Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

After receiving Su Baichen's telepathic explanation that "your sister's soul is unharmed, she's just in a deep sleep, and this little guy is temporarily taking over her body," she breathed a heavy sigh of relief, patting her chest in relief. But then, a sly and mischievous glint flashed in Cai Die's eyes. She stretched out her slender finger and carefully poked the little snake's cool, smooth scales, a smile on her face as if she had discovered a new and fascinating toy.

When the butterfly poked it, the eight-colored dragon trembled violently, closed its eyes again, and closed them even tighter. Its small body stiffened, and even its feigned death seemed stiff and aggrieved, as if it was silently protesting its "terrible" situation.

(At this moment, the eight-colored Sky-Swallowing Python was on the verge of tears: "Waaaaah, baby is so scared.")

Chapter 59 The Butterfly That Reverses Heavenly Ranks

Upon seeing this, Su Baichen held the Eight-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python protectively in his hand.

The eight-colored Sky-Swallowing Python was gently held in Su Baichen's palm. Its bright little eyes warily looked around, and when it saw Su Baichen, it closed its eyes tightly in fear.

Su Baichen felt the little guy trembling slightly, and gently stroked its cold scales with his fingertips, trying to soothe the frightened little snake.

The butterfly curiously approached and reached out to touch the seemingly fragile little life.

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes, and just as her fingertips were about to touch the eight-colored scales, Su Baichen slightly turned to the side, protecting the little guy even more tightly.

"Stop teasing it." Su Baichen's voice was unusually serious: "If your sister wakes up one day and finds out, I don't care what she does."

Cai Die reluctantly withdrew her hand and pouted. She stared at the little snake with a complex expression—a mixture of curiosity about the small life and fear of her "older sister's" true form.

Su Baichen took out a fire lotus seed from his storage ring. The lotus seed was entirely crimson, with a faint luster flowing across its surface. As soon as it appeared in the air, it emitted a pure energy fluctuation.

The little guy, who had been keeping his eyes tightly closed, suddenly twitched his nose and raised his head slightly, seemingly attracted by the rich energy.

It slowly opened its eyes, and when it saw the fire lotus seed, its cute little eyes immediately lit up with longing.

The little guy looked at Su Baichen, then at Huo Lianzi, repeating this several times before finally succumbing to the temptation of the food.

It blinked its round eyes, put on a pitiful look, and swayed its tiny tail gently, trying to be cute and ingratiating.

Su Baichen was amused by the little guy's appearance, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly: "Eat it, it's for you!"

He held the lotus seed to the little guy's mouth, and the little guy swallowed it without hesitation, his movements so swift as if he was afraid someone would snatch it away from him.

After swallowing the fire lotus seed, the little guy seemed to fully understand his situation and tried even harder to fawn over Su Baichen.

It rubbed its little head against Su Baichen's fingers, making a soft hissing sound, looking adorable and endearing.

Seeing this, Su Baichen shook his head helplessly: "Alright, alright, you really are a little foodie. Don't worry, you're my snake from now on, and I'll protect you."

After all, this little guy is currently using Cai Lin's body, so he can't just stand by and do nothing, both morally and logically.

Upon hearing this, the Eight-Colored Sky-Swallowing Python immediately raised its tail happily and swayed it back and forth in the air. Its cheerful appearance eased the serious atmosphere considerably.

However, this heartwarming scene was quickly shattered. A slender hand suddenly reached out, accurately grabbed the little guy's wagging tail, and lifted him upside down!

"Hahaha, even your older sister has met her match!" Cai Die laughed so hard she almost shook her head. Looking at the helpless little one in front of her, she couldn't help but imagine her as the "complete older sister," and a smug expression of triumph after her mischief was revealed on her face.

The little guy quickly twisted his body, broke free from the butterfly's grasp, and darted back onto Su Baichen's shoulder, glaring angrily at the butterfly with his little eyes full of grievance and dissatisfaction.

