Douluo Dalu
Page 225Chapter 224
Hundred Thousand Years, Tang San’s Seventh Spirit Ring
(TL by Bagelson)
Bo Saixi managed to pull back her right hand. Her heart twitched uncontrollably a few times. Turning around, she looked towards the Seagod’s Hall at the peak of the towering mountain, talking to herself in a peculiar tone of voice:
“He, succeeded.”
A red silhouette soared up, and nobody saw, at the corners of Bo Saixi’s eyes, currently fell a tear as sparkling and translucent as a pearl.
None of the Shrek Seven Devils disturbed Tang San, and Tang San also sat there crosslegged and motionless, as if he’d turned into an ancient fossil. And the current Tang San was awash in blood, his whole body like a blood red sculpture.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, the five of their gazes brightened one by one. The sight of Tang San enduring the god bestowing spirit ring process had infected each of them. Nobody even spoke. Ning Rongrong pulled Xiao Wu’s hand, and the six of them together walked over to the stairs to the Seagod’s Hall, climbing directly to the twenty fifth step and sitting down. Tang San had already broken through his limits, so where were their limits? Even Bai Chenxiang directly walked to the tenth step and sat down.
At the foot of the sacred mountain, everything returned to serenity. Six people cultivating ceaselessly, Xiao Wu passively enduring the pressure, as well as the blood red statue, the motionless Tang San.
Tang San sat like this for a full one hundred days. As he was absolutely motionless for one month, the scarlet blood had also turned violet black, forming a stiff scab on the surface of his skin. If not for sensing his faint but steady heartbeat, as well as what Seagod Douluo Bo Saixi said before leaving, perhaps everyone would have believed Tang San had become an eternal sculpture.
One hundred days, one hundred days without motion. As the final day arrived, tearing and smashing sounds roused everyone from their cultivation.
One crack after another began to form on the stiff scab around over Tang San, this was the source of the sounds.
Seven silhouettes flew up, at just this moment, they had no thoughts for cultivation. After one hundred days of strenuous waiting, the person they waited for had finally come.
More and more shattered. Gradually, that dark purple scab began to fall off in pieces, exposing skin faintly flickering with blue golden radiance within. Startling everyone somewhat was that, as all of it fell off, even Tang San’s hair fell off along with the scabs coagulated around it.
“En——”
A soft groan echoed, and Tang San’s already naked skin began to shine with a faint blue golden color. Immediately afterward, the blue golden color grew more and more distinct, light radiating out, each blue golden ray seemed to expel the filth on his body.
With a popping sound, at this instant, time seemed to stand still, and the remaining filth on Tang San’s body shot off in an instant, exposing his close to perfect body. Intense blue golden splendor seemed to turn him into a second sun, enough to compare to the scorching sun in the sky. With such intense glare and violent energy fluctuations, everyone retreated one after another.
Amidst that blue golden radiance, the figure seated upright on the ground slowly rose. Both arms stretched sharply to either side, and sonorous bone cracking sounds could be heard. That’s right, sonorous, as if his whole body stretched outwards.
When he had stretched to his limit, instantly, a dragon cry like long howl broke out towards the sky. The Shrek Six Devils felt their surroundings seem to turn into a blue golden ocean along with this cry. The next moment, they were shocked to discover that the ring sea and sacred mountain had disappeared. They somehow stood in a dense great forest. And within this forest, all the plants were blue and gold.
On the ground was a thick mat of softly swaying blue silver emperor, the surrounding plants were all like cut from sapphire and bathed in golden sunshine, filled with an illusory tint.
Before they could react, suddenly, the surrounding scenery changed. The original radiance and aura of boundless vitality disappeared without any warning. In its place was an extremely cold world of white mist. Countless harsh auras cruised like sharp blades in their surroundings, giving them a feeling as if their bodies might be torn asunder at any moment.
Most frightening was a heartfelt shiver, the feeling of terror almost instantly giving them a feeling of being oppressed by a strange energy. Even moving just a bit was extremely difficult. If they hadn’t endured the pressure of the Seagod’s Light for a long time, the horror of this world filled with murderous intent might have driven them crazy.
