Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Ancient Demon Douluo’s Evolution, Pleeease~
Word Count: 2,910 Words
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"Si Qi, Wang Qi, it seems we’re done for..."
Ancient Demon Douluo’s voice fell heavy and deep. The Evil Ancient Blood Demon’s vast body steamed with blood-red mist, its head emitting a hazy, distorted light as he struggled to maintain his cultivation. Yet his aura had diminished to less than half its normal strength.
The Seraphim’s three ultimate attributes perfectly countered evil Martial Spirits, and what made matters worse for the three Evil Douluo was the divine purification woven into the Angelic Domain. Their spirit power and spiritual power were steadily corroded, dissolving away.
If they remained within the Angelic Domain, Ling Bai wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; their spirit power would eventually exhaust, and they would perish on their own.
Death Knight Douluo and Undead Knight Douluo, clad in gray-black armor of the dead, struggled to calm their restless undead warhorses. They snarled with frustration:
"Brother Gu Mo, the Seraphim may counter us, but it won’t be so easy for this brat to kill us. Let’s fight him with everything we have!"
The words had barely left their mouths when nine spirit rings rose around each of them, the mark of a Titled Douluo. As Evil Spirit Masters, they possessed secret methods to advance their rings; both brothers bore the terrifying configuration of two purple and seven black!
Their eighth and ninth spirit rings blazed in unison.
The two were blood brothers who had been inseparable since childhood. After awakening their Martial Spirits, they had hunted the same types of spirit beasts and obtained identical spirit skills.
Eighth Spirit Skill, Dauntless Knight!
The limbs of their undead warhorses thickened with power. Atop their broad backs, the Death Knights gripped skeletal lances, their armor transforming into heavy, intricately wrought plate. Pulling their reins taut, they charged straight at the Seraphim soaring high above!
Ninth Spirit Skill, Death Intent Impact!
Death Knight was a top-level evil Martial Spirit. Empowered by Dauntless Knight, Si Qi and Wang Qi fused with their mounts, becoming one with their undead warhorses. The explosive burst of Death Intent Impact unleashed a howling gale around them as they charged, their combined assault thundering forward like an army of ten thousand cavalry!
Ling Bai looked down upon the onrushing Death Knights, his clear golden pupils as calm as still water. His third and fourth spirit rings began to spin!
Having absorbed the 200,000-year origin of Skydream Iceworm, the Seraphim’s third and fourth spirit skills had both evolved into blood-red, 100,000-year techniques. The blazing golden light of Holy Heart erupted, illuminating the wilderness outside Mingdu as if it were broad daylight. A boom thundered across the sky as countless streaks of sword energy, sheathed in radiant golden fire, tore through the dark clouds and rained down upon the charging Death Knights below!
Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory!
A deluge of holy sword energy poured from the sky. Blinding blades reflected in the Death Knights’ eyes as their mouths stretched open in what would have been a hysterical roar.
But absolute suppression was absolute suppression. No amount of desperation could change that.
Under the weight of two 100,000-year spirit skills, Death Knight Douluo and Undead Knight Douluo had no time even to scream. Pierced by a thousand swords of holy light, they and their warhorses were hurled to the ground, shock and terror frozen in their dying eyes.
Ancient Demon Douluo rushed forward, spreading his arms to catch the tattered corpses of his comrades.
A flash of surprise crossed Ling Bai’s eyes. His voice rang out, deep and sonorous:
"In my experience, Evil Spirit Masters are nothing but rats. I didn’t expect you to bother preserving their corpses."
"No, I am a rat!"
The giant, blood-faced, fang-toothed monster cackled. "You think I’ve suddenly grown a conscience, looking out for them even at death’s door? That’s laughable!
My reason is simple. The purification of your Angelic Domain already drains most of my strength. Fighting alongside them would have been suicide; it was better to let these two idiots die first!
I... MUST... EVOLVE!"
Ancient Demon Douluo opened his gaping maw and tossed the corpses of his fallen comrades inside. He chewed with gruesome crunches, savoring the flesh as if it were a peerless delicacy.
After devouring his two colleagues, the giant’s form did not swell further. Instead, it shrank rapidly, like a punctured balloon. His bones crackled and popped in a dense rhythm as his muscles bulged into clusters of rounded arcs.
Innate ability of the Evil Ancient Blood Demon, Evolution!
It was this evolutionary talent—activated by devouring the flesh and blood of living beings—that had allowed Ancient Demon Douluo to reach Rank 96, placing him in the Holy Spirit Cult just below the two Limit Douluo and the cult’s leaders. Now, facing the Seraphim, the natural nemesis of all Evil Spirit Masters, he had to evolve and become stronger if he wanted to survive!
His body surged with the ecstasy of raw power. In his mind’s eye, he saw an endless horde of evil beasts and heard their hoarse, feral roars!
He looked upon the six angelic wings behind Ling Bai, and in the next instant, the Evil Ancient Blood Demon sprouted wings of its own. Sinister blood-red wings grew out section by section, like a centipede crawling from the abyss, while a hardened exoskeleton sheathed his fists.
His muscles crackled with explosive force. Ancient Demon Douluo glared up at Ling Bai, his expression vicious and wild. "If I devour your flesh and blood, will I evolve into the number one person under heaven?"
"You’re welcome to try." Ling Bai beckoned lightly with his finger.
Bolstered by the power of the two Death Knights, Ancient Demon Douluo’s strength and confidence swelled to their absolute limit. Even facing a Seraphim wielding three ultimate attributes, he now dared to go all out.
Compared to the Death Knights, his spirit ring configuration was even more fearsome: nine spirit rings, all of the 10,000-year-level, gleamed with an incongruous black light inside the Angelic Domain. The next moment, his ninth spirit ring blazed with radiance!
Evil Ancient Blood Demon’s Ninth Spirit Skill, Ancient Demon Evil Fist!
Ancient Demon Douluo struck with all his might from the outset, utterly confident that this blow—infused with a lifetime’s evil intent and murderous will—would force even the Holy Spirit Cult Leader Zhongli Wu to retreat. He intended to shatter the Seraphim’s skull with a single punch!
A sharp, crystalline sound split the air, and his fantasy ended abruptly. His fist had not met the expected softness of flesh and bone, and his entire body stiffened.
He had not struck a human head at all; it was as if he had punched the world’s hardest rare metal!
But there was no rare metal here. Ancient Demon Douluo’s all-out Ancient Demon Evil Fist had landed squarely on the tip of the Angel Sword!
He nearly bit through his own teeth, his face twisting in agony as his spirit power surged against Ling Bai. Yet the Angel Sword remained as immovable as a mountain. The fist, saturated with evil intent and killing aura, could not advance another fraction of an inch!
The Angel Sword treated the killing intent as nothing, piercing clean through Ancient Demon Douluo’s fist. The punch froze in midair. The two of them seemed to turn to stone, and the world fell into a profound silence.
Night winds howled, tearing across the sky. Ancient Demon Douluo’s frenzied expression stiffened as a bone-deep chill began to spread through his heart.
Then, starting from the right fist that had launched the attack, an unspeakable pain exploded through his body in the blink of an eye. His eyes bulged, sweat pouring down his face as he stared in terror at the sacred figure before him.
At some point, the six angelic wings behind Ling Bai had transformed into wings of blazing crimson-gold flame. The Angel Spirit Core between his brows shimmered with radiant light.
700,000-year Angel Avatar, 100,000-year skill Great Sun Angel, 100,000-year skill Holy Heart, Life Gold, Angelic Domain. Ling Bai’s body had been elevated to a terrifying new level.
His physical constitution meant his strength, speed, recovery, and more were all enhanced beyond recognition. Furthermore, after condensing the Angel Spirit Core, his spirit power had already reached the Titled Douluo rank. Ling Bai could have withstood the Ancient Demon Evil Fist with his bare body, but there had been no need.
He sighed and offered a friendly reminder. "In your next life, remember not to use that pitiful evil attribute against a Seraphim."
His left palm landed lightly on Ancient Demon Douluo’s chest. The man’s eyes bulged as the extreme cold of Empress’ Palm: Snowless Glacier surged into his organs. He struggled to turn and flee, but the Angel Sword drove mercilessly through the muscles of his back.
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night as Ancient Demon Douluo crashed to the ground. Taking advantage of the downward momentum, Ling Bai tore the pair of blood-red wings from his gnarled back. Blood sprayed skyward, the scattered droplets painting a tragically beautiful scene against the darkness.
The once-mighty Rank 96 Super Evil Douluo was stripped of all his former majesty. Now, he was like a terrified child, whimpering and flailing his limbs in a vain attempt to push Ling Bai away.
It was useless. Ancient Demon Douluo was driven deep into the earth, his so-called ’perfect’ body—honed through a lifetime of evil and devouring living beings—shattering inch by inch. At that same instant, Ling Bai planted a foot on his back, the Angel Sword tracing a blazing arc as it slashed across his neck.
Ancient Demon Douluo, fallen.
Spirit power surged, Rank 74.
The Angel lineage, when slaying Evil Spirit Masters or evil spirit beasts, could purify and absorb a portion of their spirit power. Ling Bai felt the increase within himself, but his expression revealed a hint of resignation.
The First Angel Spirit Core and his three ultimate attributes made his spirit power far denser than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo, so killing three Evil Douluo had only advanced him three ranks.
"Supreme Leader Ye Xishui, Cult Leader Zhongli Wu, Deputy Leader Feng Ling, eight elders, twelve Worships... the Holy Spirit Cult has twenty-three Titled Douluo in all."
Counting on his fingers like the King of Hell taking attendance, Ling Bai muttered:
"Gu Mo, Si Qi, Wang Qi, Yuan Xie... I’ve already killed four. If I wipe out the Holy Spirit Cult’s remaining nineteen Titled Douluo plus all their minions in one sweep, would that be enough to break through to Super Douluo...?"
Ling Bai had always been utterly irreconcilable with Evil Spirit Masters and was determined to eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult to the very last.
Of course, not for the paltry boost to his spirit power, but simply to protect the millions of living beings on the Douluo Continent! (Righteous face)
The battle was over, which meant it was time for the exciting loot-the-body segment.
The Evil Douluo had committed every atrocity imaginable—burning, killing, and plundering—and had amassed fortunes so vast that each one’s riches ran into eight figures. Ling Bai wore a pained expression, but as a Seraphim, it was his responsibility to purify the world. He could only accept this filthy money with deep shame.
Beyond the mountains of spirit gold coins, the three Evil Douluo’s Storage Spirit Guidance Devices contained all manner of sinister items for their cultivation. Ling Bai incinerated them to dust with a sweep of holy fire.
The most significant prize among the spoils was a skull spirit bone obtained from dissecting Ancient Demon Douluo, with an age as high as 70,000 years. It had come from a king of the Sun Moon Empire’s Evildemon Forest—the Evileye Tyrant.
Evileye Tyrants were spiritual-type spirit beasts. The continent’s second Great Beast, the Evil Emperor, was fully known as the Evileye Tyrant Emperor and ruled the entire Evildemon Forest.
Of the six standard spirit bone locations, Evileye Tyrants only ever produced skull bones, and they were the finest on the entire Douluo Continent.
Judging from its spiritual power alone, this Evileye Tyrant skull bone surpassed many that were 100,000 years old.
Ling Bai accepted it with a smile, already considering who he might bestow it upon in the future.
...
Late that night, at Linglong Pavilion.
Ning Fengyu returned to the ninth floor and shut the door behind her. The smile vanished from her face the moment she was inside. She kicked off her cyan-gold high heels and began to pace irritably on her bare, jade-like feet.
A knock sounded abruptly. Her face darkened as she assumed it was a subordinate bearing more dreadful news. But when she saw who entered, her expression froze in surprise.
"Xiao Bai, didn’t you just break through to Rank 70 and head out to hunt a spirit beast?"
"I did. The hunt’s finished," Ling Bai replied calmly.
"Xiao Tian told me just tonight. It’s only been a few hours—you’re back already?" Ning Fengyu was momentarily stunned.
