Serpent Ancestor

An indescribable, earth-shattering pain spread throughout his body. Even with Sun Jian's calm demeanor, he couldn't help but let out a piercing scream. Blood spurted from his back as he shot into the sky.

Fortunately, his protective magical treasure blocked the attack for a moment, and his constant vigilance allowed him to escape in time.

Otherwise, that blow would have surely caused him unbearable agony.

Without time to look closely, a sense of danger loomed from behind, and another stone pillar shot up from the ground.

In an instant, Sun Jian realized that his opponent's strength was not inferior to his own; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to cast such spells.

Without hesitation, Sun Jian merged into a nearby tree, swiftly traveling through its roots.

This was the Wood Escape Technique, one of the Five Elements Escape Techniques.

While the Earth Escape Technique was direct, the Wood Escape Technique excelled in its elusiveness, allowing one to move between trees and remain hidden, making it difficult to track.

However, Xu Hei seemed to see through his position. Earth Spikes continuously erupted from the ground, piercing through tree after tree. Each strike forced a shadowy figure to leap out in a panic.

"Can he sense my location?"

"How is that possible? I have a Concealment Talisman given by my master. It's a third-tier talisman. Unless someone has the Divine Sense of a Core Formation Stage cultivator, they shouldn't be able to lock onto me!"

The more Sun Jian moved, the more alarmed he became. It seemed his opponent had pinpointed his location, always finding the right tree whenever he used the Wood Escape Technique.

Even more bizarre, the one chasing him seemed to be a giant serpent.

Then, what was the other serpent fighting his puppet?

...

At this moment, Sun Jian's puppet had its limbs severed and lay on the ground. The previously balanced situation had turned against him due to his distraction, leading to the puppet's swift defeat.

Sun Jian's face darkened, a pained look flashing in his eyes. He took out a handful of seeds and scattered them, slapping his palm down.

"Parasite!"

In an instant, the seeds landed on the trees, quickly sprouting into vines.

The parasitized trees came to life, uprooting themselves and lunging at Xu Hei, their branches flailing like fists.

"Ground Collapse!"

Xu Hei muttered, and the ground caved in, trapping the tree-men. But more and more tree-men surged from all directions.

Xu Hei looked around. In just a few breaths, hundreds of trees had been parasitized, transforming into tree-men rushing toward him.

Sun Jian formed another hand seal, and the vines on the tree-men rose into the air like venomous snakes, striking at Xu Hei.

"Sandstorm Technique!"

Xu Hei decisively swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill and cast the Earth Element Spell that Ye Haichuan had used.

Though it was a Foundation Establishment spell, Xu Hei had enough True Qi to perform it.

"Boom!!!"

In an instant, sand and dust filled the air, a violent storm raging. Within a five-hundred-meter radius, all the trees were uprooted and shredded by the fierce winds.

The gale was like a knife, lifting Sun Jian into the air. His skin cracked, blood sprayed, and the light in his body exploded one by one.

"Sandstorm Technique? That's a Foundation Establishment spell. How can a Spirit Communion Stage demonic beast use it? Impossible!"

Sun Jian's face was filled with horror, his shock beyond words.

This spell consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator needed deep reserves to use it.

Suddenly, a gleam flashed in his eyes as if he understood something.

"Whoosh!"

Xu Hei charged forward, killing intent surging, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Suddenly, Sun Jian's body flickered, his limbs vanished, and his aura disappeared.

The figure before him transformed into the puppet he had previously defeated.

"Switched places?"

Xu Hei was astonished.

Swapping places with a puppet wasn't part of his puppet techniques.

"It seems he's figured something out."

Xu Hei remained expressionless, glancing at the red dot on the jade stone. He decisively dashed in another direction.

He had been able to locate Sun Jian's true body because of the jade stone Hei Huang had given him, which could pinpoint the opponent's location through a red dot.

When those two appeared, Xu Hei had sensed something was off. The jade stone showed no red dots, yet they were right in front of him.

Xu Hei quickly realized they were fake!

Upon closer inspection, he noticed a faint red dot ten miles away. Xu Hei had then quietly approached and ambushed the real body.

As for the other serpent, it was a clone given by Hei Huang, almost identical to the original.

Apart from the scales, everything else was nearly perfect, making it a flawless clone according to Hei Huang.

Even the experienced old puppeteer hadn't noticed the deception.

You were fake, and so was I. Two fakes fighting, exchanging injury for injury.

The only miscalculation was that this person could swap places with his puppet.

This effectively allowed him to teleport ten miles, a truly heaven-defying ability.

...

Meanwhile, Xu Hei's serpent puppet encountered Sun Jian's true body.

Without a word, Sun Jian took out a bundle of threads and shot them at Xu Hei's puppet.

These were puppet threads, a magical treasure from the Heavenly Puppet Sect, designed specifically to immobilize puppets upon contact.

Sun Jian's intention was clear: he couldn't defeat the serpent's true body, so he aimed to capture the puppet. If he succeeded, it would be a draw, with each side losing a puppet, and he might even gain a flying sword.

Xu Hei's puppet dodged and burrowed into the ground, retreating swiftly. But the threads were too fast, striking the puppet within a few breaths, producing a snapping sound.

Xu Hei could feel his control slipping. The puppet's body stiffened, unable to move.

"Slash!"

An ivory flying sword cut through the threads, but more threads followed, relentless and continuous.

Gradually, Xu Hei lost control of the puppet, even the flying sword fell helplessly to the ground.

Sun Jian landed, ready to store the flying sword and puppet in his storage bag.

At that moment.

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, a massive figure collided from behind. It was Xiao Chou, now gigantified, holding a pill in his hand, which he hurled forward with a loud shout.

"Stinking Thunder Bomb, explode!"

The pill detonated, releasing a thick, pervasive smoke. Sun Jian, on high alert, held his breath and cast protective barriers, but the overwhelming stench that followed was indescribable, assaulting his senses.

It was a stench he had never encountered, making his vision blur and nearly causing him to faint.

The stench penetrated his soul, beyond the defense of any simple magical treasure.

"What is this foul thing? Ahhh!!"

Sun Jian screamed and retreated, while even Qin Shuang'er turned green, vomiting.

Amazingly, Xiao Chou withstood the stench, charging like a bull, swinging his right arm and landing a punch on Sun Jian's face.

His speed was beyond words.

"Bang!!!"

Sun Jian's protective True Qi shattered, teeth flew out, blood sprayed, and he was sent flying.

At the same time, Xu Hei finally arrived, his anger surging. He controlled his flying sword with a single gesture, beheading Sun Jian.

"No!!!"

Qin Shuang'er let out a desperate, heart-wrenching scream.