Serpent Ancestor

Was she innocent?

Neither innocent nor guilty.

She merely wanted to avenge her mother, but ended up being used as a tool to plot against Xu Hei.

Xu Hei shook his head, no longer dwelling on the matter.

He took out the black stone he had cut from the gambling house earlier.

The stone, only the size of a fingernail, was peeled off from the fossilized bones of an ancient cultivator. The moment Xu Hei saw it, he realized it was a storage artifact he had seen before.

Xu Hei had investigated this stone and believed it to be a material called "Void Stone."

Ancient cultivators rarely used storage bags; they typically used Void Stones, which had vast space and could preserve items for a long time.

Even after countless millennia, they wouldn't decay.

Many people embedded Void Stones in rings, naming them storage rings. They were extremely convenient for storing and retrieving items.

However, in contemporary times, Void Stones were exceedingly rare, making storage rings almost extinct. Even Core Formation cultivators primarily used storage bags.

Xu Hei's divine sense probed into the black stone, encountering a layer of dense fog.

Xu Hei pondered briefly, then took out the Soul-absorbing Flag, summoning a snake spirit to bite at the black stone. Gradually, the fog thinned.

An hour later, the fog completely dissipated.

Only then did Xu Hei's divine sense smoothly enter the stone.

Inside was an irregular spherical space with a diameter of fifty meters, filled with numerous enormous spirit plants.

"Is this... Dragon Blood Vine! Earth Flame Mushroom! And..."

Xu Hei was stunned, his breath stopping.

These treasures were rare spirit medicines recorded in ancient texts, long thought extinct, and at least of the third rank.

There were many others Xu Hei didn't recognize, but judging by their appearance, they were likely of even higher rank, possibly above the fourth rank.

Instinctively, Xu Hei touched them with his divine sense, only to see each plant turn to dust at the slightest contact.

"This..."

Xu Hei realized that too much time had passed. Even items in a storage ring would eventually perish.

The space was stable, with no air circulation. If taken outside, a gust of wind would scatter them.

Xu Hei sighed, touching each plant with his divine sense, hoping to find some remnants. Unfortunately, all turned to dust without exception.

In the end, only a pill furnace and a token remained intact.

The pill furnace was clearly a top-grade treasure, still metallically lustrous after countless years, though its spiritual essence had long been depleted, rendering it mundane. ℞𝒶₦ọ𝖇ʧ

The token was quite large, retaining some spiritual aura.

Xu Hei's divine sense moved, taking out the token.

It contained some information, and as Xu Hei probed, he heard fragmented words.

"I... descendant of Gongshu... to save my master..."

"Great calamity... Yin Corpse Pill... seal myself..."

"Inherit my legacy... Divine Puppet Sect..."

Xu Hei only grasped the gist.

This person was a descendant of Gongshu, collecting so many spirit medicines to save his master. When calamity struck, he had to take the Yin Corpse Pill to seal his physical body.

The rest involved the Divine Puppet Sect, but too much time had passed, leaving many gaps.

"Divine Puppet Sect... this name is quite similar to the Heavenly Puppet Sect. Are they related?" Xu Hei pondered.

Such ancient jade slips are hard to preserve unless by a great divine ability user.

Judging by the medicinal herbs left behind, this person's cultivation was likely at the peak of the Golden Core stage or around the Elemental Infant stage.

"Even such a powerful person struggled to leave a bit of information." Xu Hei sighed.

Time is the greatest enemy. After countless years, not only surviving but even leaving traces of existence is difficult.

Xu Hei looked at the token in his hand and put it away.

He then took out the pill furnace, examining it closely. Besides its sturdy material, its spiritual essence was long gone.

So, he hadn't gained any substantial rewards.

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Xu Hei had a flash of insight and took out the token.

There was a complex mark on the token.

He then took out the key left by the old ape, which had the same mark.

The two were identical, possibly made by the same person!

"Descendant of Gongshu..."

Xu Hei suddenly had a thought.

Could this key have been left by the descendant of Gongshu?

And this key could open the mechanical box obtained from the ancient tomb.

Xu Hei felt a chill down his spine.

Ancient tombs, mechanical boxes, keys, descendants of Gongshu, Divine Puppet Sect...

Could all these be interconnected?

Xu Hei took out the ancient map, his eyes fixed on the tomb's location.

"It seems I need to find time to visit this tomb."

Xu Hei thought to himself.

However, now he was trapped in the city. Finding a way out was the priority.

Xu Hei sighed, took a Qi Nourishing Pill, and sat down to cultivate.

...

Two days later, at the Heavenly Dragon Casino.

"Hmph! How bold of him to still be in the city!"

Liu Ruyan's expression was uncertain.

Over the past two days, she had investigated every Foundation Establishment cultivator leaving the city, totaling over thirty people, none of whom were the target.

Not even a single puppet was found.

There was only one possibility: the target hadn't left the city and was still hiding in Chuyang City.

"Master, why don't we conduct a thorough search? We can check every Foundation Establishment cultivator in the city; we'll surely find him," suggested the old steward beside her.

"No, that would offend too many people!" Liu Ruyan shook her head.

The Thunder Tribulation Pearl was still a hidden threat. If it were outside the city, it wouldn't matter, but inside the city, it was troublesome.

At this moment, a yellowish figure appeared in the front hall, Ding Quan's mechanical dog.

"Liu Ruyan, it's been two days, and you still haven't caught him. How disappointing," the mechanical dog said impatiently.

Seeing this, Liu Ruyan knew her chance had come and quickly bowed. "Please, Elder Ding, give me some guidance."

"Hmph." The mechanical dog tossed a jade slip over. "I found traces of that person's scent in fifteen places within the city. I've marked them all."

Liu Ruyan's eyes lit up, and she eagerly took the jade slip.

"Thank you, Elder Ding."

Liu Ruyan put away the jade slip, her eyes flashing with cold light.

Her figure vanished from the spot.

In the past two days.

Xu Hei hadn't stayed in one place. He changed inns every few hours, never staying in one place for more than six hours.

Not only him, but also the three puppets he sent out did the same.

Xu Hei could control up to four human puppets, maintaining flexibility. Any more, and they would become like wooden dolls.

Xu Hei had tried to leave the city, but the divine sense barrier remained.

He knew this barrier couldn't be maintained indefinitely, as it consumed a lot of divine sense.

The opponent would eventually be unable to sustain it.

But Xu Hei no longer planned to wait.

"My patience lasts one more day. If you push me, I'll turn your Heavenly Dragon Casino into rubble overnight," Xu Hei's eyes were cold.

If the opponent thought the Thunder Tribulation Pearl was just a deterrent and not a weapon, they were gravely mistaken.

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