"With your cleverness, Aunt Yu, even if Aunt Ya and Teacher don’t say a word, you’ve probably already figured things out. How about we just leave it at our mutual understanding?"
Ning Fengyu snorted lightly but did not press further. Instead, she deliberately confirmed, "So you’re a Spirit Saint now?"
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Red, Red. Seven spirit rings rose majestically around him. Facts spoke louder than words.
As always, Ling Bai concealed the true colors of his spirit rings, and he also hid the seven golden patterns on the Snow Empress’s ring.
"Wow! A 100,000-year one!"
Ning Fengyu exclaimed in awe. Amid her surprise, her beautiful eyes darted slyly before she dove into Ling Bai’s arms, her eyes brimming with tears as she sobbed:
"Xiao Bai!
Someone is bullying Linglong Pavilion, bullying me!
You have to stand up for me!"
"Wait, what..."
Ling Bai was left speechless. That acting had come out of nowhere!
"Aunt Yu, just say it. If I can help, I will," he said with a wry smile.
Ning Fengyu snuck a glance at him, her voice still choked with tears. "The underground forces of Mingdu are a motley crew, dominated by three major powers: the Duskwater Alliance, the Alto Chamber of Commerce, and the Common Alliance.
Our Linglong Pavilion usually values harmony and only does small business trading rare metals and Spirit Guidance Devices. How would we dare provoke the big three? But the Common Alliance is picking on us!
You know, Xiao Bai, the Pavilion has direct disciples from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan sent by Sister. They’re responsible for surveying rare metal veins, and with them, we can scoop up huge quantities of rare metals at minimal cost.
That slut Shangguan Wei Er from the Common Alliance seems to have caught wind of our secret. She’s demanding that I hand over those disciples with detection abilities and submit Linglong Pavilion to her, or else she’ll start an underground war to swallow us up—and drag me off to ’receive guests’!"
"Really..."
Ling Bai was half-believing, half-doubting. Based on his understanding of Ning Fengyu, her story was likely four parts truth and six parts exaggeration. The Common Alliance targeting Linglong Pavilion was probably true, but the part about being dragged off to ’receive guests’ was almost certainly her own dramatic embellishment.
"It’s the absolute truth!"
Ning Fengyu patted her ample bosom, setting off a wave of motion. She pulled Ling Bai to sit beside her on the sofa, her voice growing soft and fragile.
"Xiao Bai, when you were little, I raised you with snacks in one hand and drinks in the other. Now my pure body is about to be dragged off to serve clients. You can’t just stand by and watch!
In a few days, it’ll be the Sun Moon Empire’s annual Holy Bright Festival. Shangguan Wei Er is hosting a banquet for the Common Alliance’s upper echelon at the Minghuang Grand Hotel..."
Ling Bai narrowed his eyes. "Aunt Yu, you’re not really thinking of... taking out the lot of them, are you?"
"My Xiao Bai is so clever—one hint and you understand everything!"
"The Common Alliance is an old hand in the underworld. Shangguan Wei Er is at least a Titled Douluo. Even though you and I have Titled Douluo-level strength, it’s really not convenient for me to act. The Seraphim is one of a kind on the continent. It’s like leaving behind a calling card..."
"Don’t worry! I just got a Class 8 Spirit Guidance Device from a secret contact in Illustrious Virtue Hall. It’s an isolation-type, so our identities won’t be exposed. Just help me take care of Shangguan Wei Er, okay? You don’t want me to be constantly suppressed by that vixen, do you...
Please? Pretty please?
I’m begging you, you’re the best..."
Ling Bai still said nothing, only giving her a look that said, ’I see right through your act.’ Ning Fengyu stood up, moved in front of him, knelt down, and began to shake his leg. Her knees pressed against her fair, full thighs, the taut lines of those shapely legs enough to steal one’s soul. Her red lips parted just slightly:
"Pleeease~"
The single, drawn-out word made Ling Bai spring to his feet. He scrambled backward until his back was pressed against the corner of the wall, panic in his voice.
"Stop, stop, stop! Don’t come any closer! I’ll do it, I’ll do it!"