Serpent Ancestor

Chapter 182: Thunder tribulation opens the way, psychological shadow

At this moment, figures appeared in the distance once more, shrouded in fierce flames and clad in iron armor and weapons—it was Lei He.

"It's you? You're not dead?"

Lei He raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Qingxuan.

While crossing the desert, they had witnessed Zhou Qingxuan being swallowed by quicksand, along with the Earth Boat.

"I have the Elemental Infant decree left by the first ancestor. How could I die so easily?" Zhou Qingxuan responded calmly.

Lei He squinted his eyes, not probing further, and said, "It's good that you're not dead. This black tower seems to have undergone some changes. Do you dare to enter with me for a look?"

Zhou Qingxuan sneered, "No need. Our Zhou Family's second ancestor is about to exit seclusion. His lifespan is nearing its end, and he wants to find a Longevity Pill in the ruins. I have to go assist him."

"As for this black tower, I'll leave it to your Heavenly Puppet Sect."

Zhou Qingxuan grabbed Zhou Wendie, boarded the Earth Boat, and swiftly glided towards the horizon, disappearing at the edge of the desert.

"The second ancestor's lifespan is nearing its end. The Zhou Family is protesting..."

He wasn't afraid of the second ancestor's strength, but the words "lifespan nearing its end" were quite lethal.

This indicated that the other party wasn't afraid of death and could fight desperately!

It seemed that Zhou Wendie's status was more important than he had imagined, and he couldn't afford to offend her lightly.

The Heavenly Puppet Sect and the Zhou Family were allies, and Lei He didn't want to strain the relationship, so he sighed inwardly and followed.

…………

Several days passed.

Xu Hei opened his eyes and exhaled a turbid breath.

Refining the Xuan Yin Tower was not something that could be accomplished overnight, nor was it something Xu Hei could achieve.

So far, he had only refined about one-tenth of it, and the further he went, the slower it became. His cultivation was too low, and a fourth-tier Magical Treasure was still too early for him.

At least he had to reach the Core Formation Stage, or even the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, to fully refine it.

However, even with just ten percent, Xu Hei had already gained insight into the internal structure of the Xuan Yin Tower through the stone tablet.

He knew the location of the butcher.

He also knew the number of corpse puppets.

"Inside the Xuan Yin Tower, there are a total of one hundred and twenty corpse puppets, including one corpse king at the late stage of Qi Condensation and one corpse charm at the mid-stage."

"There are twelve nightshades at the early stage of Qi Condensation, and the rest are False Core and Foundation Establishment."

"The strength of this Cat King is still beyond my comprehension."

Xu Hei pondered briefly, took the Cat King, and passed through several tunnels, reaching the destination in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

This was the stone chamber of the first level, located at the entrance of the Xuan Yin Tower.

The Formation here was still intact, but Xu Hei could now control it to some extent.

With a thought, the coffin lid opened automatically. He placed the Cat King inside and took the butcher out.

After several rounds of such maneuvers, the butcher, originally composed of more than thirty people, was reduced to twenty-five, causing Xu Hei some heartache.

Xu Hei scanned with his Divine Sense and unexpectedly found a semi-finished corpse core in the butcher's abdomen, showing signs of Qi Condensation!

"The butcher actually broke through. This Xuan Yin Tower is indeed a holy land for corpse puppets."

Xu Hei thought to himself, pleasantly surprised.

He tried to control the butcher, whose dozens of arms quickly extended, punching the stone wall with a continuous rumble.

Compared to before, the butcher's speed and strength had significantly improved, capable of unleashing combat power at the False Core level.

The only difference was that controlling it now consumed more mental energy.

"This trip has been quite rewarding. I've learned about the corpse puppet system, mastered some Formation techniques, acquired Ji Ying, and even strengthened the butcher." Xu Hei was quite pleased.

It was time to leave.