Fortunately, this kind of frightful feeling didn’t continue for too long. Just as everyone felt their hearts about to burst, their bodies relaxed, and that aura like an Asura hell instantly disappeared. Their surroundings also returned to the scenery they were familiar with. They were still at the foot of the Seagod Mountain, and before them was still that ring shaped sea.
The feeling of being liberated from great weight made each of them breathe roughly, gasping for big mouthfuls of breath, subconsciously retreating with eyes filled with overwhelming shock. On the contrary Xiao Wu still stood there blankly, without doing anything. Without a soul, she didn’t seem to have felt the frighteningly enormous pressure the others did just now.
But in fact, the reason she didn’t arrive at that realm of suffering before really wasn’t because she had no soul, that scene just now absolutely wasn’t a pure spiritual attack. The reason Xiao Wu didn’t suffer any harm was mainly because her soul was within the body of the person who launched that frightening scene before. With metaphysical and physical deeply bonded to each other, naturally she wouldn’t come to any harm.
The blue golden radiance gradually faded, and as everyone managed to compose themselves, they could clearly see a human figure flickering within the light. Very soon, all the light was absorbed into that person, exposing his true form.
Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, looking at that appearing figure with weird expressions, smiles soon becoming apparent.
Standing there was Tang San, his body already covered in a clean robe, hiding his body, and not ending up naked after absorbing the spirit ring like Ma Hongjun. The flickering of his silhouette in the light before was actually him getting dressed.
Only, his current appearance was even more ridiculous than Ma Hongjun’s back then. His head was glossy and smooth without a single hair, to the extent that it even reflected the sunlight. Not even his eyebrows remained. Even though he was still handsome, his deep blue eyes even more clear than before, his current bald look still made the Shrek Five Devils and Bai Chenxiang quickly recover from their previous fright.
The skin Tang San currently revealed all had a dense layer of faintly golden light, but what had changed most distinctly apart from his hair and eyebrows, would be the Eight Spider Lances on his back.
The Eight Spider Lances hadn’t changed in size, and were still as crystalline as before, but their overall coloration had undergone a heaven and earth revolving transformation. The originally filled with frightening feeling blood red had completely turned into a hallowed golden color. Unfolding behind Tang San, they were like eight gloriously golden arms. Golden light glinted, and faintly, a disc of golden light was set off the Eight Spider Lances from behind.
In practice, this was already the Eight Spider Lances’ third evolution. From getting it until Tang San killed the second Man Faced Demon Spider and obtained Xiao Wu’s hundred thousand year spirit ring, then again to now. This external spirit bone not only didn’t turn more sinister, but on the contrary became more and more dazzling.
“Little San, you, hahahaha……”
Dai Mubai was the first who couldn’t help it, immediately bursting into laughter. When he started, the others couldn’t hold back either.
“What are you laughing at?”
Ning Rongrong giggled:
“Third brother, your hair and eyebrows……”
Oscar and Ma Hongjun looked at each other, and they couldn’t help smiling wickedly. Hair and eyebrows were gone, then the hair in other places…… heh heh.
Tang San looked distracted, immediately raising a hand to feel his scalp, then discovered the source of everyone’s hilarity. Bowing his head to look at the scabs fallen all around him, he couldn’t help showing a wry smile.
However, right now his heart was still incomparably carefree. A refreshing feeling exuded from every pore. Basically without even using his eyes to see, all the surrounding scenery appeared like a three dimensional image in his mind. He could even clearly sense the variations of the intensity of the sunshine in the air.
That was a marvellous feeling of controlling everything. The Mysterious Heaven Skill inner strength within his body had completely changed from white to gold, and poured through his meridians like quicksilver. As his consciousness grew clearer and clearer, even more pleasant surprises appeared constantly. It seemed his spiritual force had reached the same level as his Purple Demon Eye. That kind of observation down to minute details could discover even the smallest changes within him.
But even if he now could control everything within himself, he still didn’t know just what level he had reached.
Practically subconsciously, Tang San released his Blue Silver Emperor. Instantly, several dozen strands of clear blue Blue Silver Emperor shot out from his body. At this moment, there was no golden lines within the Blue Silver Emperor, but, each strand was wrapped up in a faint golden light.
