Douluo: AFK to Become a God

Title Douluo held an extraordinary status, honored with the title of "Your Excellency." Even if they were wanderers, every faction on the continent sought to recruit them. They would rarely stoop to such disgraceful tasks unless specifically ordered by their superiors.

Thus, Cang Ying and the others could be considered the elites of their field. They took on plenty of dirty work, accumulated wealth, and it was only natural that each of them carried soul bones.

Top-tier soul bones were rare, but ordinary thousand-year or ten-thousand-year bones were still abundant in the soul master world.

Soon, Chu Chengzhou extracted a total of eight soul bones from the five corpses.

There were no big surprises: five thousand-year bones, three ten-thousand-year bones, none from the precious head or torso, all were limb bones, and the highest among them was only a twenty-thousand-year left leg bone.

After collecting his spoils, Chu prepared to bring Hu Liena back to Soto City to recuperate.

After such an ambush, there should be no more attempts for a while. Eight-ringed experts were not common cabbages, and fewer still were willing to take orders from the Star Luo Empire to serve as assassins.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Chu raised an eyebrow, glancing northwest in surprise.

Metals forged to a thousand-refinements or above could undergo a blood sacrifice, linking them to their owner's bloodline as if they were part of the body. Even if lost, no matter how far, the owner could sense the general direction of the item.

To fully unleash the power of the Piercing Gold Arrows and prevent them from being used by others, Chu had performed a blood sacrifice on them.

Now, he felt the link to those arrows weaken sharply, as if something was blocking it.

He knew this phenomenon well. His thousand-refined Silver Hammer and Bow, which could not be stored internally due to their forging level, were kept in soul tools. Storage tools temporarily dulled the bloodline link.

Since the Piercing Gold Arrows had lodged inside the Vulture's True Body, this meant the Vulture had dispersed his Martial Soul True Body and stored the arrows in a soul tool.

That also meant the Vulture was now in a weakened state following the use of his True Body.

Moments later, Chu noticed that the location of the arrows had stopped moving.

Unless the Vulture had discarded the storage tool, the only explanation was that he thought he was safe and had stopped running.

The location remained unchanged. Chu's lips curled into a cold smile.

"It seems, Vulture, that today is the day you walk the road to the Yellow Springs."

The Vulture had fled with his blood-bound weapon, failed to discard it, and stopped too soon—like a bank robber hiding next to a police station, thinking no one would check.

Chu had thought he wouldn't be able to complete his counter-kill. The Vulture was strong, fast, and difficult to chase.

But since he had stopped and exposed his location, Chu would not let this chance go.

With the Vulture weakened, a sneak attack might work.

Archery was made for ambushes.

Chu summoned the Fire Phoenix spirit Xiao Hong, carrying Hu Liena as they left the battlefield.

After traveling twenty li from the battle site, he landed on a hill.

"Xiong Da, stay here and protect your mistress," he ordered.

He wouldn't bring the unconscious Hu Liena to the fight. The Vulture was fast; if the ambush failed, he could take her hostage.

Xiong Da's roar signaled agreement.

Chu flew northwest on Xiao Hong. When he sensed he was only ten li away, he landed to avoid alerting his target.

Sneaking in silently was better than flying in boldly.

Dismissing Xiao Hong, suppressing his presence with Absolute Control, Chu sped toward the source of the link using Swift Earth Light.

Before long, through sparse trees, Chu spotted a figure sitting cross-legged a hundred meters away, back turned, quietly restoring soul power.

Who else could it be but the Vulture?

The hunt began.

Chu suppressed his aura to the extreme, golden light flashing as the Nine Heavens Mystic Spirit Bow and Piercing Gold Arrow appeared in his hands.

Infusing soul power, he drew the bow, nocked the arrow, aimed, and with a faint whoosh, the arrow turned into a golden streak tearing through the air toward the Vulture.

In an instant, the arrow closed the hundred-meter gap.

The Vulture's sharp instincts felt the sudden danger behind him, and he turned.

All he saw was golden light rapidly filling his vision.

He knew this light too well. It was the same light that had nearly claimed his life before.

He tried to dodge, but the arrow was too fast. The thought had barely formed before the golden streak pierced his back, through his heart, and out his chest, carrying a spray of bright red blood.

Even a master a step away from Title Douluo clung to life, his vitality far beyond ordinary men.

