Douluo Dalu
Page 258Chapter 257
Seagod Trident’s Power
(TL by Bagelson)
Tang San said indifferently:
“I don’t know what will happen to the Clear Sky School in the future, but I can be certain, this day next year will be the anniversary of your deaths.”
Blood Devil Axe Spirit Sage roared furiously:
“Say that after you’ve defeated me! Hear my command, everyone leave immediately, report the Clear Sky School’s reappearance to the city master, go.”
At the same time as he roared, he was already lunging straight at Tang San, the Blood Devil Axe in his hand glittering with light, a black seventh spirit ring becoming an enormous black light and entering the axe with a flash. In that instant, the Blood Devil Axe in his hand suddenly expanded, becoming the size of a cartwheel in the blink of an eye, chopping towards Tang San with an intense blood reeking aura, like a red bolt of lightning appearing in midair.
With their leader’s orders, those low level spirit masters turned and ran. These people also counted as quick witted, no two escaped in the same way, and rather headed in different directions, with the agility attack spirit masters running furthest ahead. The compound wasn’t small, but they still only needed a few breaths of time to escape with their speed. If several dozen spirit masters escaped at the same time, into the winding streets outside, even with Tang San’s strength it would be a lot of trouble to kill them all.
The spirit avatar state Blood Devil Axe was undoubtedly extremely powerful, this was a Spirit Emperor upper range Spirit Sage doing his all, all in order to give his comrades the chance to escape, and at the same time also personally try the feeling of contesting with a Clear Sky School power. He firmly believed that as long as the opponent wasn’t far more powerful than him, even if he couldn’t win, he’d still have the chance to escape. After all, at the Spirit Sage level, if you focused on running, you would be extremely difficult to intercept.
But confronted with that Blood Devil Axe falling like red lightning, Tang San only used one very simple gesture to dissolve the opponent’s all out attack. Raising his right hand, the dark green Seagod Trident rose with power to sear the Heavens. He didn’t even use any spirit power.
A loud clang echoed. The red light shattered in that instant, and the Seagod Trident didn’t even tremble. Only the magic lines on its surface rippled with a faint dull golden color. But that spirit avatar state Blood Devil Axe was shattered into splinters.
With the spirit shattering, the spirit master who possessed it naturally wouldn’t be feeling good. Blood Devil Axe Spirit Sage vomited blood, thrown several dozen meters into the air. When the Clear Sky Hammer smashed into his back, shattering all his bones into inch-sized pieces, he still couldn’t understand how he was defeated so miserably. He hadn’t even glanced one of the opponent’s spirit rings. A spirit avatar attack facing a casual swing of a polearm, was somehow completely crushed.
Let alone that he was surprised, Tang San who was using the Seagod Trident for the first time also stared blankly, so much so that he even let the fastest of the Spirit Empire spirit masters reach the compound wall.
Originally Tang San only wanted to use the Seagod Trident to ward off the opponent’s attack, and then win with the Clear Sky Hammer. With the trident’s one hundred eight thousand weight, even if the opponent was using spirit avatar he still likely couldn’t harm him. But who would have thought that, on meeting the Seagod Trident, that Blood Devil Axe actually directly turned to fragments. That moment, Tang San didn’t even feel the trident vibrate.
This was the true power of a divine tool? Worthy of the weapon the Seagod once used! Just the physical destructive power alone had already reached such a frightening degree. With it, the attack power Tang San lacked before was completely complemented, and the spirit power savings was difficult to estimate.
The outcome of their confrontation was settled as soon as they met. If someone with Blood Devil Axe Spirit Sage’s strength couldn’t stop Tang San for an instant, how could Tang San give those other Spirit Hall spirit masters the chance to run?
With a pop, blue light flashed and vanished from Tang San’s forehead. In answer, a ray of blue light also flitted across that rhombic gem on the Seagod Trident.
In that instant, all the escaping spirit masters felt their bodies slow down, as if they were dumped into a stormy sea. Enormous energy pressed their mental worlds. Starting from the weakest, one spirit master after another went limp on the ground. They weren’t dead, but their spirits were broken, turning them into imbeciles.
