Serpent Ancestor

The sect leader, Shen Qingzhu, immediately issued an order: "All elders and disciples, heed my command. Search the mountain and find that old demon, dead or alive!"

Everyone accepted the order and entered the deep mountains.

However, although they entered the mountain, their minds were filled with different thoughts, and there was a hint of fear in their eyes.

"That demon almost killed an ancestor in the Core Formation Stage. If we go, isn't it just courting death?"

"No way, this demon is too terrifying. We can't provoke it!"

"The sect leader's order cannot be disobeyed, so let's just put on a show."

The Purple Mist Sect was different from other sects. Most of its disciples had never experienced life-and-death battles. After practicing the Purple Mist Technique, they had a more relaxed cultivation method. Why risk their lives outside?

Especially in such an environment, if you risk your life, you are seen as not fitting in, pretending to be aloof, and you will be ostracized.

This led to very few people truly willing to search for that old demon.

From elders to disciples, they all behaved the same.

They grouped in threes and fives, wandering leisurely in the mountains, more like they were on a sightseeing tour.

...

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The news from the Purple Mist Sect swept through the entire Southern Region of the Chu Kingdom like a storm.

A mysterious demon broke into the Purple Mist Sect to steal pills and was chased for thousands of miles by the fifth-generation ancestor. The ancestor was defeated and retreated with serious injuries.

Those who heard the news were all shocked.

In the Southern Region, the death of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was already big news. Now, a demonic cultivator in the Core Formation Stage had appeared, which was an earth-shattering event.

A demonic cultivator in the Core Formation Stage had the power to destroy a sect!

But the most outrageous part was yet to come.

According to the fifth-generation ancestor, the demon had stolen the corpse of the Mountain-moving Patriarch and refined it into a puppet, which gave it such power.

The Southern Region was in an uproar.

...

The Mountain Movers Sect, a great sect that had stood for five hundred years, was unprecedentedly furious.

"Stealing our ancestor's corpse, we must tear that demon to pieces!"

"Increase the bounty, make it ten times the previous amount!"

"Retrieve the ancestor's corpse!"

The Mountain Movers Sect made searching for the demon their top priority. Elders and disciples were all dispatched, patrolling the southern forests, capturing all dogs and snakes they encountered.

The Carefree Sect, also a three-hundred-year-old great sect.

Last time, they lost ten disciples while hunting a herd of mammoths. According to Hua Yuntian, it was caused by the demon who could use the Earth Spike.

"Kill! Avenge our ten fallen disciples!"

"Kill, hunt down the demon!"

The Carefree Sect also mobilized on a large scale, making the task their top priority.

The remaining Tai Xuan Sect also issued the highest-level mission to track down the demon.

The Snake Catchers Sect, as the leading sect in the Southern Region.

Xuan Yangzi finally understood who had killed his avatar.

"A dog and a snake, huh, interesting."

The Snake Catchers Sect issued a bounty.

Providing clues would reward 200 spirit stones and 100,000 contribution points.

Killing the demon would reward 500 spirit stones and 300,000 contribution points.

This was an unprecedentedly high bounty, not only tempting all cultivators in the Southern Region but also attracting many outsiders.

This was a grand hunt, reaching an unprecedented peak in the fervor for hunting demonic beasts.

...

At the border of the Qin Kingdom, on the Yanluo River.

A giant official ship was sailing in the fierce wind. Inside the ship sat a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes, sipping wine and muttering to himself, "Mountain-moving Patriarch? Puppet?"

"Hehe, I wonder which chosen one could have mastered our sect's puppet techniques to such an extent. I'm quite curious. If possible, I'd like to take them as a disciple."

...

In the southern forests of the Chu Kingdom, in an area burned by a mountain fire.

The scorched vegetation had been cleared, the mountains had been restored, and the terrain was flat. Several scattered giant peaks stood around like guards, protecting the center.

Many mortal carpenters and masons were building houses, digging wells, and paving bluestone streets.

This was a branch base established by the snake catchers.

After two months of construction, the place had taken shape, with pavilions and houses everywhere. The inner and outer gates, medicine garden, spirit fields, and plaza were clearly divided. It was estimated that in another six months, it would be officially completed.

If cultivators did the work, the efficiency would be faster, but few cultivators were willing to do such chores as it consumed a lot of spiritual qi. Most of the time, mortals were hired to do the preliminary work, and the cultivators would only do some formation reinforcement at the end.

Only some Qi Refining Stage disciples were here to supervise.

Zhao Wenzhuo was the chief supervisor here, as he was most familiar with the area.

At this moment, Zhao Wenzhuo was sitting in his cave dwelling, holding a compass in his hand. This was the Destiny Compass, used for divination, left to him by his master.

On the other side were some miscellaneous items: a piece of snake bone and some old magical artifacts.

These items were bought by him in Linjiang City of the Qin Kingdom, which were stolen goods sold by Hei Huang.

Upon learning that Xuan Yangzi's avatar's storage bag was stolen, he deduced that the thief would go to the Qin Kingdom to sell the stolen goods, and he followed the trail, finding clues in Linjiang City.

Moreover, he discovered that an outer disciple of the Heavenly Puppet Sect in Linjiang City had gone missing.

Combining this with the recent appearance of a large number of puppets in the Purple Mist Sect, his suspicions were confirmed.

"These clues should be enough to claim the bounty."

Zhao Wenzhuo took a deep breath, his eyes burning with excitement.

Two months ago, Zhao Wenzhuo had already found clues to locate the thief, but the bounty was too low, so he hadn't acted.

Now was the best time to act.

"However, I always feel that a storm is brewing here, as if something big is about to happen. The divination result is also a great omen."

Zhao Wenzhuo stared at the compass in his hand, pondering, and shook his head. "No matter what, once I get the bounty, I'll leave this place. No matter how dangerous it gets, it won't concern me."

...

Xu Hei didn't know how long he had been unconscious.

In a daze, he had many dreams.

He dreamed of entering a pigsty, stealing a fat pig, and encountering Chen Fan, who claimed to be an immortal.

He also dreamed of being disturbed by Chen Fan's remnant thoughts, worshipping at the Mountain God Temple, and finally suppressing those thoughts.

One by one, the past events he had experienced resurfaced in his mind.

Until finally, he fought a fierce battle with He Luohua and was severely injured and fell unconscious.

"Young one, do you feel that your strength is insufficient?"

Suddenly, a vague and ethereal voice echoed in Xu Hei's mind.

Xu Hei was startled and looked up at the sky, seeing a giant cauldron floating above. The cauldron was engraved with a flood dragon coiled around its body.

This was the Demon God Cauldron!

The voice seemed to come from the flood dragon engraved on the cauldron.

"Who are you, senior?" Xu Hei instinctively asked.

"Who I am is not important. If you want to become stronger, you must reach Foundation Establishment. Once you do, I will answer all your questions."

"However, it seems your cultivation technique is missing something."

The ethereal voice continued, and the Demon God Cauldron slowly rotated, the flood dragon seemingly staring at him.

"Missing something?"

Xu Hei's heart stirred, and he hurriedly asked, "Can you teach me the complete technique, senior?"

"The complete technique is in your heart. You must comprehend it yourself; others cannot teach it to you."

As the voice faded, the Demon God Cauldron turned into a beam of light and entered Xu Hei's forehead.

"Descendant of my clan, you must comprehend, comprehend well!"

"Your path will be ten times, a hundred times more difficult than others! But once you succeed, you will be ten times, a hundred times stronger than others!"

"Remember, the key to comprehension lies in the word 'reverse.'"

"..."