These two assassination attempts looked like coincidences, but in truth only one was a coincidence.
The first attempt was no coincidence. While "fishing," Chu Chengzhou was not a qualified fisherman; he lacked the patience to wait for the prey to bite. He broke the script and directly relied on the Void Illusion Realm, which can temporarily alter others' consciousness. Following the trail, he found the assassins' group.
This time, the target had arrived that morning and was dead before sunset. That was the true coincidence. There was no insider leak.
"Yes, Father Emperor!"
Dai Yutian hurried to respond.
"Father Emperor, the royal high command has suffered heavy losses. I plan to shift some resources to our high-level Soul Sages to help them break through quickly."
After thinking, Dai Yutian spoke to Dai Tao.
"Mm. If necessary, open the royal treasury and bestow high-grade spirit bones."
Dai Tao did not refuse. He nodded.
Even after Chu Chengzhou's havoc, the royal house still had many experts. There were still high-rank Soul Sages, even White Tiger Soul Sages stuck at the peak of level 79.
With heavenly treasures or spirit bones, producing several White Tiger Soul Douluo in a short time would not be hard.
Of course, relying on so-called heavenly treasures—rare herbs or high-year plant-type spirit-beast core hearts far inferior to true immortal herbs—would affect the foundation, making further advancement basically impossible.
But breaking through with a spirit bone would not. Spirit bones do more than grant bone skills and enhance physique or spiritual power. After refining, they either increase soul power or consolidate one's foundation.
For soul masters not stuck at a bottleneck, the soul power increase is nothing special—at worst it just saves training time.
For those stuck at a bottleneck, the help is huge. If the bone's year count is high and the gain large, it can force a breakthrough.
"Old Patriarch, this assassination of Chu Chengzhou ran into accidents. Do we continue?"
Dai Feng asked Dai Tao.
Had Dai Sheng and the others not fallen, Dai Feng would not have asked; he would have arranged the next attempt.
But with many royal powerhouses lost, the plan needed caution. They could not keep sending people to die.
"Continue. Of course continue. The boy's potential is huge. He is a grave threat to the empire and must be eliminated.But the royal family and the empire should stop acting directly. Take a legacy spirit bone from the royal treasury and post a bounty. Anyone who brings Chu Chengzhou's head can claim the reward from the empire.
Also spread his intel. Say he carries a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone."
Dai Tao spoke without hesitation.
He was a super-genius soul master of an enemy empire, and the empire had already offended him to death. They had to kill him and leave no room for growth.
Given his strength, sending more elite teams could end in another wipe. To avoid more losses of royal and imperial experts, Dai Tao chose a new tactic: hire killers.
The continent never lacks desperadoes. He did not believe no powerhouse would be tempted.
The so-called legacy spirit bone might not reach a hundred thousand years, but it would be at least eighty thousand.
This referred to limb bones. For the rarer head or torso bones, fifty thousand years or more already counts as a legacy bone of a major power.
If it failed, the royal family lost nothing.
If it succeeded, taking down Chu Chengzhou with a single legacy bone would be a bargain.
Just the bones on Dai Sheng and the others already exceeded a single legacy bone in value.
And this was only a bounty. Even if Chu Chengzhou did not actually have a hundred-thousand-year bone, with his strength, claiming he did was plausible.
Ideally, after success the royals would secretly send experts to kill the bounty hunter, reclaim the legacy bone, and maybe even profit.
That day, news spread from Star Luo City.
Chu Chengzhou of the Heaven Dou Empire possessed strength far beyond his rank and carried the most coveted treasure of all soul masters: a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone.
Star Luo Empire posted a bounty: anyone who brought Chu Chengzhou's head could collect a precious eighty-thousand-year spirit bone.
With official amplification, the news swept Star Luo and the whole continent.
At once, strong rogue soul masters and great clans began to stir.
As for Chu Chengzhou's background?
Heh. Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were powerful, but so what? Strike cleanly, or operate outside Heaven Dou, and what could they do?
Three days later.
