Time rewinds slightly—inside the battlefield.
Seeing that the three Battle Soul Saints from Blue Tyrant Academy were all being held back by him, Cang Xiong was quite satisfied, even though the stealth assassination had devolved into a frontal assault, and an unexpected food-type Soul Saint had appeared.
After all, as long as he kept Liu Erlong and the others occupied, Blue Tyrant Academy had no other Battle Soul Saints, let alone any who could fly.
In that case, with two flying Soul Saints—"Ice" and "Flame"—sent to kill Chu Chengzhou, who was only a four-ring Soul Sect, it should be a piece of cake.
Even if Chu Chengzhou's summoned fire phoenix could suppress their martial spirits by bloodline, the huge gap in spirit power levels would make it a non-issue.
After momentarily repelling Liu Erlong and the others, Cang Xiong took a quick glance at the sky.
"What?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
A golden streak of light had smashed straight through "Ice's" head, who didn't even dodge, and his headless body plummeted from the sky.
As for "Flame"? He had died even earlier—his body was already near the ground.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Gravity Crush!""Fifth Soul Skill: Soaring Flame!""Fifth Soul Skill: Eagle Feather!"
Cang Xiong's rhythm broke due to his shock, but Liu Erlong and her experienced team wasted no time. Their soul rings flashed as they launched a new wave of attacks.
"Hmph! Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Bear Armor!"
Despite everything, he was still an eight-ring Soul Douluo, a rare expert on the continent. Instinctively, he activated his defensive soul skill.
BOOM!The battlefield exploded with pressure, flames, and feathered arrows, all crashing in from every direction.
But the 20,000-year-old defensive soul skill from an eight-ring Douluo wasn't something a 10,000-year offensive soul skill from a seven-ring Soul Saint could break. Cang Xiong withstood Liu Erlong and Flender's attacks with a golden soul energy shield.
As for Zhao Wuji's Gravity Crush—it wasn't a direct offensive skill but akin to a domain effect. While not as powerful as a true domain, it couldn't be dismissed with ordinary techniques either.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Dragon Shadow Break!""Sixth Soul Skill: Starshine Formation!"
Just then, two more sixth soul skills rained down on the embattled Cang Xiong.
Li Yusong and Lu Qibin, who had been evacuating students, had joined the battle. Though only six-ring Soul Emperors, they could provide support and at least create some chaos for Cang Xiong.
Soon after, two more Soul Emperors—each bearing the best six-ring soul ring configuration—rushed in from outside the academy to aid Liu Erlong and her team.
They were none other than the guards Ning Fengzhi had stationed outside to protect his beloved daughter. Upon seeing that Ning Rongrong was unharmed, they immediately joined the fight.
If either of them had been Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul masters, things would have been even more dire for Cang Xiong—just a 70% stat boost could have turned the tide.
Faced with four Soul Saints and four Soul Emperors in a temporary team, even without tight coordination, Cang Xiong began to feel the pressure—he couldn't hold them all off.
At that moment, the thought of retreat crept into Cang Xiong's mind.
He had no choice. "Ice" and "Flame," his only airborne allies, were dead. While he was strong, he couldn't fly.
Chu Chengzhou had a fire phoenix that could keep distance—if that happened, the Hall's assassination (or rather, forced killing) plan for the night would fail.
There was no point in continuing. Liu Erlong and the others were formidable. If he stayed, he might actually die here.
But while Cang Xiong wanted to flee, Chu Chengzhou wouldn't let him.
"ROAR—!"
A deafening bear roar echoed out. Boosted by Xiaobai's blessing skill—even though it was partially mitigated—Bear One's overall stats skyrocketed. With both innate soul skills activated, his dark-gold claws gleamed as he charged like a land-based tank.
Before he even arrived, the pure aura of a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear filled the battlefield, instantly suppressing over 20% of Cang Xiong's power.
The Violent Gold Bear was a solid beast-type martial soul, even slightly better than Zhao Wuji's Strength King Kong Bear. But compared to a true Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it was utterly inferior.
"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?!"
Cang Xiong's voice trembled as he saw Bear One's massive form and sharp claws. The sight of a natural predator shook him.
