Without hesitation, Orochimaru appeared beside the boy and grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing?" the boy cried, struggling in panic.
"What am I doing?" Orochimaru smiled chillingly. "Opening the door to a new world." A flash of cold light cut open the boy's palm, and hot blood sprayed out like a fountain.
The moment the blood touched the formation, it erupted in dazzling blue light. A terrifying suction force burst out. The mineral vein of "Stone of Gelel" above was dragged and torn apart as green liquid essence poured downward like a broken river.
The glow of the vein faded as its life energy was greedily converted into power for the formation. "Damn it, Orochimaru! What did you do?" Hyde roared, his eyes burning with rage.
He never expected Orochimaru to destroy the "Stone of Gelel" vein outright. Hyde believed Orochimaru wanted the stones to strengthen his body. He had been ready to fight for them if needed.
Instead, this madman chose to destroy everything. "Idiot. What is physical strength worth?" Orochimaru spread his arms at the edge of the formation, his face filled with fanatic excitement.
"I am opening a gate to a brand new world. A world beyond life and death, beyond cycles, the gate to the Void Realm!" kacha roared as space itself seemed torn apart.
The center of the formation shattered like fragile glass. A massive black Lie crack opened. 'Time Space Cave' was opened.
Under Yunchuan Hyuga's modifications, it no longer connected to an empty Xu void but to the true Void Realm. "Get away!" someone screamed as survivors scrambled toward floating Gravel.
A cold wind poured out from the depths of the crack. Countless twisted black figures surged out, radiating deathly stillness. Screams followed as claws tore armor and devoured souls.
One shadow pierced a man's chest and began consuming his soul. Another forced open its mask and swallowed another victim. The remaining shadows ignored the others and locked onto Orochimaru.
"What are these monsters?" Hyde shouted in terror. They were Xu from 'Void Realm'.
"That's them!" Orochimaru formed seals without hesitation. Powerful Chakra erupted from his body, sending shockwaves outward. White scales appeared across his skin, purple markings stretched from his eyes, and a horn grew from his forehead.
Transparent snake like Chakra surrounded him as his presence turned cold and wild. This was the Sage Mode of Ryuchi Cave. "Orochimaru, you are using my power again," a soft female voice said behind him.
A woman's head emerged from the end of his tail and rested on his shoulder, tongue flicking. She smiled at the surroundings and praised the discovery. Orochimaru ignored her and hissed softly.
Kusanagi Sword: Sky Greatsword. A cold flash shot from his mouth and pierced straight through a Xu mask. The mask shattered, and the creature screamed before exploding into black dust.
Its soul energy surged into Kusanagi Sword, making the blade tremble with a low hum. The pleasure of the energy made Orochimaru shudder. He burst into mad laughter that echoed through the palace.
"What is this?" the woman cried in shock. She felt her own soul being drawn into the sword. "Orochimaru, what are you planning?"
He stopped laughing and spoke coldly. "You will know soon." To him, the Xu were no longer threats but treasures and keys to freedom.
He vanished into the swarm, cutting down masks one after another. Each strike shattered a mask and erased a Xu. The sword glowed brighter as it devoured soul energy.
The woman screamed for him to stop as her soul was torn away. She realized his plan too late. He meant to feed both her soul and the Xu into Kusanagi Sword.
Still unsatisfied, Orochimaru looked toward the Rift of Time Space Cave. Stronger Xu awaited beyond. Greed filled his eyes as he stepped forward.
A hand suddenly reached out from the dark crack. With a violent impact, Orochimaru was seized by the throat and smashed into a pillar. His bones cracked as he was pinned to the wall.
A masked figure stared at him with cold red eyes. "Human? Snake?" the figure murmured, tightening its grip.
"It does not matter," the voice said hoarsely. "Void Realm Intruders, die!"
'White Fang's hand clamped around Orochimaru's throat like an iron vise. Suffocation rushed in as a harsh cracking sound came from his neck, as if it would be crushed to pieces in the next instant.
"Hng…"
Orochimaru tried to struggle and form hand seals, but in this state his strength simply could not move the mountain before him. He could not even lift his hands, and his body was already going numb.
He stared hard into those crimson eyes, seeing only coldness and indifference. This was the second time he had felt the shadow of Death so clearly.
The first time had been because he underestimated that damned Hyuga brat. This time, it was because he underestimated the true power of the 'Void Realm'.
Arrogance had once again pushed him to the brink of death. Just as Orochimaru's vision began to sink into darkness, the thick snake tail behind him suddenly moved, and the head belonging to Tashinsenki shot out.
"Hiss!"
With a sharp, furious hiss, Tashinsenki's head lunged forward. Its fanged jaws opened to the limit and bit down viciously on the arm that was choking Orochimaru.
'White Fang's crimson pupils shifted slightly as it looked at the snake head clamped onto its arm. In the next instant, black, twisted Curse Seal runes spread out from the bite marks, writhing like living things.
Curse Binding Seal! This move was later used by Orochimaru during the Fourth Shinobi World War against Tobi, and even with White Zetsu A Fei's special nature, it had bound him for a long time.
Now, the powerful binding force made 'White Fang's movements halt for a moment, and the strength in the arm gripping Orochimaru's neck loosened slightly. The restraint might only take a short time for it to break, but for Orochimaru it was the only chance to live.
"Urgh!"
The terrifying pressure on his neck suddenly eased, and survival instinct combined with battle experience drove Orochimaru to react at once. His hands moved beyond their limits, completing hand seals in an instant.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!" he roared hoarsely.
Rumble!
The ruins of the underground palace shook violently, as if some sleeping giant beast had been awakened. Orochimaru's Senjutsu Chakra surged wildly, and the ground, walls, and falling chunks of stone were all given life in that moment.
The floor rolled like waves, and sharp stone spikes burst from the walls and ground like sprouts after rain. In an instant, a dense forest of spikes formed and stabbed fiercely toward the bound 'White Fang'.
At the moment the spikes erupted, Orochimaru's body went limp and turned into countless tiny white-colored snakes. The snakes poured out like a tide from 'White Fang's grasp and through the gaps between the stone spikes, scattering in all directions.
By the time 'White Fang' broke free, the snakes had vanished. Soon, those white-colored snakes regrouped behind distant rocks and reformed into Orochimaru's body.
He stepped back again and merged his body into the rock itself. Loud crashes rang out as 'White Fang' shattered the stone spikes trapping it, only to face even more twisted stone shapes the next moment.
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation absorbed Natural Energy to grant life to inorganic matter, transforming it into controllable organic forms. In a narrow, sealed underground space like this, the technique could exert its maximum effect, turning the entire area into a battlefield.