Serpent Ancestor

In the monotonous days of endless cultivation, Xu Hei made a difficult decision. He needed to hunt down a Foundation Establishment great demon to use as his food supply.

After two consecutive breakthroughs, he had completely exhausted his stock of demonic beast meat. He had thought that eating a Golden Eagle would be enough, but even after adding an old ape, it still wasn't sufficient.

Due to Xu Hei's unique circumstances, his consumption was several times that of an ordinary person. Even with a well-prepared supply of pills, Xu Hei began to worry.

Xu Hei disliked sitting idly and depleting his resources, so hunting became inevitable.

There were quite a few Foundation Establishment great demons marked on the sheepskin map. Within a hundred-mile radius alone, there were five. Except for the Ice Soul Giant Bear, which was tough to deal with, the other four were all at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

After careful consideration, he set his sights on one of them.

Xu Hei's strength was no longer what it used to be. Although he had failed to establish his foundation, his consecutive breakthroughs had made him significantly stronger than before.

To ensure the success of this hunt, he brought along Xiao Chou as cannon fodder.

Xu Bai, unwilling to be left out, also tagged along, making it a full-scale operation.

"Our target this time is an early-stage Purple Crystal Thunder Lion. Although it's only at the early stage, it's much stronger than that Golden Eagle, almost reaching the mid-stage! After thorough research, I've determined that killing it offers the highest cost-benefit ratio and the greatest rewards!"

"Everyone, follow my commands during this operation."

"Understood!"

The two snakes and one person quickly sprang into action.

In the past, Xu Hei would never have brought Xiao Chou along. Despite having spent nearly half a year together, he didn't have absolute trust in humans.

However, Hei Huang had left a mark on Xiao Chou. As long as Xiao Chou harbored any ill intentions, Hei Huang could kill him instantly from thousands of miles away.

Because of this, Xu Hei felt assured in bringing him along.

The Purple Crystal Thunder Lion's lair was located in a hilly area to the north. The terrain was rugged, the climate humid, and there were many reptiles living there.

Along the way, Xu Hei scanned the area with his Divine Sense and found many demonic beasts foraging nearby.

As they delved deeper into Wu Mountain, the abundance of Spiritual Qi increased, and so did the number of demonic beasts. Ordinary animals that managed to survive here would undergo some degree of evolution.

Under Xu Hei's influence, everyone used the Earth Escape Technique to travel.

Before long, they arrived at a massive cave. The cave was purple in color, with many purple crystal minerals growing inside, which contained lightning-attributed Spiritual Qi, born from the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion's cultivation.

The cave was empty, with only some fur and scent remaining.

"Not here..."

Xu Hei sent out a scouting snake to search the area, but there was no sign of the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion within a ten-mile radius.

However, there were faint footprints and a lingering scent on the ground, which they could follow to find it.

Xu Hei immediately activated the Earth Escape Technique and pursued in the direction of the scent.

After chasing for about a hundred miles, Xu Hei sensed the sound of rumbling and vibrations in the distance, indicating a battle.

"Are two great demons fighting?" Xu Hei's heart tightened.

He quickly advanced and arrived at the entrance of an underground cave.

It was a massive underground cavern, with tunnels extending in all directions. Inside, a group of pangolin-like demonic beasts lived. There were over a dozen small beasts and a gigantic mother beast, which had also reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

At this moment, the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion was engaged in a fierce battle with the mother beast.

"Roar!!"

A thunderous roar shook the cave, causing it to collapse. The sound waves swept out, and the small beasts curled up into a ball, using their armored shells to protect themselves from the sonic attack.

The mother beast's sharp claws continuously scratched the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion's back, leaving bloody marks.

The Pangolin King was adept at defense and protection but not at offense. It was only suitable for preying on small insects, primarily termites and hornets, and was especially effective against Spirit-Eating Ants!

However, their armored hides were valuable materials for artifact refining, comparable to ivory. Their flesh and blood could also be used in medicine, serving as a main ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills, which had led to their near extinction due to overhunting by humans.

