DD Spiritual Sword [520-521] (Patreon)

Chapter 520: The Holy Fire Insignia — Passing the Sixth Trial of the Fire God

"Ninth Soul Skill, Holy Fire Insignia!"

Qin Ming's powerful flames gathered in the air, gradually forming a huge wolf-head insignia.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when Ma Hongjun and the Flame Lord's ultimate fire were both suppressed, Qin Ming unleashed the wolf-head insignia in one go.

Qin Ming's Blazing Wolf is a mutated Martial Soul. The mutation isn't just about the wolf itself—it also gave his flames a trace of divine attribute. That's why his eighth soul skill is called Blazing Wolf Holy Fire.

Now, after combining this divine power with the sealing purple fire of the Purple-eyed Beast, the resulting Holy Fire Insignia not only fully inherits the sealing power of the purple fire, but also has a divine dissolving effect, which can downgrade the quality or attributes of an opponent's Martial Soul.

When the Holy Fire Insignia imprinted itself on the Flame Lord, he could clearly feel his strength weakening.

For a soul master, the reduction of soul power means a drop in level; for a soul beast, it means a decrease in years. The Flame Lord could clearly sense that his cultivation had been sealed by about thirty thousand years.

Fortunately, his cultivation had already exceeded 230,000 years. Even after a 30,000-year reduction, he was still within the realm of a fierce beast.

"So this is your ninth soul skill? Heh, you really wasted a good Blazing Wolf." The Flame Lord sneered. Sealing this little bit of power was nothing to him.

"This battle is over. You've still lost. Lava Storm!"

The Flame Lord stomped the ground, and countless streams of scalding magma erupted from beneath his feet—this was a technique formed by fusing his fire and earth attributes.

"Hongjun, use your Phoenix Fire!" Qin Ming shouted.

"Yes!" Ma Hongjun's fourth soul ring shone. "Fourth Soul Skill: Phoenix Sky Strike!"

Ma Hongjun's fourth soul ring came from an Earth King beast, which also had both fire and earth attributes. So his fourth soul skill could also unleash magma.

Magma summoned by both powerhouses clashed underground. In terms of sheer strength, the Flame Lord was stronger, but the outcome was unexpected: his magma rapidly receded as soon as it touched Ma Hongjun's.

The feeling was like soldiers retreating in the face of a general; their momentum was instantly overwhelmed.

"How is this possible? My flames aren't the ultimate fire anymore?" The Flame Lord finally noticed that ever since the wolf-head insignia was marked on his chest, his flames had been dissolved. All fire he used from that moment on was no longer ultimate fire.

Now, Qin Ming could freely exchange blows with him, and Ma Hongjun could even use his own ultimate fire to suppress him. At this moment, they truly had hope of victory.

Qin Ming and Ma Hongjun exchanged glances, both deciding to go all out and settle the battle in one move.

"Seventh Soul Skill: True Phoenix Form!"

"Seventh Soul Skill: True Blazing Wolf Form!"

The two activated their martial soul true forms at the same time. A massive fire wolf and a soaring phoenix charged at the Flame Lord.

The Flame Lord seemed intent on breaking the seal of the Holy Fire Insignia before fighting again. He didn't confront their attacks head-on, but instead flew high into the sky to evade.

Ma Hongjun immediately flapped his fiery wings and gave chase. Qin Ming also stepped into the air, flying skyward, though a bit slower than Ma Hongjun.

Title Douluos can all fly, but that's really just relying on their powerful soul power to stay airborne. Compared to soul masters with true flying beast martial souls, their maneuverability is much lower.

That's why, in the past, Chen Xin always used soul skills for flight when traveling, which was much faster.

Firelight flashed in the sky as the three experts dyed the heavens red. Tianlin watched intently above. After an unknown period, a figure finally fell from the sky.

It was the Flame Lord. Having lost his ultimate fire and fighting two opponents alone, he could no longer hold out.

Boom!

With a crash, the Flame Lord's massive body hit the ground. The fire phoenix and blazing wolf slowly descended as well, reverting to Ma Hongjun and Qin Ming's human forms.