"Hey, you little silly snake." Butterfly put her hands on her hips and said seriously, "If we're really talking about relationships, you, my sister, and I are related by blood. But you were just born now, so if we're counting by birth time, you're my younger sister and I'm your older sister!"

"You should call me 'sister' now, understand?"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, leaning closer to the little one with a sly smile on her face: "Come on, call me 'sister' once. If you call me 'sister' once, I'll protect you from now on."

Cai Die began to lose herself in her own fantasy, imagining the eight-colored Sky-Swallowing Python submitting to her.

As she pondered, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself, her strange logic surprising even Su Baichen standing beside her.

"You really are your sister's good little sister." Su Baichen sighed softly, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing. "From now on, I will call you the number one person to rebel against the Heavenly Gang."

He silently added in his heart, "I hope you'll still be able to laugh like this when your sister wakes up."

Su Baichen took out another fire lotus seed and handed it to the little guy.

The little guy swallowed it whole without hesitation. Afterwards, Su Baichen gently stroked its little head, pondered for a moment, and said, "Don't mind her, little guy. She has some mental issues right now. She'll wake up after someone beats her up."

Then, Su Baichen moved, thought for a moment, and continued, "I'll give you a name. From now on, I'll call you Xiao Cai."

"Is it good, little one?"

As he spoke, Su Baichen pointed a finger at the little guy's snake head.

The little guy didn't seem to care about Su Baichen's behavior when he heard this. Instead, he nodded happily, seemingly quite satisfied with the name.

However, it soon began to yawn, clearly indicating that it needed time to digest the energy from the two fire lotus seeds.

Xiao Cai wriggled a few times, then burrowed into Su Baichen's sleeve, found a comfortable spot, and began to sleep and digest.

Su Baichen did not stop her, but turned to look at Cai Die, who was still fantasizing about her sister submitting to her, and gave her a crisp thud.

After a loud thud, accompanied by Cai Die's exclamation, Su Baichen said calmly, "We should go out now. The commotion was so loud, it must have attracted a lot of people."

"If we don't get out soon, those people outside will start to get worried."

Without waiting for Cai Die's reply, he turned and walked outside. Cai Die was stunned for a moment before reacting and hurriedly chased after him, calling out, "Ah, hey, young master, wait for me!"

Meanwhile, the commotion caused by the previous tribulation on the island had attracted a large number of snake people to gather outside the island.

A large crowd surrounded the island, whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with worry and curiosity.

Some of the older snake people looked solemn. They sensed the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from the island and couldn't help but worry about the fate of their queen, as they knew about her evolution.

The younger snake people whispered among themselves, speculating about what had happened on the island and why it had caused such a commotion.

Several snake-man elders stood at the front, whispering among themselves as they discussed their next move.

An elder with a full head of white hair transmitted his voice with deep concern: "Such a powerful energy fluctuation, could it be that something has happened to Her Majesty Queen Medusa?"

"Should we send someone in to take a look?" another elder suggested, but his companion immediately rejected the idea.

"We must not act rashly! If we disturb Her Majesty the Queen's evolution, none of us can bear the consequences!"

Just as everyone was discussing it, the energy fluctuations on the island gradually subsided.

All the snake people fell silent at the same time, their eyes all turning towards the direction of the island's exit.

Chapter 60 The Butterfly's Joke

Su Baichen and Cai Die slowly emerged from the depths of the island, their figures appearing particularly solemn in the flickering torchlight.

The island was surrounded by snake people, their faces filled with anxiety and anticipation, their snake eyes gleaming uneasily in the night.

Cai Die followed closely behind Su Baichen, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

She could feel the burning gazes from her clansmen, gazes filled with curiosity about what had just happened, as well as doubt about why her younger sister had appeared with Su Baichen.

She secretly glanced at Su Baichen's tall and straight back, feeling both happy for her sister's successful evolution and nervous about the play she was about to perform.

