Serpent Ancestor

Half an hour later.

Xiao Chou finally left, his solitary figure disappearing into the distance.

At first, he crawled on the ground like a snake, but when he reached the mountain peak, he stood up.

Xu Hei had no reason to stop him; this was the path he had chosen.

Even if it was a path to death.

Xu Hei didn't follow him. He only gave him some magical treasures, talismans, and pills refined by Xu Bai as life-saving items.

As for the chance of survival, it was almost zero.

Joining the Qin Kingdom's side offered a slim chance of survival, but going to the Chu Kingdom was undoubtedly a death sentence.

Hei Huang had once said that the Heavenly Puppet Sect was no simple matter. Behind it was a colossal force, where even an old monster could easily destroy a kingdom but had no interest in seizing power.

The defeat of the Chu Kingdom was already certain, and the cession of the Southern Region was inevitable. The only suspense was how long it would take to conquer the entire country.

"Why can't he just stay alive and get stronger? Why insist on going to his death? Some human behaviors are truly beyond my understanding," Xu Hei muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Xu Hei's mind.

He stared at Xiao Chou's departing figure and thought of one word—

Rebellion!

What is rebellion? Xu Hei had never had a clear answer. He only knew that cultivators inherently defied the heavens, cultivating against the natural order.

Therefore, during Qi Condensation, the heavens would send down the Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations. During Nascent Soul formation, the Fifty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations would descend, and sometimes even extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons would appear.

Cultivation itself was rebellion!

Xu Hei's understanding was limited to this.

But recalling Xiao Chou's actions, Xu Hei gained a new perspective on what rebellion meant.

Xu Hei immediately took out the spell jade slips from the Mountain Movers Sect and began to peruse them one by one.

Xiao Chou had not only brought spell jade slips but also all the books and ancient texts he could find for Xu Hei to examine.

Finally, Xu Hei found a sentence in the Mountain-moving Patriarch's writings.

"Rebel against the prison of the heavens, rebel against the obsessions of the heart, rebel against the shackles of rules..."

"Throughout history, the great cultivators who could reach the heavens and the earth were all rebellious cultivators!"

Xu Hei silently recited this sentence in his heart, recalling Xiao Chou's actions...

This was clearly the epitome of rebellious cultivation!

As a cultivator, one should sever ties with the mortal world; this was the rule.

Having an obsessive and pathological love for Silver Bell; this was an obsession.

In the environment of the Mountain Movers Sect, he was supposed to be loyal to his sect; this was a prison!

Xu Hei couldn't guarantee whether his understanding was right or wrong, nor could he be sure if the Mountain-moving Patriarch's writings were correct.

But without a doubt, Xiao Chou had indeed embarked on a path of rebellious cultivation.

Doing what others dared not do, walking the path others dared not tread—if this wasn't rebellious cultivation, then what was?

"Perhaps I should go down the mountain and see the human world."

Xu Hei thought to himself.

Everyone had a different understanding of rebellious cultivation. Xu Hei wouldn't imitate the Mountain-moving Patriarch, nor would he follow Xiao Chou.

Xu Hei decided he would find his own path.

Unknowingly, a faint glimmer appeared in the last empty spot between Xu Hei's brows.

…………

After two days of rest.

Xu Hei left the mountains and began to crawl down, not using the Earth Escape Technique, but moving like a mortal snake towards his old home.

His pace was slow, crawling over mountains and rivers, over soil scorched by wildfires.

A year had passed, winter had gone, and spring had come.

New plants grew from the blackened ashes, tender green saplings sprouted, vegetation budded, insects emerged, and occasionally, some rodents foraged in the grass.

Ants also appeared from the ground, building new homes.

Wildfires couldn't destroy everything; spring winds brought life anew.

The only regret was that the towering trees that had grown for centuries were gone, as were the wild animals. But in countless years, a new cycle would begin.

Xu Hei returned to his former territory.

It had been occupied by snake catchers, who had established a branch hall. The buildings were complete, but no formation had been set up, and there were no disciples guarding the mountain.

Although the Snake Catchers Sect remained neutral, they were greatly affected. The mortal towns under their jurisdiction had been plundered by the Qin army.

Xu Hei took out a detection jade and found that there were only a few cultivators, the strongest being at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage. The others were nowhere to be seen.

Xu Hei put away the jade and scanned the area with his divine sense.

At that moment, he detected a familiar figure.

—Chen Daoling!

The man who had once chased him for a hundred miles.

Now, Chen Daoling's eyes were dim, his vitality weak. His cultivation had plummeted from the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Stage to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage, just a step away from falling to the mid-stage.

He was imprisoned in a dungeon, chained, surrounded by rats and snakes that gnawed at him, his True Qi sealed, left to die.

Xu Hei initially wanted to kill him, but seeing him in such a state, he thought living might be a greater torment.

With his current strength, Xu Hei could easily wipe out this branch hall without leaving a single survivor.

But he didn't want to alert anyone and quickly moved on.

Xu Hei continued down the mountain, returning to Snake Village.

He went back to the desolate watermelon field and saw Wang Xiaoniu's thatched hut.

The lonely grave was still there, but the body inside had disappeared.

Wang Xiaoniu was also in the hut. Compared to two years ago, he was now a fifteen-year-old boy, taller but thinner, his face pale. Days of hunger had left him lying weakly on the bed.

At the village entrance, a cultivator at the early stage of the Qi Refining Stage stood, with a Qin Kingdom badge on his waist.

A group of Qin soldiers was searching each house for enemies.

"Sir, there's no one hiding here, it's just me."

"Hey, little girl, still got a sharp tongue, drag her out..."

After looking around, Xu Hei withdrew his divine sense, feeling conflicted.

He had found the hiding place of the Chu soldiers, in a pigsty. There were only three of them, all injured.

One suggested surrendering to become prisoners and survive, but the other two vehemently refused.

Xu Hei remained silent for a long time, then decided to leave.

Suddenly, Xu Hei sensed something.

He flashed to the front of Wang Xiaoniu's thatched hut.

Inside, hanging from a beam, was a noose. Wang Xiaoniu stood on a stool, his neck in the noose, biting his dry lips.

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Seeing this, Xu Hei immediately thought of one word: suicide.

Life is precious, why seek death?

In front of Wang Xiaoniu was his father's memorial tablet. He stared at it, his dry eyes unable to shed another tear.

"Father! I'm sorry, I am unfilial. You risked your life to earn money for my studies, but I am useless! Although I didn't achieve fame, I am still a scholar!"

"I don't want to be a slave to a fallen kingdom!"

Wang Xiaoniu hung himself, kicking the stool away.

The noose tightened, Wang Xiaoniu didn't struggle, his breath stopping, eyes filled with unwillingness and pain. The light of hope for knowledge and learning slowly faded.

Xu Hei watched silently, unmoved for a long time.

Respecting others' fates and letting go of the urge to help was Xu Hei's usual way.

But this time, he acted.

"Snap!"

The noose silently broke, and Wang Xiaoniu fell to the ground. A stream of spiritual power flowed into his body, bringing him back to consciousness.