After swallowing and digesting five Serpent Cores in a row, Zhang Zongnian’s Cultivation had reached Body Tempering Peak.
As long as he refined one more Serpent Core, he could begin Jindan, attempt to cross the Lightning Tribulation, and be promoted to a Grand Demon.
Zhang Zongnian opened his eyes, feeling the powerful Demon Power within his body.
He waved his hand forcefully, the palm wind easily lifting the gauze curtains more than ten paces away.
His previous human body, after fifteen years of hard sword practice, only had a Cultivation of Lianqi San Chong.
Now that he was a Demon, in just six or seven short days, he had grown from an ordinary Mouse into a Body Tempering Peak Rat Demon.
Zhang Zongnian could not help but sigh at the strangeness of fate.
Body Tempering Peak was equivalent to the Lianqi Dayuanman of a Human Cultivator.
In the entire Xichuan, there were only three Lianqi Dayuanman, all of whom were Cultivators of the Yang Family.
But now there should be only two left; Yang Yuting had already been killed by Lin Xue.
Zhang Zongnian recalled what happened when he met Yang Yuxiang outside the town while traveling to Stone Plate Town with Lin Xue.
He clearly remembered how desperate he felt at that time when facing Yang Yuxiang, who was at the seventh level of Refining Qi.
In front of Yang Yuxiang, he, who was at Lianqi San Chong, had no power to resist at all. He could only watch as Lin Xue was insulted by the other party before his eyes.
If it were his current self, he alone could easily handle the three of them, including Yang Yuxiang, without Lin Xue having to take action.
Thinking of the Yang Family, Zhang Zongnian thought of his dead Mother.
The revenge for his mother’s death was about to be achieved!
He gnashed his teeth and said silently in his heart: “Beasts of the Yang Family, you just wait! I will come find you in a few days!”
He picked up the sixth Serpent Core and held it in his hand.
Having continuously operated the Beast Refinement Codex to digest several Serpent Cores, he felt very tired.
He really wanted to lie on the bed and have a good rest.
But at the thought that Lin Xue was still in danger, Zhang Zongnian could not stop.
He picked up the remaining Serpent Cores, stood up from the ground, and walked out of the Dormitory.
After digesting one more Serpent Core, he could begin his promotion to a Grand Demon.
To be promoted to a Grand Demon, one must undergo the trial of the Lightning Tribulation, otherwise the Serpent Core would fail to condense and would dissipate.
He had to find a place where he could receive the baptism of the Tribulation Lightning to continue.
It was already evening.
Zhang Zongnian had not eaten for a day, but because he had absorbed a large amount of Demon Power from the Serpent Cores, he did not feel hungry at this time.
Outside the Dormitory door, Lang Buping had arranged for several Lesser Beasts to guard him, so as to prevent anyone from disturbing his Cultivation improvement.
Seeing Zhang Zongnian come out, a Lesser Beast immediately went to report to Lang Buping in the next Dormitory.
Lang Buping hurriedly walked out of the Master of the Cave room, unable to wait.
He looked at Zhang Zongnian and found that the Demon Aura around Zhang Zongnian was dense, having reached the Body Tempering Peak Cultivation Realm, only one step away from being promoted to a Grand Demon.
Lang Buping’s face was full of shock and ecstasy.
To reach the level of being about to be promoted to a Grand Demon from the Body Tempering Middle Stage within a day—if he had not seen it with his own eyes, no one would believe such an exaggerated fact.
Lang Buping now completely believed Zhang Zongnian’s words, believing that Zhang Zongnian definitely had the strength to temporarily become a Yao Wang.
He asked Zhang Zongnian: “Does Brother Zhang have anything that this Master of the Cave can help with?”
Zhang Zongnian nodded and replied: “I am preparing to promote soon. Please, Master of the Cave, send someone to perform the Guardian Ritual for me.”
Lang Buping readily agreed: “Brother Zhang, rest assured, this Master of the Cave will personally lead people to protect you!”
Subsequently, he recommended that Zhang Zongnian go to the Cave where the Hong Family had been promoted for generations to undergo the Thunder Tribulation.
