While Genie Lamp was deep in thought, Orochimaru suddenly let out a scream.
Flames, appearing from nowhere, suddenly erupted on him, engulfing his entire body in an instant and consuming him completely.
The blaze raged, and the scattered debris in the courtyard served as the perfect fuel. The fire instantly filled the entire space.
"What happened?"
Genie Lamp's brow furrowed, unable to understand. Just as this transformation was about to proceed smoothly, an unexpected event occurred.
Where did these flames come from? Could it be some effect of Senjutsu?
"Su… Sun…"
In his mental space, Orochimaru's weak voice echoed.
At this moment, he was not only suffering the agony of being burned but also enduring immense mental pressure.
'Sun Breathing' could utilize the energy from sunlight, a resource that was so conveniently accessible and cost-free. How could he possibly ignore it?
But even though his mental strength had grown considerably, this was still quite difficult.
After all, even the Ten-Tails created by the Ootsuki clan only absorbed natural energy from the earth's veins.
"The sun?" Genie Lamp's head snapped up at the words, his gaze piercing through the rock and sand to look upwards.
In the eastern sky, dawn was breaking, and the rosy clouds burned like fire.
The crimson disc had only just emerged halfway, but the pressure it exerted spanned billions of miles, pressing down ferociously.
The sky was about to brighten.
And if this continued, Orochimaru would be finished.
Genie Lamp had always known about the negative side effects of Breathing Techniques in the ninja world. That's why 'Water Breathing' had to stay far from rivers and seas, and 'Sun Breathing' was only for the dead of night…
Stopping the Breathing Technique at this moment was absolutely impossible. The natural energy absorbed during the first transformation was the greatest driving force for the metamorphosis. Thus, after a moment's thought, Genie Lamp made his decision.
However, as soon as Genie Lamp began to perform 'Water Breathing,' Orochimaru let out an even more piercing scream.
Genie Lamp was astonished to find that although the flames on Orochimaru's body had stopped spreading slightly, the special energy supporting his third transformation had drastically diminished.
"Is that special energy not from White Snake Senjutsu, but from solar energy? It's true that the sun has a special significance for plants in any world, but why didn't this energy exhibit its characteristics before the shedding?"
Genie Lamp's thoughts raced, and his doubts deepened.
While seeking the essence requires bold speculation, repeated reasoning and verification are the correct paths to acquiring knowledge. Right now, the conditions were simply not present.
The only thing he could be certain of was that to ensure Orochimaru completed his transformation, he had to use a Breathing Technique, and it could only be 'Sun Breathing.'
Therefore, avoiding the burning from solar energy became the sole problem to solve.
After a brief thought, Genie Lamp made his decision: "Go underground!"
Although he hadn't verified it or knew how strong the solar energy penetration was in this world, he remembered that rock layers could provide good resistance to purely physical radiation.
Even now, despite being a thousand meters deep underground in Roran, it seemed it wasn't deep enough.
"Hiss!"
Orochimaru reared his snake head and roared towards the sky, suddenly transforming into a fire serpent and plunging into the depths of the earth.
Earth parted like flowing water. Moving through the rock strata, his speed was no less than that in the ocean. In an instant, Orochimaru sank another two thousand meters.
"Enough… Enough…"
In his mental space, Orochimaru's voice was still weak, but he managed to stop Genie Lamp's actions. "Going any deeper… would be too far from the Dragon Veins."
"But you can't sustain this state for long," Genie Lamp frowned. "We don't know how long this transformation will take."
Giving a human body the abilities of another species was originally a fantastical idea. It was only Orochimaru's physique, being very close to that of plants, and with that special energy as assistance, that allowed his cells to gradually adapt through destruction and reconstruction, making it somewhat possible.
But this would inevitably lengthen the timeline considerably.
"It's… fine, I've already thought of a way," Orochimaru's tone remained weak, but a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "Stop your Breathing Technique for a moment, let me catch my breath."
"But doing so will consume your own life force. The consequences… Alright, I'll do as you say."
Genie Lamp sighed faintly, temporarily stopped Sun Breathing, and did not switch to any other Breathing Technique.
From Orochimaru's words, it seemed he intended to perform some major operation on his body, so much so that it wouldn't even allow for the circulation of Chakra within.
