DD Spiritual Sword (Patreon)

Chapter 465: Strategy to Defeat the Enemy

"Die, Jun Tianlin!" the Fallen Angel Douluo roared in fury.

But the next moment, a voice from within the light plunged him into despair. "What a pity—your attack failed to pierce the enemy's armor."

With a single sweep of the Tianlin Demon Sword, the light of the Fallen Angel vanished instantly. Clad in soul bone armor, Tianlin stood unscathed.

"I guess I should buy a cape next time. Armor without a cape just feels incomplete," Tianlin muttered to himself.

"Don't get cocky, Jun Tianlin! You're dead this time. Slaughter Domain, activate!" The Slaughter King suddenly unleashed his domain.

Tianlin knew exactly what he was planning. In fact, ever since the Fallen Angel's domain appeared, Tianlin had already anticipated the Slaughter King's next move. He decided to play along, activating his own Asura Domain to counter the Slaughter Domain.

Seeing this, the Slaughter King ordered the Fallen Angel Douluo, "Hurry, use your Fallen Angel Domain to dissolve the Asura Domain!"

The Fallen Angel Douluo didn't hesitate and activated his domain again, covering the Asura Domain.

As the Asura Domain was dissolved, the power of the Slaughter Domain completely suppressed Tianlin. The nine soul rings on his demon sword all turned ashen gray.

"Haha! Jun Tianlin, you've fallen into my trap. Now that you've lost your Asura Domain, how will you resist my Slaughter Domain? It has the same magic-sealing effect as the Asura Domain of Slaughter City—none of your soul rings are usable!" The Slaughter King was triumphant. No matter how strong Tianlin was, without soul skills, he was powerless. The outcome seemed decided.

"How foolish, Nine-Headed Bat King. Though you borrowed Tang Chen's body, you inherited none of his battle wisdom. A beast remains a beast," Tianlin said, unconcerned by his sealed rings.

The Slaughter King's smile froze. Tianlin's calmness unsettled him—surely this wasn't just a bluff?

"You don't seem to believe me. Actually, your tactics have two fatal flaws. Let me show you." Tianlin smiled confidently and suddenly accelerated. The Slaughter Domain only restricted his soul rings, not his speed or strength.

"Not good!" The Slaughter King realized Tianlin was targeting the Fallen Angel Douluo and rushed to stop him.

Unfortunately, Tang Chen's greatest strength was power, not speed. He was far slower than Tianlin. Tianlin deliberately slowed down, then struck back at the Slaughter King, who countered with his hammer. Using the rebound from the clash, Tianlin sped up again, leaving the Slaughter King unable to keep up.

Seeing Tianlin coming for him, the Fallen Angel Douluo didn't just sit and wait. But to maintain his domain, he couldn't run. He activated his defensive skill, Enshrouding Evil Light, hoping to delay Tianlin for just a second or two—long enough for the Slaughter King to catch up and finish Tianlin off with one blow.

"Nice try, but your defense means nothing to me!" Tianlin's soul rings were sealed, but his martial soul remained, along with its strongest trait—true damage.

"Three Realms Annihilation!"

The demon sword sliced across the Fallen Angel Douluo's throat. The defensive light was shredded, and the Fallen Angel Douluo was instantly decapitated.

Tianlin grabbed his head as the body hit the ground.

With the Fallen Angel Douluo's death, his domain naturally vanished, allowing the Asura Domain to reappear. Tianlin's soul rings began to return to normal one by one.

As the fourth ring recovered, the Slaughter King finally arrived, bringing his hammer down with all his might. "Sixth Soul Skill: Hammer Shakes the World!"

"Against a sixth soul skill, four rings are enough. Fourth skill: Glimmering Immortal-Slaying Slash!" Tianlin countered with a sword strike, clashing with the Clear Sky Hammer.

The collision of two Ultimate Douluo-level powers created a storm like a natural disaster. Countless trees were uprooted, and a massive crater formed at their impact site, barren and lifeless.

Tianlin had tried to minimize damage to the forest, but with an Ultimate Douluo opponent, it was impossible to avoid destruction.

Tang Chen's strength was frightening. Tianlin's Hell Flame boost had faded, facing the Slaughter King's true form made it hard to gain the upper hand.

If Tianlin chose a frontal fight, as before, even if he could win, it would take days.

A fight to the death between two Ultimate Douluos would devastate the land and slaughter countless lives. To avoid that, Tianlin had to use strategy for a quick victory.

And now, his strategy was complete.

With the Asura Domain restored, the Slaughter Domain was resisted. The Slaughter King realized he could no longer seal Tianlin's rings and tried to retract his domain—keeping it up consumed too much energy.

But suddenly, he found he couldn't withdraw it.

"Demon-Suppressing Domain, Second Level—Suppress!" Tianlin had activated his Demon-Suppressing Domain, pinning down the Slaughter Domain and making it impossible for the Slaughter King to retract.

"Slaughter King, you have Tang Chen's power but none of his battle IQ. With equal strength, you can be outplayed by strategy." Tianlin smiled. "Now your Slaughter Domain is stuck."

"So what? It just means higher consumption. As long as I kill you before my energy runs out, it's fine!" the Slaughter King roared.

"Can you?" Tianlin said. "Since advancing to Title Douluo, my Demon-Suppressing Domain has reached its highest level. Let me show you—Third Level: Reverse!"

Tianlin unleashed his domain's ultimate form—one word: Reverse. It could invert the power of domains.

Now, the Slaughter King's own domain was under Tianlin's control. The one being magic-sealed was now the Slaughter King himself. In an instant, all the soul rings on both the Slaughter King and the Demon Spear Douluo turned ashen.

"How does it feel to have your soul rings sealed for the first time, Slaughter King?" Tianlin taunted.

"This... impossible!" The Slaughter King was in disbelief. His proudest domain had turned into a deadly sword against himself.

Enraged, he swung the Clear Sky Hammer at Tianlin. "Die, Jun Tianlin!"

Tianlin lightly tapped the hammer's surface with his sword, easily deflecting the blow.

"You don't know Tang Chen's hammer techniques, can't use his skills, and have only brute force. Did you think that would work on me? Slaughter King, you're finished!"

Chapter 466: Beating Down the Slaughter King; Evil Sword Immortal Appears

Tianlin looked down coldly at the Slaughter King, still holding the bleeding head of the Fallen Angel Douluo—a terrifying sight.

He wasn't doing this for fun. He kept the head to read its soul. As a freshly killed Title Douluo, the Fallen Angel's soul hadn't dissipated, just weakened. The moment Tianlin grabbed the head, he read its memories.

But as he did so, the Fallen Angel's soul nearly collapsed—a safeguard left by the Evil Sword Immortal to prevent leaks. If someone tried to read the soul, it would be destroyed. The one captured earlier by Golden Crocodile Douluo was probably already gone.

But this didn't affect Tianlin. The Holy Spirit Pearl could fully protect the soul, and Tianlin learned the secret of the Fallen Angel's origin.

The Evil Sword Immortal was created from the evil thoughts of Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji, making him a native of the Douluo Continent. From the memories, Tianlin confirmed this new Evil Sword Immortal possessed the Six-Winged Fallen Angel martial soul.

He could grant the Fallen Angel martial soul to others, just as the Angel God could grant her martial soul to descendants. But, not being a god, he could only grant four-winged versions, and creating a Title Douluo consumed immense power—mass production was impossible.

This reassured Tianlin. His biggest worry was if the Evil Sword Immortal could mass-produce four-winged Fallen Angel Douluos. If so, even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect couldn't withstand an army of Title Douluos.

In the God Realm, the changes in Slaughter City caught the attention of the Rakshasa God. After finally working with the Evil Sword Immortal to expel the Asura God's spiritual sense, Slaughter City was fully under his control. Now, it seemed the Asura God's heir might reclaim it—something he couldn't tolerate.

The Rakshasa God tried to intervene, having left a mark on the Blood-Red Nine-Headed Bat King's body, allowing him to temporarily grant his divine power—much like Qian Daoliu's Angel Descent.

But unlike Qian Daoliu, who lawfully invoked godly power, the Rakshasa God's direct interference violated God Realm laws.

A black beam suddenly intercepted the divine power, nearly injuring the Rakshasa God. The Asura God had intervened. He would not let the Rakshasa God bully his inheritor.

"Rakshasa, gods must not interfere in the lower realm. This is only a warning. If you violate the law again, expect the Asura Sword's wrath!" The Asura God's voice echoed in the Rakshasa Hall, filled with killing intent—a warning and a threat.

The Rakshasa God's expression was grim. The Asura God was now watching him closely—he couldn't interfere anymore.

"Damn Asura. But even if I can't act, your inheritor will taste the Evil Sword Immortal's power!"

The Rakshasa God knew the Evil Sword Immortal couldn't miss the huge battle in Slaughter City, even the death of his Fallen Angel.

Of course, what the Rakshasa God could foresee, Tianlin could too. So Tianlin decisively killed the Fallen Angel to lure out the Evil Sword Immortal.

He wanted to force the Evil Sword Immortal to appear. If possible, he'd rather kill him now than let him cause trouble later.

'Boom!'

Suddenly, explosions sounded from the forest outside Slaughter City. A figure crashed to the ground, followed by another, who stomped on the first.

After having his soul rings sealed and being weakened by Tianlin's Asura Domain (which now reduced enemy attributes by 40%) and the Ice-Fire Seal (which suppressed his soul power by a level), the Slaughter King's strength was now only around that of a level 96-97 Title Douluo—one who couldn't use soul skills.

If it were Tang Chen himself, that wouldn't matter much—he still had his hammer techniques. But this Slaughter King, without skills, couldn't even beat a typical sub-level-95 Title Douluo, let alone Tianlin.

Tianlin had been thrashing him for five minutes, shattering most of his bones. The Demon Spear Douluo wanted to help but was easily immobilized by Tianlin's Darkgold Seal.

"Please... spare me," the Slaughter King begged weakly.

Tianlin sneered, "You possess Tang Chen's body but are a total waste. Not only is your combat ability poor, your battle IQ is abysmal, and your temperament is pathetic. At least Tang Chen would never beg for mercy."

Tianlin could have killed the Slaughter King easily, but he kept him alive for two reasons: only a living Slaughter King could lure out the Evil Sword Immortal, and if the Slaughter King died, Tang Chen would die too—Tianlin still needed to bring him to Bo Saixi.

Tianlin pressed his foot harder on the Slaughter King, threatening, "I might spare you, but get out of Tang Chen's body."

Of course, the Bat King would not leave. He knew hiding in Tang Chen's body kept him safe—if he left, he'd die. As long as he stayed alive, the master would come to save him.

Suddenly, a massive black energy cannon blasted toward them. Tianlin's eyes narrowed. "Here he comes."

He split the cannon with his sword, knocked the Slaughter King unconscious to shut him up, and his ninth spirit ring flared as he called toward the source, "Who's there?"

"Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji!" A man shrouded in black qi flew over. His appearance resembled Qian Renxue.

The Evil Sword Immortal had appeared in Qian Xunji's form to hide his true identity.

"Qian Xunji? That's impossible—you're dead!" Tianlin feigned shock.

He did want to kill the Evil Sword Immortal today, but if he failed, he wanted to maintain the pretense of ignorance—so the Evil Sword Immortal wouldn't suspect Tianlin knew his secrets.

Misinformation is crucial. The overconfident are easier to defeat. As Jing Tian once said, the new Evil Sword Immortal had inherited all the worst traits of his creators, making him arrogant and doomed.

Qian Xunji looked at Tianlin with contempt. "A dead man doesn't need to know so much. Only rank 94, yet you dare ruin my plans. Why seek your own destruction?"

Chapter 467: First Battle—Tianlin vs. Evil Sword Immortal

Seek my own destruction?

Tianlin was speechless. No wonder this Evil Sword Immortal was born from Qian Xunji's arrogance—they were exactly alike.

"Your strength is decent. If you're willing to open your spiritual sea and let me leave a mark, serving me from now on, I'll spare your life," the Evil Sword Immortal boasted.

Tianlin sighed inwardly. "Of all people, why choose Qian Xunji as your base? He must have brain damage."

"Xiao Tian, is this the Evil Sword Immortal? I thought he'd be like your father-in-law's level. But this guy's IQ is so low," Skydream Iceworm piped up. "The truly dangerous opponents are cunning and smart. This one's just arrogant—he's doomed."

"What can you do? Qian Xunji is brainless, Bibi Dong is obsessed with love, and this guy inherited all their worst traits. He's nothing compared to the original Evil Sword Immortal from Shu Mountain," Tianlin mocked.

He looked down on both of them, so likewise, he looked down on their creation.

Regaining his composure, Tianlin panted, "Qian Xunji, I don't care how you survived, but now that you're here, you can die all over again."

"Stubborn fool. Even though your strength is near Ultimate Douluo, you just fought the Slaughter King and have exhausted yourself. You're no match for me!" The Evil Sword Immortal unfurled six Fallen Angel wings, revealing nine red soul rings.

Nine 100,000-year rings! His IQ was questionable, but his strength was real. Tianlin sensed immense grievance energy from those rings.

He guessed these were Qian Xunji's original rings, transformed by the Evil Sword Immortal's ability to absorb evil and strengthen soul rings, feeding back into himself.

He probably also possessed one or two of Bibi Dong's martial souls. If he managed to devour the Seven Deadly Sins Gods as planned, he could become a triple-martial-soul, triple-god-ring being—possibly invincible, even to the Five Great God Kings.

That was likely the new Evil Sword Immortal's true goal.

At this moment, his Fallen Angel's sixth ring lit up. Against Tianlin, he considered a sixth skill sufficient—it was, after all, a 100,000-year skill.

"Those who defy me shall be corrupted under the light of the Fallen Angel—Angel Demon Sword!"

A massive Fallen Angel phantom appeared, forming a black vortex and drawing forth a pitch-black sword. The Fallen Angel swung it at Tianlin.

Tianlin teleported into the sky, dodging. The sword struck the ground, ripping a chasm thousands of meters long and five hundred meters deep.

But the sword didn't vanish. The Evil Sword Immortal locked onto Tianlin and swung again.

Tianlin smiled. The enemy had taken the bait. From the start, Tianlin had feigned weakness to exploit the Evil Sword Immortal's arrogance, luring him to use only mid-level skills. Tianlin planned to counter with his own ultimate move for a surprise kill.

Though not the most honorable method, this was war, not a tournament. Tianlin's priority was to kill the enemy as efficiently as possible.

Judging from the previous attack, the Evil Sword Immortal's move was strong, but no stronger than his master's Seven Kill Sword Art—not enough to beat Tianlin's Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Slash.

With that, Tianlin ascended to about 7,000 meters altitude. The Evil Sword Immortal, thinking he was fleeing, chased after him.

At last, Tianlin stopped. "This should do. Die, Qian Xunji! Ninth Soul Skill: Heaven and Earth Eternal—Annihilate All Creation! Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Slash!"

As his ninth ring shone with dark golden light, a terrifying pressure filled the sky, forcing the Evil Sword Immortal to halt. He felt a mortal threat.

He was stunned. With half-god power, only Di Tian and the still-recovering Silver Dragon King should rival him—no one else on the continent, not even Bo Saixi (except at sea), should threaten him.

Yet the power Tianlin gathered was at least equal to, if not greater than, his own.

A giant sword formed, so immense its length was unclear, piercing the heavens and extending into space. Tianlin hadn't lied—this strike could decimate even a million-man army, and some lesser gods might fall to it.

That's why he had come to high altitude—to avoid catastrophic collateral damage.

At this moment, Tianlin was the strongest human on the Douluo Continent. Even Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and Bo Saixi were no match for him now.

"Slash!"

With that, a storm erupted around Tianlin, clouds scattering under the sword's might.

He gave the Evil Sword Immortal no time to react. Aside from support skills, most ninth-level attacks couldn't be cast instantly. The Evil Sword Immortal had no time to switch to his own ninth skill—he could only block with his sixth.

But when the Angel Demon Sword met the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Slash, it shattered instantly. Only then did the Evil Sword Immortal realize he'd been tricked—Tianlin had exploited his arrogance for a fatal surprise attack.

"Damn it! Killing me won't be so easy." At the moment of death, the Evil Sword Immortal's form shifted from Qian Xunji to Bibi Dong.

"Die!" Tianlin's sword descended, splitting the Evil Sword Immortal from head to toe.

The immense pressure completely obliterated his body, leaving only dust.

"We won! That Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Slash is so strong, Xiao Tian! With that move, you've reached god-level power. Even a non-combat god like the God of Joy might fall to your sword!" Skydream Iceworm cheered. "Haha! The Evil Sword Immortal is completely gone. Nüwa's descendant will be thrilled when she hears the news."