Transformation

The Heavenly Demon Creation Art was a demon cultivation method, so what it cultivated was naturally demon power, though on the Douluo Continent, it still manifested as Soul Power.

But in essence, it was still demon power. It had many more wondrous uses than Soul Power, much like Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill: it looked like Soul Power, but was essentially internal force, capable of doing many things Soul Power could not.

Zhu Huang spent three months converting his own Soul Power into demon power, then prepared to take human form.

With a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's cultivation, he was already more than capable of taking human form among the demon race. In truth, even ten-thousand-year soul beasts could transform; a hundred thousand years was far beyond that.

The benefits of a demon cultivator taking human form were too numerous to describe compared with a soul beast taking human form. The greatest benefit was that they would not lose their cultivation, and could freely switch between demon body and human body.

A human body was better for cultivation and daily life, while a demon body was better suited for battle. Each had its strengths.

After Zhu Huang converted all his Soul Power into demon power, his strength doubled outright. The aura of death around him grew even denser; an ordinary person might die on the spot just from looking at him.

"My previous strength was roughly on par with a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo. Now I should be able to match a rank ninety-six Titled Douluo. After I take human form, my strength can double again, and with the improvement brought by cultivating the Heavenly Demon Creation Art, I'll be enough to rival a rank ninety-eight Titled Douluo."

Zhu Huang walked out of his nest. He intended to take human form first.

He looked up at the cloudless sky, sent the spiders under him far away, and released his aura without reservation, circulating his demon power according to the secret transformation method.

Rumble!

In an instant, dark clouds blanketed the sky. Purple lightning rapidly gathered, and with a thunderous boom, a bolt as thick as a bucket struck Zhu Huang's body.

Intense pain surged through him. The lightning was filled with wild destructive force, as if it meant to reduce this heaven-defying ant to ash.

But within the destruction, there was also a thread of vitality. While it destroyed his body, it also let him rebuild after breaking, transforming his flesh bit by bit and reshaping it toward an Innate Dao Body.

Increasingly violent lightning continued to fall. Bathed in lightning, Zhu Huang looked like a thunder god. He was being reborn amid destruction, transforming through pain. He felt as though he was slowly breaking free of an invisible shackle, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.

All the soul beasts in the forest were prostrate on the ground, trembling.

Even the soul beasts in the core region that were close to a hundred thousand years old were like quails at this moment, not daring to raise their heads, terrified out of their wits by this ultimate heavenly might.

Just like that, one bolt of lightning after another struck down. The smell of charred flesh came from Zhu Huang, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and the aura on his body grew stronger and stronger. Amid the tempering of thunder, he was transforming.

Dozens of miles away from where Zhu Huang was undergoing his tribulation, two colossal beings had arrived at some unknown point, watching the sky where the thunder gathered.

Of these two colossal beings, one was a giant ape, like a small mountain, its entire body radiating a fierce, brutal aura.

On the giant ape's head stood a small rabbit with crimson eyes, pink-white fur, and adorable looks. Its ears twitched upright, and its gaze was lively, but at this moment, it showed fear.

The other colossal being had an enormous bull's head, but the body of a flood dragon. Its cyan scales shimmered, with tiny arcs of lightning flashing across them from time to time. It held its head high, standing more than ten meters tall.

The auras emanating from these three soul beasts were all extremely terrifying. They were none other than the overlords of the Star Dou Great Forest, entrenched by the shore of the Lake of Life: the Sky Azure Bull Python Da Ming, the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming, and the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit Xiao Wu.

"There really is a soul beast that dares to undergo tribulation."

The Sky Azure Bull Python looked at the terrifying heavenly might in the distance, his whole body trembling.

They were all Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, and they were all in a state where they could undergo tribulation at any time, but not one of the three soul beasts dared to trigger the heavenly tribulation. They were all doing everything they could to delay its arrival.

Even soul beasts with top-tier bloodlines like the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape did not have much confidence in undergoing tribulation. Unless it could no longer be delayed, they would not take the initiative to draw down heavenly tribulation.

