Serpent Ancestor

Xu Hei immediately halted, his pupils contracting as he stopped in his tracks.

"Damn, I've been discovered by a human! Is he preparing to attack me? Could he be another Chen Fan?"

In that brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through Xu Hei's mind.

As the notorious Old Snake King of Snake Village, Xu Hei had devoured countless humans and was a wanted target by the authorities and snake catchers. Once discovered, it wouldn't be long before someone came to capture him.

Xu Hei had been entirely focused on his prey just now and hadn't noticed anyone nearby!

At this moment, the boy holding the pitchfork was clearly also frightened. It was his first time seeing the Old Snake King up close.

The Old Snake King looked very similar to the images circulating in the village: a plump snake body, an oval snake head, triangular scales, and pale golden snake eyes, though not as large as imagined.

Xu Hei stared at the boy in front of him, and to his shock, the boy's face began to change, becoming cold and ruthless.

That face slowly morphed into Chen Fan's face!!

Boom!

Xu Hei's scalp tingled instantly. With eyes full of terror, he turned and vanished without a trace, moving at the fastest speed of his life!

After Xu Hei left, the half-grown boy sat down heavily on the ground, his pants already wet.

"Was that the Old Snake King? Why didn't he eat me?"

The boy was still terrified but also puzzled.

***

Xu Hei ran for several kilometers before stopping, panting heavily.

"What happened? Why did his face turn into Chen Fan's?"

Xu Hei's face showed a look of horror.

"Impossible, it must have been an illusion!"

Xu Hei shook his head, suddenly realizing that the immortal had left a significant psychological shadow on him, making everyone look like Chen Fan.

He had even had nightmares about Chen Fan's figure while sleeping.

Initially, he didn't care, but now he had to be vigilant.

Humans called this a mental illness, something like PTSD.

If you're sick, you need to get treated!

"I have an inner demon; I need to pray to the Bodhisattva for peace of mind."

Xu Hei took a deep breath, making up his mind.

***

The next day.

Three miles outside Chen Family Town.

There was an abandoned Mountain God Temple here. No one knew which god it was dedicated to, and very few people came to worship. The surrounding area was desolate.

Xu Hei arrived, first using his Divine Sense to scan the area and confirm no one was around, then crawled in through the main gate.

In front of him was a giant statue, gray and white, with a blurred face, one broken arm, covered in dust and cobwebs, looking dilapidated.

To Xu Hei's surprise, there were still tributes on the table: a pig's head, a roast chicken, and a pile of white steamed buns.

"So extravagant! Which rich young master left these?"

Xu Hei instinctively wanted to rush over and eat, then leave, but considering he had serious business to attend to, he held back.

He crawled onto the prayer mat, pondering whether he should burn some incense.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Hei found three dead branches and stuck them into the incense burner.

Then, he returned to the prayer mat and, imitating human gestures, kowtowed three times.

"Bodhisattva, please bless me and free me from my inner demon," Xu Hei prayed sincerely.

After completing the ritual, Xu Hei felt much lighter, as if he had been purified, with no distracting thoughts.

"It really works!"

Xu Hei was overjoyed.

Since his business was done, Xu Hei didn't hesitate any longer, immediately crawling onto the table and opening his mouth wide to devour all the tributes.

Human food was indeed different; it tasted exceptionally good.

Satisfied after a hearty meal, Xu Hei was about to leave.

"Ha ha ha, little girl, where do you think you can run to?"

Suddenly, a sinister laugh and a woman's scream came from outside the door.

Xu Hei shivered and quickly hid behind the statue.

Using his Divine Sense, he saw a young woman fleeing into the temple. She was dressed lavishly, with jeweled hairpins and a silk robe, clearly a rich young lady.

Chasing her was a young man with a knife.

Xu Hei recognized the knife-wielding youth; he was one of the people who had thrown Chen Fan into the pigsty that day.

Xu Hei frowned. He just wanted to leave quickly, but behind the statue was a wall, with no back door.

To leave, he would be seen whether he crawled out the window or walked through the main door.

"What a hassle."

Xu Hei sighed and decided to stay put until they were done.

"What do you want? I'm the Third Miss Chen; I can give you anything you want, just don't kill me."

"Heh heh, Miss Chen, I'm just following orders. You can only blame your bad luck. But before you die, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself."

Their conversation reached Xu Hei's ears, and the man let out a sinister laugh.

Xu Hei shook his head. In his view, killing without the purpose of food was unnecessary.

At this moment, the young woman was punched and sent flying. The knife-wielding man didn't rush to kill her but walked forward with a wicked smile.

Humans were peculiar creatures, in heat all year round, unlike Xu Hei, who only had a mating season in spring.

As for the woman's appearance, she might be considered quite beautiful by human standards, but to Xu Hei, she looked weak and unappealing.

Suddenly, the woman seemed to sense something and shouted, "I beg you, senior, please save me! The Chen Family will reward you handsomely!"

Her gaze turned to the back of the statue.

Xu Hei was stunned. Had he been discovered?

"Who?!"

The knife-wielding youth shivered and hurriedly looked around.

Seeing the dust marks on the ground, he squinted his eyes and glanced meaningfully at the statue.

"Heh, there's no one here. Just accept your fate!"

He wasn't sure if anyone was hiding behind the statue, but as long as the person stayed out of it, he didn't want any complications. He would kill and leave, nothing more.

However, the young woman was decisive. She got up and sprinted towards the back of the statue.

Xu Hei was shocked.

In an instant, the woman crossed the short distance and rushed up.

"Don't come over!!!"

Xu Hei's heart screamed as he saw the woman, full of hope, come behind the statue and look in his direction.

"Senior..."

She was about to speak when a giant snake tail whipped her face.

"Smack!!!"

The woman's head was instantly knocked off, her body and head separating, blood spraying everywhere.

The young man was terrified and immediately turned to flee.

How could Xu Hei let him go? He flung the woman's head, hitting the young man's back of the head accurately.

"Thud!!"

With a dull sound, the young man fell, and Xu Hei rushed up, twisting his head off.

To prevent them from coming back to life, Xu Hei crushed their bones and organs, turning them into minced meat, ensuring they were dead beyond any doubt.