Serpent Ancestor

Before long, a snake and a dog escaped from the mine. Hei Huang summoned a wind sail and flew towards Yanluo River, while Xu Hei fled in another direction.

The swarm of ant-like creatures chased out of the mine but retracted their wings as soon as they were exposed to sunlight, retreating back into the cave.

Xu Hei watched from a distance, his heart pounding.

The sheer number of them was beyond description; any creature passing through would be devoured to the bone.

It took a long time for the swarm to fully retreat, disappearing from his Divine Sense range.

Hei Huang landed, still shaken, gasping for breath.

"How did you provoke those things?" Xu Hei asked.

"I was just curious about what was at the bottom of the mine, so I went to explore. Who knew I’d encounter those Spirit-Eating Ants?" Hei Huang complained.

"Spirit-Eating Ants..."

Xu Hei had never heard of them, but the name alone sounded troublesome.

"Spirit-Eating Ants feed on Spirit Stones. They usually gather at the bottom of mines, in a dormant state. As soon as a Spirit Stone appears, they wake up and start biting anything with Spiritual Qi like mad," Hei Huang explained.

Hearing this, Xu Hei suddenly understood, his heart sinking.

Earlier, he had taken out a Spirit Stone, not just any Spirit Stone, but a high-grade one!

Xu Hei took a deep breath and asked, "How far can these Spirit-Eating Ants sense a Spirit Stone?"

"Ordinary Spirit Stones, about a hundred meters. But if it's a rare high-grade Spirit Stone, they can sense it from thousands of meters away. And for top-grade Spirit Stones, the entire swarm would go berserk. Why are you asking?"

Hei Huang looked at Xu Hei suspiciously.

"Nothing," Xu Hei shook his head repeatedly, feeling a bit guilty.

He wasn't sure if that square Spirit Stone was top-grade or high-grade, but it was very likely that he had caused the swarm to go berserk.

So, did he end up screwing over Hei Huang?

No, it couldn't be said that way. Hei Huang had chosen this place; he had brought this upon himself by exploring underground.

"I was wondering why this place was so rich in Spiritual Qi but had no Demonic Beasts. Turns out there were Spirit-Eating Ants hidden below!" Hei Huang muttered, shaking his head.

Xu Hei hesitated for a moment and asked, "Hei Huang, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"I had a friend who once saw a square Spirit Stone. What grade is that kind of Spirit Stone?" Xu Hei asked earnestly.

Hei Huang squinted his eyes and looked at Xu Hei for a few moments before laughing, "That's a man-made cut, taken from a whole Spirit Vein. It's at least high-grade."

"Where can you get high-grade Spirit Stones?" Xu Hei asked again.

"Killing a Core Formation Stage cultivator might get you one," Hei Huang laughed.

Xu Hei's face turned grim. The Flood Dragon statue only consumed high-grade Spirit Stones, and he had to kill a Core Formation Stage cultivator to feed it. Who knew when that would happen?

So, he really had some dumb luck that Zhao Yiduo had one.

"However, I suspect that deep beneath this abandoned mine, there might be a semi-abandoned Spirit Vein. You might be able to cut out a hundred or so high-grade Spirit Stones," Hei Huang mused, looking at Xu Hei. "Is your friend interested?"

Xu Hei chose to avoid the question.

…………

Southern Forest of Chu Kingdom.

After two months of rampant wildfires, the forest finally welcomed the rainy season in September.

The rain was torrential, with thunder rolling and dark clouds pressing down, pouring down like a long-restrained beast venting its fury.

In just three days, the widespread wildfire was completely extinguished, leaving only scorched earth.

Afterward, a large number of cultivators entered the mountains, searching for prey or fertile soil to plant Spirit Medicine.

The areas burned by the fire were particularly fertile, ideal for cultivation.

Most of the Demonic Beasts in the mountains were burned to death. Occasionally, cultivators found Demonic Beast corpses and dug out Inner Cores, or discovered rare Spirit Plant remnants, or found natural Spirit Springs, reaping great rewards.

With no wild beasts or vegetation to obstruct them, everything was exposed, a windfall for the taking.

Led by the Snake Catchers Sect, smaller sects like the Carefree Sect, Mountain Movers Sect, and Purple Mist Sect sent large numbers of disciples into the deep mountains to train and search for treasures.

The Astrology Bureau also dispatched people to seize the opportunity to clear land and expand, building new cities for Chu Kingdom.

It was a human celebration.

Deep in the forest.

A two-meter-long white snake lay motionless in a mud puddle, not daring to make a sound.

Her body was covered in wounds, her bones broken, utterly exhausted.

Within a mile on either side, two human cultivators stood on large trees, scanning the area with their Divine Sense.

"Senior Brother, I'm sure that white snake disappeared around here. She was hit by my Bone-Crushing Hammer; she can't have gone far!" said a burly man, carrying a giant hammer, with a fierce look on his face.

He was Xue Hu, a disciple of the Mountain Movers Sect, at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

"This demon has devoured five of our Mountain Movers Sect disciples. Today, we must skin her alive and let her die slowly!" said the other, a shorter cultivator with a sinister expression, holding an iron hook and draped in chains.

He was Zhu Ze, also a disciple of the Mountain Movers Sect, at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Recently, several Mountain Movers Sect disciples had gone missing, all devoured by that Snake Demon. The sect had issued an order: whoever killed the Snake Demon would receive great merit.

The two spread out, conducting a thorough search, their Divine Sense sweeping through the area.

Gradually, they got closer to the white snake's hiding place.

Under the mud, the white snake gritted her teeth, filled with endless grief and anger.

These humans had invaded their home, slaughtered their kin, set the mountains on fire, and sought to exterminate her.

Before, she had no concept of home, enemies, or friends.

But since she gained sentience, she understood everything.

For revenge, she had devoured one human cultivator after another, but her power was too insignificant, far from being able to compete with humans!

In her final moments, a black figure appeared in her memory.

It was a snake with pale golden pupils and special scales on its tail.

In this life, she feared she would never see it again.

Suddenly, a loud wolf howl echoed from afar.

Then, several fireballs shot out from the bushes, targeting the approaching human cultivators.

"Damn it, it's that mangy wolf again!" Xue Hu cursed, dodging quickly.

During his pursuit of the white snake, this mangy wolf had appeared from time to time, throwing fireballs and then running away, luring him into chasing it.

If it weren't for this wolf's interference, he would have captured the white snake long ago.

He had no choice but to call his senior brother for help.

"So this is the demonic wolf that knows the Fireball Technique? Interesting," Zhu Ze said, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three fireballs landed nearby, burning down two large trees and crashing towards the two men. The wolf king, having spat out the fireballs, turned and ran, taunting them to give chase.

"White snake, run! I'll lure them away," the wolf king transmitted its voice from afar.

"Alright!"

The white snake gathered her strength and slithered out of the mud, rushing forward.

Zhu Ze glanced at the escaping white snake and then at the wolf king, coldly saying, "Neither of you will escape!"