Serpent Ancestor

Outside Chen Family Town, the Mountain God Temple stood, its origins unknown, but it had a history spanning a hundred years. The statue within had weathered to the point where its features were indistinguishable.

It was said that strange occurrences often happened here, and no one dared to approach, leading to its gradual desolation.

This year, not even beggars were seen around, only a stray dog coming and going in search of food.

Suddenly.

The massive statue at the center trembled slightly, shaking off all the dust and snow.

"Woof!"

The big black dog shuddered in fear, as if seeing a ghost, and fled the Mountain God Temple in a panic.

From within the statue, a faint sigh could be heard.

"Two hundred years, I have finally awakened. It's time to find a new body. Unfortunately, the last two bodies were destroyed by that little brat!"

"That brat is half my disciple. When he comes next time, I'll make sure he finds me a perfect body!"

…………

Unknowingly, three months passed.

Winter gave way to spring, and all things revived as the ice and snow melted.

The villagers of Snake Village began their new year of planting, but compared to previous years, there were far fewer farmers.

In the deep mountains and old forests, life burst forth anew. Plants and animals alike grew wildly, and the hibernating snakes awoke, crawling out of their burrows to start a new year of foraging.

Inside an underground cave.

The temperature gradually rose, and water droplets seeped through the rock layers on the ceiling, falling onto the ground with a drip-drip sound, forming small puddles.

Xu Hei, who had been asleep for a long time, finally opened his eyes.

After a winter of hibernation, Xu Hei's body was somewhat stiff. He practiced his breathing exercises, letting the Spiritual Qi flow through his meridians, and after a while, he slowly recovered.

Xu Hei looked inward at his body.

At this moment, the Spiritual Qi mist inside the Demon God Cauldron had expanded again, covering eighty percent of the area from a small breakthrough point.

Most of this eighty percent came from devouring the Bear Demon.

This slightly surprised Xu Hei. The Bear Demon's flesh and blood not only allowed him to break through once but also brought him directly to the peak of the third level of the Spirit Communion Stage.

It seemed that the fourth level was not far off.

The black-gold scales at the tip of his tail had increased to six pieces.

"Indeed, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Relying solely on peaceful cultivation makes it hard to progress. Only through devouring and plundering can one advance!" Xu Hei thought to himself.

Xu Hei spread out his Divine Sense, covering the area.

Now, his Divine Sense could extend to a range of thirty meters, a significant improvement from the beginning.

"According to my memory, humans can only start using Divine Sense when they reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and even then, it doesn't exceed ten meters. What's going on with me?"

Xu Hei was puzzled.

Just like Chen Fan, who could use Divine Sense from the start, perhaps their talents were extraordinary.

During these three months of hibernation, human knowledge and memories often surfaced, not only cultivation knowledge but also some advanced ideas.

Some of these ideas greatly inspired Xu Hei.

He often reflected on his actions, finding many immature aspects.

For example, eating human food was clearly a foolish behavior. If someone wanted to plot against him, they could easily tamper with it.

A few days later.

As the temperature rose again, Xu Hei began to move.

He crawled around the cave, stretching his muscles. Although it was dark, he had already scanned the thirty-meter area with his Divine Sense.

The cave was large, deep, and narrow, leading to unknown places.

There was a pool nearby, which he had passed by when he entered.

However, the pool was empty, with no living creatures, not even insects. At the bottom was a solitary large black stone.

Xu Hei jumped into the pool and swam to the other side. He didn't dare stay long and quickly climbed up the steep rocks to the shore.

The pool was somewhat eerie, and Xu Hei had no intention of exploring it. He ignored the stone, planning to let others investigate once he became stronger.

The warm sun shone down, marking the early spring season.

The melting ice and snow flowed down from the mountains, gathering in the ravines to form streams and waterfalls.

Xu Hei arrived at a pond, catching some frogs, a few river mussels, and crabs.

This place was teeming with life. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Xu Hei discovered hundreds of creatures and immediately began devouring them one by one.

He also found some snakes that had just ended their hibernation and devoured them as well.

Only then did Xu Hei feel somewhat satiated.

"I've eaten too much here. I need to find another place to feed."

Xu Hei resisted the urge to continue hunting and left the pond, heading to the next location.

Spring provided abundant food. In the past, he would have devoured everything without hesitation, but now he understood.

During his hibernation, he learned a new concept called ecological balance.

If a certain species in an area were to lose a large number of individuals, it would gradually go extinct.

For Xu Hei, this would be a nightmare.

At that point, he would be forced to go down the mountain to human villages to find food and drink, greatly increasing his risk.

Additionally, he deliberately spared some pregnant females or those with young, allowing them to reproduce smoothly.

"Even the hunters from Snake Village release young fish and animals back into the wild. My appetite is large, but compared to the endless consumption of humans, it's much smaller."

"As long as I control it a bit and claim two mountain peaks, I can definitely be self-sufficient."

Xu Hei thought to himself.

…………

Days passed.

Xu Hei roamed the two mountain peaks, eliminating competitors one by one.

As long as no other fierce beasts intruded, he was the sole ruler here.

Through his Divine Sense, Xu Hei had a rough understanding of the species on these two mountains.

"Twenty-five roe deer, twenty wild boars, thirty muntjacs, and hundreds of rabbits."

"There are also monkeys, sika deer, wild goats, mountain cats, and countless others."

Xu Hei only counted the larger animals, those that could fill him up with one meal. He couldn't count the smaller rodents, amphibians, birds, and fish.

As long as these species reproduced normally and he didn't eat recklessly, he could definitely be self-sufficient.

As for other mountain peaks, Xu Hei didn't dare to intrude because of the scent marks left by demonic beasts. He also left his own marks on the edges.

He took some time to visit Snake Village, glancing at the Wang Family's youngest son. Compared to last year, Wang Xiaoniu had grown taller, lost some of his mischievousness, and gained maturity and steadiness, as if he had grown up in a year.

But in the melon field, there was no sign of Wang Daniu, only a solitary grave.

Xu Hei sighed and turned away.

Xu Hei had passed by the Mountain God Temple outside Chen Family Town once. He had intended to burn some incense and pray, even catching a mountain chicken as a tribute.

But as he approached, he couldn't bear to part with the chicken, so he ate it and left.

…………

Another month passed.

One day, Xu Hei left his territory and ventured deep into the mountains.

His direction was clear, as if guided by precise navigation, heading straight for a certain place.

Unknowingly, he arrived at a valley.

It was a basin surrounded by mountains, with humid and cold air. The ground was dotted with puddles, and snake holes were everywhere.

With a casual sweep of his Divine Sense, Xu Hei found no fewer than ten snakes.

This valley was called Myriad Serpent Valley.

Xu Hei was drawn here by the scent of his kind. He came here every year during this season, a habit he had formed.

This was the season for snake reproduction!

As an adult male black snake, Xu Hei didn't know his species, but he had left many offspring here.

Perhaps, with a sweep of his Divine Sense, he might find his descendants.

Of course, he had no memory of these events.

This year, he wasn't here to reproduce but to remember something important.