I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: Seven Kill Shock the World
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Under the state of True Body, a high-level Soul Douluo's powerful attack-type soul skill with years of cultivation behind it wasn't something easily blocked.
'War Axe' had once used this very technique to split a Soul Sage who was also in True Body form straight in half with one axe strike.
However, Chu Chengzhou's defensive ultimate technique Instant Bloom wasn't just for show either. Although its base defense was weaker, thanks to the attribute amplification from soul-refined spirit gold, its defensive capabilities weren't too shabby.
Though he couldn't fully block the entirety of this axe strike, he managed to deflect most of its power. The remaining force struck his sturdy Nine Heavens Mystic Armor, but even so, it didn't kill him outright or severely wound him.
"Cough cough"
Not long after, before the dust had even settled, Chu Chengzhou stood up again.
But the next moment, a massive crimson-gold feather shot toward Chu Chengzhou's back at extreme speed—halfway through, the 'Vulture', seizing the opportunity, unleashed his eighth strong-attack soul skill.
Chu Chengzhou, who was aware of everything within his domain, keenly sensed danger approaching from behind. Without hesitation, he immediately dodged to the side.
Clang— Boom—!
He was still a step too slow and couldn't completely evade. The rapidly incoming crimson-gold feather struck Chu Chengzhou's lower waist.
However, the attack style of the 'Vulture's' eighth soul skill wasn't a piercing-type like an arrow. Upon impact, the crimson-gold feather exploded violently with energy.
As blood-red light flashed, Chu Chengzhou felt as if he'd been hit by a missile. His entire body was blasted away again, and along with the intense energy shockwave, a sinister bloodthirsty energy began rapidly invading his body.
Phew—
The intense energy shock penetrated through the Nine Heavens Mystic Armor, and Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood mid-air.
Fortunately, the Nine Heavens Mystic Armor was sturdy, and after cultivating the Unbreakable Golden Body, his physical resilience far surpassed that of soul masters at the same level. Even after taking a direct hit from the 'Vulture's' eighth soul skill, he only sustained minor injuries, which wouldn't significantly affect his combat effectiveness.
As for the sinister bloodthirsty energy invading his body, it failed to have any effect on him. Encountering the purer and higher-level killing intent accumulated within him, the bloodthirsty energy was instantly purified into nothingness.
The next moment, 'War Axe', seizing the advantage, relentlessly pursued Chu Chengzhou, swinging his massive black axe down again.
However, this time, Chu Chengzhou, whose mind hadn't been clouded, wasn't so easily hit.
In terms of movement techniques, even though his opponent was an Soul Douluo, in front of Chu Chengzhou activating Divine Light Dash, they were nothing more than a novice.
Before the giant axe could land, Chu Chengzhou dodged, leaving only an afterimage where he had stood. What 'War Axe' struck was merely his residual shadow.
Having suffered two consecutive setbacks, Chu Chengzhou wasn't someone who would simply endure without retaliation. While maneuvering to dodge 'War Axe's' attacks, he began shooting arrows at the 'Vulture' in the air whenever he got a chance.
In terms of threat, the flying 'Vulture' posed a greater danger than the brute-force type opponent 'War Axe'.
However, limited by the 'Vulture's' overly high soul power level and spiritual strength surpassing that of the previous 'Star Soul', Chu Chengzhou didn't dare cast Void Realm Illusion on him.
Otherwise, the resulting mental backlash wouldn't be as simple as before.
Even so, the 'Vulture' in the air wasn't having an easy time either.
The arrowheads of the Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows were forged from soul-refined Essence Gold, specifically designed to break through soul power defenses. Additionally, the arrows' flight speed was extremely fast. Even though the 'Vulture's' reactions were quick, due to the sheer size of his True Body, even if his consciousness reacted in time, complete evasion was impossible.
