Dense dark devilgod lightning shot over. Chu Chengzhou was about to dodge, but after seeing Xiong Da's move, he gave up the idea and instead focused, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the Dark Devilgod Tiger at any moment.
Golden streaks flashed in an instant. Three Flowing-Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows neared, but they were completely blocked by the gray barrier on the Dark Devilgod Tiger's body.
The next moment, the Dark Devilgod Tiger's offensive arrived. Dense devilgod lightning exploded beside Chu Chengzhou.
"Boom boom boom boom boom boom—"
For a time thunder rolled. Violent detonations echoed over this section of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Large amounts of dark devilgod lightning burst open. The protective divine radiance descending from the soul power flower above his head rippled violently.
However, because this dark devilgod lightning was an area attack, the commotion was great, but the power of each bolt was not strong. It remained within the defensive range of Bloom in an Instant. Other than consuming a lot of spirit power, it failed to inflict any harm on Chu Chengzhou.
At the same time, on the side, Xiong Da's dark-gold giant claws flared again with dark-gold light. Dark-gold claw shadows brimming with terrifying edge blasted out.
In a blink, the dark-gold claw shadows struck the gray barrier on the Dark Devilgod Tiger's body, that barrier formed by its innate soul skill, Devilgod Guard.
"Bang—"
If Xiong Da's innate soul skill, Dark-Gold Dreadclaw, erupted directly in soul-skill attack mode, its power far surpassed Chu Chengzhou's Flowing-Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows driven by the Sun-Shooting Divine Arrow. The gray barrier on the Dark Devilgod Tiger that the arrows had failed to pierce was instantly shattered by one strike of the attack-mode Dark-Gold Dreadclaw.
At once Chu Chengzhou's eyes lit up. He immediately, without any sense of fair play, activated the illusion technique: Void Illusion Realm.
Formless, intangible spiritual power descended into the sea of consciousness. In an instant the Dark Devilgod Tiger's awareness was altered, becoming Chu Chengzhou's temporary devout believer.
Though the Dark Devilgod Tiger was nearing fifty thousand years and was not weak, its god-level bloodline was not on the spiritual side, nor was it a spiritual-type spirit beast.
Compared to Chu Chengzhou, who excelled in spiritual power, in pure spiritual power this Dark Devilgod Tiger was indisputably one tier lower.
And additionally, the Void Illusion Realm is a spiritual technique. It does not care how strong you are otherwise. It only looks at how strong your spiritual power is.
"Done."
Having seized control of the Dark Devilgod Tiger, Chu Chengzhou nodded with satisfaction and stopped Xiong Da, who was about to continue.
Then Chu Chengzhou ordered the Dark Devilgod Tiger to sacrifice.
The great Lord God wants your spirit ring. As a devout believer, could you refuse?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
To become the Lord God's spirit ring is to become a part of the Lord God. For a devout believer, that is the highest honor.
At once the Dark Devilgod Tiger raised its head and roared. Dense gray light bloomed from the center of its brow. Everything around them became absolutely still within that gray glow.
As expected, a spirit beast as special as the Dark Devilgod Tiger, even short of a hundred thousand years, still grasped the ability to sacrifice.
'Great Lord God, accept the offering of your humble believer!'
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's soul voice sounded in Chu Chengzhou's mind.
Gray flames began to burn from the Dark Devilgod Tiger's body. Though its blood was gray, what burned now was not only its blood, but also its life, its soul, and its cultivation nearing fifty thousand years.
'Lost lamb, rest easy. Death is not the end. Your Lord God grants you eternal life.'
Whether the Dark Devilgod Tiger could hear him or not, Chu Chengzhou, playing the charlatan, replied in his heart.
Though the Dark Devilgod Tiger would die through sacrifice, once it became his seventh spirit ring, it would become his seventh summoned spirit.
Even if the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit had none of its former memories and was a new creation, it was ultimately condensed from his spirit power combined with the seventh soul skill. In Chu Chengzhou's view, that was somewhat like a sliver of true spirit reincarnating.
When he one day breaks past rank 100, ascends to godhood, and gains limitless lifespan, then as a summoned spirit the Dark Devilgod Tiger would be immortal, no?
Hearing the great Lord God's words, satisfaction immediately surfaced in the Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes.
Yes, death is not the end. By sacrificing to the Lord God, it could follow the Lord God onto the road of immortality. That was far better than wandering alone in the forest devouring spirit beasts to raise its cultivation.
No pursuit by stronger spirit beasts. No facing the overwhelming heavenly might after surpassing one hundred thousand years. No worry about failing to break into the god realm. To sacrifice to the great Lord God was a road straight to the heavens.
The gray flames burned higher, turning from gray to dark gray, and the Dark Devilgod Tiger's body gradually faded in that process, like an ever more transparent piece of gray crystal.
After a long while, the Dark Devilgod Tiger's body faded away. All the gray expanded into a huge gray ring that slowly shrank, circling them both and slowly merging in.
Bathed in the gray flames from the Dark Devilgod Tiger, Chu Chengzhou felt an indescribable comfort through his whole body.
Compared to absorbing a spirit beast's spirit ring by hunting, receiving a spirit beast's sacrifice was far more pleasant. There was no pain at all and no trials.
By accepting a spirit beast's sacrifice to attach a spirit ring, even if one's spirit power rank was only 10, a Spirit Scholar could safely and without side effects bear a hundred-thousand-year or even million-year spirit ring.
At last the light from the Dark Devilgod Tiger completely faded. The surging ring of gray fire suddenly contracted, turning into a pitch-black spirit ring that appeared at the seventh ring position outside the six spirit rings already on the True Spirit Banner martial soul.
In a flash a series of deep detonations burst from Chu Chengzhou's body. His aura surged sharply. His spirit power broke through the rank-70 bottleneck and he officially advanced to seven rings, Spirit Saint.
At the same time, a gray light shot onto his forehead. A head-bone phantom flashed and vanished.
The next second, the sacrificial field disappeared. A breeze blew. The Dark Devilgod Tiger's post-sacrifice body turned into strands of gray mist and dissipated, leaving only a strange jet-black bead floating quietly in midair.
With a raise of his hand, the black bead flew into his palm. Chu Chengzhou keenly sensed that this strange black bead contained the multiple attributes of time, space, wind, thunder, darkness, and evil.
'Seems like this thing is some protagonist's cheat?'
Chu Chengzhou thought to himself.
Of course, Chu Chengzhou did not care whether some protagonist, lacking this bead, would shift from child of destiny to background extra. That had nothing to do with him.
Besides, Dark Devilgod Tigers are a species, not a single unique individual, though the population is extremely rare.
The one that sacrificed to him now was not necessarily the same one Tang San hunted in the original work.
On the way out of the Star Dou Great Forest, seated on the back of the Fire Phoenix summoned spirit Xiao Hong, Chu Chengzhou opened the attribute panel unseen by Xiao Wu and Chen Xin, checking his own stats and the changes to his plug-in.
