DD Spiritual Sword [447-449] (Patreon)

Chapter 447: Gathering of Ferocious Beasts

"Ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, obey orders—kill all humans who invade the Lake of Life!"

With immense fury, the words "kill them all" echoed again and again above the Star Dou Great Forest.

The expressions of both pursuers and those being pursued changed abruptly.

On Bibi Dong's side, their confidence instantly turned to shock and horror, because the power contained in this voice was simply overwhelming, utterly unprecedented. Even so many Title Douluos together almost had their souls shattered by the sound. Qian Renxue even felt her own grandfather could not possess such strength—no, she was sure he did not.

As for the previously desperate Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, they were now so excited they couldn't contain themselves.

"Lord Di Tian, it's Lord Di Tian!" the Sky Azure Bull Python roared. Di Tian was the king it admired the most—its most powerful technique was named Azure Dragon Soul, symbolizing its hope to one day become a dragon.

The Sky Azure Bull Python still didn't know about the Silver Dragon King. In its mind, Di Tian was the strongest dragon on the continent.

"Di Tian? Who is that?" Bibi Dong had never heard this name, nor was it recorded in any of Spirit Hall's archives.

That was natural. When Di Tian secluded himself in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, Spirit Hall hadn't even been founded yet. Di Tian had only awakened in the past twenty years, and apart from the last time he hunted Tang Hao, had never appeared in the human world.

"Your Holiness, it's bad. I sense several overwhelming powers converging here, each one far exceeding the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape," Qian Renxue said anxiously, shocked to find such terrifying soul beast forces hidden within the forest.

"Haha, you're dead, all of you are dead!" The Titan Giant Ape laughed heartily. "Lord Di Tian is coming! No one in this world is his match!"

"Hmph, I don't care who this Di Tian is. I will kill you now! Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Stamen Flowing Mist!" Chrysanthemum Douluo was determined not to rest until the two great soul beasts were dead, since they had helped kill Old Ghost as well.

The Chrysanthemum bloomed, golden brilliance turning into a powerful shockwave that swept toward the two gravely injured soul beasts.

"You want to know who I am? Then I'll answer you." At that moment, a black-robed man appeared before the two soul beasts at a speed unseen by anyone, looking at Chrysanthemum Douluo with cold, indifferent eyes.

Facing the overwhelming Golden Stamen Flowing Mist, the man merely stretched out his right hand and flicked his finger. Instantly, the shockwave rebounded, swallowing up Chrysanthemum Douluo before he could react.

"Ah!!" With a shriek, Chrysanthemum Douluo fell to the ground like a withered flower. "Impossible! With just a finger, he bounced back my full-force attack!"

"That was your full-force attack?" The man sneered, "Then you are far too weak. But in a way, be grateful—if you were any stronger, your own skill would have killed you just now."

The other Title Douluos couldn't help but swallow nervously, clearly terrified. Although Chrysanthemum Douluo's soul power was only level 91 due to old injuries, defeating him still required their full effort.

But this man had instantly defeated him with just a finger.

In other words, if any of them tried, the result would likely be the same.

"You are Di Tian?" Bibi Dong stepped forward, meeting Di Tian's gaze. Only she dared face him directly.

Though Bibi Dong was still limited by the Rakshasa God, years of cultivation had brought her to the level of Ultimate Douluo. With twin martial souls, her combat strength was not far behind a Ultimate Douluo.

"I am Di Tian, the Golden Eyed Black Dragon King. Humans, you have gone too far. Years ago, a Title Douluo slaughtered soul beasts for soul bones. Now, you assault my two kings of the forest. Today, you will pay the price." Di Tian's voice was icy, filled with murderous intent.

Even Bibi Dong had to activate her Deathgod Domain to resist Di Tian's almost tangible killing intent.

"Your Holiness, more creatures are coming!" Qian Renxue warned.

Everyone looked around and found themselves completely surrounded.

Beside Di Tian appeared a beautiful swan, its body covered in emerald jade—ranked fourth among the top ten ferocious beasts, with 570,000 years of cultivation: the Emerald Swan, Bi Ji.

Next, vines sprouted from the ground, followed by a hundred-meter-tall giant tree blocking the sky—ranked fifth among the top ten, with 520,000 years of cultivation: the strongest plant-type soul beast, the Myriad Demon King, whose true form was the Demon-Eyed Demon Tree.

A dragon's roar sounded as another giant dragon flew out—ranked ninth among the top ten, with 300,000 years of cultivation: the Hell Demon Dragon, Zi Ji.

