February Second, Dragon Raises Its Head

Five years later.

Mount Hua, the Northern Sacred Mountain, was a world of ice and snow in winter, resembling a fairyland. As the ice and snow melted, spring returned to the earth.

Awakening of Insects. The first month of spring signifies the awakening of dormant life. It is said that all things emerge from the earth with a tremor, and tremor is thunder, hence the name "Awakening of Insects." Insects and animals seemed to be awakened from their slumber by the spring sunshine and thunder, thus this solar term was named 'Awakening of Insects'. The White Snake, sleeping soundly in the hall, stirred slightly.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head, signaling the arrival of spring. People hoped that the divine dragon would suppress all harmful venomous insects and bring a bountiful harvest. The dragon raising its head also indicated the emergence of yang energy from the earth, and the awakening and activity of various hibernating insects, corresponding to the Awakening of Insects solar term. Furthermore, a folk custom dictated that women in their chambers should not engage in needlework or embroidery, fearing that sharp needles might injure the dragon's eyes.

On this day, the White Snake lifted its head, groggily awakening. She saw the snow outside the hall melting and the weather warming, with water dripping from the green tiles on the roof like rain.

For some reason, she felt a deep sense of unease in her soul, a panic she had never experienced before.

Moreover, that feeling of unease came from the sky...

She raised her serpentine head and inhaled the entire box of discarded pill residue beside her. She shifted her body, changed her posture, and continued to slumber, absorbing the medicinal power to replenish her energy. Facing danger, her intuition told her to eat her fill and conserve strength to deal with the crisis.

The spring chill was biting. The White Snake did not intend to go out; the low temperature would stiffen her body and slow her thinking, making her less agile.

She slept for another two months.

Rain lashes the pear blossoms, the spring breeze caresses the face; spring arrives, and the grass and trees know it.

In spring, cats lie on rooftops, exposing their bellies to the warm sunshine. Wildflowers bloomed on the mountains, and the pear trees were as white as snow. Countless young couples held umbrellas, enjoying spring outings and excursions. Even the Sect Leader went to the sea of flowers to taste tea and discuss wine, truly living a carefree life.

Qingxu Palace.

Yu Rong walked out of the hall, her brows furrowed as she gazed at the sky. For some reason, the pressure from the sky seemed to be growing stronger.

She rapidly tapped her jade fingers, performing a calculation. She glanced back at the White Snake, who was being punished by being made to stand as a candle holder with a red candle on its head. This fellow had woken up yesterday and stolen a spirit grass. Although it wasn't very precious, Yu Rong was very angry and decided to punish her.

"Big White, put down the candle and come here."

The White Snake carefully put down the candle and then slithered over to Yu Rong, coiling up before her. She looked at her nominal leader. Five years had passed, and this beautiful expert had not only not aged but had become even younger. Her cultivation must have increased greatly to achieve this. She was indeed one of the Chunyang Five.

"Do you always feel a sense of dread?" Yu Rong asked.

The snake's head thought for a moment. It seemed that was indeed the case. She nodded.

"This is a Demon Beast Tribulation. Passing it brings many benefits, but failing means your soul will scatter and your bones will turn to dust. It seems that eating so much discarded pill residue over the years has allowed you to absorb and transform it. Very good. You should rest well these days and prepare for the tribulation. However, it's best not to do it within the sect, nor should you think of evading it."

The White Snake was stunned and didn't even see Yu Rong leave.

Tribulation...

These two words felt like twenty tons of TNT had been buried in her heart, with a lit fuse nearby. An unspeakable sorrow washed over her.

Human cultivators didn't have to worry about heavenly tribulations; they only needed to cultivate diligently. At most, when they reached their peak and prepared to ascend, they would face a tribulation to see if they were truly powerful. Other species were miserable. They had to face tribulations not long after starting to cultivate, and then another one when they ascended. They had one more tribulation than humans. Don't underestimate that extra tribulation; most demons ended their journey there.

If their strength soared after passing the tribulation, it would be fine. But after passing the tribulation, they were still just minor demons. A single blast from a human cultivator's magic treasure would instantly finish them. It was sheer species discrimination!