"Huff…"
Orochimaru's mental pressure eased, and he let out a long sigh. As the solar energy stopped pouring in, he twisted his body and quickly used the mud to extinguish the remaining flames.
His appearance was now rather pathetic. His scales, large and small, were all damaged, with not a single one intact. The once majestic White Snake was now covered in vast scorched patches.
However, even so, it was a precious moment of respite, and it wouldn't last long.
The energy needed for the transformation was now being consumed from himself.
With this thought, Orochimaru didn't dare to delay. After a brief rest, he immediately put his previous plan into action.
Instantly, his snake head shot up high, his pupils contracted, and golden light erupted.
Amidst suppressed screams, Orochimaru's body underwent a violent transformation. The cells on his body's surface slowly writhed, separating from the inner cells.
"Is this… shedding?"
Genie Lamp's brow furrowed, a deep perplexity flashing in his eyes.
If it was shedding, why was the flesh he shed so much more than before? Almost ninety percent of his flesh was allocated to the outer layer.
If anything, it was more like using this layer of flesh to create another shell. After practicing Slug Separation Technique, he could indeed do this.
But…
Wasn't Orochimaru being too naive to think that by treating another shell as a discarded piece, he could eliminate the negative effects of Sun Breathing?
After all, solar-natured natural energy affected not just the body, but the spirit as well… wait!
A flash of inspiration struck Genie Lamp's mind, and he looked at Orochimaru in astonishment. "He's not actually going to do that, is he?"
While Genie Lamp's thoughts were in disarray, Orochimaru had already taken action. He returned to his mental space, his cold snake eyes fixed on the snake ring before him.
The next moment, golden light erupted from his eyes. The snake ring spun once from the center, forming an '8'-shaped symbol. It flew directly out of the mental space and into the superficial shell.
Orochimaru spared no pupil power, adjusting the compatibility of the snake ring with the shell.
After awakening the mental ocular jutsu 'Tenjōriki,' the little White Snake lost any threat. In fact, he could easily control the latter with no effort.
He had originally considered various ways to fully utilize its value, but there was no need for that now.
Orochimaru exhaled, his gaze turning to Genie Lamp. "You can use your Breathing Technique now."
"Wow, cutting off his arm to save the limb. You're quite decisive."
Orochimaru remarked, stating that in this situation, the little White Snake was undoubtedly being treated as a discarded piece, meant to bear the brunt of the sun's pressure in place of Orochimaru.
Although the connection between the two was extremely close, at a soul level, their sensations were not completely shared. Just like before, when Orochimaru was outside, the little White Snake in the snake ring didn't feel much pressure.
Afterward, it was simply the reverse.
"Poor little White Snake."
But even so, Genie Lamp did not hesitate to perform Sun Breathing.
In this world, his host was originally Orochimaru. The Ten-Tails was merely a derivative, and moreover, Orochimaru had always been the one bringing him the most value.
"Hmm… I think I somewhat understand why in ninja culture, 'a disciple's disciple is none of my concern.'"
Genie Lamp licked his lips. "When making such cruel decisions, like discarding something, the psychological pressure is much lower. How to put it… the wisdom of parasitic insects?"
Almost at the exact moment he performed 'Sun Breathing,' two sharp roars echoed successively in the mental space.
Within the snake ring, the predator and prey alike had become sacrifices offered to the sun, suffering the agony of fiery burning.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, the sacrificer, knitted his brow slightly. Although he still felt some pressure, it was insignificant compared to the previous pain.
He closed his eyes and perceived for a moment, then Orochimaru spoke, "Move closer to the surface. The special energy needed for transformation is somewhat insufficient."
He had abandoned the outer ninety percent of his flesh so thoroughly. He only maintained a barely separable connection with the little White Snake mentally, having almost completely discarded it physically.
The result of this was that he couldn't even control his body.
"Alright."
Genie Lamp nodded slightly, controlling the snake's body to move slowly upwards.
At present, he was simultaneously performing 'Fungalization' and 'Sun Breathing.' The former acted on his entire snake body, while the latter was initiated solely by the little White Snake's will.