Su Baichen calmly surveyed the surrounding snake-men, his deep gaze seemingly able to see through each person's thoughts.

When he saw the anxious expressions on the faces of several elders in the crowd, a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

These snake-people elders have dedicated their lives to their people, but for now, he must conceal the truth to avoid leaks and unnecessary trouble.

"Everyone, please disperse. I was refining a seventh-grade pill just now, which attracted the lightning tribulation."

Su Baichen's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every snake-man.

His tone was calm, without a trace of emotion, as if the earth-shattering tribulation just now was merely a common phenomenon caused by a batch of pills.

A murmur rippled through the crowd. Some of the younger snake-man warriors visibly relaxed, their faces breaking into relieved smiles.

However, the elders of the snake-people looked at each other in bewilderment; they knew about evolution.

Su Baichen keenly noticed these subtle reactions, but didn't pay them any mind.

He turned to the First Elder and the Second Elder, giving them a meaningful look. This look contained both reassurance and warning, as well as an undeniable air of authority.

The First Elder and the Second Elder exchanged a glance and instantly understood Su Baichen's intention.

The Second Elder coughed lightly, stepped forward, and said in a loud voice, "Alright, alright, disperse. It's getting late, Mr. Su needs to rest. Those of you on night watch, keep watch; those of you going to sleep, go to sleep."

The elder hurriedly echoed this, waving his hand to disperse the crowd, but his aged hands trembled slightly.

Although he tried to remain calm, the worry that he couldn't hide in his eyes betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

As an elder who watched Cai Lin and Cai Die grow up, he cared about the Queen's safety more than anyone else.

Upon hearing this, the snake people, though still harboring doubts, had no choice but to bow and depart, seeing that the elders had spoken.

Their hushed conversations faded into the night as they walked away, leaving only a few soldiers on night watch patrolling vigilantly in the distance.

After the last group of snake people left, the scene suddenly became empty.

The night wind rustled the sand in the desert, and the flames flickered in the wind, casting long shadows that danced eerily on the stone walls.

The Grand Elder could no longer contain his anxiety and rushed to Su Baichen, his voice trembling with excitement: "Mr. Su, is Her Majesty the Queen alright?"

He didn't ask if the evolution was successful, only if everyone was alright. In the Grand Elder's heart, Cai Lin would always be the child he had watched grow up, the queen he wanted to protect.

Su Baichen opened his mouth to speak, but Cai Die interrupted him first.

It was as if all the strength had been suddenly drained from Cai Die's body. She slumped to the ground, covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders trembled violently.

"Waaaaah—!"

Butterfly's cries sounded particularly mournful in the silent night sky; she perfectly portrayed the image of a younger sister who was breaking down due to extreme grief.

At this moment, even Su Baichen had to secretly admire her acting talent.

The Grand Elder and the other elders were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Seeing the butterfly's heartbroken expression, a terrible thought simultaneously surfaced in their minds—the Queen had failed to evolve and had perished!

"This, this, how is this possible?!"

The elder staggered back two steps, his face turning deathly pale. He trembled as he reached out, trying to grab onto something to support his swaying body.

Never in his long life had he felt so dizzy. Cai Lin was not only the hope of the snake people, but also the child he had raised with all his heart and soul!

The Second Elder also had a solemn expression, but he keenly noticed that Su Baichen remained calm and composed, even with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

This discovery jolted the Second Elder awake. He recalled Cai Die's mischievous nature and how she had tricked the First Elder more than once.

“Sister, sister, she, she…” Cai Die sobbed, her words broken and intermittent, which deepened the fear in the Grand Elder’s heart.

The elder rushed to Cai Die, gripping her shoulders tightly with both hands, and asked in a hoarse voice, "What happened to your sister? What happened to her?!"

Tears welled in his aged eyes, and despair was written all over his weathered face.

Seeing the First Elder's distraught appearance, the Second Elder shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself, "Elder, how could you be so easily fooled? Cai Die was clearly acting!"