Traveling through Naruto with Heroes of Might and Magic.

Immediately, he recalled a rumor: the three sacred lands are mutually restraining; snakes fear slugs, slugs fear toads, and toads fear snakes...

He had originally planned to unleash his Sage Mode power, but he temporarily stopped.

After all, it's a completely unfamiliar environment, so it's necessary to keep some cards up your sleeve. Even if you can't gain any benefits, you still need to ensure your safe evacuation.

"stop!"

At this moment, the White Snake Immortal's rationality, or rather... cunning, prevailed over his rage.

As an ancient monster that has survived for countless years, it knows how to weigh the pros and cons.

Fighting a human who possesses a strange summoning beast and can eliminate white-light magic would likely come at a significant cost, even if one were to win.

The appearance of the slug, in particular, made it wonder... if this was a scheme by Shikkotsu Forest against Ryuchi Cave?

The intensity of the battle suddenly decreased.

The White Serpent Immortal ceased his continuous magical attacks, his massive body slowly returning to calm, though he remained seated on his throne, his golden vertical pupils coldly fixed upon them.

Mumu also managed to stabilize all the withered tree guardians.

The forest and the living rocks all fell silent.

The cave was filled with a strong smell of blood, burnt food, sour rot, and stone dust, and was a mess.

"Lord Qingwu!"

The slug seemed quite pleased, splitting into many smaller slugs to treat the soldiers while shaking its head.

The White Snake Immortal deliberately avoided looking at the slug.

It remained silent for a moment, then slowly took a puff of its pipe and exhaled wisps of smoke.

That deep, hoarse voice rang out again, still full of authority and coldness, but less violent, more inquisitive and solemn:

"Human... what exactly do you want to do?"

Qingwu stood beside the thick roots of the tree, with the silent psychic legion and the slug being treated behind him.

He raised his head to meet those enormous snake eyes, and without beating around the bush, stated the core purpose of his trip directly.

“Nature’s essence!” His voice echoed in the empty cave. “I need it.”

"Natural essence?" The White Snake Immortal repeated, tilting his enormous head slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised.

The surprise was quickly replaced by anger, and the spark in the pipe flared up suddenly with his breath:

"So you, a mere reptile, didn't come here for the sake of the legacy of my Ryuchi Cave!?"

Chapter 232 The Three Goddesses

The White Snake Immortal felt disdain.

This kid clearly carries the "stench" of the Wet Bone Forest, possesses the ability to communicate with spirit slugs, and may even... have mastered the immortal arts of the Wet Bone Forest.

They came here under the guise of accepting a test, but they didn't mention the heritage of Ryuji Cave at all.

This made the White Snake Immortal think... that this kid looked down on Dragon Earth Cave.

"Ha... You reek of that old slug from Shikkotsu Forest, barging into my Ryuchi Cave and demanding natural essence?"

"Do you think that the essence of nature is a cheap commodity that can be taken at will? Or do you think that just because you've climbed up to the Shikkut Forest, you're entitled to come here and take whatever you want?"

The White Snake Immortal's voice was icy, filled with undisguised sarcasm and anger.

Qingwu remained calm, as if she hadn't heard the taunts.

"White Snake Sage, you misunderstand. I signed a contract with Shikkotsu Forest and paid a corresponding price, and the Slug Sage gave me what I wanted—natural essence."

That's obviously nonsense. Thanks to the Senju surname and his relationship with Tsunade, he had a smooth ride in Shikkotsu Forest.

"Price?" the White Snake Immortal scoffed. "What can you offer in exchange? Wait..."

The White Snake Immortal's golden vertical pupils suddenly contracted into thin slits: "That old slug gave you the essence of nature? That's impossible!"

Its voice was filled with disbelief, and a kind of... betrayal-like rage:

"That old, snotty bastard, how could he... how dare he! That's the foundation of natural energy flowing from the sacred land!"

"The Slug Immortal gave it to us," Qingwu said definitively. "For this, the Wet Bone Forest has been closed for a hundred years."

The cave was deathly silent, save for the faint sound of venomous snakes swimming in the swamp.

The White Snake Immortal stared at Qingwu with a mixture of belief and doubt.