Already overwhelmed, Cang Xiong now faced a beast that could fully suppress him. He could almost see his own death at Blue Tyrant Academy tonight.
"ROAR—!"
Bear One didn't waste words. With a roar, he rushed forward and raised a massive claw, larger than Cang Xiong's waist, and slammed it down.
Knowing the terror of the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear—its attacks could even make a Titled Douluo flinch—Cang Xiong tried to retreat in panic.
Whoosh—
Just then, from the distant sky, Chu Chengzhou loosed his arrow. Infused with metal attribute soul power, the titanium armor-piercing arrow turned into a golden streak.
In a flash, it covered over a hundred meters and struck Cang Xiong square in the back.
"Pfft—"
The arrow pierced through his soul energy shield and embedded itself more than two inches into his lower back. If he hadn't been an eight-ring Soul Douluo with exceptional physique, it would have gone straight through him.
"Seventh Soul Skill: True Form of the Violent Gold Bear!"
Enraged by the searing pain in his back—feeling like even his kidneys were shattered—Cang Xiong activated his seventh soul skill without hesitation.
In an instant, a three-zhang-tall golden-furred bear materialized on the battlefield.
For most seven-ring and above soul masters, the True Form skill was not to be used lightly. It boosted strength greatly but left one weakened afterward unless the martial soul and seventh soul ring were top-tier—which Cang Xiong's weren't.
Still, he was desperate. Without using his true form, he'd die. If he used it, he might still escape.
Seeing Cang Xiong use his true form, Liu Erlong and the others didn't hesitate.
Dragon roars, eagle cries, and bear growls erupted as three massive figures—the red dragon, cat eagle, and Strength King Kong Bear—manifested on the field.
Knowing the gap in power, Li Yusong and the other Soul Emperors withdrew, leaving the battlefield to the true-form users: Liu Erlong, Flender, Zhao Wuji, and Bear One.
Watching the massive golden bear from afar, Chu Chengzhou frowned.
Earlier, without true-form defense, his titanium arrow couldn't pierce Cang Xiong—now it would be even harder.
For an archer, fast or heavily armored enemies were the most troublesome.
Still, frowning didn't mean giving up. Chu Chengzhou kept firing. One titanium arrow after another streaked across the night sky in golden arcs.
Though they couldn't deal fatal blows, the cumulative damage would wear the big bear down eventually.
Meanwhile, at the Spirit Hall in Heaven Dou City...
Noticing the powerful soul energy fluctuations from Blue Tyrant Academy, which had persisted for several minutes, Salas furrowed his brow.
What's going on?I just told them to quietly assassinate a measly four-ring Soul Sect. Why are they making such a huge scene?
"Useless!"
Salas couldn't help cursing.
With such a ruckus, every high-level soul master in the city probably already knew.
He could only pray now that Cang Xiong and the others completed the mission—and died in the process—rather than be captured alive.
During the Continental Soul Master Tournament, and in the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire no less, making this kind of noise guaranteed that Cang Xiong and his crew wouldn't get away.
The Emperor Xue Ye would not spare such bold intruders.
Most likely, the royal guest elders from the imperial palace were already heading toward Blue Tyrant Academy.
Don't be fooled—while Dugu Bo was the only Titled Douluo on paper, there were plenty of regular eight-ring Soul Douluo guest elders.
Now that things were going south for Cang Xiong's group, once the royal guests arrived, their chance of escape would be zero.
What truly worried Salas wasn't the loss of a few high-level soul masters—though painful, Spirit Hall could afford it.
What he feared was giving the Heaven Dou Empire or Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan leverage over them.
It wasn't about doubting Cang Xiong's loyalty—rather, the Empire had plenty of ways to make someone talk.
And they didn't even need brutal torture. Just one mental-type soul master with a hypnosis skill could dig up even childhood secrets.
Assassinating a genius from a rival faction?
That's the kind of thing you could never publicly admit to.
If they hadn't been caught red-handed, it wouldn't be a big deal. But if they had been caught, then the Spirit Hall would be in a very passive position.
The key point was, this assassination attempt had been entirely his own idea.
Taking matters into his own hands to do something that benefited Spirit Hall—if it succeeded, he'd be rewarded. But if it failed? Then he'd be the only one taking the blame.