Finally, an eerie black shadow appeared—formless and mysterious—ranked tenth among the top ten: Demon Spirit.

Nearly all the Star Dou Great Forest's ferocious beasts had gathered.

"Th-these soul beasts... Each one is stronger than the forest kings! How is this possible?" Spirit Kite Douluo was dumbstruck. Just now, they were attacking the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape; now, they were the ones being surrounded.

Even the weakest of these beasts could handle two or three of them at once. She saw no chance of victory.

"Damn, we must have fallen into Jun Tianlin's trap. He lured us here on purpose, using these beasts to wipe out our Spirit Hall's elites. He must have known about them all along—otherwise, why else would he never appear?" Turtle Douluo dropped his perpetual fake smile, now truly unable to laugh in the face of these monsters.

"Hmm? Where's Scarlet King? Why didn't he come when I called?" Di Tian asked Bi Ji and Zi Ji.

"Scarlet King was held up. Besides these people, there's another hiding nearby who encountered Scarlet King. You ordered all humans who offended the Lake of Life to be killed, so Scarlet King went to kill that one before coming," Bi Ji explained.

Di Tian nodded. "That's fine—best to leave no survivors. Bi Ji, help the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape detoxify; otherwise, they won't last long."

"Yes!" Bi Ji flapped her beautiful wings, flying above the two soul beasts and showering them with emerald light—her healing soul skill.

As the strongest healing-type soul beast, Bi Ji's ability surpassed even the Nine-Hearted Begonia at nine rings, making her truly the best in the world—though not counting Tianlin, who's a cheat.

Bathed in light, the wounds of the two soul beasts visibly healed, their blood turning from black back to red, and the ominous black aura around them quickly dispersed.

"What terrifying healing!" Bibi Dong's vigilance rose. Poison was one of her strongest weapons, but now she faced an opponent who could counter her, which would significantly affect her combat power.

While Bi Ji was healing, this would usually be a good time to attack, but Di Tian's presence was too intimidating. She felt that if she made any move, everyone but herself would be instantly torn to shreds.

"Thank you, Lord Bi Ji!" The two soul beasts, now recovered, expressed their gratitude to Bi Ji. They might not be able to fight for now, but their lives were saved.

Chapter 448: Spirit Hall vs. Ferocious Beasts – Tianlin Blocks Scarlet King

After Bi Ji healed the two soul beasts, Di Tian nodded, then looked at the Spirit Hall group. "Now, it's time to settle the score. You dare offend the Lake of Life again and again—prepare to be punished."

"Then come and try!" Who was Bibi Dong? The world's number one female Pope. No matter how dire the situation, she showed no fear.

Now, her only concern was Qian Renxue. If she'd known things would turn out this way, she wouldn't have let her come. She thought her strength made her invincible, not expecting so many hidden powers here.

She didn't care if the other Title Douluos died, but Qian Renxue was her daughter—she could not let anything happen to her.

"Xue'er, in a moment I'll join the others to hold off the beasts. Find a way to leave as quickly as possible," Bibi Dong secretly transmitted to Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue immediately understood—her mother meant to sacrifice herself and all the Title Douluos here just to save her. She responded, "No, Mother! I finally reconciled with you. I won't leave you today!"

"Don't worry, I won't die. I have immortality—as long as no god-level powerhouse appears, no one can kill me. But if I have to protect you, I won't be able to fight at full strength." Bibi Dong wasn't going to die needlessly; her great cause was unfinished. Her confidence came from the Death Spider Emperor's ninth soul skill—Immortality.

With that skill, even several Ultimate Douluos attacking together couldn't kill her.

Qian Renxue nodded, realizing she'd forgotten her mother's immense strength and survival ability. Staying would only drag her down.

Di Tian had long sensed their secret communication. As a king, he disdained sneak attacks and waited for them to finish before speaking coldly, "Are your last words finished? Then—kill!"

At Di Tian's command, Zi Ji, the Myriad Demon King, and Demon Spirit charged the group.

"Spirit Hall, listen! Choose opponents based on attribute advantage, fight your way out with all your strength!" Bibi Dong commanded.

"Yes!" To be Title Douluos, their temperament was strong. Though scared just moments ago, now their survival instinct made them fiercer than ever.

Chrysanthemum Douluo and Turtle Douluo faced the Hell Demon Dragon Zi Ji, who had dark and water attributes. Saint Dragon Douluo and fire-type Spirit Kite Douluo attacked the plant-type Myriad Demon King.

