Serpent Ancestor

After entering the pyramid, Xu Hei felt as if he had stepped into a new realm.

Ahead lay a tranquil passageway, with a lamp burning by the wall, casting a dim light that had likely been flickering for countless millennia.

The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through at a time. In front of him stood a stone tablet inscribed with some text.

"There's an inscription too!"

Xu Hei's spirits lifted as he focused on the ancient script, which was somewhat complex but decipherable to him.

"This treasure was acquired by me during my travels in the Western regions. Its internal mechanisms are hidden and contain endless transformations and mysteries beyond words."

"The Puppet Mechanism Technique, which combines the strengths of many schools, though contrary to my sect's philosophy, ultimately leads to the same path. I have summarized and incorporated it into our sect's inheritance."

"However, my heart was willing but my strength was insufficient. Though this item is excellent, it was abandoned by the sect. I have stored it here for future generations to explore. If they can grasp even a fraction, they can claim ownership of this treasure."

The stone tablet bore three passages, still clearly visible after countless years.

Clearly, the person who inscribed these words valued them greatly.

Xu Hei carefully pondered the meaning of these passages. It seemed that after the pyramid was discovered, the author greatly admired it but, due to conflicting philosophies, it was abandoned by the sect.

Thus, it was stored here for future generations to study. If they could uncover even a little, they could gain the pyramid's recognition.

Xu Hei breathed a sigh of relief. If it was merely a test, he could accept it, as long as it wasn't a trap.

However, to be safe, Xu Hei decided to be cautious, in case someone had been here before and altered the inscription to deceive him.

He took out a dragon scale and scratched the stone tablet, noting a clear difference between the new and old marks.

"This place should be opening for the first time, and I am the first to enter here. It's unlikely someone has beaten me to it," Xu Hei thought to himself.

After checking thoroughly for a long time and confirming everything, he stepped into the passage.

Behind the stone tablet, there was an additional piece of text—

"Remember, once you step in, there's no turning back. Regardless of your cultivation level, the difficulty is the same. Choose wisely!"

Xu Hei read this and felt reassured, entering without hesitation.

Suddenly.

Xu Hei sensed something, a slight vibration emanating from his Storage Bag.

He stepped back a little, took out the butcher, and had it open the Storage Bag, retrieving an item to hold in his palm.

It was that peculiar eyeball!

At the center of the eyeball, a flame burned, and at this moment, it brightened as if an invisible gaze was scrutinizing him.

The moment this sense of being watched appeared, Xu Hei quickly put the eyeball away.

"What’s going on? Why do I feel like I'm being watched? Is this eyeball alive? Or can someone observe me through it?"

Xu Hei was shaken.

At this moment, the eyeball's abnormality ceased. Xu Hei thought for a moment and took it out again, applying countless seals to it.

"Should I destroy it to be done with it?"

Xu Hei hesitated. He had thought the eyeball was a treasure, not expecting such a hidden danger.

It's possible someone could locate it and come after him.

However, if someone indeed came looking, wouldn't that indicate the eyeball's significant value?

Xu Hei pondered briefly. Since he was already here, there was no reason to leave.

He considered altering the inscription but realized he wasn't skilled at deception and didn't know what to write. So, he traced over the inscription, making the old marks new again.

"I'm not deceiving you, but if you're suspicious, that's not my fault."

Xu Hei smirked inwardly and crawled into the dark tunnel.

…………

At the entrance of the Earth Path.

Two teams had just entered when they were assaulted by a storm of black sand. Bai Luo remained unfazed, summoning an ancient bell and flicking it with his finger, sending out a ripple.

He had already investigated the situation inside before coming and knew that the sand was all puppets.

As a disciple of the Heavenly Puppet Sect, he had unique methods to counter puppets.

This wasn't a Spirit Body Thread but a wave of chaos that could cause puppets to become disoriented, especially effective against corpse puppets with some self-awareness.

Once the ripple spread, the black sand in the sky lost its sense of direction, scattering wildly, even attacking and devouring each other, halting the assault.

However, there were simply too many, and Bai Luo couldn't deal with them all at once.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the two teams moved swiftly, bypassing the first wave of attacks. Lei He grabbed Bai Luo, burning the power of his Golden Core, and shot forward like a stream of light, racing ahead for a thousand miles.

Zhou Qingxuan took out an Earth Boat, which sailed over the desert, cutting through the endless dust and soaring into the sky.

Both teams were well-prepared, far beyond what Xu Hei and others could compare to on their first entry.

On the Earth Boat.

Zhou Wendie's pupils changed, one eye turning golden, with a flame burning fiercely within, her aura rising.

"I see him."

Zhou Wendie said coldly.

"Who?" Zhou Qingxuan asked.

"The butcher." Zhou Wendie's voice was icy, like a thousand-year frost. "He's not dead."

Zhou Qingxuan's body trembled, his face darkening. "So he's not dead. It seems the rumors are true. This person isn't a cultivator but a demon from the ruins."

To survive in such circumstances, what else could he be but a demon?

"Whatever he is, I must retrieve my belongings." Zhou Wendie remained cold, her eyes unlike those of a young girl.

…………

Inside the pyramid.

Xu Hei continued down the passage, soon arriving in a stone chamber.

It was sealed on all sides, with no way out.

Inside the chamber, there was only a coffin, nothing else.

"A coffin?"

Xu Hei's eyes flickered. He had heard that some places within ruins contained coffins, often with corpse puppets and burial items inside.

Xu Hei first extended his Divine Sense, unsurprisingly finding it unable to probe.

He released the butcher puppet, which walked forward and tapped the coffin lid, eliciting no response.

"Meow!"

Suddenly, a sharp, eerie cat cry echoed through the empty stone chamber.

"Who?"

Xu Hei looked around but couldn't find the source of the sound.

The cat's cry was right by his ear. Xu Hei immediately scattered sand, sweeping it forward, and the sand wrapped around a cat-shaped outline, which lunged at him.

"Ever-changing Fish and Dragon!"

Xu Hei left behind an afterimage, flicking his tail to instantly send the cat flying, crashing into the distance.

The cat's form was revealed—a corpse puppet wrapped in white cloth, its bones shattered, lifeless, seemingly killed by Xu Hei's strike.

"This corpse puppet is quite weak. Could it be adjusted to my cultivation level?" Xu Hei wondered to himself.

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