Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 535: Chapter 522: Treating the Blood Pool Like a Hot Spring

But the moment he jumped, Tu Xiao’an’s brows furrowed, and a wry smile appeared on his face. ’This doesn’t seem to be going well.’

The blood in the pool went berserk, assailing Tu Xiao’an like countless vicious snake heads tearing at him, injecting him with lethal venom.

A stinging, aching sensation washed over him. Tu Xiao’an felt as if he had jumped into a pool of sulfuric acid, every inch of his skin being corroded.

This was truly the feeling of being torn apart by ten thousand snakes.

Pain. A heart-wrenching, soul-tearing pain.

It felt as though his insides were being torn to shreds, as if he were being subjected to death by a thousand cuts. Tu Xiao’an was astonished. For something to cause his current body such excruciating pain was no easy feat.

It seemed Demon King Liu’s test was not going to be so easy to pass.

An ordinary Snake Species would be dissolved in an instant upon entering the Ten Thousand Blood Pool, leaving not even bones behind. The corrosiveness and aggression of the Blood Pool were incredibly strong.

"Xiao’an, you have to hold on! With your strength and bloodline, you’ll definitely be fine," came Luo Ziyun’s encouraging words, though she herself was extremely tense.

Tu Xiao’an, however, wasn’t worried he couldn’t withstand it. Never mind that the Blood Pool only contained the blood of Snake Species; even if ten thousand living, venomous snakes were tearing at him, he would feel no fear.

No one could truly comprehend just how monstrously tough Tu Xiao’an’s body had become.

Now, soaking in the Blood Pool, he felt pain, itchiness, and a burning heat, all accompanied by a strange ache. His skin stung relentlessly, yet it also felt as if his meridians and bones were grinding against each other. It was unbearable. The powerful corrosive force continued to eat away at Tu Xiao’an’s body.

Just then, a sharp glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s demonic eyes. At a speed visible to the naked eye, his unique Snake Scales erupted and spread to cover his entire body.

His Snake Scales had three variations: silver-white, gold-and-silver, and violet-gold. Segment by segment, they shimmered with the sacred, inviolable majesty of a Snake King.

In an instant, he was clad in a suit of Snake King Armor, its defensive power astonishing.

Once the Battle Armor covered his body, the corrosiveness of the Blood Pool weakened significantly, and the pain subsided.

Luo Ziyun had been absolutely right about one thing: this Blood Pool was a treasure. It contained the Essence Blood of ten thousand supreme-grade Snake Species. What Tu Xiao’an needed to do was completely absorb all of this supreme Essence Blood and transcend himself.

The ancients had a saying: before Heaven entrusts a great mission to someone, it first tempers their will with hardship, exhausts their muscles and bones, starves their flesh, and throws their life into disarray. All this serves to stir the heart, strengthen the character, and grant them abilities they once lacked.

Everything has its price. The Essence Blood of the Snake Species in the Ten Thousand Blood Pool was a treasure, but it was also a lethal venom. It all depended on whether your body could withstand it first.

If you couldn’t bear it, you would be tortured into submission, assimilated into the pool. But if you could, it was like being reborn from flames.

It was a case of gathering the strengths of many to forge a new whole.

If Tu Xiao’an could absorb the Essence Blood of all ten thousand Snake Species, the benefits would be indescribable. His Snake King bloodline would once again break through its shackles and ascend to a whole new level.

But then again, Demon King Liu had truly undertaken a monumental task. Even as the previous Snake King, collecting the Essence Blood from ten thousand different Awakened Snake Species would not have been easy.

That was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

At the very least, Tu Xiao’an knew he didn’t have the confidence or the perseverance to create a Ten Thousand Blood Pool himself.

’Since you went to such great lengths, then I, Tu Xiao’an, won’t stand on ceremony.’

Ten minutes later, Tu Xiao’an roared from within the Blood Pool, "Absorb!" and activated his Devouring ability.

In an instant, a bloody, luminous energy began to course through his body. Everywhere it went, his Qi and blood flourished. From his meridians to his bones and out to his skin, it began to manifest, regenerate, and baptize him inch by inch.

The moment he began to absorb the Essence Blood from the Blood Pool, Tu Xiao’an’s furrowed brow immediately relaxed, as he could already feel the tangible benefits.

By absorbing the Essence of Ten Thousand Snakes, his Snake King bloodline would become even more transcendent.

But this was only the beginning. The process of soaking, constantly absorbing, and being reforged was not something that could be completed in a moment.

Eventually, the corrosive, tearing sensation from the Blood Pool almost completely vanished. Having endured the ordeal, Tu Xiao’an began to enjoy himself.

Half an hour later, Luo Ziyun asked again, "Xiao’an, how are you doing now?"

Tu Xiao’an opened his eyes and said with a faint smile, "I feel great now. This bath is really comfortable; it’s got my blood boiling with energy."

Hearing this, Luo Ziyun was stunned for a moment. Seeing that there was truly no trace of pain on his handsome face, she relaxed and said happily, "Xiao’an, your Snake King bloodline is even more outstanding, even more powerful than I imagined. I thought you’d be screaming your head off in the Blood Pool for half a day, but you completely adapted in just half an hour!"

"You call this a challenge?" Tu Xiao’an replied smugly.

It was like a hot spring, but one filled with boiling water. How could anyone’s body withstand jumping into that? It would be instantly fatal.

But the Ten Thousand Blood Pool couldn’t be described as mere boiling water; it was practically molten lava. A normal Snake Species would be instantly vaporized upon entry, leaving not even a trace of bone behind as it was assimilated.

If you weren’t outstanding enough yourself, what right did you have to absorb the Essence Blood of Ten Thousand Snakes?

Tu Xiao’an’s Snake Bloodline had advanced through stages of evolution by devouring supreme-grade Snake Species. Each evolution was a massive leap forward, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate to become a dragon.

If he hadn’t completed his third stage of evolution, he truly might not have been able to withstand the Ten Thousand Blood Pool. At the very least, he would have had to endure an inhuman ordeal.

But now, he was perfectly composed.

After a bit of pain, he was now basking in comfort.

One could only say that Tu Xiao’an’s bloodline was even more powerful than Demon King Liu had imagined.

"So, are you going to tell me now? Is Demon King Liu already dead?" Tu Xiao’an asked, lounging comfortably in the Blood Pool. He turned to look at Luo Ziyun, truly treating the pool like his own private hot spring.

Luo Ziyun shot him a glare. "Don’t speak such nonsense. Demon King Liu has merely returned to the Path of Reincarnation."

"The Path of Reincarnation?" Tu Xiao’an froze. ’Isn’t that just another way of saying he’s dead?’

"Xiao’an, let me ask you. You’re already at Rank Three of Enlightenment. The next step is Rank Four of Ascension. Are you confident you can make it?" Luo Ziyun asked, looking at him seriously as he soaked in the pool.

Tu Xiao’an blinked and blurted out, "Of course. I’m bursting with confidence."

Luo Ziyun: "..."

’What is with this guy? Where does he get the nerve to say that???’

She gave him a huge eye-roll. "Rank Four may seem distant to you now, but when you one day reach its threshold, you will find that it is a gate of death—one that cannot be opened."

"Demon King Liu was once the most powerful Demon King in the Yaoling Mountain Range, far stronger than the other four Demon Kings. He had the greatest hope of reaching Rank Four of Ascension, but in the end, even he failed. Do you know what that implies?"

Tu Xiao’an blinked his eyes again. "Does it mean that the student will surpass the master?"

Luo Ziyun: "..."

’This conversation is impossible.’