"Sister Xiao Wu, that should be the Death Spider Emperor. His strength is about the same as mine. I never thought he'd actually dare to draw down heavenly tribulation on his own."

The Sky Azure Bull Python looked into the distance. There had never been many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in the forest to begin with, no more than ten in total, and they all knew one another.

"That spider is really that brave?"

There was a little envy in Xiao Wu's tone. She did not even have the courage to attempt tribulation. But her age was older than Da Ming, Er Ming, and Zhu Huang, and her heavenly tribulation was already almost impossible to suppress.

In order to survive, she had already decided to take human form like her mother had. When the time came and she cultivated to Titled Douluo, with the essence of a transformed soul beast, she would still be able to live for over a thousand years. No matter what, that was better than being struck dead by lightning.

Xiao Wu sighed, somewhat envious of that Death Spider Emperor. The other party was clearly so much younger than her, yet his strength was far greater than hers. If she had his strength, perhaps she would also dare to attempt tribulation.

But there was no helping it. The quality of the Soft Bone Charm Rabbit was truly quite ordinary. Her hundred-thousand-year cultivation was a hundred thousand years with not the slightest bit of exaggeration; it had been endured and accumulated over time.

On the contrary, that Death Spider Emperor and Da Ming's lot might have ten-thousand-year cultivation, but each ten ranks of age was only just over ten thousand years.

One year of their cultivation was enough to equal ten years of cultivation for an ordinary soul beast. This was the advantage of a powerful bloodline.

Xiao Wu looked at that terrifying lightning. If it struck her, she would definitely have already become charcoal.

She sighed. "Do you think he can succeed?"

Da Ming shook his head. "I don't know. This lightning tribulation seems a little too strong. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get through."

Da Ming's expression was very grave. The terror of the heavenly tribulation had surpassed their expectations, but as far as he understood, the first heavenly tribulation did not seem to be this frightening.

The heavenly lightning struck continuously for three hours before slowly dispersing. The sky that had been covered in dark clouds became clear for thousands of miles once more, and every trace of the heavenly tribulation vanished.

Xiao Wu murmured, "Did he succeed?"

Da Ming said, "Judging from the signs of the heavenly tribulation dispersing, he should have succeeded. We underestimated him. His strength should be greater than mine. Now that he has passed the heavenly tribulation, the gap between us will only grow larger in the future."

"I'm so jealous!"

Xiao Wu's already crimson eyes grew even redder—what people commonly called green with envy.

Da Ming nodded. He was jealous too. Passing this heavenly tribulation meant he could rest easy for the next ten or twenty thousand years.

But the next moment, his expression turned grave. His eyes were like lightning as he looked ahead and said in a deep voice, "He's coming."

Xiao Wu blinked her large eyes, pricked up her ears, and also looked forward curiously. Then she saw a slender figure flying over.

"Human?"

The expressions of the three soul beasts changed.

They could not sense the slightest trace of a soul beast aura from this figure. If he were a soul beast, how could he possibly hide from their perception?

Da Ming, Er Ming, and Xiao Wu's faces darkened. A fierce glint flashed through their eyes, and after exchanging a look, they prepared to kill this intruder.

The figure flew to a spot dozens of meters away, and the three soul beasts finally saw what he looked like.

He looked about twenty, with long black hair and black eyes, and he wore a well-fitted black suit. His whole person was like a black phantom, yet the skin exposed outside his clothes was lustrous and pale as jade. His features were exceptionally handsome—straight brows and bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, a nose like a hanging gall, brows like distant mountains. Even by the aesthetic standards of soul beasts, not the slightest flaw could be found in him. He was truly like a divine lord descended to the mortal world, a rare sight beneath the heavens.

This young man was not only handsome; his bearing was outstanding as well—noble and elegant, calm and confident. As his gaze moved, he seemed radiant with spirit, and there was a strange allure about him that made them unable to stop a favorable impression from rising in their hearts. Even their hostility unknowingly faded.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at once, and she said in a sweet voice, "Who are you?"