DD Spiritual Sword [502-503] (Patreon)

Chapter 502: Heaven Dou and Star Luo's Response

Hu Liena persuading Si Long made Qian Renxue look at her in a new light.

"This foxy vixen really is something. To proactively talk someone into being a fence-sitter—this kind of surrender tactic is practically unheard of."

Qian Renxue had to admit, though bizarre, the approach worked on someone like Si Long. He wasn't strong, wouldn't have access to any Spirit Empire secrets, and as long as he obediently stayed in Gengxin City forging weapons, it hardly mattered whether his surrender was wholehearted or not.

So long as the Spirit Empire unified the continent, no matter how unwilling he was now, he would have no choice but to accept his fate later.

Besides, in her heart, Qian Renxue didn't actually want to wipe out the Blacksmith Association. As someone with grand ambition, unifying the continent wasn't the end of the road; how to develop after unification was also something a leader had to consider.

Qian Renxue had an idea: to improve people's lives, focusing only on how to make soul masters stronger wouldn't do. Ordinary people weren't soul masters and couldn't cultivate.

The things that could help ordinary people, in a term she'd heard from Tianlin, were called "technology."

Her plan was to launch a soul tool development program once the continent was unified. Most of the techniques for crafting soul tools had been lost; the only ones barely surviving were methods for making storage-type soul tools.

She wanted to develop more practical soul tools—to assist the people in plowing fields, constructing buildings, and even allow ordinary folk to soar and travel like soul masters.

To achieve that, the strength of craftsmen and soul masters had to be combined.

"Elder Judgment, what do you think of my arrangement for President Si Long? Will it work?" Hu Liena asked, looking at Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue nodded. "Do as you said. Si Long, until the continent is unified, stay in Gengxin City and forge weapons. Don't entertain any crooked thoughts."

"Tuoba Xi, lead your Holy Dragon Legion to temporarily garrison Gengxin City. The Star Luo Empire may not value this place highly, but they won't simply let us take it. Prepare for a major battle. We struck by surprise this time and didn't bring many troops. I'll return to the Spirit Empire at once and dispatch reinforcements."

"Yes!" Tuoba Xi accepted the order.

After the Golden Generation trio and Qian Renxue left, he heaved a long sigh. He admitted that the Elder of Judgment and the Saintess were formidable, but they'd stumbled into making wedding clothes for Tianlin.

Taking over the Blacksmith Association and arming his Holy Dragon Legion—how was that any different from aiding the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? After all, his true boss was Tianlin!

…

Two days later, inside the Star Luo Empire's imperial palace.

A domineering, awe-inspiring man stared down at the assembled ministers. The immense pressure of his soul power kept everyone below from even raising their heads. He was the Star Luo Emperor—father of Dai Mubai and Dai Weisi—Dai Tianjue.

The Star Luo royal house differed from the Heaven Dou royal family. Heaven Dou's inherited martial soul was the harmless swan; Emperor Xue Ye, though advanced in years, was only a forty-sixth-rank Soul Ancestor.

If not for his imperial status, his standing would be on par with the Grandmaster's at best.

The Star Luo Emperor was different. With the top-tier martial soul Evil-Eyed White Tiger, he was a powerhouse whose strength matched his station.

"Speak. Why is no one speaking? On the very first day the Spirit Empire was founded, I ordered surveillance of their every move. And yet Gengxin City was wiped out, and I only got the news two days later," the emperor said, enunciating each word.

Seeing his expression, everyone knew he was on the verge of exploding. They all knelt, not daring to utter a sound.

"Father, please quell your anger. Gengxin City isn't in Star Luo's heartland but on the periphery. Spirit Hall's surprise tactics were hard to guard against. But from this, we can surmise their plan: first sever a major source of our armaments, then use Gengxin City as a foothold to push into our heartland. Our top priority is to send an army to retake Gengxin City as soon as possible," Dai Weisi stepped forward and said. Having bested Dai Mubai, he was now the Star Luo Crown Prince, and his cultivation had advanced considerably—sixty-eighth-rank Soul Emperor, only slightly inferior to Spirit Hall's Golden Generation.

"How many troops are currently garrisoned in Gengxin City?" The emperor's majestic gaze fell on a minister in charge of intelligence. If the man failed to answer today, he'd lose not just his post but his life. In Star Luo, there was no power that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor—his word was law.

Trembling, the official knelt and said, "Your Majesty, I have verified the situation. At present, Gengxin City is held by Tuoba Xi, Sect Master of the Holy Dragon Sect. The Holy Dragon Legion consists of fifteen thousand soul masters and a hundred thousand elite soldiers."

He exhaled in relief. Thankfully, the emperor had asked what he knew. Otherwise, his head would hardly be safe today.

"A hundred thousand soldiers are of no consequence; it's the fifteen thousand soul masters that pose a problem," Dai Tianjue said in a low voice. Though Star Luo's military might far outstripped Heaven Dou's, its soul master strength did not. Large and small soul master sects preferred to establish themselves in Heaven Dou because of Star Luo's domineering, me-only policies.

Soul masters who joined the royal house and met combat standards numbered only around eight thousand. Subtract those garrisoning various locales, and they could muster at most three to four thousand for a field army—far too inferior compared to Spirit Hall.

"Father, as the saying goes: with a five-to-one advantage, attack; with a ten-to-one, encircle. Directly clashing with a soul master legion would be unwise. I propose we hurl five hundred thousand troops at them. Human-wave tactics are the most appropriate way to break a soul master legion," Dai Weisi suggested.

Dai Tianjue nodded. "Well said. Are you willing to take command and, together with Zhu Zhuyun, campaign against the Spirit Empire?"

"Your son is willing." Dai Weisi immediately knelt to receive the decree. This was an excellent chance to grasp military power—how could he let it slip by?

"Father, I have another suggestion. The Grandmaster from Heaven Dou came before, proposing that they deal with the bulk of Spirit Hall's soul master legions while we only engage the regular armies. Now is the time to formalize the alliance. Please dispatch envoys to negotiate with them."

"Very good. Rest easy—your father will handle it." Dai Tianjue accepted Dai Weisi's proposals in full. Though confident in his nation's strength, no one who climbed to the summit of power was a fool.

Star Luo was strong, yes, but it couldn't beat Spirit Hall alone. They had to unite with Heaven Dou.

…

Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Empire, to counter Spirit Hall's soul master legions, the Grandmaster and Tai Tan were arduously drilling the Tang Army—an army of hidden weapons.

The Grandmaster was a different man now, his eyes shadowed. He had pinned his hopes of proving his theories on Tang San alone—and Tang San had perished at the hands of the Emperor Team. Now, his hatred for the Emperor Team and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect far surpassed his hatred for Spirit Hall.

He would not only use this hidden weapon army to destroy Spirit Hall, but also to annihilate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Chapter 503: Drawing the Asura Demonic Sword

Between drilling the army, the Grandmaster went to the forge. To contend with the Spirit Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Tai Tan had shut himself in, forging hidden weapons without taking a single step outside.

Among Tang Sect hidden weapons, he had already produced some of the mid-tier ones. But the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, and Peacock Plume were simply too difficult—not only were their crafting techniques complex, the materials required were extremely rare.

Fortunately, this was the imperial palace—he'd managed to find quite a few rare materials in the Treasury Pavilion. Tai Tan planned to head up to the Clear Sky Sect after finishing this batch of mid-tier weapons, to ask them to use the Clear Sky Hammer to temper ores.

"Mr. Tai Tan, how are you coming along with the Icefire Meteor Needle blueprint?" Yu Xiaogang walked up and asked.

"Grandmaster, you're here—please, sit." Seeing the Grandmaster, Tai Tan hurried forward to greet him; this was his young master's teacher, after all.

"I have some leads on the Icefire Meteor Needle. According to the notes left by the young master, this weapon may be on par with the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles in power, and its construction is simpler. But it never made it into the Tang Sect Hidden Weapons Canon because it's practically impossible to manufacture—the materials are far too unique. I never expected you to actually have them, Grandmaster."

As he spoke, Tai Tan looked at two peculiar ores on the table: one crimson like fire, the other snow-white like ice. Likely only two people in this world—Tianlin and the deceased Tang San—could have recognized them.

They were called the Sunshine Crystalline Core and the Coldheart Ice Essence. It was said they had only a one-in-a-thousand chance of forming where ultimate heat and ultimate cold converged. They were the primary materials for forging the Icefire Meteor Needle. But places where ultimate heat and cold converged were seen perhaps once in a century; thus, for hundreds of years, no one in the Tang Sect had reproduced the weapon, its power unknown and thus unranked. So in his notes, Tang San had only written that it might be no weaker than the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.

The Grandmaster explained, "I came by them by chance. I was going to present them to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to buy Ma Hongjun's freedom so he could assist Xiao San. But now that Xiao San has been killed, Ma Hongjun has no value."

"Strictly speaking, this is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's own sin to bear. These two stones were sent by their Medicine Hall elder, Dugu Bo, back then as thanks for Prince Xue Xing saving his life."

"He had no idea what they were good for and sent them as pretty rocks—utterly foolish."

"Heh, but doesn't that give us hope? As long as we produce a single Icefire Meteor Needle, we can be certain of killing at least one Titled Douluo from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or Spirit Hall. Preferably Bibi Dong or Jun Tianlin," Tai Tan said excitedly.

The fire poison and ice poison contained within the Icefire Meteor Needle far surpassed Dugu Yan's power of ice and fire. Anyone struck would find their soul power unable to circulate no matter how deep their cultivation.

He also deduced that with the hardness of the Sunshine Crystalline Core and Coldheart Ice Essence, the needle might barely be able to pierce a Titled Douluo's bodily defenses.

It was just that refining the ice and fire power within such peerless ores into poison was a rather low use. If these two ores were in Lou Gao's hands—after he had learned Shu Mountain smelting techniques—there would be far more ingenious applications.

The Grandmaster stood. "There's no time to waste. Tai Tan, continue mass-producing the mid-tier hidden weapons. I'll bring these ores to the Clear Sky Sect now. Only Tang Xiao's Clear Sky Hammer can grind these stones. Once you finish your batch, hurry to the Clear Sky Sect as well."

"Yes," Tai Tan responded.

Leaving the imperial palace, the Grandmaster first returned to Shrek Academy, calling on Liu Erlong and Flender to accompany him. Given his current status, he needed protection when traveling.

He considered the Soul Emperor-level bodyguards assigned by the royal family unqualified, so he specifically summoned his two personal Soul Douluo. United as the Golden Iron Triangle, their strength could rival a Titled Douluo.

Flender had actually retired and didn't want to get involved, but as the Grandmaster's longtime friend, he couldn't refuse such a small request.

As the trio left Heaven Dou City, three pairs of eyes were already fixed on them.

The first pair belonged to the Clear Sky Sect—arranged by Tang Yuehua. To spark a deadly clash between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall, she needed a fuse, and that fuse was the Grandmaster.

The second was Chrysanthemum Douluo, sent by the Evil Sword Immortal, intending to take the Grandmaster away. But he hadn't expected the Grandmaster to be traveling with Flender and Liu Erlong. At present, he wasn't a match for the Golden Holy Dragon—and there were Clear Sky people secretly tailing them as well. He simply couldn't find a chance to act and could only bide his time.

The third pair belonged to Bai He from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He was the most concealed; the others hadn't noticed him, but he had clearly marked both the Clear Sky and Chrysanthemum Douluo.

"The Sect Master guessed right. A mere twenty-ninth-rank Soul Grandmaster, and yet three great powers are watching him. Even if he dies, it'll be a glorious death!" Bai He said.

With a flicker, he left. He didn't need to personally keep watch now. As for how the Clear Sky Sect and the Evil Sword Immortal would move next, both Tianlin and Ning Fengzhi had already roughly predicted it. Let them play their game.

They would swoop in and cut certain things off at the end.

…

Elsewhere, on Sea God Island, after several days of rest, Ning Rongrong finally began her seventh trial: drawing the Sea God Trident.

Tianlin didn't go this time. It was the Sea God's temple after all—what would a successor of the Asura God be doing there? Besides, Rongrong wouldn't be in any danger during this trial.

"Since Rongrong has begun her seventh trial, I should begin my own seventh as well." Tianlin rode his sword away from Sea God Island, landing on an uninhabited islet nearby.

Here, he would draw the Asura Demonic Sword. Its baleful aura was too intense; doing this in a city would inevitably harm innocents.

He opened his belt soul tool. The Asura Demonic Sword, still in its scabbard, appeared before him. The task this time was to draw the blade.

Tianlin held the scabbard in his left hand and gripped the hilt with his right. In that instant, his Asura God Domain flared out of his control. Every bird and beast on the island, and even the sea soul beasts in the surrounding waters, fled the islet in terror.

On Tianlin's body, soul bone armor manifested—everything but the chestplate.

"As expected of a legendary super divine weapon. Without even leaving the scabbard, it pushes your Asura God Domain to its limit and even forces your soul bone armor out," the Skydream Iceworm sighed.

Tianlin channeled soul power into his right hand and pulled with all his might. Blood-red light seeped out bit by bit from the gap between blade and scabbard.

Back then, Tang Chen took a full three days to draw this sword—and he never fully gained its recognition.

But the Asura Demonic Sword slowly emerged at Tianlin's first attempt. That was because Tang Chen's martial path was the hammer; a hammer was a blunt instrument and not a perfect fit for a sword. If the Asura God had had a better option, he wouldn't have chosen Tang Chen.

Tianlin was different. He was a sword master, and his current strength was in no way inferior to Tang Chen's back then. The Asura Demonic Sword clearly preferred him.

"Come out!" Tianlin roared, unleashing all his soul power. With a sharp swish, blade and scabbard finally parted completely.

Centered on the islet, the sky within a radius of a thousand li turned blood-red. Blood clouds blotted out the heavens.

["Jun Tianlin, Asura God's Seventh Trial: Draw the super divine weapon, the Asura Demonic Sword—passed. Asura God affinity increased by twenty percent; current affinity: ninety percent!"]