Xu Ling looked at the White Snake with pity. Five years had passed, and Xu Ling was now a graceful young maiden. Cultivators were never ugly, and Xu Ling was a beauty among beauties, lively and cute, though a bit mischievous. Yang Mu, on the other hand, had a face as cold as a thousand-year-old iceberg. He either practiced swordplay or did his homework. However, upon learning that the White Snake was about to face tribulation, he still took out all his healing pills. His expression was clear, conveying only three words: "Don't die."

In the hall.

Xu Ling pouted and tugged at Yu Rong's sleeve, shaking it.

"Master~ Poor Big White, why don't you give it two or three spirit artifacts to help it through the tribulation~"

Yang Mu stood beside them. Although he didn't speak, his intention was similar to Xu Ling's. He hoped their master would give them a few good items to help the White Snake safely pass the tribulation. There were only three people and one snake in Qingxu Palace; if one was missing, they would be bored to death.

The spirit artifacts Xu Ling mentioned were legendary magic treasures. They were of different tiers. The lowest tier was magic tools, followed by spirit artifacts and treasure tools. Above them were even rarer items. Each tier was divided into four grades, such as low-grade magic tools, mid-grade magic tools, high-grade magic tools, and supreme-grade magic tools. Magic treasures could increase combat power, defense, and even provide many other special functions, making them essential for cultivators.

Yu Rong shook her head. This girl hadn't learned anything else but how to act spoiled. Only her lineage in the entire Chunyang Palace had such warmth.

"Cultivating as a demon is extremely difficult. We humans are the spirits of all things, saving us many detours. Demons are different. Achieving spiritual intelligence is already incredibly difficult, and then they must face heavenly tribulations when their cultivation reaches a certain level. The cultivation of birds and beasts is an act against heaven, fraught with immense danger."

"Using magic treasures to pass tribulations is a lesser option for demons. If they rely on external objects to pass the tribulation, they will have difficulty achieving complete form transformation when they eventually transform. They will be neither human nor beast, and their spiritual intelligence may also be lacking. Therefore, demons can only rely on their physical bodies to withstand the heavenly tribulation and accept its baptism to purify themselves and lay a good foundation. The snake will not perish, so you can rest assured."

"Oh..."

Xu Ling nodded, indicating she understood, but she still felt very nervous in her heart.

"I have a task for you. The snake needs to go down the mountain to face the tribulation, and someone needs to be present to prevent any malicious individuals from taking advantage of the situation. You two will personally escort the snake and, at the same time, experience the might of heaven and earth."

"Yes!"

She couldn't get any spirit artifacts to help, but acting as a protector was also good. She didn't believe anyone would dare to incur the wrath of Chunyang and cause trouble. After thinking about it, Xu Ling scurried out. She felt that she and her senior brother were too few, so she decided to use her connections to find friends for help. More people meant more security.

Not long after.

Yang Mu looked at the dozen or so female cultivators around him with a headache. These were all Xu Ling's friends. The ten or so beauties were chattering about beauty pills and shaping pills. There were also some young male disciples following them. They were either admirers of Xu Ling or suitors of those female cultivators. Yang Mu tried hard to control himself from kicking them away. Speechless, he turned and flew towards the mountain gate on his sword, unable to find peace amidst the incessant chatter.

The White Snake slowly arrived at the mountain gate, a large gourd in its mouth, filled with various discarded pills and high-grade healing spirit medicines given by Xu Ling and Yang Mu.

Yang Mu landed and walked beside the White Snake, accompanying her out.

Soon after, a group of charming female cultivators and their followers rushed out of the mountain. The disciples on duty at the entrance were dumbfounded.

The White Snake was very happy. The oppressive dark clouds that had been gathering overhead for days had lifted considerably. The greatest fear of a demon beast undergoing tribulation was interference. It was known that demon beasts were basically solitary creatures. Not to mention their natural enemies who would never miss such an opportunity, even human cultivators were like cats smelling fish, relentlessly pursuing them.

Weakened demon beasts after a successful tribulation were extremely easy to capture, either to be used as mounts or henchmen, or to be directly disemboweled.

If the tribulation failed, they could only pick up the remaining bones and flesh from the lightning tribulation for alchemy materials. In short, it was a business with no loss and potential profit.