Cursed Seal of Heaven?

Ye Tian held a formation jade stone in his hand and was just about to activate it when Orochimaru's body suddenly twisted in an eerie turn.

Originally charging at Ye Tian, he forcibly changed direction in midair. Like a hunting venomous snake, he lunged at the still-shocked Sasuke in an instant.

"A feint?" Ye Tian frowned. He wanted to stop him, but he was half a beat too slow.

After all, his current body was famously sickly. Though he had the foundation of a Cultivator, without overdrawing his life force, his instantaneous burst speed still could not keep up with Sannin-level taijutsu.

"Sasuke-kun, although that little brat is quite interesting, you are today's main course."

Orochimaru's cold laughter exploded beside Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke had just been about to counterattack when Orochimaru's head suddenly shot forward, his neck stretching several meters like rubber.

His pale face opened its mouth to the limit, exposing two sharp fangs as it viciously bit toward Sasuke's neck!

"Accept this gift from me!"

"Aaaaargh!"

A shrill scream rang through the forest.

Sasuke clutched his neck and collapsed painfully to the ground. Black Curse Mark patterns spread from the bite wound at a visible speed. The searing agony made his entire body convulse, and his consciousness instantly sank into darkness.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out desperately, wanting to rush over but held down by the lingering killing intent.

"Hehehe... now, you cannot escape the palm of my hand."

Orochimaru satisfactorily retracted his neck. Looking at Sasuke, who had fallen and could no longer rise, his eyes were filled with greed and possessiveness.

After doing all this, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he slowly turned around and looked at Ye Tian once more.

"Alright, next... it is your turn."

Orochimaru licked his lips, an eerie light flashing in his eyes. "Although your body looks very weak, even somewhat... worn-out, that strange power of yours, along with those papers that can explode without Chakra, truly makes me curious."

"Do you want power too, little brat?"

Orochimaru walked toward Ye Tian step by step, his tone full of temptation. "I can give you the greatest power in this world, free you from that frail body, and even... grant you immortality."

As Ye Tian watched Orochimaru approach, not only was he not afraid, he instead wore an expression of disgust, as though he had seen something filthy.

He subconsciously took half a step back and covered his nose.

"Um... Mister, although what you are saying is quite tempting."

Ye Tian frowned and said in a muffled voice, "Before giving me power, could you brush your teeth first? Your breath is terrible. Did you just eat something unclean?"

"..."

The smile on Orochimaru's face instantly froze.

As one of the famed Sannin of the Shinobi World, he had been feared, worshipped, and hated—but being disliked for having bad breath... that was absolutely unprecedented.

"Sharp-tongued little brat... I hope you can still speak later."

Orochimaru stopped wasting words. With a flicker of his body, he instantly appeared before Ye Tian.

Using the same trick again, his head flew out once more, his neck stretching as he opened his bloody maw. Carrying a nauseating, fishy gust of wind, he viciously bit toward the artery in Ye Tian's neck!

He wanted to plant the "Cursed Seal of Heaven" in this brat who did not know his place as well, turning him into an experiment!

Facing those fangs so close at hand, Ye Tian did not dodge.

Or rather, he had never intended to.

"You want to bite me? Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth?"

Just as Orochimaru's fangs were about to pierce Ye Tian's skin—

Buzz!

Deep within Ye Tian's Dantian, the illusory Golden Core that had been slowly rotating and nurturing his innate Spiritual Energy suddenly shuddered violently.

Sensing the invasion of an evil external force, the cultivation technique, the "Supreme Response Scripture," automatically activated to protect its master!

An incomparably dazzling golden light erupted from Ye Tian's body without warning!

This was not Chakra, but a vast, supremely yang, supremely rigid Vast Righteous Qi! It even faintly carried a trace of Buddhist solemnity and holiness—the pure yang power specifically meant to restrain all sinister evils and ghosts.

"What is this?!"

Orochimaru's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Instinctively sensing danger, he wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.