True Bodies were manifestations of a soul master's martial soul, and since the martial soul and the soul master were one, the foot-long Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrow penetrating the 'Vulture's' Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body inflicted damage that was also reflected onto the 'Vulture' himself—though the harm wasn't as severe as if it had directly struck his physical body.
As the battle progressed, after being hit by three Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows in succession, the 'Vulture' felt signs of his True Body beginning to collapse.
If not for 'War Axe's' support, the 'Vulture' felt that he, an Level 89 Soul Douluo, would have been defeated by a mere Soul King.
It could only be said that powerful techniques combined with external advantages gave Chu Chengzhou the ability to challenge across multiple levels.
If under Chu Chengzhou's Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows, the 'Vulture' was merely uncomfortable but not in immediate mortal danger, then for the other two—'Golden Elephant' and 'Atlas'—the situation was vastly different.
Setting aside Turtle Two, a defensive summon whose insufficient output couldn't pose a fatal threat to such powerful opponents, and considering Big Bear's strong defense, there was no need for Turtle Two to act as a meat shield.
Big Bear alone was enough to make 'Golden Elephant' and 'Atlas' suffer immensely, akin to dancing on the edge of a knife.
The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was the strongest bear-type spirit beast in existence, bar none. Moreover, Chu Chengzhou had always considered Big Bear his trump card. Ever since advancing to the Soul Ancestor stage, his fourth soul ring had continuously been AFKing, never stopping.
With constant upgrades, the current age of the fourth soul ring exceeded thirty-seven thousand years.
In other words, at this moment, Big Bear's strength equated to that of a thirty-seven-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.
A ten-thousand-year-old Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was already enough to make ordinary titled Douluos avoid its sharp claws—let alone one thirty-seven thousand years old?
With two innate soul skills—Berserk and Dark Gold Terror Claw—activated, not even 'Atlas', a power-attack type Soul Douluo, dared rely on his defense to withstand Big Bear's claws, even in True Body form. And as for 'Golden Elephant', a defensive-type Soul Douluo, his True Body might look imposing, but compared to Big Bear's pair of terrifying dark golden claws, it was hardly stronger than paper mâché.
If not for Big Bear being slightly slower than the two and the fact that they were high-level Soul Douluos giving their all, these two would likely already be dead.
At this point, seeing the battle situation locked in a stalemate, Hu Liena gritted her teeth.
All the opponents were above level 80 experts; she couldn't defeat even one. Was she just going to stand by and watch?
Hu Liena, proud and unwilling to see herself as a mere decorative piece, refused to do so. At the very least, she wanted to do something for her man.
The next moment, Hu Liena leaped forward, joining the fray.
In an instant, a surge of white light erupted from Hu Liena's body.
The Killing God Domain spread, exuding chilling killing intent and suddenly suppressing their strength, causing 'Golden Elephant' and 'Atlas' to feel an ominous premonition.
Immediately after, a faint glow appeared on Hu Liena's forehead as her soul bone skill, Spirit Control, activated. An intangible spiritual force surged forth, instantly descending upon 'Atlas's' mind.
Choosing between the two, Hu Liena targeted 'Atlas' because 'Golden Elephant' was a defensive-type Soul Douluo.
Although 'Golden Elephant' was relatively tough-skinned, against Big Bear's unparalleled offensive power, whether dealing with a tank or a fragile target made little difference. As long as Big Bear's claws landed solidly, the result would be the same.
On the other hand, 'Atlas' was a power-attack type soul master whose attack power far exceeded 'Golden Elephant's'. The threat he posed was much higher. If one could be eliminated first, naturally it should be 'Atlas'.
After all, in team battles, tanks were always dealt with last.
The next second, unfamiliar spiritual energy descended upon his mind. 'Atlas', who was dodging Big Bear's giant claws, involuntarily froze.
