Chapter 102: The Butterfly Transformation Realm, Revealed

Under the barrage of questions from the Yellow Sand Demon King, the Lord of Wuyou City stood with a ghastly pale expression, unable to offer a single word in reply. It was as if the opponent's insights had struck at his very soul.

Although he could be considered a semi-metamorphosed being, there were certain truths he truly did not grasp. He was familiar with the Eight-Armed Golden Ape and the Heart-Fire Luan Phoenix, but the Nether-Water Yin Python mentioned by the other had never once reached his ears. Coupled with the stinging rebuke that had silenced everyone around them, he was suddenly struck by the vast chasm between them.

The Yellow Sand Demon King was a veteran monster at the peak of the early Metamorphosis stage, having lived for countless years with top-tier survival instincts. As for himself... he was merely a wretch who had barely crawled out of the wreckage of the Metamorphosis tribulation.

Thinking of this, his heart grew heavy. Listening to the distant, rumbling thunder, which had slowed its rhythm—a sign that the tribulation was brewing—he extinguished the thoughts that had briefly flickered in his mind. Indeed, when the Prince had first discerned the opponent's background, he had not dared to act, ordering only that he be wined and dined. He must have been possessed to have harbored such unrealistic schemes.

...

In the ruins of Wuyou City, Yue Sansi lay in a scorched, charcoal-black crater. Watching the tribulation clouds rolling and brewing in the sky, a sense of weariness washed over him: "Good grief, will this ever end?"

He didn't bother counting how many tribulation bolts had fallen; he felt there was little point. As an Eight-Armed Golden Ape, his cultivation meant that when he unleashed his full power, his entire body became metallic. The more strength he exerted, the more he invited the lightning. Yet, if he did not use his own methods to resist, he would surely have perished long ago.

It seemed he had reached that final threshold.

Yue Sansi hesitated for a moment. Looking at the tribulation lightning in the sky, which seemed to twist into a grotesque, mocking face, he could bear it no longer. He pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes, smashed it open with violent force, and swallowed the evil elixir within.

Instantly, mysterious patterns flowed across his flesh. His eyes erupted with two beams of dazzling golden light, shooting straight into the clouds.

"ROAR—!"

Wracked with intense pain, he let out a roar, his eight arms pounding against his chest like the beating of war drums. He reached out into the void, and his "Meditation Staff," lying in the distance, hummed and flew into his grasp. In that moment, he felt as if the heavens and the earth were his to command.

Without further hesitation, he leapt upward. Seeing that the tribulation had reached its peak, he threw himself directly into the heart of the thunderclouds.

Boom!

With a deafening crash, several bolts of lightning struck him in succession. He roared as he was knocked back into the crater. After this violent outburst, the clouds continued to churn, but no more lightning fell. A breeze swept through, the clouds dissipated, and the lightning transformed into a gentle rain. Yue Sansi crawled back out of the crater.

By now, his aura had stabilized at the Metamorphosis stage. Within his sea of consciousness, a world-shaking transformation had taken place. He felt the life-giving rain falling from the sky, his expression serene. He opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath, using his innate ability to swallow almost the entirety of the downpour.

Hm?

At that moment, he sensed something and looked toward the side. As his gaze shifted, a ripple appeared in the air, and a figure stepped out from within.

"You could actually detect me?"

Yue Sansi watched the figure, his heart tightening as he sensed the dangerous aura radiating from the stranger. But seeing the predator-like gaze directed at him, the residual ferocity from the tribulation flared up within him.

His hand tightened around the Meditation Staff as he muttered to himself:

"Does he have a reason to attack me? Likely so. Looking at those eyes, even if he didn't have a reason, he’d invent one to cause me trouble. Will he harm me? Likely so. After all, he’s already come to find trouble, so how could he not intend to harm me? Must I kill him? Likely so. Better to strike first; if I let him find a weakness, things will end poorly..."

He spoke without regard for the stranger, who heard every word clearly and wore a look of utter bewilderment. The words the man had intended to speak were scattered, and he stood momentarily speechless.

But Yue Sansi, having chosen to act, did not delay. Seeing the stranger's expression only strengthened his resolve. With a flash of his form, he was already high in the air, bringing his staff down in a crushing blow. The man did not block it, merely flickering out of sight, reappearing ten miles away.

Yue Sansi had not expected the man to retreat. The blow missed, and unable to check his momentum, he smashed into the empty ground outside the ruins of Wuyou City.

With a thunderous crash, the earth shook. The stranger, feeling the power behind the strike, knew the boy had held nothing back. He unleashed his own mid-stage Metamorphosis aura, his voice devoid of emotion:

"Little one, do you think I dare not strike you down?"

*He is far stronger than me; I will surely suffer if this continues.* Yue Sansi assessed the situation: even if he were to somehow win, the cost would be grievous.

Just as he scanned his surroundings, looking for an escape route, another voice echoed nearby, causing him to freeze before instantly relaxing.

"Prince An-Chui, I find your earlier words quite novel. Would you mind repeating them for me?"

As the voice faded, a figure materialized—it was Yue Sansi’s father, the Mountain-Flipping Demon King, Yue Lei.

Yue Sansi’s heart stirred; a suit of golden armor materialized to protect him, and a long whip appeared in his hand. The whip glowed with golden light and rattled, as if a single flick could summon infinite, monstrous power.

Yue Lei watched the Prince, whose face had turned unsightly and who now stared at him in tense silence. Yue Lei took a step forward, putting himself between the Prince and his son.

"Who gave you the courage? Was it this Imperial artifact that hides your presence, or the Metamorphosis cultivator trailing you?"

"Shall I withdraw?" Prince An-Chui looked at Yue Lei, seemingly conceding. "This was merely a misunderstanding..."

"Heh."

Yue Lei let out a cold laugh. He reached back and flicked his son on the forehead, his expression unchanging, though his tone grew strange:

"Whatever business you have, now that you’ve reached the Metamorphosis stage, get the hell out of here and go find your... grandfather."

With that, he grabbed his son and tossed him toward the distance. Turning back to the Prince, his voice turned murderous:

"Since you were the ones to cross the line first, it wouldn't be excessive for me to kill a Metamorphosis Prince or two, would it?"