The Serpent and the Buddha

"Master, what is Buddha?"

"Humans are Buddhas yet to be, and Buddhas are awakened humans."

"What does 'awakened' mean?"

"The human world is like a prison, and all beings suffer. To stand on the shore and guide others out of the sea of suffering is to be awakened."

"..."

Recalling a conversation with his master when he was young, Ren Guang couldn't help but feel a sense of daze.

And now.

His master was no longer here.

Ren Guang raised his head, his clear pupils reflecting the giant serpent bathed in moonlight. The formless Buddha and the tangible giant serpent seemed to gradually overlap in Ren Guang's eyes.

"How... beautiful. How... powerful..."

In Shenjian Village, within the small shrine, the Shrine Maiden, clad in a pure white robe, sat by the window, gazing dotingly at the scenery outside.

Creak.

The shrine's main door was gently pushed open.

Tsukimi Sakura's armor was tattered, and her originally clean face was smeared with blood and dirt.

"Rinzi, are you alright..."

Her voice suddenly faltered.

The girl sitting by the window turned around upon hearing the sound, a heart-wrenching smile on her face.

On the girl's cheeks, which should have been clean and fresh, appeared two faint golden snake scales. Her originally lively black pupils had transformed into scorching golden vertical pupils, identical to the giant serpent Tsukimi Sakura had seen earlier.

"Sister... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked, but Lord Snake God, He is truly... so beautiful!"

At the same time.

High in the sky, tens of thousands of meters above, a satellite emitting a faint glow streaked across the night sky.

On another continent, far, far away, in a laboratory filled with precision instruments.

A staff member wearing a mask and a white lab coat noticed the anomaly occurring in the primeval forest and quickly recorded the information fed back by the satellite.

"Sample No. 3-170 deceased. Cause of death: Killed by external force."

"New sample, characterized by a giant golden boa, suspected to possess extremely high growth potential and extraordinary power.

Tentative designation: 2-079.

Recommended action: Collect sample material for research."

A large amount of information was reordered and input into the computer before them.

After spending half an hour finishing his work, the observer removed his mask, revealing a somewhat aged Caucasian face.

Leaning his plump, obese body back against the chair, he picked up his red tea and took a sip, his cloudy eyes never leaving the screen.

"Dispelling clouds, altering terrain... there are more and more monsters in this world."

"Lok! Vah! Koor!"

Su Heng casually uttered the dragon roar from the ancient scrolls into the clear sky.

Of course, in Gamia's mouth, this phrase itself held no supernatural power. However, even so, with the boost in lung capacity provided by Gamia's massive body.

The deafening roar still managed to dispel the dark clouds within a radius of nearly ten miles, achieving an effect even more exaggerated than in the game.

Recalling the first time he saw Gamia.

It was just a small snake, less than half a meter long. But now, in less than a month, it had grown into a terrifying behemoth capable of changing the weather.

What surprised Su Heng even more than its current power was Gamia's cheat-like growth speed.

If it continued to develop at this pace.

It was likely that human firearms would soon lose their threat to Gamia entirely.

A sense of fatigue washed over him like a tide, and a tingling sensation spread from all over his body, surging into his brain.

The "Limit Breaker" talent of the Fine grade began to take effect.

This was the highest-level talent accessible to a Tier 2 life form, and it would undoubtedly bring about a transformative change for Gamia.

However.

Su Heng had a premonition that the time required for this change would not be short.

Fortunately, during the forest clearing operations in the past, Su Heng had already made preparations for today's events.

Hiss hiss...

The faint sounds of the strange beasts running echoed in the bright moonlight.

"Master."

Four extraordinary yokai, each having reached the second tier of life, appeared before Gamia. Leading them was a massive boa, over thirty meters long, with beautiful cyan stripes.

The other three were a ferocious giant tiger, a muscular brown bear, and a slightly smaller but seemingly more agile leopard cat.

These creatures were already quite strong among second-tier yokai. It was precisely because of this that they had managed to survive Gamia's Venomous Fangs.

Death or submission.

They chose the latter.

If before, these creatures still harbored thoughts of rebellion and defiance in their hearts.

Then now, after witnessing how Gamia tore the Centipede to shreds and dispersed the Red Moon, their minds were filled only with fear and loyalty.

"Your power has grown even greater."

The cyan boa prostrated itself on the ground, its eyes, as bright as rubies, gazing at Gamia with fervent adoration.

"The darkness follows you, and the light also admires you."

"Enough!"

A majestic voice echoed through the forest.

The four beasts, each as large as a small mountain, shivered in unison, their breathing becoming so calm it was almost imperceptible.

Su Heng's eyes flashed with a look of satisfaction.

"Next, I will be cultivating in the Hot Spring Valley for a period of time. During this period, no one is allowed to approach."

"In the forest, all those who believe in me, who chant my true name, you must not kill.

You must also restrain the yokai that were just born under the Red Moon, let them know who the true master of this forest is."

"As you command!"

The four colossal figures exchanged glances, then prostrated themselves and retreated, silently dispersing until they vanished.

After giving all subsequent instructions.

Su Heng then slowly dragged Gamia's massive body towards the familiar valley. Its exaggerated weight left a winding, deep gully on the ground.

It silently sank into the warm pool.

Feeling the nutrients from the Centipede within being rapidly consumed and transformed into various almost supernatural special organs.

Near Gamia's beating heart, streams of red warmth converged, forming an energy heart that existed between the virtual and the real.

And within Gamia's muscles and bones, glands began to secrete special hormones to promote the further growth of Gamia's already formidable physique.

The changes brought about by the Limit Breaker talent were proceeding in a steady and orderly manner.

Su Heng finally raised his head, glancing at the bright full moon in the sky through the rippling, clear spring water.

"So beautiful..."

He murmured in admiration, then closed his eyes and logged out of Gamia's Great Serpent body.

Thanks to the great god Suifeng Jian Shen for the two monthly tickets and one hundred points of reward, and thanks to every reader.