Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

The air fell silent as the three walked along the wide but austere street toward the royal hunting grounds.

Zhu Zhuyun's cat-like eyes looked around curiously. She seemed casual, but in reality, she was quickly comparing the layout map in her memory with reality, recalling her planned escape route.

That's right, she was preparing to escape, to flee Star Luo City with her younger sister. The reason for choosing this time was simple: Zhu Zhuqing obtained her first spirit ring precisely when their protection was at its weakest. The reason was also simple: the requirements for entering the Royal Hunting Grounds were extremely strict; basically, only one elder could accompany the child. If Zhu Zhuyun hadn't used the pretext of witnessing her sister become a spirit master, she wouldn't have had the chance to enter.

Zhu Zhuyun believed she knew Zhu Qinggao very well. She knew that while other fathers would personally guide their children in acquiring spirit rings, he might not. As she expected, Zhu Qinggao sent a Spirit Master to accompany him instead of going himself.

Even if a Soul Master has just broken through to the Soul Master level, it is impossible for her, a Great Soul Master, and Zhu Zhuqing, who broke through to the Soul Master level after absorbing a Soul Ring, to deal with it. However, the premise is that one must be prepared.

Zhu Zhuyun surveyed the surrounding streets, her beautiful face beaming with an even wider smile: Who would have thought that I, the crown princess who was practically destined to be her, would one day want to escape on my own initiative? This is my chance.

The Royal Hunting Grounds are not far from the Star Luo Imperial Palace. A city wall twenty meters high completely divides the entire area, and elite armored soldiers surround it. They are burly and have sharp eyes, scanning the passersby.

The reason for using such a large force to protect this place is not only because it is a hunting ground for low-level soul rings for members of the royal family and the Xingluo Zhu family. To be precise, this is only a secondary function. Its true purpose, as its name suggests, is to provide a hunting and entertainment place specifically for the emperor and his important officials.

No one else was hunting here today. The three members of the Zhu family simply took out their warrants and easily entered. What they saw was a dense forest.

……

After stuffing the last small bite of rice ball into her mouth, Gu Yue clapped her hands contentedly, chewed gently a few times, then looked up at Tang Shan and asked in a clear voice, "Are we going to deal with the Star Luo spies next?"

Tang Shan took the girl's hand and they strolled through the streets and alleys of Tianhui City, gently shaking his head: "I don't plan to continue destroying Xingluo strongholds."

"Why?" Gu Yue was clearly surprised, tilting her head and blinking her eyes as she asked curiously.

“My relationship with the Star Luo Empire is very delicate right now. I’m destroying things in front of them, and they’re chasing after me. This is going on forever, and it doesn’t really make them feel the pain. So I’ve decided to change my approach to cut off their flesh and blood.”

Gu Yue rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. Unable to think of anything that would make them feel even more pain, she simply gave up and asked curiously with wide eyes, "So what do you plan to do?"

"Do you remember the Soul Saint I killed before?" Tang Shan reminded him.

Gu Yue's eyes lit up, and his extraordinary wisdom was activated. He saw through Tang Shan's plan at a glance: "You want to specifically target the Soul Saint of the Star Luo Empire!"

“That’s right. Soul Saints are definitely the core fighting force of the Star Luo Empire. Their numbers are limited, and every one they lose will be a painful blow to them. If I take care of a few more, they will definitely be furious.”

Tang Shan nodded, confirming Gu Yue's guess; he did indeed want to target the Soul Saint of the Star Luo Empire.

After all, the Star Luo Empire is not the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall is a large and powerful organization. Not to mention Soul Saints, there are probably only a handful of Super Douluo, and even more ordinary Title Douluo.

Looking at the Star Luo Empire again, the number of Soul Douluos is probably less than that of the Spirit Hall's Super Douluos. Even if the number of Soul Saints is slightly more, it is still limited. Tang Shan doesn't mind helping them reduce the number even further. After all, whether they have these few or not, the outcome will be basically the same when facing the Spirit Hall in the future or the Heaven Dou Empire under Xue Qinghe's leadership.

Since the outcomes were similar, Tang Shan decided to be kind and, since a short pain was better than a long one, he would reluctantly help the Soul Saints transcend.

You might ask, what does "a short pain is worse than a long one" have to do with sending them to their deaths? Tangshan says: a short pain is worse than a long one—it's better to die sooner rather than later.

"But where are we going to find them? It might be difficult, won't it?"

Gu Yue quickly realized the key point, her brows furrowing slightly as she wondered how to solve the problem.

"Should I call a few more family elders over and have them help you search?" Gu Yue tilted her head and thought for a long time before coming up with a half-baked solution.

Tang Shan's lips twitched. There was no need for that. Why would I let a ferocious beast help me find a Soul Saint, and then run over and kill him? How could I be so shameless?

