No matter how well secrets are hidden, one day, they will be revealed. Perhaps that time will be long, or perhaps it will be short.
Inside the Soul Spirit Tower—
Gu You realized that his spiritual power could not perceive the Mandala Snake.
That left only one possibility.
The ground began to bulge upward, trembling slightly as tiny fragments of stone and dirt surfaced. In underground environments, spiritual power could not detect much. If Gu You's spiritual senses weren't strong enough, he might not have even noticed these micro tremors.
Four bloodline soul rings rose around Gu You as he attempted to drive the Mandala Snake away.
Generally speaking, all soul beasts, regardless of type, would instinctively retreat in the face of dragon bloodline suppression.
But Gu You had miscalculated.
The ground beneath his feet instantly caved in, and the massive head of the Mandala Snake shot upward, launching him into the air.
As he felt himself losing control mid-air, the Mandala Snake opened its enormous mouth and, with lightning speed, swallowed Gu You whole.
Outside the screen, the students of Shrek Academy all shot to their feet in shock. This was a Mandala Snake! Even an ordinary hundred-year-old Mandala Snake possessed venom potent enough to kill an adult human with just a single drop. Not to mention that this particular Mandala Snake had somehow reached the Hundred-thousand-year level! The poison in its mouth was so deadly that even an Ultimate Douluo would be in immense pain if bitten.
"You don't need to worry. If he were truly in danger, our system would detect it and forcibly eject him. Besides, this is just a virtual simulation. The worst that could happen is some mental trauma—at most, he might end up in a vegetative state," Leng Yaozhu chuckled from afar.
If Gu You could die so easily, would he still be Gu You?
Hearing the words of the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, the Shrek students had no choice but to sit down and continue watching the screen in silence.
The Mandala Snake's body was incredibly long. Inside its belly, Gu You felt as if he were sliding down a tube, slowly descending to the very bottom. The surrounding mucus was disgusting, burning his skin with its corrosive properties.
Yet, there was no fear on Gu You's face. His eyes gleamed with a purple light, and a powerful aura burst forth from within him.
The Mandala Snake was still in the sky. It was… floating?
This was a miracle for its species!
But the moment of astonishment was short-lived. The Mandala Snake suddenly let out a pained roar, panic flashing in its eyes as its belly glowed with purple light, spreading rapidly throughout its body.
It began to swell—expanding more and more!
Its lower half bloated like an overfilled balloon.
The Mandala Snake writhed in agony, violently thrashing its lower body. But then—
Boom!
It exploded.
Green blood splattered everywhere as the Mandala Snake plummeted to the ground.
Gu You descended from the sky, crashing heavily into an ancient tree. The tree trembled but stubbornly held its ground.
After using his destructive power to cleanse the mucus from his body, Gu You patiently awaited the system's prompt.
"Congratulations! You have passed the 99th floor of the Soul Spirit Tower. Special Hundred-Thousand-Year Mandala Snake: Available for absorption."
A radiant soul light flashed over the Mandala Snake's body, and a small projection of the Mandala Snake appeared.
Gu You approached the projection and curiously asked, "Aren't you afraid of my bloodline suppression?"
The Mandala Snake flicked its tongue, its intelligence surpassing that of an average adult. "Why should I be afraid?"
Gu You fell silent.
He didn't know if this was an innate talent of this particular snake, but he was certain of one thing—if a Mandala Snake were raised from birth with a pure dragon bloodline, it could definitely evolve into something like Tang Wulin's later-stage Golden Dragon King.
It might not be golden in color, but it would undoubtedly reach the level of a five-clawed dragon.
Legends spoke of the Dragon God, a being with nine claws, while the Nine Dragon Kings beneath it each possessed eight.
"Come with me," Gu You said, gazing at the small Mandala Snake. "This world will only limit you."
"No," the Mandala Snake shook its head. "They promised me something."
"What thing?"
Gu You's curiosity deepened. There was definitely a hidden story here.
"A piece of bone, like a stone tablet. It's very useful to me."
A stone tablet?
Gu You pondered. What kind of stone tablet could allow a Mandala Snake to evolve to such a level?
And just from the current situation alone, it was undoubtedly related to the dragon race.
The Mandala Snake's newly sprouted dragon horns were proof enough.
People often said that snakes could evolve into dragons. What they didn't realize was that some snakes could only become dragons because of an innate bloodline inheritance. Perhaps this wasn't evident when they were young, but once they awakened their abilities, transformation was inevitable.
A simple analogy: Take an ordinary grass snake and provide it with endless resources—except for those that enhance bloodline quality or talent. It might eventually evolve into a python, but it would never become a flood dragon. Its limits were set in stone.
While the Mandala Snake's bloodline was stronger than that of ordinary snakes, it should never have been able to evolve into a true dragon.
If it wasn't a natural bloodline transformation, then only one possibility remained—an external factor.
The Spirit Transmission Tower was hiding many secrets.
Gu You furrowed his brows.
If they were talking about a stone tablet…
One particular object came to mind.
The Ascension Pillar!
A supreme artifact personally crafted by the Dragon God, imbued with its origin power.
It could elevate the cultivation of dragon-type beings, helping them break through bottlenecks and maintain their peak condition. Not only was it invaluable for dragons reaching godhood, but it was also a formidable weapon in battle—capable of obliterating an entire planet.
Moreover, the Ascension Pillar was the heart of the dragon race. It stabilized their minds and ensured the continued prosperity of their lineage.
But it had one more function—not just for dragons, but for all soul beasts: enhancement.
Bloodline enhancement. Realm breakthroughs. Talent amplification.
Unfortunately, after the war of the Dragon God, this supreme artifact vanished.
No one knew where it had gone. Perhaps it was still hidden within the Divine Realm, or maybe, after the outbreak of spatial turbulence, it drifted endlessly through the cosmos.
The truth was, even the trash casually discarded by the Dragon God was a treasure.
If a random soul beast managed to absorb a fraction of its residual energy, it could easily evolve into a high-tier soul beast.
One way or another, Gu You would have to find the Ascension Pillar.
But before that, what he had encountered here seemed to be a miniature version of its effects.
A relic that could facilitate soul beast evolution, enhance bloodlines, and increase talent.
If he could find it and store it within his mental space, it would be an invaluable tool—not just for strengthening his internal soul beasts, but also for fortifying his own spiritual power.
After all, the stronger his contracted soul beasts, the stronger his mind would become.
Gu You had already made up his mind.
Since that object resembled a tablet…
(End of Chapter)