Chapter 8

  In the west of Guzhou City, there is a great mountain with peaks as high as 10,000 feet and a width of 100,000 miles. The mountain is filled with poisonous gas that can kill anyone who touches it, so no one dares to enter. Even practitioners who venture in to hunt beasts or gather medicine often encounter danger. In the mortal world, this mountain is called Wanshou Mountain. It was originally called Wan Shou (Ten Thousand Beasts) because of the many beasts within, but later the name was changed to Wanshou due to a homophone. Practitioners also use this name from the mortal world. However, it's actually because of the two 10,000-year-old demon beasts in the mountain. One is a snake demon that has cultivated for tens of thousands of years and has long transformed into human form, with boundless magical powers that no practitioner dares to provoke. The other is a fox demon, also known as the sister of the snake demon, who has been cultivating the Great Way together with her for tens of thousands of years.

  The cultivation of demons is more difficult than that of humans. From a young age, those with a predestined body and demon fate will open their spiritual wisdom due to chance encounters and cultivate on their own. Among them, those who have a chance encounter are one in ten thousand, while those who have a predestined fate are even rarer, one in a hundred million! Even if they work hard at cultivation, every time they reach the first level, they must undergo a heavenly tribulation once. It takes eighty-one tribulations to complete their merits and ascend as an immortal. However, during this period, most demon cultivators either fall victim to human cultivators who kill them and refine their demonic souls to aid in their own cultivation, or fail to overcome the tribulation and die under the heavenly thunder. Therefore, demons who achieve great success are even fewer than human cultivators. Yet, due to prolonged cultivation, those who have achieved success often possess magical powers that far surpass those of humans at the same level.

  The snake demon has been transformed and named itself Jinchanger, while the fox demon is called Baijiao. The two demons have supported each other for over 10,000 years, cultivating together. As the snake demon cultivated longer, its magical powers surpassed those of the fox demon, making it the elder sister, with the fox demon as the younger sister. The two sisters helped each other through tribulations and protected each other during their cultivation, but they also faced many dangers and narrowly escaped death numerous times. However, as their powers grew stronger, the heavenly thunder tribulation became even more formidable, constantly putting them in perilous situations.

  The tribulation that this demon cultivator is going through is the Small Heavenly Tribulation. When one's cultivation reaches a certain level, if they recklessly use their powers, they will inevitably suffer heavenly punishment and the tribulation of heavenly thunder will befall them. Each time they go through the heavenly tribulation, although it may seem like a near-death experience, it actually has great benefits for the demon cultivator. After being struck by heavenly thunder and cleansed by the primordial energy of heaven and earth, their magical body and divine spirit both increase in strength by one level. How can one's cultivation and practice be lacking after that? Therefore, when Jinchang'er's powers reached the peak of the 80th stage, she didn't dare to recklessly use them anymore. She retracted her powers and interacted with cultivators in the mortal world, learning about their formations, elixir techniques, and other methods to aid her own cultivation. Finally, Jinchang'er managed to figure out a way to use formations to deflect the power of heavenly thunder and cross the tribulation. And so, she and Baijiu entered the deep mountains to cross the 81st life-and-death tribulation. Baijiu had already passed the 78th stage Small Heavenly Tribulation under Jinchang'er's protection, but Jinchang'er's 81st tribulation took nearly a thousand years to complete.

  On this day, the two sisters set up a secret formation on Mount Wanshou to prepare for Jin Chang'er's tribulation. The formation was strange and intricate, with most of the instruments being gold-attribute artifacts, followed by earth-attribute artifacts, and then water, wood, and fire attributes. The materials required for this formation were extremely rare, and even many top-tier immortals in this realm had only heard of them but never seen them. Jin Chang'er and Bai Jiao Jiao re-refined the materials according to the formation diagram and carefully set up the large formation. It was over a thousand feet wide and several hundred feet high, shaped like two inverted pyramids facing each other, with one pointing towards the sky and the other standing on the ground. The golden light emitted from the core of the arrays inside and outside the formation connected to form clear lines that could be seen. Jin Chang'er watched as Jiao Jiao flew the giant energy stones into the cores of the arrays one by one, and sighed:

  "Jiao Jiao, this time I'm going through a trial and my heart feels uneasy. If something unexpected happens to me, you must continue on the path of immortality, don't miss our lifelong pursuit as sisters!"

  "Sister, don't dare to speak recklessly! Gather your heart and sincerely pass through the tribulation!"

