DD Spiritual Sword [456-458] (Patreon)

Chapter 456: The Deal with Gu Yuena

Tianlin's threat sent chills down everyone's spine. That oath was too vicious—if he actually fulfilled it, Douluo Continent would be doomed. In the future, soul masters would have no soul rings to absorb, and all advancement would cease.

But in truth, Tianlin would never actually go that far, no matter what. He was someone who believed in eradicating enemies completely—if he wanted to kill Tang Hao, he'd also kill Tang San, and if Tang San had to die, so did Xiao Wu.

Originally, the Sky Blue Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape were also on Tianlin's must-kill list. But due to the influence of Spirit Hall, their hatred shifted away from him, so Tianlin was willing to let them go, since they no longer bore him such enmity.

Even so, there had to be limits to wiping out one's enemies. If Gu Yuena had a family, Tianlin would have found a way to deal with them too. But those soul beasts were just her subordinates, not people he absolutely had to kill.

So, even if Gu Yuena really did throw his Spirit Pearl and Divine Sword into another dimension, at most he would just take revenge on her in the future—just like she said, he would spend tens of thousands of years searching other dimensions to retrieve them, but he wouldn't lash out at unrelated creatures. That was never Tianlin's style, especially since he had soul beast friends like Ice Empress, Snow Empress, Xiaobai, and Skydream.

Still, even if Tianlin wouldn't actually do it, there was no harm in bluffing. As long as the Silver Dragon King was scared, he'd have a chance to get his items back.

And that's exactly what happened. The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, knew all too well how ruthless humans could be. She didn't dare gamble on whether Tianlin was just bluffing. If she lost that bet, it would mean the annihilation of all soul beasts. Even if she recovered in two hundred years, Tianlin would only need a few decades to wipe out their entire race.

"Fine! What a vicious human!" The Silver Dragon King's voice was icy. "Human, I agree to return the pearl and sword to you—but not now. I'll give them back in three years."

"Three years?" Tianlin was puzzled. If she was going to return them, why wait for three years?

"Xiao Tian, the Silver Dragon King is gravely injured. She forcibly used god-level power just now, worsening her wounds. She urgently needs the spirit energy in the Thunder Spirit Pearl to heal herself to her previous state. That's why she proposed three years. You can agree. The pearl's power is too great for you to absorb all at once—at most, you can take in one per year, and you already have three pearls. Three years is just right." The soul of the Nuwa descendant spoke to him telepathically.

"Senior, since the Silver Dragon King is injured, do you think my Extreme Curse Returns Yin and Yang could heal her?" Tianlin thought. If she just needed healing, maybe if he healed her now, he could get the pearl back sooner.

"You could, yes. Extreme Curse Returns Yin and Yang is the magic sword's strongest healing skill, and its greatest strength is that it has no upper limit—even at god-level, you could help her recover. But are you really prepared to do that?" the Nuwa descendant asked with a smile.

"Not a chance," Tianlin replied decisively. While it was possible, if the Silver Dragon King recovered fully, she'd be a true first-rank god—and he wouldn't be her match at all.

"Silver Dragon King, I can agree to your terms, but you can't just take my things for three years for nothing. What are you offering in exchange?" Tianlin negotiated. He could lend things, but unless someone was a true friend, he never let others take advantage of him.

Gu Yuena had expected this. Tianlin had the advantage—how could she get the treasures for free? "I have nothing material to offer, having secluded myself for years. But I can swear in the name of Lord Dragon God: If you lend me the Thunder Spirit Pearl for three years, I will do one thing for you—as long as it doesn't harm the interests of soul beasts and is within my power, I promise not to refuse."

"A pretty vague promise. What if, when I ask, you just keep saying you can't do it?" Tianlin feigned sarcasm.

Gu Yuena was furious. "How dare you! As the Silver Dragon King and leader of soul beasts, I would never stoop so low!"

Just as she was angrily defending herself, Tianlin suddenly changed his tune. "Alright, I'll agree! Don't be mad, I was just joking. I know you'd never be such a petty person. I was only teasing because your voice sounds so nice."

"Despicable human, lecher!" The Silver Dragon King was even angrier. Even though she hadn't taken human form as Gu Yuena yet, she was still a female dragon—how dare a human tease her!

"Xiao Tian, have you gotten a bit cocky since becoming a Titled Douluo?" A delicate jade hand snaked around Tianlin's waist—Qian Renxue was eyeing him coldly.

