Douluo: AFK to Become a God

The high-level Soul Douluo in Martial Soul True Body using a powerful high-year strong attack skill was not something easily blocked.

Zhan Fu had once used this move to cleave a seven-ring Soul Sage, who had also activated Martial Soul True Body, cleanly in two.

However, Chu Chengzhou's defensive technique, Blossoming Moment, was no mere decoration. While his base strength was much lower, the attribute boosts from soulforged spirit gold meant his defense was far from weak.

Though he couldn't fully block the force of that axe strike, he absorbed most of it. The remaining force hit his sturdy Nine Heavens Mystic Spirit Armor, failing to kill or even severely injure him.

"Cough…"

Before the dust settled, Chu rose to his feet.

The next moment, a massive crimson-gold feather shot toward his back at terrifying speed. It was the Vulture, seizing the moment to unleash his eighth attack skill.

Sensing danger behind him through his domain, Chu instinctively dodged to the side.

Clang—Boom!

He was still a step too slow. The feather struck his lower back, detonating with immense energy.

Blood sprayed as Chu felt like he had been hit by a missile, blasted through the air once more. Along with the violent shockwave, a strange bloodthirsty energy tried to invade his body.

"Pffft—"

Blood spilled from his mouth mid-air.

Fortunately, the Nine Heavens Mystic Spirit Armor was sturdy, and his Indestructible Golden Body cultivation made his physique far stronger than peers. Taking the Vulture's eighth skill head-on only left him lightly injured, with no major loss of combat strength.

The invading energy was quickly purified by the purer killing intent within him, vanishing without a trace.

Zhan Fu, not letting up, swung his massive axe down again.

This time, Chu's mind was clear. Using his Earthlight Traverse movement technique, he dodged easily, leaving only an afterimage for the axe to strike.

After taking two hits, Chu was not about to just take punishment. While evading Zhan Fu's relentless strikes, he loosed arrows at the Vulture above.

The Vulture posed the greater threat than the brutish Zhan Fu.

Chu dared not use the Void Illusion Domain on the Vulture—his spiritual power was too high. Failure would mean severe backlash.

Even so, the Vulture was suffering. The Piercing Gold Arrows, forged from soulforged spirit gold, tore through soul power defenses with frightening speed. Though the Vulture's reactions were quick, his enormous Martial Soul True Body made dodging completely impossible.

Every arrow that pierced his bloodthirsty vulture body caused pain that fed back into his real body. After taking three hits, his True Body began showing signs of collapse.

If not for Zhan Fu's support, the Vulture feared he might fall to this mere five-ring Soul King.

It was the combination of powerful techniques and external advantages that let Chu challenge multiple levels above his own.

While the Vulture was only wounded, Jin Xiang and Qingtian were in dire straits.

Gui Er, the defensive spirit beast, couldn't threaten them, but Xiong Da was a nightmare. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, one of the strongest bear-type soul beasts, was terrifyingly powerful. After years of passive leveling, its strength was equivalent to a 37,000-year-old terrorclaw bear.

Even Title Douluo feared such a beast, let alone these two Soul Douluo.

Under its talents Berserk and Dark Gold Terrorclaw, neither Jin Xiang's defenses nor Qingtian's offense could withstand a direct hit. They survived only by their higher speed and full effort.

Seeing the fight deadlocked, Hu Liena bit her lip.

All the enemies were over level 80. She couldn't defeat any of them—yet she couldn't just stand and watch.

Pride refused to let her be useless. She would at least do something for her man.

She leaped into the fray.

White light erupted from her body.

The Killing God Domain spread, suppressing the enemies' power and filling the air with killing intent. Jin Xiang and Qingtian felt dread rising in their hearts.

Hu Liena's forehead glowed. Activating her soul bone skill, Spiritual Control, she sent a formless mental force straight into Qingtian's mind.

She chose Qingtian because Jin Xiang was a defense-type. To Xiong Da, tanks and fragile attackers were the same—if his claw landed, both died. But Qingtian's attack was far more dangerous; eliminating him first was best.

In battles, tanks are always killed last.

The foreign spiritual force stunned Qingtian mid-dodge.

Hu Liena spat blood and collapsed from the backlash of attacking someone with far stronger spiritual power.

Xiong Da seized the moment. Canceling normal attacks, he unleashed his soul skill. A massive dark-gold claw shadow erupted, slashing into Qingtian.

"No—!"

Breaking free of the illusion, Qingtian saw the terrifying claw pierce his blazing staff True Body and grow huge in his vision.

Slash—

A fine red line appeared on his neck.

The next instant, his red Martial Soul True Body shattered. His head flew, and blood sprayed high from his neck.

Three of the six attackers were dead.

Jin Xiang was terrified. Alone, he couldn't handle the ferocious bear that had already overpowered them as a pair.

With a roar, Xiong Da lunged at him, keeping him from retreating or harming the unconscious Hu Liena.

On the other side, the Vulture's expression changed when he saw Qingtian die.

Even Jin Xiang and Qingtian together couldn't handle Xiong Da, and now one was dead. Jin Xiang would fall soon.

He and Zhan Fu had failed to kill Chu. Once Xiong Da killed Jin Xiang and came to support Chu, their mission was doomed.

Chu dodged another axe, drawing his bow. The Vulture saw this and didn't hesitate. His bloody wings beat violently, and he fled at top speed.

There was no other choice. The assassination had failed.

Cang Ying's early death could be blamed on carelessness. Xing Hun's death could not. These veterans did not underestimate Chu, yet they still died.

Now with Qingtian gone, it was clear: this five-ring Soul King was stronger than all of them.

