Douluo: AFK to Become a God

With a slight nod, Chenxin leapt down from Xiao Hong's back, soaring into the air above the Titan Giant Ape that was busy thrashing the Steel Armored Tyrannosaurus.

Since they had already found the beast, it was his duty as the elder to act.

Although a nine-ring Title Douluo matched a hundred-thousand-year beast in rank, rank didn't equal strength. This Titan Giant Ape, though only around eighty thousand years, was absolutely at Title Douluo level. Chenxin didn't believe Chu Chengzhou could handle it alone—and besides, there wasn't much training value in letting him try. Better that Chenxin cripple it, and then Chu Chengzhou deliver the finishing blow.

In the next moment, a chilling killing intent flashed from Chenxin's body. His Seven Kill Sword spirit manifested, nine rings appearing—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black.

The Titan Giant Ape wasn't blind. It instantly noticed this uninvited guest and hastily dropped the battered Steel Armored Tyrannosaurus it had been playing with.

"Boom, boom, boom—Roar!"

It slammed its fists against its chest, muscles exploding like coiled steel, and bellowed furiously at Chenxin. Yet in its lantern-sized eyes, a heavy caution flickered.

At ten thousand years, soul beasts gained wisdom. At eighty thousand, the ape had the intelligence of a human child, tempered by long years of survival. It had seen plenty of humans wreathed in soul rings, and it knew— the more rings, the more dangerous.

It even remembered hearing, nine years ago, that its big brother Er Ming's elder had perished at the hands of several nine-ring soul masters. And Er Ming was the king of their kind, ruler of the forest. If even stronger elders could fall, how could it not be wary now?

"Vile beast, how dare you rampage? First Soul Skill—Sword's Edge!"

Chenxin shouted. Blue-gold armor manifested across his body. His first soul ring shone, and the edge of the Seven Kill Sword blazed with even greater sharpness.

"Ninth Soul Skill—Heaven and Hell Twin Slash!"

Without pause, he unleashed his ultimate technique. His ninth ring lit crimson, soul power erupting as the sky split open in a colossal rift.

From the rift poured endless sword-light, enough to shatter heaven and earth.

"Roar—! Pfft, pfft, pfft—!"

The Titan Giant Ape only managed a single roar before countless blades rained down, stabbing into its flesh, spraying blood into the air.

In moments, the giant beast was drowned in sword-light.

When the light finally faded, the ape lay broken in a pool of blood, its body so mutilated not a single patch of intact flesh remained. Only its heaving chest proved it was still alive, its ring unformed. Otherwise, Chu Chengzhou would have thought Chenxin had slain it outright.

But Chenxin was a level 96 Title Douluo. With his soul-forged blue-gold armor increasing his power by 15%, and the Seven Kill Sword fused with the soul-forged Vajra Sword, how could a mere eighty-thousand-year beast endure his ninety-thousand-year ninth ring skill with nothing but brute flesh?

Chenxin spared the ape no glance. His eyes fell on the Steel Armored Tyrannosaurus it had pummeled earlier.

The tyrannosaurus froze.

Without hesitation, it turned tail and fled.

A joke! If the Titan Giant Ape, who had beaten it half to death, could be flattened in one strike, what chance did it have? Better to escape than become a free ring.

Satisfied, Chenxin sheathed his sword and armor, turning to Chu Chengzhou.

Chu Chengzhou descended on Xiao Hong and summoned Xiong Da, the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear spirit.

Dark golden light flashed—its innate skill, Darkgolden Terrorclaw, erupted. A claw-shadow filled with lethal sharpness blasted forward, striking the Titan Giant Ape's chest.

"Pfft—"

Blood spurted again. The claw tore into the ape's ruined chest, straight through its heart. Its crystal-yellow eyes bulged once, then dimmed forever.

At once, golden motes rose from the corpse, condensing into a pitch-black soul ring.

Chu Chengzhou dismissed his summons, nodded to Chenxin, and stepped forward to draw the ring.

The Titan Giant Ape's eighty-thousand-year ring was no small feat. Even an ordinary Contra might fail to absorb it safely.

Immediately, a tide of dense power surged into his body. The crushing pressure made every bone creak.

Yet Chu Chengzhou's physique was exceptional—stronger than most Contras. Though the strain was heavy, he could endure.

He quickly ran the Nine-Breath Qi Meditation, refining the energy coursing into him.

But absorbing a high-level ring wasn't only about physical strength. Spiritual force was tested as well.

Soon, in his sea of consciousness, the remnant will of the Titan Giant Ape appeared.