Along with him releasing his spirit, seven spirit rings rose in succession from below Tang San’s feet, filling his surroundings.
Yellow, yellow, purple, black, black, red, red. The seven orderly spirit rings gave people an incomparably moving feeling. In that instant, Tang San only felt as if he could hear the throbbing voices of all the plants on Seagod Mountain, and each of those Blue Silver Emperor were like his own arms. He was confident that these Blue Silver Emperor could absolutely complete even the most complex motions.
He hadn’t endured that pain like being torn apart in vain. That scarlet red like blood spirit ring in the seventh position was the best repayment.
Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, Bai Chenxiang, right now they had all stopped laughing. Seeing that seventh ring around Tang San, with the red of a hundred thousand year level, they couldn’t utter a single word.
If one spoke of Tang San’s sixth spirit ring being of the hundred thousand year level being because special circumstances led to Xiao Wu’s sacrifice, then that real seventh spirit ring of his was something brought to him by his utterly fearless perseverance and incomparable will.
Because of this seventh spirit ring, all the pain Tang San had suffered, the price he had paid, was absolutely even greater than absorbing a real hundred thousand year spirit ring. Even with four spirit bones, with his current strength he still shouldn’t have been able to absorb a hundred thousand year spirit ring. That was an absolute gap. But he had still done it.
To Spirit Masters, the seventh spirit ring was the most important leap, and Tang San had used a perfect hundred thousand year level to continue declaring his strength. If twin spirits was an innate talent, then his seventh spirit ring was a flower blossoming from struggle.
Tang San slowly raised his right hand, and that latest to appear seventh spirit ring slowly rose, drawn by his palm. It expanded as it rose, and in a flash it had turned into a blood red barrier enveloping Tang San completely.
Red light quietly permeated him, and Tang San’s body instantly changed, fusing into that red light. His whole body seemed to become translucent, the surface of his skin rippling with the same clear blue luster as the Blue Silver Emperor, and he also had that golden light brimming with the aura of nature.
It seemed as if he was now a man shaped Blue Silver Emperor.
This was Tang San’s seventh spirit ability, Blue Silver Avatar.
With the effects of Blue Silver Avatar, all abilities that used Blue Silver Emperor were amplified by a hundred percent, and any strand of blue silver grass could become Tang San’s true body. In other words, unless all the Blue Silver Emperor were completely destroyed, Tang San could instantly make his body appear anywhere there was Blue Silver Emperor within range to avoid attacks.
Spreading both arms, the eyes of Tang San’s Blue Silver Avatar form abruptly turned golden. Then next instant, with him as the center, a blue golden luster abruptly spread from his feet, enveloping a hundred meter range in practically just an instant.
This one hundred meter range might not feel very large, but within this range, everything turned golden blue. Including the bodies of the other Shrek Seven Devils.
Everyone clearly felt an incomparably immense breath of life fill their surroundings, unspeakably comforting. However, they also instantly discovered that their movements began to slow, and everything around them turned so indistinct. And in this instant, the Eight Spider Lances behind Tang San’s back blossomed with golden light, one golden ray of light after another starting to fill this golden world.
The golden threads of light couldn’t be dodged. Everyone just felt their bodies tighten slightly, and immediately afterward, it was as if their spirit power had found a drain, slowly flowing out along those threads of light.
They wanted to break free, but those threads of light were like bone maggots, always glued to their bodies. And the threads of light draining their spirit power grew even brighter, finally converging on the Eight Spider Lances, then flowed into Tang San.
Images of trees appeared one after another, covering Tang San’s silhouette. All the plants on Seagod Mountain within range now also all turned blue golden, dense images of trees appearing in the surroundings along with countless vines spreading out. Just at this moment, even the sunlight couldn’t enter the golden blue world. The immense aura of life covered each person, and the branches of the trees grew frantically, leaves quickly spreading, and their targets were the Shrek Seven Devils. In just these few eyeblinks, everyone felt like they were already surrounded.
A pressure like panic appeared in their hearts, coerced by this pressure, everyone released their spirits one after another.
But even Fatty’s red hot phoenix flame only gave this blue golden world a bit more golden splendor. Everyone discovered that their spirits were all suppressed by that breath of life.
