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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"Eat it, I'll keep an eye on you."
Chu Chengzhou said.
"Mm."
With a slight nod, Hu Liena didn't hesitate. She swallowed the golden fruit in her hand in one bite, then sat cross-legged on the ground, activating the Nine Breath Qi Absorption Meditation Method to silently refine the medicinal power of the Star Luo Spirit Pearl.
Soon, Chu Chengzhou saw Hu Liena's entire body radiate with starlight.
Immediately afterward, an orange-furred fox with pink glowing eyes appeared behind her—this was Hu Liena's Charming Fox martial soul.
At the same time, dazzling starlight spread from Hu Liena's body, enveloping the Charming Fox martial soul behind her.
In this moment, both the person and the martial soul seemed to be draped in a garment of starlight.
It was already evening, and not long after, as night fell, another change occurred in Hu Liena's body.
One could see the starlight emanating from Hu Liena and her fox martial soul seemingly resonating with the stars in the night sky. In an instant, countless streams of brilliant starlight descended from the heavens, dispersing the mist hovering over the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and landing on Hu Liena and her Charming Fox martial soul.
"Tsk, with all this commotion, if her martial soul doesn't undergo some kind of mutation or evolution, that'd be hard to explain, wouldn't it?"
Looking at the cascading starlight descending from the sky, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but mutter to himself.
The brilliant starlight falling from the night sky did not stop, and the commotion at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well naturally attracted the attention of the soul beasts in the nearby forest.
However, around the small mountain where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was located, a large number of Jade Phosphorous flowers were planted, creating a toxic barrier that even ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts couldn't penetrate.
As for the few flying soul beasts that approached, Chu Chengzhou casually dealt with them.
Perhaps due to the effects of the immortal herb or because of the absorption of vast amounts of starlight, at a certain moment, the Charming Fox martial soul floating behind Hu Liena underwent a dramatic transformation.
Under the brilliant starlight, Chu Chengzhou saw the orange fur covering Hu Liena's Charming Fox martial soul gradually turn into snow-white fur. Moreover, a crescent-shaped white jade mark appeared on its forehead.
Gradually, as the entirety of the fox martial soul's fur turned white, the large fox tail behind it began to twist.
Soon, the originally large fox tail split into nine tails, transforming into nine tails of the same length but slightly thinner than before.
At this moment, Hu Liena's Charming Fox martial soul underwent a drastic transformation. From the original orange-furred fox, it elegantly transformed into a white-furred nine-tailed fox.
Without a doubt, the quality of Hu Liena's Fox martial soul ranked among the top tier.
After all, Hu Liena and Xie Yue were siblings. Since Xie Yue's Moon Blade was a top-tier strong-attack type martial soul, Hu Liena's Charming Fox martial soul was naturally also a top-tier martial soul.
However, in Chu Chengzhou's perception, Hu Liena's current white-furred nine-tailed fox martial soul had grown much stronger than her previous martial soul. Although it hadn't reached the godly level capable of spontaneously awakening innate domain abilities, it was undoubtedly among the best below the godly level.
"Uh, what if the martial soul's mutation and evolution cancels out the Fusion Spirit Skill?"
Suddenly, Chu Chengzhou thought of a critical point.
The prerequisites for forming a Fusion Spirit Skill were quite stringent, and after the martial soul's mutation and evolution, it wasn't impossible for the Fusion Spirit Skill to disappear.
Fortunately, the Fusion Spirit Skill Charm Demon, which combined with Hu Liena's Charming Fox martial soul, wasn't his own True Spirit Banner martial soul, but rather her older brother Xie Yue's Moon Blade martial soul. Since the siblings wouldn't always be together in the future, losing the Fusion Spirit Skill wouldn't be a big deal.
Moreover, after consuming the Star Luo Spirit Pearl, Hu Liena's talent had improved, and with the Nine Breath Qi Absorption technique, Xie Yue's strength would definitely lag behind Hu Liena's in the future. Even if they lost the Fusion Spirit Skill, the impact wouldn't be too significant.
In fact, when the gap in soul power levels became too large, the enhancement from the Fusion Spirit Skill might not even compare to the improvement brought by the martial soul's mutation and evolution.
