Chapter 137: The Cycle of Life

"Oh no, something has gone wrong." With these words, the Water Leopard rushed inside.

Prime Minister Turtle and the Golden Dragon were also startled, clueless about the situation. They cast an anxious glance inward before turning to look at Wang Yuanfeng. Exchanging a glance, Prime Minister Turtle asked, "Divine Venerable, what should we do?"

Wang Yuanfeng cast a look of disdain. Clearly anxious himself, the turtle was still asking him what to do. "Let's go in and take a look first," Wang Yuanfeng said.

The three of them quickly decided to investigate the situation. The Water Leopard, having arrived first, looked at the heartbroken Dragon Girl and the heavily injured giant python. He hurriedly stepped forward to check the injuries, only to find the giant python's vital breath growing fainter and fainter, now nearly imperceptible.

His heart skipped a beat, and a bad omen washed over him. Just a moment ago, the creature was fine; how could it be on the verge of death now? If not for a shred of external fortune still sustaining its spiritual platform, it probably would have already perished. "Let me examine him," he said.

"No! Brother Python is mine, and no one shall take him away!" The Dragon Girl shielded the giant python, roaring at the Water Leopard.

Seeing her heartbroken expression and the fierce way she protected the giant python, the Water Leopard realized she must have thought the python was dead.

"He's not dead yet! There's still hope!" the Water Leopard shouted.

"Not dead?" A sudden alertness stirred in the Dragon Girl's heart. She abruptly stopped crying and looked closely at the giant python, searching for any trace of fluctuating life.

After the giant python had lost consciousness moments ago, its vital breath had plummeted sharply, and in the span of a single breath, she could no longer sense a single trace of life.

A cessation of breath does not mean death; the divine soul within the spiritual platform is the absolute foundation. Known as the dual entities of Kan and Li, together with the consciousness-spirit they are referred to as lead and mercury—the very root of a practitioner's existence, carrying the title of the True Self, possessing the power to reverse Yin and Yang. As long as the true spirit remains undying, one can endure; but if it is lost, this lifetime is finished, and one can only rest before seeking rebirth and taking a new shell.

Yet, the giant python's condition seemed as though its spirit was about to dissipate entirely, with nowhere to return to and no origin to trace. It was even worse than a solitary ghost, for a solitary ghost at least possessed a ghostly form, while the giant python clearly lacked even that.

However, upon closer inspection, the Dragon Girl finally spotted a speck of light deep within the very core of the spiritual platform. It seemed ready to scatter at any second, yet some mystical fortune was blessing this speck of light, preventing the true spirit from dissolving completely.

A wave of joy washed over the Dragon Girl, and with tears streaming down her face, she said to the Water Leopard, "Young Master Ji, I beg you, save Brother Python!"

The Water Leopard looked troubled, at a loss for how to reply. Being able to see the speck of light did not mean he had the power to save it. It pained him to see his friend in such a state, and seeing the Dragon Girl's helpless despair, he truly hadn't the heart to refuse.

Suddenly, sensing that Wang Yuanfeng possessed a karmic affinity with this matter—and feeling that they shared a profound bond with him, coupled with his unfathomable cultivation—the Water Leopard blurted out, "The Divine Venerable can do it."

"I can certainly do it, but whether it succeeds depends entirely on him! However, he has now become a living corpse." Before his figure even appeared, his voice rang out from outside, brimming with confidence. Following that, three people walked through the doorway. Wang Yuanfeng led the way, followed closely by Prime Minister Turtle, whose position was offset by just a single step. Right beside Prime Minister Turtle, less than half a body-length away, was the Golden Dragon, walking in very close proximity.

The Water Leopard and the Dragon Girl looked toward the newcomers. The Water Leopard let out a sigh of relief, struck by the feeling that the moment Wang Yuanfeng arrived, both body and mind instantly felt at ease. The Dragon Girl, meanwhile, gazed at Wang Yuanfeng with tense anticipation.

Wang Yuanfeng smiled at the Dragon Girl as a greeting and said, "We just met."