Spirit City, Pope's Palace.
"Your Majesty, Chu Chengzhou of Heaven Dou is advancing at a terrifying pace and carries a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone. Should Spirit Hall act?"
Aomaba, master of the Hall of Light and Shadow, addressed Bibi Dong on the papal throne.
In Aomaba's view, Chu Chengzhou was close to Heaven Dou and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and had refused the Pope's goodwill. That made him Spirit Hall's enemy.
A gifted, powerful enemy should be removed early, or he could become a future scourge.
The rumored hundred-thousand-year bone and Star Luo's legacy-bone bounty were major sweeteners.
"I am aware."
Looking over Star Luo's intelligence on Chu Chengzhou, Bibi Dong nodded but did not order action.
She knew Chu Chengzhou was close to Heaven Dou's crown prince Xue Qinghe—her own daughter Qian Renxue in disguise. Since they were close, there was no need for the Pope's Hall to meddle. Qian Daoliu would consider how to handle it.
Moreover, he had unclear ties with her treasured disciple Hu Liena. As a teacher, it would be unseemly to strike.
"By the way, has the cause of the recent great battle outside Heaven Dou City been clarified?"
Bibi Dong asked about another matter.
The commotion had been great. In Heaven Dou's sphere, Spirit Hall's presence was second only to Heaven Dou and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect; such a battle could not be hidden.
A clash of Title Douluo would have deep effects. As head of the Heaven Dou branch, Platinum Bishop Salas had reported immediately and sent investigators.
"Your Majesty, according to current intelligence, the Star Luo royals sent elders to assassinate Chu Chengzhou, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect saw through it. Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong lay in ambush, used Chu Chengzhou as bait, and successfully counter-killed the royal elders.
Before that, the Star Luo branch reported numerous missing White Tiger Soul Sages, likely Chu Chengzhou's doing. After suffering heavy losses, the royals sent elders to retaliate."
Aomaba reported respectfully.
"Oh? How many Star Luo elders died?"
Bibi Dong raised an interested brow.
She knew well their strength. Though merely eight-ring Soul Douluo, once they activated their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the Netherworld White Tiger, their power reached Title Douluo level.
"So far we have only confirmed three Netherworld White Tigers. It should have been all of them."
Spirit Hall counted three rather than four because Dai Xu, in Netherworld White Tiger form, was instantly killed at the start by Xiong Da working in concert with Chu Chengzhou. Distant witnesses saw only three winged tigers in the sky.
"Three?"
Bibi Dong's lips curled in amusement. "Aomaba, next your Hall of Light and Shadow will focus on provoking conflict between Heaven Dou and Star Luo."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
He accepted at once.
The Pope's move was clever.
The Star Luo royals had suffered grievously. Emperor Dai Yutian, used to throwing his weight around, would be ablaze with rage.
In anger, even shrewd minds lose reason, let alone Dai Yutian, domineering by nature.
If Spirit Hall fanned the flames and sowed discord, the two empires might well tear each other apart.When two tigers fight, one must be wounded. Spirit Hall would profit.
Elsewhere, City of Slaughter, inner city.
On a street where blood ran like a river and severed limbs lay everywhere, Tang San stood with hammer in hand, blue light washing over him as he rapidly recovered from the battle's injuries.
He had won, smashing more than forty fallen ones of varying strength. Yet bitterness filled his heart.
Because after this fight, the inner city's fallen had thinned again.
Since the devastation wrought over half a year ago by the "Soul-Controlling Demon," the inner city had not replenished in time. Numbers had plunged; when Tang San came to temper himself, roughly only a thousand remained.
Having learned from last time, even without a leader the inner-city fallen still banded together against strong challengers with the potential for a hundred wins in the Hell Arena, like Tang San.
By his tenth day in the City of Slaughter, Tang San had four straight wins in the Hell Arena, but the fallen he had killed exceeded two hundred.
Because of his blue clothes and hair, and his preference for smashing heads with a great hammer, the inner-city fallen dubbed him the "Blue Skullcrusher Demon."
