The Temptation of the Mini Demonic Statue of the Outer Path

"Tell me, Orochimaru, can't you add a few more lights to your base? Aren't you afraid of tripping while walking?"

Qiuyang followed behind Orochimaru, complaining as they walked. Not only was this secret passage a labyrinth of twists and turns, but Orochimaru was also too stingy to use proper lighting, often settling for a single candle in many areas.

If not for his absolute confidence in his current strength, Qiuyang would have been genuinely worried that this shameless fellow might suddenly launch an attack on him.

At this moment, Orochimaru, who was leading the way, felt a bit resentful...

Back when they first met, Qiuyang would address him as "Lord Orochimaru" at every turn. Now, after a few years of not seeing each other, he had grown bold enough to call him by his name directly.

"Hmph... Qiuyang-kun knows that I am snake-like by nature; snakes prefer dark, damp places."

Well... your logic is so sound that I find myself unable to refute it.

Qiuyang was speechless and widened the distance between himself and Orochimaru, for he noticed the way Snake Auntie's head was twitching in front of him and guessed that this guy was definitely flicking his long tongue around again.

...Ugh...

For the sake of realizing that grand plan, I will endure it.

After walking for a few more minutes, Orochimaru finally stopped and stood still beside a wall.

"It is this place, Qiuyang-kun."

"My hands cannot exert much force yet, so please help me press this protruding stone."

As he spoke, Orochimaru shifted a few steps to the side, yielding the spot to the person behind him.

Qiuyang stared at him suspiciously for a moment, very tempted to tell him that he could simply use his long tongue to open the door.

However, upon second thought, he realized that would be impolite, so he could only cough once, walk over, and reach out to press that very inconspicuous stone.

Creak... creak...

The wall, which had been seamless, slowly split open to reveal a pitch-black space, followed by a "click" as all the electric lights inside flickered to life.

"Come in, Qiuyang-kun."

Perhaps sensing that Qiuyang was on guard against him, Orochimaru entered the laboratory first once the entrance opened, with Qiuyang following closely behind.

Once inside, Qiuyang quickly scanned the entire laboratory with his eyes, unable to help but marvel at the hidden world within—

There were over twenty experimental tanks large enough to hold an adult, six of which were filled to the brim with a greenish liquid, with bubbles occasionally gurgling to the surface...

The instruments were connected by various complex circuits and pipes, all of which signaled that these were undoubtedly highly sophisticated pieces of equipment.

Qiuyang couldn't help but praise it in his heart—this place was a thousand times better than his own rudimentary laboratory.

Building such a place must have cost a fortune.

Moreover, Snake Auntie's greatest "advantage" was his willingness to conduct "live experiments" directly, unlike Qiuyang, who still couldn't bring himself to cross that psychological threshold.

"You guessed correctly. After I defected from the Akatsuki, I conducted many experiments targeting the Tailed Beasts."

Snake Auntie's eyes flashed with a rare, strange light, as if he were reminiscing about the past:

"Of course, to obtain these rare research samples, I once infiltrated quite a few ninja villages that possessed Tailed Beasts, such as Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure..."

His original intention for studying these Tailed Beasts was, naturally, to uncover the secret of why they never truly died, so as to provide a reference for his goal of immortality.

Unfortunately, after researching for a long time without any progress, and later learning the forbidden technique of Living Corpse Reincarnation—which consumed mental energy with every transfer—he suspended his research on the Tailed Beasts.

Thinking of Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru turned his greedy gaze back toward Qiuyang's "fresh and tender" Uchiha Clan body.

This kid's talent was even better than that of Sasuke, whom he currently had his eye on, but it was a pity that he was just as troublesome as Itachi... He would just have to wait until his hands recovered to find a way to capture him for study!

Although Qiuyang was observing the laboratory, he keenly sensed the look of desire Snake Auntie was casting at his body and coldly shot him a warning glare.

His black pupils slowly transformed into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan to intimidate him, confident that Snake Auntie would not—and could not—make a move on him at this moment.

Sure enough, upon seeing Qiuyang activate his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Orochimaru withdrew his greedy gaze and continued his explanation:

"Here I have the parts of the One-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails that I cultivated back then. I wonder if Qiuyang-kun is satisfied?"

So many? Qiuyang remained calm on the surface, but his heart was already in turmoil.

This meant that only the parts of the Two-Tails Matatabi, the Five-Tails Son Goku, and the Nine-Tails were missing, which would greatly reduce the effort he needed to collect them!

Qiuyang followed behind Orochimaru as he pressed buttons beneath the tanks one by one, and the Tailed Beast parts that had been covered by the green liquid appeared clearly before his eyes—

A section of the tail of the One-Tails Shukaku, the horn of the Eight-Tails Gyuki, the teeth of the Five-Tails Son Goku...

The tomoe in his eyes spun continuously, and he could clearly observe these parts constantly releasing chakra; they were indeed authentic parts from the Tailed Beasts.

What about the piece of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path?

Qiuyang suppressed the joy in his heart and asked the most important question:

"Then where is the part of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path that you cultivated?"

Orochimaru smiled mysteriously and continued walking toward the wall ahead, this time actually sticking out his tongue to press an inconspicuous brick on it.

"Qiuyang-kun, you must know that in order to obtain even a tiny experimental sample of this monstrous thing, I was almost discovered and killed by Pain."

As the wall slowly rose, a glass tank, larger and more complex than the ones outside, appeared before the two of them.

"This... what exactly is this..."

Qiuyang stared in shock at the giant glass tank inside the wall.

Even with his knowledge of the original plot, he could not fathom why this was a miniature version of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

Standing before him was a small Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, roughly the height of an adult. Aside from its reduced size, it was identical to the one in his memories.

Could this be a trait of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path? Unlike other Tailed Beasts that only sprout from the parts obtained, it didn't seem to follow that rule.

Much like the multi-headed dog summoned by the Pain Loli Path, which would split into more dogs the more it was cut, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path simply required cultivation to take on its original form.

Heaven is truly helping me!

Qiuyang understood that today, Snake Auntie would have no choice but to hand it over.

Maintaining an indifferent facade, he pulled out a scroll and slowly formed hand seals, saying:

"As expected of Lord Orochimaru. Since you have shown such sincerity, it would be inexcusable for me not to offer something in return."

Poof.

As the smoke cleared, a mask with two sharp horns, jagged teeth, and a ferocious expression appeared in his hands.

Qiuyang picked up the mask and slowly... slowly... looked up:

"This... is the Shinigami Mask for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal that Lord Orochimaru desires."

"Qiuyang-kun, you... you..."

Orochimaru's initial expression of joy suddenly twisted into terror.

Because the moment his eyes swept across Qiuyang's Sharingan, he was instantly caught in a Golden Binding Genjutsu.

Could it be... that Qiuyang intended to double-cross him?