"Why is the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion fighting the Pangolin King?"

Xu Hei's face showed a strange expression. Generally, two Foundation Establishment great demons rarely clashed. Great demons had a certain level of intelligence and would only engage in life-and-death battles if they were natural enemies.

Why would these normally non-interfering demonic beasts engage in a deadly fight?

Xu Hei couldn't understand and decided to observe in secret.

The two great demons fought fiercely, causing the cave to collapse. They fought from underground to above ground and back again. The Purple Crystal Thunder Lion attacked frantically, unleashing lightning strikes that blasted black holes into the Pangolin King's back, but the latter withstood the attacks with its tough defensive shell.

"I told you, I didn't kill your child!"

"I saw it with my own eyes! Don't try to deny it! The corpse is in your cave!"

"My Pangolin Clan only eats insects. Why would we attack your child?"

"Enough talk! You killed my child, so I will kill all your offspring to avenge him!"

After a heated argument, the two demons resumed their ferocious battle.

The Purple Crystal Thunder Lion was clearly in a state of rage, recklessly unleashing various demonic spells. Its purple crystals emitted a dazzling light, rapidly consuming its energy.

The Pangolin King, determined to protect its offspring, fought desperately, using its body to withstand the onslaught.

Xu Hei finally understood.

The Pangolin King had killed the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion's child, so the latter was seeking revenge?

The corpse of the little Purple Crystal Lion lay motionless in the cave, clearly dead for some time.

Xu Hei didn't know the truth and didn't care to investigate further. Since they wanted to fight, he would let them fight to the death, and then he would reap the benefits.

"Good luck, being able to hunt two Foundation Establishment great demons at once should be enough to sustain me until I establish my foundation." Xu Hei was in a good mood.

Xu Bai and Xiao Chou waited quietly by his side, awaiting Xu Hei's command.

...

Meanwhile, a hundred miles away.

Two figures, a man and a woman, sat on a treetop. Their bodies were transparent, half merged with the tree, resembling tree spirits with somewhat blurred appearances.

"According to the timing, it should be soon," the woman said.

"Hehe, no rush, no rush. Let's wait a bit longer. Once one of the two demons is completely dead, we'll make our move," the man replied.

"Who would have thought that in the deep mountains of the Chu Kingdom, we could find a Pangolin King, which has long been extinct in the Qin Kingdom? Its scales are priceless treasures," the woman said with a slight smile, then asked, "What about the small ones?"

"Of course, we'll kill them for medicine. They can still be of some use," the man said coldly.

The woman's eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Shuang'er, as a cultivator, you can't afford to be soft-hearted. If we let them go, it would only benefit others. If we don't seize everything, how can we talk about cultivation?" The male cultivator seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke disdainfully.

...

Time slowly passed.

The battle between the two great demons gradually approached its end.

Their strengths were clearly calculated by the cultivators to be nearly equal, ensuring they would both be severely injured while keeping the scales intact.

This was why they chose the Purple Crystal Thunder Lion instead of another target.

Xu Hei had been observing for a long time and felt something was off. The two demonic beasts seemed to be fighting to the death.

How could there be such a good opportunity in the world, allowing him to reap the benefits without lifting a finger?

Considering the dead cub's body and the conversation between the two demonic beasts, everything seemed unusual.

"Something's not right. There's something fishy about this!"

Xu Hei was naturally suspicious. He instinctively took out the jade stone given to him by Hei Huang and checked it. There were no human red dots within a hundred miles.

He stared at the jade stone for a long time, but there was still no movement.

No humans involved, so what was the reason? Was it really just a coincidence?

Things were going too smoothly, making Xu Hei suspicious.

Suddenly, Xu Hei's eyes narrowed, and his pupils contracted.

"This jade stone can only detect human cultivators, but the cultivators of the Qin Kingdom, especially those from the Heavenly Puppet Sect, are skilled in puppet techniques."

"So, can it detect puppets?"