HISS...!

A colossal snake with the majesty of a Divine Dragon shot into the sky, coiling above the Purple Bamboo Forest. Its entire body was sacred and inviolable. Its Heaven Shocking Power stirred the sun, moon, and stars, and it exuded an unparalleled, domineering aura of one born to rule over all.

Most striking of all was the glowing mark on its forehead, shaped like the character for "King."

"Oh my god, how did my Xiaoleng turn into such a huge snake?"

Su Rushi felt as if her brain had shut down. She could only stare blankly, completely caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.

She couldn’t even begin to connect the world-shaking, colossal snake writhing in the sky with her Xiaoleng.

It was like comparing heaven and earth.

The sky above the entire Purple Bamboo Forest had been transformed by a snake that had just achieved its enlightenment. The serpent was unimaginably large, blotting out the sun. It radiated a vast power that only grew more and more intense.

This was a true metamorphosis, a transcendence beyond the mundane. Having stepped into Rank 3, it possessed the might and aura of a Rank 3 being, and the resulting phenomenon was naturally terrifying.

’My body is so strong... explosively strong!’

Tu Xiao’an could hardly contain his excitement when a long-awaited system notification suddenly rang out in his mind.

"DING! ... Congratulations, Host, for successfully achieving enlightenment and becoming a Rank Three Transcendent Demon Spirit. You now stand above ordinary Demon Spirits as a true Rank Three Snake King, the Supreme Monarch destined to command all snakes."

Displaying stats...!

Host: Tu Xiao’an.

Identity: Enlightened Snake King.

Level: 33.

Evolutionary Energy: 0/1000.

Note: The Host will no longer gain any Evolutionary Energy Value from Devouring or killing anything below Rank 3.

’Rank 3? Level 33?’

Tu Xiao’an glanced at his stats and broke into a grin. He had just achieved enlightenment and already shot straight to Level 33. It felt incredible.

This was the result of long accumulation. He had absorbed an immense amount of power throughout the entire process of Crossing the Tribulation and molting, causing his combat strength to skyrocket.

’Transcendent?’

’A bloodline even higher than Super Class?’

Although Tu Xiao’an was only Level 33, it was no exaggeration to say he now possessed the combat power of a Demon King.

This new snake body felt like it had been modified and evolved countless times. It had become somewhat unfamiliar to him. It was strong—very strong. But just how strong...?

...

At that moment, the situation in the Purple Bamboo Forest grew tense. Two figures shot over—it was the Dog Demon and the seductive woman.

The Dog Demon and the seductive woman were both utterly shocked when they saw the colossal snake coiling and writhing in the sky. An inexplicable sense of dread welled up from deep within them.

This fear made them feel ashamed and incredulous. They were Rank Three Demon Spirits, too, after all.

Immediately after, the Dog Demon spotted the peerlessly beautiful girl sitting dazed on the grass and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as she’s unharmed, things aren’t too bad.’

The Dog Demon was still baffled as to why this terrifying Snake Demon had appeared, but as long as it didn’t harm the Great King’s woman, everything was negotiable.

’Surely no Demon Spirit in the Yaoling Mountain Range would dare to act so lawlessly in the White Demon King’s territory.’

The seductive woman also snapped out of her shock. When she saw Su Rushi sitting dazedly on the grass, resentment and jealousy burned in her eyes, and Killing Intent instantly flooded out from her.

"You bitch! Die!"

The seductive woman’s heavily made-up face twisted grotesquely as she shot toward Su Rushi, baring her fangs. Her intent to kill was plain to see.

"Princess, don’t!"

The Dog Demon, realizing what the seductive woman was doing, cried out in alarm, but it was too late to stop her.

At the Demon Spirit Level, one could appear a kilometer away in a single second. Their speed was simply too fast, surpassing the speed of sound.