"No need, I roughly know where those Soul Saints are. Now I just need to chase after them in those directions."

"How did you know?" Gu Yue's eyes widened, clearly puzzled.

Tang Shan: "A pure heart can foresee the future, and the next level is to lock the soul a thousand miles away. Once someone harbors malice towards me, I can immediately know their exact location and the nature of their malice."

Gu Yue: ?! Are you the Silver Dragon King or am I? How did you acquire such a bizarre ability?

Seemingly noticing Gu Yue's surprise, Tang Shan shrugged: "Of course I didn't acquire that ability. That's an ability that can only be obtained by those who have reached the next level of the Divine Indestructible Realm, the Vajra Indestructible Realm. However, with the keen perception gained from my strong mental will, it's still not a problem to deduce the general direction of the source of danger."

Gu Yue was still shocked, but gradually became numb. She made up her mind to cultivate diligently, break through to the Dan Jin realm as soon as possible, and obtain the Heart of a Child, which would grant her the ability to foresee the future. As for the Thousand-Mile Soul Locking technique, she would wait until she had reached the Dan Jin realm.

Tang Shan was naturally unaware of the extent of the damage he had inflicted on Gu Yue. In his view, these were merely low-level martial arts abilities. "You people in Douluo Continent can live forever, you can't possibly lack even the abilities that a peak internal martial arts expert naturally possesses, can you? No way!"

After deciding not to deal with the Star Luo spy strongholds, the two became increasingly leisurely. They wandered around, ate the delicacies of a city, visited its iconic landmarks, and then left for the next city. The direction they took was towards the sources of malice in Tang Shan's consciousness.

Fortunately, they were Soul Masters with exceptional physical abilities. Sometimes, when they were too lazy to walk, Gu Yue could teleport them directly, saving them a lot of time traveling. Even though they were often on the move, they were not tired. On the contrary, the more they witnessed, the clearer and more insightful their minds became.

Chapter 333 Escape

Pfft!

The sharp dagger pierced straight through the Netherworld Cat's neck, and a bright yellow soul ring condensed, slowly suspending itself and emitting a faint yellow halo.

Zhu Zhuqing remained expressionless, instantly drawing her dagger and retreating rapidly. The next moment, crimson blood gushed out; had the girl not reacted in time, the blood would have covered her completely.

“Miss, have you thought this through? This Netherworld Cat is nearly five hundred years old. Even if you consume a lot of rare and precious herbs to enhance your physical strength, there is still a considerable risk,” the old servant who led the Zhu sisters in hunting for soul rings asked cautiously.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't say anything, but answered with her actions. She sat cross-legged beside the corpse of the Netherworld Cat, which had cultivated for nearly five hundred years, activated her Martial Soul, and began to absorb and break through by channeling her Soul Rings.

Zhu Zhuyun looked at her younger sister, whose body trembled slightly but who was still enduring the pain to absorb the spirit ring, and her dissatisfaction deepened. It was common knowledge after the Grandmaster's theory that the time required to absorb a spirit ring was related to physical fitness, but their father, Zhu Qinggao, as the head of the Zhu family, was unwilling to waste any resources on them. The rare and precious materials he gave them were basically taken from the family treasury.

The best natural treasures had already been used, and what remained in the treasury had extremely weak effects, which meant that the sisters' physical abilities hadn't improved much. Clearly, Zhu Qinggao didn't value their cultivation; or rather, in his view, as long as one of them had a decent soul power level, that was enough. Their main task was marriage, to become the partners for the future Star Luo Emperor's Martial Soul Fusion Technique.

Before this, Zhu Zhuyun had no intention of escaping. She originally only wanted to send her younger sister away, but everything changed after she learned that Davis—her fiancé whom she had never met—had achieved the second ring of the millennium.

She finally understood that in the eyes of her father and even the Star Luo Emperor, she was just a tool. There was no need to consider her future as a Soul Master, nor to consider how far she could cultivate. As long as her cultivation level was about right, that was enough.

Since you are so cold-hearted, why should I continue to follow your rules? Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's body trembling more and more, Zhu Zhuyun's desire to escape became even stronger.

Time passed quietly, and Zhu Zhuqing's trembling gradually subsided, while the soul power fluctuations of the bright yellow soul ring also weakened. After about another quarter of an hour, the soul ring's light suddenly intensified, then immediately receded, merging into Zhu Zhuqing's body. The soul ring had been successfully absorbed.

She opened her eyes, a faint black light flashing in them. She stood up, her bones cracking as she grew taller, her figure becoming even more shapely.

"Congratulations, Miss Zhu Qing, on becoming a Soul Master." Upon seeing Zhu Zhu Qing's successful breakthrough, the old servant offered his congratulations at the opportune moment, his face revealing heartfelt joy.

