DD Spiritual Sword [551-553] (Patreon)

Chapter 551: Chen Xin VS Qian Daoliu

"Whoosh!"

Tianlin suddenly erupted, charging at Bibi Dong with a speed barely discernible to the naked eye. Before Bibi Dong could react, Tianlin struck her heart with his palm, sending her flying backward.

Other than his Heaven and Earth Spirit Slash, Tianlin's most powerful physical attack was the Darkgolden Giant Spirit Palm. Now, when Tianlin unleashed this move, its power had reached the demigod level.

Even with the Death Spider Emperor's formidable life force, being struck in the heart by demigod-level power was not something Bibi Dong could shrug off. She spat out a mouthful of blood as her body was flung through the air.

"So fast! I can't see him at all—this speed is way beyond before. It's not just that I've weakened; he's gotten much stronger too. What happened?"

Tianlin smiled faintly. With his Ice-Fire God Seal skill, he had suppressed Bibi Dong's soul power to just under rank 98, while he himself had used Illusory Water Thunder to boost his own power, reaching nearly the same level.

After rank 95, every level is a chasm.

If not for the Evil Emperor Domain, Bibi Dong would never be Tianlin's match one-on-one. Even within the domain, her rank 99 only put her on par with rank 97 Tianlin.

Now, with one rising and one falling, the gap between them widened rapidly.

"Bibi Dong, you're finished!" Tianlin's eyes turned ruthless. Sword aura surged as he caught up to the still-falling Bibi Dong, appearing above her and stabbing his long sword toward her head.

Bibi Dong controlled the eight spider spears of the Death Spider Emperor to shield herself. The demonic sword severed four of them at once, while the other four spears struck at Tianlin's chest. Unfortunately, aside from the Eternal Wound, none of Bibi Dong's other attacks could pierce Tianlin's physical defense.

Even if his soul bone armor was imperfect, after absorbing three spirit beads, Tianlin's physical strength was now superior even to Di Tian. Ordinary attacks couldn't even break his skin.

"Bibi Dong, let's see how many spider legs you have left to block my sword!" Tianlin's attacks came like a tidal wave. For the first time ever, Bibi Dong felt so powerless. After dominating the continent for so many years, she had never been beaten like this. The man before her was, without a doubt, the most powerful and dangerous enemy she had ever faced.

Sword light flashed, and Bibi Dong's body was covered in countless wounds from his blade. Tianlin even fused the Sword of Destruction into his swordsmanship—wherever the demonic sword swept, flesh would begin to disappear. To resist this sword aura, Bibi Dong was forced to keep her Undying Body activated at all times, which greatly drained her soul power.

After dozens of furious strikes, Tianlin's patience ran thin. Bibi Dong was at her limit—time to finish her with his strongest move.

In the distance, Qian Daoliu suddenly sensed Bibi Dong's life force rapidly fading. Realizing the dire situation, he wanted to help, but he couldn't get past Chen Xin.

"Qian Daoliu, your heart is in turmoil," Chen Xin halted his attack. "If you want to save Bibi Dong, you should focus on defeating me first. If you can't even pass my test, how can you face my disciple?"

Chen Xin remained calm from beginning to end. He had never doubted Tianlin's strength—he knew from the start that Tianlin would win.

But he also had to let Qian Daoliu recover his composure, or else, with his unsettled mind, he would be no match for Chen Xin. Even if Chen Xin won, he would not gain the recognition of the Sword God.

"You're right, Chen Xin. I must defeat you first. In that case, prepare yourself!" Qian Daoliu, after all, was a seasoned veteran. He quickly calmed down. If he couldn't solve Chen Xin, rescuing Bibi Dong would be pointless. If he got besieged by that master and disciple, even he would die for sure.

"Ninth Soul Skill—Angel Descent!" Qian Daoliu once again activated his strongest state-type soul skill. For a short time, his power broke past the rank 99 Limit Douluo level, reaching the demigod realm.

Luckily, he didn't use this skill in the Worship Hall, otherwise he could have temporarily gained 20% of the Angel God's power. With that strength, even two Chen Xin would not be able to win.

Back then, Tang Chen was able to defeat Qian Daoliu only because they fought outside the Worship Hall.

"So it's here. Only by defeating the strongest in the human world can I break through my limits and become a god." Chen Xin gripped his Seven Kill Sword tightly. This time, he wouldn't use self-destructive moves, but defeat this move head-on.

"Angel Light Blade—Demon Slay!" Qian Daoliu swung his light sword, instantly unleashing hundreds of crescent-shaped light blades—his signature move. Normally, he could only release twenty at once. Now, their power was multiplied fivefold.

"Heavenly Dao's Return, Weak Water of the Other Shore!" Chen Xin used a sword technique from the Shu Mountain Sword School called the Myriad Dao One Heart Sword, created by a Shu Mountain elder, even incorporating Buddhist concepts. In Buddhism, the "Other Shore" refers to a place free from worldly suffering.

The essence of this sword technique is to follow the Dao's guidance to a paradise free from pain and illness. Originally a defensive technique, it focused on controlling the enemy.

