Douluo: Starting by Crafting Guns Chapter 31

In such a beautiful place, Shen Feng's consciousness was being chased frantically by a bull's head with blood-red eyes, which kept trying to gore his backside.

That's right, just a bull's head, its eyes a solid blood-red, with two spiral horns atop its head and nothing but a hazy black mist beneath its neck.

Shen Feng's consciousness was stark naked, his body glowing with a faint golden light as he clutched the Leiming Blade and fled wildly ahead.

The Ox Dragon's bull head drifted behind him, pursuing madly, and whenever it caught up, it would use its horns to jab at Shen Feng's rear.

This was a pure duel of consciousness; having lost their soul power, both sides had lost their soul skills.

The Ox Dragon possessed deep cultivation, 9999 years of it, and its soul was solid; even though it was only a bull's head, it was not to be underestimated.

Shen Feng had lived two lives, and his twice-developed soul was not bad either. Coupled with the protection of his martial soul, he could hold his own against the bull's head.

He was five ounces, and the bull's head was eight. (In this context, five ounces is half a catty.)

Awoo~~

Having been jabbed in the backside by the bull's head once again, Shen Feng's consciousness let out a howl.

"Damn bull head, I'm going to fight you to the death!"

Suddenly leaping forward, Shen Feng spun around, brandishing the Leiming Blade as he charged back toward the bull's head.

Thunder Flash--

A spark of lightning suddenly erupted beneath his feet, and Shen Feng's speed surged instantly.

Thunder Blade--

The Leiming Blade shimmered with a faint trace of lightning, as if it had been enchanted.

"Slash!"

The two brushed past each other, and Shen Feng landed a heavy blow on the bull's head.

"Roar roar~"

The bull's head let out a shrill, miserable scream, and a massive wound glowing with lightning was carved into the right side of its face.

From the right corner of its mouth up to its right eye, lightning flickered, and tiny specks of spiritual power slowly drifted out from the bull's wound.

This was the first time Shen Feng had truly injured the bull's head.

Ever since he began absorbing the soul ring, Shen Feng had been chased by this bull's head with nowhere to run and no door to enter.

If not for the fact that he was fighting on his home turf and could receive energy replenishment from his physical body, his spiritual body would likely have collapsed by now.

However, this long pursuit had allowed Shen Feng to go from a novice to being proficient, learning a few tricks on how to condense his spiritual power.

Although it wasn't as easy to use as soul power, going from zero to one was the difference between heaven and earth.

"Haha, you damn bull head, the tables have turned—you're finished!"

With his attack proving effective, Shen Feng's spirits soared.

Fighting on his home turf, as long as his body hadn't completely collapsed and his sea of consciousness remained intact, he was an immortal existence.

The Ox Dragon's spiritual power, however, was a rootless source; every bit used was a bit less, and after a few more bouts of consumption and a few more slashes, it would eventually be exhausted.

It was fortunate that the Ox Dragon only had 9999 years of cultivation; if it had been a ten-thousand-year soul beast, its soul would have undergone a qualitative change, and it would have shattered Shen Feng's sea of consciousness the moment it rushed in.

In that case, let alone fighting back, it would be a testament to his physical toughness if Shen Feng could even hold on without exploding on the spot.

Night fell, and a ray of bright moonlight pierced through the clouds that perpetually shrouded Thundercloud Canyon, spilling onto Shen Feng below.

Shen Feng's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and a layer of faint purple-black light quietly overflowed from his body.

Seeing this, Oscar, who had been standing to the side with a worried expression, saw his face change drastically. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he said, "Teacher Zhao, look! Xiao Feng has succeeded!"

As the purple-black soul power bloomed on Shen Feng's skin, wisps of purple-black lightning began to dance across his dark red skin, which was covered in scabs.

The corners of Zhao Wuji's mouth lifted slightly, and the heart he had been holding in his throat finally settled.

"Soul power overflowing—this is a sign of an imminent breakthrough."

"Xiao Feng has already passed the most dangerous moment; what follows is the process of soul power conversion."