Looking down at the bloody hole in his chest, regret flickered in his eyes.

If not for greed for the employer's reward, and underestimating a young soul master, he wouldn't be here.

"Wh-why..."

Coughing blood, feeling his life ebbing away, the Vulture weakly asked Chu.

He had expected the risk of eventual revenge, but not immediate death on the same day.

Why could Chu find him so quickly?

Without an answer, he could not die in peace.

"Heh."

Chu chuckled softly, saying nothing, only watching.

You tried to kill me, and I should explain myself? Take your doubts with you to the afterlife.

With blood pouring from his wound, hatred twisting his face, the Vulture's life ended, his consciousness fading into darkness.

Two minutes later, Chu claimed two more soul bones.

He also stored the Vulture's corpse, intending to have an ice-type soul master freeze it later to keep it from rotting.

The Vulture was a wanted criminal ranked just below Tang Hao. Presenting his body to Hu Liena would earn her a reward and boost her standing in the Spirit Hall.

With this merit, combined with returning from Slaughter City with the God of Killing Domain, proving her strength, she would soon be the current generation's Saintess.

That evening, under the bright lights, Hu Liena opened her eyes.

She no longer saw wilderness or enemies—only a white ceiling, pink curtains, a heart-shaped pink bed, and Chu meditating beside her.

"This is... the Rose Hotel?"

Though the colors were different, the room was almost identical to the "Red Ocean" suite where she had stayed.

She was right—it was the Rose Hotel, in the "Pink Tenderness" suite near the "Red Ocean."

"How do you feel? Are you okay?"

Sensing she had awakened, Chu ended his cultivation, concern on his face.

"I'm fine, just a headache. What about the enemies?"

She remembered the battle before she fainted.

"They made my Nana faint, so I sent them all to meet death. Not one left alive."

Chu replied.

"Bad guy, you truly are worthy of being my man."

Stars seemed to shine in Hu Liena's eyes.

Their enemies were all over level 80, including an 89th-level Soul Douluo near Title Douluo rank. Six of them together could rival even a Title Douluo, yet they had all fallen to her man. This proved he was not only a peerless genius but also a true powerhouse of the continent.

At that moment, pride and joy filled her heart.

"Nana, don't act recklessly again. There must never be a next time."

Chu said seriously.

This girl had dared to use spiritual techniques against an opponent whose mental power far surpassed her own. At that moment, he had been terrified, fearing something terrible might happen to Hu Liena.

Physical wounds could be treated, but injuries on the spiritual level had no effective means of healing.

Fortunately, Hu Liena had woken up, and the backlash from the spiritual counterattack was not a serious problem. After all, Eternal Thought was a method of cultivating spiritual power, and its training also helped restore spiritual injuries.

"Mm-hmm!"

Hu Liena quickly nodded in response.

Yet she would not fully obey Chu Chengzhou's warning. If there were a next time, she would do the same.

When strong enemies attacked, how could she stand by and just watch? Perhaps someone else could, but Hu Liena knew she could not.

By the following evening, they arrived at the center of Sunset Forest.

"Bad guy, why did you bring me here?"

Riding atop the Fire Phoenix spirit in the sky, Hu Liena looked down at a small valley surrounded by poisonous mists, with steam rising within and water vapor shrouding the area, asking Chu Chengzhou with confusion.

"There's something good here. Let's go down."

Saying this, Chu directed Xiao Hong to descend toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Passing through the dense mist, they entered a paradise of plants, with a strange red and white twin spring coming into view.

Extending his spiritual power to investigate, Chu found no sign of Dugu Bo.

That was expected. Dugu Bo was no wild hermit, and with his toxin backlash temporarily solved, he had no need to constantly stay here to suppress the poison with the yin-yang energies. It was normal not to meet him.

Sensing the mingled forces of fire and water in the air, Hu Liena looked around and blinked. "The good thing you mentioned—is it these herbs?"

Because of her teacher Bibi Dong, Hu Liena had a close relationship with Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo.

By seniority, they were peers of Bibi Dong's teacher Qian Xunji. Orphaned young, Hu Liena had been raised under Bibi Dong's care, and the two Douluo, who had no children, had treated her like a granddaughter.

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yueguan loved flowers and plants. Though Hu Liena did not share the same hobby, she knew many rare herbs.

"Smart girl."

Chu smiled and nodded.