Tang San’s control over spiritual force could be called meticulous. He didn’t kill any more, but what was the difference between killing these people and turning them into idiots? Spirit Hall’s spirit masters had been acting oppressively for so many years, especially inside the city, getting used to being arrogant and despotic, harming countless ordinary people. Ending up like this was fully deserved.
In the darkness, everything became quiet again. What Tang San used was strictly speaking one of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud’s four abilities, now also branded onto his skull bone, the Vast Sea Wild Wave. A group mental attack ability. Even though the single target attack power couldn’t compare to the Purple Demon Eye, it won out in attack range. These spirit masters under rank sixty had no hope to resist.
Covering the Seagod Trident with a cloth again, Tang San strolled out of the spirit master encampment. What happened here would be discovered, so how could he wait for those unconscious soldiers to wake up again.
Tang San first found a night open public bath to wash. Even though he wasn’t stained with any blood, but that imperceptible smell of blood was something Xiao Wu couldn’t stand. He washed himself, changed his clothes, then hid himself and flew off, leaving the city. Once the sky turned bright, he had already brought Xiao Wu to the next city in the Spirit Empire’s Häagen-Dazs province.
West Lu City, early morning, before the sky was bright, all the high levels and nobles in the city were in an uproar. In the city guard spirit master encampment, of more than eighty spirit masters, forty six had met a violent death, and thirty seven had become idiots. The dead even included the Spirit Empire’s commander in West Lu City, Blood Axe Spirit Saint. For a moment, West Lu City was on the brink of panic. The city lord instantly ordered the city sealed, immediately sending people to report to Spirit Empire’s capital, Spirit City.
Of course, that city lord also understood that sealing the city was basically useless. How could the soldiers and officers under his command resist people with the strength to kill more than eighty spirit master? All he could do was pray that those killers wouldn’t come looking for him.
The Spirit Empire had their own communication methods. The news had already reached Spirit City in just one day’s time.
Hu Liena sat upright in the Supreme Pontiff’s official business hall, Yan and Xie Yue on either side of her. Reading the dispatch in front of her, she couldn’t help frowning.
Xie Yue said in a low voice:
“According to the report, the people we sent to West Lu City should have been ambushed, then completely annihilated. Moreover, the ambushers should all be experts, the majority of them were killed with blunt weapons. I know Blood Devil Axe Spirit Sage Stanford, rank seventy four. Tool spirit sage, quite considerable strength. One on one, I couldn’t defeat him. He actually died with every bone in his body broken, he should have been hit by a powerful spirit ability attack. Those people who turned into idiots should have suffered a mental type spirit ability attack.”
Yan slammed the table, saying angrily:
Xie Yue shook his head:
“It’s still too early to say. Even if those subordinate provinces have all acknowledged the empire, they were after all kingdoms and duchies before, it’s not out of the question for them to move. Every nation has a group of experts. Of course, this possibility would be quite low. It would be very difficult for even Title Douluo to kill so many of our people undetected, the enemy wouldn’t consist of a small number. Only attacking simultaneously from multiple directions could achieve this kind of result.”
Hu Liena’s brows tightened,
“It’s very difficult to judge the circumstances based only on this one document. It seems it’s necessary to make a trip. Her Majesty isn’t present, with something of this scale, if it can’t be handled appropriately, we won’t be able to account for it.”
Yan immediately said:
“Nana, let me go. I’ll bring a squad of elites. I can definitely catch the trail of those people. If it was Heaven Dou Empire, then once Her Majesty returns, isn’t that an even better justification to go to war?”
Hu Liena shook her head.
“No, I won’t be reassured if you alone go. Since they dare do this, there’s definitely some plot. I’ll go personally. Big brother, you and Yan take charge here.”
Xie Yue said:
“Sister, before Her Majesty left she put the empire’s affairs in your hands, how can you leave that easily?”
Yan immediately said:
“Yes. Nana, you can’t go. I’d be better.”
Hu Liena shook her head, her beautiful eyes showing her resolve:
“Listen to me, right now the empire is already on the right track, developing more and more prosperously with each day, and there are no enemies that would dare invade our Spirit City, nor anything major going on. But the occurrence in West Lu City is similar to the destruction of the Gengxin City Hall more than four years ago. It’s very difficult to tell who’s behind it. I received Her Majesty’s trust, I have to take a look at this personally to be at ease.”