  Jin Chan'er raised her head and gazed at the clear sky, then mouthed a spell, and her feet stepped on the auspicious cloud, slowly rising. Suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she twisted her body and entered the central core of the formation. Her shadow moved like a delicate flower swaying in the thin mist, her posture was elegant and gentle, like a lotus blooming in clear water. How refined! How delicate! Jin Chan'er cast a spell towards the nucleus of the formation, and then released all her magical powers. The white jade-like hand held a flower basket, with several dan medicine bottles emitting spiritual light, reflecting her slightly worried face. Jin Chan'er urged on her magic power while transforming her snake-shaped body. Her body was enormous, coiled within the formation, with a height of hundreds of feet and a circumference of nearly a hundred feet. The head raised up towards the sky, spewing out demonic energy, like a fierce wind raging, swirling around in all directions. In an instant, the peaceful mountain valley's leaves flew about, and sandstorms erupted. With this formation as the core, the wild wind was like a dragon rolling, rotating for tens of miles, actually stirring up the heavenly spiritual power. The gusts rose straight to the outside of the nine heavens, gradually becoming more and more majestic, ordinary people dared not gaze directly at it. In the center of the formation, the snake demon's head was like a small mountain, its two eyes shining brightly, shooting out two thick beams of light, scanning the universe, those who saw it lost their souls, those who watched were stunned. Within ten thousand miles, all demons and beasts hid in caves, not daring to show themselves.

  Suddenly, the sky changed. High above, dozens of fireballs appeared without warning, varying in size. The larger ones could cover half the clear sky, while the smaller ones were as big as mountains. Each fireball emitted scorching flames, rolling and burning like a fierce fire that roasted the universe, dazzling and blinding to behold! Among them, a relatively small fireball, about the size of a mountain peak, suddenly shot down from the sky like a meteor, flying towards Jin Chan'er's true body. In an instant, the space in the mountains and valleys seemed to be on fire. As the fireball flew down, the grass and trees within hundreds of miles around the formation erupted into flames, and even the rocks and earth turned red. Inside the core of the formation at the bottom of Jin Chan'er's snake demon true body, a human-shaped figure appeared, looking solid, with a face that showed a hint of surprise as it saw the fireball approaching, but then quickly returned to calmness. With a swift movement, it raised its hands and chanted an incantation, staring at the fireball with eyes that shone like gold. The golden light from the true body's demon eyes met the fireball in mid-air, producing a deafening explosion that shook the heavens. The fireball only paused for a moment before suddenly bursting into a flurry of lightning-like flashes, shooting out from the fireball and entwining themselves around the two beams of golden light like countless dragons of varying sizes. As the golden light dissipated, the fireball transformed into billions of firebirds that flew towards Jin Chan'er's true body. Just as the firebirds were about to hit their mark, a cyan-colored glow flashed around Jin Chan'er's true body, revealing a cyan-colored shield that was as faint as smoke and dust. Compared to the firebirds, it seemed insignificant, but when the billions of firebirds rained down on the cyan shield, they suddenly vanished without a trace. Jin Chan'er merely let out a soft sigh before regaining her composure.

  At this time, the fiery sun was spinning high in the sky, as if it had been ignited. The vigorous sun would even surpass the sun itself. Bai Jiao Jiao looked up at the sky and suddenly felt that the sun was warm, gentle, and quiet like a young lady. Her heart suddenly calmed down, and she said to Jin Chan Er:

  "Sister, do you want some medicine?"

  "Not needed at this time."

  Jin Chan'er's words were calm, but as soon as they fell, a second fireball-like giant mountain came crashing down. The front end of the ball was bright and round, while the fierce flames behind it swept in like a giant broom. The air within hundreds of miles was ignited. Jin Chan'er's eyes shone brighter than before, and suddenly burst forth, shooting up into the sky and striking the fireball. In an instant, a deafening explosion shook the mountain cliff, causing half of it to collapse. The fireball shattered the light pillar and flew down, and as it approached Jin Chan'er's demonic body, it suddenly split into thousands of small mountains, entering her protective green light shield. The shield suddenly changed color, turning fiery red, as if a raging inferno had ignited, scorching the snake-like body. In the magic array, the human-shaped image of Jin Chan'er continuously chanted incantations, and the blue light on her true body surged upwards, pouring into the fiery red protective shield. After a few moments, the shield gradually returned to its original green color. Jin Chan'er's face was slightly flushed, and she murmured softly for a moment before returning to normal. However, the magic array remained, and Jin Chan'er had no intention of using it at this time.

  One wave was stronger than the other, one ball bigger than the other. After the eightieth fireball had passed, Jin Chan'er's true body was already covered in scars, her skin torn and bruised, her proud snake head hung low, her coiled snake body slumped on the ground. It seemed she no longer had the strength to resist this heavenly tribulation! The faces of the people in the formation were all exhausted, their eyes dim, the light in their eyes still strong but no longer dazzling.

  "Sister, take these medicinal pills. Cheer up! We'll definitely get through this!"

  Bai Jiao threw over a few bottles of Dan medicine. Jin Chan'er was speechless, she just made a hand seal and took back the Dan medicine, swallowing it into the snake's mouth in her body.

  "Sister! Activate Formation Spell! I'll help you!"

