Chapter 658: Great Demon 21
Three hundred years passed in a flash. The battle between the Demon Clan and the Human Clan was already a distant memory for the demon beasts, but for the cultivators, it remained an unforgettable humiliation.
Some ambitious cultivators wanted to reclaim their honor. But anyone who rashly entered the territory of the Ten Directions Mountain would end up being inexplicably teleported out.
In mild cases, their cultivation would regress by several levels; in severe cases, their Dao foundation would be damaged. Eventually, the Ten Directions Mountain became a forbidden land in the eyes of cultivators. Not only was it home to tens of thousands of demon beasts, but it also contained a treacherous array, rumored to have been created by that one Silver Ring Snake.
Tan You’s true form had long since become common knowledge. First, the ancestor who supported her called himself the Golden Ring Snake Emperor. Then, there was the fact that he called Tan You "Little Silver." Furthermore, it’s a little-known fact that Silver Ring Snakes can evolve into Golden Ring Snakes, so it wasn’t surprising that her true form was exposed.
However, the fact that a demon beast could deploy arrays—and was even unparalleled in the Array Dao—remained a sore spot for the Human Clan’s cultivators. Cultivators considered themselves the masters of heaven and earth, believing even the most powerful demon beasts existed to be subjugated by them. How could they admit their own intellect was inferior to that of a demon beast?
’Weren’t serpentine demon beasts supposed to be stupid? How is this Silver Ring Snake so intelligent?’
For hundreds of years, countless cultivators had devoted themselves to studying Tan You’s God Trapping Array, but unfortunately, none could successfully deploy it. They could roughly understand the principles, but there was one major catch: the God Trapping Array was not something that should have existed in this Cultivation World.
Tan You had learned it from the Western Fantasy Continent. Furthermore, as someone from another world, she was beyond the Heavenly Dao’s reach, which was why she could so easily deploy a deadly formation like the God Trapping Array.
For anyone else, such a thing shouldn’t exist in this world—at least, not in the present Cultivation World. Perhaps if they were to one day ascend to the Immortal Realm, they might be able to deploy the God Trapping Array.
But the path to ascension was slim. From ancient times to the present, how many cultivators had ever successfully ascended?
Tan You had no idea how profoundly her God Trapping Array had shaken the cultivators of the Array Dao. At present, she was undergoing her Ninth-Rank Heavenly Tribulation. After returning to the Ten Directions Mountain and healing her internal injuries, she had been training diligently, and had finally touched the threshold of the Ninth Rank.
Before her inner core had been stolen by Qing Yuan, Tan You had focused heavily on tempering her physical body. Even after getting her inner core back, she didn’t stop tempering her true form. Her various, almost self-torturous, methods left the other demon beasts utterly flabbergasted.
But with Tan You as an example, the other demon beasts also began to place more importance on tempering their own bodies.
The little mouse lay at a distance, its tiny paws tucked against its chest as it watched Tan You bathe in the tribulation lightning. "My Lord," it asked, "do you think Huanhuan can pass her tribulation safely?"
"There’s no need to ask," a flirtatious female voice chimed in. It was the Two-Tailed Cat, who had also reached the Sixth Rank. "Huanhuan will definitely pass the Ninth-Rank Heavenly Tribulation. Besides, the Lord already gave her his auspicious blessing."
The little mouse sighed. "I know, but I’m still worried. When Huanhuan faced her Eighth-Rank tribulation, it was incredibly dangerous..."
Bai Ze stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze profound as he watched the Silver Ring Snake weaving through the tribulation lightning. "She’ll pass," he said. "As long as she has a single breath left, she will push through."
The little mouse stared at Tan You’s body. "I wonder if Huanhuan will evolve into a Golden Ring Snake. I think I can see a faint golden sheen on her scales already."
"When Huanhuan becomes a Golden Ring Snake, both she and I will be all sparkly and golden."
