Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 491: Bargaining

Under Lei Xuan's control, Xu Hei was like a war god, not giving the Insect Emperor a chance to resist.

"Crackle!"

Bolts of lightning surged into the Insect Emperor's body, paralyzing all her meridians, rendering her immobile, and capturing her in an instant.

In just five breaths, the capture was complete, leaving Xu Hei astonished. He realized his physical body could be this powerful!

"Senior Lei Xuan, can you control this Insect Emperor to serve me in the future?" Xu Hei couldn't help but ask.

"Hmph, you have quite the ambition, kid. I can control her, but the Ghostface Spider Emperor is proud and only acknowledges those with higher cultivation. As a mere mid-stage Elemental Infant, you can't subdue this demon. Keeping her around would be a liability."

"Moreover, this demon is highly valuable, even Divine Transformation Stage cultivators would covet her. Are you sure you want to keep her?" Lei Xuan snorted coldly.

"I want to try," Xu Hei replied.

With a swarm army, wouldn't he be invincible on the outer battlefield? Even many Elemental Infant cultivators would have to avoid him. It's impossible not to be tempted.

As for the Divine Transformation Stage coveting her, didn't he already have treasures that even they would desire? On the outer battlefield, at least openly, the Divine Transformation Stage can't enter.

Not keeping such a treasure would be foolish.

"Not bad, I like ambitious dragons. This divine ability uses your body, so there are some side effects," Lei Xuan said.

"No problem, I can handle it!"

As soon as Xu Hei finished speaking, his body was wracked with excruciating pain.

All the true essence in his dragon vein transformed into lightning, surging out, causing his skin to crack and his body to endure a baptism of lightning, akin to undergoing the Five-Nine Thunder Tribulation.

The lightning compressed rapidly, becoming smaller and brighter, eventually forming a lightning symbol that Xu Hei spat out, imprinting it on the Insect Emperor's forehead.

"Ah!! What have you done?"

The previously listless Insect Emperor suddenly screamed hysterically, glaring at Xu Hei with venomous eyes.

"This is the Extinguishing God Seal. With just a thought, I can destroy your soul, eradicating you completely!"

Lei Xuan's cold voice sent shivers through the Insect Emperor's body.

At this moment, a lightning mark appeared on the Insect Emperor's forehead, scorching to the touch. This mark was not only imprinted on her physical body but also on her divine sense, uniting form and spirit.

This made her realize that, as Xu Hei said, with just a thought, he could end her life.

After using this move, Xu Hei's body quickly weakened. Along the way, Lei Xuan had used his body to perform numerous divine abilities beyond his strength.

Though powerful, they inflicted significant damage on himself.

If it weren't for Lei Xuan controlling him, Xu Hei would have been in too much pain to move.

"Kid, for this Extinguishing God Seal, I used a trace of the power of law. Even a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, without understanding the laws of heaven, couldn't break this seal!" Lei Xuan sneered.

This added an extra layer of security. Even if a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator discovered the Insect Emperor, they would have to consider whether it was worth taking her back.

Xu Hei took a breath and said, "Thank you, senior."

He was on the verge of passing out, utterly exhausted, but with his body still under control, he couldn't faint.

At this moment, the swarm approached from afar, stopping a hundred feet away because the Insect Emperor was captured, like bees when the queen is caught.

Lei Xuan said sternly, "Kid, this is your first time using Dragon Soul Descent, right?"

"That's right," Xu Hei hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What advice do you have, senior?"

"You're lucky to have encountered me on your first try. Not all dragon souls in the Dragon Tomb are benevolent," Lei Xuan said meaningfully.

Xu Hei was taken aback and quickly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"The dragon souls in the Dragon Tomb have different Dao hearts. A few extreme dragon souls are incarnations of evil thoughts, collections of madness. If you summon them, while they won't harm you, they might leave you with some mental trauma."

"But rest assured, they are all strong. The more mad they are, the stronger they are! They might even enslave the Insect Emperor on the spot," Lei Xuan laughed.

Xu Hei remained silent, pondering the meaning behind Lei Xuan's words.

Just then, a cracking sound came from behind.

They saw countless spatial rifts spreading from where they had just passed. These rifts didn't heal but instead expanded rapidly, surging toward them.

"What's happening?" Xu Hei was shocked.

"I mentioned there would be some side effects, and this is it," Lei Xuan said.

Earlier, Lei Xuan had used a trace of the power of law, but in this fragmented upper world, the laws of heaven are incomplete. Using the power of law causes a region's space to collapse.

Though it won't collapse permanently, for a decade, this place won't recover, becoming a void zone.

"Run!" Xu Hei immediately grabbed the Insect Emperor and dashed upward, with the insects following behind, avoiding the collapsing space.

"Damn it, this is just a slight side effect?"

Xu Hei's face darkened. He thought it referred to himself, not the world.

"Alright, time's up. Remember what I said!"

Lei Xuan's voice faded, and Xu Hei felt a phantom dragon soul leave his sea of consciousness, returning to the netherworld, back to the Dragon Tomb.

Xu Hei relaxed, regaining control of his body.

In that instant, he nearly fainted. Previously, with Lei Xuan controlling his body, he hadn't realized how weak he was until now.

To control the Insect Emperor, he had paid a hefty price, losing a drop of dragon blood and ending up covered in injuries.

The Insect Emperor noticed Xu Hei's change and scolded, "Boy, put me down, did you hear?"

Compared to Xu Hei, the Insect Emperor was even weaker, paralyzed by lightning and unable to move, further restrained by the Extinguishing God Seal. Yet her tone was commanding, as if issuing orders.

Xu Hei ignored her and asked, "Can you enter the storage bag?"

"What? You want me to enter a storage bag?" The Insect Emperor was furious, gritting her teeth, "I'd rather die than enter a storage bag!"

For an Insect Emperor, entering a storage bag was akin to being someone else's pet, an utter humiliation!

"Die? You're thinking too simply. I'll strip you bare and throw you into a crowd. Humans outside have ways to torture you."

"Will you submit to them or enter my storage bag? I promise, if you follow me for five hundred years, I'll give you freedom afterward," Xu Hei said.

The Insect Emperor in his hand fell silent.

Xu Hei looked at the spreading void below, where bewildered insects were being swallowed.

Though the spread was slow, these insects, without direction, were like headless flies. Once they plunged in, there was no escape.

"I'll also help you save these insects."