But before she could, Jiang Chen stepped forward and his voice rang through the cavern.
"Divine Maiden, I don't believe that will be necessary."
As the words left his lips, a terrifying pressure flooded Ryūchi Cave.
"Boom!"
The force of it shook the very ground beneath them.
The three Divine Maidens barely had ti to react before they were violently hurled backward, their forms flung like rag dolls through the air.
As they crashed into the cave walls, their disguises unraveled— revealing their true forms.
Three massive serpents lay sprawled where they had stood.
And deep within the cave, an ancient figure stirred.
At the heart of Ryūchi Cave, seated in her grand chamber, an old woman suddenly shifted— her body expanding, twisting, and morphing into an enormous serpent.
Yet even in her massive form, she found herself pressed firmly to the ground, unable to move beneath the crushing force of Jiang Chen's presence.
A deep sense of dread flickered in the White Snake Sage's eyes.
For the first ti in a long while, she felt sothing unfamiliar— fear.
Then, after a long silence, the oppressive aura receded and the White Snake Sage wasted no ti.
She sent a ssage.
Outside, the three Divine Maidens— Tenshi, Ichikishimahi, and Tagorihi— staggered to their feet, their expressions still tinged with lingering fear.
This ti, when they spoke, all arrogance in their tone had vanished.
"Honored guest, the White Snake Sage requests your presence." Tenshi's voice was respectful as she spoke while the other two followed suit, quickly bowing and gesturing for him to proceed.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"Let's go." He took the lead, walking forward without hesitation.
Jiang Xi and Orochimaru exchanged a glance. Orochimaru licked his lips and a glimr of intrigue flashed in his golden eyes.
"Your brother's strength..." His voice was barely above a whisper.
Jiang Xi smiled knowingly before she spoke. "Orochimaru Sama, my brother doesn't have the best temper."
With that, she quickly followed after Jiang Chen.
Orochimaru's gaze flickered, his mind racing with thoughts. Then, a smirk crossed his lips and he followed.
Guided by the three Divine Maidens, the trio ventured deep into Ryūchi Cave's inner sanctum.
There, the White Snake Sage had returned to her elderly human form, seated at the center of the chamber.
Orochimaru stepped forward first, bowing his head slightly. "Greetings, White Snake Sage."
His tone carried a rare note of respect but the White Snake Sage ignored him entirely.
Her gaze lingered on Jiang Chen with a faint trace of fear flickering in her ancient eyes before she finally turned to Jiang Xi.
Her aged voice rang through the chamber.
"Honored guest, I understand the reason for your visit." She paused before continuing. "However, mastering Sage Mode is not without risk. If you fail… your body will transform into that of a snake."
Her voice was steady, but this ti, she deliberately omitted one detail—
That those who failed the transformation were usually devoured by her subordinates.
With Jiang Chen present, the White Snake Sage had no choice but to comply.
"White Snake Sage, I'm ready!" Jiang Xi's expression was serious as she nodded.
"Very well! Prepare yourself. I will inject Sage Chakra into your body through my fangs. Focus on this power and keep it under control." The White Snake Sage instructed.
Jiang Xi nodded in understanding. A mont later, the sage transford, her massive snake head extending forward, fangs sinking into Jiang Xi's neck.
A sharp pain shot through her, followed by a surge of wild energy flooding into her body.
Blocking out everything else, Jiang Xi imdiately sat cross-legged, focusing on stabilizing the energy.
Observing the scene, the White Snake Sage's gaze shifted to the side.
"Tenshi!" The White Snake Sage called out.
"Understood!" Tenshi nodded and moved silently behind Jiang Xi.
Unlike others who attempted to learn Sage Mode, Tenshi wasn't there to consu her in case of failure. Instead, she held a black rod, ready to intervene at a mont's notice.
Jiang Chen arched an eyebrow at the sight.
He recognized that black rod imdiately.
Initially, he thought only Mount Myōboku had such a tool, but it turned out Ryūchi Cave had its own version as well.
As for why it was never ntioned before—
That was simple. It wasn't necessary.
Ryūchi Cave operated differently from Mount Myōboku.
Mount Myōboku only accepted those deed worthy by fate. But in Ryūchi Cave, fate alone wasn't enough. You also had to be willing to gamble with your life.
Lose the gamble, and there were no second chances. The three Divine Maidens would simply devour the loser.
Orochimaru had only survived because he was the strongest among the contracters.
For anyone else, failure ant death.
Now, because of Jiang Chen's presence, the White Snake Sage was being extra cautious.
Jiang Chen found the whole situation rather amusing. anwhile, Orochimaru's face twitched. He had barely escaped with his life back then. Yet now, Jiang Xi was receiving entirely different treatnt.
Of course, Jiang Xi herself had no ti to think about any of this.
The violent Sage Chakra rampaged through her body, rapidly consuming her chakra and cells.
Even though she did her best to control it, the struggle was imnse.
Faint snake-like scales began forming on her face. The White Snake Sage's expression grew tense. Beside her, Tenshi tightened her grip on the black rod, preparing to act.
But at that mont—
"Buzz!"
A faint purple ripple spread through the air.
A soft, glowing purple chakra enveloped Jiang Xi, suppressing the erging snake scales almost instantly.
At the sa ti, a powerful energy radiated from her.
"What is this aura?" The White Snake Sage's eyes widened in shock. Her pupils contracted as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
Due to his heightened perception, he could tell that the once-unstable Sage Chakra inside Jiang Xi was finally beginning to harmonize.
Based on his understanding of the Ninja World—
She had just passed the most crucial step in mastering Sage Mode.
Sage Mode relied on absorbing natural energy to create "Sage Chakra," a state that greatly enhanced ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
The hardest part was balancing natural energy and personal chakra.
Any imbalance led to disastrous consequences— Mount Myōboku turned people to stone, while Ryūchi Cave transford them into snakes.
Compared to Mount Myōboku, Ryūchi Cave's thod skipped a step, making it seem easier.
But in reality, it was far more dangerous.
Without a structured training process, losing control was almost inevitable.
In the history of the Ninja World, only two people had ever mastered Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode: Kabuto and a certain android.
The android wasn't even human, created by Orochimaru using Sage Chakra.
Kabuto, on the other hand, had long since abandoned his humanity and possessed an unbreakable will.
Even Orochimaru himself had failed.
For anyone else, the challenge was nearly insurmountable.
Among the Three Great Sage Lands, Ryūchi Cave was by far the most lethal.
However, no matter how dangerous, Jiang Xi had already awakened the Tenseigan.
That alone put her in a completely different league.
Her very existence had already transcended human limits.
For her, mastering Sage Chakra was no longer just a possibility— it was inevitable.
(End of this chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon and I've also activated a (date-to-date) subscription model on my Patreon spatreon/darkshadow6395
Reviews
All reviews (0)