Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 436: Devour the spiritual vein, Xu Hei sprints towards the Nascent Soul

The Frogman Clan is a branch of the Merman Clan, descendants of the ancient Jiao Ren. They evolved from the weakest of the mermen, living on the ocean floor for generations. To adapt to mining, they have long since developed the corresponding body structure.

Their ancestors were too weak to survive among their kind, leading to their current state.

The new world is not a paradise for them.

…………

"Failed!"

The Devouring Demon Lord sensed the changes in the distance, yet his expression remained unchanged.

He knew that such a minor failure could not affect the overall situation, merely delaying the Sea God's reign.

The Sea God would arrive sooner or later; this ocean, and even this cultivation star, would eventually belong to the Sea God.

"In such a harsh world, the Sea God could reign supreme, becoming a Demon Child. Coming to this cultivation star, he will undoubtedly dominate for an era!"

The Devouring Demon Lord understood clearly that when an alien species arrives in a new world, it will either be completely eradicated or become an unstoppable invasive species.

The Sea God was undoubtedly the latter!

He did not need to adapt to the new environment; he would change it, controlling this realm.

"No wonder the Nine-Headed Snake is so formidable. I hope next time, when the Sea God descends upon the world, you can still be so arrogant."

The Devouring Demon Lord transformed into a dark cloud, stirring up a storm as he soared into the sky, disappearing at the end of the Netherworld Mine.

…………

In Xu Hei's consciousness world.

Mo Cang's figure had already vanished.

Like Huangfu Duanlong, he was also waiting for an heir. Originally, Mo Cang had no expectations and even harbored thoughts of destroying Huangfu Duanlong's inheritance, ensuring the Dragon Subduing Sect's extinction.

But ever since he saw Xu Hei, his plans changed.

As the saying goes, "Unintentionally planting willows, yet they grow into shade." Mo Cang, who had been lurking here, fulfilled his long-cherished wish.

Xu Hei was entrenched deep underground, feeling nothing physically, but his affinity with the earth-element Spiritual Qi of the world increased, as if he could control it at will with a mere thought, making it fight for him.

With a thought, the soil underground turned into fine sand, swirling around him, transforming into a slender dragon.

"So this is the Heaven-grade Earth Spiritual Root?" Xu Hei murmured to himself.

Absorbing earth-element Spiritual Qi and manipulating the forces of heaven and earth are entirely different concepts.

At this moment, even the simplest earth-element spells could unleash unparalleled power in Xu Hei's hands, from splitting mountains and rocks to creating the world.

The difference between spells and divine abilities is but a fine line, which is the realm. At the moment Xu Hei possessed the Heaven-grade Earth Spiritual Root, he also comprehended the realm of the earth.

Mo Cang imparted to him not only these but also a set of earth-element divine abilities.

The most powerful divine ability reached the fifth tier, which is the Divine Transformation Stage. Such a divine ability cannot be wielded by human strength alone; it requires a divine ability seed, which is hidden deep within Xu Hei's body. However, with his current cultivation, he doesn't even have the qualification to glimpse it.

"Xu Hei, the secret to ascension lies in the perfection of the Five Elements. You have only perfected the earth element; the road ahead is long."

"The Flood Dragon is not the end of the dragon clan. The Flood Dragon is just the beginning."

These were Mo Cang's last words before he completely dissipated, leaving no trace even in Huangfu Duanlong's memory inheritance.

Xu Hei obtained Huangfu Duanlong's inheritance, yet by a stroke of fate, he was granted great fortune by Mo Cang.

This is what is meant by destiny.

"Mountain-moving, a fourth-tier low-grade divine ability. So the Mountain-moving of the Mountain-moving Patriarch is actually a divine technique. No wonder it's so formidable!" Xu Hei marveled.

This was just the weakest divine ability; the ones that followed were unimaginable.

Of course, even the weakest divine ability would take Xu Hei a long time to comprehend.

"Yellow Springs Burial is also an earth-element divine ability, fourth-tier medium-grade. The version circulating now must be a truncated one," Xu Hei thought to himself.

Each earth-element divine ability has an extremely complex cultivation method. Perhaps their power doesn't match that of Summon Wind and Call Rain, but they excel in versatility, able to cope with various complex and changing combat environments.

Xu Hei couldn't possibly master all the divine abilities; he could only choose some that suited him and were quicker to achieve results.

"Gravity Technique can increase the gravity of this area, making it impossible for people to fly and difficult to move. Its power increases with the strength of the physical body, with no upper limit!"

Xu Hei's attention was immediately drawn to the Gravity Technique.

This is an earth-element divine technique with no level restriction, similar to the Gravity Technique. The stronger the cultivation, the better the effect of this technique.

"I choose you!" Xu Hei thought to himself.

Then, he selected another divine ability called "Earth Pulse Fist," a fourth-tier low-grade divine ability. Among the fourth-tier low-grade, it was also the top existence, comparable to fourth-tier medium-grade when mastered to the highest level.

These two divine abilities could be combined to form a combo.

Unlike Summon Wind and Call Rain, these two moves require a high level of physical strength, ensuring that the true essence doesn't deplete upon use, compensating for the shortcoming of the Azure Dragon Immortal Spell.

Xu Hei hadn't expected that he came to learn the secret techniques of the Dragon Subduing Sect, only to end up with the battle methods of the Flood Dragon.

At this moment, Huangfu Duanlong said calmly, "Xu Hei, your cultivation is too weak. Even with the Heaven-grade Earth Spiritual Root, Mo Cang's divine techniques are hard to wield."

"Let me help you break through to the Elemental Infant level!"

Huangfu Duanlong changed his hand gesture, raising his hand towards Xu Hei.

"Boom!!"

In an instant, all the Spiritual Qi of this world converged towards Xu Hei, transforming into a storm, sweeping underground, and rushing into Xu Hei's body.

"Just in time!"

Xu Hei activated the Demon God Cauldron, devouring and refining all the Spiritual Qi without reservation. He was astonished to find that the Spiritual Qi was extremely pure, almost ready for direct absorption.

This undoubtedly accelerated his cultivation speed.

Meanwhile, outside.

"Boom!!"

Inside the Netherworld Mine, a violent tremor sounded, the underground rumbling, as countless Spiritual Qi seeped from the ground, rushing into the cave, forming a vast hurricane.

These Spiritual Qi storms, like a typhoon passing, roared in with only one target—Xu Hei!

"What’s happening?!"

The other three Chosen didn't understand what was happening, but seeing such pure Spiritual Qi coming, they didn't hesitate to sit down and fully absorb the sudden influx of Spiritual Qi.

However, their absorption speed couldn't match Xu Hei's.

Xu Hei's body was like a bottomless pit, absorbing as much as it could, at such a speed that even Yu Jianqiu frowned, showing rare surprise in his eyes.

He knew he didn't understand Xu Hei, nor did he intend to learn too much; everyone has secrets.

But only at this moment did he realize that Xu Hei was even more mysterious than he had imagined.

Deep underground in the Netherworld Mine.

In the mine, some Frogmen still mining suddenly saw the Spirit Stones on the walls dimming at a visible speed.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the Spirit Stones turned into ordinary stones, losing all their Spiritual Qi luster.

"What happened?"

"What’s going on?"

The mine vein was also slightly trembling, as if a black hole absorbing Spiritual Qi was operating, devouring all nearby Spiritual Qi.

The Netherworld Mine had been mined for five hundred years and was nearing its end.

And Xu Hei was the final factor in ending the Netherworld Mine.

"My Spirit Stones, my hard-earned Spirit Stones!"

A hidden mine pit echoed with a shrill scream, more unpleasant than a pig being slaughtered.

Inside the pit, a purple-haired youth was staring at the glowing Spirit Stones on the ground, his face pale with anxiety. These Spirit Stones were dimming at a terrifying speed, about to lose all their Spiritual Qi.

He was anxious but helpless.

He had collected enough Spirit Stones, his Storage Bag couldn't hold any more. Unless he abandoned his Magical Treasures to load the Spirit Stones, which was obviously impossible.

"Don't steal my Spirit Stones, you can steal from me, but don't touch the Spirit Stones!"

He had no choice but to rush up, using his physical body to protect the pile of Spirit Stones, as if possessed, yet he still couldn't stop the Spirit Stones from losing color.

Even more terrifying, he discovered a serious problem.

The Spirit Stones he had just collected and stored in the Storage Bag also seemed to be losing color.

"Oh my god!" Han Te screamed, tears streaming down his face.

Streams of Spiritual Qi flowed out from the Storage Bag, unstoppable, even sealing them was useless.

However, only the Spirit Stones native to the Netherworld Mine were affected, his own remained intact, leaving Han Te puzzled.

In fact, no one knew.

The Spirit Stones in the Netherworld Mine were all left by Huangfu Duanlong and Mo Cang.

These were the lifelong accumulations of two Divine Transformation Stage cultivators.

Their physical bodies had decayed here, their cultivation dissipated, and the Spirit Stones flowed into the earth, returning to nature. Due to their vast quantity, they formed a spiritual vein underground, allowing for five hundred years of mining, yet still not exhausted!

These Spirit Stones were closely related to them and could be reclaimed in an instant.

This caused the Spirit Stones to lose their spiritual essence, as they returned to their original owners.

The place where Divine Transformation Stage cultivators decay naturally forms a blessed land, and if the Spirit Stones they carried throughout their lives scattered, forming a minefield is only natural.

Not to mention, this place has excellent feng shui, naturally gathering Spiritual Qi, turning into the Netherworld Mine over time.

At this moment, it was merely a return to its original owner.

Although the Spiritual Qi was surging in, Xu Hei's cultivation was advancing very slowly. Filling the gap from the late Core Formation stage to the Great Perfection of the Core Formation stage was a massive consumption.

Especially for Xu Hei, this was the cost of Perfect Core Formation.

……

In a flash, three months passed.

No more Sea God Sect came to the Netherworld Mine. After the Dragon Subduing Sect's inheritance was taken, the place lost its significance for attack.

The only useful thing was to kill a group of Chosen, but killing them was less beneficial than killing a few high-level elders, especially since when the Sea God descends, talent becomes worthless.

The main issue was that the Sea God Sect had no one available.

The injuries of the Soul Refining Demon Lord wouldn't heal quickly, the Devouring Demon Lord was also injured, and within the Netherworld Mine, there were two great figures guarding, along with Yu Jianqiu, who only had an External Incarnation left but could fight desperately at any time.

Going head-to-head now and being exchanged by the opponent was very unwise.

They didn't know how much strength Yu Jianqiu had left, but mentioning him made even the Sea God deeply wary.

"His External Incarnation will definitely dissipate within two years," was the Sea God's response.