[Attribute Panel]
[Host: Chu Chengzhou]
[Spirit Power: Rank 73 Spirit Saint]
[Martial Soul: True Spirit Banner]
[Spirit Rings: Black (10000), Black (10000), Black (10000), Black (78100), Black (29050), Red (100000), Black (49200)]
[First Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Sky Azure Tree]
[Second Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Light Lion]
[Third Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Fire Phoenix]
[Fourth Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear]
[Fifth Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Profound Water Turtle]
[Sixth Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Titan Giant Ape]
[Seventh Soul Skill, Summon Spirit: Dark Devilgod Tiger]
[Spirit Bones: Crystal Guard Left Arm Bone (60210), ??? Cranial Spirit Bone (49200)]
[Spirit Core: First Spirit Core (attribute-less)]
[Techniques: Nine-Breath Breathing (Gold), Indestructible Golden Body (Gold), Eternal Thought (Gold), Sun-Shooting Divine Arrow (Gold), Golden Light Earth-Stride (Gold), Void Illusion Realm (Gold), Bloom in an Instant (Red), Absolute Control (Red), Creation Hammer (Red)]
[AFK: 1. Indestructible Golden Body (Gold), 2. Eternal Thought (Gold), 3. Nine-Breath Breathing (Gold), 4. Bloom in an Instant (Red), 5. Fourth Spirit Ring (Black), 6. Martial Soul: True Spirit Banner (Top-grade), 7. Absolute Control (Red), 8. (Empty)]
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's years were not high, only a little over forty-nine thousand, but its inherent quality was extremely high, and the spirit power contained in its ring was considerable. Plus, it also dropped a cranial spirit bone of the same years during the sacrifice. As soon as he advanced to seven rings, his spirit power reached Rank 73.
And not just the entry point, but mid-73. This showed the Dark Devilgod Tiger's extraordinariness.
Otherwise, with an ordinary forty-nine-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone, his spirit power would most likely only be around late Rank 71.
After all, he had a spirit core and his meditation method was exceptional. The spirit power in his body far exceeded peers of the same rank. To raise one rank required far more accumulation than a typical Spirit Master of the same level.
As expected, perhaps because the True Spirit Banner martial soul was special, the seventh soul skill was not the usual Martial Soul Avatar that normal Spirit Masters gained. Like the previous six rings, it was Summon Spirit.
After Xiong Da the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear and Da Hei the Titan Giant Ape, Chu Chengzhou now had a third summoned spirit with Titled-level combat power.
Though the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit's years were a bit low, if the opponent was a Titled Douluo like She Long, he would probably crush them.
With its unreasonable innate soul skill, Life-and-Death Arena, even higher-rank Titled Douluo might be killable in an instant.
And after gaining a summoned Dark Devilgod Tiger that mastered multiple attributes, because of the True Spirit Banner's trait, he could now freely convert his attribute-less spirit power into time, space, wind, thunder, darkness, and evil attribute spirit power.
Without hesitation, Chu Chengzhou placed the seventh spirit ring into the new eighth AFK slot that appeared after advancing to seven rings.
Suppressing his excitement, he held back from checking the plug-in changes and examined the cranial spirit bone dropped by the Dark Devilgod Tiger. The big meal~ had to be saved for last.
Generally, when a spirit beast drops a spirit bone, it will be for the part that matches its specialty.
For a Dark Devilgod Tiger, if it dropped a spirit bone, it should have been wings or a tail-type external spirit bone, but what dropped happened to be a cranial spirit bone.
As expected of a self-styled protagonist, he was destined to be incompatible with external spirit bones.
Of course, getting a cranial spirit bone was also good. This was his first time obtaining a spirit bone while hunting. It set a precedent.
Focusing and inspecting, Chu Chengzhou raised his eyebrows.
Somewhat unexpected, the spirit bone skill attached to this cranial spirit bone did not seem closely related to the Dark Devilgod Tiger's abilities.
Spirit bone skill: Elemental Dominion. It enhances comprehension and control of all elements and increases the power of all elements by 30%.
'Elemental comprehension, control, and amplification?'
Chu Chengzhou pondered.
He had thought this cranial spirit bone would carry a spirit bone skill like the Dark Devilgod Tiger's earlier "Dark Devilgod Lightning," "Devilgod Guard," or "Life-and-Death Arena." Unexpectedly it was an auxiliary elemental skill.
But thinking it through, he understood why such a spirit bone skill appeared.
Spirit bone skills are related to the spirit beast's own abilities. For example, in the original work, if Xiao Wu's hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit right arm bone had not mastered Invincible Golden Body and Teleportation, then those skills would not have appeared as spirit bone skills.
