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Translator: Tamon
The mountain god shrine outside of Chen Town was so old no one knew when it was built, having already seen over a hundred years of wear and tear. Not even the statue’s features were clear.
Strange things happened here all the time, or so they say, becoming abandoned and dilapidated as time went on due to everybody keeping their distance.
This particular year hadn’t even seen beggars passing by, just a lone and hungry stray dog looking for scraps.
The large statue shifted suddenly, shaking off all the dust and snow.
The large black dog whined in fright, fleeing for its life.
A sigh came from within the statue.
“After two hundred year, I finally awaken. Just as I was looking for a vessel, that little beast killed those two people!”
“He’s practically a brother to me. Next time he comes over, I’ll have him find me the perfect body!”
…
The thawing of snow marked the beginning of spring three months later, the renewal of life, of hope.
The villagers of Snake Village began the new year by working the fields. The only difference was that there were far fewer people out working.
In the mountains, fauna and flora burst with renewed vitality, growing wildly. The hibernating snakes crawled out of their lairs and began their first hunt of the year.
In a deep, dark cave, warmth returned and water dripped down from the rocky ceiling, along the stalactites and plopped in the many puddles.
Xu Hei opened his eyes.
Waking up, he was still a bit stiff. He breathed in Spiritual Energy and filled his meridians and body with warmth.
Looking inwardly, Xu Hei found the Demon God Cauldron’s Spiritual Energy haze once again grew large, filled to eighty percent after advancing.
This progress was just from eating the demon bear.
Xu Hei was stunned. A demon bear helped him advance and also reach the peak of the 3rd layer of Awareness Stage.
The 4th layer was just around the corner.
The dark gold scales on his tail grew to six in number.
“The bigger the risk, the greater the reward. Peaceful cultivation has abysmally slow progress. Only by stealing and devouring can one improve!” Xu Hei pondered.
Xu Hei released his Divine Sense, improved to thirty meters in range.
“From the humans’ memories, only in the mid Qi Refining Stage do they get a tentative Divine Sense, and even that only up to ten meters. Why am I so different?”
Xu Hei had no clue.
Chen Fan could use Divine Sense from the start as well. It had to be due to his incredible talent.
These three months of hibernation were filled with more and more human knowledge, not just about cultivation, but deep thinking as well.
Some left Xu Hei in awe.
He often reflected on his previous behavior and came to see how naive and childish he was.
Like eating human food, a most idiotic decision. Someone with bad intentions might’ve laced it with something deadly.
A few days later, when the air grew warmer, Xu Hei resumed his activity.
He crawled about his cave, stretching those muscles in complete darkness. He only saw because of the enlarged Divine Sense.
The dark cave was large and deep.
It had a pool to the side, the one he used to enter the cave.
Its water was devoid of life, not even insects, just one solitary large and black rock at the bottom.
Xu Hei jumped into the water, swimming to the other shore, not lingering a moment as he climbed over the rocks.
The pond was weird and Xu Hei had no plans of checking it out, especially that rock. He’d leave that for later while he worked on improving his cultivation.
The early spring sun melted the snow, turning all that water into a waterfall further down the mountain.
Xu Hei reached the edge of a pond where he snacked on frogs, a few clams, and crabs.
A cursory use of Divine Sense notified him of over a hundred creatures, making them easy prey as he hunted them down.
He noticed a few snakes came out as well, but he gobbled them up all the same.
Only now did he feel somewhat full.
“I’ve eaten too much from here. Time to find another hunting ground.”
Xu Hei quelled the urge to overhunt, leaving the pond.
Spring was a time of rebirth, teeming with life of all forms and sizes. He usually picked a place clean.
Not anymore, for in hibernation he learned about ecological balance.
An overhunted species would lead to its disappearance in that area, becoming extinct.
That was a nightmare for Xu Hei.
It would force him to go down the mountain and look for food within the human village, putting his life at risk just to survive.
His responsible hunting meant avoiding gestating animals and even those looking after their young.
“Even Snake Village’s hunters would free small fish. My appetite is great, but it can never measure up to the likes of all humanity.
“With a little self-control, taking over two mountains is enough to sustain me.”
Xu Hei pondered.
…
The days trickled by, time in which Xu Hei roamed the two peaks, eliminating any competition.
He was now king over these areas, so long as no predator entered his turf.
Through his Divine Sense, he came to understand what species populated his two mountains.
“Seventy-five roe deers, 20 boars, 30 river deers, and hundreds of rabbits.
“As well as monkeys, spotted deer, wild goats, bobcats, totaling over a hundred.”
Xu Hei took into account the animals that filled him in one meal. As for the critters, like rodents, amphibians, birds, and fish, he didn’t keep track.
As long as these species thrived and he didn’t overfeed, he would be self-sufficient.
He didn’t leave his mountains due to the scent markings left by other demons, marking the edges of his territory instead.
One day he made a trip to Snake Village and saw Wang Xiaoniu, now much taller, and less mischievous, having grown in more ways than just age.
But in the watermelon patch, he saw no shadow of Wang Daniu, just a lone grave.
Xu Hei sighed as he turned back.
He’d paid the mountain shrine outside Chen Town a visit as well, to burn incense and pray, offering a pheasant as tribute.
But just as he got closer, he couldn’t bear to part with the fowl, gobbling it up for himself and turning back.
…
Another month passed.
Xu Hei left his territory and ventured into the deep mountains with a precise purpose.
He arrived at a valley.
It was like a basin, surrounded by mountains, damp and chilly. The ground was dotted with puddles and many snake holes.
A brief Divine Sense scan revealed no less than ten snakes.
The valley was called the Valley of Serpents.
Xu Hei was drawn over by the scent of his kind. He’d come here every year like clockwork, turning into a habit.
The snake’s mating season!
Xu Hei was a mature black snake, while unclear as to his precise species, he had left many offspring here over the years.
One of the snakes he detected might be one of his kin. Though he had no clear memory of the entire process.
This year, however, he wasn’t here to mate.
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