In the blink of an eye, the seductive woman was standing before Su Rushi. Seeing her stunningly beautiful face, the woman’s jealousy exploded. Filled with a vicious aura, she shrieked, "You really are a peerless beauty. No wonder you have my cousin completely bewitched. It would be a waste to just kill you. This Princess is going to eat you whole!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the seductive woman’s body suddenly swelled, transforming before Su Rushi’s eyes into a giant over ten meters tall. Dark Qi and Demon Qi swirled around her as she opened her massive mouth, intending to suck Su Rushi in and devour her in one gulp.

For the innocent and naive Su Rushi, who had never witnessed such a horrifying scene, the shock was so great she nearly fainted. She was utterly powerless to resist.

But at that very moment...!

HISS...!

A majestic hiss once again resounded from above the Purple Bamboo Forest. A sudden cold wind swept through the sky, and the world seemed to freeze over.

In the next second, the seductive woman’s ten-meter-tall body froze. Her eyes bulged in disbelief as she watched her own colossal form begin to turn to ice. Before she could even wonder why, she had been completely transformed into a giant ice sculpture, utterly powerless to resist.

"Your Highness the Princess!"

The Dog Demon’s face turned pale with fright. ’It’s a good thing the Princess didn’t succeed in killing her,’ he thought, ’but for her to be inexplicably turned into an ice sculpture... this is too terrifying!’

He looked up at the sky, his gaze fixed on the colossal snake that blotted out the sun as it writhed.

He saw the giant snake’s Snake Gaze flicker. Its mouth opened, and a bolt of lightning struck down upon the giant ice sculpture.

"No...!" the Dog Demon cried out in shock.

BOOM...!

The giant ice sculpture was instantly shattered into a million pieces. Countless shards of ice flew everywhere, carrying with them the life of a Rank Three Demon Spirit.

’The Princess was killed?’

The Dog Demon’s face instantly turned ashen. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head, and he was shocked beyond belief.

’That was the Great King’s cousin, the second of the Hedgehog Race to achieve enlightenment! She was doted upon in the White Demon King’s Azure Bamboo Forest, a dignified Rank Three Demon Spirit... and she died just like that?’

’It felt so unreal.’

"What a brazen Snake Demon! To run wild in the White Demon King’s territory... You’ll pay for killing the Princess!"

The Dog Demon felt he was going insane. The Great King’s woman wasn’t dead, but his cousin was. Both women were extremely important to the Great King. For either to die was a dereliction of his duty, a crime he could not escape.

The Dog Demon’s Demon Qi boiled with rage, making the very air seem to simmer. He lunged toward the colossal snake coiling in the sky. As he leaped, his human form underwent a dramatic transformation, turning into a gigantic, frenzied, and ferocious dog. He shot forward like a thunderbolt, roaring incessantly.

High above, the majestic, imperious giant snake narrowed its Snake Gaze.

"DING! ... Dog Demon, a first-generation Canine Demon Spirit, Level 32."

Now, in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes, a Level 32 Demon Spirit was no different from an ordinary dog.

’Freeze.’

A Formless Consciousness Power erupted, and space itself trembled violently. The giant dog, charging like a thunderbolt, hadn’t even reached its target before its body went rigid, frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

The Dog Demon was instantly jolted to his senses. ’That Snake Demon has taken control of my body! Such incredible strength... Could it be that he has the combat power of a Demon King?’

’This is bad. I let my anger get the best of me. It killed the Great King’s cousin in the blink of an eye. Aren’t I just courting death by charging in like this?’

Too late. The fear of death enveloped its entire body.

"Consider yourself lucky. I’ll spare you for now. I have a dog of my own at home; you can serve as its nourishment."

A cold voice appeared in the Dog Demon’s mind. A moment later, its ears rang, and it lost consciousness.

’Collect.’

SWOOSH...

The giant dog, wreathed in Demon Qi, vanished from mid-air, having been absorbed into Tu Xiao’an’s system.

But this time, it wasn’t a subjugation. The Dog Demon was simply stored inside the system like an item.

This was an upgrade to the system that came with him achieving Rank Three of Enlightenment.

Now, a mere Level 32 Demon Spirit was no longer worthy of being Tu Xiao’an’s Battle Companion.