Time passed unknowingly, and soon it was dawn the next day.
When the first ray of morning light broke through the darkness, the brilliant starlight showering down from the starry sky dissipated, and Hu Liena quietly woke up after her martial soul's mutation and evolution.
"How do you feel?"
Chu Chengzhou smiled and asked as he approached.
Perhaps because the Star Luo Spirit Pearl wasn't a fully mature immortal herb, its potency wasn't as strong as most other immortal herbs. In terms of soul power level, Hu Liena's increase wasn't significant—she only rose from her previous near-breakthrough Level 53 Soul King to a Level 55 Soul King, matching Chu Chengzhou's current soul power level.
"It feels amazing! And my martial soul—"
Hu Liena happily turned to look at the white-furred nine-tailed fox martial soul floating behind her.
No matter how you looked at it, her current white-furred nine-tailed fox martial soul was much stronger than her previous Nine-Tailed Fox martial soul!
Indeed, women were visual creatures, and they often favored the new over the old.
"Should we give it a new name?"
Chu Chengzhou suggested with a smile.
"You bad boy, you come up with a name—it's your fault my martial soul mutated and evolved!"
Planting a kiss on him, Hu Liena said.
"How about... calling it the Star Moon Nine-Tailed Fox?"
After pondering for a moment, Chu Chengzhou tentatively suggested.
"The Star Moon Nine-Tailed Fox? Evolved with the aid of stellar energy, the crescent moon mark, and nine tails—yes, let's call it the Star Moon Nine-Tailed Fox! Hehe, my Star Moon Nine-Tailed Fox will definitely be the strongest mental-type martial soul on the continent!"
After carefully considering and failing to think of a more appropriate name, Hu Liena nodded excitedly.
With their objective successfully achieved, they didn't linger at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well any longer. Summoning the fire phoenix Xiao Hong, Chu Chengzhou took Hu Liena and headed toward Spirit City.
Sunset Forest was located in the central northern part of the continent, while Spirit City was situated at the center of the continent. It wasn't until the afternoon that they arrived at the city closest to Spirit City aboard Xiao Hong.
However, Chu Chengzhou didn't directly send Hu Liena back. Instead, they spent another night 'fighting' in a hotel in the city.
Early the next morning, Chu Chengzhou finally sent Hu Liena, whose complexion was still pale but showed signs of vitality, back outside the Spirit City.
Not daring to send her directly back to the Pope's Palace, Chu Chengzhou feared Bibi Dong would detain him as he 'stole' her disciple.
"Nana, remember to cultivate well."
Before leaving, Chu Chengzhou didn't forget to remind her.
"Mm, you must remember to miss me!"
Hu Liena nodded affectionately.
Although Chu Chengzhou wasn't her only boyfriend, polygamy was common on the continent, so she harbored some resentment but not too much.
There was no helping it—this bad boy was just too attractive. Even if it meant throwing herself into the fire like a moth, she would do it without hesitation.
"I'll come visit you in the future!"
After a series of kisses, Chu Chengzhou waved goodbye, climbed onto Xiao Hong's back, and returned to Tian Dou City.
Watching her beloved's figure disappear into the horizon, Hu Liena stood there for a long time before finally turning and walking toward the distant Spirit City.
Inside the Pope's Palace in Spirit City.
At this moment, Bibi Dong, who was handling the mundane affairs of the Spirit Hall, had a lingering worry etched between her brows.
There was no other reason—her disciple Hu Liena had left Slaughter City nearly half a month ago, but she still hadn't seen her return, nor had any news come back. As her teacher, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel worried.
Just then, the voice of a guardian knight reported from outside the hall: "Report! Your Holiness, Hu Liena requests an audience!"
Instantly, Bibi Dong's expression brightened, but then immediately darkened as she coldly said, "Let her in!"
She was happy that her precious disciple had returned, but she was displeased that her disciple hadn't returned to Spirit City immediately after leaving Slaughter City, nor had she sent any word back. She felt like she had raised her disciple in vain.
Soon, the side door of the Pope's Palace opened, and Hu Liena walked in.
"Nana, you're back… Hmm?"
