Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 529: Terrifying truth

Xu Hei shook his head, casting aside such distracting thoughts. There's no need to dwell on things that shouldn't be pondered.

Meanwhile.

At the peak in the center of the cemetery, the gaunt Tomb Elder stared at Xu Hei, a glint flashing in his eyes.

"This child isn't affected by the Inner Demon; he might have seen through something."

"However, as long as the memories of this place aren't leaked, it's all inconsequential. Besides, his gains are substantial, which can attract more people into the Void Realm."

"One day, the Inner Demons here will be completely eradicated, including those commanders."

…………

In the blink of an eye, another two years passed.

Unknowingly, it had been over five years since Xu Hei arrived at the outer battlefield.

During this time, Xu Hei had eradicated over a hundred thousand Inner Demons and even encountered the "commander" mentioned by the Tomb Elder, a massive tombstone with power far beyond ordinary Inner Demons.

However, to be safe, Xu Hei chose to avoid a direct confrontation with the commander.

With such a steady approach, Xu Hei's strength advanced rapidly. Not only did his skills and experience become more enriched, but he also elevated his cultivation to the peak of the mid-stage Elemental Infant, just a step away from the late stage.

However, he also faced a serious problem—

To nurture his insects, he had consumed more than half of his Spirit Stones, and at most, he could last another year before running out.

Over the past three years, Xu Hei's swarm had doubled in number, with over ten thousand Spirit-Eating Ants and a thousand Ghostface Stone Spiders.

There were only twenty Golden Armor Queen Bugs, as they required half-Supreme Spirit Stones to produce, which Xu Hei was reluctant to use.

Additionally, Xu Hei discovered that the Golden Armor Queen Bugs favored metallic substances. When he fed them star fragments, the queen bugs evolved, growing black-golden armor and a pair of sharp blades like a mantis.

However, the mortality rate was high. Xu Hei experimented with five, and four died, leaving only one successfully evolved queen bug, prompting him to halt the experiments.

The evolved queen bug wasn't strong in combat alone but was highly effective against metal, making it useful for countering Magical Treasures.

"The consumption for nurturing these insects is too great. If it doesn't work out, I'll have to let the swarm enter dormancy," Xu Hei thought to himself.

Lacking Spirit Stones wouldn't starve the insects, but their numbers wouldn't grow. Over time, they would return to their stone eggs and enter a dormant state.

Xu Hei pondered whether to kill and seize treasures. The disciples of those major sects were wealthy; killing just one could feed an army.

"Forget it, I've gained a lot here; there's no need to take risks," Xu Hei shook his head.

Xu Hei believed that his growth speed far surpassed others. Given enough time, he would eventually overpower everyone.

Even the commanders he encountered, Xu Hei wasn't in a rush to deal with them. He planned to cultivate for another ten or a hundred years first.

…………

Deep within the grand tomb, in a secluded, uninhabited area.

Here stood a massive tombstone, with a mound behind it, very similar to the place where Xu Hei received the inheritance of the laws.

This was the commander mentioned by the Tomb Elder.

A woman in white stood before the tombstone, holding a demon-exterminating flag, gazing at the tombstone with excitement in her eyes.

"Three years, I finally found it."

The woman in white exhaled, placed the demon-exterminating flag into the ground, and the formation instantly took shape.

In a flash, a phantom shadow floated out from the tombstone.

It was an old woman with a weathered face, holding a crooked cane, with a lotus flower at her brow. Unlike other Inner Demons, her form was much clearer.

"Qing'er, after five hundred thousand years, you've come again," the old woman sighed as she looked at the woman in white.

"I've come to free you," Xu Bai said solemnly, her voice low, "Master."

This old woman was one of the commanders mentioned by the Tomb Elder and the former master of the Green Emperor, Lotus True Monarch.

The cultivators buried here varied in strength, with commanders being among the strongest, and Lotus True Monarch's power was among the top even among commanders.

For sixty million years in the Void Realm, countless demon slayers had fallen at the hands of Lotus True Monarch.

"It seems that losing to me back then didn't teach you a lesson," the old woman chuckled.

Xu Bai replied, "I've forgotten about the past."

"Then let me help you remember," the old woman said, waving her hand.

Instantly, a scene unfolded in the void.

In the scene were two figures: a graceful woman stepping on a green lotus and the old woman before her.

The Green Emperor and Lotus True Monarch.

The scene quickly moved, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.

"This is how you fared against me back then. You lasted only three moves. How many do you think you can withstand now?" the old woman said as the scene played.

