Serpent Ancestor

Inside the inn.

Xu Hei took out the mechanism box. First, he tried to force it open with brute strength, but it didn't budge, and his Divine Sense couldn't penetrate it either.

Then, he took out the key he had obtained from the old ape and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Click!"

With a crisp sound, the mechanism box automatically opened without needing to be turned, revealing its contents.

Xu Hei's pupils shrank, and he stared intently.

Inside the box was a purple bead, about the size of a palm, with countless purple arcs of electricity flowing inside. Lightning flashed and roared.

Despite the outer shell, Xu Hei could clearly feel the destructive energy contained within.

"This is... a Thunder Tribulation Pearl?"

Xu Hei carefully sensed it. Bai Xiu had previously used a makeshift version of the Thunder Tribulation Pearl, which was incredibly powerful.

The one before him was clearly a genuine Thunder Tribulation Pearl, having absorbed the power of the Heavenly Tribulations. It could unleash the Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations, posing a threat to Core Formation Stage cultivators!

Xu Hei probed it with his Divine Sense, and a wave of destructive energy immediately surged forth, startling him into quickly retracting his Divine Sense, no longer in doubt.

Once the box was opened, it lost its defensive properties and turned to ash automatically.

Xu Hei suddenly realized that if the mechanism box had been forcibly opened with brute strength, it would have immediately triggered the Thunder Tribulation Pearl, leaving him with no place to be buried!

The key was the only way; otherwise, it was just scrap.

"So, Han Te wasn't entirely a fraud. What he described might actually be true."

Recalling Han Te's previous statements, Xu Hei realized that aside from some exaggeration, the events were mostly accurate.

Xu Hei then took out the ancient map and probed it with his Divine Sense, finding the exact location of the ruins.

Located deep within Wu Mountain, in an underground cave, the entrance was clearly marked, very detailed.

The map also depicted the general structure.

Rather than an ancient ruin, it was more like a grand tomb.

The location where the mechanism box was found was also marked, in a hidden chamber on the outskirts of the tomb.

Xu Hei made a copy of the map and stored it safely. He also placed the Thunder Tribulation Pearl into a special storage bag, as it was extremely dangerous and needed careful handling.

The value of the map aside, obtaining a Thunder Tribulation Pearl was worth more than ten thousand Spirit Stones.

This was a tangible treasure that could threaten a Core Formation Stage cultivator!

Xu Hei glanced at the key again and was momentarily stunned.

He noticed that the key seemed to have shortened after opening the box.

"Could it be that this key has a limited number of uses?" Xu Hei frowned.

...

One day later.

Xu Hei left the inn and entered a shop in the Myriad Treasure Pavilion, selling off some of the stolen goods he had previously acquired.

In a hurry, Xu Hei didn't haggle over the price, conceding at least twenty percent.

Two days later.

Xu Hei switched to a human puppet and repeated his actions, selling off another portion of the stolen goods.

Xu Hei didn't dare to sell everything at once. Instead, he sold in batches, using different identities in different areas, through various channels.

Sometimes he set up a stall, sometimes he went to a pawnshop, sometimes he sold to shops, and sometimes at auctions.

After seven consecutive days of selling, Xu Hei finally sold off all the miscellaneous items that were of no use to him.

He totaled thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

During this period, Xu Hei also purchased a large number of Foundation Pills for his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, as well as various spiritual fruits, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures valuable to Demonic Beasts. 𝔯åɴǒ𝐛Ê𝘚

He spent even more, but such a vast amount of resources was enough to cultivate him to the mid-stage.

Along the way, Xu Hei wasn't without encounters with those who coveted his wealth and secretly followed him.

All were dealt with by Xu Hei in secret, adding two more human puppets to his collection.

These encounters only heightened Xu Hei's vigilance.

"I can't stay here any longer. Who knows how many people are secretly watching me? I've gained enough; I'll leave tonight," Xu Hei thought to himself.

That day, Xu Hei switched back to his first identity, Ma Teng.

Since his transaction with Han Te, he hadn't used this identity. Today, he switched back, finding it the cleanest.

Just as Xu Hei stepped out of the inn, a clear female voice suddenly called out from beside him.

"Father!"

Xu Hei was momentarily stunned and turned to look.

He saw a young girl, about thirteen or fourteen, clutching her sleeve, staring at him with tearful eyes.

The girl's appearance was very similar to Ma Teng.

Xu Hei had heard of Ma Teng's story—losing his entire fortune, running away with a mountain of debt, even losing his wife and child.

It seemed that after clearing his debts, the child had left the Jiaofang Division.

Xu Hei had no interest and turned to leave.

"Father, this is the only thing Mother left behind before she passed. She said it was to repay your debt. Please take it!"

Ma Yuanyuan rushed up to Xu Hei, holding out a bracelet.

Xu Hei frowned slightly and scanned it with his Divine Sense, immediately detecting a strange poison within the bracelet—

Corpse Bone Pill!

If worn regularly, the poison from the Corpse Bone Pill would gradually enter the body until it fully erupted. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it hard to eradicate.

Looking at Ma Yuanyuan again, she appeared normal on the surface, but her eyes concealed a deep hatred that Xu Hei, having experienced these recent days, could easily discern.

"Heavenly Dragon Casino, truly harmful..."

Xu Hei sighed inwardly. He bore no ill will towards the girl. From her perspective, a gambling-addicted father had ruined her mother and sold her to the Jiaofang Division, so her desire for revenge was understandable.

She had probably been racking her brains these days to come up with such a revenge plan!

Unable to defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she could only resort to such means.

"I am not your father. Don't deceive yourself!"

Xu Hei said calmly and turned to leave, ignoring the girl.

Hearing this, Ma Yuanyuan's hatred surged uncontrollably, unable to be suppressed any longer.

She drew a Flying Sword, bit her tongue, and unleashed all her cultivation, blood seeping from her body as she charged at Xu Hei's back.

"Boom!"

Ma Yuanyuan was sent flying, landing by the roadside.

In a hidden alley.

The black-clad cultivator who had taken thirteen hundred Spirit Stones from Xu Hei couldn't help but sigh.

"Failed again. This Ma Teng is really cautious!" the black-clad cultivator lamented.

"His daughter used such a method, yet he saw through it and killed her effortlessly. It shows he is cold-hearted. We better not provoke him further," an old man beside him sighed.

The black-clad cultivator, named Zhang Kuang, was a manager at the Heavenly Dragon Casino, responsible for debt collection.

A week ago, he saw Ma Teng easily produce over a thousand Spirit Stones and break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, believing he had a great opportunity.

Coupled with Ma Yuanyuan's desire for revenge against Ma Teng, Zhang Kuang had given her her mother's relic, laced with the poison of the Corpse Bone Pill.

As long as Ma Teng took the bracelet, within two days, the poison would erupt, his strength would plummet, and that would be the day they killed him for his treasures.

"Let's go. It's best not to think about Ma Teng anymore. He's no longer the gambling addict he once was."

The old man urged, getting up to leave.

"What a pity," Zhang Kuang sighed. He understood the psychology of gamblers. If Ma Teng still wanted to gamble, he had countless ways to make him hand over his opportunities and wealth without resorting to such means.

But Ma Teng had stopped gambling, leaving them no choice.

Just as the two were about to leave the alley.

A figure suddenly appeared at the alley's entrance, staring at them coldly.

————

[Minor revision in the previous chapter: the protagonist also obtained the relic map. Thanks to the readers for the timely feedback. Writing and posting immediately can lead to such issues. I'll ensure to double-check in the future.]

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