Generally, aside from attribute-less spirit beasts, most spirit beasts master only one attribute. A few master two. More than two is extremely rare.
Of the attributes the Dark Devilgod Tiger mastered, those Chu Chengzhou clearly knew already numbered six: time, space, wind, thunder, darkness, and darkness evolved into evil.
So many attributes were likely not innate to the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
According to legend, the origin of the Dark Devilgod Tiger's bloodline was a God of Evil descending upon a white tiger, mutating it, turning the white tiger's light attribute into darkness, giving it black wings of corruption, and an Evil God Hook like a scorpion's tail.
This legend was likely true, otherwise one could not explain why the Dark Devilgod Tiger's bloodline level was so strong.
Its darkness attribute came from the white tiger's light attribute transforming and then evolving into evil. Its innate soul skill, Life-and-Death Arena, also involved time and space. But for wind and thunder there was no clear basis.
Perhaps aside from the innate darkness and evil, and time and space, the wind and thunder attributes were later comprehended by the Dark Devilgod Tiger through the "Elemental Dominion" ability?
Worth noting, the spirit bone skill Elemental Dominion is semi-active and semi-passive.
Even without activating the spirit bone skill, the effect of enhancing comprehension and control of all elements still existed. At the very least, Chu Chengzhou felt he could control the attribute spirit power he already had more flexibly.
The 30% amplification to all elements, however, required activating the spirit bone skill to manifest.
'Not bad.'
After thinking it through, Chu Chengzhou nodded inwardly.
The praise was not for the 30% elemental amplification that only worked when activated, but for the passive enhancement to comprehension and control of all elements.
Of course, the 30% amplification was not bad either.
Because this passive aligned with the path to the heavens he had envisioned.
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth merge into the Five Elements. Earth, water, fire, and wind evolve into Chaos. Time and space merge into Spacetime. These are lofty terms.
To grasp laws is to be a deity, and whether Five Elements, Chaos, or Spacetime laws, the first prerequisite is multi-element fusion. With this spirit bone skill's help, achieving godhood would be twice the result for half the effort.
Moreover, he could AFK-upgrade the spirit bone's years. As its years rose, the spirit bone skill's effect would surely grow stronger and more evident.
With a slight shift of thought, the ??? cranial spirit bone shown on the attribute panel turned into the Elemental Dominion Skull.
A name is just a name. Make it whatever looks pleasing.
After that, Chu Chengzhou's gaze fell on the AFK list.
Soon the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
It was clear Chu Chengzhou was in a very good mood.
After advancing to seven rings, his AFK plug-in not only gained a new slot, its AFK efficiency also rose sharply.
Before advancing, AFK-upgrading a peerless technique from red grade to gold took a full three hundred days, and from gold to the next tier took one thousand days.
After advancing, upgrading a red-grade technique to gold needed only one hundred days.
Likewise, gold grade to the next tier became three hundred days. The efficiency for AFK-upgrading techniques was at least triple.
AFK efficiency for spirit rings, spirit bones, and martial souls was not tripled, but still rose from increasing a spirit ring's years by 80 years per day to 200 years per day.
At the current rate, even if a spirit ring started from zero, reaching a hundred-thousand-year ring would take only five hundred days, one year and four and a half months.
Counting the earlier progress, the first to see qualitative change in the AFK list would be the red-grade defensive technique Bloom in an Instant, in about a week.
Two and a half months later, the auxiliary technique Absolute Control would advance to gold grade.
In under four months, the fourth spirit ring's years would reach one hundred thousand. Xiong Da, the Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear summoned spirit, would metamorphose into a hundred-thousand-year summoned spirit.
After a few more days, the meditation method Nine-Breath Breathing would advance in quality to the next tier, the final tier in his AFK plug-in's technique grading.
