Serpent Ancestor

Chapter 187: Accelerate again, take stock of the cards

After the members of the Chu Tian Alliance left, Xu Hei immediately appeared and checked the jade slip. Once he confirmed everything was correct, he infused his Divine Sense into it.

Inside the jade slip was an enormous map, stretching from Wuyou City to this location, spanning thousands of miles.

Under circumstances where Divine Sense and flight were restricted everywhere, this was an extremely long distance, even for someone in the Core Formation Stage.

"This should be the latest version of the map."

Xu Hei thought to himself, comparing it with the map he had purchased from Han Te, and found that it contained a lot of new information.

Many red dots were specifically marked, indicating extreme danger.

"Historical Projections, Red-Haired Corpses, Yellow-Haired Corpses, Yellow Spring Flowers..."

Xu Hei had some understanding of the corpse puppet system; red hair indicated the late Qi Condensation stage, while yellow hair was the mid-stage.

One of the Yellow-Haired Corpses was not far from here.

Xu Hei was relieved that he hadn't teleported near there; otherwise, he would have been in big trouble as soon as he landed.

Regarding the Historical Projections, Xu Qingfeng had written a note.

"Historical Projections appear without any pattern and can occur anywhere. I have only marked places where they have appeared before. Please be aware."

Xu Hei was naturally very wary of these highly dangerous Historical Projections.

Although most were harmless, some were extremely lethal, still carrying the Dao Rhythms of ancient times. Encountering one could lead to death on the spot, regardless of one's cultivation level.

Xu Hei had only been here for a short time, so he hadn't encountered any yet.

Following the map, Xu Hei left the area and found a safe, secluded place to heal and recuperate.

This time, it was only a flesh wound, and Xu Hei recovered within half a day.

Then, he took out the scroll of the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book.

His gaze focused on a single character, "Enlighten," which was used for comprehension. Xu Hei currently had few things he could comprehend, with the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon being one of them.

"Enlighten!"

With a low shout, a character flew out from the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book and appeared above Xu Hei's head.

In an instant, Xu Hei felt his mind become clear, as if he were soaking in an icy spring. Confusions and uncertainties were instantly resolved, and he was immersed in a peculiar state.

"The key to the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon is not speed, but form!"

"When speed reaches its peak, relying on the change of form can surpass the extreme..."

Xu Hei closed his eyes, and insights appeared in his mind, continuously simulating and calculating, practicing until he reached the essence.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Xu Hei's eyes remained closed, but his body began to move.

"Swish!"

He vanished on the spot, his figure tracing a lightning bolt, executing the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon technique, leaving behind a series of afterimages in mid-air.

One, two, ten... fifty!

On his first attempt, Xu Hei left fifty afterimages, five times more than before.

"Whoosh!"

Xu Hei disappeared again, this time the afterimages formed a continuous line, reaching eighty.

Xu Hei kept shifting, leaving countless afterimages, repeatedly surpassing a hundred in no time.

Time slowly passed.

The "Enlighten" character above his head didn't last long, dissipating after just an hour.

But Xu Hei had no intention of stopping, continuing his relentless practice.

He had a premonition that his movement technique would play a crucial role soon, potentially saving his life at a critical moment.

Xu Hei took out the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book again and pointed at a "Learn" character.

Learn, not for himself, but for Ji Ying.

A "Learn" character appeared above Ji Ying's head, and it began to mimic, flying through the air and leaving an afterimage, precisely the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon.

"Even the Corpse Beetle can learn; this Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book is indeed extraordinary," Xu Hei thought to himself.

Ji Ying's speed was already fast, and now, combined with the dragon clan's movement technique, it was beyond description, even with lightning. Xu Hei had to concentrate to barely discern its technique.

Ji Ying was learning, and Xu Hei was learning too, mimicking Ji Ying's flying form, learning from each other.

"Ever-changing Fish and Dragon!"

Xu Hei vanished, his afterimages quickly surpassing a hundred, instantly reaching two hundred, three hundred, and still climbing...

In the end, as long as Xu Hei wished, he could leave any number of afterimages.

Unknowingly, Xu Hei's comprehension of the Ever-changing Fish and Dragon reached the third level of perfection.

The third level: countless afterimages, the true body hard to find.

The fourth level: afterimages become tangible, capable of creating an External Incarnation.

Thus, the three levels were fully comprehended, yet Xu Hei was still some distance away from the fourth level's tangible afterimages.

He needed to thoroughly comprehend "form" to enter the next level.

At this moment, Xu Hei and Ji Ying stopped, their True Qi exhausted, but his spirit was incredibly excited.

"This Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book is worth it!"

Xu Hei marveled in his heart, carefully storing the scroll.

There were still many characters left on the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book, of various types, which would become his trump cards in the future.

Xu Hei didn't know the value of the Scarlet Flame Demon Eyes, but obtaining this treasure was definitely a gain for him! After all, the Scarlet Flame Demon Eyes were a hot potato he couldn't use.

"My current spells include the third level of perfection in Ever-changing Fish and Dragon, Falling Stars, and Mountain Severing Abyss."

"As for puppets, I have the butcher, metal puppet, and Ji Ying controlling corpse puppets."

"My Magical Treasures include the Ice and Fire Flying Sword, Black Dragon Pagoda, and the Ten Thousand Word Heavenly Book."

"Additionally, there's a gray Talisman left by Xuan Yangzi."

"With so many trump cards, I have the confidence to fight against someone in the early Qi Condensation stage."

Xu Hei calculated his means.

However, Xu Hei didn't let his guard down. As a rogue cultivator, he had managed to acquire so many trump cards.

How many trump cards would the Zhou Family, Heavenly Puppet Sect, Snake Catchers Sect, and other adversaries have?

Like the young man who had chased him all the way, even after being tricked so many times, he still had the mind to ambush him at the exit, which spoke volumes.

"Let's take a look at the Chu Tian Alliance."

Xu Hei took a Rejuvenation Pill, meditated for a moment, and adjusted his state to the best.

He took out the butcher and split off a normal person from it, a nondescript member of the Iron Mountain Gang.

But to be safe, Xu Hei removed its facial features, turning it into a faceless person.

"This way, no one should be frightened."

Xu Hei was worried that the butcher's appearance was too terrifying and would cause alarm, so he came up with this plan.

He stored the main body of the butcher, put a mask on the faceless person, dressed it in a black robe, and then leaped towards the location Xu Qingfeng had provided.

Before long, Xu Hei arrived at the place.

Ahead was a cave dwelling with a large entrance exuding eerie ghostly energy, and a large group of rogue cultivators gathered outside.

The members of the Chu Tian Alliance were also among the crowd, seemingly discussing strategies.

Xu Hei's true body was hidden within the faceless person as he descended and approached.

"Another rogue cultivator?"

"Where are you from? State your name!"

Seeing Xu Hei appear, a rogue cultivator stepped forward and shouted loudly.