After Spirit Hall founded a nation, Hu Liena’s status also rose like a boat with the tide. The title of Holy Maiden didn’t change, becoming the Spirit Empire Holy Maiden, her authority second only to Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong, with the right to deploy the Spirit Empire’s armies and imperial spirit masters apart from Elder Hall. As time passed, her strength had also come to surpass Xie Yue and Yan by far, becoming the one of the Golden Generation most hopeful to break through rank seventy before age thirty. Even though Yan had always pursued her, Hu Liena had never feigned interest in that regard, putting her all into helping Bibi Dong establish the empire, as well as develop it, deeply earning Bibi Dong’s confidence. When she had made a decision, even Xie Yue couldn’t easily oppose.
“Nana, then won’t you please invite two elders to accompany you? The opponent isn’t weak, you can’t be in any danger.”
Xie Yue spoke with some concern.
Hu Liena shook her head:
“No need, Her Majesty already brought six elders away, there needs to be a few elders left to oversee Spirit City. Even if the enemy won’t likely attack here, the capital is the foundation of the empire, it can’t be allowed to be shaken. You deal with everyday affairs, and if a powerful enemy invades, ask the elders to act. As for me, you don’t have to worry. I’ll bring a Nirvana Squad with me. That’s enough to deal with any circumstances.”
Xie Yue smiled:
“That’s good. But be careful on the road anyway. Don’t let those provincial officials know who you are before you reach West Lu City. In the off chance they’re plotting something, you’ll still be safe.”
Hu Liena nodded:
“I’ll leave the imperial capital to you. I’ll leave immediately. If I hurry, I can reach West Lu City in four or five days.”
Done speaking, she stood and left with large strides.
Watching Hu Liena’s disappearing back, Yan couldn’t help sighing:
“Nana looks more and more like a leader, only……”
Xie Yue shot him a glance,
“Only what? Only she’s still rejecting your love?”
Yan smiled bitterly:
Xie Yue said helplessly:
“Don’t ask me, I don’t know either. Only, I often see Nana look like something’s weighing on her. Don’t think too much about it, give up if there’s no hope. Speaking of. You’re also close to thirty, you should find a partner. Don’t get held up because of Nana.”
Yan said hatefully:
“It’s definitely because of that Tang San. That bastard pretending to be some Tang Yin, deceiving Nana’s feelings. Don’t let me see him again, or I’ll rip his corpse into ten thousand pieces.”
Cold light flashed in Xie Yue’s eyes,
“Tang San really is difficult to deal with. Even though I’m confident in you, if it really came to a one on one against him, do you have any certainty? Don’t forget how many people he finished back then when you had him surrounded. Each one had strength beyond his. This guy is too dreadful. Especially when that spirit beast lover of his sacrificed herself for him, he’s carried a bone deep hatred for us for a long time. Only, strangely, for these past few years, we’ve spent enormous manpower to track him down, but never found a clue. It’s a lot like he disappeared into nothingness.”
Thinking of Tang San’s strength in the Star Dou Great Forest back then, Yan couldn’t help being a bit disappointed,
“I really don’t know how that guy cultivated. Even when younger than us, his spirit power wasn’t lower than ours. But scariest were all those tricks he had. Anyway, nevermind him. Xie Yue, Nana wouldn’t be in danger when she’s gone?”
Xie Yue smiled:
“She’s bringing a Nirvana squad, what danger could she be in? Those are Her Majesty’s personally trained experts. They’re the strength our Spirit Hall has saved for decades. There are altogether five Nirvana squads, each led by five Spirit Douluo level powers, with another twenty Spirit Sage level experts. As long as it’s not at least three Title Douluo, there won’t be a problem. And they’ve also trained together for so many years, they’re extremely well coordinated. With these experts along, who could still touch Nana?”
Yan said:
“True, I’m worried for nothing. Only, I’m still concerned! To tell the truth, there really isn’t any other woman in my heart besides Nana. I believe I will definitely move her one day.”
Xie Yue and Yan’s confidence in the Nirvana squad was shaken over the next couple of days. In a short two days, the received five urgent reports in succession of the guarding spirit master regiments in five cities suffering devastating attacks one after another. There were unexpectedly no conscious survivors. Adding West Lu City from before, more than five hundred spirit masters guarding six strategic towns were either dead or idiots. The dead also had nothing in common with each other, the most miserable spirit master regiment died smashed to pieces. The loss of more than five hundred spirit masters, even the Spirit Empire which controlled the vast majority of spirit masters couldn’t take it!