Though inwardly annoyed, upon seeing her precious disciple safe and sound, Bibi Dong couldn't help but feel relieved. But before she could finish speaking, her expression immediately darkened again.
Being a woman, Bibi Dong naturally noticed the changes in Hu Liena.
It wasn't the pale complexion caused by the influence of killing intent, nor the chilling aura surrounding her—it was the way her precious disciple walked.
There was a difference between how young maidens and mature women walked, though this difference wasn't obvious and many people might not notice.
But who was Bibi Dong? One of the rare powerful figures on the continent—how could she not tell that her precious disciple, whom she hadn't seen for half a year, was no longer a virgin?
At this moment, bitterness welled up in Bibi Dong's heart. Had her little cabbage, which she had raised for so many years, really been "snatched"? This Chu Chengzhou deserved to die a thousand deaths!
"Teacher, teacher?"
Seeing the joy on her teacher's face suddenly vanish, replaced by an unpleasant expression, Hu Liena couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Sigh, it's good that you're back! Nana, I didn't expect you to emerge from Slaughter City so quickly—tell me about your training experience."
After staring at her disciple unhappily for a while, Bibi Dong ultimately sighed helplessly, stepped forward, patted Hu Liena's head, and gently asked.
What could she do now that she had been "snatched"?
Was she supposed to say that Chu Chengzhou wasn't a suitable match, and forbid her from being with him? Was she supposed to separate the lovebirds?
Impossible!
No one understood the power of love better than her. If she forcefully intervened, the outcome would likely be something she wouldn't want to see.
"This…"
Upon hearing this, Hu Liena hesitated.
"Hmm? Is there anything you can't tell your teacher?"
Bibi Dong frowned slightly, growing even more dissatisfied with Chu Chengzhou. If it weren't for him, why would her precious disciple be so distant with her?
"No, no, teacher, it's like this…"
Hu Liena hastily waved her hands and began recounting her experiences in Slaughter City.
This matter couldn't be concealed. After all, given her strength, it was indeed impossible for her to achieve a hundred consecutive victories in the Hell Slaughter Arena of Slaughter City so quickly.
Moreover, the Spirit Hall had a cooperative relationship with Slaughter City. For instance, the daily necessities required by Slaughter City were all supplied by the Spirit Hall. If her teacher wanted to obtain information about her training there, it would be as easy as pie.
Of course, she recounted her training experiences, but she didn't mention the events at the Rose Hotel in Suotuo City.
After a long while, Bibi Dong felt a sense of relief. It seemed that although her precious disciple showed signs of rebellion, she hadn't gone too far—at the very least, she hadn't hidden anything about Chu Chengzhou from her.
Like Bibi Dong, upon seeing that her teacher didn't press further about Chu Chengzhou, Hu Liena also felt a sense of relief.
As a member of the Spirit Hall, Hu Liena naturally knew that the Spirit Hall wasn't on good terms with the Tian Dou Empire or the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
And since Chu Chengzhou was close to the Tian Dou Empire and had close ties with the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she was truly afraid that her teacher would directly question her about her relationship with Chu Chengzhou and strongly oppose it.
Hmm, perhaps her teacher already knew but simply didn't bring it up.
Pausing for a moment, Hu Liena decided to shift the topic with some good news and said, "Teacher, my martial soul has undergone a mutation and evolution!"
As she spoke, Hu Liena unleashed her Star Moon Nine-Tailed Fox martial soul.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the white-furred nine-tailed fox martial soul floating behind Hu Liena, Bibi Dong couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise.
Didn't Slaughter City only grant the Killing God Domain? What was this about her martial soul mutating and evolving?
Bibi Dong could tell that compared to her previous Nine-Tailed Fox martial soul, Hu Liena's current white-furred nine-tailed fox martial soul had become much stronger.
If she had to make a comparison, it would be like the White Armored Earth Dragon martial soul inherited by the Holy Dragon Sect under the Spirit Hall versus the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul inherited by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
Suddenly, Bibi Dong thought of a possibility.
Could it be that her disciple had been favored by the deity behind Slaughter City and was specially granted the opportunity for her martial soul to mutate and evolve?
But that didn't seem right either! What level was her disciple at? How could she not know?