In a little over seven months, the True Spirit Banner martial soul would undergo evolutionary metamorphosis. Barring surprises, following the Six-Winged Angel, the continent would see a second god-level martial soul.
Counting Sea God Island overseas, that would be the third god-level martial soul.
In eight and a half months, the seventh spirit ring's years would reach one hundred thousand. The Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit would metamorphose into a hundred-thousand-year summoned spirit.
In ten months, the body-tempering technique Indestructible Golden Body and the mind-refining technique A Will Eternal would, like Nine-Breath Breathing, upgrade to a higher tier.
One could say that the hanging-on cheat Chu Chengzhou had would hang even bigger.
After resting for a night in a city along the way, the next morning, after sending Chen Xin back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Chu Chengzhou took Xiao Wu toward the Sunset Forest.
"Ge, aren't we going straight home?"
Seeing that Xiao Hong's flight path was not toward Heaven Dou City, Xiao Wu asked Chu Chengzhou in puzzlement.
Chu Chengzhou nodded. "We'll head back after. I have something to do in the Sunset Forest, and I'll test Xiao Hu's abilities."
The Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal was still at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He could pick it on the way.
And after advancing to Spirit Saint yesterday, he had left the Star Dou Great Forest. He had not had time to test the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit's strength. Chu Chengzhou planned to run tests, at least to understand the abilities it possessed.
"Xiao Hu?"
Xiao Wu blinked.
"The name I gave the Dark Devilgod Tiger summoned spirit."
Xiao Wu: "."
Why is it another lousy name?!
Indeed, she should never expect anything from Chu Chengzhou's so-called naming "talent."
"I think instead of Xiao Hu, it's more fitting to call it Da Hei. It's even more suited to that name than Da Hei is."
After a moment's silence, Xiao Wu said.
"I think so too, but I can't just rename Da Hei, can I?"
Chu Chengzhou shrugged.
To be fair, the Dark Devilgod Tiger was indeed blacker than the Titan Giant Ape, and it was not small. It could carry the title "Da."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu got interested and hurried to say, "Why not? Of course you can! I say rename Da Hei to Xiao Ming, then name the Dark Devilgod Tiger Da Hei!"
At that, Chu Chengzhou glanced at Xiao Wu. Xiao Ming? What kind of lousy name is that? Da Ming, Er Ming, Xiao Ming?
Maybe Da Hei's strength was not on par with Er Ming now, but in the future Da Hei would definitely surpass Er Ming. Calling it Xiao Ming would not suit it at all.
Alright, someone had clearly forgotten that compared to Xiao Wu, he was the real naming failure.
"Ge, just listen to me~!"
Xiao Wu hugged Chu Chengzhou's arm and wheedled.
At this moment, Xiao Wu could not help imagining taking Xiao Ming to the forest to meet Da Ming and Er Ming in the future.
Would Er Ming cry and shout to recognize kin then?
Clicking his tongue, Chu Chengzhou said, "Handing the naming rights to you isn't impossible, but…"
It was only a rename. Not a big deal.
As for Da Hei's opinion? Da Hei wasn't human. It had no human rights.
"But what?"
Xiao Wu asked quickly.
"Xiao Wu, you and Rongrong and Zhuqing are the closest sisters in the world, and we are all family. Don't you think family should be frank with each other?"
Licking his lips, Chu Chengzhou said with ill intent.
Chu Chengzhou: I have a bold idea!
"How about adding Hu Liena? I can set it up for you~"
Squinting, Xiao Wu, who got it instantly, asked with a smile.
"Uh~ Xiao Wu, you're that nice?"
Oblivious to the danger about to arrive, Chu Chengzhou said in delight.
"Go die!"
In anger, Xiao Wu lifted her long leg and kicked without hesitation, booting Chu Chengzhou right off Xiao Hong's back.
Anyway, Chu Chengzhou could fly. She was not worried he would get hurt falling off Xiao Hong.
Xiao Hong: ...
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle