"William Carter, you need to understand, we are not your subordinates and will not take your orders. We're only responsible for keeping you alive."

"Eh? Are there really that many people in the Northern Territory who want to harm me?"

"Hmph, if cultivators catch you, they can refine a rare cauldron from you. Even the most ordinary herbs, when refined in such a cauldron, can be transformed from the mundane into the miraculous. If demons catch you and drain your Dragon Saliva Butterfly Marrow, they could reach the legendary state of evolution."

I was startled—whoever catches me gets a benefit, so doesn't that make me the unlucky Tang Sanzang? I remember my deadbeat dad once said that after Master Xuanzang returned from fetching the scriptures from the West, he once lectured at the White Horse Temple in Luoyang. The temple was surrounded by a sea of people, all with shining eyes and grinding teeth, saying that eating Tang Monk's flesh could grant immortality. Xuanzang was so frightened that he slipped out of Luoyang that very night.

Can these three delicate women really protect me? I was doubtful, but then I thought, since the Diana Carter from my previous life sought them out, they must be capable. Back in Luoyang, I often heard wandering folks say that among women, old ladies, and monks, there are often martial arts masters—not to be underestimated.

I raised my head, cupped my fists, and said with admiration, "Ladies, William Carter thanks you for your heartfelt protection. I hope we can all get along harmoniously from now on, enjoy each other's company, develop feelings over time, and forge a bond stronger than gold, with friendship that lasts forever."

Charlotte Harris burst out laughing, her ample chest heaving, "Last forever? William Carter, you're really daydreaming. Even with the demonic power Diana Carter had in his previous life, he couldn't escape disaster—let alone you."

I recoiled in alarm, "What do you mean by that? You wouldn't betray me, would you?"

Olivia Harris was clearly a cultivator, Charlotte Harris exuded demonic energy, and I was the Tang Monk's flesh in the eyes of both cultivators and demons.

Mary Clark glanced at me, "In the Northern Territory, demons face a minor tribulation every ten years, a major one every hundred, and a profound tribulation every thousand. Diana Carter failed to pass the profound tribulation, but he was strong enough to reincarnate in another world using his demonic power. As for you, a half-human, half-demon, you won't be so lucky—you probably can't even survive the ten-year minor tribulation."

I was skeptical, "Can't you protect me?"

"How can human strength defy the heavens? When the heavenly tribulation arrives, no one can protect you." Olivia Harris said coldly, her snow-white Daoist robe fluttering, the wind swirling around her like drifting snow, ethereal and otherworldly.

My heart sank. In the Great Tang, Heaven only let me live sixteen years, and now in the Northern Territory, I still have to face heavenly tribulations. Damn you, Heaven, you're so unfair to me!

Chapter 006 Three Women Make a Drama (Part 2)

The evening glow in the sky was brilliant, the sunset shining softly, and the purple lavender field seemed sprinkled with fine golden sand. I stared blankly for a while and asked, "What is a heavenly tribulation like?"

Charlotte Harris gloated, "Heaven's will is unpredictable. The tribulation could be lightning and thunder, or it could be an attack from demons or cultivators. Diana Carter died in a very strange way back then—I suspect he was forcibly killed."

I was shocked, "Wasn't Diana Carter really powerful? He could still be killed?"

Mary Clark gave a slight smile, "Diana Carter was a big deal among demons, but not necessarily stronger than humans who have cultivated for many years. I could at least fight him to a draw, and as for Ningzhen, that's not even worth mentioning. If you hadn't used dirty tricks back then, you wouldn't have beaten us."

I immediately looked at them with new eyes—so back then, Diana Carter didn't win fairly. No wonder these beauties aren't friendly to me. But using dirty tricks is a skill too; the winner takes all.

After all this talking, my stomach started growling, so I said to Mary Clark, "Go find me something to eat."

"Find it yourself. We're only responsible for protecting you."

Beauty, you really are impartial and heartless. I looked around, then "plop"—jumped into the lake, planning to catch some fish.

The lake water was cool, surrounded by rocky reefs, and the dark green water plants danced like ribbons. Red coral bubbled, and a school of silvery fish darted out and vanished again. A large brown-striped clam lay on a rock, opening and closing.

I found my body to be very agile—I didn't even need to breathe underwater and could inhale naturally. With a gentle stroke of my arms, I could swim more than ten yards.

Suddenly, the water surged—a huge red fish charged at me. It was like a small mountain, with hundreds of sharp spines fanned out under its belly. Its mouth curved into two fangs, gleaming coldly, and it let out a loud hiss.

In an instant, it was right in front of me. Panicking, I instinctively threw a punch.

"Hiss!" My fist snapped the spines and plunged into the fish's belly, as if passing through soft tofu. Blood gushed along my fist. I was stunned—had my punch really become that powerful?

The big fish howled in pain, whipped its head, and its fangs lunged at me.

My left palm chopped out instantly—so fast it surprised even me.

"Crack!" My palm strike broke the fish's fangs. I had just breathed a sigh of relief when the fish's huge, dark mouth came down over my head.

Help!

Suddenly, my brow burned hot.

A crimson claw shot out from my left rib, and at the critical moment, grabbed the fish's mouth and yanked hard.

"Rip!" The fish's entire head, along with its body, was torn in two by me.