Compared to ordinary soul masters, her disciple might be considered a genius, but compared to true geniuses, she was still lacking.
For those lofty deities, even someone with full innate soul power was probably not worth their attention, right?
Bibi Dong was clear that the reason she had gained the favor of the Rakshasa Goddess and been chosen as the inheritor of the god position wasn't solely because of her full innate soul power and twin martial souls. More importantly, the hatred in her heart had a high compatibility with the evil goddess, the Rakshasa Goddess. Otherwise, inheriting a God position would have been nothing more than a dream.
After all, while twin martial souls were rare, there were still quite a few throughout the vast history of the continent.
But looking back over the twenty thousand years of the continent's history, the only ones to achieve godhood were the Angel God and the Sea God—and neither of them ascended through inheriting a god position.
"Nana, what's going on here?"
Bibi Dong voiced her doubts.
"Teacher, after leaving Slaughter City, I coincidentally obtained a treasure, which allowed my martial soul to mutate and evolve."
Hu Liena spoke vaguely.
Setting aside the fact that Chu Chengzhou had instructed her to keep things secret, even if he hadn't, Hu Liena didn't plan to elaborate.
Having obtained such a rare opportunity was already a stroke of luck—she couldn't possibly sell out Chu Chengzhou or the original owner of the treasure, Dugu Bo.
Seeing this, Bibi Dong raised her eyebrows slightly, and her dissatisfaction toward Chu Chengzhou diminished somewhat.
Hu Liena hadn't elaborated, but how could Bibi Dong not guess the general situation?
She wouldn't truly believe this was Hu Liena's good fortune. Needless to say, this opportunity was undoubtedly given by Chu Chengzhou—otherwise, why would her disciple obtain it at this exact moment, and not earlier or later?
After chatting casually for a while, Bibi Dong said, "Nana, go back and rest first. Come see me again tomorrow."
Bibi Dong knew that Hu Liena, who had just obtained the Killing God Domain, wasn't in good condition.
She planned to let Hu Liena rest for a while and begin her baptism the next day to help her perfectly master the Killing God Domain, rather than appearing like a fallen evil soul master, brimming with killing intent.
"Mm!"
Hu Liena nodded and was about to take her leave.
However, before she could leave the Pope's Palace, she suddenly remembered something and quickly pulled out a large icy box from her storage-type soul tool.
"What is this?"
Bibi Dong was taken aback and asked in surprise.
"Teacher, this is one of the wanted criminals on our Spirit Hall's wanted list—I was fortunate enough to encounter and kill him."
Pointing to the large box, Hu Liena said.
"Oh? Who is it?"
Bibi Dong raised her eyebrows. Those on the Spirit Hall's wanted list were no ordinary villains—their soul power levels were at least above 80.
After all, the Spirit Hall had many experts under its command. Ordinary evildoers or evil soul masters couldn't escape the Spirit Hall's pursuit.
But with her disciple's mere five-ring strength, how could she possibly kill someone above level 80?
"It's the second-ranked 'Vulture' on the wanted list."
Bibi Dong: "…"
If she remembered correctly, wasn't this former evil soul master, who had performed a blood ritual on an entire town to achieve the rank of titled Douluo, an Level 89 Agility Attack-type flying Soul Douluo?
My disciple killed a Level 89 Soul Douluo?
Wait, Chu Chengzhou, who just half a year ago was only a Soul Ancestor and refused her goodwill during the soul master tournament, could now kill a Level 89 Soul Douluo?
In an instant, Bibi Dong deduced the truth.
If this had happened half a month ago, knowing how strong Chu Chengzhou was, she would have surely eliminated this potential threat in advance.
After all, if the plan involving the Tian Dou Empire went awry, both the empire and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would become obstacles to her unification of the continent. And Chu Chengzhou was closely associated with both factions, even being practically one of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's people.
At such a young age, he could kill a Level 89 Soul Douluo. If he continued to train for a few more years, who knows how powerful he would become? He might pose an even greater threat than Tang Hao!
But now, Bibi Dong no longer harbored such thoughts.
She had raised this disciple as if she were her own daughter, even closer than a biological daughter. No matter how unsuitable this future son-in-law was, and no matter how dissatisfied she was, she couldn't bring herself to harm him!
