Serpent Ancestor

"He was originally a man, but somehow turned into a female cultivator. I won't go into the details; it might ruin your state of mind."

Hei Huang chuckled mischievously.

Xu Hei swallowed hard and instinctively decided not to ask further.

"Hei Huang, if the plan fails and we get discovered, how do we escape?"

Xu Hei asked, wanting to prepare for the worst-case scenario. It wasn't a lack of confidence, just a precaution to ensure everything was covered.

"Don't worry, once I bring out that thing, the women of the Purple Mist Sect won't dare to make a move!" Hei Huang said confidently.

Xu Hei didn't press further. Revealing all secrets wasn't good either; some basic trust was necessary.

...

Ahead, they entered the territory of the Purple Mist Sect, Purple Mist Mountain.

This mountain was home to many spirit beasts. Xu Hei scanned with his divine sense and found numerous spirit cats, spirit dogs, and spirit rabbits, all fluffy creatures.

However, there were only these three types of creatures; nothing else was left.

Not even plants, which had been almost entirely eaten, leaving Purple Mist Mountain barren.

"Are you sure your method will work?" Xu Hei remained skeptical.

"Just watch, it'll definitely work!"

Hei Huang took out a pile of white powder and covered himself with it, turning snow-white and shiny. Then he swallowed a pill, and his body shrank.

In just a few breaths, he transformed from a big black dog into a small white dog.

Even his demeanor changed; he no longer looked sinister but rather like an ordinary puppy, with watery eyes and a pitiful expression.

Xu Hei was stunned.

"Damn... this is blinding." Xu Hei exclaimed, unable to bear the sight.

Hei Huang ran ahead and suddenly let out a cry of pain.

A wound appeared on his hind leg, bleeding profusely, deep enough to see the bone.

"Ow! Woof woof woof!"

Hei Huang howled in pain, attracting the attention of many spirit beasts.

Two spirit cats, sensing danger, attacked him. Hei Huang didn't fight back, allowing himself to be scratched all over.

Before long, two female disciples of the Purple Mist Sect arrived, alarmed by the noise. Seeing the scene, they exclaimed, "Stop!"

They hurriedly chased away the cats and rescued Hei Huang.

"Poor little dog, it's so badly injured."

"Let's take it back and treat it."

After a brief discussion, one of them carried Hei Huang away without further thought.

Xu Hei watched from underground, dumbfounded.

Damn, this works too?

These two were mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, yet they were so easily fooled?

Xu Hei couldn't understand but had to admire Hei Huang's acting skills and shamelessness. Truly, he was too brazen and despicable!

The remaining female disciple scolded the fighting spirit cats and then fed them.

All the spirit beasts in the mountain rushed over, frantically grabbing the food, which was quickly devoured.

Xu Hei realized that these two female cultivators were responsible for the spirit beasts' welfare and were friendly towards animals.

Xu Hei didn't dislike such people.

Who would hate someone who posed no threat to them?

Thinking for a moment, Xu Hei released a small mechanical snake, cutting a wound on its body to expose the bone, making it look pitiful.

This mechanical snake was crafted by Hei Huang during their journey. It had the appearance of a snake and was at the first level of the Spirit Communion Stage, but it was very fast, used for scouting.

Xu Hei did this purely out of curiosity. If he were injured, would this woman save him?

A spirit cat saw the snake and immediately pounced, scratching and biting it. Xu Hei controlled the snake to hiss and thrash around.

"What's that?"

The female cultivator feeding the animals looked over.

Seeing it was a snake, her face turned pale, and she screamed.

"Ahhh!! A snake demon has intruded!"

Her scream was particularly sharp, her expression terrified as if she had been frightened.

Xu Hei was stunned.

"Die! Die!"

Without a second thought, she drew a sword and thrust it at the snake.

Xu Hei's face darkened.

Damn double standards! Hei Huang gets saved, but the snake gets killed? Aren't they both spirit beasts?

If snakes are considered a threat to humans, this little snake was only at the first level of the Spirit Communion Stage, while she was mid-stage Qi Refining. It posed no threat at all.

Xu Hei understood then; it was because the snake wasn't fluffy and didn't fit human aesthetics.

"Clang!"

The sword struck the ground, missing its target as the snake had already burrowed underground, and Xu Hei stored it in his storage bag.

This snake was painstakingly crafted over the past few days; he didn't want to lose it so easily.

"What's wrong, Sister Fang?"

At this moment, a male cultivator flew over from a distance, quickly arriving beside the female cultivator.

Judging by his robes, he was a disciple of the Carefree Sect.

Fang Qingxue immediately threw herself into the male cultivator's arms, pointing to where the snake had hidden, crying, "Brother Li, there's a snake there, I'm so scared!"

The young man named Li's eyes flashed as he discovered Xu Hei hiding underground. He patted her head, comforting her, "Don't worry, I'll skin that snake and feed it to the spirit cats."

"Yay, Brother Li is the best!" Fang Qingxue exclaimed excitedly.

The young man named Li sneered, sending a Fire Explosion Talisman towards Xu Hei's hiding spot.

The talisman exploded upon contact, creating a deep pit thirty meters wide.

Then, he leaped forward, wielding a soft sword, stabbing towards Xu Hei's hiding spot, clearly mistaking Xu Hei for the mechanical snake.

"Forget it, the bigger picture is more important."

Xu Hei sighed. This man was at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage; he could kill him in one move, but Xu Hei preferred to act cautiously. Until Hei Huang sent word, he didn't want to cause trouble.

He burrowed deeper underground, the man's sword repeatedly stabbing, leaving the ground riddled with holes but missing each time.

"Huh?"

Fang Qingxue frowned. It was just a first-level Spirit Communion Stage snake; why couldn't he hit it?

"Try dodging this time!"

Enraged, the young man named Li drew a golden longbow, nocking an arrow and aiming at Xu Hei, pulling the bowstring taut.

"That's... a top-tier magical artifact!"

Xu Hei immediately recognized it as a top-tier magical artifact capable of threatening even a Great Perfection Spirit Communion Stage cultivator.

Such a bow was among the best even for Qi Refining Stage cultivators. He hadn't expected these two to possess such a treasure.

Xu Hei hadn't intended to kill, but this bow posed a real threat to him; he couldn't just sit and wait.

"Die!"

The young man named Li released the arrow, which shot towards Xu Hei, piercing the earth and aiming for him underground.

"Thick Earth Armor!"

Xu Hei activated the thick earth armor with a thought.

A layer of yellow light quickly condensed on his body, forming a solid armor. The arrow only broke a small piece of the earth layer, barely scratching his skin.

"This..."

Both were stunned, realizing they were in big trouble.

"Thud! Thud!"

Two nails shot out from underground.

And then, nothing more.

Just then, Hei Huang's voice came through a transmission talisman: "It's done, you can come in."

Xu Hei breathed a sigh of relief, just in time.