Still, thoughts were just thoughts—Salas led several experts from the temple and rushed toward Blue Tyrant Academy.
A thief crying "stop thief"?
No, no, he was a member of the organizing committee for the Soul Master Tournament. Now that something had happened to a participating academy, wasn't it only right for him to go and "check" on the situation?
If he stayed put, wouldn't that be the same as admitting the temple was involved?
Besides, if he was on-site, he could step in immediately in case something unexpected happened.
Salas's prediction was spot-on.
Just under two minutes after Cang Xiong activated his Martial Soul True Body, a flying-type Spirit Douluo soared over from the direction of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Soon after, several Spirit Douluo-level imperial guest elders arrived.
Cang Xiong hadn't been much stronger than Liu Erlong and the others combined. With the addition of the royal experts, the battle quickly turned, leaving him completely on the defensive.
Seeing more and more royal experts arriving, Cang Xiong, knowing he had no hope of escape, was filled with despair.
"Chu Chengzhou, the Empire won't let you off for this!"
In his despair, Cang Xiong shouted loudly, and the next moment, an explosive surge of spirit power erupted from his body.
"Not good, this guy's going to self-destruct!"
One of the sharp-eyed royal guest elders exclaimed.
"Hmph~ Eighth Soul Skill: Chains of Restraint!"
A royal guest elder whose martial soul was a pitch-black chain let out a cold snort. His eighth soul ring lit up, and a chain as thick as a thigh shot out, binding Cang Xiong in place. Everyone immediately retreated.
In the next moment—
Boom—!
Like a powerful missile explosion, a small golden mushroom cloud rose above Blue Tyrant Academy. The massive shockwave from a Spirit Douluo self-destructing instantly spread to the nearby student dorms.
In an instant, dust and debris flew everywhere. In Liu Erlong's pained gaze, the student dorms—built with love and effort by the academy's "little cuties"—were reduced to rubble.
With the battle over, Chu Chengzhou, hovering in midair, stowed away his Flowing Gold Soul Severing Bow, and guided Little Red down toward where Xiao Wu and the others were.
"Brother, are you okay?"
Xiao Wu grabbed Chu Chengzhou with concern in her eyes.
"I'm fine. Just some petty thieves—not enough to hurt me."
Chu Chengzhou waved it off casually.
"Senior Chu, I heard that big bear say 'the Empire won't let you off' before he died. Could it be that the assassins tonight..."
As Ning Rongrong spoke, she glanced at Dai Mubai, not far away.
Dai Mubai: "…"
There were only two empires on the continent. The Heaven Dou Empire was clearly out of the question, which meant the "Empire" Cang Xiong referred to must be the Star Luo Empire.
Given Chu Chengzhou's animosity with Dai Mubai, could it be that out of jealousy, Dai Mubai got experts from the Star Luo Empire to assassinate him?
Of course, the truth wasn't what Ning Rongrong suspected. That line—"The Empire won't let you off"—was just a tactic used by the loyal-to-Spirit-Hall Cang Xiong to mislead others.
There were only a handful of top powers on the continent: Spirit Hall, the two empires, and the three top sects.
The Clear Sky Sect was hidden from the world, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was neutral. Plus, the name "Blue Tyrant Academy" clearly suggested a connection to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—no way they'd assassinate their own. So they couldn't be framed.
Chu Chengzhou had ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, an ally of the Heaven Dou Empire. Which meant, without prior grudges, only Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire could be behind the assassination attempt.
And between the two, Spirit Hall looked far more likely to outsiders.
Cang Xiong's loyalty to Spirit Hall ran deep. Since the plan failed, he naturally wanted to clear Spirit Hall of suspicion and pin the blame on the Star Luo Empire.
Even if the frame-up didn't stick, Spirit Hall would lose nothing—it was all upside.
Seeing Dai Mubai's dark expression, Chu Chengzhou raised an eyebrow.
In fact, he felt the trio was much more likely from Spirit Hall than the Star Luo Empire.
Cang Xiong had chosen self-destruction rather than capture—that showed extreme loyalty. And someone that loyal wouldn't casually reveal his backers in the middle of a mission.
Plus, if the trio had been from the Star Luo Empire, they would've at least tried to get intel from Dai Mubai, a fellow student.
