Serpent Ancestor
Chapter 578: Paradise

At this moment, Jiang Nine Phoenix gritted her teeth, her phoenix eyes filled with hatred. She wore nothing but a simple grass skirt woven from spiritual herbs, yet it couldn't hide her delicate features.

When she was captured, she had nothing, and her spiritual power was sealed. Apart from being physically fit, she was no different from a mere mortal.

"A warrior can be killed but not humiliated!"

Suddenly, Jiang Nine Phoenix leaped up, clawing and biting towards Xu Hei like an enraged hen.

Naturally, she was kicked away by Xu Hei, landing on the ground.

"Crazy."

Xu Hei didn't know what had gotten into her, assuming she was just feeling oppressed from being confined for too long.

"This is my cave dwelling. If you plant these spirit medicines well, there will be rewards. If not, I'll refine the Wutong wood!"

Xu Hei threw the spirit medicine seeds and some low-grade medicinal herbs in front of Jiang Nine Phoenix, then took out a pitch-black firewood stick, waving it in his hand.

Jiang Nine Phoenix stared at the stick, her previously angry gaze softening.

This firewood stick was a branch Xu Hei had torn off.

"Fine! I'll do as you say!"

Jiang Nine Phoenix squeezed out each word through gritted teeth.

Xu Hei said nothing more and returned to the central cave, closing the door.

Watching Xu Hei leave, Jiang Nine Phoenix looked puzzled. She felt Xu Hei seemed like a different person, completely unlike the demonic state he was in during their previous battle.

She even considered that if Xu Hei really tried to violate her as he had threatened, she would not hesitate to take her own life.

Yet Xu Hei hadn't even glanced at her.

In her memory, any male cultivator she knew would harbor ill intentions towards her, as she was the most outstanding bloodline of the Jiang family.

"Could it be that the one who sealed me wasn't him? No, it was definitely him!" Jiang Nine Phoenix muttered to herself.

She picked up the spirit medicines and the storage bag from the ground, planting as she ran towards the mountain's edge.

Of course, she wouldn't sit idly by; she had to find a way to escape, even if the chances were slim.

"Huh? These are..."

Jiang Nine Phoenix opened a storage bag and was stunned by the spirit medicines inside.

"Revival Grass, Phoenix Cry Flower, Ancient Serpent Tree... Where did he get so many precious spirit medicines?" Jiang Nine Phoenix was filled with doubt.

Especially the Revival Grass, which could be refined into a Revival Pill, potentially bringing the dead back to life, and might even be useful for Feng Ge.

"No, this must be his trick. I can't fall for it! I still need to find a way to escape!"

After planting the spirit medicines, Jiang Nine Phoenix quietly headed towards the other side of the mountain.

...

Inside the cave dwelling.

Xu Hei took stock of his resources. Most of his current resources came from two city massacres.

For instance, the rare Revival Grass was obtained in Ghost City, a specialty of the Ming Star where the Ancient Tomb Sect was located, and could hardly be found elsewhere.

However, Ghost City did not have Supreme Spirit Stones.

"Massacring a city yielded such great rewards."

Xu Hei exhaled, taking out a large number of star fragments, planning to refine a batch of flying swords. These flying swords were used up in Tianhen City, and he urgently needed to replenish them.

Additionally, Xu Hei took out branches from the Divine Wutong Tree, intending to incorporate some into the flying swords to see if it could enhance their power.

This divine material was the most valuable resource Xu Hei possessed, and he had to use it carefully to avoid waste.

Thus, Xu Hei spent the next month in artifact refining.

...

Xu Hei's cave dwelling encompassed nine mountain peaks.

Over the month, Jiang Nine Phoenix explored all nine mountains but couldn't escape. Whenever she reached the edge, she was blocked by a barrier.

Jiang Nine Phoenix was so frustrated she could grind her teeth, but she had no choice but to return to tending the medicine fields.

With Xu Hei's continuous supply of spirit stones, the spirit insect swarm in the Spirit Beast Ring was re-hatched, restoring to three thousand.

Xu Hei chose one of the mountains, carving out a cave dwelling specifically for the spirit insects. This way, the spirit insects could absorb the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, developing naturally without spirit stones, and wouldn't fall into slumber.

The downside was that they couldn't be carried around.

Xu Hei still provided twenty million spirit stones, giving them to Bai Zhi to create more insect armies.

"You're just letting me out like this, aren't you afraid I'll run away?" Bai Zhi said disdainfully.

"You didn't run while I was asleep, so you won't run in the future either," Xu Hei replied.

"Hmph! You underestimate me. This time, I'll run and show you!" Bai Zhi said, her six legs akimbo, eyes wide.

"You can try," Xu Hei smiled.

Hearing this, Bai Zhi immediately ran out of the cave dwelling, sprinting over the mountain with her eight long legs. Xu Hei chuckled coldly and turned away.

Next, Xu Hei began a year-long recuperation.

The trip to the outer battlefield had severely damaged Xu Hei's vitality, both physically and mentally.

After all, he was just a snake demon with less than twenty years of cultivation. In human terms, he was just a teenager, a pawn in the hands of those far more powerful.

He retained the memories of the Void Realm through the Demon God Cauldron, but was infected by the Demon Plague, giving birth to an inner demon. Due to Lotus True Monarch's obsession, he awakened and inherited that obsession.

As a result, he was now influenced by the Golden Lotus Law, becoming more human-like.

Xu Hei spent a whole year reflecting, pondering how he would handle such situations in the future.

His conclusion was that there was no solution.

Unless he could foresee and avoid it in advance, there was no way to escape.

Throughout the year, he refrained from practicing the Golden Lotus Law, trying to minimize its influence. He didn't want to become the next Lotus True Monarch; he wanted to forge his own path.

Additionally, Xu Hei crafted over a thousand flying swords, primarily using star meteorites. Any addition of the Divine Wutong Tree would cause immediate failure, requiring further research.

One day, Xu Hei's token signaled activity.

He took out the token, and a divine sense wave emanated from it.

"Kid, you've been in seclusion since you arrived. Quite the airs, huh? Have you submitted this year's earnings? If you don't come out soon, do you believe I'll demote you to a menial disciple?"

This divine sense wave was from Night Owl.

Xu Hei suddenly remembered he had tasks to attend to.

The sect assigned each core disciple a city to manage, requiring annual submission of the city's earnings. Xu Hei hadn't even visited his.

Xu Hei sighed, reluctantly storing the thousand refined flying swords, then went to Bai Zhi's cave dwelling to collect five thousand Spirit-Eating Ants.

Before leaving, he visited the medicine garden, finding Jiang Nine Phoenix sleeping. Although the spirit medicines were growing well, many weeds had sprouted, left unattended.

Xu Hei was instantly infuriated. Even he had to work, yet this one had the nerve to sleep?

Xu Hei took out a whip and lashed it directly.