Serpent Ancestor

Xu Hei swallowed ten Minor Essence Nurturing Pills in one go. The potent medicinal power spread out, forming storms that churned within his body.

Ordinary humans wouldn't dare to consume so many pills at once, but Xu Hei relied on the Demon God Cauldron, allowing him to act without restraint.

"Refine!"

Xu Hei shouted in a low voice. The Demon God Cauldron absorbed all the pills, suppressing the violent medicinal power and transforming it into a gentle stream that flowed throughout his meridians and bones.

Next, he took out the corpse of the Golden Eagle, cut off its wings, and swallowed them.

"Boom!!"

The energy of a Foundation Establishment great demon was extraordinary. Xu Hei felt continuous roaring within his body as the surging energy rampaged everywhere.

Xu Hei didn't dare to be careless. Using this power, he concentrated, compressing the spiritual liquid, aiming for a higher transformation.

Xu Hei had an excellent foundation, encountering few obstacles. The spiritual liquid began to compress slowly, and his flesh and bones started to transform.

This process lasted for a full five days.

Five days later.

Xu Hei's muscles and bones emitted crackling sounds. The spiritual liquid in the Demon God Cauldron transformed into a small water ball again, only this time it was darker in color and had a viscous feel, transitioning towards a solid state.

This was the final layer of the Spirit Communion Stage, the ninth layer!

When the spiritual liquid completely solidified and formed a spiritual foundation, that would be the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Foundation Establishment was divided into ordinary Foundation Establishment and perfect Foundation Establishment.

According to Hei Huang, perfect Foundation Establishment required a cultivation technique, spiritual root, and mental will, all indispensable. It could turn true qi into a light blue color, making one's combat power several times that of ordinary Foundation Establishment.

Fighting ten opponents at once might be an exaggeration, but it highlighted the strength of perfect Foundation Establishment.

Xu Hei didn't know if he could achieve perfection, but he could only do his best.

"My injuries have healed too. This seclusion has been quite fruitful," Xu Hei thought to himself.

The scales on his tail had regrown, about ten percent more than before, and his divine sense had also made some progress.

Xu Hei took out the broken bone arrow and examined it carefully.

Even though the arrow was broken, it still retained spiritual power fluctuations. The bone fragments were extremely tough, like diamonds. Xu Hei tried several times, but only his scales could cut through them.

"This arrow is extraordinary. I wonder what kind of bone it is!"

"But why does it seem so familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before?"

Xu Hei fell into deep thought.

He thought for a long time but couldn't recall where the familiarity came from.

He then took out the feathers and claws of the Golden Eagle. These were Foundation Establishment beast materials, capable of refining second-tier magical treasures. Xu Hei planned to integrate them into his puppet to enhance its combat power.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the valley, as if some creature was moving around.

Xu Hei's heart stirred, and he immediately released a scouting snake to investigate the valley.

A large mongoose-like demonic beast, with a big nose, was walking around the valley, sniffing carefully.

This demon was three meters tall, as big as an elephant, with scales similar to a pangolin's and very sharp claws that could crush rocks.

"Another Foundation Establishment great demon, and it's a mongoose specialized in restraining snakes!" Xu Hei's face darkened.

Undoubtedly, this was another creature brought by that old ape!

However, the old ape didn't appear, and the formation set up in the cave dwelling prevented the mongoose from detecting anything.

After searching fruitlessly, the mongoose turned and left without lingering.

It muttered, "Which bastard lied to me about there being snakes to eat here? So annoying! There's not even a trace of snake scent, big liar!"

Xu Hei had always been cautious about scents, always cleaning up thoroughly to avoid leaving any hidden dangers.

Xu Hei sent the small snake to follow the mongoose for a long time. Only when the mongoose had completely left and didn't look back did Xu Hei breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn it! That old ape must be dealt with. If this continues, who knows what other demonic beasts will be brought here!"

Xu Hei's killing intent was stronger than ever.

The old ape hadn't appeared, clearly unfamiliar with the mongoose.

Xu Hei didn't like the feeling of being schemed against from behind. He needed to think of a way to lure out the old ape; otherwise, this would never end.

He went to the neighboring cave dwelling. Xiao Chou was still unconscious, muttering in his sleep, seemingly cursing Hei Huang.

His arm had grown new flesh but wasn't fully healed yet.

This was a long process, taking at least half a month.

"Heh, this dog meat is really delicious, very nourishing," Xiao Chou mumbled, drooling, lost in some dream.

Xu Hei thought for a moment and didn't wake him. He planned to go out and actively search for that old demon monkey. If he couldn't find it, he'd target the monkey group and kill until it appeared.

