Serpent Ancestor

Chapter 16: The life of a snake is ten years

The lifespan of snakes is generally about ten years. Even for a Spirit Communion Stage Snake Demon, twenty years is the limit.

After more than ten years, it was almost old enough to die, and Xu Hei couldn't possibly not notice it.

His bodily functions were clearly increasing day by day, with no signs of aging at all.

"What nonsense is this woman spouting? You're the one who's old!"

Xu Hei cursed inwardly.

But then, Xu Hei suddenly froze. Old Snake King, Old Snake King—this nickname itself carried the word "old," which clearly symbolized longevity.

Xu Hei had gotten used to being called Old Snake King and never analyzed why he was called that.

"Am I really old? Why do they call me that?"

Xu Hei frowned deeply, suddenly feeling that things were not so simple.

Xu Hei scanned the Myriad Serpent Valley with his Divine Sense. There were thousands of snakes, many of which were similar to him, even identical.

For instance, that white snake was of the same species as him, only its color had mutated.

Although Xu Hei was a Snake Demon with limited knowledge, he wasn't stupid.

After careful analysis, Xu Hei suddenly thought of a possibility. His pupils dilated, and his breathing became rapid.

"Could it be?"

Xu Hei's eyes widened as he submerged into the water, quietly following behind.

He watched as the two people got closer and closer to the Serpent Fruit tree.

Their timing was perfect; the Serpent Fruit tree was maturing today.

And at that moment.

The ground suddenly began to shake, and the water in the puddles rippled as if an earthquake had occurred.

Xu Hei immediately stopped moving and observed in secret.

The two people ahead also halted. Zhao Wenzhuo looked tense, clutching his Storage Bag, while Song Shiyu had a disdainful expression.

"Sure enough, it's here."

Song Shiyu sneered coldly, retreating rapidly.

In the next moment, the ground below suddenly exploded, sending dirt flying. A massive, pitch-black figure emerged from the soil.

As soon as this figure appeared, it opened its bloody maw and lunged at Song Shiyu, its venomous fangs gleaming coldly.

"The Old Snake King has appeared!"

Zhao Wenzhuo exclaimed in shock.

Song Shiyu was prepared. With a wave of her jade hand, a golden Talisman shot out, forming a soft shield. The black venomous fangs struck the golden shield and sank into it, as if trapped in a quagmire.

"What is this..." Xu Hei immediately focused his attention.

He saw that the black figure was a giant snake, identical in appearance to him, with an oval head, pale golden pupils, and triangular scales.

In terms of appearance, it was exactly the same as Xu Hei, clearly the same species.

However, its size was much larger, about eight meters long and as thick as a barrel, with a ferocious face and enormous venomous fangs. From a distance, it looked like a larger version of Xu Hei.

Seeing this snake and the expressions of the two people, Xu Hei was deeply shocked.

"This is the real Old Snake King. I'm a fake!"

Xu Hei finally understood the truth.

In his mind, he quickly analyzed the cause and effect of the situation.

For more than ten years, this Old Snake King had wreaked havoc, acting tyrannically, eating countless people, and earning a notorious reputation.

But as it aged, it reduced its frequency of eating people. Three years ago, it almost never appeared.

Coincidentally, three years ago, Xu Hei emerged, continuously eating people.

As a result, people mistook him for the Old Snake King.

If not for the difference in size, the two snakes looked almost identical, making it difficult to distinguish between them.

Except for the black-gold scales at the tip of his tail, which were unique to Xu Hei.

Xu Hei wondered if this was some relative of his, but snakes had no concept of relatives. They were cold-blooded animals, only attracted to each other during the breeding season.

Outside the breeding season, they would kill each other for territory and food, regardless of any familial ties.

Even in the Myriad Serpent Valley, many male snakes fought fiercely for mates.

"No wonder every time I appeared, I attracted Snake Catchers. It turns out I was taking the blame for you."

After understanding the truth, Xu Hei felt conflicted.

This was the first time he had seen another Snake Demon besides himself.

At this moment, the Old Snake King was displaying extremely fierce strength. Despite its age, its combat power was not weak at all. It was immensely powerful, with sharp venomous fangs, shattering Song Shiyu's golden shield Talisman in one strike.

Song Shiyu took out a copper bell, which rapidly enlarged in her palm and blocked in front of her.

"Clang!!!"

The Old Snake King collided with the copper bell, causing it to hum loudly. Visible sound waves swept out, making the Old Snake King dizzy and briefly stunned.

Song Shiyu threw a dart, which struck the scales with a crisp "ding" sound, only penetrating slightly.

"What tough scales! If these snake scales were skinned, they could definitely be refined into a treasure armor!"

Song Shiyu's eyes burned with desire. She retreated rapidly, throwing darts as she moved, all hitting their mark.

Although the darts didn't penetrate deeply, they completely enraged the Old Snake King, which lunged forward in fury.

"Retreat!" Song Shiyu shouted.

Zhao Wenzhuo quickly retreated.

The Old Snake King, blinded by rage, chased after the two. Song Shiyu kept throwing darts, while Zhao Wenzhuo used Talismans to unleash wind blades, leaving shallow wounds on the Old Snake King's scales.

The two fought while retreating, using various Talismans, darts, and hidden weapons, essentially throwing money at the problem!

Every time the Old Snake King charged, it was blocked by the copper bell, getting dizzy and briefly stunned, much to its annoyance.

"So this is a human's Magical Treasure?"

Xu Hei followed from behind, his eyes burning with curiosity. It was the first time he had seen a battle between humans and Demonic Beasts that was evenly matched.

The fighting styles of both sides were vastly different.

One side used Magical Treasures and Talismans for long-range attacks, retreating while fighting, not allowing the enemy to get close.

The other side kept closing in, relying mainly on close combat.

Demonic Beasts had strong physical bodies, and if human cultivators got too close, they would die, just like Ding Hai, who was severely injured by a Bear Demon with one slap.

So far, Xu Hei had only fought with Demonic Beasts and had never faced a human cultivator.

Xu Hei simulated in his mind what he would do if he encountered such a situation, where the enemy kept retreating while fighting, making it impossible to catch up.

Both of them had a Swift Wind Talisman on their feet, making them incredibly fast and capable of brief aerial maneuvers. Xu Hei estimated that their speed was about half of his full speed.

However, throughout the fight, only Song Shiyu used Magical Treasures, while Zhao Wenzhuo held back.

The two seemed confident and at ease, clearly having more tricks up their sleeves.

"What should I do? Help them? Or eat the Serpent Fruit and run?"

Xu Hei hesitated. The Serpent Fruit was not yet mature, its energy chaotic, and eating it might not be beneficial.

But if pushed to the limit, he would rather destroy it than let it fall into human hands.

At this moment, the two humans and the snake had chased each other out of the Myriad Serpent Valley, with the sounds of battle still echoing from afar.

"Forget it. Since we're both Snake Demons, I'll secretly help it."

Xu Hei quietly followed.

After swimming a certain distance.

At that moment, a strange noise came from behind the Serpent Fruit tree.

"Who's there?"

Xu Hei's eyes widened, and he immediately turned back, flashing away.

He saw a young man in gray clothes, carrying a bamboo basket and a hoe, approaching the Serpent Fruit tree.

The young man's bamboo basket was filled with herbs, and his attire made him look like a mountain herb gatherer, with his body covered in sulfur to repel insects and snakes.

He reached the Serpent Fruit tree, raised his hoe, and swiftly dug up the tree. His movements were quick and decisive, as if he had prepared in advance, giving no time to react.

Xu Hei was too far away to stop him in time.

The Serpent Fruit tree was not large, only about the height of a person. The herb gatherer carried it on his shoulder, heavy and cumbersome.

He took a deep breath and ran towards another mountain, intending to climb over it and return.

"Task completed. This should fetch a good price."

The herb gatherer had a simple and honest look on his face, as if he had just picked an ordinary Spirit Medicine.

"Bastard!!"

Xu Hei's eyes turned cold. He accelerated suddenly, rushing forward and swallowing the man whole.