And Dai Mubai did know a bit about Chu Chengzhou's capabilities, but those two earlier flying soul saints clearly didn't. They had no idea how strong he really was.
Which basically ruled out the Star Luo Empire as suspects.
That left only Spirit Hall.
Earlier today, he'd displayed a little excessive strength at the tournament. Spirit Hall, knowing his closeness with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, might very well have tried to take him out.
And the likeliest suspect behind the scenes? Salas, the head of the Spirit Hall branch in Heaven Dou.
After all, his powers had only been revealed that morning. Bibi Dong, far away in Spirit City, wouldn't have had time to get the news.
Plus, Salas was a textbook villain in the original story—a man who couldn't stand any non–Spirit Hall geniuses with ties to rival powers.
He had the cruelty, the strength, and the motive. Blaming Salas was absolutely on point.
But... as the saying goes, pick the softest persimmon to squeeze. Spirit Hall was powerful, and with no witnesses left, wouldn't it make more sense to blame the Star Luo Empire?
At least that would give justification for suppressing and sidelining Dai Mubai later—and might even earn some guilt-driven goodwill from the "big kitty" (Zhu Zhuqing)?
After all, from Zhu Zhuqing's perspective, if not for her, the Star Luo Empire wouldn't be attacking Chu Chengzhou just because he bullied Dai Mubai a little in the academy.
Of course, Chu Chengzhou had definitely written all this down in his little black book.
Chu Chengzhou: Salas, you're asking for death.
Not only would he settle the score with Salas later, he was also thinking it might be a good idea to collect a little "interest" from that little fox... and maybe the "big angel"?
Hmm... maybe even that charming widow wasn't a bad idea either?
Having made up his mind, Chu Chengzhou looked at Dai Mubai with increasingly hostile eyes.
"Ning Rongrong, stop spouting nonsense. The Dai family walks upright and righteous—we'd never stoop to something this disgraceful!"
Under Chu Chengzhou's glare, Dai Mubai felt his scalp tingle and quickly defended himself.
"Tch~ Even you don't believe that, do you?"
Ning Rongrong sneered.
Every major power schemed against their rivals' geniuses—her own Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect included.
"Classmate Dai Mubai, I hope you can provide evidence of your innocence."
Chu Chengzhou said sternly.
"Chu Chengzhou, this has nothing to do with me! You must've made enemies elsewhere! Spirit Hall is way more suspicious than I am!"
Dai Mubai was furious. Evidence? It had nothing to do with him—how could he produce evidence?
This was clearly a setup. Was Chu Chengzhou really that blind?
Or was he just too scared to mess with Spirit Hall?
"Young man, mind your words."
Before Chu Chengzhou could respond, a cold voice echoed in Dai Mubai's ear.
Turning his head, Dai Mubai saw a white-robed Salas—Platinum Bishop of Spirit Hall and head of Heaven Dou's Spirit Temple—approaching with two attendants.
Upon arriving and learning that Coldfire and Blazeflame had died, and that Cang Xiong had self-destructed, Salas was initially distressed. But when he heard that Cang Xiong blamed the Star Luo Empire before dying, he felt a bit relieved.
They'd lost one Spirit Douluo and two Spirit Saints, but framing the Star Luo Empire was a nice consolation.
That is, until he overheard some brat slandering Spirit Hall in public. Salas's face instantly darkened.
All Spirit Hall members were loyal followers of the sacred Angel God. How could they ever do something so underhanded?
Slander! Barefaced slander!
Salas couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward. If not for concern about appearances, he'd have already had this punk dragged off for "re-education."
Dai Mubai: "…"
Dead. Talking trash behind Spirit Hall's back, only to get caught red-handed by the boss himself.
Seeing Salas approach, Chu Chengzhou narrowed his eyes, and a faint killing intent rose in his heart.
Tonight, he'd been lucky—he noticed the assassins in time. If he had been asleep or distracted in the illusion realm, he might have actually been taken out.
Sure, he had the means to kill a Spirit Saint, but if he were caught off guard, he wouldn't have survived a sneak attack either.
T/N: For up to 20 chapters ahead on all my translations, become a p@tron at p@treon.com/LordHipposApostle