Simultaneously, forcibly casting a mental illusion on a soul master whose spiritual power far exceeded her own, Hu Liena grunted painfully. Blood trickled from her nose and mouth, and under the mental backlash, she collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Big Bear didn't disappoint Hu Liena, who had fainted at this moment, nor did he waste this excellent opportunity. He immediately interrupted the normal attack mode of his innate soul skill Dark Gold Terror Claw, switching to soul skill attack mode, and swung out a claw.
Instantly, a massive dark golden claw shadow brimming with terrifying sharpness shot out, landing squarely on 'Atlas', whose movements had been slightly delayed.
"No—!"
Just as he broke free from the influence of Hu Liena's mental illusion, 'Atlas' saw a terrifying dark golden claw shadow pierce through his Blazing Pillar True Body, rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.
Schlk—
The dark golden claw shadow slashed across his neck, and a thin red line appeared on 'Atlas's' throat.
The next second, the enormous crimson True Body collapsed, dissipating into countless soul power particles. Along with the fall of a fine head, a foot-high spray of bright red blood erupted from the headless corpse.
With three of their forces gone, 'Vulture' and 'War Axe' unable to take down their target, and now only 'Golden Elephant' left to restrain this incredibly terrifying Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon, 'Golden Elephant' couldn't help but panic.
Originally, the two of them working together were already being suppressed by this Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear summon. Now that 'Atlas' had fallen, leaving only him, the situation became increasingly unfavorable.
"Roar—!"
Letting out a loud roar, Big Bear took heavy bear steps, swinging his massive claws, charging toward 'Golden Elephant'.
First, to prevent this guy from turning around and harming his unconscious mistress, and second, Big Bear had no intention of letting his opponent escape.
Anyone daring to ambush his master had to be prepared to die on the spot!
On the other side, seeing 'Atlas' fall while restraining Big Bear alongside 'Golden Elephant', the 'Vulture' in the air couldn't help but change his expression.
'Golden Elephant' and 'Atlas' together weren't a match for Big Bear, and with one of them already fallen, it was clear that if 'Golden Elephant' continued to fight to the death, he wouldn't last long under Big Bear's claws.
Moreover, both he and 'War Axe' had yet to take down Chu Chengzhou. If this Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear defeated 'Golden Elephant' and came to assist Chu Chengzhou, this assassination attempt was bound to fail.
Just as he thought this, the 'Vulture' saw Chu Chengzhou below once again teleport-like dodge 'War Axe's' downward axe slash, drawing his bow and preparing another cold-blooded arrow.
Without hesitation, the 'Vulture' immediately changed direction. Flapping his massive crimson wings, he fled at top speed.
There was no helping it; today's assassination mission was destined to fail.
At first, when 'Eagle' was killed by a single arrow from Chu Chengzhou, it might have been attributed to carelessness.
But after 'Star Soul' was shot down, that couldn't be explained as carelessness. After all, 'Eagle's' fate was right there in front of them. These were all seasoned veterans who wouldn't joke with their lives—there was absolutely no underestimation or negligence involved.
And now, with 'Atlas' dead, this sufficiently proved that Chu Chengzhou, a mere Soul King, in terms of strength, surpassed them, Soul Douluos.
The battle was already lost. If not now, then when to flee?
Would he really wait until this Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear finished off 'Golden Elephant', leaving only him and 'War Axe'? By then, with the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear restraining 'War Axe', perhaps he wouldn't even have the chance to escape.
As for 'Golden Elephant' and 'War Axe' forced to stay behind? They weren't blood brothers, just temporary partners. Why should he care about them?
Moreover, even if they were blood brothers, why should I be the one sacrificing myself for my brother, instead of my brother sacrificing for me?
At this moment, the 'Vulture' had an epiphany. No wonder the employer, with such a powerful backing, still issued a bounty to hire assassins. It turned out that although the target's soul power level wasn't high, even very low, he was truly a formidable opponent!
Although the employer hadn't revealed their identity directly, judging solely from the promised reward, the 'Vulture' had some guesses about the employer's origins.