That Cave only had a narrow opening at the top, leading directly to the sky. The Tribulation Lightning could strike down through the opening and enter the Cave.
Because the opening was too narrow, most of the Tribulation Lightning would be blocked, and only a small portion would strike the person undergoing the Thunder Tribulation.
Therefore, this place could be said to be an excellent place for promotion and Thunder Tribulation.
But Zhang Zongnian refused.
Previously, before Shu Da performed the Soul Possession, through the information passed to him during the Initiation, he learned that the intensity of the Lightning Tribulation experienced during Thunder Tribulation would affect how far the person could go after becoming a Grand Demon.
Zhang Zongnian understood that he was going to face the Yao Wang later and go head-to-head with the Yao Wang, so naturally there could be no carelessness, and his strength could not have any flaws.
He decided to be like Shu Da, to be promoted outside the Cave and resist the Lightning Tribulation with his physical body.
Seeing that his mind was made up, Lang Buping could only comply.
Zhang Zongnian came to the entrance of Luoyun Cave.
Lang Buping followed closely behind with a squad of Demon Troops.
It was late by now.
A bright moon was in the sky, and the night sky was sparsely dotted with a few stars.
Zhang Zongnian sat cross-legged in the center of the open space, took out a Serpent Core, swallowed it, and began to run the Beast Refinement Codex again.
Lang Buping and the Demon Troops scattered and protected him in the center.
Having absorbed several Serpent Cores in a row, Zhang Zongnian was now much more proficient in mastering the Beast Refinement Codex.
He skillfully dissolved the Serpent Core, integrating bits of Demon Power into his Serpent Core through the Meridians.
In just half an hour, he finished absorbing that Serpent Core.
His Serpent Core had formed a completely solid sphere.
Thick, ink-like dark clouds suddenly gathered in the night sky.
The dark clouds pressed down, electric snakes danced wildly in the clouds, and a heart-palpitating aura of destruction shrouded the surrounding area.
Zhang Zongnian opened his eyes.
The wind roared around, sand and stones flew, and the grass and trees danced wildly.
Boom!
Soon, the first purple Tribulation Lightning tore through the sky, carrying majestic heavenly power, and struck straight down!
……
In the Secret Realm of the Valley of Ecstasy on Erlong Mountain, the thick dark clouds had dissipated, and the thunder slowly stopped.
Hong Yanzhi was covered in Deadly Wounds and lay on the ground dying.
This was her second time being promoted to a Grand Demon.
The difficulty was much higher than the first time, and the power of the Lightning Tribulation she experienced was also stronger.
There was no terrain here for her to hide, so she could only choose to endure it head-on.
Fortunately, she finally persevered.
The Thunder Tribulation was finally over.
Hong Yanzhi lay on her back, her whole body in pain.
Seeing that her Serpent Core was larger than when she was first promoted to a Grand Demon, and the power in her body was also stronger than before, her heart was full of joy.
She succeeded. She finally became a Grand Demon again, and her strength was even greater than last time.
Her heart was full of gratitude toward Lin Xue.
If Lin Xue had not passed this Beast Refinement Codex to her, how could she have become a Grand Demon again so quickly and smoothly?
Wait until all the Tribulation Lightning disappeared, Lin Xue then stepped forward quickly and carefully helped Hong Yanzhi up.
The other Nüyao also gathered around with faces full of concern.
Lin Xue used the Wood Spirit Detoxification Technique to produce a Spirit Needle, crushed it in her hand, and sprinkled the powder on Hong Yanzhi’s Deadly Wounds.
Hong Yanzhi’s Deadly Wounds quickly began to improve.
Du Niangzi also approached and took the initiative to offer the Healing Medicine from her body.
Under the joint action of the Spirit Needle powder and Du Niangzi’s Healing Medicine, Hong Yanzhi’s Deadly Wounds healed quickly.
After a while, she felt that she had almost recovered.
She stood up, took out a new set of clothes from her teeth, and replaced the old clothes that had been struck into a pile of rags by the Tribulation Lightning.