Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 574: Fire in the Golden Lotus

The five super sects all suffered unprecedented and tragic losses, especially the Tianhen Sword Sect and the Ancient Tomb Sect, which were completely annihilated. This is bound to trigger a bloody storm.

Xu Hei, along with the people from Liefeng City, probably won't escape, unless... someone can achieve Divine Transformation, but accomplishing that in such a short time is nearly impossible.

…………

Three days later.

Apart from the Ancient Tomb Sect, the high-ranking members of the other four great sects quickly sent people to the outer battlefield. It is said that even their Divine Transformation Ancestors used special means to conceal their cultivation and entered the battlefield.

Everyone thought that Xu Hei and Liefeng City would face a catastrophic disaster, with Xu Hei bearing the brunt.

But after several days, there was no movement from Ghost City.

Underground in Chaos Star City.

A man, entirely clad in black, wearing a large black robe, with a stern face and eyes like a hawk, arrived at the entrance of Qin Xuanji's secluded cave dwelling.

If Xu Hei were here, he would surely recognize this person as Night Owl, the Divine Transformation cultivator from the Divine Puppet Sect.

"Ji Shu's soul lamp has been extinguished. Be honest, who are you?" Night Owl stared ahead, speaking calmly.

At this moment, the door to Qin Xuanji's cave dwelling opened.

He walked out calmly, still in Ji Shu's form, but with a ruby-like object embedded in his chest, emitting waves of terrifying energy, a fluctuation of the laws.

Night Owl squinted his eyes and said, "A fifth-tier puppet?"

Qin Xuanji spoke indifferently, "Within ten years, I am absolutely confident of achieving Divine Transformation! Or, you can make a move against me now and see whether your suppressed cultivation body is stronger or my fifth-tier puppet is superior."

Qin Xuanji's voice was calm, with no trace of fear in his eyes, or rather, the puppet had lost all emotion.

Night Owl stared at him, gazing intently for a long time, and fell into silence.

Making a move doesn't guarantee victory, and Qin Xuanji would completely defect from the Divine Puppet Sect.

But not making a move means he remains a part of the Divine Puppet Sect, with a future chance to achieve Divine Transformation.

Anyone would know what choice to make!

"Hehe, you seized Ji Shu and even crafted a fifth-tier puppet to achieve Divine Transformation. Qin Xuanji, you truly have grand ambitions!"

Night Owl said with a half-smile, "If Ancestor Xingyuan were here, you would surely die, but I can give you a chance to redeem yourself!"

Qin Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "What opportunity?"

Night Owl remained expressionless and said something that shocked Qin Xuanji. He smiled and said, "Bring Xu Hei back!"

"……" Qin Xuanji was greatly shocked and said, "Are you joking?"

Not to mention whether Xu Hei would be willing to go with him, just based on what Xu Hei has done, the other sects wouldn't let him go.

"I'm not joking. This is the sect master's intention. After all, Xu Hei is one of our Divine Continent Star people. What's wrong with letting him go to the number one sect on Divine Continent Star? And as far as I know, Xu Hei has also learned puppet techniques, making him half a family member."

Night Owl let out a cold smile, "As for the other sects, I have my ways to explain."

Qin Xuanji stared at Night Owl, remained silent for a long time, and nodded, knowing he couldn't refuse.

Although he had crafted a fifth-tier puppet, he hadn't truly achieved Divine Transformation, and he didn't dare to break ties with the Divine Puppet Sect at this time.

As long as he found a glimmer of hope, that would be enough!

…………

Inside Ghost City.

Xu Hei sat cross-legged on a golden lotus platform, his entire body enveloped in golden light, exuding a solemn and sacred aura. A vast power of the laws was converging towards his brow.

Golden flames ignited around him, but they were not scorching, only warm.

This was the manifestation of Lotus True Monarch's laws, the Golden Lotus in Fire.

This Golden Lotus was formed by the laws of Lotus True Monarch, containing a trace of Lotus True Monarch's obsession.