Although this was risky, since it was a fight to the death, there was no need to hold back. Let's see who was tougher.

"Hahaha, I'm back, didn't expect that, did you?"

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from underground.

A dog head emerged from the ground, looked around, and turned to Xu Hei.

"Hei Huang?" Xu Hei was stunned.

Hei Huang climbed out of the ground, looked around, and laughed, "I always keep my promises. Here's the puppet for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. I'm off now."

Hei Huang tossed a storage bag with his paw.

After speaking, he burrowed back into the ground, intending to leave.

"Wait!" Xu Hei shouted.

The dog head popped up again, puzzled, "What, something else?"

Xu Hei took out a bunch of white hair, some blood, and soil and plants, asking, "Is there any monkey scent on these?"

"Monkey?" Hei Huang raised an eyebrow.

He immediately noticed signs of a fight in the valley, with Xiao Chou severely injured and unconscious, guessing most of the situation.

However, he was somewhat surprised by Xu Hei's active request for help, which made him smirk.

"This hair is from an Ice Soul Giant Bear, with strength likely in the late Foundation Establishment stage. The blood is also from that bear demon. I smelled this bear on my way here, about a hundred miles away."

Hei Huang laughed, "That bear demon is extremely sensitive to outsiders. If you get close to its territory, it will hunt you to the ends of the earth."

Hearing this, Xu Hei knew the dog was up to no good, trying to trick him.

If he followed the scent, he might end up dead with no burial place!

Xu Hei gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"However, there's a faint demonic aura in the soil and plants. The other party must have used a concealment technique, but it can't fool me."

Hei Huang moved closer, sniffing carefully, and fell silent.

After a dozen breaths, he pondered, "It's the scent of a Blizzard Giant Ape, no mistake! Its cultivation is at the Foundation Establishment level, but it seems to be injured, greatly reducing its strength."

Xu Hei's eyes lit up. He asked in a deep voice, "Is this monkey nearby?"

"No, I can tell you for sure, within a two-hundred-mile radius, there's no trace of this ape's scent," Hei Huang shook his head.

"..." Xu Hei was completely stunned.

Not nearby?

Where did that white-haired old ape hide? Did it migrate? Or was its concealment technique better than Hei Huang's nose?

…………

A thousand miles away, in the southeastern plains of Wu Mountain.

The Wild Giant Elephant tribe lived here year-round. This place had natural hot springs, and they would return during the winter to rest and breed by the hot springs.

The elephant tribe had many sub-species and numerous groups, but there was only one leader here, the Wild Giant Elephant, a great demon close to Qi Condensation.

Today, the white-haired old ape visited this place.

The elephant tribe was herbivorous and generally didn't attack outsiders unless they were natural enemies.

In fact, elephants had almost no natural enemies, with the greatest threat being humans!

"Is that the old ape?"

"Yes, the one who saved a baby elephant years ago and was rewarded with a tusk by the leader."

Two Foundation Establishment giant elephants watched the old ape enter the territory, discussing among themselves.

Behind the old ape followed a group of monkeys, all injured and looking miserable.

The Wild Giant Elephant noticed the old ape and immediately ran over, asking in a deep voice, "Friend, what brings you here? Are you in trouble?"

He could tell at a glance that the old ape seemed to be in big trouble, with only about ten monkeys left in its group, looking pitiful.

"Two snakes and a human have invaded my territory, exterminating my tribe. I beg for your help!"

The white-haired old ape pleaded, explaining the situation.

The Wild Giant Elephant frowned. He didn't want to meddle in other tribes' affairs, but the elephant tribe was known for repaying kindness, a rule passed down from their ancestors.

In ancient times, ivory was precious and often coveted by humans, leading to unprecedented massacres.

Without the help of outsiders, the elephant tribe would have been extinct long ago. Therefore, they valued gratitude highly, even offering tusks as a token of thanks.

"Da Hui, you go," the Wild Giant Elephant ordered.

"Yes, Great King!"

Da Hui, a Foundation Establishment stage beast, nodded.

The old ape quickly stopped him, saying, "That snake knows human spells and can kill Foundation Establishment great demons. You can't underestimate him; you must send a strong one!"

"You think I'm not strong enough?" Da Hui was displeased.

The old ape bowed his head, saying nothing, just waiting quietly. He had underestimated his opponent once and couldn't make the same mistake again.

The Wild Giant Elephant frowned and asked, "How far is that place?"

"It took me five days to get here. For you, it would take at most half a day," the white-haired old ape replied honestly.

The Wild Giant Elephant pondered for a moment and nodded, "Alright, I'll go personally. I need to see if that human is one of those damned Python Robe people."