It began to believe it; otherwise, why would this kid's "ninjutsu" be driven by natural energy?

That can only be done if the natural energy within the body is pure enough, and it even involves some ancient secrets of the ninja world!

Few people in the ninja world today know about the relationship between chakra and natural energy.

a long time……

The White Snake Immortal slowly exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"A century of isolation..."

The White Snake Immortal's voice lowered, but the coldness within it remained undiminished.

"Old slug paid a heavy price. It seems you gained more from the Wet Bone Forest than I imagined, but..."

Its tone suddenly turned fierce:

"What does this have to do with Longdi Cave? Shibku Forest is Shibku Forest, and Longdi Cave is Longdi Cave!"

"You old slut, you're stupid. You've severed your own foundation. That's a matter for the Wet Bone Forest. Do you think you can get me to give you natural energy just because of that?"

"Human, you are far too naive!!"

It raised its head slightly and said in a condescending and disdainful tone:

"For the sake of being one of the three great holy lands, and also because you... possess the strength to speak with me..."

At this point, the White Snake Immortal glanced at Mumu and the summoned beast army:

“Now, take your slugs and this junk and get out of Ryuchi Cave right now, and I can pretend nothing happened, otherwise…”

The threat was self-evident.

Qingwu looked at the White Snake Immortal and suddenly smiled softly.

There was a discerning calm in that smile. "White Snake Immortal, are you afraid of me?"

"Insolence!" the White Serpent Immortal roared, his oppressive aura pressing down like a tangible iceberg.

"You're just scared!" Qingwu seemed oblivious to the terrifying pressure, continuing calmly:

"Your magic can't affect me, but I have the ability to remove negative influences!"

"Your inorganic rebirth domain is far less effective against my Tree World Descent and the slug's acid!"

"Your snake minions are nothing but expendable resources before my legion."

"If you keep fighting, how many snakes will be left in your lair that you've built up over countless years? Will the core of the holy land be damaged?"

The White Snake Immortal remained silent, but his golden vertical pupils were so cold they almost froze Qingwu.

It's not surprising that people think that it was the one who called off the fight just now.

However... what troubled it was that the boy in front of it, who looked to be only a teenager, was acting far too maturely.

"Are you threatening me?"

The voice of the White Snake Immortal seemed to come from the depths of the netherworld, and his enormous body slowly emerged more from the throne, unleashing a powerful aura.

In any case, the White Snake Immortal cannot afford to lose his momentum.

It has a trump card too!

Ryūchi-dō is, after all, its home turf; how could it be threatened by a mere teenager!

The White Snake Immortal believed that if they continued fighting, it would win—although it might come at a great cost.

It was now even more certain that this was a "cunning scheme" by that old slug from Shikkotsu Forest. If it were to fight this kid to the death here... would Shikkotsu Forest take advantage of the situation?

"I'm not threatening the immortals!" Qingwu shook his head. "I'm making a deal with Ryuchi Cave!"

"Hmph..." The White Snake Immortal's eyes were icy: "What can you offer in return?"

Qingwu calmly said, "I will use the essence of nature to exchange for the peace of your Dragon Earth Cave!"

The White Snake Immortal was stunned.

How can humans be so shameless?

What kind of deal is this?!

Its anger surged, "You still say you're not threatening me!?"

The enormous sound caused the entire cave to tremble slightly.

Just as the atmosphere was tense and the White Snake Immortal seemed poised to launch a sudden attack—

"Mumu," Qingwu called softly.

Mumu, who had been standing beside Qingwu like the most loyal guardian, suddenly clapped her arms and shouted, "Water Magic - Mirror Image Technique!"

The White Snake Immortal's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size.

What did it see?

It saw itself!

A massive figure, identical in size and features to himself, appeared above the kid's psychic army.

Although... its aura seemed weaker, its vast vitality and natural energy were exactly the same as its original form!

The sea of ​​snakes rolled back uneasily, as if intimidated by the aura of another "White Snake Immortal"!

"This is……?!"

For the first time, a clear look of shock and disbelief appeared in the White Snake Immortal's golden vertical pupils.

It could sense that the "White Snake Immortal" opposite it was not a simple illusion or clone, but possessed substantial energy.

"..."