"Hmm." Zhu Zhuqing responded, her gaze casually sweeping over Zhu Zhuyun, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

"What's wrong, my dear little sister? Do you want to test out the effects of your soul skill? I can help you out!"

Zhu Zhuyun shook her head almost imperceptibly, her expression carrying a hint of provocation.

The old servant, whose back was to Zhu Zhuyun, naturally did not see her shaking her head. He only heard the highly targeted voice behind him and felt a headache coming on. He sighed repeatedly in his heart: Why do sisters have to kill each other? Why do they have to do this?

"Alright, ladies, now that we've acquired the spirit rings, let's head back as soon as possible. It's getting late, and the patriarch specifically said that he would have dinner with you two after we finished acquiring the spirit rings today."

"Alright, let's go back then. Zhu Qing, if you have any questions about soul skills, feel free to come and ask me anytime."

As Zhu Zhuyun agreed, she didn't forget to provoke Zhu Zhuqing, making the conflict between the two sisters very obvious.

There was no other way; the plan had reached its most crucial moment. Every bit of easing the servant's guard would increase their chances of escape. Otherwise, Zhu Zhuyun found his sarcastic and somewhat mocking way of speaking awkward and unpleasant no matter how she tried to communicate.

Zhu Zhuqing remained silent. Seeing that the two sisters were no longer arguing, the old servant breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly led the two sisters out of the royal hunting grounds and headed towards the Zhu family's location.

Compared to the leisurely pace on the way there, the old servant quickened his pace considerably on the return trip to prevent the two from causing any more trouble. Soon, they had covered half the distance, and after walking for a while longer, they would see the ancient and majestic gate of the Zhu family.

Ahead was a corner, not many pedestrians were coming and going, and the area was relatively open. There was a low stone wall at the corner, which blocked the view.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing walked in front, the old servant followed behind her, while Zhu Zhuyun lagged behind the old servant by half a step.

tread!

A faint footstep sounded, followed by the sound of Zhu Zhuyun walking quickly to the old servant's side.

Zhu Zhuqing, who had been concentrating intently and listening attentively, heard the secretly agreed-upon signal and her eyes narrowed instantly. The moment she turned the corner and disappeared from the old servant's sight, her martial spirit instantly possessed her. A faint shadow enveloped her slender figure, her ears transformed into lively cat ears, her eyes became sharp vertical pupils, and a jet-black cat tail swayed lightly, exuding both coolness and agility.

A bright yellow spirit ring appeared beneath his feet, and he immediately activated his first spirit skill, Netherworld Thrust!

brush!

The black figure flashed out like a shadowy phantom, making a soft whooshing sound as it pierced the air. In an instant, it was more than ten meters away. Before it could even stand still, Zhu Zhuqing mobilized her soul power again, ignoring the intense consumption. She unleashed a second Netherworld Thrust, charging forward once more and rapidly widening the distance between herself and the old servant.

The old servant's expression changed the moment Zhu Zhuqing disappeared from sight and a clear fluctuation of soul power emanated from the direction of the wall. He unleashed his soul power and arrived at the corner almost instantly, just in time to witness Zhu Zhuqing unleash the Netherworld Thrust once again.

"It seems my sister is trying to run away."

A playful voice sounded beside him. The old servant glanced at Zhu Zhuyun, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He was relieved that Zhu Zhuqing had escaped and that he would not have to witness the tragedy of sisters killing each other, but he was also helpless because, as a servant, he had to fulfill his duties.

"Miss Zhu Yun, hurry back and report to the family head. I'll go after Miss Zhu Qing right away." The old servant turned around and quickly instructed Zhu Zhu Yun, then activated his martial spirit and prepared to give chase.

A layer of golden hair emerged from his body, his nose underwent a subtle change, countless olfactory cells appeared, and he detected the faint scent at this moment.

The old servant believed that with his keen sense of smell, he could quickly find Zhu Zhuqing, who had escaped. After all, he was a Soul Master, while Zhu Zhuqing was merely a Soul Master; the difference in soul power was obvious. Since she couldn't evade his olfactory detection, no matter how she tried to escape, it would be futile.

However, the moment his body lunged forward, a surge of soul power erupted from behind him once more, raising a strong alarm in his mind. Before he could react, he felt a heavy blow to his neck, and everything went black as he completely lost consciousness.

With her martial spirit infused, Zhu Zhuyun's figure grew even taller and more alluring, her curves exquisite and her breasts full and eye-catching. Her jet-black cat tail swayed lazily, and her sharp cat claws, far from appearing fierce, only accentuated her captivating charm. Her eyebrows curved, and her eyes, with their flowing light, possessed a bewitching allure. Every smile and frown was filled with a captivating beauty that made it hard to look away, perfectly showcasing the bewitching and charming nature of her cat martial spirit.

Zhu Zhuyun withdrew her jade hand from the old servant's neck, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

Originally, she intended to kill him outright, but in the end, she held back. After all, she hadn't known many people in the Zhu family over the years, and the old servant before her was barely one, and he had been very kind to her and her sister; she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.

Forget it, he's just an ordinary Soul Master. He won't have much impact on my sister and me escaping.

Finding a reason in her mind, Zhu Zhuyun lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her figure soared into the air like a light black butterfly, gracefully flipping onto the wall. She landed almost silently, and then quickly moved across the courtyard wall and rooftops. Her movements were agile and swift, and she completely disappeared into the depths of the street in a few breaths.

She had to find her sister as soon as possible and lead her to escape along the planned route. Otherwise, once the Zhu family realized what was happening, she really didn't know what kind of beings would be chasing them—a large army or top-tier Soul Masters.

Zhu Zhuyun never imagined that the servant she left behind would bring her enormous trouble in her future escape, nor did she know that in her father's eyes, this old servant was valued no less than the two sisters.

At this moment, among the sparse pedestrians, a few clever ones had already taken off running towards the Zhu family's house.

This is, after all, just a street. Although there are few people coming and going, it doesn't mean there's no one here. In addition, it's close to the Zhu family and there's that very distinctive cat-tailed girl. Even if we don't know what exactly happened, it's safe to report it to the Zhu family.

Less than ten minutes after the Zhu sisters escaped, a pitch-black figure sped from the distant street, like a ghost lurking in the daytime. It was so fast that it left only a blurry afterimage, without making a sound. In just a few breaths, it arrived at the scene and landed silently.

As the dark energy dissipated, a figure emerged, handsome and dressed in a magnificent robe. It was none other than Zhu Qinggao, the patriarch of the Xingluo Zhu family and father of Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing.

He looked around with a grim expression, but found no clues. His anger surged, and he immediately raised his foot and kicked the old servant hard in the chest and abdomen with powerful soul force. A violent soul force rushed into the old servant's body, shaking him awake from his slumber.

The old servant's consciousness was still hazy. Zhu Qinggao frowned, bent his fingertips, and precisely pressed on the philtrum acupoint under the servant's nose. He condensed his soul power into a long needle and suddenly pierced it.

The acupoints that were already alert were pierced by the sharp needles of soul power, causing excruciating pain. The old servant's mind cleared instantly, and blood gushed out, flowing down the corners of his mouth and into his throat, filling his mouth with a strong, metallic, metallic smell.

Zhu Qinggao didn't care about any of that. Although he valued the old servant, he valued the power of his martial spirit, not the man himself. Seeing that the other was awake, his voice was icy cold as he asked in a deep voice, "Where did Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing go?"

Ignoring the still-flowing blood, the old servant hurriedly stood up and respectfully replied, "I saw Miss Zhuqing trying to escape earlier and was preparing to give chase, but I was unexpectedly ambushed and fell unconscious. Miss Zhuyun was by my side at the time."

Chapter 334 Starsea City - Bonus Chapter for 700 Monthly Tickets

"You mean, it was Zhu Yun who attacked you?" Zhu Qinggao asked in a deep voice, a cold glint in his eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing's escape wasn't a big deal. After all, even the prince Dai Mubai had run away, so the escape of Zhu Zhuqing from the Zhu family was nothing.

But the problem now is that not only Zhu Zhuqing has run away, but also Zhu Zhuyun, the fiancée of the current Crown Prince and future Crown Prince. This is very troublesome. Without Zhu Zhuyun, how can he continue to make progress?

"This old servant dares not make a rash judgment, but only speculates based on the facts. I ask the master to make the final decision." The old servant maintained his usual humility and respect. As a servant, when asked by his master, he was not to give an answer, but to offer a guess so that his master could make a judgment.

In fact, he roughly knew what was going on. The Zhu sisters had both disappeared, obviously having all run away. This made the old servant feel both relieved and helpless: Miss Zhuyun, why don't you just kill this old servant? This old servant's nose is right here. You might be in trouble next.

This is the old servant. While loyal to his master, he also has his own thoughts. He is pleased that the Zhu sisters escaped and regrets that Zhu Zhuyun did not kill him. However, when Zhu Qinggao orders him to search for the Zhu sisters, he will still carry it out without hesitation.

"Tell me, where did they run off to?" Zhu Qinggao's voice was icy, his eyes burning with rage.

The old servant immediately re-possessed his martial spirit, twitched his nose for a moment, and pointed ahead: "Master, they fled in this direction."