Chapter 34 – The notorious combination of snake and dog
Xu Hei was at a loss for words.
He knew that this old dog had a stubborn personality. If he didn't agree, the old dog would pester him endlessly, trying all sorts of methods to make his life miserable. And Xu Hei had no way to deal with him.
Xu Hei said, "Fine, but you can't call me your disciple. I have my own name. My name is Xu Hei."
"Xu Hei!" The old dog's eyes lit up, and he praised, "Not bad, disciple. You even know how to name yourself, though it's a terrible name."
Xu Hei ignored him and crawled out of the cave, emerging into the outside world.
After two months, he had to go out and fight again. Xu Hei just wanted to finish quickly. He didn't like traveling far; he preferred staying at home.
"Follow me."
The old dog appeared ahead and sped off.
Xu Hei followed closely behind.
Even though he was following, he kept a certain distance from the old dog. This way, if there was any danger ahead, it would go for the old dog first.
Along the way, the old dog began to explain some common knowledge and insights to Xu Hei.
"Xu Hei, do you know what this country is called?"
"I know, the Chu Kingdom."
"Then do you know how many cultivation sects there are within the Chu Kingdom?"
Xu Hei looked puzzled and said, "I only know the Snake Catchers Sect."
The old dog chuckled, "The Chu Kingdom has five major sects in the north, south, east, west, and center. North is the Ice Snow Sect, west is Kunlun, east is Penglai, south is the Snake Catchers Sect, and in the center is the Imperial Court's Astrology Bureau. All the sects in the country, big and small, are under the jurisdiction of these five major sects."
Hearing this, Xu Hei curiously asked, "Is the Snake Catchers Sect very strong?"
"Currently, it's barely a two-star sect, but in ancient times, the Snake Catchers Sect was one of the strongest sects on the entire continent. Back then, this place was called the Xia Kingdom, until two hundred years ago..."
The old dog suddenly stopped talking.
Xu Hei didn't continue to ask. As long as he wasn't strong enough, he wouldn't provoke them.
A snake and a dog spent a day traveling before reaching their destination.
This place was a minor sect called the Carefree Sect, under the jurisdiction of the Snake Catchers Sect. There were five Foundation Establishment Stage elders in the sect, and the sect leader was also at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Ahead, there were five giant peaks surrounding a plain, which was the mountain gate of the Carefree Sect.
Before long, the old dog arrived at the foot of one of the giant peaks.
Xu Hei hid in the grass, slowly approaching.
"Hey, look at that mountain. Aren't there a lot of Spirit-Tail Chickens?" The old dog pointed at the slope of the giant peak.
Xu Hei focused his gaze and indeed saw many Spirit-Tail Chickens with colorful feathers foraging on the slope.
These chickens were quite large, comparable to big goats, strutting around majestically.
"On this giant peak, there is an old man at the early Foundation Establishment Stage. These chickens are his, and there are over a hundred of them!" The old dog laughed.
Xu Hei used his Divine Sense to probe and found that the edge of the giant peak had a faint light barrier, preventing his Divine Sense from penetrating.
He approached and tested it with his body. It was the same, as if an invisible wall was blocking him from entering.
"This is a formation barrier to prevent outsiders from entering, but it won't stop me."
The old dog chuckled, took out some unknown black powder, and sprinkled it on the barrier.
In an instant, the barrier dissolved at a visible speed, creating a large gap ten meters wide centered on the black powder.
Then, the old dog took out some spirit insects and placed them at the gap.
"These spirit insects are irresistibly attractive to Spirit-Tail Chickens. Wait for my signal, and we'll grab as many as we can and then run." The old dog smiled.
"Got it!" Xu Hei's breathing quickened.
Time passed by the second.
Xu Hei and the old dog used the Earth Escape Technique to hide underground, waiting for the Spirit-Tail Chickens to take the bait.
Before long, a chicken spotted the spirit insects and immediately ran over. The other chickens followed, swarming over, totaling more than a dozen.
These chickens had very low intelligence and had never encountered danger, so they had no sense of precaution.
"They're here, get ready!" the old dog called out.
Xu Hei held his breath, but his Divine Sense spread out to guard against human ambushes.
"Go!" the old dog shouted.
As soon as he spoke, the old dog sprang from the soil, opened his mouth, and bit a chicken. His paws grabbed two more.
The Spirit-Tail Chickens tried to resist, but the old dog exhaled a black gas from his nostrils, and the three chickens immediately froze, their bodies stiffening.
Xu Hei also made his move. With a thought, his Beast Control Ring broke through the soil and flew towards the Spirit-Tail Chickens, rapidly enlarging mid-flight.
Simultaneously, he activated the Gravity Technique, and from ten meters underground, he forcibly pulled three Spirit-Tail Chickens together.
"Trap!"
With a low shout, the Beast Control Ring quickly shrank, trapping the necks of three chickens—two at the late stage and one at the mid-stage.
One had to admit, these Spirit-Tail Chickens had decent cultivation, but they had almost no combat ability.
They were bred to be eaten.
It was like tigers raised by humans. Having lived in captivity all their lives, they had never experienced fighting or danger. Once released into the wild, they would be doomed when facing real enemies.
Even a slightly fierce hunting dog could bully them.
Despite this, the Spirit-Tail Chickens were quite strong. Only Xu Hei and the old dog could subdue them so easily. Anyone else would have struggled.
"Done, let's go!" The old dog grabbed three chickens and was about to use the Earth Escape Technique to retreat.
Suddenly, an angry roar came from the sky, like thunder exploding in their ears.
"Ah, so it's you, you beast, stealing my chickens. No wonder two of my chickens went missing!"
As soon as Xu Hei succeeded, he controlled the Beast Control Ring to drag the three chickens into the soil.
At this moment, hearing the voice, Xu Hei didn't hesitate. He swallowed the three chickens in one gulp, flicked his tail, and ran, fully activating the Earth Escape Technique.
The old dog wasn't so lucky. Just as he began to use the Earth Escape Technique, the soil turned hard, becoming a stone slab.
"Hardening!"
An old man with white whiskers flew in on a flying sword, making hand seals.
In an instant, the soil within a hundred-meter radius hardened into iron-like stone slabs, making the Earth Escape Technique useless.
The old dog reacted quickly. With a chicken in his mouth and one under each arm, he stood up on his hind legs and ran like a human.
Even more absurd, his speed was not slow, almost matching Xu Hei's underground escape.
"This..."
Not only was Xu Hei underground stunned, but the white-whiskered old man in the sky was also dumbfounded.
Is this a dog or a human? Has the dog become a spirit?
"Stop, you beast!"
The white-whiskered old man flew on his sword, chasing after them. He was a genuine Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, far beyond Chen Daoling.
"You think you're the only one who can fly? I can fly too!"
The old dog thought, and two green talismans flew out, sticking to his legs.
In an instant, his running speed increased dramatically, becoming a blur, creating strong gusts of wind as he ran towards the horizon.
"Whoosh!"
Amidst the howling wind, the old dog sprinted into the sky, flying away at an incredible speed.