The instant it emerged, it roared with fury, stirring violent waves across his mind.

But then, a spiritual ripple descended. In a blink, the ape's rage melted away. It was no longer a beast thirsting for vengeance but a believer kneeling before its god.

To dedicate itself to the Almighty Lord—that was its greatest honor.

In truth, if the Titan Giant Ape had been alive at full strength, Chu Chengzhou could not have guaranteed bending its will with the Illusory Realm. Its spiritual power was formidable, comparable to high Contras, and when life was at stake, mistakes could mean deadly backlash.

But now it was only a weakened remnant, rootless and fragile. Stopping its resistance was no problem.

Time flowed. Half a day passed.

In the forest, Chu Chengzhou's aura steadily rose as he neared the end of his absorption.

Not far away, another fierce battle was underway.

"Third Soul Skill—Angel's Holy Light!"

With a sharp cry, Qian Renxue's angelic domain flared, her aura doubling in an instant.

Her fifth ring lit, holy fire burning into a golden sword. Wings spread, she became a four-winged seraph and charged the Radiant Flame Winged Tiger ahead.

This beast was fifty thousand years old—the best target she had found in Star Dou Great Forest.

With two Title Douluo guards, normally she would let them cripple it, then deliver the final strike herself.

But, eager for training after long inactivity, she chose to test herself—could she claim her seventh ring by her own hand?

If she lost, She Long and Ci Xue would intervene.

After all, a fifty-thousand-year beast was equivalent to a newly advanced Contra. She was only level 70, not yet Soul Sage, but with her god-tier Seraphim spirit, her angelic domain, her nearly hundred-thousand-year angelic head bone, and rings at the limit of perfection, her strength was close to Contra level.

On paper, the Radiant Flame Winged Tiger wasn't far stronger than her. She had a fighting chance.

She Long and Ci Xue approved. Their young mistress needed battle-hardened experience. When she ascended as a god, their years of loyal service would surely be rewarded.

But reality hit hard.

Theory was theory. Battle was battle.

Within two minutes of fighting, Qian Renxue was forced into the disadvantage.

On paper, her strength matched. But her combat skills could not compare to a beast forged by endless life-and-death struggle in Star Dou Great Forest.

Every predator that survived here had unmatched fighting instincts. Otherwise, it would have long ago been eaten itself.

It was clear: this Radiant Flame Winged Tiger, one of the rarest of its kind, was a true predator of the forest, high on the food chain—perhaps even at its peak. Its combat instincts outstripped Qian Renxue's by miles.

After a long struggle, she was no match. Not only was she at a disadvantage, but she was teetering on the edge of real danger.

At once, She Long and Ci Xue's eyes sharpened, a flash of killing intent passing between them.

Their young mistress was the apple of the Grand Worship's eye. If anything happened to her, wouldn't the Grand Worship flay them alive? They could die, yes—but Qian Renxue must never come to harm, or what awaited them would be worse than death.

Seeing her in peril, their hearts raced. Yet, since the Radiant Flame Winged Tiger was not too powerful, the two were confident they could save her at the critical moment. They held back, wary of angering her by interfering too soon.

But beasts were perceptive. The tiger had already been keeping part of its attention on them. Three humans had come—only one fought, the other two merely watched. That alone screamed danger.

Naturally, when the cold killing intent flickered across She Long and Ci Xue's bodies, the tiger sensed it.

Without hesitation, its cunning instincts urged retreat.

These two humans were clearly not to be trifled with. Better to run than risk death.

After all, as a dual-element light-and-fire beast, it did not crave flesh to evolve. It had no need to gamble its life against them.

With a single strike to drive Qian Renxue back, it flapped its wings and soared away.

"It ran?"

Qian Renxue froze, then smiled in relief.

Self-satisfied, she believed the beast had recognized her strength and fled in fear.

But She Long and Ci Xue immediately moved to give chase. Suitable seventh-ring beasts were rare; after days in the forest, this was the only one they'd found. They couldn't let it escape.

"I'll handle it myself!"

Seeing them about to act, Qian Renxue cried out, spreading her sacred wings and speeding after the beast.

"My defeated prey, and you think you can run? Wings or not, no tiger can outfly an angel!"

My grandfather's title of "Sky's Invincible" will one day be mine—and surpassed!

She Long and Ci Xue exchanged helpless looks and followed.

"Hmm? More trouble coming?"

Elsewhere in the forest, Chenxin, standing guard while Chu Chengzhou absorbed his ring, sensed a flying beast approaching fast. He raised a brow.

Soon, his vision caught a red-striped white tiger with wings beating toward him.