The two knelt on the ground, panting. Even though the Flame Lord's cultivation was reduced and he lost the ultimate fire, he was still far stronger than them. They had to exhaust nearly all their soul power to gain the upper hand.

But it was all worth it. After a year of relentless effort, they finally defeated the Flame Lord.

They had failed countless times, but their unwavering belief—if you cannot win, you must fight; if you fight, you must win—carried them through.

["Ma Hongjun, you have passed the sixth trial of the Fire God's Nine Trials. Fire God affinity increased by fifteen percent, now at sixty percent."]

["Qin Ming, for assisting the Fire God's inheritor in passing the sixth trial, soul power increased by one level, now level ninety-two!"]

The Fire God's voice sounded. Because Ma Hongjun took so long on this trial, the reward was somewhat reduced.

For Qin Ming, however, each level after becoming a Title Douluo is extremely precious. This reward was worth as much as five or six levels before.

"Well done, Hongjun, Teacher Qin. I'll heal you now. Eighth Soul Skill: Extreme Curse—Yin-Yang Reversal!" Tianlin drew his magic sword, not only healing Ma Hongjun and Qin Ming, but also completely healing the Flame Lord.

The Flame Lord, upon waking, still felt a bit dizzy, as his soul had just been burned by Qin Ming's soul.

This battle had been suffocating—he had only used sixty or seventy percent of his full strength before being defeated. The reason was completely unexpected: after Qin Ming gave up a burst-damage route, his ninth soul skill's restriction and support abilities turned out to be so strong.

As expected, soul rings of the hundred-thousand-year level are truly different. He had underestimated his opponent.

"Fatty, congratulations on passing. After this stage, you'll truly enter the Fire God Inheritor's test. Just now, Asura Heir restored you to your best state. Do you want to proceed with the seventh trial right away? This one isn't a battle, but pulling out the Fire God's divine weapon—the Divine Fire Spear!" the Flame Lord said.

The Fire God had two divine weapons—a sword and a spear. The Fire God Sword was on the Five Elements Continent, while the spear was left on the Douluo Continent.

Ma Hongjun nodded without hesitation. "Of course, that's for the best. What I need most now is time—the sooner I finish the trials, the better."

"Good, follow me!" The Flame Lord turned and led the three into the deepest part of Sui Ren Valley.

After about two hours, a huge cave appeared before them. The Flame Lord turned and said, "Except for Ma Hongjun, Qin Ming and Jun Tianlin, please wait here for now. No one can interfere when Ma Hongjun obtains the divine weapon."

"All right, we'll wait here. Go, Hongjun—pull out the divine weapon that will one day be yours." Tianlin patted Ma Hongjun's shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't worry, boss, I won't let you down!" Ma Hongjun replied firmly, striding into the cave.

Chapter 521: The Divine Spear Appears — The Nine Fire God Spear Techniques

The Fire God's inheritance site was called the Scorching Hell, already extremely hot, and Sui Ren Valley at its center was even more unbearably hot.

As Ma Hongjun entered the cave, he felt the temperature rise with every step.

Anyone other than soul masters of ultimate fire or ultimate ice would have their bones melted instantly here.

After walking for over ten minutes, Ma Hongjun finally reached the cave's deepest part, where a crimson spear was thrust into the ground. This was the Fire God's divine weapon—the Divine Fire God Spear.

Though not as powerful as the super-artifact Sea God's Trident, it was still among the top divine weapons.

At this moment, a figure stood before the spear, gently caressing its shaft with a mixture of reluctance and relief. "Old friend, you've followed me for tens of thousands of years. You must be tired. It's time to find you a new master and start a new life."

"Fire God!" Ma Hongjun instantly recognized the man as the Fire God himself, who had manifested in the world once more to see his weapon one last time.

The Fire God turned and looked at Ma Hongjun. "Not bad. Though you took a bit too long on the sixth trial, you completed it in the end. Next, pull out my divine weapon. This is the seventh trial. The moment you draw it, my inheritance truly begins."

"Yes, please rest assured, Fire God. I will do it." Ma Hongjun nodded firmly and approached the spear.

With the Divine Fire Phoenix possessing him, Ma Hongjun gripped the spear tightly and channeled all his soul power, preparing to pull it out in one go.