"Let's step back a bit and try not to disturb him."

Oscar nodded, filled with excitement, and cautiously retreated a few steps, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Shen Feng.

"Ugh~"

Suddenly, just as Zhao Wuji and Oscar thought the situation was settled, Shen Feng's relaxed brows locked tightly once more, and his throat let out an involuntary, painful groan.

Sitting cross-legged, his body went into a violent spasm; his chest heaved upward, his entire upper body arched, his arms splayed out unnaturally, palms facing upward, and his fingers stiffened into claws—a terrifying and ghastly sight.

"Xiao Feng!" Oscar cried out in alarm.

Zhao Wuji was also startled, his heart contracting violently. Could something have gone wrong again?

Crackle--

Just as the two were shocked, a purple-black arc of electricity suddenly erupted from Shen Feng's body.

Immediately following, the arc shot out, and amidst a series of intensifying crackling sounds, the arc quickly transformed into lightning snakes as thick as a thumb, circling his body and dancing wildly.

As the lightning snakes danced, the scabs on Shen Feng's skin were continuously shattered and peeled away, turning into dust in mid-air.

Suddenly, a flash of unnatural black light flickered across the surface of Shen Feng's body, reflecting into the eyes of Oscar just as the moonlight and electric sparks hit him.

"Teacher Zhao, look, what is that?"

Prompted by Oscar, Zhao Wuji quickly noticed the abnormality on Shen Feng's body.

At this moment, Shen Feng appeared to be enduring immense pain; his body twitched incessantly as fine beads of blood broke through his skin once more, soaking his clothes completely.

"Haa~ haa~"

Painful roars erupted from his throat as his body continued to spasm in agony.

The next moment, a multitude of black light spots began to reflect off Shen Feng's body, and countless black scales pierced through his skin, shimmering with a strange luster under the moonlight and electric sparks.

"What is that? Scales? Armor?" Zhao Wuji exclaimed in shock.

Shen Feng was now covered in black scales of varying sizes, which had almost entirely enveloped his entire body.

Even on both sides of Shen Feng's cheeks, a few fine black scales had appeared.

A vast number of black scales, large and small and of various shapes, crisscrossed or aligned neatly, miraculously forming a set of armor upon Shen Feng's body.

Under the illumination of the moonlight and electric sparks, the black armor emitted a strange, iridescent glow, giving off an indescribable, eerie feeling.

As the scales finished growing, Shen Feng's body suddenly relaxed, his pained expression gradually smoothed out, and the lightning snakes dancing across his skin retracted, returning into his body.

"Martial Soul Avatar? Isn't Xiao Feng's martial soul the Leiming Blade? When did he get a second dragon martial soul?"

Looking at Shen Feng's bizarre appearance, Zhao Wuji immediately thought of dragon martial soul masters.

Oscar shook his head: "That's not right, there are no dragon horns on his head; it shouldn't be a dragon martial soul avatar."

"Besides, Teacher Zhao, look at the scales on Xiao Feng's body—don't they look like those on the Ox Dragon?"

Zhao Wuji was slightly stunned, looking at the cold carcass of the Ox Dragon on the ground, then back at Shen Feng, who sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, covered in black scales.

"Now that you mention it, they really do look quite similar."

"Could it be that it's not a dragon martial soul, but an Ox Dragon martial soul?"

Oscar was dumbfounded, staring at Zhao Wuji in a daze, not knowing what to say.

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily: "Just a joke to lighten the mood."

Rolling his eyes at Zhao Wuji, Oscar said with a serious tone: "Teacher Zhao, that is not funny at all."

Zhao Wuji sighed, his expression slightly helpless: "Xiao Feng's situation right now truly exceeds my understanding, or rather, this child has been constantly refreshing my understanding."

"An 800-year first ring, a 2700-year second ring, and now an 8000-year third ring."

"To be honest, even if you told me now that Xiao Feng was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form, I wouldn't be surprised; I might even just accept it. Look, the scales have even grown out."