At first Tang San did not care. A title was just a title, even if unpleasant. Since they sought death, he would wipe them out.
Gradually he sensed something wrong. In this vast City of Slaughter, the streets were growing empty.
He had only reached ten straight wins. He still needed ninety more to qualify for the Hell Road. Ninety matches required at least nine hundred heads.
But were there even nine hundred fallen left?
Even if there were, they could not all become his opponents.
At this rate, by thirty or forty wins the inner city would have no fallen left.
Yet he could not stop killing. Others were coming for his life. How could he hold back? If he pulled his punches and slipped, it would be the world's biggest joke.
"Damn it."
Cursing, Tang San stowed his hammer and returned to his temporary quarters.
What could he do? Nothing.
He could only pray for more villains to enter the inner city and deliver heads to the Hell Arena.
Bringing three girls home, Chu Chengzhou had just stepped through the gate when a servant delivered a letter.
There were no words on the surface, but in one corner was a tiny fox emblem.
Seeing this, and noting that Xiao Wu and the others had not noticed, Chu Chengzhou immediately stored the letter in his soul tool.
No need to guess. It was a letter from the Fourth Branch in Spirit City.
Although he had not gone to Spirit City to secretly meet Hu Liena since their parting, correspondence had not stopped.
Back in his room he opened it. As expected, it was saturated with decadent words of love.
At the end the tone shifted, marking a major upcoming event in Spirit Hall.
"Just over a month from now, the Saintess Investiture Ceremony?"
Chu Chengzhou raised a brow.
For Hu Liena, being invested as Spirit Hall's Saintess was no less than princes of the two empires being named crown princes. Both were first in line.
The difference: the Saintess succeeds to the papacy; the crown prince succeeds to the imperial throne.
Though Hu Liena did not say he must attend, Chu Chengzhou felt this was his girl's big day. He could not skip it.
But if he went to Spirit City, would it be like throwing meat buns to a dog—no return?
Spirit Hall had many experts. Keeping him would be easy.
His life likely was not in danger, but he could be detained and end up eating soft rice for a while.
As he hesitated, three days later things turned.
That morning, Ning Fengzhi arrived with Gu Rong.
"Kid, Spirit Hall has announced a Saintess Investiture Ceremony in a month and is inviting powers across the continent to witness it. Are you going?"
Ning Fengzhi asked Chu Chengzhou.
"Saintess Investiture Ceremony?"
Chu Chengzhou showed surprise.
It was only an investiture, not a new pope's enthronement. Why such pomp?Inviting all powers to watch—were they that idle?
Seeing his confusion, Ning Fengzhi explained, "The Saintess is the Pope's first successor and Spirit Hall's brightest young talent.They invite everyone to showcase their younger generation, not out of idleness."
Without an invitation he would not go. But since Spirit Hall sent one, etiquette required the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's master to attend.
Bringing Chu Chengzhou had reasons.
The sect's information network was not bad. Ning Fengzhi knew the incoming Saintess was the Pope's personal disciple Hu Liena.
The younger generation represents the future. If the invitees could not present a disciple superior to Hu Liena, it would show Spirit Hall not only strong now, but destined to stay stronger than others.
With Chu Chengzhou, it changed. In the Soul Master Tournament, Hu Liena had been defeated by Chu Chengzhou.
Your Saintess is my son-in-law's defeated opponent. It did not prove the Seven Treasure Sect would surpass Spirit Hall, but it would blunt Spirit Hall's aura and boost the morale of a future Anti–Spirit Hall alliance.
That alliance had not formed yet, but with Spirit Hall's swelling power, in Ning Fengzhi's eyes it was only a matter of time.
"Alright. Count me in."
Chu Chengzhou agreed without hesitation.
He had wanted to go anyway, but feared being detained in Spirit City. With Ning Fengzhi, that worry faded.
Spirit Hall was overbearing, but valued appearances. They would not openly detain guests under all eyes.