But Xie Yue and Yan unfortunately could do nothing about it, they didn’t have the authority to deploy the Nirvana squads. Helplessly, they could only send one order after another for all cities and garrisoned Spirit Empire spirit masters to be alert, and prepare to respond to enemy attack at any time. After this, all they could do was wait for news from Hu Liena or for Bibi Dong to return.
……
Sitting cross legged on a hill, Tang San inhaled and exhaled the purple qi. Even though his Purple Demon Eye had already been cultivated to the Boundless level, he still didn’t abandon a cultivation habit formed over so many years.
The fresh and clean air seemed to carry away the bloody smell from his mouth and nose, and especially the sweet fragrance from the plants on the hill calmed his heart.
The constant killing wasn’t anything to Tang San’s strength, the Deathgod Domain had even improved somewhat, his spirit power was also only a narrow line away from rank eighty five. However, the constant slaughter also seemed to bring him back to that time in Slaughter City, and that bloody feeling made it very difficult to calm down. Tang San knew that he couldn’t keep going like this, otherwise he’d very easily lose his heart to the influence of the killing intent.
With killing several hundred Spirit Hall spirit masters in six towns in succession, his goal could also be considered reached. Due to the slaughter over these few days, he’d never dared let Xiao Wu out. As long as her soul wasn’t back in her body, he’d have her sleep in the Wishful Hundred Treasures Purse.
After finishing cultivation, Tang San stretched his whole body. Spirit power flowed like mercury into his limbs and bones, unspeakably comfortable, and he picked up the Seagod Trident from the ground. He was growing more and more fond of this divine instrument. He didn’t even need to release it’s true light, just that terrifying weight was enough to deal with a lot of problems. In these days of slaughter, Tang San hadn’t once released his Blue Silver Emperor spirit, just relying on spirit bone abilities and the Clear Sky Hammer and Seagod Trident to easily annihilate those guarding spirit master regiments.
He was actually secretly looking forward to meeting a somewhat powerful opponent, preferably a Spirit Empire Title Douluo. Like that, he could not only test the Seagod Trident’s true power once, but could at the same time also complete the five Clear Sky School elders’ last task.
Only, Title Douluo weren’t something you’d find lying about everywhere. In six cities, he had only met two Spirit Sages. He was currently a hundred li away from the city where he’d slaughtered last night, not far from the official road. Tang San had already decided not to keep killing and bring Xiao Wu to hurry to Star Dou Great Forest, completing his most important task.
Taking a look at the cloth wrapped Seagod Trident in his hand, the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone exerted itself, pushing Tang San to soar up high, flying in the direction of Star Dou Great Forest. By his calculations, he could arrive in at most three days.
Tang San had been flying for a couple of hours when the sky suddenly changed. The sky that had been sunny and cloudless in the morning was gradually shrouded in clouds. A large expanse of clouds appeared in sight, blocking the warmth of the sunlight, cooling the air.
It was currently early autumn on the Continent, and the air temperature was still quite high. Travelling on a cloudy day like this would be a lot more comfortable than under the scorching sun. Tang San might as well use his full spirit power, and advance quickly.
Just at this moment, suddenly, Tang San’s pulse accelerated a few beats without reason, a throbbing feeling coming from his left hand.
What was going on? Tang San was alarmed, and hurriedly looked at his left hand. Immediately, he saw strands of black energy circle around his left hand, like silken threads, emanating slightly shuddering.
Hurriedly pulling up his sleeve, Tang San discovered that the same was the case for his entire left arm, spreading the whole way to his shoulder. The black energy contained an aura he was very familiar with, his second spirit, the Clear Sky Hammer. But, he didn’t trigger it, and he wasn’t cultivating either, so how could something like this suddenly appear?
Tang San had never been careless. Aware that there was a problem with the Clear Sky Hammer, he landed immediately.
Black light flashed, and the Clear Sky Hammer appearing in Tang San’s hand throbbed once, transmitting a kind of excited feeling to Tang San. It was the excitement of bloodthirst. The Deathgod Domain pattern inscribed on the hammer had now turned completely blood red, clearly visible even in daylight, and moreover gradually emerging on the surface of the Clear Sky Hammer.