Mm, hopefully this guy will be more sensible in the future.
Three days later, in the afternoon.
Chu Manor, Tian Dou City.
Lying on a lounge chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun to warm himself up, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but feel a bit restless.
He believed he had worked hard enough, but the cold aura emanating from his body hadn't improved much. Even his three girls didn't like getting close to him anymore.
After all, his current demeanor resembled that of a fallen evil soul master, so naturally, Xiao Wu and the others didn't want to get close.
Anyway, everyone was already back. If they wanted to get close, they could wait until later.
"Seems like Absolute Control isn't so absolute after all!"
Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but complain.
He could control the killing intent within his body, but the cold aura emanating from his body couldn't be suppressed unless he constantly activated the technique.
Was it because the rank of the Absolute Control technique wasn't high enough, or was this cold aura beyond its scope of control?
Just as he was pondering, Chu Chengzhou heard a commotion coming from the entrance of his manor. Before he could extend his spiritual power to investigate, Ning Rongrong's voice rang out: "Chengzhou, Father, Grandpa Sword, and Elder Brother Crown Prince are here!"
His father-in-law had arrived—no need to say more. Chu Chengzhou immediately got up to greet them.
Soon, inside the living room, as the host, Chu Chengzhou instructed the servants to serve tea.
"What's going on with you?"
Looking at Chu Chengzhou, whose cold aura made him seem abnormal, Ning Fengzhi frowned.
At these words, Chen Xin and Qian Renxue also turned their attention to Chu Chengzhou, noticing his unusual state.
"It's from killing too many people, but other aspects haven't been affected."
Chu Chengzhou said with a hint of helplessness.
"How many people have you killed, kid?"
Chen Xin couldn't help but ask.
Such a drastic change in temperament—had he slaughtered tens of thousands of people?
"Not that many, just over a thousand?"
Chu Chengzhou thought for a moment and replied. "Slaughter City has a Hell Slaughter Arena where ten people fight to the death, and only the last survivor wins. To leave Slaughter City, one must achieve a hundred consecutive victories in the arena. Compared to others who've left, I haven't killed that many—perhaps the fewest."
"Over a thousand people, and you're already like this?"
Chen Xin asked in astonishment.
Is a thousand people a lot? It sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's not that many.
If you didn't consider the opponents' strength and they were densely packed, his sixth soul skill, Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Source, could take out thousands in one strike.
"It's not about the number of people—it's the special environment of Slaughter City. Killing people there drastically changes one's temperament and amplifies the killing intent within.
But every advantage has its disadvantage. Accumulating such a vast amount of killing intent is a prerequisite for obtaining the Killing God Domain."
Waving his hand, Chu Chengzhou explained.
"Brother Xian, what are the effects of your Killing God Domain?"
Qian Renxue asked.
Speaking of domain powers, she had one too, awakened automatically after her six-winged angel martial soul manifested.
"My Killing God Domain is just the basic version. It can boost my strength by 10% and weaken my opponent's strength by the same percentage. Moreover, it can grow in the future, with the ratio potentially reaching up to 20%."
"It seems the effects of this Killing God Domain aren't bad."
Comparing it to his own Seven Kill Domain, Chen Xin nodded.
"Kid, I know a place that might solve your current problem."
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi spoke up.
"Master, are you talking about Yue Xuan?"
As soon as Ning Fengzhi finished speaking, Qian Renxue immediately followed up.
"That's right. The master of Yue Xuan is an extraordinary woman. Though she's not a soul master, she possesses domain powers.
Her domain doesn't have much offensive capability, but it can purify one's mind—it should be of great help to you."
Ning Fengzhi nodded and explained to Chu Chengzhou.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chengzhou raised his eyebrows.
He had forgotten earlier—in the original story, Tang San's side effects after obtaining the Killing God Domain were cured by Tang Yuehua.
"It seems I need to pay a visit to Yue Xuan!"
Chu Chengzhou thought to himself.
Mm, and maybe check if there's a chance to become the godfather-in-law of the Tang family.
Chu Chengzhou: In the name of the father!
A godfather is still a father, isn't it?
Hm, but it seems the father figure in the story didn't end up well?
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