King Pagoda, suppress it for me!”

Jiang Bufan raised his hand high, a golden pagoda descended from the sky, suppressing the Bronze Burning Demon.

With a loud bang, this demon summoned by Hei Huang, in less than a stick of incense time, was crushed into the ground, its body directly dissipating, as if it had never appeared.

With the appearance of the golden pagoda, the spatial pressure where everyone was located suddenly increased, each step requiring several times the usual effort.

Every time true essence was invoked, it was several times slower than before, even the flow of time seemed to slow down.

”To hold back my Five Elemental Heavenly Corpse, you group of mortal realm cultivators can be proud, but this is not enough to deal with me, Jiang!”

Jiang Bufan raised the golden pagoda, like a god descending, his gaze turned, locking onto Hei Huang’s position.

At this moment, Hei Huang was engaged in fierce combat with the Fire Elemental Heavenly Corpse.

”Not again, is it me?”

Hei Huang, realizing he was targeted, his face turned half black.

”This group of mortal realm cultivators, each with remarkable means, Gongshu Zi can create the Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation, the Green Emperor can bring the dead back to life, and that old Taoist can steal the heavens and change the sun, rewriting cause and effect. This group, even in the Spirit Realm, could become a powerful force.”

”But the one I can’t see through the most is that Heavenly Demon Scattered Person, better deal with this person first.”

Jiang Bufan’s face was as calm as water, his mind turning rapidly, listing Hei Huang as the first target to kill.

Involved with extraterrestrial demons, able to invoke demonic energy, summon Netherworld creatures, no matter what, he had to be eliminated!

Jiang Bufan raised his hand, the golden pagoda rapidly enlarged, flying towards Hei Huang, the base of the pagoda emitted ten thousand rays of light, enveloping Hei Huang.

”Boom!!”

Hei Huang’s physical body exploded, turning into countless black mist, scattering in all directions, his flesh and blood bursting into tiny particles.

”Again with this move, let’s see how you escape this time!”

Jiang Bufan pointed at the golden pagoda, a golden flame shot out from the pagoda, blossoming into the shape of a phoenix, the tower spirit of the Phoenix King Pagoda, capable of burning all things, annihilating all evil beings.

This was most restraining for a demon like Hei Huang, and one of the reasons Jiang Bufan chose to eliminate Hei Huang first.

…………

At this moment, Xu Hei’s primordial spirit had already condensed, he was no longer the primordial spirit of the Divine Transformation Stage, but of the Void Shattering Stage.

Above his head, endless layers of clouds stacked to a height of a hundred thousand feet, with colorful lightning brewing within.

This was the Six Nine Tribulation, also known as the Ascension Tribulation!