Serpent Ancestor

Xu Hei had just left not long ago.

A half-grown child ran to the place where the Pig Demon had died, pointing at the bloodstains on the ground and shouting excitedly.

From behind, a farmer rolled up his sleeves and hurried over.

“Dad! This is great, the Pig Demon that killed Mom is dead, swallowed by a big snake,” the child shouted excitedly.

Unexpectedly, the farmer picked up a stick and smacked the child on the buttocks, making him cry out loud.

“How dare you come out! Be careful, or the Old Snake King will eat you. Get back home now!” the farmer scolded angrily, grabbing the child by the ear and dragging him away.

***

Xu Hei returned to the forest in haste, holding the Demon Core in his mouth. Although the trip had been smooth, he still felt a chill down his spine, lingering fear in his heart.

“Good thing I was cautious. If I had recklessly charged in and fought the Pig Demon, who knows what the outcome would have been!”

Xu Hei was still shaken. He had encountered a Demonic Beast similar to himself.

As for which layer of the Spirit Communion Stage it was, Xu Hei wasn’t sure. Being cautious was indeed the right choice; you never know what kind of existence you might face.

After swallowing the wild boar, his body had doubled in size. Fortunately, he wasn’t slow. Dragging his massive body, Xu Hei returned to his tree hollow.

This tree hollow was a temporary shelter he had found. He had repeatedly confirmed that there were no signs of large creatures within a five-mile radius.

Xu Hei lay in the tree hollow, digesting the wild boar meat he had just eaten.

The meat of a Demonic Beast was indeed extraordinary, rich in blood and energy, more filling than ordinary meat. By the next morning, Xu Hei had only digested a third of it.

He felt he was getting closer to the second layer of the Spirit Communion Stage.

At this moment, he took out the pitch-black Demon Core.

A Demon Core, also known as an Inner Core, contained the essence of a Demonic Beast’s Spiritual Qi throughout its life. It was excellent material for Pill Refining, Artifact Refining, and Talisman Crafting.

Swallowing a Demon Core raw was extremely dangerous; a slight mistake could result in shattered meridians and death by explosion. It was generally used for Pill Refining.

“Human knowledge doesn’t necessarily apply to me. Why would Demonic Beasts have so many rules?” Xu Hei was somewhat skeptical.

***

Another day passed.

The next evening, Xu Hei opened his eyes. The wild boar meat had been fully digested. His muscles and meridians felt a sense of satisfaction, like a bucket filled to the brim with water.

Xu Hei immediately made a decision—to break through!

This was an instinct of Demonic Beasts; he needed to become stronger.

Xu Hei held the Demon Core in his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp, crushing it with his teeth, making a cracking sound.

In an instant, a surge of violent energy erupted from the Demon Core, rushing into Xu Hei’s meridians and bones, causing continuous rumbling.

He felt a slight pain inside his body, but it was entirely bearable.

Indeed, the constitution of demons and humans couldn’t be generalized.

“Break!”

With a thought, the violent energy surged, his body crackling, transforming at an incredible speed. This was a metamorphosis of his body.

The initial transformation was quick, but then it slowed down. Xu Hei’s aura remained at the peak of the first layer of the Spirit Communion Stage.

Suddenly, the Demon God Cauldron inside him trembled, absorbing the energy. The Spiritual Qi mist rapidly expanded, then compressed into a single point!

“Boom!!”

Xu Hei’s body shook violently, his aura rising sharply, breaking through the bottleneck in one go.

After a long while, when he opened his eyes again, his aura was entirely different.

The second layer of the Spirit Communion Stage!

“Success!”

Xu Hei exhaled a breath of turbid air, his heart filled with joy.

At this moment, the Spiritual Qi mist inside the Demon God Cauldron had compressed into a small area, but its concentration was more than ten times higher than before, resulting in a qualitative change.

According to human knowledge, breakthroughs weren’t always successful on the first try. Some might fail several times, and some might be stuck at a certain realm for a lifetime.

His first breakthrough was a success, indicating that his talent was decent, though he didn’t know what kind of Spiritual Root he had.

Xu Hei didn’t become complacent.

He was still in the early stages of the Spirit Communion Stage.

Only by reaching the fourth layer and entering the mid-stage would there be a fundamental change. At that time, he could use True Qi to harm enemies from a distance and learn some basic spells.

Xu Hei was still far from that level.

“Hunting wild boars is dangerous, but it also brings opportunities,” Xu Hei thought to himself.

Danger and opportunity always coexist. If it weren’t for that Pig Demon, relying solely on mundane food, it might take three to five years to make any progress.

Feeling his newfound strength, Xu Hei cherished his life even more. He wanted to make the most of this life.

***

A day later, Xu Hei returned to the watermelon field.

This was an instinct of Demonic Beasts; they would operate within their familiar territory and wouldn’t leave their activity area unless faced with significant danger.

Xu Hei hoped to encounter a second Pig Demon. Although the chances were slim, he chose to wait for a chance; it was the safest approach.

Not only Xu Hei, but many wild beasts also had their fixed hunting grounds.

The whole day passed without any sign of wild boars. Instead, the farmer reappeared in the watermelon field, bringing manure to fertilize the plants.

By evening, the half-grown child also appeared, holding a book in his hand. But before long, he was taken back by his father.

Xu Hei waited all day, but not even a rat showed up, let alone a wild boar.

Under the moonlight, he gazed at the lush green watermelons, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

“Wild boars eat watermelons, and I eat wild boars. Can I skip a step and eat the watermelons directly?” Xu Hei had a bold idea.

Xu Hei wasn’t an ordinary Demonic Beast. Since gaining intelligence, he often pondered logical questions, like a baby first exploring the world, full of curiosity.

With a mindset to give it a try, Xu Hei crawled to a large watermelon, opened his snake mouth, and swallowed it whole.

As his abdominal muscles contracted, the watermelon skin was crushed and burst open inside his stomach.

Xu Hei could feel a slight replenishment of his blood and energy, though it was minimal.

“It’s edible, but it’s about the same as a rat’s blood and energy,” Xu Hei estimated.

Since he could eat watermelons, he could also eat potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, and other plants. With his current digestive ability, he could even digest the bones of the Pig Demon, so these were naturally not a problem.

However, although he could eat them, his body instinctively resisted such food.

“Hopefully, I can have some meat tonight.”

Xu Hei thought to himself.

***

A day passed, and Xu Hei waited until late at night. Finally, he spotted a ferret.

Xu Hei first scanned the area with his Divine Sense, confirming that it wasn’t a Demonic Beast, then swiftly attacked, coiling around the ferret and swallowing it in one go.

Feeling his bulging stomach, Xu Hei was satisfied.

“Time to leave.”

Xu Hei, having had his fill, turned to leave.

But just then, he suddenly froze.

In the moonlight, a young boy holding a pitchfork stood not far ahead, staring at Xu Hei with a vacant look, motionless like a statue.