Defeat was certain. If not now, then when?

Once Xiong Da finished with Jin Xiang, there would be no escape.

As for leaving Zhan Fu and Jin Xiang behind? They weren't brothers, just temporary allies. Why risk himself for them?

Even if they were brothers, why should he take the knife for them instead of the other way around?

The Vulture understood now. No wonder the employer offered a massive bounty to eliminate this seemingly low-level target—he was a monster.

The employer never revealed their identity, but judging by the reward, the Vulture could guess.

Few forces could pay so much just to remove a potential threat.

Since the target was from Heaven Dou Empire, friendly with Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Clear Sky Sect was reclusive, those were out.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was too arrogant to hire killers.

The Spirit Hall? Impossible—the Pope's disciple was with the target.

That left only one obvious culprit.

Seeing the Vulture flee without hesitation, Chu was stunned.

No wonder this man survived on the Spirit Hall's most wanted list.

When the situation turned against him, he knew when to run.

Even with such keen instincts, the Vulture had still provoked a dragon while thinking it was a snake. Chu loosened his fingers, and the nocked Piercing Gold Arrow shot forth with a blinding flash.

The arrow flew far faster than the Vulture's escape. In an instant, another foot-long arrow pierced into the body of the Bloodthirsty Vulture True Body.

Unfortunately, this was still a master whose strength was second only to a Title Douluo. The defenses of the Vulture's True Body were far superior to Xinghun's Starry Sky True Body. Even after taking multiple Piercing Gold Arrows, it had yet to collapse outright.

The earlier kill on Xinghun had been largely because the arrow pierced through his True Body and struck him directly in the head. Chu hadn't destroyed the True Body itself—it was the death of Xinghun that caused it to collapse.

Failing to bring down the Vulture, Chu's expression darkened, but he quickly turned his focus back to the battlefield.

With the Vulture fleeing, the remaining Jinxian and Zhanfu had no intention of throwing their lives away in a futile struggle. However, whether they could leave was not up to them.

Jinxian was locked down by Xiong Da. Chu set his sights on Zhanfu.

The Vulture could escape because he could fly; even most Title Douluo could not catch him. But Zhanfu? A ground-based attacker? He wouldn't be allowed to run.

With no need to dodge and his target being massive, Chu unleashed his full power.

Shuu—Shuu—Shuu—

Three golden streaks flashed. The Piercing Gold Arrows struck Zhanfu's gigantic Martial Soul True Body, embedding themselves with precision.

Zhanfu knew he had become a huge target, but he could not disperse his True Body. Without it, Chu's next arrow would shatter his head—just like what happened to Cang Ying.

Martial Soul True Body offered great power but came with drawbacks. Each use left the user weakened afterward, unless the soul ring was exceptionally strong and perfectly suited. Zhanfu wasn't such an exception. Dispersing the True Body would be suicide.

Even so, his large form allowed him to tank a few arrows—though not for long. After taking more than ten Piercing Gold Arrows, his True Body was forcibly shattered.

The next golden streak hit his head directly.

Boom—

His skull exploded, red and white spraying the ground.

At the same time, Xiong Da tore through Jinxian's True Body and swiped him in half with a single claw.

Of the six assassins sent to kill Chu, five lay dead on the battlefield. Only the Vulture had escaped.

Chu Chengzhou: Penta Kill.

Dozens of miles away, seeing no pursuit, the Vulture breathed a sigh of relief. His True Body dissolved, revealing his pale figure.

The Martial Soul and its master were one; damage to the True Body inflicted soul-level trauma. His injuries were not physical but spiritual.

As he prepared to hide and recover, several golden arrows fell from the sky. The Vulture flapped his bloody wings and caught them.

Chu's Piercing Gold Arrows had no recall function. The ones embedded in the Vulture's True Body were carried away when he fled. With his True Body gone, the arrows remained outside his body.

"So hard... and yet so soft?"

The Vulture, puzzled, squeezed the arrows. The shaft was rigid, but the triangular arrowhead was surprisingly elastic.

How could such a soft arrowhead pierce an eight-ring Soul Douluo? He couldn't understand it.

He tried infusing soul power into the arrow but failed. It didn't react at all.

What he didn't know was that the arrows were blood-ritual artifacts bound to Chu, unusable by anyone else. Their true power would never reveal itself to another.

Still, the fact they couldn't absorb soul power convinced the Vulture they were rare treasures—just ones he didn't yet know how to use.

Satisfied with his spoils, he stored the arrows in his soul tool and flew to a nearby forest to rest.

Back on the battlefield, Chu checked Hu Liena's injuries. She had recklessly used mental techniques on an opponent with far greater spiritual power.

He cursed her foolishness but felt deeply moved. She had done it for him.

A woman who risked everything for the one she loved—how could anyone not cherish and protect her?

After careful examination, Chu sighed in relief. Qingtian had not been a mental-type soul master, so the backlash was not fatal. Hu Liena only needed a few days of rest to recover fully.

Even if she hadn't acted, Chu likely would have won. Xiong Da had been dominating Jinxian and Qingtian, while the Vulture and Zhanfu could not handle him. The Vulture was already showing signs of collapse after taking several arrows.

Though his soul power was heavily consumed from commanding high-year soul beasts, he was far from exhausted.

With the fight over, Chu began collecting spoils. These weren't ordinary opponents—they were assassins who thrived on dirty work. Compared to honest soul masters of the same level, their "net worth" was considerable.

Notably, from each corpse, Chu sensed the unique soul power fluctuations that belonged to soul bones.

T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on most of my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle