Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 441: Climbing the peak, yet the old friends have passed away

The bald old man looked no different from a mortal, with no trace of spiritual power within him. His demeanor and the way he bent down to wipe the floor, sweating profusely and panting heavily, all suggested he was just an ordinary old man.

However, would an ordinary old man be assigned to clean a place like the Treasure Pavilion?

Even without thinking too hard, it's obvious that's impossible.

"A master, definitely a master!"

Hai Teng, as if struck by a sudden realization, quickly bowed and cupped his fists, "Greetings, senior. I apologize for not recognizing you. We'll leave immediately!"

He then pulled Xu Hei along, whispering urgently, "Xu Hei, something's off. This person is very strong, definitely a master!"

Xu Hei frowned, "Did you notice something?"

"It's how they always write it in the books," Hai Teng whispered back.

"..." Xu Hei was at a loss for words.

The bald old man seemed oblivious to their conversation, continuing with his work as he said, "The Dragon Subduing Pavilion is off-limits to outsiders. Violators will either have their cultivation abolished or be killed on the spot."

"Since you two aren't disciples of the Snake Catchers Sect, your cultivation will have to be abolished."

The bald old man spoke calmly and without surprise.

Xu Hei's breathing quickened, and his brow furrowed.

At this moment, he felt no sense of danger, which was puzzling.

Either the old man was joking and had no intention of acting, or his actions could evade Xu Hei's danger sense.

If it was the former, it would be easy to understand; just an old man who knew how to hide his aura, perhaps with some strength, putting on a mysterious act.

If it was the latter... Xu Hei dared not imagine what kind of existence the old man was.

Although he and Hai Teng were external incarnations, in front of true powerhouses, incarnations were meaningless.

Xu Hei didn't want to take risks. He took out a token and cupped his fists, "I'm not from the Snake Catchers Sect, but I'm from the Dragon Subduing Sect. I should have the right to enter here, right?"

Upon hearing this, the bald old man suddenly paused his actions and looked at the token in Xu Hei's hand.

This was a token left to him by Huangfu Duanlong, entirely black, with a lifelike dragon sculpture coiled around it. The dragon's eyes seemed alive, exuding a sense of pressure, very peculiar.

Even after enduring through ancient times, the token still held a remarkable sense of oppression.

"So, you're a core disciple. You two may look around freely."

The bald old man withdrew his gaze and moved to another corner to continue cleaning.

"Core disciple?" Xu Hei raised an eyebrow, having no intention to continue exploring. He faced the old man, slowly retreating step by step until he reached the entrance of the Dragon Subduing Pavilion, and then exited through the door.

During this time, Xu Hei was tense, ready to act at any moment, and even after leaving the door, he did not relax.

"What should we do next? That old man seems really strong!" Hai Teng also retreated outside, urgently whispering.

Xu Hei pondered for a moment, then spoke towards the inside of the Dragon Subduing Pavilion, "Senior, I'm planning to destroy this sect. What are your thoughts?"

Xu Hei didn't hide anything, nor was there a need to. If the other party truly had extraordinary cultivation, they would have already seen what happened outside.

"I'm just a guardian of the pavilion. Other matters have nothing to do with me," the bald old man's voice drifted out.

Xu Hei remained silent for a few moments, then turned and left without saying anything.

In the mausoleum, Xu Hei merely glanced inside before leaving. It was the burial place of the Snake Catchers Sect's ancestors and the ancient powerhouses of the Dragon Subduing Sect. Out of respect for Huangfu Duanlong, Xu Hei had no intention of grave robbing.

Xu Hei then headed to the back mountain where demonic beasts were imprisoned.

This place held all kinds of demonic beasts captured by the Snake Catchers Sect.

Upon entering, Xu Hei scanned with his divine sense and instantly disappeared, reappearing in front of a massive metal cage.

Inside, a giant elephant with its tusks removed lay emaciated, covered in filthy wounds, already lifeless.

This giant elephant was Man Jin!

"Dead?" Xu Hei stood frozen.

There was also a cultivator guarding the beasts, who tried to slip away but was caught by Hai Teng.

Xu Hei pondered briefly, took out a pill, and infused it into Man Jin's body, supplementing it with soul-nurturing grass to aid in healing.

Moments later, Man Jin slowly opened his eyes, but his vitality did not return.

"Man Jin, how do you feel?" Xu Hei asked hurriedly.

"You are... Brother Xu Hei..."

Man Jin recognized Xu Hei's gaze and weakly opened his mouth.

"That's right! It's me, Xu Hei. I've come to save you! The Snake Catchers Sect has been destroyed by me!" Xu Hei quickly said.

As he spoke, the cultivator who had tried to escape was brought over by Hai Teng, his head pressed against the cage.

This cultivator, with bare arms and muscles bulging, exuded a fierce aura, known as the butcher who specialized in killing beasts for the Snake Catchers Sect.

He had slaughtered countless demonic beasts over the years, sometimes over a hundred in a single day, with skilled techniques. It was said he could dismember a cow in just a few breaths.

Any demonic beast in his hands could be skinned completely without damaging any useful parts in moments.

And his gaze towards Xu Hei was fixed on vital points like the seven-inch mark, tail, snake head, and horn, already considering how to dissect them—a professional habit.

"What a strong murderous aura!"

Even Hai Teng frowned, witnessing such intense murderous aura for the first time, something formed only by killing countless lives.

Man Jin looked at Xu Hei, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "What about my child?"

"Speak up! Where is his child?" Xu Hei demanded.

The butcher, named Ding Wang, knew the situation was against him and quickly said, "I've never seen his child. I've been here for hundreds of years, and every beast has passed through my hands. I swear I've never seen it!"

Upon hearing this, Man Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His child hadn't been captured by the Snake Catchers Sect, which was the best outcome, meaning the sacrifices of the Elephant Tribe weren't in vain!

"Man Jin, what exactly happened?" Xu Hei asked.

Man Jin took a deep breath and recounted the events of the past.

"So that's how it is!" Xu Hei's face remained expressionless.

Back then, the Snake Catchers Sect, in their attempt to capture him, arrested all beasts related to him. Even knowing Xu Hei had fled to the East Sea, they tried every possible way to lure him out.

Xu Qingzhi was hunting him, while the Snake Catchers Sect captured his companions, leaving Xu Hei like a stray dog, only returning now.

Thinking of this, even after experiencing countless storms, Xu Hei's face twisted with anger, his body trembling.

"Our Snake Catchers Sect doesn't have such capabilities! Don't say that! It was clearly the Heavenly Puppet Sect!" Ding Wang quickly shouted.

"Heavenly Puppet Sect?" Xu Hei's gaze turned icy.

"Back then, the Snake Catchers Sect suffered heavy casualties. How could we have the strength to capture beasts? It was all the Heavenly Puppet Sect, even the bounty was issued by Qin Xuanji. We were just assisting!" Ding Wang hurriedly explained.

Xu Hei could tell that this person was trying to shift the blame onto the Heavenly Puppet Sect, hoping Xu Hei would clash with them.

But even if it was the Heavenly Puppet Sect who captured them, the beasts were delivered here and died at his hands.

However, Xu Hei didn't expose him, merely saying calmly, "What else do you know?"

"The snakes in Myriad Serpent Valley were also captured by Qin Xuanji, millions of them, to find those related to you by blood so the sect master could use the Blood Source Tracking Technique..."

Ding Wang continued to speak, trying to direct the conflict towards the Heavenly Puppet Sect, revealing a secret technique of the Snake Catchers Sect, the Blood Source Tracking Technique.

This technique used the blood of close relatives like siblings to accurately locate the target.

He was telling the truth.

In Myriad Serpent Valley, there were indeed those related to Xu Hei by blood—his elders, his descendants. Among so many snakes, there were bound to be a few close relatives.

Qin Xuanji captured all the snakes, found those with blood ties to Xu Hei, and then had Xu Qingzhi use the Blood Source Tracking Technique to locate Xu Hei.

What a cunning method!

"Should we kill this person?" Hai Teng asked.

"Of course, but not now," Xu Hei replied.

Hai Teng nodded, skillfully imprinting a divine sense mark on Ding Wang's forehead, who didn't resist, knowing he couldn't.

Xu Hei could see that Ding Wang had an extremely dense murderous aura. He had seen countless people but never encountered such intense murderous aura, making him excellent material for refining puppets.

Compared to the corpses of those at the Elemental Infant stage, Ding Wang had even more potential.

"Man Jin, take this pill and come with me," Xu Hei said.

"No need!"

Man Jin shook his head, refusing to take the pill.

Seeing this, Xu Hei directly shattered the pill, letting its power surge into Man Jin's body. But to Xu Hei's surprise, even after absorbing the pill, Man Jin's body did not recover, remaining as it was before.

"What's going on?" Xu Hei was puzzled.

This was a Blood Spirit Pill, capable of regenerating flesh and bones, yet it couldn't heal Man Jin?

"Xu Hei, he's already dead."

At this moment, Xu Bai appeared behind Xu Hei, speaking calmly, "And he's been dead for at least half a year. I can't save him either."

Xu Hei looked at Man Jin again, finally noticing the lifelessness, the absence of vitality, and the accumulation of death energy within him.

Death energy, something that only appeared in corpses long dead.

So why did Man Jin still have a breath? How could he still speak?

"He probably had an unfulfilled wish, with his divine sense lingering in the corpse, not dispersing, turning him into a living dead," Xu Bai explained.

Xu Hei stared blankly at Man Jin.

At this moment, Man Jin's consciousness was rapidly dissipating. After hearing his child was safe, his wish was fulfilled, leaving no more attachments, no more unfulfilled desires.

Perhaps his only regret was not being able to see his child with his own eyes.

Under the watchful eyes of Xu Hei and the others, Man Jin closed his eyes forever, a faint voice emanating from within him, "Thank you."

He thanked Xu Hei for bringing him this piece of news.

Xu Hei stood silently before Man Jin, saying nothing, just quietly watching as Man Jin found eternal rest.

Xu Hei's connection with Man Jin dated back to the time when the Carefree Sect besieged the Elephant Tribe, and Xu Hei, passing by, killed people, inadvertently saving Man Jin's kin.

Later, Man Jin reciprocated, stepping in during Xu Hei's battle with Xuan Yangzi and Han Te, providing crucial help.

Later still, outside Wuyou City, Man Jin and a group of demonic beasts came to aid, making Xu Hei realize he wasn't fighting alone.

Responsibility and loyalty accompanied Man Jin throughout his life, leading to its end.

Xu Hei took out the Soul-absorbing Flag, waving it towards the void, capturing a faint spiritual form within.

Xu Hei could sense that within the flag, an elephant-headed spirit had appeared—that was Man Jin.

"Man Jin, I will let you see your child again, I promise!" Xu Hei vowed solemnly.