Serpent Ancestor

The jade stone could detect human presence within a hundred-mile radius.

At first, Xu Hei suspected that a sect had mobilized its entire force, with everyone from the old to the young coming to capture him.

But soon, he realized that this group wasn't targeting him; they merely passed by a hundred miles away.

"Three hundred Qi Refining cultivators, several Foundation Establishment cultivators... No, those were just the ones that passed by. There are more behind them..."

Xu Hei looked at the countless red dots on the jade stone, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He had never seen so many human cultivators moving together.

"What's going on?" Xiao Chou asked curiously, having just finished his dumplings.

Xu Hei pondered, "Maybe a major sect is relocating. It's none of our business."

"Oh." Xiao Chou nodded, not thinking much of it.

The red dots a hundred miles away continued to move. Xu Hei had lost count of how many people had passed by—thousands, tens of thousands?

No single sect could have so many people. This was comparable to the army of a cultivation kingdom.

Xu Hei initially thought of sending a scouting puppet to investigate but dismissed the idea. It was best not to approach such a massive human army.

"Human territorial disputes have nothing to do with me," Xu Hei muttered to himself.

At first, the red dots were densely packed, but as time passed, their numbers gradually decreased.

A few days later, the jade stone became completely quiet.

Xu Hei waited another week. Only after the snow stopped did he send out a puppet to investigate, following behind using the Earth Escape Technique.

In the forest a hundred miles away, a small path had been cleared. There were human footprints and wheel tracks on the ground, leading from south to north.

"It seems they came from the Yanluo River."

Xu Hei thought to himself, already having an answer in mind.

Just as demonic beasts had territorial disputes, so did humans.

But this time, the scale of the territorial dispute was enormous, involving thousands of cultivators—unprecedented.

For Xu Hei, this was good news. At least the major sects in the south wouldn't have the time to target him.

To deal with him, they would need to send a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and such a cultivator could determine the outcome of a small war. How could they spare one to catch a demonic beast?

"Great! I'll seize this opportunity to establish my foundation!"

"Even if I fail, I will continue to improve my strength until I reach my limit."

Xu Hei made up his mind.

In a war of this scale, almost all sects would be involved, leaving no time to bother with him.

He wondered what would happen to the Snake Catchers Sect. If they were wiped out, he would celebrate.

Xu Hei returned to his cave dwelling and resumed his seclusion.

…………

Tonight was destined to be a night recorded in history.

In the 223rd year of the Chu Kingdom, on New Year's Eve, the Qin Kingdom's army invaded the southern territories of the Chu Kingdom, deploying an army of five thousand cultivators and eight hundred thousand mortals.

They attacked in three directions: from the southwest outskirts of Wu Mountain, the southern Zhang River region, and the southeastern coast.

Simultaneously, four sects under the Snake Catchers Sect in the south launched an internal pincer attack, coordinating from inside and outside. In just one month, they had breached eight main cities and advanced a thousand miles.

By the end of April, outside Chuyang City, the Astrology Bureau and the main forces of the Heavenly Puppet Sect would engage in a decisive battle.

Compared to the battles of mortals, the cultivators on both sides were the key to determining the outcome.

This battle would decide life and death!

…………

During this period, the forests in the southern Chu Kingdom became completely tranquil. Not a single person could be seen, and the disciples of various sects seemed to have vanished.

Occasionally, support troops from the Qin Kingdom would pass through, but they always took the cleared paths and never ventured into the deep mountains.

In spring, everything revived. Animals woke from hibernation.

The earth began to sprout, withered trees grew tender green branches, and frozen rivers flowed again, full of vitality.

This year, no cultivators entered the mountains to hunt, resulting in more wild beasts than usual.

Xu Hei emerged from his cave dwelling, took a stroll nearby, and easily hunted three Spirit Communion Stage demonic beasts, feasting on them.

Xu Hei dove into a river, opened his mouth, and sucked in a large number of fish, quickly digesting them.

War was a catastrophe for humans!

But for wild creatures, it was a blessing. As long as the human population decreased, their living space would expand.

Not just animals, but some rare plants also began to grow wildly without human harvesting.

Even Xu Bai rarely ventured out, joining him in hunting.

However, to Xu Hei's surprise, Xu Bai didn't like eating large animals but was interested in snakes, insects, centipedes, and scorpions.

She even occasionally ate some poisonous herbs and fungi.

At first, Xu Hei thought it was a personal quirk, but when Xu Bai swallowed a colorful poisonous mushroom, Xu Hei's face changed dramatically.

The Seven Illusion Mushroom was a second-tier spirit medicine capable of poisoning a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she had swallowed it in one gulp.

"Are you alright?" Xu Hei asked in surprise.

Xu Bai burped and said, "This is a great supplement. Why would anything happen to me?"

A great supplement...

Xu Hei had tried such things before. Though they couldn't kill him, they would make him dizzy.

Xu Hei thought for a moment and took out a foul-smelling Awakening Pill, waving it in front of Xu Bai.

A pungent stench spread, and Xu Hei endured the smell, holding it out for a moment before putting it away.

The nearby birds and beasts had long fled, but Xu Bai remained unaffected.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the Awakening Pill?" Xu Bai asked, puzzled.

"..." Xu Hei was speechless.

He had long suspected how Xu Bai could refine such things. It turned out she was immune.

"No problem. The Awakening Pill is... excellent," Xu Hei said sincerely.

"Of course, my Awakening Pill has undergone hundreds of experiments. No matter how deeply a demonic beast sleeps, one taste will wake them up immediately," Xu Bai said proudly.

"Yes, you're right," Xu Hei nodded in agreement.

"By the way, Xu Hei, I've developed many new pills. Do you want to try them?"

"Next time, for sure."

"Great, it's a deal."

"…"

Another week passed.

One day, Xu Hei's cultivation broke through again, with black gold scales covering over seventy percent of his tail, gradually spreading to his neck.

The Demon God Cauldron still wasn't full and could continue to absorb spiritual energy.

"Strange, I'm clearly at the Great Perfection of the Spirit Communion Stage. Why can I still break through? I haven't even established my foundation!"

Xu Hei was puzzled. This was completely different from the cultivation system in his mind.

It seemed to be an entirely new system.

In fact, in ancient times, during the peak of cultivators, the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage wasn't the limit. There were the tenth, eleventh, and even the highest twelfth levels.

Moreover, ancient cultivators, once they established their foundation, almost all achieved perfect Foundation Establishment.

However, with the passage of time, the depletion of spiritual power on the planet, and the severance of cultivation technique inheritances, no one could cultivate beyond the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Of course, Xu Hei was unaware of this.

His current cultivation had reached the eleventh level of the Spirit Communion Stage.

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