  "Jiao Jiao! You retreat a thousand miles and wait quietly for me to pass the tribulation. Don't come near, lest you be affected by the heavenly thunder!"

  "Sister......"

  "Jiaojiao! Do not speak again!"

  "Yes! Sister! Be careful!"

  Bai Jiao turned around and was about to leave, just as the sky suddenly changed. The last giant fireball in the sky slowly flew from the ninth heaven and stopped at a height of ten thousand feet. The light from this fireball even eclipsed the sun. In the vast expanse of the sky, only this ball remained, quietly suspended in mid-air, completely blocking out the entire sky above the Great Tribulation Array. Within tens of thousands of miles, all living things were set ablaze, and the raging flames swept across the plains like a great tide. The fierce flames shooting out from the fireball struck out in all directions, each one surpassing the first fireball in intensity. Compared to this fireball, the Great Tribulation Array below and the originally enormous snake body now seemed as insignificant as ants. The sky was devoid of clouds and mist, while the ground was filled with raging flames that roared like thunder. The surrounding area was a sea of fire, making it impossible to distinguish between heaven and earth. Within tens of thousands of miles, all lakes were dried up, and rivers ceased to flow! All living creatures - humans, beasts, birds, and insects - fled in terror, leaving behind only desolation. Even the forests and grasslands were reduced to nothing but ashes, as if it were the end of the world.

  Jin Chan'er took a deep breath, and without holding back, she released all of her body's magical power. This was indeed the autumn of life and death! She re-coiled her true body, activated the last cyan protective shield outside her body, and brought out the many magic tools she had prepared, transforming them into a thick protective shield of law.

  "Sister, hurry up! This thunder is not something you can control!"

  Bai Jiao Jiao drove the cloud head, turned around and wanted to leave. Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from the sky, that whistling sound pierced through the bodies of all the gods as if they were nothing, directly entering their dantian. The two women's bodies surged with law power, their primordial spirits shook. Bai Jiao Jiao was shaken, her heart floating and her breath chaotic, her entire body's law power condensed, almost falling from the cloud head. At this moment, she couldn't even drive the cloud head! She was shocked to the point of being pale and sweaty, staring anxiously at the strange phenomenon in the sky. The fireball spun faster and faster, its flames shooting out in all directions, winds blowing dust and debris for thousands of miles, all gathering towards the fireball.

  "This fireball actually stirred up such a powerful divine energy! Ahh! Be careful, sister!"

  Bai Jiao shouted loudly.

  "Hurry up!"

  "Sister!"

  At this moment of shock and astonishment, the fireball suddenly burst open, like a heavenly river opening its gates. The rolling flames were as white as light, pouring out from the central opening like spring silk, and then transformed into a giant dragon thousands of miles long, shaking its head and tail, with its entire body radiating flying flames, striking down directly. Jin Chan'er witnessed this scene and exclaimed:

  "Alas! My life is at an end!"

  Then he closed his eyes and remained still, quietly waiting for the dragon to arrive.

  Bai Jiao Jiao hastily sent a message saying:

  "Sister! If not now, when?"

  He immediately summoned all his magical instruments and treasures, sending them towards the fire dragon. At the same time, he transformed his body into a giant white fox, hundreds of feet tall, and charged towards Jin Tian'er. Jin Tian'er saw this scene and also let out a loud cry, raising her head to face the fire dragon, spewing out a thick black mist like a snake that curled up towards it.

  The sound of a massive explosion was heard as the light dragon was struck by the black mist and the magical instruments, splitting into two. The thicker one struck Jin Tian'er, while the smaller one hit Bai Yao's demonic body. The dark mist was terrifying, with a thickness of hundreds of feet, like a solid entity. The magical instruments shone brightly, flying around like living things, also dividing into two pairs to attack.

  When they encountered the fire dragon, they suddenly disappeared without a trace, not even having time to trigger an explosion. Jin Tian'er guarded her primordial spirit and activated her magical powers, only using a cyan divine light to protect her demonic body. The massive fire dragon opened its mouth, which could swallow a mountain, and lightly sucked in the flames and smoke from thousands of miles away.

  The smoke and fire swirled back, with the firelight illuminating the sky and earth like a furnace. Jin Tian'er's five-colored snake demon body also slowly rose into the air, moving towards the giant dragon's mouth. Jin Tian'er was greatly alarmed, reciting incantations and spells that shook the universe.

  Suddenly, the rhombus-shaped golden character magic array appeared with the sound of the incantation, emitting golden light that surrounded her demonic body. However, it could not stop its movement, and eventually, both the magic array and the demonic body were swallowed by the giant mouth. Jin Tian'er felt like she had fallen into an endless sea of fire, drifting aimlessly without stopping.

  Although she used all her magical powers, she found it difficult to resist the heat waves that scorched her body. Her consciousness gradually faded away, and she lost all sense of reality.