Loath as he was to admit it, Dai Tao knew the empire had lost again.
As the former Star Luo Emperor and former patriarch of the White Tiger clan, the hatred of a slain son was irreconcilable—but everything had to yield to the survival of the empire and the clan.
With wolves on all sides, once their Titled Douluo were exhausted, the empire's fall would be imminent, and the royal White Tiger line would face annihilation.
Vengeance tonight was no longer possible. What he had to do now was preserve as much strength for the empire and the royal house as he could.
At the very least, he had to return to Star Luo alive. Otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
"Hmph. Not a single one of you is getting away."
Snorting coldly, Chu Chengzhou—still pounding Tyrannosaurus Douluo—threw down the line.
If they had run from the start, with so many Titled-level forces from Star Luo, he might have won yet struggled to wipe them all out.
Had he not opened with a big score—executing a perfect ambush to instantly kill four Netherworld White Tigers—he might well have flipped the cart tonight.
But to think of running only now was far too late.
At present the enemy had only four Netherworld White Tigers and one weak Titled Douluo—five combatants in all.
On his own side, counting the controlled Azure Dragon Douluo, there were likewise five.
Five on five wasn't a numbers advantage, but the enemy was at a disadvantage across the board, several already on the brink. If he still let them flee, what kind of spirit master would he be?
He didn't need to speak. His three summons—and the controlled Azure Dragon Douluo—left the enemy no room.
The Titan Giant Ape summon, Xiao Ming, clamped a left arm tight around a Netherworld White Tiger's neck while his right fist—nearly as big as the tiger's head—came down like rain.
Arrows flew nonstop from Chu Chengzhou's hand. Soon he blew apart Tyrannosaurus Douluo's Armored Tyrannosaurus Avatar.
That Douluo was a strong-attack type yet had a fifty-thousand-year defensive eighth soul skill and a defensive spirit bone to boot. His frame was tougher than Heavenly Wolf and Wind Thunder before him; he endured six volleys—eighteen Flowing Gold Armor-Piercing Arrows—before his Avatar finally shattered.
Chu loosed once more, bursting Tyrannosaurus Douluo's head and taking it, then immediately set his sights on the strongest Netherworld White Tiger—the one Xiao Hei was suppressing.
Puff, puff, puff—
Three crimson–yellow streaks flashed. Three arrows sank in. Dai Tao felt his Netherworld White Tiger shudder, his soul power roil, and instantly understood how extraordinary Chu Chengzhou's archery was.
No wonder Heavenly Wolf, Wind Thunder, and Tyrannosaurus had fallen so quickly. Yes, they weren't top-tier among Titled Douluo—but Chu's arrows hit far too hard.
Even in Netherworld White Tiger state at roughly the ninety-seventh rank, he couldn't take too many. Those three, far weaker than he, had never stood a chance.
He blocked a burst of wind–evil dual-element fused qi arrows from Xiao Hei, shot Chu a look full of hate, clenched his teeth, beat his wings, broke off, and fled south at top speed.
The other three royal elders were pinned and beyond saving. If the empire and the clan were to continue, he had to become a deserter.
"Xiao Hei—after him."
As the big tiger fled, Chu Chengzhou ran Earth-Leaping Golden Light, vaulted onto Xiao Hei's back, and gave the order to pursue.
Run? You think you can get away?
Don't be fooled by the wings on Titled-level Netherworld White Tigers—the fusion favors offense, not speed.
Xiao Hei beat its wings hard and shot after him.
Still firing on the fleeing tiger, Chu glanced back and sent a mental command to the controlled Azure Dragon Douluo.
In mid-swing, Azure Dragon Douluo's body paused. Pious resolve flashed in his eyes. His soul power flared violent.
The night outside Heaven Dou City lit up again.
Boom—
A huge cyan mushroom cloud blossomed in the sky, swallowing the Netherworld White Tiger he'd been battering.
Under the command of the great Lord, the level-94 Azure Dragon Douluo self-detonated.
With victory decided, it was time for the "single-use tool" to give off its last bit of light and heat.
After his self-detonation took the Netherworld White Tiger formed by the royal Seventh Elder, Dai Pan, the Sixth Elder, Dai Li, finally couldn't hold on under Xiong Da's basic dark-gold claw strikes, and his martial soul fusion collapsed.
The massive tiger body fell apart into soul power fragments, revealing two gravely wounded figures.
Giant claws fell. Two more broken corpses hit the dirt.
By rights, Xiong Da shouldn't have been able to finish that Netherworld White Tiger.
Titled-level Netherworld White Tigers all had wings and could fly. Xiong Da was strong but couldn't; apart from Dark Gold Dreadclaw in soul-skill mode, he had no ranged attacks.
But he wasn't dueling Dai Li. Under Xiao Ming's Gravity Domain, that newly advanced nine-ring Netherworld White Tiger couldn't even get off the ground.
On the ground—fists to flesh, claws to heart—not to mention a fresh nine-ring White Tiger; even a level-95 wouldn't dare trade with a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.
After Dai Li died, seeing only the Netherworld White Tiger in his hands left on the field, Xiao Ming shrank his Gravity Domain from several hundred meters across to just a few dozen.
At once the royal Fifth Elder, Dai Hui, who was taking punches, felt the gravity spike. Under a pressure even heavier than before, even his struggles while being pummeled weakened.
Bang, bang, bang—
Three more punches slammed into the tiger's skull. With a bang, the beast in Xiao Ming's grip fractured inch by inch, revealing Dai Hui and his partner—both wrecked.
A grim smile split the Titan Giant Ape's face. He raised a fist many times the size of a sandbag and smashed it down.
Boom—
The giant fist fell. The earth trembled.
When Xiao Ming lifted his fist again, a smear of blood stained it, and a vast fist-shaped crater gaped in the wilderness.
With that side concluded, Xiao Ming growled at Xiong Da, jabbed a finger at the scattered corpses, and sprinted south.
That fight was over, but the big tiger that fled still lived—he had to go lend a hand.
Not long after, Chen Xin and Gu Rong, late to the party, arrived to find no sign of Chu Chengzhou or the Star Luo Netherworld White Tigers. Instead, a dark-gold giant beast was policing the battlefield, gathering the bodies strewn everywhere.
T/N: For up to 30 chapters ahead on my translations, become a p@tron at [email protected]/LordHipposApostle