Serpent Ancestor

The scene before him had completely overturned his understanding.

He had heard rumors before—there was a snake demon and a dog demon in these mountains, creatures with intelligence comparable to humans. They had killed disciples of the Snake Catchers Sect, stolen Spirit-Tail Chickens from the Carefree Sect, and could fly and escape, even speaking human language.

He had always dismissed it as mere hearsay.

But witnessing it today with his own eyes was an eye-opener; it was even more exaggerated than the rumors.

However, soon, Ye Haichuan's eyes flashed with boundless coldness.

"You killed my Mountain Movers Sect disciples. Today, you won't leave here alive!"

Ye Haichuan clenched his hand in mid-air. Instantly, the sky darkened, yellow sand filled the air, and countless grains of sand and stones flew up, forming vast, boundless storms that swept towards Xu Hei with infinite ferocity.

Earth Element Spell, Sandstorm Technique!

This was the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Without even getting close, he could cast such a large-scale spell from hundreds of meters away.

This was on a completely different level from the Qi Refining Stage, like heaven and earth.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Xu Hei's little lizards were caught in the sandstorm, each one being shredded into pieces mid-air, leaving not even a trace behind. In an instant, he lost more than half of them.

Xu Hei didn't have time to feel heartache. He split open the Earth Prison Technique, letting the little lizards drag the white snake and the wolf king away swiftly.

He himself fled in another direction.

"Go!"

Ye Haichuan's flying sword flashed out from under his feet. The sword was enormous, with a weighty, rock-like feel. Wherever it passed, gravity seemed to increase, like a mountain splitting the heavens, slashing towards Xu Hei's back.

Xu Hei knew he couldn't dodge this strike. His tail swung high, meeting the giant sword head-on, smashing into it with all his might.

"Clang!!!"

A deafening sound echoed through the heavens and earth, causing a resonant hum.

A shocking scene unfolded before Ye Haichuan. His flying sword was actually dented with a row of dense nicks and was knocked away.

Xu Hei didn't fare well either. His body shook violently, being flung dozens of meters away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Although his tail was protected by black-gold scales and remained intact, the internal shock was severe, with bones showing signs of breaking.

"So this is Foundation Establishment? The gap in cultivation is too vast." Xu Hei gritted his teeth.

His cultivation was only at the sixth level of the Spirit Communion Stage. Xu Hei prided himself on being nearly unbeatable below Foundation Establishment. Even if he faced Chen Daoling, who had forcefully elevated himself to Foundation Establishment with pills, he would still be unafraid.

But against a true Foundation Establishment cultivator, Xu Hei felt a sense of helplessness.

This wasn't a half-baked cultivator like Chen Daoling but a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose divine sense, spells, perception, and combat experience far surpassed Chen Daoling's.

To Ye Haichuan, this scene was like a bolt from the blue. He, a dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn't even kill a Spirit Communion Stage snake demon with one strike.

His gaze fixed on Xu Hei, as if wanting to see through him.

"I'm getting more and more curious. What secrets do you hold?"

In a flash, he chased after Xu Hei, his dented giant sword once again soaring towards Xu Hei.

Xu Hei used the Earth Escape Technique to burrow underground. Ye Haichuan cast a spell from a distance, causing the soil below to harden and solidify into rocky terrain.

Such rocky areas were impassable with the Earth Escape Technique, meant to trap the opponent.

But to Ye Haichuan's shock, Xu Hei was completely unaffected, his speed unchanged.

"How is this possible?"

Ye Haichuan exclaimed.

Little did he know, Xu Hei had often placed himself 800 meters underground during countless physical body tempering sessions, long accustomed to extremely solid underground environments.

Even rock couldn't stop Xu Hei.

In just a moment, Xu Hei had widened the distance between them again, reaching 500 meters.

"You can't escape!"

Ye Haichuan landed, pressing his palms to the ground, his gaze icy. With a thought, a sudden sense of danger surged from ahead.

Xu Hei reflexively veered slightly to the left. Almost simultaneously, a giant spike shot up from the ground, piercing through where Xu Hei had just been.

"Boom!!!"

The spike shot up, reaching a height of thirty meters, piercing the sky.

Xu Hei broke out in a cold sweat.

Had he not veered slightly, he would have been instantly impaled by that spike.

"You actually dodged it? Such keen senses!"

Ye Haichuan's heart chilled. Pressing his palms down again, he shouted in his mind, "Earth Piercing Spike!"

