Of course, Tu Xiao’an was only joking. He wasn’t that domineering. The waters of the Yaoling Mountain Range ran deep.
It was far more complex than it seemed. He had already offended two Deep Mountain Demon Kings and had no desire to stir up more trouble for himself.
Now that the Azure Owl had attained its Dao and achieved Demon Transformation, its Level had leaped to 32—a two-Level jump. Its true combat strength should be on par with a Deep Mountain Great Demon.
In truth, whether it became the King of the Race or not wasn’t important.
Failing to be crowned king on the spot simply meant its aptitude and strength were still lacking. Otherwise, even if the race already had a king, they would have been forced to abdicate.
The King of the Race was always the strongest of their line. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t hold the title.
The flock of birds now flew everywhere with the Azure Owl. As it completed its Demon Transformation, the iridescent clouds lingering in the sky vanished, and everything returned to tranquility.
Just as Tu Xiao’an was about to dismiss the watching Snake Species and return to the Snake Palace’s main hall, the sky above suddenly grew tumultuous once more. It turned a dark crimson as a massive vortex materialized, bursting with otherworldly phenomena.
"What’s going on?"
A flash of astonishment crossed Tu Xiao’an’s eyes. ’Another Celestial Tribulation?’
Hadn’t the Azure Owl’s Celestial Tribulation just ended? Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lightning-fast shadow dart to the pinnacle of the Snake Palace. It held its head high, waiting majestically.
"Golden Pupils?"
Golden Pupils, with the might of a tiger and the presence of a lion, stood atop the Snake Palace in the very same spot the Azure Owl had just occupied.
’A Celestial Tribulation is descending again, and it’s for Golden Pupils? Isn’t this little one’s tribulation supposed to be in two days? Did it start early?’
After asking Elder Snake, Tu Xiao’an learned that the date for Crossing the Tribulation could indeed be advanced; it wasn’t set in stone.
When a Cultivated Creature completes their Rank Two Cultivation, the Heaven and Earth Law makes its own arrangements in the background, granting a period of time for preparation.
Of course, one could also forgo this preparation time and choose to face the tribulation immediately.
This sort of intuitive communication with the heavens and earth was profoundly mystical.
Most Cultivated Creatures had several months to prepare for their tribulation. A Celestial Tribulation was a momentous event, and the more thorough the preparations, the greater one’s confidence.
Only those with absolute confidence in their own strength could decide to undergo their tribulation on a whim.
Tu Xiao’an, however, had received no such courtesy. His tribulation hadn’t even granted him an hour to prepare. The Seventy-Two Celestial Tribulations sent by the Heaven and Earth Law had descended with the clear intent to obliterate him.
Seeing the Azure Owl’s successful tribulation, Golden Pupils couldn’t hold back. Its fiery temper flared, and it decided to face its own tribulation then and there. And so, the Celestial Tribulation had arrived.
The arrival of the crimson sky sent the flock of birds scattering as if fleeing a great catastrophe, while below, countless Snake Demons stood frozen in shock.
’What is going on? We just watched one Celestial Tribulation, and before the show’s even over, another one is starting?’
’Since when are Celestial Tribulations like a TV series, with one episode right after another?’
But for the Snake Species who had yet to undergo their own tribulations, there was no harm in watching more. Everything they witnessed was a source of experience and insight.
"My King, this..." Elder Snake’s expression was grim as he gazed at the crimson sky.
Tu Xiao’an just smiled. "My apologies. Another one of my Battle Companions is Crossing the Tribulation."
"My King, it’s one thing for it to be Crossing the Tribulation, but why must it be done atop our Snake Palace?"
"They are both my Battle Companions. I can’t show favoritism. Just let it be."
It could only be said that the Azure Owl had set a bad precedent.
Tu Xiao’an wasn’t one to sweat the details. He actually thought undergoing the tribulation atop the Snake Palace was great—it was impressive and served as a grand proclamation to the world.
"Just consider this my treat to all of you: another fireworks show," Tu Xiao’an added.
