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Chapter 113: Ryuchi Cave, The Trial
The cave was dim, reeking of a pungent, fishy smell.
Konan had already held her breath, with Alex silently supplying her with oxygen.
The ground was covered in poisonous snakes of various colors, piled densely atop one another.
It was enough to trigger trypophobia in anyone.
Strangers intruding.
All the poisonous snakes raised their upper bodies, arched their backs, and flicked their tongues with a hiss.
An extremely piercing hissing sound instantly rang in Konan's ears.
The swarm of snakes had already assumed attack positions and was about to bite her from all directions.
But it was futile.
Konan floated in mid-air, flying past leisurely.
Her body radiated visible cold air, and any snake that tried to bite her was instantly frozen into a long popsicle.
She flew deeper into the cave.
The space inside grew larger, and the size of the snakes she encountered became increasingly terrifying.
Now, they were giant pythons as thick as water tanks.
Unfortunately, they couldn't harm her in the slightest.
Regardless of size, thickness, or quantity, wherever she flew, only frozen popsicles remained.
Alex silently observed the surroundings.
Clearly, such an unusual number of snakes must be related to Ryuchi Cave.
Anyone fated to come to Ryuchi Cave, wanting to see the White Snake Sage and learn Senjutsu, had to undergo trials.
Ryuchi Cave was likely already aware of Konan's presence and was currently testing her.
Deeper inside, in the great hall of Ryuchi Cave.
Three beautiful women dressed in white priestess robes floated in mid-air.
A water mirror hovered in front of them, displaying Konan's figure.
Ichikishimahime, with her loli face, giggled. "It looks like this trial-taker is quite strong. No matter how many snakes there are, they won't affect her."
"Hehehe." Tagorihime laughed sinisterly, her beautiful face suddenly transforming into a grotesque snake face.
Her chin was extremely sharp, and her mouth was full of fangs. "There have been plenty of people unafraid of snakes in the past, but so what?"
"Whether she can pass our trials remains to be seen."
"I can sense that this person's body is extremely perfect and healthy. It's been a long time since I've encountered such delicious food. I want to eat her... I really want to eat her!"
"Control your desires!" Tagitsuhime, with her long black hair, scolded. "Don't forget the rules set by the Ancestor."
"Only those who fail the trial are allowed to be eaten. Do not make a mistake; the Ancestor's temper is not good!"
Thinking of the Ancestor, a flash of fear crossed Tagorihime's face, and she hurriedly put away her snake face.
"I know. Everything will be done according to the rules set by the Ancestor. I won't overstep."
Hehehe, but the difficulty of the trial is up to me.
Unfortunately, she could only tempt, not intervene directly.
Tagitsuhime waved her hand. "She's coming soon. Go prepare the trials."
As the words fell, Tagorihime flew out first.
Ichikishimahime followed closely behind. "You ran off first again! Wait for me!"
Tagitsuhime shook her head and walked deeper into the hall.
There was a new trial-taker; she needed to report to the Ancestor.
In front of a bizarre temple, the massive snake body of the White Snake Sage was curled up on a seat.
A glowing green, crystal-clear "Dragon Pearl" hung around its neck.
It held a pipe in its mouth, eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
"Ancestor."
Tagitsuhime called out in a low voice, her expression respectful.
"Hmm?" The White Snake Sage lifted its eyelids, its vertical snake pupils looking down at her ruthlessly. "Another trial-taker has arrived?"
Everything in Ryuchi Cave was under its control.
There was no need for a report; as long as it was awake, it knew.
"Yes, Ancestor. The two of them have already gone to administer the trials."
A small white snake whispered urgently into the White Snake Sage's ear, then slipped away and vanished in a flash.
A glint flashed in the White Snake Sage's eyes. "The Akatsuki's White Tiger, is it..."
Ryuchi Cave had a vast number of poisonous snakes acting as its eyes and ears.
Major events happening in the ninja world would all reach its ears.
"Interesting, interesting." The White Snake Sage narrowed its snake pupils, smiling ambiguously. "A person who should be dead is still alive."
"Fate has changed, and the future is blurred. Truly interesting."
It took a puff of smoke, exhaling a large cloud. "Go. Bring her to see me. Those trials won't stop her."
"Yes." Tagitsuhime bowed and left.
On the other side.
Konan didn't know how long she had been flying, but she finally exited the dark snake cave.
Strangely, ahead lay a massive purple-black castle.
The main gate faced her directly.
Both sides were mountain walls; entering the castle was the only path.
Konan narrowed her eyes, landed on the ground, and walked calmly into the castle.
Instantly, a fragrant aroma assailed her nostrils.
A dazzling array of delicious dishes filled her entire field of vision.
The castle was filled with all kinds of food.
Even though she had blocked her sense of smell, this aroma seemed to penetrate directly into her brain, seducing her soul.
It greatly stimulated her appetite.
"Eat, eat. As long as you eat this food, your chakra and body will be mine."
Tagorihime, hidden nearby using a unique invisibility Senjutsu, stared at Konan greedily.
This was the "food" she had meticulously prepared, capable of arousing the most primal human desire to eat.
Over the past millennium, countless people had failed to resist and ended up in her belly.
Konan looked at the food indifferently, stopping in her tracks.
With the Sharingan and Alex's mental enhancement, although she couldn't see through the essence of this food, she knew very well it was just a genjutsu.
Probably a type of Senjutsu.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why won't you eat? How can you not eat?!"
Half an hour later, Tagorihime cursed in exasperation, transforming back into that terrifying, elongated snake face.
However unwilling she was, she knew the opponent had seen through her Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation and wasn't falling for it at all.
"Damn it! I'll leave it to you!"
Tagorihime left while cursing; the next trial would be Ichikishimahime's.
"Hehehe, her strength is indeed good." Ichikishimahime licked the corner of her mouth.
"I just don't know how much chakra you have. If you consume too much, your Senjutsu training later will fail."
Swish!
The giant castle vanished like a bubble bursting, replaced by a large stone wall.
The surface was filled with densely packed holes.
On the right side was a line of large characters: [Fill all holes with chakra to pass the trial.]
Konan didn't act rashly, observing the stone wall silently.
A strange sensation came from her chest.
Immediately, she walked forward, pressed her hands against the stone wall, and chakra surged out wildly.
The holes in the stone wall were visibly filled with crystals one by one.
Alex knew clearly that this was the trial from Ichikishimahime, one of the three snake princesses.
Trial-takers would either fail to fill them all, consume all their chakra, and be eaten.
Or, even if they finished filling them, their chakra would be massively depleted, leaving no reserves to support the subsequent Senjutsu training.
However, Konan had Alex, the power bank, so she wasn't afraid of chakra consumption at all.
Having undergone several bloodline fusions, her chakra could already be described as "chakra tons."
Not to mention the massive amount of chakra stored daily within Alex's body.
Soon, the moment the last crystal on the wall was filled, the entire wall, just like the castle earlier, turned into bubbles and vanished.
Appearing before Konan were three large characters: [Ryuchi Cave].
Having passed the trials, she had finally truly arrived at Ryuchi Cave.
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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