DD Spiritual Sword [540-541] (Patreon)

Chapter 540: Dual Fire and Earth Immortal Arts, Stars Fall and Earth Trembles

Seeing his Chrysanthemum Tornado envelop Qin Ming, Chrysanthemum Douluo couldn't help feeling smug. He was just about to withdraw his soul power to check on the foolish person torn apart by petals when a fiery red light suddenly seeped out from the flames.

Next, the tornado suddenly exploded.

Many marks of holy fire appeared in the sky. Fireballs imbued with divine power continuously rained down from the marks like a meteor shower—this was a 360-degree, no-blind-spot attack. The dense flames far surpassed the power of Feng Tianlei's Wind and Thunder Sword Array.

Chrysanthemum Douluo dodged left and right, but was still hit by fireballs. Due to the special nature of Qin Ming's ninth soul ring, his eighth soul skill's flames now carried a hint of sealing power. Even if not struck directly by the holy fire sigils, Chrysanthemum Douluo still felt that part of his soul power was unusable.

Though the Chrysanthemum was powerful, it was after all a plant-type martial soul, and inherently at a disadvantage against fire. Furthermore, Chrysanthemum Douluo's level was now lower than Qin Ming's. Today, his defeat was inevitable.

"Damn, this won't do. Angel Legion, surprise attack!" Chrysanthemum Douluo ordered desperately.

His hatred for Tianlin, the Emperor Battle Team, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had made him almost hysterical.

At this moment, Golden Crocodile Douluo, locked in fierce battle with Bone Douluo, heard the command and was infuriated. Their original plan was to use their numerical advantage in Titled Douluos to tie down all the enemy's top fighters, then have Chrysanthemum Douluo, now freed up, break through the ranks, and finally send the Angel Legion for a surprise attack—minimizing casualties and maximizing gains.

But now, Chrysanthemum Douluo was no match for Qin Ming. The Angel Legion would have a hard time just getting past Qin Ming. Even if the surprise succeeded, the losses would be great. This was their ace unit from the Hall of Worship! Did the Hall of the Pope not care how many died?

Golden Crocodile Douluo wanted to intervene, but was dragged back by Bone Dragon's claw. "Golden Crocodile Douluo, we aren't finished yet. Where do you think you're going?"

"Damn you, Gu Rong, get out of my way!" Golden Crocodile Douluo angrily fired a powerful energy wave at Gu Rong, which could pulverize anything in its path.

But Gu Rong had activated his Martial Soul True Body and was supported by Ning Fengzhi's Four Suns Imperial and Six Suns Enhancement, boosting his defense to more than five times the usual. Even Golden Crocodile Douluo at rank 98 couldn't budge him.

The energy wave was dispersed by Gu Rong, who laughed, "Not enough pain, Golden Crocodile Douluo! You think you can beat me with this little power? No way!"

No wonder he's called the Smiling Bone Dragon—fighting him requires a steady mindset, or you'll easily be infuriated by his trash talk.

Blocked by Gu Rong, Golden Crocodile Douluo lost his chance to stop Chrysanthemum Douluo. The Angel Legion, following orders, was already on the move.

Eighty flying soul sages, all above rank seventy, formed the strike team. In the original work, they died to Buddha Fury Tang Lotus. Today, they would face something even more ruthless.

"Heh, here they come. This must be the flying unit Sword Brother warned me about." For once, a trace of cruelty appeared on Ning Rongrong's beautiful face. There's no room for mercy in war—she was ready for a massacre.

"Let me show you all how powerful my Sword Brother is."

Ning Rongrong took out a talisman in each hand. The left contained the fire-type large-scale attack immortal technique, Purgatory Sea of Fire; the right, the earth-type defensive immortal technique, True Essence Body Shield.

When these two immortal arts combined, what kind of power would be born? If any Shu Mountain disciple were here, they'd immediately recognize it as the most powerful dual fire-earth immortal art: Stars Fall and Earth Trembles.

It had been extremely difficult for Tianlin to make such talismans. Both kinds of immortal power had to be infused into the talismans in exact proportions, a considerable drain on Tianlin himself. He had only managed to leave these two for Ning Rongrong.

Therefore, the attack had to hit at exactly the right moment.

Ever since seeing the Spirit Empire's legion, Gu Ran had kept his eye on Ning Rongrong. Seeing her take out two talismans, he immediately waved his command flag.

"Breaking Clan and Speed Clan, fall back into the city!"

Facing a powerful team of all soul sages, retreat was only natural. Qin Ming's eyes widened—he hadn't expected the Spirit Empire to have such a powerful force.

He wasn't faking it either—Tianlin had forgotten to tell him about this. But maybe that was for the best; his genuine surprise would make him more trustworthy.

Chrysanthemum Douluo laughed wildly, "Hahaha, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! This is the true strength of my Spirit Empire. Today is your doomsday. Too bad Tianlin isn't here—I can't kill him today. But when he returns and sees your corpses, what will his face look like? I can't wait to make him taste the pain of losing loved ones!"

"Dream on!" Qin Ming charged forward, clashing with Chrysanthemum Douluo again.

Though Chrysanthemum Douluo was badly injured, he could still hold Qin Ming back.

The Angel Legion finally reached the city walls. With the Breaking Clan and Speed Clans withdrawn, the Elephant Armored Sect and Wind Sword Sect were freed up, and all three legions prepared to storm the city at once.

"Only Spirit Empire people remain outside the city? Perfect—let them all die!" Ning Rongrong poured soul power into the two talismans.

In an instant, fiery rain fell from the sky and the ground began to shake. When the two powers merged, fireballs turned into molten boulders—about ten times more than Qin Ming's earlier Wolf Holy Fire.

"What is that!?" The Angel Legion's squad leader looked up in terror, the power gathering in the sky was overwhelming.

'BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!'

The rain of lava finally fell. The Angel Legion and Wind Sword Sect disciples were smashed to the ground. On the ground, the Elephant Armored Sect and other sect disciples were also devastated. For a time, the area below Heaven Dou City became a living hell.

The range of Stars Fall and Earth Trembles was so vast, it covered half of Heaven Dou City. But Tianlin was prepared—Ning Rongrong took out two more talismans, Fire Screen and Earth Screen, constructing barriers on the city walls against fire and earth attacks.

No matter the natural disaster raging outside, she remained unshaken.

…

After ten minutes, the lava rain finally stopped. Charred corpses were everywhere. The Angel Legion—eighty people; Elephant Armored Sect—five hundred with their new chief Huyan Zhan; Wind Sword Sect—seven hundred; Fire Leopard Sect—five hundred; Black Tiger Sect—five hundred; Rock Antelope Sect—three hundred; and tens of thousands of Spirit Empire heavy cavalry poised to storm the city—all annihilated!

The destructive power surpassed Buddha Fury Tang Lotus by who knows how much. This was the power of Shu Mountain talismans, and not even their full strength—Tianlin's Five Spirit Immortal Arts weren't yet at their peak. If they were, this move would be even more terrifying.

Chapter 541: First Battle Won

"What… what is this?" Staring at the hellish scene, Chrysanthemum Douluo was scared out of his wits.

He should thank Qin Ming for blocking him earlier—otherwise, if he'd also rushed to the city gate, his corpse would be among those below.

"Haha, Chrysanthemum Douluo! This is the true strength of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How does it compare to your Spirit Empire? But I'm not interested in your answer—go to hell!" Qin Ming, seizing the moment, launched a fierce attack.

Driven by the will to live, Chrysanthemum Douluo fought back desperately, but the shocking Stars Fall and Earth Trembles had shattered his spirit. He had no fighting will left—he only wanted to escape.

Inside the city, Gu Ran raised the command flag and ordered, "Open the gates—full army assault!"

Heaven Dou Empire's army had always feared the Spirit Empire's heavy cavalry. Now that the cavalry was annihilated, sending out light cavalry for a charge would be most effective.

Actually, the Heaven Dou Empire did have elite heavy cavalry, but Xue Beng would never hand such troops to Ning Fengzhi—they'd long been guarding him as he retreated.

Tens of thousands of troops inside the city were ready. As the gates opened, they surged out, spreading in wings across the plain to flank the Spirit Empire's rear.

The Spirit Empire lacked commanding talent. Previously, they relied on the soul master legions to smash enemy lines, then the heavy cavalry would charge in, and the rear would mop up. That's how they'd won so many battles.

But that only worked when there was a huge gap in power. Now, with the soul master legions and heavy cavalry almost wiped out, and no qualified commanders in the rear, everything was chaos.

Ning Fengzhi's knowledge of military tactics was no less than Gu Rong's, and he'd already taught Gu Ran how to command. The light cavalry charge immediately caused massive casualties.

Now, there was only one person left alive on Heaven Dou City's wall—Feng Tianlei. He'd barely escaped into the city with his speed, protected by the Fire Screen and Earth Screen. But alone, he was still doomed.

Ning Rongrong glanced coldly at Feng Tianlei. "Senior, do you remember, during the Soul Hunting operation, you offended my sect? You were lucky to escape from my Sword Brother last time, and now you survived Stars Fall and Earth Trembles—like a cockroach. But today, you won't escape. I'll kill you myself."

A bright light flashed from Ning Rongrong's brow—a gorgeous trident appeared in her hand. She swept forward. Feng Tianlei tried to block with his Wind Shield, but it was useless. The shield was smashed and Feng Tianlei was sent flying, his bones seeming to shatter.

"What terrifying strength! This woman is even stronger than Tianlin was during the Soul Hunt!" Feng Tianlei thought bitterly. He couldn't beat Tianlin, and now he couldn't beat his wife either.

"That day, even though we were prepared, dozens of my sect members still died by your sword. Today, I'll avenge them—Snow Dance!"

