Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 493: Liefeng City

Wei Tao remained remarkably calm as his robe burst apart, his body retreating like a golden cicada shedding its shell. At the same time, he scattered a handful of Spirit Stones into the distance, attempting to lure away the Spirit-Eating Ants.

But immediately, a web emerged from the ground, entangling his legs—it was the Ghostface Stone Spider.

Even more bizarre, the Spirit-Eating Ants were not diverted; instead, they swarmed him like a violent storm. From behind and on both sides, ant swarms emerged, biting his legs, arms, and back, covering him entirely.

"Ah!! Spare me, senior!!"

Wei Tao's composure shattered, and flames engulfed his body, burning fiercely. A large number of Spirit-Eating Ants were incinerated, but even more swarmed out, and the Ghostface Stone Spider shot venomous arrows, piercing him like a beehive.

All of this happened in mere breaths. In just a few moments, this mid-stage Elemental Infant cultivator was reduced to bones by the Spirit-Eating Ants.

From Wei Tao's abdomen, an Elemental Infant flew out, but halfway through, it was caught in the web, and a Ghostface Stone Spider pounced, biting through it in one gulp.

Seeing this, Wei Tao's two companions wasted no time, retracting their Magical Treasures and turning to flee.

"Swish, swish, swish!!"

Suddenly, webs flooded the sky, and thirty Ghostface Stone Spiders emerged from behind, surrounding them completely. More Spirit-Eating Ants charged at the two.

"Senior, we meant no offense, we're leaving now, why must you kill us all?"

"I have nothing to do with the Green Demon Hand, don't kill me!"

The two pleaded simultaneously, but Xu Hei's eyes remained cold, showing no intention of stopping. Within a few breaths, the two met the same fate as Wei Tao of the Green Demon Hand, leaving no remains, their Elemental Infants consumed completely.

And it wasn't over.

The Spirit-Eating Ant army then turned on the nearby onlookers, quickly claiming two more unfortunate cultivators.

"Spare me!"

"Senior, I have important information to report, no ill intentions, ah!!"

Screams echoed continuously, yet Xu Hei remained unmoved.

Because the Spirit-Eating Ants were not under his control; only the Insect Emperor could command the Spirit-Eating Ant army.

He merely lured the Spirit-Eating Ants to the surface and left everything else alone.

As for the intentions of the crowd that gathered, Xu Hei couldn't care less.

On the outer battlefield, everyone came from different cultivation stars, and no one knew if you harbored goodwill or malice.

He brought the Spirit-Eating Ants to the surface solely to ensure his own safety, and he couldn't care less about others' lives.

Before long, the area was cleared, not a single living person remained.

What Xu Hei didn't know was that two spies from the Tianhen Sword Sect also perished in this ant swarm massacre, avoiding a potential trouble without even meeting Xu Hei.

After the ant swarm finished its slaughter, some burrowed back underground, while others lingered near Xu Hei, hovering around the Insect Emperor.

This time, Xu Hei took two full days to barely recover some of his state.

With a wave of his hand, Xu Hei collected some of the Spirit-Eating Ants and Ghostface Stone Spiders.

He checked the storage bags of the deceased cultivators, only to find that all items containing Spiritual Power had been consumed, leaving only some metal materials, which Xu Hei took with him.

Then, he leaped away, leaving the relics of the Divine King's Hall, heading towards Liefeng City in the northeast.

...

What Xu Hei didn't know was that although he left, his deeds had spread.

A black-faced man emerged from the ground, commanding a swarm of insects, killing twenty people without mercy, earning him the title—Insect Demon.

On the outer battlefield, some strong individuals always earned titles, a recognition of their strength.

Liefeng City, located in the northeast of the eastern wasteland, was one of the three major cities in the eastern wasteland.

It was filled with experts, its defensive power reputed to be the strongest in the eastern wasteland, which was why Luo Gang dared to lead a large group away from Liefeng City on a long journey.

He wasn't afraid of the city being left vulnerable, as Liefeng City had the strength to back it up.

However, recently, Liefeng City faced a predicament.

"It's been a year, and Master Chen still hasn't been found. Without anyone to repair the Formation, what are we going to do?"

In the City Lord's mansion, Luo Gang wore a troubled expression.

Master Chen Zimo, the foremost Formation Master of Liefeng City, went missing a year ago while traveling and has not returned, with no news, not even the communication talisman working.

They dispatched countless people, conducting a thorough search of every dangerous place and relic, but found no trace.

Without Chen Zimo to repair the Formation, Liefeng City's defenses would be greatly weakened, and over time, unrest was inevitable.

"Any news from Tianwang?" Luo Gang asked.

"Not yet," a subordinate replied.

"Not yet? It's been a year, and still no news. What is Tianwang even doing? Is all the money going to waste?" Luo Gang was furious.

Tianwang, the foremost assassin organization on the outer battlefield, was also the primary intelligence network, yet they couldn't find one person.

He had spent so much money, an entire year, with no results, leaving him extremely frustrated.

"Luo, why not try that newly established assassin organization?" Gongsun Bo suggested hesitantly.

"You mean the Nine-Headed Snake?" Luo Gang hesitated, "The Nine-Headed Snake is Tianwang's arch-enemy. If I cooperate with them, won't Tianwang have issues?"

"So what if they do? Tianwang is incompetent, and they won't let us seek others?" Gongsun Bo scoffed.

As early as last year, the Nine-Headed Snake had sent word that they could find Chen Zimo, asking for five million Spirit Stones as payment.

But Luo Gang had ignored them, thinking a newly established assassin organization of less than a year couldn't amount to much.

Now, a year later, the Nine-Headed Snake had firmly established itself, completing several major deals, proving their strength and qualifying them to negotiate terms.

"What do you all think?" Luo Gang asked the others.

A shadowy man with half his face covered spoke coldly, "We can try, but if it doesn't work, I'll wipe out the Nine-Headed Snake!"

A large, lazy man lying on a chair said indifferently, "Do as you please, it's not my money anyway."

After some discussion, Luo Gang decided to personally visit the Nine-Headed Snake organization to discuss the matter.

...

After five days of travel, Xu Hei finally arrived outside Liefeng City.

Looking around, yellow sand filled the sky, fierce winds howled, and dark clouds loomed—truly living up to its name, as the winds outside Liefeng City were incredibly strong.

However, inside Liefeng City, it was peaceful, clearly protected by a Formation.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here rivaled that of an ancient relic, likely a blessed land from ancient times, similar to the Divine King's Hall, with a city built above, attracting cultivators from all around.