Elder Snake was speechless once again. ’Comparing a Celestial Tribulation to fireworks... just how capricious is this new Snake King?’
’And what in the world is with his Battle Companions? Do they just line up to face their Celestial Tribulations?’
"Go, Ermao!"
Now a breathtakingly beautiful young woman, the Azure Owl floated gracefully as she called out to the majestic Golden Pupils on the palace peak. She then landed beside Tu Xiao’an, a sweet fragrance wafting from her.
Tu Xiao’an sat back down in his grand armchair and said to the beautiful young woman, "Come here, babe, give me a hug. We can watch together."
"Hug my foot! In your dreams, you creep!" The Azure Owl wasn’t a fool. She wasn’t that fluffy, feathered Peacock anymore.
Now, she had to be mindful of the propriety between men and women.
Tu Xiao’an just smiled slightly, not having been serious about the hug anyway, and turned his gaze back to Golden Pupils.
This cat was a king among felines with Super Class aptitude, not the least bit inferior to the Azure Owl, the Immortal Forest Peacock.
Tu Xiao’an had to use both coaxing and trickery to make this cat his in the first place.
Gazing at the crimson sky, the phenomena of the Celestial Tribulation grew distinct. Within the giant vortex, one after another, the Tribulation Cloud Flowers manifested again, looking tantalizingly vivid.
Next came the Extraterrestrial Meteorites. ’A familiar recipe, a familiar flavor.’
A moment later, Elder Snake could be heard exclaiming in amazement, "I never would have thought... My King’s cat is also facing the thirty-six great tribulations!"
Eighteen Tribulation Cloud Flowers and eighteen Extraterrestrial Meteorites—it was as if the previous scene were playing out all over again.
The sky was crimson, tribulation clouds surged like a tide, and thunderclaps echoed. An immense pressure from the heavens descended, blanketing everything. The suffocating weight made many of the Snake Species feel as though they were walking on thin ice once more.
ROAR!
Golden Pupils, with the might of a tiger and the presence of a lion, let out a tyrannical roar that shook the forest. It instantly entered a combat state, transforming into a massive tiger. Its pair of Yin Yang Eyes were spectral and ghostly, and its aura was terrifyingly powerful.
This aura terrified the countless Snake Species of She Mountain, forcing them to prostrate themselves on the ground, unable to control their bodies.
The Celestial Tribulation officially began with the blooming of the first Tribulation Cloud Flower, and the very color of the sky and earth seemed to shift.
The first bolt of purple Thunder struck. The great tiger lunged forward and swallowed it whole.
Huh?!
’The cat swallows lightning, too?’
It swallowed the second and third bolts as well. The great tiger on the palace peak was majestic and powerful, so imposing that it seemed like a single warrior holding a pass against ten thousand foes. It treated the Celestial Tribulation as if it were nothing.
When an Extraterrestrial Meteorite fell, a heaven-shaking roar erupted from the tiger as it shattered the rock with a single swipe of its paw.
It had to be said, Golden Pupils’ tribulation was even more impressive than the Azure Owl’s. The countless Snake Demons watched, dumbfounded, almost believing they were witnessing a fake Celestial Tribulation.
Bolt after bolt of Celestial Thunder and wave after wave of Celestial Fire descended, one after another, as if on schedule.
An hour later, the crimson sky began to dissipate, returning to its former clarity.
Golden Pupils had successfully completed its tribulation, with even fewer scares than the Azure Owl.
[Ding... Congratulations to the host. Your Super Class variant Golden Pupils has successfully completed its tribulation, attained its Dao, and reached Level 32.]
Golden Pupils didn’t immediately choose to undergo Demon Transformation. Instead, it suddenly appeared before Tu Xiao’an in its majestic tiger form and spoke in a human voice, "Master..."
Tu Xiao’an’s eyes instantly brightened, and he burst out laughing. ’Good, at least it’s not a mute.’
Having completed its tribulation and attained its Dao, Golden Pupils’ aura was even stronger, its gaze imperious. Wherever it stood, even Snake Demon Spirits had to give it a wide berth, trembling in fear.