Seeing it close in, Chenxin didn't bother guessing whether it meant to pass by or approach deliberately. Either way—strike first.

His Seven Kill Sword appeared, and he slashed out a razor arc of sword-qi.

A flash of light tore through the air and struck the tiger's wing.

"Pfft—"

Blood sprayed as the blade pierced through its left wing, leaving a hole clear through.

Caught off guard, the beast screamed in pain, lost balance, and plummeted from the sky.

"Eh?"

Chenxin gave a soft grunt of surprise, his eyes shifting to three figures chasing the beast.

Sacred wings, divine aura… if he wasn't mistaken, this was the Seraphim spirit of the Angel Clan from Spirit Hall.

Instantly, his gaze turned dangerous.

Never mind the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's friction with Spirit Hall. Chenxin himself had personal grudges with the Angel Clan.

Years ago, his father, stronger even than himself, had sought to challenge Qian Daoliu, then already famed as "Sky's Invincible." He had been utterly defeated—and died of his wounds.

Though it was reckless, and even his father held no grudge in the end, Chenxin could not forgive. His father died because of Qian Daoliu. As a son, how could he let it go?

In the outside world, he wouldn't dare act, lest he drag down the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

But here, in Star Dou Great Forest? If he struck swiftly, even Qian Daoliu could never know that his descendant had fallen to Chenxin's blade.

Qian Renxue, meanwhile, was stunned to see him. To encounter Sword Douluo here of all places—unexpected indeed.

Then her heart sank, for she saw the danger gleam in his eyes.

"Chenxin?"

Her startled voice carried back, and She Long and Ci Xue instantly recognized him too. They flashed to her side protectively.

"Spirit Hall, is it?"

Chenxin's gaze left her and fixed on the two protectors. His eyes narrowed. Spirit Hall had spared no expense—sending two Title Douluo to guard an Angel Clan heir.

"Sword Douluo, as the saying goes, better to resolve enmity than deepen it. Consider carefully."

She Long's snake spear manifested as he spoke solemnly.

At the same time, Ci Xue released his martial spirit, face grim.

"Heh—just the two of you?"

Chenxin's eyes glinted with disdain as they fell on their purple fifth rings.

Two mere level 92 Title Douluo with mismatched rings? Hardly worth his notice. Two more like them wouldn't matter—his blue-gold armor made him a tank. Sword or not, he would not be broken.

She Long, Ci Xue, and Qian Renxue all looked grim. This would not end peacefully.

Suddenly, She Long's eyes lit up. Not far away, behind Chenxin, he saw a youth absorbing a ring.

" Sword Douluo, we may be weaker, but would you want that boy to suffer an 'accident'?"

He pointed toward Chu Chengzhou.

Though the two were weaker than Chenxin, they were still Title Douluo. They couldn't defeat him, but they could stall a few moves—and if that boy was truly important to Chenxin, then they had leverage.

Chenxin's expression darkened.

He had nearly forgotten—Chu Chengzhou was his weakness.

If the boy weren't occupied absorbing a ring, Chenxin wouldn't worry. But now, defenseless, he couldn't withstand even a casual Title Douluo strike.

At once, both Ci Xue and Qian Renxue also looked toward the youth.

Ci Xue only glanced briefly before refocusing on Chenxin, wary of distraction.

But Qian Renxue looked carefully—and froze in shock.

Though the figure's back was to her, the silhouette was familiar. Wasn't that her good "little brother" Chu Chengzhou?

But hadn't he only just become a Soul King a year ago? How had he already broken through to level 60, advancing to Soul Emperor?

And not only his level—the ring he was absorbing… its color was extraordinary.

Her eyes flicked to the Titan Giant Ape's corpse, then to She Long and Ci Xue's rings. She realized, with growing disbelief, that the hue of Chu Chengzhou's sixth ring was scarcely lighter than their ninth rings.

Their ninth rings were over eighty thousand years.

Which meant Chu Chengzhou, at only level 60, was absorbing an eighty-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape ring.

Compared to her own target—the fifty-thousand-year Radiant Flame Winged Tiger—an unsettling sense of defeat washed over her.

Her soul power surpassed his by ten levels. Yet the ring she sought was thirty thousand years weaker.

She was the Angel Clan's prodigy, Spirit Hall's greatest talent, born with level 20 innate power.

And yet, she was still outshone by Chu Chengzhou and his mutated spirit.

Was it truly that ridiculous?

As she stared at the True Spirit Banner manifesting around him, Qian Renxue's heart brimmed with confusion.

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