Serpent Ancestor

After facing such a massive crisis, fortunately, Xu Hei emerged unscathed and arrived safely in the depths.

Recalling the black storm from earlier, Xu Hei felt a shiver run down his spine.

That thing, even if Qin Xuanji were to handle it, would probably struggle.

"So much sand, probably millions of puppets. Who could control so many puppets at once, or is there some other technique?"

Xu Hei racked his brain but couldn't comprehend it.

This bizarre puppet technique refreshed his understanding, making the inheritance from the Heavenly Puppet Sect seem like child's play in comparison.

He suddenly thought of the token in the Void Stone and the fragmented words from ancient times.

"Descendant of Gongshu... Divine Puppet Sect..."

Xu Hei pondered.

For some reason, the Heavenly Puppet Sect was forbidden to enter, but the owner of this tomb was clearly related to the Heavenly Puppet Sect, perhaps even an ancient powerhouse from the sect.

The Divine Puppet Sect should be the superior of the Heavenly Puppet Sect.

Xu Hei looked around, surrounded by a vast black desert, unsure of where to go. He decided to stay put and perform breathing exercises to recover his energy, while also attempting to unlock Zhou Wenjun's storage bag.

He dared not act recklessly before being fully prepared, lest he encounter more danger.

…………

At the entrance of the Earth Path.

Two disheveled figures rushed out, covered in blood and gasping for breath, their True Qi nearly depleted. They were Liu Buqun and Tianji Shangren.

These two had unique skills, managing to escape from such a vast expanse of sand, proving their considerable abilities.

"This place is too dangerous. I should give up on this opportunity."

Liu Buqun's face was pale, still shaken. He craved opportunities, but he needed to survive to seize them.

Tianji Shangren also sighed deeply, finding it difficult to proceed with his abilities.

"That demon must be dead. I just misjudged."

Tianji Shangren sighed inwardly, deciding not to dwell on it.

They both sat cross-legged on the square, recovering their strength.

At this moment, many people noticed the newly opened Earth Path.

The first batch of cultivators who entered had partially fled, each with a pale face and a look of terror, as if deeply traumatized.

Upon inquiry, it was revealed that inside was a demonic cultivator who pieced together bodies from living people, covered in hundreds of eyeballs, described as terrifying as possible.

A crazed woman in black also ran out, screaming madly about "demons" and "stay away," causing everyone to turn pale.

Even Core Formation Stage cultivators were driven insane with fear. What kind of monster could it be?

"What kind of demon could scare people like this? I don't believe it!"

A Core Formation Stage cultivator, skeptical, formed a small team to explore inside.

But it wasn't long before they fled back in panic. Out of more than ten people, only two returned alive, weak and severely injured.

"It was terrifying. What kind of sand was that?"

"It devours people without leaving a trace."

The two were terrified. They hadn't encountered the demon but faced even more terrifying sand.

Later, more fearless cultivators formed groups to enter, but without exception, they all suffered heavy casualties, none making it through.

This left everyone in despair.

In other places, as long as one grasped the pattern and had a strong leader, one could still muddle through. Here, it was sheer suicide, without even a glimpse of treasure.

In just half a day, this place was marked as forbidden by the rogue cultivators, with no one daring to enter again.

…………

Deep within the ancient relic.

This place was the forefront of relic exploration, where major families and forces of the Qin Kingdom had arrived, establishing strongholds, including the Zhou Family.

The Zhou Family members wore uniform purple robes, adorned with jewels and magical treasures, always protected by a glow of treasure, making them immune to sneak attacks—the advantage of wealth.

Leading the Zhou Family was a scholarly middle-aged man, none other than the illusory figure, Zhou Qingxuan.

However, the Zhou Qingxuan here was his true self, with cultivation reaching the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.

Among the Zhou Family crowd was a young girl, resembling Zhou Wenjun but slightly younger, with cold eyes and an innate arrogance in her every move, not feigned but inherent.

The pride of the Zhou Family, Zhou Wendie.

Compared to her sister, this girl's reputation was much more prominent. She began Qi Refining at five, achieved perfect Foundation Establishment at ten, reached Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage at seventeen, possessed a Heavenly Spirit Root unseen in five hundred years, and was born with Scarlet Flame Demon Eyes, hailed as the most talented person in Zhou Family history.

"Zhou Wenjun is confirmed dead. This is news from the rear."

Zhou Qingxuan handed over a jade slip.

Zhou Wendie took the jade slip and pressed it to her forehead, her expression still cold, though a tear streaked down her cheek.

"Is the demon who killed her confirmed dead?"

Her voice was calm, suppressing her emotions with effort.

"According to Tianji Shangren, facing that sand, it's impossible to survive," Zhou Qingxuan sighed.

He was equally furious! To destroy his avatar and devour Zhou Wenjun in front of him, and the opponent was just a Foundation Establishment Stage demon, was an utter humiliation!

The demon should feel fortunate to die under the relic's dangers rather than being captured by them.

At this moment, Zhou Wendie stood up, facing the rear, retracing her steps.

"What are you doing..." Zhou Qingxuan's face darkened.

"Going to the Earth Path."

Zhou Wendie said expressionlessly, "Wenjun's storage bag is still there. I have something important in it that I need to retrieve."

Zhou Qingxuan hesitated for a moment, sighed inwardly, and could only lead the others to follow.

…………

Deep within the Earth Path.

Xu Hei suddenly opened his eyes. At this moment, Zhou Wenjun's storage bag had been forcibly unlocked by him. He had scraped it with dragon scales for a full hour before breaking it open.

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, the treasures inside were laid bare.

Spirit Stones, Talismans, Magical Treasures... everything was there.

Even though Xu Hei was mentally prepared, he still gasped, stunned by her astonishing wealth.

"Eight thousand Spirit Stones, richer than a Core Formation Stage cultivator!"

Xu Hei marveled inwardly. The Iron Mountain Sect's entire collection barely exceeded ten thousand. As expected of the Myriad Treasure Pavilion's Zhou Family heiress, if nothing else, she had plenty of Spirit Stones.

Additionally, there were twenty high-grade Spirit Stones.

Combined with the five from Wu Chou's storage bag, Xu Hei was only eight high-grade Spirit Stones short of acquiring a new dragon clan technique. Just gathering a few cultivators would suffice.

Xu Hei also discovered many life-saving items that Zhou Wenjun hadn't had the chance to use.

"Ground Shrinking Talisman, Swift Talisman..."

These two Talismans were for escaping, not as effective as the Small Teleportation Talisman, but each had its advantages.

The Ground Shrinking Talisman could instantly shrink the ground to an inch, covering a thousand feet in one step. Liu Buqun used this Talisman to escape the sand's pursuit.

The Swift Talisman could increase speed fivefold.

With so many life-saving items, yet being chased by a metal puppet and seeking help, Xu Hei found it utterly laughable.

Xu Hei carefully stored these two Talismans. His Small Teleportation Talisman was highly unstable, so these could serve as substitutes.

"Huh? Is this a mechanism box?"

Xu Hei picked up two wooden boxes, covered in intricate patterns with powerful seals, impossible to force open. They were the mechanism boxes Xu Hei had seen before.

But the boxes had a keyhole, meant to be opened with a key.

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