Demon Spirit was left to Qian Renxue, the one with the strongest holy power. Given her current strength, Qian Renxue could at least hold her own—she was the most likely to break out.

Bibi Dong rose into the air to face Di Tian. One was the supreme leader of human soul masters, the Spirit Hall Pope; the other, king of the soul beast world—both pinnacle powerhouses. Their fight would not be decided quickly.

Fortunately, Bi Ji was not good at fighting, and Scarlet King was absent. Otherwise, Spirit Hall would surely lose.

For that, Spirit Hall had to thank Tianlin—because Scarlet King was blocked by him.

…

A few minutes prior, Scarlet King had been rushing to the battlefield, only to be stopped by a sword that forced him to retreat.

"Damn human! You invade the Lake of Life again and again. Today none of you will leave alive!" Scarlet King glared at Tianlin, clearly taking him as one of the Spirit Hall group.

Tianlin calmly replied, "I won't let you threaten our Pope. By her order, I'm here to stop you. As long as you hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl, I'll spare your life."

"Fire Spirit Pearl!" Scarlet King was shocked. "So that fire attribute orb is what you're after. Well, forget it! That's a beast treasure, not something for humans!"

"The Fire Spirit Pearl is mine. You don't even know its name, yet want to keep it? Ridiculous," Tianlin's sword aura surged. "Scarlet King, I'll say it again—return the Fire Spirit Pearl. I don't care for your ring or bone, nor do I wish to slaughter soul beasts. Don't force me."

"I said—it's impossible!" Scarlet King spat hellfire, its power close to the ultimate fire.

"First soul skill: Frozen Snow!" Tianlin blocked the hellfire with an ice shield formed from the ultimate ice.

But the ice quickly cracked and shattered, revealing a giant flaming claw.

Tianlin deflected the claw with his sword, then faced three huge dog heads lunging at him.

Scarlet King had transformed into his true form: the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff!

Tianlin knew he wouldn't get the Fire Spirit Pearl back without a serious fight.

"In that case, I won't be polite! Dark Gold Terror Palm!" Tianlin struck at Scarlet King's central head—the only one with intelligence; the other two were just for battle.

Tianlin was much faster, using Drunken Immortal Steps to dodge left and right before hitting the main head.

Scarlet King sneered at Tianlin's fist, smaller than a tooth, thinking its main head was both the core and the strongest.

It opened its jaws to bite Tianlin, aiming to chew off his whole upper body.

Unfortunately, it underestimated Tianlin. The Dark Gold Terror Palm was a soul bone fusion skill: a 460,000-year bear's soul bone fused with a 300,000-year ice bear's external bone—many times stronger than the ninth soul skills of most Title Douluos.

When Scarlet King's face met Tianlin's palm, instead of Tianlin's arm breaking, Scarlet King's head became twisted and deformed.

"Uwaa!" Scarlet King howled as his body was flung kilometers away, three giant fangs scattering to the ground.

Tianlin's strike had knocked out all of Scarlet King's prized teeth.

"Scarlet King, you're no match for me. Now I have Ultimate Douluo power. Don't believe me? I'll show you." Tianlin said coldly, "Seventh Soul Skill: Demon Sword True Form!"

The demon sword's seventh ring flashed as Tianlin activated his martial soul avatar. For a moment, Scarlet King sensed a familiar aura.

Chapter 449: Reclaiming the Fire Spirit Pearl

"This aura—is it the Bear Lord?" Scarlet King, who often argued with the Bear Lord, was very familiar with his aura.

Now, the Bear Lord's aura appeared on that sword's seventh soul ring, together with the darkgold palm just now.

"So, you're the one who killed the Bear Lord—not that other Title Douluo who rampaged here!" Scarlet King's intelligence matched humans'; he instantly realized the truth.

Tianlin smiled, "Correct. It was me. If you don't want to end up like Bear Lord, hand over the Fire Spirit Pearl."

"If you want to kill me, come and try!" Scarlet King was even more hot-tempered than Bear Lord. He charged in without regard for the strength gap.

His cultivation was about equal to a level 96 Title Douluo, with ultimate fire and a strong body giving him about level 97 combat power—not as strong as the Bear Lord.

But both physically and in attribute power, Tianlin was at the top—Di Tian himself might not be able to claim an advantage.

His only weakness was less soul power than a Ultimate Douluo, meaning less endurance; but short-term, his combat strength was equivalent.

Tianlin shook his head. "Stubborn. Fourth Soul Skill: Glimmering Immortal-Slaying Slash!"

His demon sword grew to a hundred-meter giant blade. With his martial soul avatar, his attack power reached the peak.

He slashed downwards—the mountains were cut in half, the ground distorted, and the sky was torn open.

Sensing mortal danger, Scarlet King tried to brake, but it was too late. The sword light flashed, and his left head was cut off.

Tianlin asked, "One more time—will you return the Fire Spirit Pearl?"

Enduring the pain, Scarlet King stubbornly replied, "No!"

Shing!

Another sword light, and his right head fell.

"I don't like to slaughter soul beasts, but I will reclaim what's mine. If you refuse, I'll grind your bones to dust and search for it myself!" Tianlin no longer held back—he had given Scarlet King enough chances.

"You think this will kill me?" As a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, Scarlet King had the same trait as the Three-Headed Bat King—unless all three heads were cut, he couldn't die.

From the severed necks, flames burst out, gradually forming new heads—Scarlet King's self-healing, like a Lord of Fire, reborn in flames.

"Another undying trait, but so what? Eighth Soul Skill: Spiral Radiance Swallows Sun and Moon!" Tianlin struck twice, creating two black holes at Scarlet King's sides.

The Fire God warned not to overuse this move, as it could thin the space barrier, but since reaching Title Douluo, Tianlin could control it fully. As long as the black holes weren't too large, it was like a healthy person getting a small cut—nothing serious.

The two black holes pulled at Scarlet King's body. His body was tough enough to resist, but all the fire he'd gathered was sucked in.

Moreover, the black holes kept absorbing fire from the wounds. If this continued, Scarlet King's hellfire would be drained, and he'd die miserably.

"S-stop… stop!" As his fire was drawn out, Scarlet King's voice grew weak. Now he was truly afraid. "I'll return the Fire Spirit Pearl! Please stop!"

Previously, he relied on his undying ability to fight Tianlin to the death; but now that was countered, he had no chance.

Scarlet King was stubborn, but not stupid.

"Nice choice!" Tianlin dismissed the black holes, floating to Scarlet King. "If you'd done this earlier, you'd have avoided suffering."

Scarlet King dared not play tricks. His fire was nearly exhausted—he couldn't even beat a 50,000-year beast now, let alone Tianlin.

Scarlet King opened his main mouth, and a fiery red pearl floated out. Sensing Tianlin, just like the Earth Spirit Pearl before, it joyfully circled him like a long-lost relative.

Seeing this, Scarlet King believed the pearl really belonged to Tianlin. He had only borrowed its power to cultivate, but its abilities went far beyond. Only this man could use its true strength.

Tianlin happily accepted the Fire Spirit Pearl. "The second pearl—finally back!"

Looking at the weakened Scarlet King, Tianlin infused him with ultimate fire. "Scarlet King, I promised some friends I wouldn't kill soul beasts except for self-defense or advancement. So today, I'll spare you. That ultimate fire will restore some of your lost energy—go recover by the Lake of Life. You're in no danger now; your other heads will regrow in a month."

With Tianlin's treatment, Scarlet King managed to rise. "You spared me today; I owe you a favor."

Beasts really are simpler than humans. Scarlet King was ruthless, but also straightforward—a bold loser.

"Farewell!" With that, Tianlin flew off. A single pearl wasn't enough; today, he'd reclaim the Water and Wind pearls too.

After Tianlin left, Scarlet King also returned to the Lake of Life. With no strength left, he couldn't help in battle anyway.

At that moment, above the forest, a battle even fiercer than Tianlin's with Scarlet King was underway.

Compared to Tianlin's one-sided victory, Bibi Dong and Di Tian were evenly matched. Everywhere they fought, the land was either corroded by poison or crushed to dust by power.

Bibi Dong's Death Domain and Deathgod Domain were both unleashed. It had been ages since anyone pushed her so far.

"Not bad—there are still strong humans. You're much stronger than the hammer-wielder who came last time!" Di Tian praised, shaking off her domain.

Below, Qian Renxue, fighting Demon Spirit, was extremely worried. Others couldn't tell, but she could: though the fight looked even, Di Tian was clearly calmer than her mother.

Her mother had used both martial souls and both domains, going all out without gaining any advantage. If this continued, she worried her mother would lose.

Fortunately, Bibi Dong still had Immortality—so her life wasn't in danger. Qian Renxue had to break out quickly so her mother could escape.

So, she had to go all out.

"Ninth Soul Skill: Angel's Radiance!"