"Indeed, Divine Venerable. I was unaware of your arrival just now; please forgive my discourtesy." As she spoke, she remembered that Wang Yuanfeng had intended to release her earlier, only to be interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Dragon Lord.

Turning her gaze back to the giant python, she blamed herself, saying, "It's all my fault. If not for me, Brother Python wouldn't have ended up like this."

Observing the giant python's condition—its true spirit still present within the spiritual platform, and its physical body injured but not beyond saving—Wang Yuanfeng examined its karmic destiny and suddenly understood. "So that's how it is," he murmured. "I understand now."

"Can Brother Python wake up?" the Dragon Girl asked Wang Yuanfeng eagerly.

The Water Leopard also pricked up his ears to listen intently. As for Prime Minister Turtle and the Golden Dragon, the possibility of failure never even crossed their minds.

After a moment of thought, Wang Yuanfeng said, "This is the reincarnation of the giant python's life cycle. Judging by his karmic destiny, it happens once every five hundred years."

"Reincarnation? Is he still himself then?" the Water Leopard asked, puzzled.

"Why wouldn't he be himself?" Wang Yuanfeng glanced at the Water Leopard and said, "Everyone has this cycle within them, only the forms differ."

"How does this reincarnation work?" the Golden Dragon asked out of curiosity.

As the others listened with avid curiosity, Wang Yuanfeng explained, "Simply put, it is a tribulation—an infinite repetition revolving around the exact same kind of ordeal. And this tribulation can ultimately only be overcome by oneself. It is like a shackle upon the heart. Take romantic love, for instance: if the issues in this lifetime's love are of a certain kind, the exact same problems will recur next time. This, too, is a tribulation, just manifested in a different form."

A jolt went through the Water Leopard's heart. Recalling the events he had recently encountered, and gripped by a sense of not knowing what to do, he clenched his teeth and asked, "Then what must one do to avoid this tribulation?"

"Avoid it? Hmph." Wang Yuanfeng let out a casual, indifferent laugh. "If one does not cross through tribulations, it is difficult to attain the Dao. One can only drift with the current, forever sinking in the bitter sea, losing the true Dao for eternity."

Then, fixing a profound gaze on the Water Leopard, he said meaningfully, "Even if you escape it now, you will encounter the exact same trial the next time. Those who honor the Great Dao above all else have no choice but to walk through it. Only by surviving this tribulation can one bear witness to the Great Dao."

The Water Leopard closed his eyes, struggling in inner torment. After a long moment, he opened them again. A newfound firmness now rested in his gaze. He bowed deeply to Wang Yuanfeng and said, "Thank you, Divine Venerable, for your guidance."

Seeing the look in the Water Leopard's eyes, Wang Yuanfeng knew the beast had resolved to enter the tribulation. Once the tribulation was successfully crossed, his realm would naturally elevate, allowing him to perceive his destined position as a Star God.

The Golden Dragon was left in a daze, unable to fully grasp what Wang Yuanfeng was talking about, yet sensing that it was profound. Prime Minister Turtle stood lost in thought, seemingly having attained some enlightenment of his own.

As for the young Dragon Girl, her gaze toward the giant python had grown serene; the frantic, life-or-death desperation was gone, replaced by a love that seemed even deeper—a feeling welling up directly from the depths of her heart.

Realizing that the giant python was merely undergoing a karmic cycle of tribulation, the Dragon Girl's heart finally settled. She asked, "Divine Venerable, how can Brother Python be saved? Even if I must trade my life for his, I am willing."

"Heh, it's not that dramatic," Wang Yuanfeng said with a smile.

After a brief pause, he asked, "You know the giant python's origins, don't you?"

"Yes," the Dragon Girl nodded, replying, "Brother Python told me he was originally a green snake on Blade and Axe Mountain, living alongside a snake charmer. Later, he died..."

At this point, a sudden possibility struck her, and she hurriedly asked, "Do you mean that he..."

"Yes. He simply requires an evolution of life," Wang Yuanfeng nodded, before adding, "However..."

"However, what?" the Dragon Girl asked anxiously.