Serpent Ancestor

Chapter 14: The Annual Breeding Season

Outside Chen Family Town, there is an ancient Mountain God Temple, whose construction dates back to an unknown time but has been standing for over a century. The statue’s appearance has weathered so much that its full form is no longer discernible.

It is said that strange occurrences frequently happen here, and no one dares to approach, leading to its gradual desolation.

This year, not even beggars are seen around, with only a stray wild dog roaming in and out in search of food.

Suddenly.

The massive statue in the center trembles slightly, shaking off all the dust and snow accumulated.

“Woof!”

The big black dog, frightened, rolls and crawls away from the temple in terror.

From within the statue, a faint sigh is heard.

“After two hundred years, this seat has finally awakened. It’s time to find a new body. Unfortunately, the last two bodies were destroyed by that little beast!”

“That little beast is also considered half a disciple of mine. When he comes next time, I must make him find a perfect body for me!”

…

Unknowingly, three months have passed.

Winter has gone, and spring has arrived, bringing the revival of all things and the melting of ice and snow.

The villagers of Snake Village have begun the new year’s sowing, but compared to previous years, this year’s farmers are noticeably fewer.

In the deep mountains and forests, everything is bursting with new life, whether plants or animals. The hibernating snakes are awakening from their burrows and starting their foraging for the new year.

Inside the underground cave.

As the temperature gradually rises, water droplets seep from the rock layers on the ceiling, falling onto the ground and forming small puddles.

Xu Hei, who had been in deep slumber, finally opens his eyes.

After a winter’s hibernation, Xu Hei’s body feels somewhat stiff. He practices breathing and nurturing, and the spiritual energy flows through his meridians, slowly restoring him.

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Xu Hei inspects his body.

At this moment, the spiritual energy mist within the Demon God Cauldron has expanded again, covering eighty percent of the area from a small breakthrough.

Eighty percent of this was obtained from devouring the bear demon.

This surprises Xu Hei slightly. The bear demon’s flesh not only allowed him to break through but also brought him directly to the peak of the Third-Level Spiritual Beast.

It seems that reaching the Fourth-Level is not far off.

The black-golden scales on the tip of his tail have also reached six pieces.

“It’s true that greater risks bring greater rewards. Relying solely on peaceful cultivation makes it difficult to make progress. Only through devouring and plundering can one advance!” Xu Hei thinks to himself.

Xu Hei spreads his divine sense.

Now, his divine sense can extend up to thirty meters, a significant improvement from the initial stage.

“According to memory, only humans at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement can initially use divine sense, but it doesn’t exceed ten meters. What’s going on with me?”

Xu Hei is puzzled.

Just like Chen Fan, who could use divine sense from the beginning, perhaps their talents are extraordinary.

During these three months of hibernation, human knowledge and memories often surfaced, including both cultivation knowledge and advanced thoughts.

Some of these have deeply inspired Xu Hei.

He often reviews his actions, finding many immature aspects.

For example, eating human food is clearly a foolish behavior. If someone wanted to scheme against him, they could easily manipulate it.

A few days later.

As the temperature rises again, Xu Hei starts moving.

He crawls around the cave, stretching his muscles and bones. Although it is dark, he has scanned the area within thirty meters with his divine sense.

The cave is vast, deep, and narrow, with an unknown destination.

Nearby, there is a pond, a place he passed when he entered.

However, the pond is empty of any creatures, not even insects. At the bottom lies a solitary large black stone.

Xu Hei jumps into the pond and swims to the shore. He doesn’t linger, immediately climbing up the steep rocks to land.

The pond seems somewhat eerie, and Xu Hei has no intention of exploring it further. He’ll leave that to others once his cultivation is stronger.

With the warm sun shining, it is the early spring season.

The snow melts, flowing from the mountains, gathering in the mountain stream and forming a waterfall.

Xu Hei reaches a pond, where he catches some frogs, a few river clams, and crabs.

This place is teeming with life. Xu Hei’s divine sense scans and finds hundreds of creatures, and he immediately starts devouring them one by one.

He also discovers some snakes that have just ended their hibernation and devours them as well.

It is only at this point that Xu Hei feels somewhat full.

“There’s too much food here. I should move to another place to hunt.”

Suppressing his urge to continue hunting, Xu Hei leaves the pond and heads to the next location.

In spring, food is abundant. In the past, he would have devoured everything here without hesitation. But now, he has realized something.

During his hibernation, he acquired a new concept called ecological balance.

If a certain species in an area is lost in large numbers, it will gradually become extinct, leading to extinction.

For Xu Hei, this is undoubtedly a nightmare.

At that time, he would be forced to go down the mountain to seek food and drink from human villages, significantly increasing the risk.

Moreover, he now consciously spares pregnant female beasts or those with young to ensure their successful reproduction.

“Even the hunters from Snake Village will release young fish when caught. My appetite is large, but it is still much smaller compared to endless human consumption.”

“As long as I control it a little and occupy two more mountain peaks, I can certainly be self-sufficient.”

Xu Hei thinks to himself.

…

As time passes.

Xu Hei continues to roam between two mountain peaks, dealing with competitors one by one.

As long as no other fierce beasts intrude, he is the only ruler here.

With divine sense monitoring, he has a general understanding of the species on these two mountains.

Xu Hei counted the animals in the vicinity: twenty-five roe deer, twenty wild boars, thirty muntjacs, and hundreds of rabbits.

“There are also monkeys, sika deer, wild goats, and lynxes, totaling over a hundred.”

Xu Hei had only counted the larger animals that could satiate him with just one meal. For the smaller creatures such as rodents, amphibians, birds, and fish, he couldn’t keep track.

As long as these species continued to thrive and he didn’t overeat, he would be self-sufficient.

He didn’t dare venture into other mountain ranges because of the scent markings left by the demon beasts. Instead, he marked the edges of his territory.

He made a trip back to Snake Village and noticed that Wang Xiao Niu, the young boy he had seen last year, had grown taller and matured. However, Wang Da Niu, Wang Xiao Niu’s father, was missing. There was only a solitary grave in the watermelon field.

Xu Hei sighed and left.

He had passed by the mountain god temple outside Chen Family Town once before, intending to offer incense and pray. He even brought a mountain chicken as an offering. But as he approached, he couldn’t bring himself to part with the chicken, so he ate it and left.

Another month passed.

One day, Xu Hei left his territory and ventured into the deep mountains. His direction was precise, as if guided by a clear path, leading him to a specific place.

Unknowingly, he arrived at a valley.

It was a basin-like terrain, surrounded by mountains, with damp and chilly air. The ground was dotted with water puddles and numerous snake holes.

A casual sweep with his divine sense revealed no less than ten snakes.

This valley was known as the “Valley of Serpents.”

Xu Hei had been drawn to this place by the scent of his kind. Every year during this season, he would come here as it had become a habit.

This was the breeding season for snakes!

As an adult male black snake, although Xu Hei didn’t know his exact species, he had left many offspring here over the years.

There was a chance that his descendants might be among the snakes he sensed.

Of course, he had no clear memory of these matters.

This year, however, he wasn’t here to breed but had recalled an important matter.