The sense of danger surged from Xu Hei's heart again. He quickly retreated dozens of meters. The next moment, another spike shot up from the ground, forming a cone that soared into the sky.

Xu Hei had just stopped, barely catching his breath, when he had to retreat again.

"Boom!"

Another spike shot up.

One wave after another.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

Spike after spike shot up from the ground in front of Xu Hei, gradually forcing him back.

He had no choice but to retreat. A moment's delay and he would be impaled.

"Damn it! The opponent doesn't want me to stay underground!"

Xu Hei gritted his teeth and burst out of the ground, soaring into the air. He took out a Swift Wind Talisman, stuck it to his abdomen, and rode the wind towards the horizon.

"Heh, just in time! Sandstorm Technique!"

Ye Haichuan pushed his hands forward, and endless sand and dust surged out again, forming a rolling sandstorm that swept forward. Trees were uprooted and shattered in mid-air, countless rocks were split into tiny grains of sand, merging into the storm.

He knew the opponent was skilled in the Earth Escape Technique. Forcing him out meant certain death.

But at that moment, Ye Haichuan's eyes narrowed, staring at the sky ahead, his eyes wide open.

Gone!

Xu Hei, who had just been flying, was gone.

His pupils contracted, filled with disbelief, thinking he had seen wrong.

"How did he disappear?"

Ye Haichuan hurriedly flew forward, reaching the sandstorm's location. The area was empty. Just as the sandstorm was about to engulf Xu Hei, he had suddenly vanished, disappearing into thin air.

Because of the distance, Ye Haichuan didn't know how the opponent had disappeared.

He spread his divine sense, scanning a radius of 500 meters, inch by inch, but found nothing, as if Xu Hei had evaporated.

"It must be some kind of invisibility talisman or magical treasure. I don't believe you can hide forever!"

He took out a handful of black dust and scattered it into the sky. Then, with a push, a strong wind arose.

The black dust spread forward, dispersing everywhere, covering the sky and ground.

This dust, known as Revealing Dust, was the nemesis of all concealment techniques.

No matter where one hid or what method was used, as long as they were touched by this dust, their silhouette would immediately be revealed.

However, after observing for a while, Ye Haichuan saw no figure appearing ahead.

There was only one possibility—Xu Hei had doubled back.

"He actually dared to come back?"

Ye Haichuan immediately turned around, looking back. What he saw made his eyes turn red.

Zhu Ze and Xue Hu's storage bags were gone.

Ye Haichuan instantly flew into a rage. That little beast hadn't run away but had turned back to take the storage bags.

How audacious!

Ye Haichuan felt like he was about to explode with anger. A mere Spirit Communion Stage demon dared to provoke him.

"I swear, I'll dig three hundred feet if I have to, but I'll find you!"

...

At this moment, Xu Hei was hiding 800 meters underground, panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat.

He swallowed a pill, quickly recovering his True Qi.

Through several tests, he was certain he wasn't a match for this person. Even if he gave it his all, his chances of winning were less than thirty percent.

Xu Hei knew that human cultivators had weak physical bodies. If he could get close, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could be gravely injured or killed by him.

But the opponent's attack range was too vast. He could kill from 500 meters away, and his spells were extremely powerful. Getting close was a pipe dream.

Moreover, besides that giant flying sword, who knew what other tricks the opponent had?

From start to finish, Xu Hei had kept at least 500 meters away from the opponent, not daring to get closer. Otherwise, he might be dead before he even got close.

"The old dog was right. Fighting across levels is something only prodigies can do. But crossing realms is like defying the heavens, almost impossible."

Xu Hei sighed.

In this battle, he suffered due to his cultivation and his spells.

He practiced the Five Elements Spells, which were numerous and varied but not refined. Xu Hei was exceptionally talented, mastering each spell but unable to achieve extreme proficiency.

Like this Mountain Movers Sect cultivator, who only practiced Earth spells and only accepted disciples with Earth Spiritual Roots, maximizing a particular trait.

Xu Hei was also skilled in Earth spells, but he only knew the Earth Escape Technique and hadn't learned any other Earth spells, not even having a jade slip. It was truly a pity.

Regardless, Xu Hei gained a lot of experience and lessons from this battle.

Fortunately, he had the old dog's Invisibility Talisman, which allowed him to fight without restraint.

Xu Hei didn't dare stay too long. After recovering some True Qi, he planned to circle back. The delay was enough; the white snake and the wolf king should be safe.

But at that moment, a sinister, sharp voice echoed in his ear.

"Heh heh, little beast, so you're hiding here!"