"Amazing. This feels absolutely amazing..."

Bathed in the sun’s radiance, Tu Xiao’an let out a pleased groan. A constant stream of Life Energy was being absorbed by him—or rather, it didn’t even need to be absorbed, it simply fused directly into his body.

It made his new body grow ever deeper in foundation and more terrifying in power, constantly being reinforced and strengthened.

Above the colossal ancient tree, three colors of light burst forth, forming clouds of three different hues: silvery-white, gold-and-silver, and violet-gold. The three auspicious clouds of Qi intertwined. Above them, the majestic silhouette of a snake appeared, standing proud, resonating with the three clouds without dissipating.

The countless onlookers were so stunned they forgot themselves. Those who didn’t know any better would have thought this was a Rank Four Ascension. The commotion and the celestial phenomenon were simply too incredible.

You’re just a mere Snake Spirit achieving Rank Three of Enlightenment. Does it have to be this dramatic?

This was especially true for the Cultivated Snake Species beneath the ancient tree, who were sacrificing their Life Energy like madmen, showing no regard for their own lives.

"ROAR—"

A long howl toward the heavens shot out from the rising sun, piercing the clouds. It was as if some Divine Beast was about to awaken inside. It opened its mouth and roared, emitting an Emperor’s Qi, like a king of absolute power about to start Ruling the World and look down upon all creation.

The sound of the roar was unending, echoing for a thousand *li* across the Yaoling Mountain Range.

"HISSS... HISSS... HISSS...!"

Countless prostrating Snake Species hissed in unison, as if praying to the heavens and the earth, awaiting the descent of their king.

Far, far away from Monkey Mountain, thousands of *li* distant, lay a special mountain range. It was vast, stretching for over a hundred *li*. With its rolling peaks, overlapping mountains, and crisscrossing ranges, it formed the Land of Mountains.

This mountain range was almost completely covered in swarms of snakes, from top to bottom, from left to right. Innumerable Snake Species of different sizes, breeds, and colors, each with a fearsome and terrifying appearance, instantly turned the entire range into a rainbow-colored ocean.

As if performing some ancient ritual, they curled the tips of their tails upward, held their bodies ramrod straight, and bowed their heads in worship toward Monkey Mountain.

The eyes of many venomous snakes revealed a hint of envy—envy for those snakes who were able to be at the foot of the ancient tree, contributing their lives to the Snake King’s enlightenment.

Most of them, after all, did not yet have that privilege.

This was the territory of the Snake Race, ruled by Demon King Liu, one of the five Great Demon Kings of the Yaoling Mountain Range. This mountain range was a veritable swarm of snakes; they were truly everywhere, a paradise for their kind.

Any creature that entered this serpentine territory would become food. Even a Demon Spirit-level being who rashly entered would meet the same fate.

In the past, Demon King Liu had been the strongest of the five Great Demon Kings, and the Snake Race had been the most powerful faction in the Yaoling Mountain Range.

But after Demon King Liu failed to transform into a Dragon and was unsuccessful in his breakthrough to Rank Four, it was as if he had vanished from the Yaoling Mountain Range.

The Snake Race’s forces also abruptly withdrew from the grand stage of the Yaoling Mountain Range.

Now, the legions of snakes resonated as one, craning their necks in anticipation of a single Snake Spirit’s enlightenment, as if this one event would allow him to lead them back to the glory of the Snake Race.

Upon the mountain range, the snakes carpeted the ground in a thick layer. Among them, one colossal creature seemed to vie with the heavens in height, rearing its head to stand a full one hundred *zhang* tall.

It was like a walking skyscraper, more majestic and terrifying than even a Dragon. Rearing up, its head stood above the clouds.

This was a special bloodline, a Titan Snake, the sole being of its kind to exist since Ancient Times. Furthermore, it had cultivated to the level of a Rank Three Demon Spirit. A behemoth of this scale could shatter stone and pierce clouds with a single roar. Its cry was like a celestial bell, ringing through the heavens, carrying a boundless, majestic aura that could overwhelm and destroy all.

A single glance at such a world-shaking Giant Snake would be enough to shatter a person’s soul. In its eyes, a human was no different from an ant.

What was even stranger was that a woman in white stood atop the Titan Snake’s head. Her white robes fluttered, her features were as elegant as a painting, and her long black hair danced in the wind. Standing upon the hundred-*zhang* Giant Snake’s head, high above the clouds, her peerless grace was a beauty beyond compare, evoking verses of clouds and flowers.

The woman’s gaze spanned a thousand *li*, taking in the entire scene at Monkey Mountain. As she watched the great sun’s radiance rising before the ancient tree, crystalline tears inexplicably fell from her eyes.

’My love, you’re finally achieving your Rank Three of Enlightenment. After you succeed, will you be able to remember me?’

A scene from long, long ago surfaced in her mind.

"Yan’Er, I have walked the wrong path, a crooked path. A Snake is a Snake, and a Dragon is a Dragon. It was a grave mistake for a snake to covet the form of a Dragon for its Rank Four Divine Spirit Ascension. The Celestial Dao does not tolerate such impurity. How can someone who has forgotten their roots be worthy of becoming a Rank Four Divine Spirit?"

"I must walk the Path of Reincarnation and cultivate anew as a Pure Snake. When I return, I will rule the world as a Snake."

"Yan’Er, are you willing to wait for my return?"

Tears streaming down her face, she had nodded. That nod, and that wait, had lasted for five hundred years.

.......

The tremors from Monkey Mountain had now affected the entire Yaoling Mountain Range, even startling the other Great Demon Kings.

Above the valley, the phenomenon of the three-colored clouds of Qi manifested. The majestic silhouette of a giant snake flickered in and out of view, roaring at the heavens, its cry shaking the world and moving ghosts and gods.

It was nighttime, but the valley was as bright as day, for the light of the slowly rising sun enveloped a newly reborn Snake.

The massive snake silhouette was a projection of his own body.

The moon had long since hidden itself behind the clouds, as if it, too, was frightened by the Snake King’s aura and dared not show its face.

Beneath the ancient tree lay a field of snake corpses. A quick count revealed over five hundred of them, and the number was still growing.

Every single one was a Cultivated Snake Species, and the vast majority were Snake Spirits at the Spirit Monster level.

So many Snake Spirits, all to ensure the successful enlightenment of a single one.

"My goodness, Master, does your enlightenment have to be this dramatic?" The Bull Demon King had long since perched himself on a high branch, and his bovine eyes nearly popped out of his head as he watched the endless stream of Snake Spirits below spit out their Life Energy and die.

"You’re scaring Little Charlie to death!"

The entire ancient tree was trembling violently, wishing it could just lift its roots and run away. Even though it was a tree, it was capable of doing so.

But the Tree Spirit could not run.

Immersed in the great sun’s radiance, Tu Xiao’an felt an incredible, overwhelming sensation. His shedding process had been greatly accelerated; he had already shed seven-tenths of his old skin. The patterns on his new Snake Skin were exquisite: a section of silvery-white, a section of gold-and-silver, and a section of violet-gold. The three striped patterns complemented each other perfectly. Amidst the magnificent and dazzling beauty, there was an even greater sense of imposing majesty. This was his "ascension to the throne."

The aura emanating from his serpentine body was that of a Snake King, which no Snake Species could resist.

’In less than an hour, I, the Snake King, will likely succeed in my enlightenment.’

With the boost from the life force of the snakes below, Tu Xiao’an’s shedding speed was faster than ever before. He absorbed their Life Energy as he shed his skin, and every single piece of his new Snake Skin was breathtakingly beautiful.

The more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is. His Snake Scales had to become even more noble and majestic than the legendary Dragon Scales.

’Who says a Snake is inferior to a Dragon? I, Tu Xiao’an, with my Rank Three of Enlightenment, dare to make the heavens and earth change their color!’

’Just give me one more hour. That will be enough.’