Orochimaru's statement about insufficient transformation energy was due to this reason. He was only in proximity to the natural energy source, receiving a small portion. The majority was absorbed by the outer flesh, which enjoyed almost eighty-nine percent of the benefits.
However, Genie Lamp suspected that perhaps the little White Snake didn't even want these benefits.
"Ahhh…"
Within the snake ring, wave after wave of shrill screams erupted. Yet, even suffering the torment of being burned alive, the little White Snake did not stop devouring.
Or rather, doing something it enjoyed doing helped to vent its stress and alleviate some of the pain.
However, the consciousness of the Dragon Veins, under this multi-layered torment, had no moment of respite until it completely collapsed.
Within the snake ring, the little White Snake greedily devoured the wisps of consciousness from the Dragon Veins. Using this power, its spiritual body began to race forward at extreme speed.
But the path was limitless. The snake ring had long been twisted into a cage by Orochimaru. How could moving forward alone allow it to escape?
Yet the little White Snake blindly surged forward, constantly devouring the energy along the path. Its life instinct told it that if it gave up, it would collapse like the prey just now.
Time passed like this, for an unknown duration.
In the deepest flesh, Orochimaru let out a soft exclamation, "This…"
Unlike the fusion of Yin-Yang Escape earlier, after obtaining the flesh he had made himself, the little White Snake bypassed him, allowing its own spirit to merge with it. The effect was actually stronger than before.
And with the support of the power of all creation, it had managed to endure the burning of solar energy. If this continued, it might complete its transformation firsthand.
At that point, not only would it break free from the snake ring's restraints, but it would also cause more serious consequences.
"This won't do."
Orochimaru shook his head. Despite Genie Lamp's presence, he didn't want to leave such a significant hidden danger within his body.
His gaze turned to Genie Lamp, and he said decisively, "Now, charge out of the ground directly."
He wanted to create some trouble for the little White Snake and extract its value in one go.
"Wow, you're truly heartless," Genie Lamp couldn't help but sigh.
The crisis with the Dragon Veins was now resolved. It wouldn't be impossible to proceed cautiously later, but Orochimaru still needed more energy to continue his fungal transformation.
Exchanging this potential threat like the little White Snake for a crucial ability in the future might seem like a good deal to Orochimaru.
Although Genie Lamp felt a bit regretful that his creation might be destroyed, under his own code of conduct, he would not crudely interfere with the other's choices. After a slight hesitation, he controlled the body and charged towards the surface.
Orochimaru's satisfied voice and the little White Snake's screams rang out almost simultaneously.
The White Snake, wreathed in a layer of crimson fire, left the underground in an instant and soared into the high heavens.
Countless fine debris rained down with the fire serpent, instantly burning to ash, erupting in a final brilliance.
If seen at night, it might have been an excellent fireworks display. But now, with the sun rising, how could these dewdrops compete with the bright sun? The countless points of light vanished under the sunlight the moment they appeared.
The White Snake's fate was not fundamentally different from those dewdrops. The closer it got to the sun, the faster its body shrank, as if it were a wax figure.
But this immense loss was exchanged for immense gains. Orochimaru felt both his body and spirit rapidly improving, and perhaps soon, he would complete a further transformation.
However, at a certain moment, the little White Snake's screams in the mental space abruptly stopped. The next moment, Orochimaru felt his body plummeting rapidly in the high sky.
"What's happening? What happened?"
Orochimaru's anger and shock mingled. Being interrupted at such a critical juncture of evolution was maddening.
Genie Lamp's tone also held a complex mixture of emotions. "The little White Snake abandoned its body and escaped…"
"Escaped? How is that possible? How could he break free from your control…" Orochimaru was utterly astonished, unable to fathom how this had happened.
In his thoughts, perhaps the little White Snake could break free from the snake ring's restrictions, but his control over Genie Lamp… how was that possible?
Even if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya were in his hands, she wouldn't be able to make a ripple, would she?
"The little White Snake completed its transformation before you did, and what's more…"
Genie Lamp looked at Orochimaru. "In Genie Lamp's judgment, it has become an independent individual. Since it is not the host, I have no means to control it."
Genie Lamp's restrictions were absolute and unalterable.
"Now, this little White Snake has escaped to the Pure Land."
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