Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

A deep, muffled drumbeat suddenly echoed from the sky.

thump—

The sound was vast and far-reaching, as if it came from the heavens above, making people's scalps tingle.

Then, several more drumbeats sounded.

Thump—thump—thump!

Each sound resonates deep within the heart, inspiring awe in those who are deeply moved.

The little mute boy tilted his head back, his eyes reflecting the golden, shimmering figures of immortals, his lips trembling slightly:

"Are they...really immortals? Are my parents in heaven?"

Those who took off were now several feet above the ground.

They still kept their eyes closed, with infatuated smiles on their faces, their arms slightly outstretched, as if embracing the impending "ascension".

More and more immortals appeared in the clouds, their robes fluttering, each with a different posture. Some held jade ruyi scepters, while others held lingzhi mushrooms. Each one had a solemn and dignified appearance, exuding an aura of immortality.

Yu Yan narrowed his eyes, staring at the figures of immortals.

wrong.

Something's not right.

Those figures flickered in the morning light, their outlines sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, but there was always an indescribable sense of strangeness about them.

Just then—

A gust of wind blew by.

The clouds were blown away a little.

The figures of those immortals became even clearer at this moment.

Yu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted.

That's not a person.

That's not human at all!

The face of the so-called immortal was revealed the moment the clouds dispersed.

There's no such thing as a kind and benevolent face, or a dignified and solemn appearance.

There were only mouths stretched to their ears, filled with rows upon rows of sharp, white teeth, one, two, three rows...

Those "immortals" still stretched out their hands, still maintaining their welcoming posture, but their faces were now protruding downwards in a strange arc.

This is clearly waiting for food to be put into their mouths.

The pill in the little mute boy's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and he froze on the spot, his face as pale as paper.

"What is that?"

His voice trembled, but no one answered him.

Yu Yan looked up, his gaze passing over the people who were still rising, past the monsters disguised as immortals, and looking even higher.

The clouds completely dispersed.

At the very top, there was no South Heavenly Gate, no magnificent palaces or pavilions.

It only has one mouth.

An enormous mouth.

That's a snake's mouth.

A colossal serpent, its body hidden in the clouds, revealing only its head, which was as large as a small mountain.

Its scales gleamed golden in the morning light, each one the size of a millstone.

Its golden vertical pupils were fixed on the people rising below.

Those so-called "immortals" and those monsters with sharp teeth are nothing more than phantoms on its body, bait conjured by its demonic power.

At that moment, the snake's mouth opened wide.

Its upper and lower jaws were almost in a straight line, revealing a bottomless throat from which a foul stench wafted out, scattering the morning clouds.

Even though Yu Yan was on the ground, dozens of feet away, he could still faintly smell it.

Those who were rising were drifting towards that giant mouth.

The bearded man flew at the front, a dazed smile on his face, completely unaware that he was about to become food in the snake's belly.

"So that's how it is..."

Yu Yan muttered to himself, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

What ascension, what becoming an immortal, what seeing one's parents?

It's all a scam.

There was never any immortal realm or immortality from the very beginning.

There was only one snake, one mouth, and a group of people who were treated as food.

"Ha, so they've really gotten into a fight with a snake demon."

In his previous life, he was a wicked cultivator who used evil techniques to transform himself into a giant snake. This time, he is directly facing a snake demon.

It seems he has a special connection with snakes.

One is an evil cultivator who uses the blood and qi of mortals to cultivate, and the other treats mortals as food.

What have mortals done to you that you keep targeting these unarmed mortals?

No, it's precisely because they are unarmed and inexperienced that they are easier to deceive and easier to take advantage of.

Those who disappeared before.

Zhou Yan's friend, Zhang Laobo's grandson, and the people who came here seeking immortality but never returned.

It seems they've all gathered here.

They were all inside the snake's belly.

The giant snake seemed to sense Yu Yan's gaze. Its enormous head turned slightly, and its vertical pupils glanced in his direction.

But it only glanced at him and ignored Yu Yan.

Or rather, there are more important things to do right now than dealing with the intruders.

eat--!

It simply lowered its head urgently, opened its huge mouth even wider, and let out a low hissing sound from its throat.

Those who ascended suddenly accelerated their speed.

It couldn't wait any longer.

It was very hungry.

Yu Yan watched this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly, and several thoughts quickly flashed through his mind.

The snake demon is not in a good state.

It clearly spotted itself, but showed no intention of attacking; it was only focused on devouring the blood-soaked creatures that flew into the air.

What does this tell us?

This indicates that it wants to avoid fighting and is eager to eat.

Judging from the previous attack with the sword array talisman, the opponent indeed did not notice him.

Yu Yan recalled what Zhou Yan had said—

His friend, the cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, disappeared after tracking the anomalies at the Taoist temple.

With the snake demon's tricks, it's no wonder it couldn't fool that cultivator.

The final result will certainly be armed conflict.

It seems that in that battle, although the snake demon successfully killed the cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining, it was also seriously injured...

So now this snake is eager to devour blood and flesh in order to heal its injuries.

That makes sense.

It's not that it doesn't want to deal with Yu Yan right now, but that it can't!

Just now, the sword formation talisman displayed its power, and the snake demon, fearing that he would attack again, refrained from attacking him.

And so on...

Yu Yan's eyes lit up.

Strike while the iron is hot and kill it.

Without any hesitation, he unleashed his spiritual power, causing the sword array talisman in his hand to emit a dazzling spiritual light.

The patterns on the talisman seemed to come alive, and sword shadows condensed from them, hovering around him.

One.

Two handles.

Five handles.

Ten handles...

A total of twelve sword shadows circled around him, forming three sword circles, each of which was a complete sword formation.

First-grade superior sword formation talisman, sword formation fully activated.

Yu Yan raised his head, staring at the snake that was opening its huge mouth, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

I originally thought it was going to be a fierce battle, and maybe it would end up as a scene of fleeing in a sorry state.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yan's friend was kind and righteous, leaving the snake demon severely injured before he died, which benefited Yu Yan.

The snake demon has committed many evil deeds. How much merit can one gain by killing it?

What he is doing now can be considered as acting on behalf of Heaven.

"You want to eat everything? Today I'll take your life first and see what you taste like!"

He formed a hand seal, pointed his finger, and twelve sword shadows roared out, soaring straight into the sky!

"Such an appetite! Come and try my sword formation first!"