"Ermao, not a bad performance."
The beautiful Azure Owl giggled and leaped directly onto the back of the tiger-like Golden Pupils, starting to play around.
As proud as Golden Pupils was, it only ever showed a gentle side to the Azure Owl. It let her ride on its back without getting angry and even carried her across the mountains and ridges of She Mountain to celebrate.
Attaining the Dao through a tribulation was a joyous occasion of the highest order. The ancients spoke of three great joys in life: reuniting with an old friend in a foreign land, succeeding in the imperial examinations, and one’s wedding night.
But for Cultivated Creatures, all paths were bitter, and only the Dao could offer transcendence.
To complete the tribulation and attain the Dao was to become extraordinary, to rise above all worldly creatures and have one’s lifespan extended by centuries.
With two Super Battle Pets having successfully completed their tribulations, many Snake Demon Spirits came to congratulate Tu Xiao’an. He, in turn, prepared to hold a grand, flowing banquet in the main hall of the Snake Palace to celebrate.
He was about to ask Elder Snake to make the arrangements, but he discovered the elder was already up on the roof of the Snake Palace, inspecting it. After two consecutive Celestial Tribulations, he was terrified that the ancient, solemn Snake Palace might have suffered even the slightest damage.
If the Snake Palace were damaged, he would have failed the ancestors of the Snake Race and the Old Snake King.
What Elder Snake didn’t know was that the Old Snake King had already been taken out by the new one.
As Elder Snake carefully inspected every tile on the Snake Palace’s roof, the heavens suddenly changed color once more. He froze, took a short, convulsive breath, and his half-man, half-snake body went rigid, as if he’d seen a ghost.
The sky above the Snake Palace had only just cleared, yet now it had bizarrely turned crimson again as a massive vortex boiled into existence.
"Another Celestial Tribulation?!" Elder Snake was numb, at a complete loss for words.
’Is this ever going to end? Can’t the Heaven and Earth Law get a little break?’
Countless eyes converged on Tu Xiao’an, the Snake King, as if awaiting his explanation.
Tu Xiao’an was also surprised to see another Celestial Tribulation forming. He looked around and realized the Three-headed Evil Snake was gone.
He immediately looked up and saw that the Three-headed Evil Snake had appeared on the palace peak at some unknown point. It stood with its heads held high, its three heads and six eyes swaying in the wind. A terrifying, chilling aura unique to the Snake Race emanated from it, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet.
Two of his three Super level Creatures had already completed their tribulations; how could the Three-headed Evil Snake allow itself to be left behind?
Seeing the Evil Snake also standing in that spot, eagerly awaiting its tribulation, Tu Xiao’an suddenly burst out laughing. ’Oh, what the hell, this is great. In one day, all my Battle Companions will have finished their tribulations. I won’t have any Rank Two Battle Pets left.’
’From now on, they’ll all be Rank Three Demon Spirits. How impressive is that?’
’Poor Heaven and Earth Law, though. It’s having a busy day, constantly working overtime. First releasing Celestial Thunder, then blasting Celestial Fire... It must be getting worked to death.’
"Charlie, my dear, once the Three Snakes’ tribulation is over, you go up and face yours. When it’s all done, I, your master, will throw a celebration for all of you. Everyone will be happy."
To Tu Xiao’an, a Celestial Tribulation was no longer a big deal.
Tree Spirit Charlie was in despair. ’My tribulation is still five days away! Why do I have to do it early?’
’Those three freaks have really done a number on me. Why are they all in such a hurry to face their tribulations?’
"Master, Charlie is a tree! I’m terrified of fire, I don’t think I can do it!" Charlie whined. Fire overcomes wood, and this was Celestial Fire, no less.
"Isn’t your master right here? You’re my Money Tree. I’d never allow you to be burned to death by Celestial Fire."
Hearing this, the Tree Spirit relaxed slightly. ’If I have to go up, I’ll go up. The tribulation has to be faced sooner or later.’
’I can’t be the one to fall behind.’