"Uh..." Oscar was suddenly at a loss for words, unable to find anything to refute Zhao Wuji.

After all, there were times when he also felt that Shen Feng was simply too inhuman.

In the entire Douluo Continent, where else could a Soul Grand Master kill a Soul Elder as easily as slaughtering a chicken?

And what other soul master was like Shen Feng, capable of absorbing soul rings beyond his level?

If it weren't for the fact that Shen Feng looked so much like his parents, Shen Rui and Ling Na, Oscar might have suspected he was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form as well.

Zhao Wuji looked at Oscar and chuckled: "Don't think too much about it. With what's happening to Xiao Feng right now, even if we racked our brains, we wouldn't figure it out, let alone his other secrets."

"Anyway, he's about to wake up. If you're really curious, just ask him directly when he wakes up."

"Ask me what?"

Suddenly, Shen Feng's voice rang out, startling both Zhao Wuji and Oscar nearby.

Oscar couldn't be bothered to continue the conversation with Zhao Wuji; he turned around instantly, looking at Shen Feng with a face full of surprise: "Xiao Feng, you're awake! How does your body feel?"

Shen Feng slowly stood up, and a series of popping sounds erupted from his bones.

After moving his limbs slightly, Shen Feng nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, full of power. The suffering was worth it."

"Especially my butt, it's still intact."

Reaching out to pinch his own rear, Shen Feng was taken aback—why was it so hard?

Refusing to believe it, he pinched it again, but the texture was still wrong.

Looking down at his own hands, Shen Feng was shocked.

"Holy crap, did I mutate?"

Only then did Shen Feng realize with astonishment that he was covered in black scales.

He flipped his hand to take a mirror from his wrist guard and examined the black scales on his body for a long time. In the end, Shen Feng couldn't suppress his inner excitement and burst into wild laughter.

"Hahaha, hahaha, destiny is on my side, destiny is on my side!!"

Seeing Shen Feng suddenly acting crazed, Oscar and Zhao Wuji stood frozen in place, exchanging a look. They saw deep confusion and a hint of worry in each other's eyes.

"Xiao Feng, are you alright?"

Hearing Oscar's call, Shen Feng gradually calmed his excitement, his face full of joy: "I'm fine, what could possibly be wrong with me?"

"As I am now, taking on ten Soul Elders at once would be a piece of cake."

Zhao Wuji gasped, "Xiao Feng, you never lie. You aren't lying this time, are you?"

Shen Feng smiled confidently, flipped his hand to retrieve a steel blade from his Soul Tool, and thrust it fiercely toward his own chest.

Clang—crackle—

In a flash of lightning, the tip of the blade struck the scales on Shen Feng's chest, instantly triggering a surge of incredibly violent purple-black electricity that sent the steel blade flying from his hand.

"With this Thunder Armor alone, a three-ring Soul Elder couldn't possibly break through my defense."

"The only way they could defeat me is to find a way to exhaust my soul power before I kill them all."

"Hiss~"

Zhao Wuji gasped again, "Invincible among peers? Good heavens."

"Back when I was a Soul Emperor, I once fought sixteen Soul Emperor bishops from the Martial Soul Hall alone. I don't even know how much suffering I endured before I finally earned the title of Immovable Bright King in the soul master world."

"And you, kid, actually have the potential to surpass me and achieve peerless defensive power just by relying on a set of scales."

"Tsk tsk, Xiao Feng, tell me the truth, what exactly is this freakish set of defensive scales you have?"

"Is it a Martial Soul Avatar? Or is it the third soul skill you obtained after absorbing the Ox Dragon soul ring?"

Shen Feng shook his head slightly, "Teacher Zhao, is it possible that it's a soul bone?"

"A soul bone?" Zhao Wuji frowned, staring at the scales on Shen Feng's body for a long time in thought.

"The six types of soul bones that soul beasts can produce are the skull, torso bone, left and right arm bones, and left and right leg bones. None of these six types of soul bones seem to manifest as scales."

Shen Feng chuckled, "Teacher Zhao, you aren't wrong, but you are a bit incomplete."