Bloodthirst, slaughter, terror, all kinds of negative feelings constantly spread from the blood colored pattern. Ever since obtaining the Deathgod Domain, this was the first time Tang San felt the Deathgod Domain react like this on its own. Generally speaking, this sensation should be felt by the enemies enveloped in the Deathgod Domain.
Tang San’s spiritual force was enormous, so he naturally wouldn’t be influenced by the Clear Sky Hammer’s aura. But he was very curious. Even though he had killed a lot of people before, by all reason, even if it had changed somewhat it should still be the Clear Sky Hammer, but it seemed like the problem was with the Deathgod Domain inscribed on the hammer. What was going on?
However, this couldn’t continue. Who knew what would happen if he was imperceptibly influenced by it. Immediately, Tang San used the most dependable method to deal with it. Golden light blossomed from between his eyebrows, glorious golden Seagod’s Light spreading out, enveloping the Clear Sky Hammer.
It really was as Tang San expected, even though the Seagod’s Light had no offensive power, it still stemmed from the Seagod’s aura, and under its influence, the Clear Sky Hammer’s Deathgod Domain instantly settled down. The changes on the hammer quickly calmed down, and Tang San felt the slightly irascible influence even he had suffered subsequently calm down. Tang San once again deeply experienced how the seemingly mediocre Seagod’s Light actually possessed nearly omnipotent capabilities. Even though it didn’t count as powerful, it had endless marvellous uses.
Just as he prepared to recall the Seagod’s Light and take a look at whether the Clear Sky Hammer would keep changing, suddenly, through the Seagod’s Light’s scan, Tang San discovered that the Deathgod Domain carved on the Clear Sky Hammer seemed to maintain a subtle spiritual force connection with the outside world.
If not for the Seagod’s Light, even Tang San’s boundless level spiritual force couldn’t have sensed its existence, but now he had still clearly discovered it. This trace of spiritual force was faintly discernable, containing exactly the same negative aura as the Deathgod Domain. This was also how it could elude Tang San.
This was…...
Tang San didn’t use the Seagod’s Light to sever this connection, but rather attentively tried to sense it. Very soon, he discovered the effect of this trace of spiritual force. That was, locating.
Indeed, someone actually used spiritual force to locate his Clear Sky Hammer. No, to be precise, it should be to locate the Deathgod Domain carved on it. Even if the Clear Sky Hammer was still within Tang San’s body before, it still always maintained this kind of locating effect. And the reason the Clear Sky Hammer changed seemed to be because the source of the spiritual force locating the Deathgod Domain was already very close to him.
Tang San of course had no idea what was going on, he couldn’t understand how this could occur. But to him, being located with spiritual force wasn’t a good thing. Even if he didn’t sense it before, since he had now discovered it, he would of course deal with the problem as soon as possible.
Without alarming that trace of spiritual force, Tang San very quickly used the Seagod’s Light to follow the trail, sensing the direction of that mental connection, then again soared into the sky. Holding the Clear Sky Hammer and Seagod Trident, he hurriedly flew towards that mental connection.
His heart filled with the desire to kill. Tang San had already decided that, no matter who it was that was targeting him like this, he definitely had to get rid of them. The secret existence of an enemy able to locate him was a mortal threat.
Accelerating with his full strength, Tang San’s spiritual force also firmly monitored that trace of mental fluctuations on the Deathgod Domain. Very soon, he discovered his choice was correct. That mental fluctuation was constantly growing stronger as he flew, and even suppressed by the Seagod’s Light, the Deathgod Domain on the Clear Sky Hammer was growing more and more excited. It wasn’t the feeling of backlash, but rather the excitement of finding kin.
Could it be Hu Liena? Tang San thought of a possibility. Back then, he and Hu Liena had obtained the Deathgod Domain at the same time, and only she possessed the same type of domain as he did. No, impossible. Hu Liena’s spiritual force couldn’t be this strong. Even though the spiritual force attached to his Deathgod Domain was extremely faint, it was as persistent as a bone maggot, that was impossible to achieve without a high mental level. By a conservative estimate, it should be a Title Douluo level power. Even if Hu Liena was quite talented, it was impossible for her to reach that kind of level in a short few years.