He kept the entrance setup as intact as possible, ensuring that even if others broke in, they wouldn't gain any advantage.

Xu Hei put away the butcher, applied the Invisibility Talisman, and with a flash, rushed out from the entrance, returning to the desert area.

He identified the direction and immediately used the Earth Escape Technique, speeding forward.

The exit of the Earth Path wasn't far, and Xu Hei reached it in just an hour.

In front of him, in the Void, there was an illusory door with a vortex at its center, easily recognizable at a glance.

"Could someone be waiting for me outside the exit?"

Xu Hei's eyes flashed, and he made a quick decision, splitting a common passerby from the butcher's body.

Then, he had the passerby take out a blue bead, holding it in his palm—it was the Thunder Tribulation Pearl!

He controlled the person to crush a small part of the Thunder Tribulation Pearl, and with a burst of terrifying lightning, timed it perfectly, charging directly into the illusory door.

"Buzz!"

The vortex turned, and the passerby disappeared, passing through the space barrier and reaching the outside world.

"Boom!"

From afar, Xu Hei felt a spatial tremor, with energy waves penetrating from that side.

"It exploded. I wonder if it killed anyone."

Xu Hei thought to himself.

This was a plan he had devised long ago. Regardless of whether someone was blocking him, he would use the Thunder Tribulation Pearl to clear the way.

If the other party was cautious enough not to block him, that would be ideal.

Although he lost a Thunder Tribulation Pearl, he ensured his safety.

But if they dared to block him, it would catch them off guard.

The power of this Thunder Tribulation Pearl wasn't as strong as the one Xu Hei used in the Heavenly Dragon Casino, and the other party had countermeasures against it. Xu Hei wouldn't hesitate to use it when necessary.

Xu Hei estimated the time, and when the thunder tribulation was almost over, he flashed into the vortex door.

"Buzz!!"

The spatial ripples shook violently, and soon, Xu Hei disappeared from the Earth Path.

…………

Outside the Earth Path was a pitch-black underground city, the endpoint of the Five Elements Path.

This underground city, with its unknown long history, was already in ruins, with remnants and broken limbs everywhere. Only a few buildings remained intact.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the sky.

Blue lightning illuminated half of the underground city, spreading for miles, shaking the heavens, and drawing everyone's attention.

Faintly, human screams could be heard, but they were quickly drowned out by the more terrifying thunder.

…………

The scenery before Xu Hei twisted rapidly, and when it cleared again, he found himself in a desolate ruin.

Lightning flickered around him, terrifying ripples spread out, and the heavens roared with the power of the Forty-Nine Heavenly Tribulations, which even those at the Core Formation Stage dared not face directly.

Around him, there were faint silhouettes turned to charcoal, mixed in the ruins, with heavy casualties. Whether they were targeting him or not, being here indicated something.

Xu Hei felt the lingering power of the aftermath and dared not linger. Activating the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon, he vanished, diving underground and fleeing at the fastest speed.

Not long after Xu Hei left.

A disheveled figure emerged from the ruins, clad in broken armor, eyes filled with terrifying killing intent—it was Lei He.

Behind him, Bai Luo, who had stayed far away, remained unscathed.

However, most of the Zhou Family team assisting them had perished.

"This person is ruthless, using a Thunder Tribulation Pearl to clear the way, and he escaped!"

Lei He's voice was extremely somber, showing that his anger had reached its limit.

With his skills, if given even two breaths of time to prepare, he could have perfectly countered the Thunder Tribulation Pearl, rendering it powerless and preventing any harm.

But the explosion occurred the moment the other party emerged, leaving him stunned in less than a breath.

Such a ruthless tactic was unimaginable.

"Fortunately, I stayed far away, or I would have been in trouble again."

Bai Luo stood at a distance, still shaken. He had developed a psychological shadow from that mysterious person, with an ominous premonition that prompted him to retreat temporarily and stand far away.

Who knew, he was right after all.