Serpent Ancestor

This sense of foreboding vanished in an instant.

Chen Daoling's gaze was fixated on the statue, as if trying to see through it. However, that feeling from before never returned, as if it had been a mere illusion.

"There must be something fishy here," Chen Daoling said coldly.

At this moment, two figures in white flashed over from a distance, their bodies emitting faint waves of spiritual power. Both were cultivators from Chen Family Town, but only at the early Qi Refining Stage.

They had sensed Chen Daoling's presence and came to investigate. Upon approaching, their expressions changed, and they hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Senior!"

The two bowed deeply, their expressions respectful.

Chen Daoling glanced at them and said, "You two, come here!"

The two were taken aback, exchanged a glance, and then walked over, puzzled. "What are your orders, Senior?"

Chen Daoling pointed at the Mountain God Temple and said, "Destroy the statue inside."

The two couldn't help but feel puzzled. This Mountain God Temple had stood here for many years, existing since their birth, long abandoned. Why destroy the statue inside?

They suddenly recalled some rumors that the Mountain God Temple had been haunted, with many strange occurrences.

Seeing Chen Daoling's serious expression, their suspicions grew.

But they dared not defy him. Taking a deep breath, they each took out a Fireball Talisman and a Wind Blade Talisman and walked towards the temple entrance.

At that moment, a black flame shot out, giving them no chance to react.

"Ah!!!"

A scream echoed as the two were instantly turned to charcoal, falling to the ground, dead.

"Bastard!"

Chen Daoling gritted his teeth in anger.

"In that case, I'll level the entire temple and see what tricks you can play!"

Chen Daoling took out a light red talisman, exuding an extremely violent aura, and threw it into the Mountain God Temple.

As the talisman landed inside the temple, Chen Daoling retreated thirty meters, made a hand seal, and shouted, "Explode!"

"Boom!!!"

The talisman exploded, flames soaring into the sky, shaking the heavens. The entire Mountain God Temple collapsed in an instant, turning to nothingness. Everything within fifty meters was reduced to ashes.

During this time, Chen Daoling's divine sense was locked onto the temple, not missing a single movement.

As the flames swept through, walls crumbled, and the structure was obliterated, leaving a huge crater. Even the statue was blown to pieces.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

He saw a black light burst out from the statue, rushing towards him at an incredible speed, too fast for him to react even with his full cultivation.

"Not good!"

Chen Daoling didn't know what it was, but he sensed a soul power fluctuation, possibly an ancient monster's primordial spirit as recorded in ancient texts.

He immediately threw Mu Lei in front of him as a shield and retreated swiftly.

"Whoosh!"

The black light shot into Mu Lei's forehead, and Chen Daoling didn't dare to stay, fleeing with his life-saving talisman, his speed exploding to more than five times its usual.

From afar, he heard a voice enter his mind.

"Dare to appear before me again, and I will shatter your soul, never to reincarnate!"

The voice was like a thunderclap, causing blood to seep from Chen Daoling's seven orifices, leaving him terrified.

His previous anger vanished in the face of this life-and-death crisis, replaced only by fear.

"Please calm your anger, Senior. I promise never to set foot here again."

Chen Daoling left a message and fled, disappearing without a trace.

At this moment, Xu Hei was hiding deep underground. Although he had avoided the core of the explosion, he was still affected by the shockwaves, barely holding back the urge to spit blood.

"That was close, but I bet right!" Xu Hei's heart pounded wildly.

He had never gambled in his life, and this was the most thrilling gamble he had ever taken.

However, he had prepared enough contingencies. If pushed to the brink, he would swallow the pill in his mouth and unleash all his scales. That old man would be severely injured if not killed.

But such an outcome was unacceptable to Xu Hei.

At this moment, the figure in the sky descended—it was the lifeless Mu Lei.

Mu Lei lay on the ground, breathless, but his eyes slowly opened.

"Zombie?!"

Xu Hei's mind buzzed, immediately recalling the resurrected Chen Fan, and his fear exploded.

"Ah!! Don't come back to life!"

Xu Hei shouted, charging forward madly, his tail whipping out and striking Mu Lei's face.

Mu Lei's face was smashed, his bones shattered, and blood spurted wildly.

Then, Xu Hei gathered a mouthful of fire and sprayed it on Mu Lei, burning his body to charcoal, then to ashes with another breath, and finally to dust with a third.

Still not reassured, Xu Hei whipped his tail again, scattering the ashes.

"Phew! Good thing I practiced the Fireball Technique. He should be dead now!"

Xu Hei let out a long breath, nearly scared out of his wits.

After a long time, with no movement from Mu Lei, Xu Hei finally relaxed.

He then turned to the statue's fragments, bowed respectfully, and said, "Thank you, Mountain God, for saving me!"

He knew it was the Mountain God who had scared Chen Daoling away.

Otherwise, he would have had to risk his life, and even if he survived, he would have been severely injured.

The Mountain God had shown him kindness, and Xu Hei always knew how to adapt to circumstances.

Xu Hei thought for a moment, took out three incense sticks from his storage bag, planted them in the ground, lit them with the Fireball Technique, and even caught a rat as an offering, placing it on the ground and kowtowing three times.

"Thank you, Mountain God, for your protection. I will come to worship you every year from now on!"

Xu Hei smiled and turned to leave.

"Stop right there, you little brat!"

Suddenly, an angry voice thundered in his mind, freezing Xu Hei in place.

He looked around, confirming he hadn't misheard. The voice was indeed in his mind.

"Mountain God, did you speak?"

Xu Hei asked, both panicked and excited, looking at the broken statue.

The voice seemed extremely angry, panting for a long time before continuing, "You have half an hour to find me a physical body, or I will curse you to never reincarnate!"

Hearing this, Xu Hei's face turned dark.

Never reincarnate? That meant no afterlife, which was worse than death!

He didn't know why the Mountain God wanted a physical body, but he dared not disobey.

Xu Hei hurriedly said, "I'll find a body right away."

He turned and left, moving at top speed.

"Wait!" The voice shouted again, "Don't just find any body to fool me. I want a strong, young one! Preferably with cultivation!"

As for spiritual roots and physique, he didn't dare to ask, fearing Xu Hei wouldn't understand. He couldn't expect much from this beast's intelligence.

"Yes!"

Xu Hei didn't dare delay, darting away and disappearing without a trace.

At this moment, his heart was in turmoil. The Mountain God was alive, a living Mountain God!

No wonder he had gained enlightenment; it must have been the Mountain God's doing!