Those two sharp fangs slammed viciously into the golden light protecting Ye Tian's body.

It was like fragile glass striking an indestructible diamond.

Crack!!!

A crisp snapping sound that made one's teeth ache rang out.

Immediately afterward, a massive recoil traveled through his teeth and into his whole body. Orochimaru felt as if his head had been struck viciously by a heavy hammer. He was sent flying backward several meters before crashing heavily into a tree.

"Urgh..."

Orochimaru covered his mouth, his expression incomparably ugly.

A streak of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

He opened his hand, and half of a broken fang lay in his palm!

"How is that possible..."

Orochimaru stared at Ye Tian in the distance in shock, his eyes full of disbelief. "My teeth have undergone soft-body modification and Chakra reinforcement. I can bite through even refined steel... yet they were shattered by this brat's skin?"

"That golden light just now... that supremely yang and rigid aura... it was neither a Kekkei Genkai nor ninjutsu... what exactly was it?"

Orochimaru's heart churned with uncertainty.

He had traveled the Shinobi World for many years and studied countless secret techniques and bloodlines, yet he had never seen power of this nature. It was practically like... the power of rules from some higher dimension!

At this moment, Ye Tian was not doing well either.

Although he had broken Orochimaru's tooth with the protective golden light, the blow had completely exhausted all the Spiritual Energy he had painstakingly accumulated over the past month.

His already weak face instantly turned pale as paper, and his body swayed unsteadily.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ye Tian coughed violently. This time, he truly coughed up blood.

That old freak... he really hits hard... Ye Tian cursed inwardly, but he forced a mocking smile onto his face.

"I told you... your breath stinks. My body rejected it."

Orochimaru's face darkened as he stared fixedly at Ye Tian.

That recoil had not only shattered his tooth. A domineering yang energy had also entered his body through the wound and was frantically destroying his cellular tissue. The sensation was extremely unpleasant, like swallowing a red-hot branding iron.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

A burst of hurried footsteps came from the distance.

Orochimaru's ears twitched.

"It seems... my subordinates have arrived."

They were the trio of Sound Ninja he had arranged. Though he feared no one, his current condition was not good. Coupled with the strange internal injury he had just suffered, continuing to tangle with them would not necessarily be wise.

Besides, his goal had already been achieved. Sasuke had been planted with the Curse Mark, and this seed would sprout sooner or later.

As for this brat named Ye Tian...

Orochimaru gave Ye Tian a deep look, as if he wanted to carve his appearance into his mind.

"Ye Tian... I will remember you."

"When we meet again, I will prepare a sharper scalpel and dissect you inside and out until I understand everything."

After saying that, Orochimaru's body slowly sank into the ground, disappearing as though he had melted into the soil.

Only a sinister voice remained, echoing through the air.

"Enjoy this exam... this is only the beginning."

Only after confirming that Orochimaru's presence had completely vanished and that the terrifying pressure had fully dissipated did Ye Tian finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Huff... he finally left."

He felt as though his body had been hollowed out. His Meridians were completely empty, and even lifting a finger took effort.

"This time, I really took a loss... a month of Spiritual Energy, all used as a shield..."

Ye Tian glanced at Naruto, who was still unconscious beside him, then at Sasuke, who lay on the ground groaning in pain, and finally at the terrified Sakura.

There were also those two nameless teammates who had long since fallen unconscious.

"Forget it. If I am putting on an act, I might as well see it through."

Ye Tian took a deep breath, gathered his last trace of strength, and forcibly expelled a mouthful of clotted blood.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed out, staining the front of his clothes red.

Then he rolled his eyes and, very "professionally," fell onto the grass beside Naruto. Adopting a peaceful pose, he began playing dead.

After all, for a "frail and sickly" repeat student to withstand Orochimaru and be completely fine would be far too suspicious.

At a time like this, fainting suited his persona better.

As for the mess that came next...

He would leave it to those supporting characters who had arrived so fashionably late.