"Let's keep going. Put that useless Guiding Talisman away as evidence," Wang Meng said. The two of them could only press forward based on their intuition.
But the deeper they went, the more strange, indescribable sounds they heard, making both Wang Meng and Zhang Xiaopang's hearts pound with fear. Although Wang Meng had spoken toughly, it was only to bolster his own courage. This was no place for people of their level.
Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness, which made the two feel slightly better. After all, in a godforsaken place like this, light always brought a sense of security.
The two of them picked up their pace. If they were lucky, they might be able to walk out of the Thunder Pool.
The further they went, the faster their steps became, as if something was calling to them. The feeling was warm, like they were about to return home.
Smiles appeared on the faces of Wang Meng and Zhang Xiaojiang. They were about to be safe. A sliver of doubt arose in Wang Meng's heart, but that doubt quickly vanished amidst the feeling of security.
When in danger, people instinctively try to avoid it. Moreover, the pull of that call was incredibly strong.
At the end of the light was a massive Enchanting Spider Demon. The light came from its Soul-Summoning Pearl, which could be considered a type of natural Magical Treasure. The Enchantment Technique it cast through the Soul-Hunting Pearl was terrifying. Whether Demon, Beast, or Cultivator, once they entered its attack range, they would obediently become its next meal. Beneath the Soul-Hunting Pearl was a web. When prey dazedly stepped onto it, they would be bound tightly, ready to be devoured.
Piles of white bones lay beneath the web. This Enchanting Spider Demon was one of the tyrants of the Thunder Pool. Be it other monsters or Cultivators, no one wanted to provoke a being that practiced Enchanting Spells, as they were impossible to defend against.
Against such a monster, rookies like Wang Meng and Zhang Xiaojiang were completely powerless.
The Enchanting Spider Demon drooled as it stared at its two little prey. Its favorite meal was the Elemental Power and flesh of Cultivators, which was purer and more delicious than that of Demon Beasts.
Just as they were about to reach the Enchanting Spider Demon, Wang Meng snapped out of his trance. But a thin needle from the demon's mouth was already shooting toward Zhang Xiaojiang. Clearly, Zhang Xiaojiang's Elemental Power was richer, and his flesh more tender.
A red light flashed in Wang Meng's eyes. With a deafening roar, he shoved Zhang Xiaojiang aside, and the thin needle plunged directly into his own chest.
Blood sprayed across Zhang Xiaojiang's face. The warm liquid snapped him out of the Enchantment.
"Quick... run!"
"Brother Meng!" Zhang Xiaojiang's whole body trembled. "Fuck, I'll fight you to the death!"
Zhang Xiaojiang pulled out his bow and arrow, but before he could even raise it, the Soul-Hunting Pearl on the Enchanting Spider Demon's head glowed again. With almost no resistance, Zhang Xiaojiang's eyes immediately went vacant, his pupils dilating.
Judging by the size of that Soul-Hunting Pearl, even a Level 40 Cultivator would have to take a detour. However, based on Elemental Power attacks alone, even a Level 5 Cultivator could probably take it down.
The Enchanting Spider Demon slowly crawled toward Wang Meng, surprised that such small prey required so much effort. This time, its needle aimed for Wang Meng's head.
BOOM...
A burst of red light erupted from Wang Meng's body, enveloping him completely. His body slowly began to float. The Enchanting Spider Demon's needle couldn't pierce him no matter how it tried. It desperately shook its Soul-Hunting Pearl at Wang Meng, but to no avail.
The light inside Wang Meng's body flickered in and out of existence, expanding violently before instantly contracting to nothing. After several such cycles, it suddenly burst forth in a dazzling radiance.
The red light's range wasn't large, but across the entire Small Thousand World, heaven and earth suddenly lost their color. Thunder rumbled incessantly across the sky, as if something that should not exist had just appeared in the world.
The rolling thunder was a sign of a Celestial Tribulation. At that moment, several powerful experts in the Small Thousand World suddenly looked up at the sky, an inexplicable horror in their hearts. '...How is this possible???'
'Someone is undergoing a tribulation???'
'Judging by this scale...'
'It's the Great Celestial Tribulation for ascension!'
'Who could it be? The Sword Saint? The Demon Venerable? Or the Evil Lord?'
The eyes of these experts were filled with disbelief. Envy? Jealousy?
But then, something even stranger happened. No one had ever seen a Celestial Tribulation recede. Yet, the tribulation that was forming inexplicably vanished, as if it had all been a misunderstanding.
This celestial phenomenon sent the old ancestors of the Three Sects and Five Schools scrambling, but they found nothing.
Back in the Thunder Pool, Wang Meng had opened his eyes. His wound was slowly healing under the red light, which persisted until it completely dissipated, vanishing into nothingness.
Wang Meng was still Wang Meng, but his eyes were now as deep as a bottomless abyss. He gave the Enchanting Spider Demon a detached glance. In that instant, the demon was so frightened it leaped back, scrambling to escape.
A cold smile touched Wang Meng's lips. His hands moved through the gestures of a Spell. A surging, wave-like malevolence instantly washed over the Enchanting Spider Demon. Its Soul-Hunting Pearl shattered in an instant. The demon shrieked, plunged its own claws into its body, and after a few twitches, tore itself into pieces.
Wang Meng stared at his own hands as countless memories came flooding back to him.
'Master, what is the Celestial Dao?'
'My talent is perseverance!'
'I will defy the heavens!'
'I will become a Sword Cultivator! I don't seek immortality, only a life lived with thunderous glory.'
No one knew what would happen when a Godhood fell into a Small Thousand World. What Moo Shan had done was unprecedented. How could an ordinary Cultivator possibly contain a supreme divine object from above the Three Realms?
If Wang Meng had truly activated the Godhood, its immense power would likely have destroyed him outright or turned him into a mindless killing machine. But the ignorant Enchanting Spider Demon had inadvertently done him a great favor. By dealing Wang Meng a fatal blow, it triggered the Godhood to automatically protect its host, leading to a miraculous transformation. For the sake of survival, Wang Meng's soul and Moo Shan's Godhood achieved a perfect fusion.
Everything of Wang Meng's, everything of Moo Shan's, all of it merged together, bit by bit. Past life and present life, it was all like a dream.
That state of being far surpassed the limits of the Small Thousand World, instantly triggering a Celestial Tribulation. But before the tribulation could fully form, the fusion was complete. Having lost its target, the Celestial Tribulation could only dissipate.
'Moo Shan? Or Wang Meng?'
There was no longer a distinction. Now, there was only one name, one person: the all-new Wang Meng.
Everything around him felt both familiar and strange. 'Is this the Small Thousand World of today?'
The Little Fatty on the ground... Zhang Xiaojiang. 'My good buddy!'
A warm smile appeared on Wang Meng's lips as he looked up at the sky. 'That's right. Moo Shan is dead. Now there is only Wang Meng. A brand new start. Perhaps this is true destiny.'
'What became of Wangtian?'
He and Wangtian had been the two strongest Cultivators in a thousand years. Now, he had been given a new life. The Celestial Tribulation was ferocious, but Wangtian was undeniably the top figure of the millennium. 'He won't let me go so easily,' Wang Meng mused, but then he broke into a smile. 'But this is the Small Thousand World.'
He gently patted Zhang Xiaojiang on the head. The Little Fatty shot to his feet with a start. "Die! You son of a bitch! I'll shoot your balls off!"
THWACK~~~
Zhang Xiaopang got a rap on the forehead. "Since when does an Enchanting Spider Demon have balls?"
"Brother Meng! Brother Meng, you're alive!"
Zhang Xiaopang's bow clattered to the ground. He threw his arms around Wang Meng, a complete mess of snot and tears, and sobbed his heart out.
(A big thank you to our two Alliance Leaders, Evil Giant and Iron Sunk in the Bitter Sea, for the 100,000-coin reward! The loli isn't grown up yet, so she's not on the menu. We're just one step away from the top three for new books! Let's go all out! Power up! Who's still got recommendation tickets? Aaaah!)