Her domain spread out. Feng Tianlei was too good at escaping—Ning Rongrong used her strongest ice domain to restrict him.

"Take this! Oak Society Wood Supports the Sky!" Ning Rongrong swung the Sea God Trident. Though she hadn't yet learned the Sea God's Golden Thirteen Tridents, Tianlin had taught her a basic Daoist long-weapon technique.

These were the basics of long-weapon arts. Once mastered, learning the Golden Thirteen Tridents would be much easier for Ning Rongrong.

Two streaks of light fell from the sky—Bibi Dong and Chen Xin had also sensed the immense power here and returned.

Both were slightly injured—there hadn't been enough time for two Ultimate Douluos to determine a winner.

Facing Chen Xin, Bibi Dong had a hard fight. In terms of soul power and physical strength—she had eighteen soul rings and surpassed Chen Xin. But his swordsmanship was terrifying. In terms of skill, she was suppressed the whole time.

She was confident that with her undying body, she could win if the fight went on endlessly—but it would take ten days and nights, not counting Chen Xin's self-sacrifice move, which might mean mutual destruction.

Seeing Bibi Dong return, Golden Crocodile Douluo and the others retreated to her side. Gu Rong and Yu Yuanzhen didn't pursue, returning to the walls.

Ning Fengzhi withdrew his support and collapsed to his knees—supporting two super Douluos at once had drained his soul power.

Oscar quickly gave him a sausage to help him recover—at the moment, this was all he could do.

If not for the risk of exposing his copy martial soul ability to Bibi Dong (and her discovering the truth about the Grandmaster's death), he'd have used his mirror sausage to join the fight, especially with Tianlin's magic sword—he'd dare step even onto a super Douluo battlefield.

Bibi Dong looked at the corpses of her soul masters and the butchery of her army, and said coldly, "Good—very good. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has given my Spirit Empire another crushing defeat. But don't forget, the power of my Spirit Empire is far from exhausted."

The meaning was clear: their Grand Worship Qian Daoliu, and the third, fourth, and fifth worships, plus Judgement Elder Qian Renxue, had yet to arrive.

Ning Fengzhi ate the sausage, regained some strength, and stood up with a smile. "And don't forget, our sect's real trump card hasn't appeared either."

His meaning was clear: their Tianlin was still not here. As long as the fight wasn't at the Hall of Worship, even if Qian Daoliu, three other worships, and Qian Renxue fought together, they might not be a match for Tianlin.

This year, Tianlin hadn't been idle. With the help of the Holy Spirit domain, Oscar's pearl sausage, and three great enhancements from his ultimate martial soul, his cultivation had soared, now reaching rank 97.

After rank 95, each step was like ascending to heaven. At rank 94, Tianlin could withstand Ultimate Douluos; at rank 96, he was confident of suppressing them.

Now at rank 97, as long as he didn't fight at a god's trial site, even if Qian Daoliu brought three worships, they might not be able to beat him.

"Fine, you win. Order a retreat!" Bibi Dong, seeing there was no hope, ordered a withdrawal. If this continued, her entire army would be wiped out.

Following the principle of not pursuing a desperate enemy, Ning Fengzhi waved for a halt. "That's enough, Gu Ran—sound the retreat!"

"Yes!" Gu Ran sounded the gong, and everyone on the battlefield withdrew.

Ning Fengzhi didn't want to push Bibi Dong too hard—today's victory was enough, time to withdraw.

"Hey, Ning Rongrong, we're sounding the retreat. Why aren't you stopping?" Feng Tianlei shouted when he saw Ning Rongrong still attacking him.

"I don't care! Today I will kill you—Dreamland in the Clouds!" Ning Rongrong's Sea God Trident radiated killing intent as she struck at Feng Tianlei. This move was more suited for a staff, but with the trident's weight, it was deadly even as a blunt weapon.

With one blow, Feng Tianlei's Wind Sword martial soul shattered, and his body exploded into pieces.

Any blood that flew toward Ning Rongrong instantly turned to ice and fell away—she remained spotless.

"Ning Fengzhi, what's your daughter doing?" Bibi Dong yelled. Both sides had called a retreat, yet she was still killing—wasn't it too much?

"My daughter is spoiled—she rarely listens to me!" Ning Fengzhi smiled helplessly, then changed his tone, "But so what, Bibi Dong? Are you questioning me? Don't forget, today you are the loser and we are the winners. Have you been in power so long that you've forgotten your place?"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin raised the Seven Kill Sword. "If my granddaughter wants to kill someone who once slaughtered our sect, that's perfectly justified revenge. Who dares object? Bibi Dong, if you're angry, I'll fight you again. Don't take it out on my granddaughter."

"Truly spoiled. Fine, remember this—the loss today won't shake the Spirit Empire's foundation. I'll return someday!" Bibi Dong said bitterly, leading her followers away.

Thus, the Battle of Heaven Dou City was temporarily over. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had won its first victory!