Moreover, as Tang San flew he had a kind of feeling like that trace of spiritual force connected to his Deathgod Domain hadn’t always been there, but rather something hidden in the Deathgod Domain that automatically activated as that source came within a certain distance of him. If that was the explanation then it was reasonable. Otherwise, if the spiritual force could have tracked his Deathgod Domain the whole way to Seagod Island, wouldn’t that be truly godly?
Just as he was thinking, the Deathgod Domain pattern on the Clear Sky Hammer suddenly flared with light, unexpectedly breaking through the restraints of the Seagod’s Light in an instant. White light glittered, and the Deathgod Domain actually automatically released without Tang San’s prompting, the enormous killing intent about to lash back at Tang San. Only, Tang San’s spiritual force really was too formidable, pale blue light spread out, boundless level spiritual force instantly counter attacking and taking back control over the Deathgod Domain.
Tang San discovered that his Deathgod Domain had become unprecedentedly powerful, formidable killing intent constantly rising, as if it would crush all things in the world. At the same time, that strand of mental connection from before suddenly became intense, doing its all to attack Tang San’s spiritual force, trying to take control of the Deathgod Domain.
Tang San laughed coldly, throwing off the cloth covering the Seagod Trident with a shake of his hand. Hovering in the air, he turned the head of the polearm to softly touch the Deathgod Domain pattern on the Clear Sky Hammer. At the same time, a ray of Seagod’s Light fell directly on that rhombic gem on the Seagod Trident.
Golden light just barely glittered once, light flitting across the Seagod Trident, a speck of golden light pouring into the Deathgod Domain pattern from the tip of the trident’s central blade. That quickly strengthening mental fluctuation was instantly forcefully severed.
The Seagod Trident contained a portion of the Seagod’s divine power. With this method, Tang San not only severed the other side’s connection with his Deathgod Domain, but moreover also cleanly wiped away the backdoor through which it was established. Similar circumstances would never occur again.
The reason Tang San did so really wasn’t because he was going to let them go, but rather because the spiritual force he scattered had already targeted the opponent’s position, there was no need for this mental fluctuation connection on the Seagod Domain. Looking down, the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone launched its full strength, sending Tang San streaking downwards at an angle like a shooting star.
Very clearly, the person capable of targeting his Deathgod Domain was full of malice. Even though Tang San had already thoroughly dealt with the problem with the Deathgod Domain, he absolutely didn’t want to leave this kind of hidden enemy.
Tang San very soon approached his goal. Surprising him was that his spiritual force unexpectedly couldn’t reach inside that area. An intense aura of slaughter created a kind of special barrier, giving his spiritual force a feeling of chaos after entering. He could only vaguely sense an enormous killing intent and a blood red color.
Floating down into a forest, before he had set foot on the ground, Tang San already caught an intense bloody smell. Startled, he saw two corpses hanging in the trees not far away, their bodies so broken it was hard to tell they were human, and more like two lumps of ground meat. Giving him a strange feeling was that, even though there was a reek of blood in the air so intense it made people want to vomit, there wasn’t a single drop of blood to be seen. Those two corpses were all dead grey bone and flesh, without a trace of blood remaining.
Skilled experts are bold, and the scene didn’t intimidate Tang San, on the contrary affirming his conviction to find out more. From the tattered clothes of those two corpses he could tell that they should have been together. From the clothes, and also from the grain of the muscles, even though they were already ragged, his spiritual force examination could still determine that they were different from ordinary people. They should have been quite powerful spirit masters.
Inside the forest were marks of a violent struggle, the surrounding plants seriously damaged, and moreover with a lot of traces of corrosion. Raising the Seagod Trident in his hand, Tang San kept moving in the direction he determined with his spiritual force before.
Very soon he saw a few more corpses exactly the same as before, not one hadn’t died extremely miserably. A few corpses didn’t even have internal organs left. It was very difficult to believe that this was caused by humans, and seemed even more like the doings of savage spirit beasts. Could it be there was some formidable and vicious spirit beast here?
Speeding up, in the forest he constantly discovered one corpse after another. Finally, when Tang San saw the twenty third corpse, something different appeared ahead. A large expanse of red blood mist enveloped the forest in front, the sounds of violent spirit power collisions constantly echoing from within.