One of the Two-Tailed Cat’s tails flicked the little mouse’s back. "You only have a single golden stripe on your back. You’ve got a long way to go before you’re ’all sparkly and golden.’ As for Huanhuan, I think she’ll definitely become a Golden Ring Snake."
Bai Ze chuckled. "She will definitely become a Golden Ring Snake. Three new golden rings have already appeared on her. The color is faint for now, but once she passes the tribulation, they will become distinct."
While the small group of demon beasts chattered, Tan You’s tribulation was reaching its climax. For a demon beast possessing the bloodline of an ancient Great Demon, every tribulation was far more difficult than for an ordinary one, and Tan You was no exception.
’This tribulation is even more dangerous than I anticipated,’ Tan You thought. Sure enough, the final bolt was a blood-red one. Looking up at it, she suddenly smiled. With a flick of her millstone-sized head, she slammed right into the descending lightning.
The excruciating pain of the lightning that coursed through her nearly destroyed her entire internal structure. At the same time, however, Tan You’s inner core began to spin furiously, rapidly repairing every inch of her body scorched by the electricity.
Unfortunately, the rate of repair couldn’t keep up with the rate of destruction. In the end, Tan You lay almost completely paralyzed beneath the net of lightning. If not for the occasional rise and fall of her body, the onlooking demon beasts would have assumed she had perished.
The little mouse wrung its paws nervously. "Huanhuan is still alive, right? Why was there a blood-red bolt? I won’t have to face one of those in the future, will I?"
Bai Ze, being more knowledgeable, explained, "Her bloodline is fully awakening into that of a Golden Ring Snake, so her Heavenly Tribulation is naturally extraordinary. When your bloodline awakens into a Treasure-Seeking Mouse, you’ll face a similar tribulation."
With a PLOP, the little mouse collapsed. The next second, it was clinging to Bai Ze’s leg. "My Lord, you can’t abandon this poor mouse! I’m so frail..."
’It remembered its own Sixth-Rank Heavenly Tribulation. Bai Ze had helped it through, and what was the result? It had passed with unbelievable ease, and Bai Ze had emerged completely unscathed. Rather than having Tan You help and watching her get covered in wounds from the lightning, the little mouse would much rather rely on Bai Ze. After all, the Heavenly Dao truly did favor him.’
Bai Ze tapped the little mouse on its forehead. "Go check on Huanhuan now."
The Two-Tailed Cat wagged its tails. "Huanhuan became a Golden Ring Snake! Look at that imposing phantom!"
The little mouse immediately looked up to see the tribulation clouds gradually dispersing. Tan You’s form was shrinking smaller and smaller. The once-colossal Silver Ring Snake, whose body had blotted out the sky and sun, had now turned into...
An egg?
Meanwhile, a robust Golden Ring Snake hovered, coiled in midair. There were nine golden rings around its neck, glittering resplendently under the sun. Its entire body, in fact, shimmered with a golden light so brilliant it was almost blinding.
The great snake threw its head back and let out a long cry to the heavens, powerful enough to swallow the sky and devour the moon.
The phantom image lasted for merely ten seconds before it transformed into a streak of light and shot into the small snake egg below. The little mouse was at a complete loss. "Was that Huanhuan? Do we need to hatch her? I don’t know how to hatch an egg!"
Bai Ze went over and picked up the small snake egg. "There’s no need to hatch it on purpose. Due to her bloodline awakening, this is the most suitable form for her to receive her ancestral memories."
"When she has completely accepted the ancestral memories of the Golden Ring Snake, she will come out on her own."
The little mouse only half-understood. "Huanhuan is oviparous, so that’s why she’s in this form. When my bloodline awakens, does that mean I’ll... still just be a little mouse?"
The Two-Tailed Cat snickered. "Heh heh, don’t worry. I’ll take *very* good care of you then..."
Bai Ze tapped both of the little ones on the head. "Go on and cultivate. I’ll prepare a nest for Huanhuan."