They were lucky. The herbs that Dugu Bo, unfamiliar with immortal herbs, had left untouched were still thriving around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Moreover, the herbs Chu had previously taken had been replanted, except for the Wangchuan Autumn Dew, which had turned to ashes upon consumption.

"Eh? Is that the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum?"

Suddenly, Hu Liena exclaimed, spotting a magnificent golden chrysanthemum nearby.

She might not recognize other immortal herbs, but she definitely knew this one.

Her Grandpa Yueguan's martial spirit was the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.

Because soul rings change the appearance of martial spirits slightly, Yueguan's chrysanthemum, after nine rings, looked somewhat different from the one before her, but the resemblance was clear enough for her to recognize it.

"Nana, immortal herbs are not ordinary. Different herbs enhance different aspects.

Most not only boost cultivation talent but, if highly compatible with a martial spirit, may even trigger its evolution.

Here are three herbs you can take: the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum to enhance physical strength, the Black Jade Divine Bamboo to strengthen martial spirit toughness, and the Star Luo Spirit Pearl to improve connection with the stars. Choose one."

Chu pointed at the three herbs.

Truthfully, none of the three were perfectly suited for Hu Liena.

But they were the only remaining herbs that could significantly help her.

Two other herbs remained: the Swan Kiss was a virus amplifier and inedible, and the Qiluo Tulip merely countered poisons without boosting strength.

Furthermore, aside from the Odd Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, the Black Jade Divine Bamboo and Star Luo Spirit Pearl were not yet fully matured.

Since the chrysanthemum mainly strengthened the body—a role covered by the Immortal Golden Body technique Chu taught her—and since Dai Mubai's gains from it were not great, Chu felt it had little advantage over the other two herbs.

Thus, he left the choice to Hu Liena.

After some thought, Hu Liena set her sights on the Star Luo Spirit Pearl.

It was a beautiful plant. Its branches were a rare black, with a golden fruit the size of a child's fist at the top, resembling a large shining pearl.

On closer inspection, the golden fruit was made up of countless tiny golden points of light, an extraordinary sight.

Hu Liena's choice was not without reason.

For the body, she had the Immortal Golden Body technique and needed only diligent training. Her strength lay in spiritual control and attacks; physical toughness was less important unless linked to soul rings.

The Black Jade Divine Bamboo's enhancement of martial spirit toughness was even more useless to her, as it suited control spirits that used bindings.

While her Fox Spirit had no link to constellations, and the Star Luo Spirit Pearl enhanced connection to the stars, she still believed it might help.

Perhaps, after taking it, her Fox Spirit would gain a stellar attribute.

Since her martial spirit carried no inherent attribute, the herb's effect would not conflict.

After thinking, she asked, "Can I take two?"

Her Grandpa Yueguan had been good to her. If she could also take the chrysanthemum, she would.

"No. This place isn't mine."

After some hesitation, Chu shook his head.

He could tell she wanted the Star Luo Spirit Pearl and also the chrysanthemum—for Yueguan.

If the Ice and Fire Well were his, it would be fine. But it belonged to Dugu Bo.

If he didn't know Dugu Bo, he could just seize it. But with their acquaintance and good relations, he would not.

Moreover, Dugu Bo and Yueguan were enemies. Chu wouldn't take herbs from one to gift the other.

Additionally, immortal herbs worked best when taken young. Yueguan was old; even with the herb, he might gain only one or two levels—wasting it.

For someone close to him, it would be different, but Yueguan was not.

Finally, after Hu Liena took one herb, only two usable herbs remained, which had to be left for Dugu Bo and his grandson.

Hearing this, Hu Liena showed a trace of disappointment. "Then I'll choose the Star Luo Spirit Pearl."

"Pluck the golden fruit on top and eat it."

Chu pointed at the fruit.

He wasn't sure of the exact method, but the fruit held the herb's energy, which was gentle and pure. Since it was non-toxic, eating it was the right way.

Nodding, Hu Liena walked to the plant and touched the fruit.

Perhaps because it was not fully mature and had no spirit, the Star Luo Spirit Pearl gave no reaction.

Then Hu Liena plucked the golden fruit.

At the same time, a flash of golden light appeared at the tip of the branch, producing a new fruit, much smaller than the one in her hand, only the size of a fingernail.

Looking at the fruit in her hand, Hu Liena smiled.

She could feel the vast, pure, and gentle energy within it.

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