“This is the true form of my Blue Silver Domain under the effect of my seventh spirit ability, Blue Silver Avatar. It’s also the Blue Silver Domain’s third evolved ability, Boundless Nature[1]. Secondary effects, assimilation, suppression. Within the domain, I can change everything as I wish. The assimilation ability refers to assimilating all the surrounding plants, with the Blue Silver Domain burning the flames of their life for its own use. The more plants there are nearby, the stronger Boundless Nature is. These plants can all launch attacks as I desire. The suppression ability suppresses the attributes of your spirits by ten percent, and all released spirit power will be suppressed by ten percent. The longer you stay in the domain, the greater the suppression effect will be.”
“Then what’s with those golden threads extracting our spirit power?”
Hearing Tang San’s voice echo from all around, everyone’s fear immediately disappeared. Dai Mubai immediately voiced a question.
Tang San’s voice echoed once again,
Dai Mubai’s eyes widened,
“Fuck me, even filtering? Your domain ability is too abnormal.”
The blue light suddenly faded, the sky reappearing. Tang San still stood where he was before, and both his Eight Spider Lances and seven spirit rings were already withdrawn.
He had revealed his new abilities to his comrades so they could cooperate even better in the future, so they wouldn’t be startled. And a Spirit Master revealing his spirit abilities for others to see was originally one of the most intimate shows of affection.
Nevermind that the other Shrek Seven Devils all thought that Tang San’s new abilities were abnormal, even Tang San himself felt that these abilities were frightening.
Especially the ability after fusing the Blue Silver Domain and Eight Spider Lances. Long distance drain. And it was moreover draining that ignored attacks and defenses, this was too scary. At the same time Tang San discovered that, after the Eight Spider Lances evolved, the original drain ability had gained an automatic filter, energy absorbed from the outside world would be filtered and merged into Tang San’s body where it was needed.
Like this, fighting within the Blue Silver Domain’s latest third evolved Boundless Nature, the enemies would be constantly weakened, and Tang San could possess even longer battle endurance through this indefensible drain ability.
Tang San vaguely felt that, along with his strength growing, the external spirit bone Eight Spider Lances evolved ability now showed its true appearance. That was something the other spirit bones didn’t have, even the hundred thousand year spirit bones.
Just viewing the level of the domain, Tang San’s Blue Silver Domain already massively surpassed the Angelic Domain Qian Renxue once used. The Angel Domain’s abilities mainly strengthened herself and suppressed the opponent. That angel force could also only affect the opponent’s spirit power.
If the Angelic Domain transforming the opponent’s spirit power was one effect, then Tang San’s Blue Silver Domain’s drain ability had two effects. The Angelic Domain harmed others without benefit to oneself, but the Blue Silver Domain harmed others for his benefit. The gap between them was quite large.
In terms of the level of spirits, even though the Blue Silver Emperor could be said to be a peak existence among plant type spirits, there was still a gap to a super spirit like the Seraphim. There were two reasons Tang San’s Blue Silver Domain effects could surpass Qian Renxue’s Angelic Domain, one was the fusion effect of the evolved Eight Spider Lances with the domain. The other was because Tang San’s seventh spirit ring was of the hundred thousand year level. The amplification effect naturally wasn’t something ten thousand year spirit rings could compare to.
For this seventh spirit ring, Tang San had spent a hundred days time. But this was completely worth it. A hundred thousand year spirit ring at the seventh position was already a comprehensive leap for his strength. With all the spirit bones and spirit abilities he currently possessed, he would no longer be without the strength to resist when confronting Title Douluo. That was still without counting the effects of the Deathgod Domain after it was amplified by the seventh spirit ring, as well as Tang San’s seventh spirit ring having a second spirit ability due to being of the hundred thousand year level.
Somewhat awkwardly rubbing his bald head, Tang San asked:
“How long was I in a trance?”
By now, the others had already gathered around, and besides Xiao Wu’s still cavernous eyes, the others all had expressions of wonder and envy.
Oscar said:
“You really can sleep! This time it took a hundred days. You really are something. If it was us, no matter how persistent we were, our bodies still couldn’t absorb the energy of that hundred thousand year spirit ring. I also want a seventh spirit ring. Ah! Ah! Ah!”
This fellow hardly concealed his envy.
Tang San stared blankly a moment,
“What did you say? A hundred days? I’ve been in a trance for one hundred days?”
Seeing his comrades nod one after another, Tang San still almost didn’t dare believe it. To him, it had only seemed like, after the pain, warmth had spread through his body and gradually scattered. He had awoken after just this process. But that simple process had still taken him a hundred days of trance.
He showed a trace of a wry smile,
“I didn’t think it would take so long. My Seagod’s Light!”
Dai Mubai’s eyes revealed an intense disdain,
“You clearly just know to talk without action, isn’t a hundred thousand year spirit ring enough? Your new abilities are already abnormal enough. If it was me, I’d even trade it for a year’s time. Speaking of, generally this kind of level skipping spirit ring absorption will raise your spirit power. Fatty went up one rank last time, he’s almost at the same level as little Ao and the others. What’s your current level of spirit power?”
Tang San observed his body, his wry smile instantly turning to pleasant surprise,
“Is this alright too? It seems to have risen a lot……”
Ning Rongrong curiously asked:
“How much is a lot?”
Tang San said:
“It seems to be at seventy four and a half ranks.
Silence, dreadful silence. As Tang San spoke, he only felt like everyone wanted to eat him.
Dai Mubai said with a mournful expression:
Tang San laughed out loud, seeing the smile and frustration at the corners of Dai Mubai’s eyes. Grabbing his shoulders, he said:
“Boss Dai, don’t worry! Don’t forget that you still haven’t absorbed the god bestowed spirit ring. I was just a bit lucky.”
Dai Mubai sighed,
“Little San, that really isn’t a matter of luck! Only, we haven’t been idle in these three months either. The Seagod’s Light really is a treasure for cultivation, my spirit power is already close to sixty eight ranks. I estimate I should break through within ten days. Little Ao is sixty four, Fatty is sixty four, only Fatty should be about to break through to sixty five. Rongrong is already sixty five. Zhu Zhuqing as well. You’re right, we all have a chance for a god bestowed spirit ring. Then we also have to work hard. To us, this is a lifetime opportunity. In this year with the Seagod’s Light, we have to fight to reach the seventieth rank. With the qualitative change of the Spirit Avatar, the other trials will be a lot easier.”
“Rumble.”
When Dai Mubai issued his declaration with a righteous expression, Tang San’s stomach made a quiet noise.
Dai Mubai was speechless for a spell,
“The food delivered this morning is over there. You just woke up, rest for today. Too far is as bad as not enough. Let’s go, we’ll continue cultivating. We’ll definitely pull closer the gap to little San.”
After a hundred days without eating, completely relying on energy to sustain himself, Tang San was ravenous. His comrades threw themselves back into training, and he gorged himself without politeness. With the strength of his internal organs, he basically didn’t have to worry about any adverse effects from eating or drinking excessively.
Giant overlord crab, delicious lobster flesh, fish roe and black bread, plus Seagod Island’s special local vegetables and fruit. In one sitting he cleanly swept away the great meal for everyone for today. Only when he had finished eating did Tang San discover he had eaten everyone else’s food. Fortunately he still had inventory in his Twenty Four Moonlit Bridges, he could only let everyone eat rations today.
By now Dai Mubai and the others had already started cultivating within the Seagod’s Light. Tang San discovered that in three months time, his comrades were by now already cultivating on the thirty fifth step. Even Bai Chenxiang had already advanced to the twentieth step.
The qualitative leap in strength filled Tang San’s heart with satisfaction and confidence. He quietly told himself that the distance to Xiao Wu’s resurrection was one step closer.
Without excessive rest, Tang San directly threw himself into cultivation. Due to entering the realm of Spirit Avatar, he directly raised his cultivation position ot the fiftieth step. He was confident that he could completely cultivate at this position.
Of course, before he started cultivating, he first wanted to examine how far his strength had risen, to take a look at just how many steps he had advanced along this challenging road. It was also good preparation for finally passing.
After Tang San first set foot into the Seagod’s Light, he halted, an astonished expression appearing on his face. Because he discovered that the original pressure from the Seagod’s Light seemed to have completely disappeared. Setting foot on the first step seemed no different from outside.
What was going one? Could the pressure from the Seagod’s Light have disappeared? No, impossible. His comrades were still cultivating, that proved there was no problem with the Seagod’s Light.
With a suspicious bearing, Tang San kept climbing.
Tang San climbed the whole way to the twentieth step before he felt a trace of pressure, and he immediately relaxed. It wasn’t that the pressure was gone, but rather that his ability to endure the pressure had leapt forward.
In fact, after the ordeal of the god bestowed spirit ring, Tang San’s body had broken through the limit once again, and his ability to contend with pressure had risen in a sharp line. It was naturally very difficult for the Seagod’s Light’s close pressure to affect him. Since the pressure could be ignored, Tang San hadn’t felt anything.
Climbing onwards, Tang San very soon passed fifty steps. Here he discovered that this position didn’t suit his cultivation, because the pressure still wasn’t enough. It still couldn’t give him the pressure he felt where he cultivated before breaking through the seventieth rank.
Without releasing the two great domains, had his body having just recovered, Tang San still had to hold back on this climb. He had after all just recovered, and he couldn’t attack his limit in one go. With the backing of the two great domains, his retreat would be a lot easier.
Continuing to climb upwards, very soon Tang San reached his previous climbing limit, standing on the eightieth step. Arriving here he could again feel that omnipresent squeezing pressure. Drawing a deep breath, Tang San advanced. When he had climbed all the way to the hundredth step, his pace forward slowed somewhat.
Tang San discovered that after climbing a hundred steps, the pressure clearly rose a level. It was like his own qualitative leap of strength. Coming here, the Seagod’s Light pressure also made a qualitative leap. This discovery made him realize that the greatest difficulty of Dai Mubai and the others’ black level trials might be the last eight steps.
Absolutely don’t look down on these last few steps. Due to the qualitative leap in pressure, each step would require investing a far higher price than the previous steps. Even more, in the previous climb, they would be bound to have consumed a lot of spirit power. Under the steep rise in pressure, completing this last climb really wasn’t an easy matter.
Steadily continuing climbing upwards, his body’s powerful ability to resist pressure gradually appeared. The trident brand on Tang San’s forehead released brilliant golden light, and with each step forward, he felt the joy of conquering within his heart.
One hundred eight, the step required to pass the black level trials very soon lay below Tang San’s feet. In fact, right now Tang San wasn’t just a common Spirit Sage. With four great spirit bones and two hundred thousand year spirit rings, the power of his physique already surpassed that of ordinary Title Douluo. Even so, after he reached the one hundred eighth step, he also clearly felt the weight of his body, and each step further became a challenge.
Drawing a cold breath, Tang San looked up. Under the influence of the golden mist surrounding his body, the scenery beyond was a bit hazy. His standard for passing wasn’t just a hundred eight, but rather three hundred thirty three. With his present circumstances, starting with the two great domains released from the very beginning, the highest level he could climb might not surpass one hundred fifty steps, not even half the distance to pass the trial. Could he really reach the three hundred thirty third step and pass even with his comrades’ support abilities? A major question mark appeared in Tang San’s heart.
There was already less than half a year left. Even though cultivating in the Seagod’s Light was a lot faster than outside, Tang San still wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could make another qualitative leap in that time. It seemed that in order to pass his first trial: Overcome, Twofold, Seagod’s Light, absolutely wouldn’t be easy. He still had an even longer road to walk.
Without climbing further, the surrounding immense pressure already forced the spirit power within Tang San’s body to move with unprecedented speed. He still needed time to put his just recently recovered body in order, and Tang San absolutely wouldn’t spoil things on impulse. He still didn’t open his domains, but slowly retreated from the one hundred eighth step.
When he had retreated to eighty steps, he halted, hesitating slightly. According to the previous feeling of cultivation in the pressure, the seventieth step seemed quite suitable for his present cultivation. But Tang San clearly understood that, cultivating there, he couldn’t advance his resistance ability enough to pass the Seagod’s first trial in half a year.
Taking advantage of still having a lot of spirit power remaining, fiercely clenching his teeth, Tang San sat down on the eightieth step.
[1] Boundless Nature - (森罗万象) more precisely “the limitless connections of all manifestations of nature”