After all, on the continent, the number of factions capable of offering such a generous reward just to eliminate potential threats was limited.
If the target was from the Tian Dou Empire, friendly with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and the Hao Tian Sect was in seclusion, those three factions could be ruled out.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, known for their pride and arrogance, would certainly handle such matters themselves.
The Spirit Hall might have been possible initially, but since the Pope's disciple was already allied with the target, it was unlikely to be them.
Thus, the employer's origin wasn't obvious?
Seeing the 'Vulture' run away without a word, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.
Indeed, being on the Spirit Hall's wanted list but still living well wasn't without reason.
Seeing the situation turn sour, he immediately fled—a wise move.
However, no matter how perceptive, provoking the wrath of the Spirit Hall was a grave mistake. Releasing his grip, the Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrow on the string immediately shot out explosively.
The arrow's flight speed far exceeded the 'Vulture's' escape speed. In the blink of an eye, another foot-long arrow embedded itself within the Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body.
Unfortunately, as a master just below the titled Douluo level, the 'Vulture's' Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body's defense was much stronger than the previous 'Star Soul's' Star True Body. Even after being hit by several Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows, it still hadn't been directly destroyed.
Of course, the main reason he could kill the control-type Soul Douluo 'Star Soul' in one arrow while in True Body form was largely due to the Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrow piercing through the True Body's defense and directly hitting 'Star Soul's' forehead.
The reality wasn't that he could destroy Soul Douluo's True Body with one arrow—it was that he killed 'Star Soul' himself, causing his True Body to collapse.
Failing to stop the 'Vulture', Chu Chengzhou's expression darkened, but soon he refocused on the battlefield.
By now, seeing the 'Vulture' flee at the first sign of trouble, the remaining 'Golden Elephant' and 'War Axe' naturally wouldn't stubbornly stay behind to fight Chu Chengzhou to the death.
However, if they wanted to flee, it depended on whether Chu Chengzhou agreed.
With 'Golden Elephant' restrained by Big Bear, there was no need to worry about him for now. Chu Chengzhou focused his attention on 'War Axe'.
The 'Vulture' could flee because he was a flying-type Soul Douluo, whom even ordinary titled Douluos couldn't catch. But as for you, a non-flying power-attack type, do you think you can escape?
No longer needing to dodge the opponent's attacks, able to focus entirely on stationary output, and with such a large target, this moment, Chu Chengzhou fully unleashed his power.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Three streaks of golden light flashed, and sharp Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows embedded themselves in 'War Axe's' enormous True Body.
With his archery skills, Chu Chengzhou naturally didn't miss.
And 'War Axe' wasn't unaware that he had become an oversized target, but the problem was that he couldn't dispel his True Body.
'War Axe' knew that once his True Body disappeared, Chu Chengzhou would decapitate him with the next arrow. He had seen what happened to 'Eagle'.
Furthermore, while the True Body greatly amplified his strength, it wasn't without flaws.
Each use left the user in a weakened state for a certain period unless the martial soul's quality was extremely high, the seventh soul ring's age was exceptionally long, and the compatibility between the martial soul and the user was also very high—otherwise, this cost couldn't be avoided.
Clearly, he didn't belong to this special category. Once he canceled his True Body, the outcome awaiting him was foreseeable.
For now, although he had become an oversized target, at least he could withstand a few more arrows, right?
Regrettably, 'War Axe' didn't last long. After being hit by over ten Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows, his True Body was ultimately shattered by Chu Chengzhou's relentless barrage.
The next second, another streak of golden light flashed, directly hitting 'War Axe's' head.
In an instant, a fine head exploded, splattering red and white everywhere.
Meanwhile, Big Bear on the other side also shattered 'Golden Elephant's' True Body, then swung a claw down, splitting 'Golden Elephant's' body cleanly in half.
Thus, of the six experts who came to ambush Chu Chengzhou, except for the 'Vulture' who had fled upon seeing the situation turn sour, the remaining five all fell on the battlefield.