It was this obsession that awakened Xu Hei.

"The Golden Lotus Law, evolved from the metal element of the Five Elements, interwoven and resilient, reborn in fire, this is the path of Lotus True Monarch," Xu Hei murmured to himself.

All the laws in the world are derived from the evolution of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Different insights lead to different laws.

For example, the Golden Lotus Law belongs to the metal element of the Five Elements.

With a thought, Xu Hei's body transformed into a golden statue, sitting on the lotus platform, impervious to all evil, protected by the vast Golden Lotus Law. Such defense, even if the sky collapsed, he would remain unharmed.

"No wonder Lotus True Monarch could block so many commanders. This Golden Lotus Law is indeed the strongest defense!" Xu Hei thought to himself.

Moreover, the Golden Lotus Law also has the effect of purifying evil spirits, clearing distractions, and keeping the mind pure, free from the disturbances of extraterrestrial demons.

This was almost perfectly suited for Xu Hei.

The inheritance of the laws can only be passed on after a Divine Transformation stage cultivator achieves enlightenment. The strength varies based on individual insights. The inheritance Xu Hei received came from one of the five great commanders, Lotus True Monarch, making it one of the top-tier laws.

But the price was that in inheriting the laws, he also inherited the obsession.

Lotus True Monarch had embedded the mission given to Xu Hei into the Golden Lotus, making it part of the laws, forcing Xu Hei to carry it out.

Although Xu Hei had awakened, he always felt as if he was being led by the nose.

Whether it was him or the inner demon, there was an invisible giant controlling his actions, even his thoughts.

It was like two chess players in a game, and he had become a pawn.

To the point where he couldn't distinguish which was his true self and which was the false self.

If both were false, then was the original state, the Xu Hei who devoured everything upon sight, the real one?

"Buzz!"

The golden lotus beneath him emitted golden light once more, purifying all of Xu Hei's distractions, preventing him from overthinking. His only goal was to ascend to the Spirit Realm and inform Canglan Immortal Lord.

"Considering the time, the gate to the outer battlefield should be open. It's time to leave."

Just as Xu Hei was about to leave, he suddenly saw a thick fog appear outside Ghost City, so dense that he couldn't see his own hand.

It was clear that this place had long been sealed by someone.

"What was meant to come has finally arrived. Is it time for another deadly battle?" Xu Hei's face turned grim.

Although his consciousness had been in a coma before, he remembered everything he had experienced and didn't want to go through it again.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a figure approached rapidly from afar—it was Ji Shu.

Xu Hei didn't know whether this person was friend or foe. Although Ji Shu had helped him in Tianhen City, it was also for his own benefit, so Xu Hei remained cautious.

Seeing Xu Hei in human form, Qin Xuanji was momentarily stunned, then said, "It seems Fellow Daoist Xu has recovered. Congratulations."

His voice was indifferent, devoid of any congratulatory tone.

"What do you want to say?" Xu Hei frowned.

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The recent plot has sparked some controversy. Although I wanted to leave some words for the end of the volume, seeing certain comments, I couldn't help but address it in advance.

I know what most people like to read, and I also want to write about the protagonist's descent into darkness, and from the perspective of a snake, it makes more sense.

But! Here's the but!

If I continue down this "reasonable" path, the book might not survive. Although it's about a snake, the readers are human, the author is human, and those above are human. I can only write from a human perspective; otherwise, why would I add a "laws of heaven" patch?

Because the laws of heaven are human, the Dao Ancestor is human.

As the author, under such laws of heaven, I'm destined not to write too negatively, so I had to hit the brakes urgently. Moreover, I have a responsibility and obligation to depict things in a more positive light.

Of course, I will also do my best to portray a real and cruel world of cultivation, so this time the "brake" is to correct the path, and the protagonist is also forced.

As for whether there will be a reversal later, I won't spoil it.

I'll just say this once, and I won't insert author's notes at the end of the text in the future to avoid affecting the reading experience. All controversies will be left for the end of the volume summary.