In the scene, Lotus True Monarch wielded a phantom cane, pointing from afar, sending a green beam crashing down, shattering the Green Emperor's lotus chariot into dust.

Then came the second strike. Lotus True Monarch uttered a thunderous sound, and countless petals enveloped the Green Emperor, forming a dazzling sea of flowers. The green light on her body quickly faded, and her physical body withered like a plant, decaying in an instant.

The final strike saw Lotus True Monarch gently tap with her cane, sending the Green Emperor flying, her body shattering into countless petals, her physical form broken, her fate unknown.

The scene abruptly ended.

"You were so weak back then. Now, with a new body, what can you do?" the old woman mocked, looking at her.

Xu Bai remained silent.

The memories of the Void Realm from five hundred thousand years ago were long forgotten. Back then, she came to defeat Lotus True Monarch, and this time, she came for the same reason.

A phantom green lotus gradually solidified at Xu Bai's brow, emerging from her body, appearing beneath her feet. Green light blossomed, space trembled, and with a single thought, countless flowers bloomed.

She expressed her intent through action.

"Heh, very well. If you can truly free me, it won't be in vain that I taught you," Lotus True Monarch laughed.

She wielded her cane, lightly waving it over the sea of flowers. In an instant, the flower sea summoned by Xu Bai withered, and the green lotus beneath her feet shattered, just like before.

"Heavenly Thorns!"

Xu Bai clapped her hands, and within a hundred-mile radius, countless thorny flower bushes sprouted instantly, piercing through space, tearing through Lotus True Monarch's body.

However, Lotus True Monarch remained unaffected, merely sneering.

"After all these years, you haven't improved at all!"

"Spirit Bind!"

Lotus True Monarch uttered a thunderous sound, green light rippling. Xu Bai's body trembled violently, a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of her mouth as she was sent flying, her eyes falling into confusion.

"It's over!"

Lotus True Monarch passed through the thorny bushes, her phantom form unaffected by the tearing, holding her cane, aiming to end the battle with a strike to Xu Bai's brow.

But at that moment.

Xu Bai's body suddenly transformed into a giant serpent, spewing a large amount of gray gas from her mouth. It was the Soul Fixing Powder she had painstakingly refined, meant for this very moment.

Lotus True Monarch's phantom paused instantly.

Xu Bai's actions didn't stop; she simultaneously activated the Small Teleportation Talisman, relocating to the grand tombstone.

Lotus True Monarch exclaimed, "My Spirit Bind is ineffective? You have two souls?"

At this moment, the Green Emperor's Divine Sense was bound, leaving Xu Bai to control the body.

Xu Bai reached the tombstone, not seizing the opportunity to attack Lotus True Monarch but instead targeting the tombstone.

"Smack!"

A pill bottle was thrown, shattering against the tombstone, its liquid splattering and seeping into the stone.

Gradually, a corrosive "sizzling" sound emanated from the tombstone, accompanied by a harrowing scream.

A pitch-black body emerged halfway from the tombstone, identical in appearance to Lotus True Monarch, but it was a physical entity, whereas Lotus True Monarch was a phantom.

"Ah!!"

The pitch-black figure let out a wretched scream, its body melting, the liquid from the pill bottle causing immense harm.

Lotus True Monarch's mind froze upon seeing the physical entity, saying, "What is this?"

"Why are there two of me?"

If Xu Hei were present, he would instantly recognize it.

This pitch-black entity was the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, a replica of Lotus True Monarch!

…………

At this moment, at the center of the grand tomb, atop the mountain peak.

The Tomb Elder, who had been sitting still like a pine tree, suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring in the direction of Xu Bai, a fierce glint in his eyes.

"How is it possible? How could she discover such a secret?"

The Tomb Elder's eyes reflected disbelief, but he quickly reacted, sending a message to every demon slayer.

"This demon has fallen into madness; everyone, proceed to eliminate her immediately!"

After sending the message, the Tomb Elder sighed, speaking to the ground, beginning a monologue.

"Though the Green Emperor has slain many demons and achieved great feats, since she's discovered such a secret, she cannot be left alive! Erasing her memory isn't safe; it's best to eliminate her."

"What do you think?"

…………

"This demon has fallen into madness; everyone, proceed to eliminate her immediately!"

At this moment, everyone in the cemetery received this message. Simultaneously, Xu Bai's appearance was revealed to everyone.

It was a large white serpent and a woman in white adorned with a green lotus pattern, with Xu Bai's current location marked.

Xu Hei also received the message and was stunned.

"Xu Bai has fallen into madness, and we're to eliminate her?"

"What does this mean?"

Xu Hei furrowed his brows but still headed in that direction.

Others might believe it, but Xu Hei would never believe the claim that Xu Bai had fallen into madness.

Moreover, according to the Tomb Elder, even if she had fallen into madness, he could transport her out of the Void Realm and erase her memory. Why resort to killing?

"Did Xu Bai discover some secret? What is it that even the Tomb Elder is eager to have her eliminated?" Xu Hei's eyes gleamed with sharpness.

The Tomb Elder's power was undeniable, yet he seemed never to have left his position, even having others do the killing.

Throughout Xu Hei's journey, every person he eliminated didn't seem like an Inner Demon.

They might go insane, they might become hysterical, but no matter what, they all shared a common trait: they were resisting something!

Xu Hei had long noticed these discrepancies but chose not to delve deeper. Being a fool and reaping benefits was enough; why seek trouble?

But now, Xu Hei realized things weren't simple.

Xu Hei stepped on the Star-Moon Sword, accelerating to the utmost. He employed a Divine Ability called the Star-Moon Escape Technique, suitable for flying swords, reaching the scene in just the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

He was the third to arrive, preceded by Gu Yunxi and Ye Li.

These two women had some connection to the Green Emperor and were the closest.

"It's you!"

Ye Li noticed Xu Hei and was about to speak, but Gu Yunxi stopped her, signaling her to remain silent.

Xu Hei's gaze was fixed intently ahead.

In the clearing ahead stood a grand tombstone, a commander's tomb.

From the tombstone extended half a human figure, a pitch-black entity exuding a sinister demonic aura, its face twisted, letting out screams.

Xu Hei immediately recognized it as an extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, not an Inner Demon!

And the so-called "Inner Demon," the phantom old woman, stood blankly aside, at a loss.

"What is going on?"

Xu Hei's mind exploded, a cacophony of thoughts and ideas intertwining into a tangled mess.

Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon? Inner Demon?

The inexplicable ancient battle, burying over a hundred million people, the enigmatic Tomb Elder...

Because Xu Bai discovered the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, she must be eliminated...

All of it, combined, led Xu Hei to a terrifying truth.

Previously, Xu Hei didn't want to delve deeper, but that didn't mean he was foolish or lacked analytical ability. At this moment, with his full concentration, he quickly arrived at a reasonable explanation.

"The Inner Demons I eliminated weren't Inner Demons but rather each person's obsessions."

"Why would someone erect over a hundred million tombstones, burying all the dead? Who would be so bored?"

"No! It wasn't a burial; it was a seal!"

"It wasn't sealing the dead but sealing the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons!"

Xu Hei stared at the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon writhing and screaming from the tombstone, arriving at a terrifying conclusion.

The Tomb Elder was deceiving him, lying from start to finish!

All the obsessions he eliminated were meant to seal the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons, and each one he eliminated was opening a seal.

Now, the only uncertainty was whether every tombstone contained an extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon or only the commanders' tombstones did.

If it were the latter, the commanders' tombstones wouldn't be too many, which might be acceptable.

But if it were the former... over a hundred million tombstones, over a hundred million extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons?

Xu Hei felt his scalp tingling.

"Who is the Tomb Elder? Why is he doing this?"

Xu Hei's thoughts exploded, continuously pondering.

If each person had a replica of the extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, based on this premise, then the Tomb Elder might not be the Tomb Elder anymore.

As Xu Hei's thoughts surged.

Suddenly, a sense of danger approached from behind, and a fiery red figure rapidly closed in, with countless fire phoenixes swirling in her palm, the temperature soaring to its peak.

"Phoenix Fire Engulfs the Plains!"

A delicate shout came from behind, and within a ten-thousand-foot radius around Xu Hei, it instantly turned into a sea of fire, space distorted, countless fire phoenixes danced, surrounding him. Above his head, the Fire Phoenix Seal descended from the sky, forming a cage in an instant.

It was Jiang Nine Phoenix who attacked!

Jiang Nine Phoenix had also come upon hearing the command to meet the Green Emperor, but upon seeing Xu Hei, her anger flared up, disregarding everything, attacking directly, intending to eliminate Xu Hei first.

Although Xu Hei had changed his appearance, his Divine Sense aura had long been locked by the Fire Phoenix Seal, unmistakable!