Chu Chengzhou: Penta Kill!
After fleeing several dozen miles and seeing that Chu Chengzhou wasn't pursuing, the 'Vulture' secretly sighed in relief.
Immediately afterward, the enormous Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body in the air dissipated, revealing the pale-faced figure of the 'Vulture'.
The martial soul and soul master were one, and the True Body was formed from the soul master's martial soul. Damage to the True Body meant the soul master couldn't remain unscathed.
However, this injury wasn't physical but rather a spiritual backlash similar to soul-level trauma.
"Hmm?"
Injured and with significant soul power depletion, just as the 'Vulture' was about to find a secluded place to recover, he noticed several golden arrows falling from the sky.
Immediately, the 'Vulture' flapped his crimson wings, reaching out to retrieve the arrows.
Chu Chengzhou's Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows didn't have an automatic retrieval function. The arrows he had previously shot had all embedded themselves within the Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body, and with the 'Vulture's' escape, these arrows naturally came with him.
Now that he retracted his Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body, Chu Chengzhou's Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows wouldn't be absorbed back into his body.
"So hard–huh? So soft?"
Chu Chengzhou, a mere Soul King, could kill Soul Douluos with these arrows. The 'Vulture' was extremely curious about the arrows Chu Chengzhou used and couldn't resist examining them in his hand.
Hmm, the shaft of the Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrow was very hard, while the seemingly rigid triangular arrowhead was unexpectedly elastic.
At this moment, the 'Vulture' couldn't understand how, with such a soft arrowhead, Chu Chengzhou could achieve the feat of killing Soul Douluos.
After a long while, the 'Vulture' couldn't figure it out.
He even tried channeling soul power into the arrows, but the arrows showed no changes and couldn't absorb soul power at all.
What the 'Vulture' didn't know was that these Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows were all consecrated items of Chu Chengzhou's, already bonded to him. Even if others took them, they couldn't be used effectively.
However, precisely because soul power couldn't be infused, this made the 'Vulture' believe these were rare treasures—he just didn't know the specific usage method yet.
After all, even ordinary iron arrows could absorb soul power from soul masters. These golden arrows defying that norm only proved their extraordinariness, right?
Without further thought, the 'Vulture' stored these arrows in his storage-type soul tool and found a small grove nearby to recover his soul power in peace.
On the other side, after the battle ended, Chu Chengzhou immediately checked Hu Liena's condition.
This woman indeed lacked self-awareness, daring to use mental techniques on an opponent whose spiritual power far exceeded her own.
But while silently cursing Hu Liena for her lack of self-awareness, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
This girl might be foolish, but wasn't it all for him?
And women like this, who disregarded everything for the one they love, unless one was a complete scoundrel, who wouldn't cherish and dote on them?
After a thorough examination, Chu Chengzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, 'Atlas' wasn't a mental-type soul master but a power-attack type. He also didn't possess mental techniques. Though Hu Liena suffered from mental backlash, her condition wasn't too severe. A few days of rest would allow her to recover; otherwise, he would have suffered a great loss.
After all, even if Hu Liena hadn't acted, it didn't mean he would necessarily lose.
At the time, Big Bear was suppressing 'Golden Elephant' and 'Atlas', while 'Vulture' and 'War Axe' attacking him couldn't land a hit. On the contrary, 'Vulture', who had taken several Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows, was showing signs of faltering.
Moreover, due to the fast pace of the battle, even though summoning and fighting with high-level summons consumed a lot of soul power, he hadn't reached his limit.
Subsequently, Chu Chengzhou began collecting the spoils.
All the arrivals were experts, and judging by their appearances, they seemed to be fond of dirty jobs. Compared to the honest and law-abiding soul masters of the same level on the continent, these five were quite valuable.
To say the least, Chu Chengzhou detected the unique soul power fluctuations exclusive to soul bones on all five corpses.
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