Serpent Ancestor

In the days that followed, Xu Hei stayed there.

Consuming too many vines at once had some side effects, making his entire body feel scorching hot, with smoke rising from his skin and a constant burning pain in his meridians.

Xu Hei wasn't afraid of pain, but he hated this relentless torment.

He decided to consume the vines slowly.

Xu Hei also discovered that, besides the rapid progress in his Fireball Technique, his Earth Escape Technique had also become more proficient, likely due to the enhancement of his True Qi.

His eleventh scale had also grown out.

During this time, the Wolf King always stayed by his side.

At first, he needed the Beast Control Ring to manage it, but later, without Xu Hei's control, a single command was enough for the Wolf King to obediently follow orders.

Occasionally, it would even take the initiative to help hunt and bring back some food.

"I heard that dogs were domesticated from wolves. Can I domesticate one too?"

Xu Hei thought of the Snake Catcher's hunting dogs, incredibly loyal, protecting their master even unto death.

But soon, Xu Hei abandoned this idea; he didn't have the time to domesticate a demonic wolf. He preferred to trust the Beast Control Ring over loyalty.

Half a month later.

Xu Hei had completely refined the entire vine, reaching the peak of the fourth layer of the Spirit Communion Stage, not far from the fifth layer.

The scales on his tail had grown to thirteen.

There were still many vines underground, deeply rooted, but without absorbing sunlight from the surface, they couldn't generate fire-type True Qi.

Xu Hei didn't destroy the roots, thinking that perhaps in a few decades, the vines would grow back, which wouldn't be his concern.

"Fireball Technique!"

Xu Hei opened his mouth, condensing a pitch-black flame.

This was the mutation that occurred after consuming the vines.

According to the Myriad Serpent Record, the demonic fire of the Black Yin Snake was black and usually only appeared after Foundation Establishment. Was Xu Hei an exception?

He spat out the black flame, which burned a large pit five zhang wide into the mountain rock ahead, with magma flowing down.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Xu Hei felt this trip was worthwhile.

Glancing at the Wolf King beside him, Xu Hei retracted the Beast Control Ring.

"You're free now."

The Wolf King had guarded him day and night, keeping watch and helping with hunting. Though not very useful, it had earned some merit.

In the end, Xu Hei let it go, turning to leave, planning to return to his territory.

To his surprise, the Wolf King didn't dare to run away, still following behind, along with its pack.

Xu Hei ignored them, returning to his mountain, with the Wolf King trailing behind.

He looked back at the Wolf King and said, "You're really free. I won't trouble you."

After thinking for a moment, Xu Hei added, "Of course, you can continue to keep watch. If you spot any humans, let me know immediately, and I'll reward you."

With that, Xu Hei headed straight into the mountain, returning to his cave.

The Wolf King waited for a long time until Xu Hei completely disappeared, then let out a low growl, eyes filled with joy and complexity, and quickly ran off.

…………

Wherever there are Spirit Medicines, there are always Demonic Beasts guarding them.

On his way back, Xu Hei pondered this issue. He hadn't returned for half a month; would the Serpent Tree he planted be guarded by a Demonic Beast?

Xu Hei smiled wryly and shook his head. Even if there were a Demonic Beast, he had nothing to fear.

Over time, Spirit Medicines naturally attract some Demonic Beasts to settle nearby, absorbing Spiritual Qi. It's instinctual.

As Xu Hei approached his cave, he indeed sensed a trace of Demonic Aura.

"Huh?"

Xu Hei let out a soft sound of surprise, quickly approaching and spreading his Divine Sense.

He sensed a hint of battle.

Xu Hei concealed his aura and quietly crawled into the cave, hiding in a shadow.

By the Serpent Fruit tree, a large lizard was fighting a white snake. Both were Demonic Beasts, at the early Spirit Communion Stage.

To Xu Hei's surprise, he recognized the white snake.

It was the one he was very familiar with from Myriad Serpent Valley.

"She's a Demonic Beast?" Xu Hei was astonished.

The white snake was still the same, slightly small, only about a meter long, a tiny thing compared to the giant lizard.

Xu Hei thought the white snake would be devoured.

But then he saw the giant lizard collapse, twitching and dying from poison.

"..." Xu Hei was speechless.

He had never used poison for hunting, yet the white snake's venom was so potent.

He suddenly thought of the Old Snake King's poison.

Could this white snake be a descendant of the Old Snake King? Did she consume the second Serpent Fruit?

These were all speculations, but Xu Hei quickly found the answer.

The white snake lay under the Serpent Fruit tree, starting a Breathing Exercise, the same technique Xu Hei had used in Myriad Serpent Valley.

"This..."

Xu Hei was dumbfounded. The white snake had followed him and even learned the Breathing Exercise. What kind of talent was this?

Suddenly, the white snake seemed to sense something, turning its head to see Xu Hei's eyes in the shadows.

Without hesitation, the white snake turned and fled out of the cave.

"High intelligence, highly alert, talented, and learned Breathing Exercise..."

Xu Hei's mind stirred, and the Beast Control Ring flew out, encircling her neck and bringing her back.

Only then did Xu Hei crawl out from the shadows, revealing himself.

The white snake hesitated, clearly recognizing Xu Hei.

"What's your relation to the Old Snake King?" Xu Hei asked, knowing she could understand him.

The white snake flicked its tongue, indicating it was a descendant.

Xu Hei's heart tightened. "So, you are indeed a descendant of the Old Snake King. I am also a descendant of the Old Snake King. What does that make us..."

Xu Hei fell silent.

In the past, he would kill any intruders without mercy, but he thought of the Old Snake King.

"In honor of the Old Snake King, I'll spare you. You can stay here and cultivate."

The Old Snake King's gift of the Serpent Fruit had made Xu Hei what he was today.

This was a word unknown to snakes—inheritance.

Inheritance was a flourishing concept in the human world: family inheritance, sect inheritance, national inheritance... It was inheritance that kept humanity thriving.

The white snake nodded, pondered for a moment, and then drew a human figure on the ground.

"Human?" Xu Hei's body trembled, staring at the white snake.

The white snake then drew an arrow pointing at Xu Hei.

Seeing this symbol, Xu Hei's eyes turned cold. He tentatively asked, "Humans are looking for me?"

The white snake nodded.

Xu Hei took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for the warning."

Xu Hei moved the lizard's corpse over, dividing it into several parts for the white snake to consume.

Then he said, "I'm going out for a while. Cultivate well and don't go outside."

The white snake nodded obediently.

Xu Hei retracted the Beast Control Ring and left the cave. He had long anticipated this day, just not so soon.

Humans were not as easy to deal with as Demonic Beasts; he needed a meticulous plan.

With his current strength, Xu Hei couldn't guarantee victory in every battle. He had to rely on favorable terrain and environment.

If he couldn't win, he would have to flee.

…………

Thirty li away, on a rocky mountain.

This was where Xu Hei had previously consumed the Earth Flame Vine.

An old man in a Daoist robe and a young Snake Catcher arrived there.

Chen Daoling held a compass, staring at the Earth Flame Vine's location, and murmured, "It's close. I can feel it; he's nearby!"

…………

Three days later.

Xu Hei had scouted the area, finding some treacherous spots to set traps.

He also located some Demonic Beast territories.

He planned to lure humans to the Demonic Beasts, but those beasts were too weak to be of much use, so he had to rely on himself.

"If worst comes to worst, I'll hide in the river and swim as far as I can."

Xu Hei had developed a sense of belonging to this land. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to move to an unfamiliar place.

During this time, Xu Hei hadn't neglected his spells and had learned the Gravity Technique.

From two meters away, he could retrieve objects, bringing them to his hand.

"Hmm? Demonic Aura!"

One day, Xu Hei suddenly smelled a strong Demonic Aura.

His eyes flashed, and he quickly crawled over.

This was the strongest Demonic Aura he had ever encountered, indicating a powerful opponent.

What puzzled Xu Hei was that the Demonic Aura came from near Snake Village!

That was a place where humans lived!

Before long, Xu Hei arrived at a grave.

He focused his gaze and saw that the grave had been dug out, leaving a large pit.

A huge black dog was holding a human skull, jumping out of the pit and gnawing on it, making crunching sounds.

The dog was pitch black, shiny, with a bare tail, and its eyes glowed with malevolence.

Just looking at it made Xu Hei's heart race.

"Digging up graves and eating corpses, my goodness! It's even more savage than me!" Xu Hei was secretly shocked.