Like the previous tournament: if Tang Hao had not gone on a rampage in Star Dou Forest—slaughtering high-level spirit beasts and even killing a Hall elder—Spirit Hall would not have openly tried to detain Tang San at the event.Assassins after the fact were possible, but never on the surface.
For this investiture, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was invited, and so was the Heaven Dou Empire.
Emperor Xue Ye would not go to Spirit City; Crown Prince Xue Qinghe would represent the empire.
Ten days later, under the guard of a thousand royal knights, the Heaven Dou envoy departed the south gate of Heaven Dou City toward Spirit City in the continent's center.
Half a month later, with four days left before the ceremony, four figures left Heaven Dou City at speeds far beyond the envoy's.
Chu Chengzhou brought Qian Renxue and Ning Fengzhi riding the Fire Phoenix summon Little Red. Chen Xin flew by sword.
Honestly, in the past, even with Chen Xin's high rank, he could not have flown by sword straight to Spirit City in one go.
Title Douluo can fly, but long distances exhaust soul power. Only high-rank flying-type Title Douluo might manage thousands of li in one stretch.
With a soul core, Chen Xin was different. The core could automatically draw ambient energy to restore soul power. As long as it was travel rather than high-intensity combat, his endurance was effectively unlimited.
They did not go straight to Spirit City. They reached the Heaven Dou city closest to Spirit City, linked up with the envoy that had set out half a month earlier, rested a night, then took carriages onward.
The envoy and royal knights might seem redundant, but as one of the continent's two empires and one of the three great sects, arriving in person was not enough. The spectacle mattered.
At dawn the next day, the main force set off again. Only half a day remained to Spirit City.
In a luxurious carriage, bored, Chu Chengzhou raised a sound barrier to block outside noise and said to Qian Renxue traveling with him, "We've got most of a day to Spirit City, my little angel. Shall we do something meaningful?"
"Such as?"
Qian Renxue shot him a sidelong glance.
"Man and woman alone in a carriage. Why not discuss the Path of Yin and Yang? Do our part for human propagation."
Chu Chengzhou sat up straight, testing the waters.
Qian Renxue: "…"
She glared at him and turned away without speaking.
Qian Renxue thought: I treat you as a brother, and you want to sleep with me?
"You call me brother but won't give me even this much face?"
Chu Chengzhou pouted.
"Quit with the dirty thoughts," Qian Renxue snapped. "Have you heard about Star Luo's bounty?"
Chu Chengzhou paused. "Bounty? What bounty?"
"What else? You.Star Luo spread your intel across the continent, saying you carry a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone, and anyone who brings your head can collect an eighty-thousand-year spirit bone.If I didn't treat you as a brother, I might have sent someone to claim it already."
She rolled her eyes.
"Tsk. Looks like Star Luo forgets the beatings they've taken. The lesson wasn't enough. We'll wipe them out sooner or later.But really, isn't that a bit stingy? Is Chu Chengzhou worth only one eighty-thousand-year spirit bone?"
Chu Chengzhou clicked his tongue.
"That's already high. An eighty-thousand-year bone would tempt most Title Douluo. And you supposedly have a hundred-thousand-year bone."
"That's not true. I've only got one bone, and Star Luo delivered it to me."
"Even I don't believe that, let alone others.You killed an eight-ring Soul Douluo while at six rings. In my view, one hundred-thousand-year bone is too few. You might have a full set."
Qian Renxue smiled.
To be honest, Chu Chengzhou's strength had shocked her as well.
But on second thought, she herself had been born with innate level-20 soul power and was still inferior to him. So it made sense that his strength was extraordinary.
Obviously, Star Luo still had no idea of Chu Chengzhou's true power. Afterall his combat strength had already reached the level of a nine-ring Title Douluo.
"You can believe it or not. The reason I have this strength is because of my family's secret arts and my mutated martial soul."
What he said was not a lie. Since refining the spirit bone, he had not even revealed his true hand.
"I'm curious, where did those secret arts come from?"
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle