DD Spiritual Sword [513-515] (Patreon)

Chapter 513: Qian Renxue's Sealing Art — Bibi Dong Receives the First Letter

"Not bad—your self-created soul skill. Its sealing power is formidable. But the strongest aspects of our Seraphim lineage are the dissolving force of holy power and the burning might of True Solar Fire. Burying yourself in sealing techniques right now is putting the cart before the horse. You're doing this because of Jun Tianlin, aren't you?" Qian Daoliu asked. "Ever since the day you and he unleashed your Martial Soul Fusion in the Star Dou Great Forest, your resolve has wavered badly."

Qian Renxue nodded. "When we performed the Martial Soul Fusion, Xiao Tian and I could share thoughts, no separation between us. It was from then on that this flower began to bloom little by little."

Qian Renxue took out the Yearning Heartbroken Red from her chest. The crimson radiance of the blossom was no longer as feeble as before—just a bit more, and it could be picked.

"I can no longer bring myself to kill Tianlin. But I won't forget my Qian family's mission. So I will still stand against him. That's why I've been grinding away at sealing arts. If I lose and die by his hand, I'll have no regrets. But if I win, I'll seal him—him and his family and friends all together. When everything has settled, I'll release them. Based on my understanding of Xiao Tian, while the world's fate is undecided, he'll fight to secure benefits for his family. But if the continent is already unified, he won't stir up chaos again for their sake, because at that point, that would be evil." Qian Renxue affirmed. It was precisely her understanding of Tianlin that led her to this idea.

She wasn't wrong. The continent was in turmoil; anyone with strength could vie for hegemony. But once peace returned, Tianlin would never again become a destroyer.

As it happened, Tianlin's thoughts matched hers without prior accord. Lately, he had been tempering his soul bones with the power of spirit pearls, planning to push both legs and his left arm to five hundred thousand years—but for his right arm, he wanted to strengthen it as much as possible.

Not for the Dark-Gold Titan Shattering Hand, but for Dark-Gold Seal. He planned to seal Qian Renxue too, then release her afterward, to avoid them fighting to the death.

…

Elsewhere, within the Rakshasa Secret Realm, Bibi Dong was still attempting to open the ninth trial of the Rakshasa God—but kept failing. She had long since completed the first eight trials and had reached level 99, the threshold for godhood, yet her affinity with the Rakshasa was insufficient to open the ninth trial.

Unlike the Sea God or Angel God, the Rakshasa's affinity wasn't fixed; it fluctuated with the inheritor's state of mind, decreasing or increasing as a result. Back when she completed the eighth trial, Bibi Dong's affinity had reached 90%, enough to immediately open the ninth trial and complete the inheritance. Even if the ninth trial only granted 10%, she could have succeeded. But now she was only at 70%—far too low.

"Damn it—failed again. Xue'er, you've worked so hard to dissolve the hatred in my heart. I don't know whether you love me or are harming me." Bibi Dong sighed. Although because of Qian Renxue her difficulty in inheriting the Rakshasa God had increased drastically, she didn't blame her at all. Compared to those years when she was wholly consumed by hatred—hating the Spirit Hall, the world, even herself—being surrounded by familial love now brought her far more happiness.

It made her realize: she, Bibi Dong, was not unloved.

At that moment, she sensed someone entering her room. When she went into the Rakshasa Secret Realm to cultivate, she would place a wisp of domain power at the doorway—to prevent disturbance.

At such a time, only two people would dare to come.

Bibi Dong changed clothes, left the secret realm, and returned to her room, where Hu Liena stood obediently at the door waiting.

"Nana, you know this is my cultivation time. Why have you come?"

"Teacher, I didn't want to disturb you, but someone delivered a letter, for you to open personally. He said it was extremely urgent. He had an Elder Token, so the guards didn't dare to stop him," Hu Liena said.

"An Elder Token?" Bibi Dong was taken aback. In the world, there were only five Elder Tokens of the Spirit Hall outside in circulation. Yu Yuanzhen and Sword Douluo each had one—honors granted back when the Spirit Hall and the three upper sects hadn't torn their relationship apart.

There were three others. Two were in Tianlin's hands—taken after he killed Titled Douluo and looted them. The last originally belonged to the Clear Sky Sect but ended up with the Grandmaster, making him an honorary elder of the Spirit Hall.

"Xiao Gang!" Bibi Dong immediately thought. At this time, someone who would write to her and attach an Elder Token could only be Yu Xiaogang. In her heart, the Grandmaster was still very important. Even in the darkest period, when she wanted to destroy the whole continent, he was the one person she had never thought to harm. Without hesitating, she left the room and went to the Pope's Hall.

A man was kneeling there timidly. He couldn't help it—this place was too terrifying to him. Luckily the Titled Douluo elders weren't present, or he might have fainted from fear.

Bibi Dong took her seat, regal and stern. "Raise your head."

The man lifted his head, caught a glimpse of Bibi Dong's beautiful face, and immediately dropped it again. "P–paying respects to Your Majesty, Empress of the Spirit Empire. I am an inner disciple of the Heaven Dou Empire's National Preceptor's residence, sent by the Grandmaster to deliver a letter."

"So it is Xiao Gang. The letter—present it," Bibi Dong ordered.

The man handed the letter over. Hu Liena took it and passed it to Bibi Dong. As Bibi Dong opened and read it, she was stunned—the contents were a farewell letter, even a testament.

"Has Xiao Gang gone mad? Going alone to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect for revenge? He's just a Soul Grandmaster-level soul master; anyone from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could make him die without a burial place." Bibi Dong grew anxious. Her love-struck mind kicked in; she no longer had the clarity to analyze the letter's purpose—she only wanted to stop the Grandmaster from marching to his death.

"Wait, Teacher. From my observation, the Grandmaster cherishes his life very much. He endured so many humiliations back then and still bore with them. I don't believe he would really throw his life away like this. You should verify the letter's authenticity first," Hu Liena urged.

"You're right. In my memory, Xiao Gang isn't like that." Forcing herself to stay calm, Bibi Dong picked up the letter again and examined it. After reading a few lines, her brows relaxed. "Heh. So the letter is fake. The handwriting is identical to Xiao Gang's, but it's just a deliberate imitation. They didn't copy his writing habits. Those habits are ones I cultivated with him."

Clearly, Bibi Dong had seen through the flaw Ning Fengzhi had left intentionally. But the next moment, another doubt seized her heart.

Who impersonated the Grandmaster to write this letter, and for what purpose?

 Moreover, whoever wrote it clearly knew the past between her and the Grandmaster. Not many knew of that—besides those in the Worship Hall, the only outside force with such intelligence-gathering prowess would be the Speed Clan, number one in espionage.

When she served as Saintess, she had no shortage of spies around her, but only the Speed Clan could tail her without being discovered.

Then there were the two sects the Speed Clan had served in succession: the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

By process of elimination, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had no reason to entrap themselves. That left only the Clear Sky Sect.

"Not good. Xiao Gang truly is in danger."

Bibi Dong had deduced that the Clear Sky Sect wanted to leverage her love for Xiao Gang and Xiao Gang's hatred of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, to engineer a war between the two sides.

As long as Yu Xiaogang died at the hands of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, she would surely fight to avenge him. As for the motive, it was written in the letter: to avenge Tang San and Tang Hao.

Chapter 514: Bibi Dong's Furious Order — Exterminate the Clear Sky Sect

"Hurry, Nana, send people to the Heaven Dou Empire to inquire about Xiao Gang's situation!" Bibi Dong ordered. The messenger was only Soul Ancestor level; at his relay speed, whatever had to happen might already have happened.

"Yes, Teacher!" Hu Liena had just received the order—

When suddenly, a clamor arose in the Pope's Hall. "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack?" Bibi Dong was stunned. Who had the death wish to attack the Pope's Hall? This was the largest gathering place of Titled Douluo in the world.

Abruptly, the hall's great doors were pushed open by a surge of powerful soul force. A streak of light shot into the hall—the newcomer was Tianlin. Never mind the city guards; even a few Titled Douluo couldn't stop him.

Although Tianlin had set out much later than the one who delivered the first letter, their speeds weren't even comparable; he arrived only a step behind.

"Your Holiness, long time no see. Have you been well?" Tianlin greeted.

Bibi Dong stared coldly at him. "Jun Tianlin, you are bold indeed, barging into the Pope's Hall. Do you take the Spirit Empire for your home?"

Swish, swish, swish!

 Three more figures rushed into the hall—three Titled Douluo still stationed in Spirit City: Serpent Spear Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, and Spirit Kite Douluo.

"Jun Tianlin, to invade our Spirit Empire alone—assassination or not—you're a bit too high-profile, aren't you? Do you look down on us that much?" She Long snapped.

"There's no need for anger. I'm not here to provoke you today, but to clear up a misunderstanding—so Your Holiness doesn't get deceived by villains," Tianlin said gravely.

He actually wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in. He was here to deliver the Grandmaster's death notice; if he broke the news grinning—'your beloved is dead'—Bibi Dong might slap him to death the next second.

Hearing Tianlin's heavy tone, Bibi Dong's heart tightened. She guessed her worst fear might have come true.

"What happened to Xiao Gang? Speak!"

"It seems Your Holiness has already guessed. The Grandmaster is dead—killed by the Clear Sky Sect. Before he died, he left a testament for you, so I've come to deliver it," Tianlin said, handing Bibi Dong the second letter.

Bibi Dong stood motionless. She heard nothing else—only that the Grandmaster was dead. Her Xiao Gang was dead!

"No… impossible. How could he die? I still have to annihilate the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to vent his anger at being expelled. I have to vindicate his theories, so the world won't call him trash anymore. None of that is done—how could he die!" Bibi Dong swayed, her voice turning hoarse.

No matter how much the Grandmaster had failed her, this woman was still hopelessly in love.

Top to bottom, that whole family was like this—Tianlin was used to it.

"Teacher, the dead are gone. Since there's a testament for you, you should read it," Hu Liena said, taking the letter from Tianlin and handing it to Bibi Dong.

This time Bibi Dong was smarter. She verified the letter's authenticity first—perhaps with a shred of hope. If this letter was fake too, the Grandmaster might still be alive.

Unfortunately, Ning Fengzhi hadn't tampered with this letter at all. Every character retained the Grandmaster's habits; there were even ciphers that only she and the Grandmaster could understand—phrases they'd used during their relationship.

With no doubt left, Bibi Dong finished reading, her hand gripping the Pope's Scepter trembling. The letter detailed how the Clear Sky Sect had coerced the Grandmaster into framing the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—clear as day.

Bibi Dong's aura grew icier; within the Evil Spirit Pearl, black energy surged in a straight climb. In that instant, her Rakshasa affinity rose to 80%.

"Where is Xiao Gang's body?" Bibi Dong asked coldly. She did not cry—her tears had dried up long ago. She had only hatred left. Her hatred of the Clear Sky Sect now ranked just below her hatred for Qian Xunji.

"Here." Tianlin took out a crystal from his soul tool, then undid the Dark-Gold Seal. "Your Holiness, the Grandmaster died with his eyes open. I sealed him with the Dark-Gold Seal immediately after his death. Those sealed by it are as if in a frozen space—no change from the moment before sealing."

Bibi Dong immediately grasped his meaning—residual vision at the moment of death. If one were adept with death attributes, one could even extract a fleeting residue of memory from a corpse.

As it happened, Bibi Dong was the strongest death-attribute expert alive.

She approached, looking at the Grandmaster's deathly face. A trace of sorrow crossed her features, but because she now had more important people in her heart, she did not collapse.

She extended a trembling hand and placed her right palm on the Grandmaster's brow. Images from his final moments flooded into her mind.

"Roaring Sky Divine Hammer—so it was Tang Xiao!"

When Tang Xiao roamed the continent back in the day, the Clear Sky Twin Stars were famous throughout the land. The Spirit Hall had ample records on his soul skills.

Even Titled Douluo with the same martial soul had subtle differences in their skills. There were only a handful of nine-ring Clear Sky Hammers in the world; among those possessing the Roaring Sky Divine Hammer, none but Tang Xiao.

"Your Holiness, also this—taken by my Bone Grandfather from Tang Xiao during their clash." Tianlin produced a token from his robe.

"The Clear Sky Token!" With both witness and physical evidence, Bibi Dong no longer had doubts.

"Clear Sky Sect, you deserve death. To make my Spirit Empire and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect go to war early, you used such despicable means to kill Xiao Gang." Bibi Dong turned, murderous intent billowing, and ordered, "Nana, pass my command. The Clear Sky Sect has murdered an honorary elder of the Spirit Empire without cause—we must seek justice. Aside from Tuoba Xi leading the Holy Dragon Legion to hold Gengxin City, all other forces will withdraw from the Star Luo Empire. Suspend operations against Star Luo. We march on Heaven Dou and exterminate the Clear Sky Sect to the last."

The Grandmaster's death gave Bibi Dong a just cause. Previously, the Spirit Empire had been branded evil by the two empires for starting war without cause. Now it was different—avenging their own elder was righteous and well-founded.

"But Teacher, the Clear Sky Sect is allied with the Heaven Dou Empire now…" Hu Liena hesitated.

"Then we'll annihilate the Heaven Dou Empire along with them." The world's foremost empress declared, domineering.

Her original strategy was a two-front war. Now it became focusing on one front first, then the other. The advantage: seizing half the realm quickly. The drawback: the rear would inevitably be attacked by Star Luo, losing swathes of territory. It would depend on how long Tuoba Xi's Holy Dragon Legion could hold until she crushed Heaven Dou.

The Holy Dragon Legion was one of the Spirit Empire's elite forces. With a fortress like Gengxin City, plus five thousand additional soul master troops and a hundred thousand soldiers being dispatched—totaling twenty thousand soul masters and two hundred thousand elite troops—they should hold for months, perhaps up to a year.

The remaining problem was the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. If they intervened, the Spirit Empire versus Heaven Dou would become a protracted stalemate.

But she couldn't command the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—she would play it by ear.

"Your Holiness, the Grandmaster's last wish has been fulfilled. You've seen him one last time, so may I take him back? Clan Chief Yu has agreed to bury him in the clan cemetery," Tianlin said.

Bibi Dong had wanted to keep the body, but upon hearing this she could only wave her hand. "Very well. Take Xiao Gang. This was his life's wish."

To be acknowledged and return to his clan—this had always been Yu Xiaogang's desire. People on the Douluo Continent placed great weight on clan or sect; even Tianlin, an outsider, had been influenced by it.

"Farewell." Tianlin cupped his fist, lifted the Grandmaster's body, and flew away on his sword.

He knew: the Heaven Dou Empire was in for a calamity!

Chapter 515: Winds Rise Across the Continent

Half a month passed, and the continent's situation, like the weather above, had crossed the point of no return.

The Spirit Empire abruptly shifted from a two-front campaign to a full offensive against the Heaven Dou Empire, charging under the banner of "Destroy Heaven Dou, Exterminate Clear Sky," with overwhelming momentum—even deploying two Worship Hall consecrates, Qian Jun and Jiang Mo.

Though both were only level 96, the brothers shared a perfect rapport; even Tang Xiao struggled against them. Much less now, wounded as he was.

Because of these two, the Heaven Dou Empire lost ground steadily. Fortunately, unlike in the original timeline, Jialing Pass was still theirs—it hadn't fallen to the Spirit Empire. This stronghold was special, built specifically with soul masters in mind, its walls made of top-grade materials that could withstand Titled Douluo attacks—the true number one pass of Heaven Dou.

With Heaven Dou defending behind its walls, there would be no disaster in the short term.

At this time, the Clear Sky Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire were more unified than ever—lips and teeth. If one fell, the other would be doomed.

After Tang Yuehua informed Emperor Xue Ye of what had happened, Xue Ye fully believed the true culprit was the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. In both sentiment and logic, he had to believe it—the Clear Sky Sect was the ally.

He could only try to send envoys to explain the truth to Spirit Empire marshal Hu Liena, but was roundly rebuked.

At this point, they dared to slander the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect? Wasn't that exactly the Clear Sky Sect's motive for killing the Grandmaster? And the evidence was ironclad: the Grandmaster's handwritten testament; the Clear Sky Token seized from the killer; witnesses including Liu Erlong, Yu Yuanzhen, and Niu Ben; and even Bibi Dong herself, who had scanned the Grandmaster's final memories. To commit the deed and refuse to admit it—shameless.

Besides, their ultimate goal in attacking the Heaven Dou Empire was continental unification. "Avenging Honorary Elder Yu Xiaogang" was simply a legitimate causa belli.

Emperor Xue Ye also tried to find exculpatory evidence—but there was none. The Seven Treasures side had even prearranged why the Grandmaster would go to Seven Treasure Mountain; the two forged letters to Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Xiaogang were now assumed to be Clear Sky fabrications.

Ning Fengzhi—Xue Ye thought immediately. Only that scoundrel could set something so watertight: kill, then wash himself clean. 

Ning Fengzhi's signature move.

Within the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Yuehua and Tang Xiao looked to the sky, desolate. Tang Yuehua sighed, "I always prided myself on reading hearts better than anyone. I never imagined we'd be outplayed this badly. Back then, Jun Tianlin told us of Second Brother and Tang San's deaths entirely on purpose."

"He and Ning Fengzhi knew we wouldn't let it go. But the Clear Sky Sect is no match for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Our only option was to borrow the Spirit Hall's power. And the only leverage we had to open a channel to them was the Grandmaster. Those two had my mind pegged like glass."

"Cough, cough! Yuehua, don't dwell on it. It's meaningless now. Bibi Dong is sworn to kill us—she is our true enemy. As for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, forget it. We won't avenge Second Brother and Xiao San. We can't." Tang Xiao coughed, thinking of Tianlin's terrifying combat power. At only level 96, he could match—or even surpass—the Clear Sky's strongest sect master, Tang Chen. If he reached level 99, even several Ultimate Douluo together might not suffice.

"Enough," Tang Yuehua exhaled. "In both cunning and strength, we're far from today's Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Rest assured, I won't dwell on it. You were gravely wounded by Jun Tianlin; you shouldn't be in the wind. Let me help you back."

She supported Tang Xiao back into the sect. From here on, their focus could only be on the Spirit Empire. Truly, trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice.

Unlike Heaven Dou, Star Luo was delighted—schadenfreude, even. To them, the Spirit Empire was an enemy—and so was Heaven Dou. Battle was inevitable. Now that the two foes were at each other's throats, Star Luo could reap the fisher's profit. Perhaps this war sparked by the Spirit Empire wouldn't be Star Luo's disaster, but their opportunity to unify the continent.

Of course, they weren't fools. Heaven Dou was not the Spirit Empire's match. If Heaven Dou fell easily, Star Luo wouldn't profit; they'd be next. So they would help Heaven Dou just enough to divide the Spirit Empire's strength, turning the Spirit–Heaven Dou conflict into a protracted war and bleeding both sides.

To that end, Star Luo dispatched troops without hesitation. Since the Spirit Empire had withdrawn most forces from Star Luo's front, they easily reclaimed everything except Gengxin City.

Now they had assembled seven hundred thousand troops, encircling Gengxin City tightly.

But Gengxin City, like Jialing Pass, was a fortress built to withstand soul masters, and it had Titled Douluo, soul master legions, and two hundred thousand soldiers garrisoned. The Spirit Hall had taken it easily before by surprise. With the Spirit Empire prepared, stores full and arms ready, as long as Tuoba Xi didn't foolishly sally out, they could hold for a year or more.

Someone else was joyful—Evil Sword Immortal. Or rather, both vexed and pleased. Vexed because the Grandmaster had died, ruining his plan to exploit him—a recurring cosmic joke, as if someone were sabotaging him on purpose. No matter what scheme he conceived, someone coincidentally ruined it first.

Pleased because, though the Grandmaster plan hadn't borne full fruit, his death still granted Bibi Dong a 10% boost in affinity, bringing her to 80%—the basic threshold to open the ninth Rakshasa trial. Her inheritance would be somewhat weaker under such conditions—

But not by much. Bibi Dong's foundation was excellent; her power was self-cultivated. Compared to gods like Qian Renxue and Ning Rongrong who would need sacrificial boosts, her depth was greater.

Evil Sword Immortal felt a pang of regret. If the Grandmaster had lived, he was confident he could have made Bibi Dong a god within a year. Now it would be a bit later—but with her talent and the Evil Spirit Pearl, no more than four years should suffice.

He had even considered appearing before Bibi Dong to steer her toward darkness, but thought better of it—too risky. What if she didn't listen, or turned on him? Not to mention Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, whose attributes countered him.

Evil Sword Immortal's greatest trait was cowardice. Before his form was fully stabilized, the fewer who knew of him, the better. Tast time he went out for once, met Tianlin, tried to show off, and nearly got chopped in half in a single stroke?

The outside world was too dangerous. For an underdeveloped baby, home was safest. Evil Sword Immortal decided to keep his head down. Until Bibi Dong became a god, he wouldn't go anywhere. If he went out and ran into Tianlin again, he'd be finished.

For now, continent-wide turmoil hadn't touched the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Whatever storms raged outside, Ning Fengzhi and Tianlin remained immovable.

…

But today, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect welcomed a great joy: Ning Rongrong and her party, returning from their journey, finally came home!