At this moment, all the flames in the Scorching Hell boiled. Tianlin sensed the surging divine power: "The seventh trial has begun. Hongjun is gaining the divine weapon's recognition."

Qin Ming wiped his sweat. As a fire-attribute Title Douluo, he could barely endure the heat, but now the temperature had soared to his limit.

"So hot. If this keeps up and Hongjun's trial doesn't end, I'll be completely dehydrated. For a fire-attribute Title Douluo to die like this is too humiliating."

"Teacher Qin, let me help you." Tianlin smiled, taking out the Water Spirit Pearl. It had been about a year since he absorbed the Fire Spirit Pearl, and it was time to absorb the third one. This was the perfect moment.

Tianlin summoned the Holy Spirit Pearl, drawing the Water Spirit Pearl over.

Soon, the Water Spirit Pearl became a blue-gold halo, attaching to the fourth slot on the Holy Spirit Pearl.

The Spirit Pearl seemed one with Tianlin. Absorbing its power was easier than absorbing a soul beast's ring.

He only needed to ensure that the increase in his physical attributes from the Pearl didn't exceed his body's limit.

Before long, Tianlin finished absorbing the Water Spirit Pearl and gained its four immortal arts:

Wind and Snow World — a large-scale attack, able to freeze everything for thousands of miles.

Cold Realm Curse — a barrier that greatly improves the whole team's defense against energy attacks for a short time.

Water Shield — completely blocks water attacks, absorbs the energy to strengthen oneself, or reflects water attacks.

Divine Summoning Art: Snow Demon — summon a Snow Demon to assist in battle, but since the Pearl lacks a Snow Demon's spiritual imprint, this skill is temporarily unavailable.

"Incredible. I didn't think there were other Spirit Pearls in this world besides Tianlin's, and that they could be absorbed by the Holy Spirit Pearl to become special soul rings of over a million years." Qin Ming marveled.

Tianlin's four soul rings on the Holy Spirit Pearl—platinum, gold, red-gold, and blue-gold—were truly unique in this world.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Cold Realm Curse!" Tianlin activated it, and Qin Ming instantly felt much cooler and more comfortable. After all, extreme heat counted as an energy attack, and it was now completely blocked.

Now, Qin Ming would be able to last until Ma Hongjun came out. Tianlin sat cross-legged, using the Pearl's power to temper his soul bones.

His right arm had already been tempered during the Fire Spirit Pearl absorption, and thanks to the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's high-year soul bone, his right arm bone reached nearly 800,000 years.

Today, he aimed to bring the Blue Silver Emperor arm bone to 500,000 years, with extra power used for his left leg, which already had a 400,000-year soul bone. He estimated the Water Spirit Pearl would let both his left arm and leg reach 500,000 years.

Next year, he'd use the Wind Spirit Pearl for the Wind Demon Wolf right leg bone, and the final Thunder Spirit Pearl would be reserved for the torso bone.

To create the ultimate divine set, Tianlin had to ensure his skull and torso bone reached a million years, and all limbs over 500,000 years. Once he reached level 99, even without fully inheriting a god's position, he'd be able to rival gods by sheer rank alone.

This was to prepare for the race to godhood against Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong.

…

Inside the cave, as Ma Hongjun pulled the divine spear, the immense divine power shattered his meridians and bones, and burned his skin. But with the Phoenix Domain activated, as long as his soul power wasn't exhausted, he could be reborn from any wounds.

Though the artifact's power was near-infinite, it wasn't being wielded by the Fire God himself. After repeated soul power surges, the spear was slowly drawn out, inch by inch.

"Death isn't scary—once you're dead, it's all over. But continuing to live, the one who stays behind suffers the most." Ma Hongjun steeled himself. "I'm selfish—I don't want to endure it alone. I want to bring Chenxiang and Dean with me. Rise!"

Flames shot to the heavens as the Fire God Spear was finally pulled free.

Seeing this, the Fire God laughed heartily. "Ha! The divine spear has found a new master. What a blessing!"

He then used divine power to create a replica long spear and demonstrated:

"Ma Hongjun, watch closely. These are the nine techniques of the Fire God Spear. I will now impart them to you."