Tianlin froze, almost forgetting that although Ning Rongrong wasn't here, Qian Renxue was just as hard to deal with—if not more jealous.

Ning Rongrong was his officially married wife, so her jealousy was unavoidable. But to flirt with anyone else in front of her—Tianlin was really asking for trouble.

"Men really are all the same!" Below, Bibi Dong felt her daughter deserved better, even if she knew her own judgment wasn't much better—at least Yu Xiaogang never dared flirt with other women in front of her.

"Well, that's enough for today. Silver Dragon King, see you in three years!" Realizing he'd caused trouble, Tianlin made a quick exit. Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at him, gathered the injured Bibi Dong and others with her soul power, and followed.

This was no place for flirting—better to settle things later, somewhere safe.

Di Tian watched the departing humans grimly. He hadn't expected to suffer such a crushing defeat after being invincible for hundreds of thousands of years on the continent. He would remember Jun Tianlin and Qian Renxue—their martial soul fusion skill was the first ever to defeat him.

"Don't worry, Di Tian. At least we saved the Sky Blue Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape. Let's go back to the Lake of Life and heal." Bi Ji understood his thoughts, but those two humans possessed the power to become gods—it was unwise to seek revenge. Bi Ji didn't like fighting. She just wanted to live peacefully with Di Tian in Star Dou Forest forever.

…

Meanwhile, Tianlin and his group landed at the forest's edge, where only weak soul beasts lived—no threat to them.

"This should be safe," Tianlin said, walking toward Bibi Dong and the others. Spirit Kite Douluo immediately grew wary. "Jun Tianlin, what do you want?"

She had reason to be afraid—they were all gravely wounded, and even Qian Renxue alone wasn't a match for Tianlin. If he attacked now, he could wipe them out.

"Elder Spirit Kite, don't worry. Xiao Tian can be childish sometimes, but he's never unreasonable. He takes promises seriously—even to enemies, he never goes back on his word," Qian Renxue said, taking Tianlin's hand. "I know this about him—he'll never change."

Tianlin smiled. He couldn't hide anything from Qian Renxue.

He stretched out his left hand and used the Blue Silver Emperor's healing power to treat their injuries.

Earlier, he and Qian Renxue had made a deal: she helped him retrieve the Spirit Pearl, and he helped save Bibi Dong's group. With the Blue Silver Emperor's power, none of them would die. Both had fulfilled their part of the bargain.

Chapter 457: The Nuwa Descendant Appears

After a brief meditation, Bibi Dong, the strongest among them, was the first to recover. Her Death Spider Emperor martial soul had strong self-healing abilities, and her abdominal wound was no longer serious—her strength had recovered by two or three levels.

"Jun Tianlin, whatever else, the fact remains that you saved us today. I don't want to owe you for that. Thank you," Bibi Dong said coldly.

Since her fall into darkness, Tianlin was the first person she'd ever thanked.

"No need. I only saved you because I planned to use those ferocious beasts to kill you. If you died, it would have benefited me the most. I just didn't expect you to bring Sister Xue here, forcing me to intervene." Tianlin didn't care for her gratitude. Did she really think Bibi Dong would spare the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for this small favor?

If it were anyone else, Tianlin would accept the debt. But not Bibi Dong. Back then, Qian Xunji raised her, but she betrayed him for Yu Xiaogang. Whatever Qian Xunji did later, Bibi Dong betrayed him first.

In the original story, Qian Renxue and Hu Liena may have been infatuated with Tang San, but at least their loyalty never wavered—they always stood by Spirit Hall.

Bibi Dong didn't even measure up to them.

So Tianlin looked down on both master and disciple. After today, they'd still be mortal enemies—no need for polite words.

"You!" Bibi Dong was visibly annoyed at being so blatantly disregarded. As the Pope of Spirit Hall, when had she ever been so disrespected? She could tell Tianlin's contempt was genuine.

Tianlin couldn't be bothered to explain to an enemy. He turned to Qian Renxue: "Sister Xue, now that Bibi Dong's recovered a bit, our deal is done. Let's hope next time we meet, it's not on the battlefield."

"Mother… Xiao Tian…" Qian Renxue was the most pained and helpless. The two people she loved most were locked in irreconcilable conflict.

No matter which one survived in the end, she'd never be able to face the other again.

"If only you weren't from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…" Qian Renxue murmured as she watched Tianlin leave.

"Xue'er!" Bibi Dong's heart clenched at her daughter's sadness.

Of course, she wasn't going to spare the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for Tianlin's sake, nor give up her ambition to unify the continent. But Tianlin had overlooked something crucial.

…

After retrieving the three Spirit Pearls, Tianlin left Star Dou Forest satisfied. He could only absorb one per year, but even one would greatly increase his strength.

The battles today, against both Di Tian and Gu Yuena, had given him valuable insights. From Titled Douluo level 95 onward, unless you had lucky encounters, rank advancement depended more on understanding than raw soul power.

Tianlin needed to seize this opportunity.

Instead of returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he headed straight for Slaughter City to complete the Asura God's Sixth Trial.

After half a day's flight, he arrived at a city near Slaughter City. Before entering, he wanted to absorb a Spirit Pearl and call upon the soul within him.

At an inn, Tianlin booked a top room, isolated the area with his domain, and called softly, "Senior, are you still there?"

"Xiao Tian, come into your spiritual sea!" Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice summoned him.

Tianlin sat cross-legged on the bed, his soul entering his spiritual sea, where Skydream Ice Silkworm and Xiaobai awaited him.

"Brother Skydream, have you always known there was another soul in my spiritual sea?" Tianlin asked. He didn't believe Skydream, with his powerful spirit, could have missed it all this time.

"Yes, sorry, Xiao Tian. I didn't mean to keep it from you, but that big sister wouldn't let me tell you," Skydream apologized. "Actually, when you absorbed my soul ring, she first appeared. Thanks to her help, you were able to absorb my ring so smoothly—otherwise, you'd have died."

Tianlin nodded, not blaming Skydream, just annoyed at being kept in the dark. But now that it was out, it was fine.

"So where is this senior, Brother Skydream?"

"I'm here. Nice to finally meet you, Xiao Tian. It's your first time seeing me, but I've watched you grow all these years. I'm very pleased—you've proven I made the right choice," a gentle woman's voice sounded behind him.

Tianlin instinctively turned and was stunned. He'd once thought Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue were the most beautiful, then, after meeting Snow Empress, that she was even more stunning. Now, his rankings had changed again.

The woman before him, in both aura and beauty, surpassed even the Snow Empress—she was breathtaking. Most astonishing of all, she had a human upper body and a serpent's lower body.

If he were a native of Douluo Continent, he might have thought she was a snake-type soul beast. But Tianlin was a transmigrator.

"Are you… Nuwa?"

The woman shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm not Nuwa, but her descendant—the first generation. The ancestor of Zixuan, Qing'er, Zhao Ling'er, and the others. I've been sleeping inside the Holy Spirit Pearl, protecting the Nuwa line."

"The first Nuwa descendant!" Tianlin was shocked. Though not Nuwa herself, she inherited her bloodline most purely. Just one of her descendants, Zixuan, could rival the likes of Chonglou at full power. This woman was likely a match for the strongest gods and demons.

No wonder she could easily block attacks rivaling a God King.

"Senior, you said you chose me. Does that mean my arrival in this world wasn't a coincidence—you brought me here?" Tianlin asked.

The Nuwa descendant nodded. "That's right. Sorry for not asking your permission before bringing you here. We had no choice. We need your help to save this world."

"No need to apologize. I love this world. If you hadn't brought me here, I'd never have met so many friends and lovers," Tianlin smiled. "To repay you, I'm willing to help—just tell me where the Evil Sword Immortal is."

Chapter 458: The New Evil Sword Immortal

"You already know who the enemy is?" This time, the Nuwa descendant was shocked. She hadn't even explained yet, and Tianlin already knew.

"Senior, my father-in-law and I have been investigating our enemy for years. I've gathered quite a bit of intelligence. In this world, there are two people who shouldn't exist—myself, and the one hiding in the shadows," Tianlin recalled. "About eight years ago, when I first met Brother Skydream, he told me the Holy Spirit Pearl, Five Spirit Pearls, Demon-Suppressing Sword, and Magic Sword had all come to this world chasing something."

"If they were chasing it, it must also be from your world. Then, five years ago, right before the Soul Hunt operation, Tang Hao visited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and brought many corpses from border villages."

"They died in various ways—some with pride, some with anger, some in the act of intercourse, some from gluttony."

"Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust—these are the Seven Deadly Sins, ultimate manifestations of evil. In the second intelligence report brought by Golden Crocodile Douluo, he mentioned that after killing those who attacked the villages, their souls were released. That suggests someone was collecting these seven sins, even devouring them to grow stronger. In the world of Sword and Fairy, who else could do that besides the Evil Sword Immortal? I've suspected it for a long time."

The Nuwa descendant nodded approvingly. "Exactly. The enemy is the Evil Sword Immortal—but not as you know him. The original was killed by Jing Tian, but before dying, he gathered all the world's evil, imitating Nuwa's Holy Spirit Pearl to create an Evil Spirit Pearl."

"This Evil Spirit Pearl can gather others' evil thoughts and create a new Evil Sword Immortal. The original hoped this successor could avenge him, but he knew neither the Shu Mountain Sect nor the Nuwa clan would allow the pearl to exist. So, he poured his obsession for revenge into the pearl and cast it into another dimension, letting the new Evil Sword Immortal emerge and grow in another world."

"To prevent other worlds from being harmed, the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi temporarily restored Jing Tian's Fei Peng powers and, with Demon Lord Chonglou, tore open the dimension to pursue the Evil Spirit Pearl. But with their immense power, if they entered the Douluo Continent, the world's laws would resist them, potentially causing the whole realm to collapse."

"Left with no choice, they retreated. We decided to send the Five Spirit Pearls, Nuwa's Holy Spirit Pearl, and Jing Tian's Divine Sword to this world, and find someone capable of controlling them to fight the new Evil Sword Immortal."

"But the Holy Spirit Pearl and Divine Sword were too powerful, so I kept my soul sleeping in the pearl to suppress part of its power, and split the Divine Sword into the Magic Sword and Demon-Suppressing Sword for a safer transfer."

"So you chose me?" Tianlin asked.

"Yes, I did. We searched many worlds and picked several candidates. The requirements were: weak enough not to trigger world rejection, knowledgeable about both worlds, no heavy attachments to their original world, not too indecisive but not cold-blooded, naturally clever, and in tune with my preferences. In the end, I randomly selected you," the Nuwa descendant explained.

"So my computer exploding was your doing?" Tianlin asked, exasperated—being killed by his new computer was a lifelong trauma.

"That wasn't me! I just chose you—the one who acted was Chonglou. He said that for the world to fully accept you, there were two ways: first, forcibly possess the body and soul of a native, like Tang San, but I refused, as it would harm the world's order. The second was reincarnation—we preserved your memories, but your body and soul were reborn in this world, making you a true native. For that, Chonglou said you had to die once to test it. I apologize again—since I agreed at the time. To make up for it, I imprinted the Nuwa and Shu Mountain clan's techniques into your soul," the Nuwa descendant said apologetically.

"So that's how it is." Tianlin finally understood why he transmigrated, where his knowledge and powers came from, and why the pearls and swords accepted him—it was all a gift from the powerhouses of the Sword and Fairy world.

Tianlin smiled. "No need to apologize. Thanks to you, I've had an incredible life I never would have before."

"That's terrifying—a monster born of the world's collective evil, able to grow endlessly. I can't believe our world gave birth to such a thing," Skydream Ice Silkworm shuddered. "Luckily, Xiao Tian, you can counter it. Do you know where that monster is? And whose evil thoughts created it this time?"

"It's obvious. Who else knows Bibi Dong's past so well, hides in Spirit Hall's shadows, and could create a Fallen Angel? Besides Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji, who else?" Tianlin answered.

"Bibi Dong's anger over her past is so great she wants to destroy the world. Wrath is the Evil Sword Immortal's favorite food. The Evil Spirit Pearl likely sought her out. Plus, Bibi Dong devoured Qian Xunji's soul—his pride, hatred, lust, envy toward the Grandmaster—all those evil thoughts, she absorbed them too. After all, her inheritance is the Rakshasa God, who feeds on evil."

"With all those terrifying evil thoughts gathered, the new Evil Sword Immortal was born from the Evil Spirit Pearl. He has all of Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong's memories. To help Bibi Dong become a god, he must push her into the deepest darkness—by destroying the continent. At that point, Bibi Dong could instantly become a god."

"So he controlled Xue Beng, allied with the Heaven Dou Empire to first eliminate the biggest threats to Spirit Hall—the Upper Three Sects. Once they're gone, Spirit Hall can wipe out the empires easily."

"If I'm right, his real goal is for Bibi Dong to become a god and open the gate to the Divine Realm, so he can follow her in and hunt the Seven Deadly Sins gods. Devouring them would give him nearly all the world's evil thoughts—making him unimaginably powerful. Killing a few border villages is nowhere near enough to satisfy him."