But in Chen Xin's hands, he fused it with the Sword of Destruction, completely transforming its nature.

All twenty of Qian Daoliu's light blades were caught by the Seven Kill Sword and gathered together—this was the Dao's Return. Then Chen Xin swung his sword, sending out an enormous sword energy that blotted out the sky. Wherever it passed, mountains, grass, clouds, and waves all disintegrated into atoms.

This was the offensive move—Weak Water of the Other Shore. In Chen Xin's version of the Myriad Dao One Heart Sword, the Other Shore meant hell.

When Chen Xin taught Tianlin swordsmanship, he said every swordsman's path is different. If Tianlin was still learning others' styles, Chen Xin, after a century immersed in swordsmanship, had already fused others' swordsmanship into his own.

These years in seclusion, he integrated Shu Mountain sword techniques into his own Sword of Destruction. The moves remained the same, but the sword intent was completely his own—different from the natural Dao of Shu Mountain. Each move was murderous.

This was Chen Xin's own sword path. Only those who forge their own sword path can become Sword Gods.

"What?" Qian Daoliu was shocked. He could feel his power far surpassed Chen Xin's, yet his strongest attack was so easily countered by Chen Xin's swordsmanship.

Power can defeat skill, but what about a hundred or a thousand skills?

Anything taken to the extreme creates a force that defies the heavens. Chen Xin had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Maybe, among the true sword masters of higher realms, he was just a beginner, but in Douluo Continent, he was the top sword master. Even the God Realm's Sword God might not surpass him in swordsmanship.

Chapter 552: Seven Kill Becomes a Divine Weapon—Power of the Divine

"Seven Kill Lightning—One Sword Shatters the Heavens!"

Once Chen Xin's swordsmanship was unleashed, his attacks were like a raging river, endless, giving Qian Daoliu no time to react.

Fusing all seven forms of the Seven Kill Sword, Chen Xin swung his most powerful attack.

Sensing the terrifying power, Qian Daoliu dared not take it head-on.

"Angel's Shield!"

Holy light formed a shield around Qian Daoliu, an extremely powerful defensive soul skill.

Due to the vast difference in spirit quality, the Angel's holy light far surpassed the Seven Kill Sword's attack. In Qian Daoliu's judgment, Chen Xin could not break through his defense.

He was partly right. Chen Xin's single strike couldn't break it. But this new Seven Kill Sword style contained seven layers of force, each reinforcing the next. By the seventh, its might far surpassed the Seven Kill Sword's normal limits.

Boom!

The first force struck the golden shield—no effect. As Qian Daoliu prepared to counterattack, the second force hit, nearly catching him off guard. Fortunately, aside from skill, he surpassed Chen Xin in all other aspects and maintained the shield.

The third force was harder to block, the fourth made the shield thin, the fifth cracked it, the sixth widened the cracks, and the seventh shattered it completely. The remaining force sliced a deep, long wound across Qian Daoliu's chest.

If it were anyone else, they would have been reduced to dust by that strike. But Qian Daoliu's Angel Spirit's power dissolved the sword energy, leaving him only with a flesh wound.

But until now, Qian Daoliu had never suffered such humiliation. He had lost three times before: to Bo Saixi with the help of the Sea God; to Tang Chen, who used multiple soul rings explosively; and to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, where he was ganged up on.

But today, he was wounded almost helplessly, and by someone whose cultivation, rings, and bones were all inferior. It was a disgrace.

"Chen Xin!" Qian Daoliu roared with rage, his body shining with light. "Today, I will use your blood to honor my Angel Clan! Angel—Roar!"

Qian Daoliu wasn't stupid. If he couldn't win with skill, and direct attacks were countered, he'd attack the soul. Could Chen Xin fight back with his soul?

Unfortunately, he could. Shu Mountain's special technique, Sword Qi Manifestation, allowed one's soul to take the form of a sword and use sword skills.

He even had a matching sword technique—the Four Spirits, Four Images Sword. According to Shu Mountain records, the Four Spirits are eight mythical beasts. Originally, it was just the Four Spirits Sword, turning the soul's sword intent into Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. Later, an elder added the four guardian beasts of the destroyed Qionghua Sect—Lu Wu, Li Zhu, Kai Ming, and Ying Zhao—after saving them.

In gratitude, the beasts bestowed part of their power to the elder, who returned and enhanced the technique, creating the Four Spirits, Four Images Sword.

Chen Xin, in three years of seclusion, mastered three sets of Shu Mountain sword arts, two of which were Myriad Dao One Heart and Four Spirits. This was thanks to Tianlin's early gift of Gang Slash, which gave Chen Xin a foundation—otherwise, he would've mastered only one in three years.

"Roar!"

When Qian Daoliu's Angel Spirit launched a soul roar, Chen Xin's soul-sword transformed into a White Tiger and roared back—one move of the Four Spirits.

The two soul roars were evenly matched. Next, Chen Xin's soul became an Azure Dragon, its roar doubling the power—the Angel Roar was instantly broken. Qian Daoliu clutched his head in agony; soul pain was far worse than physical pain.

The Four Spirits Sword still had six moves left. Chen Xin pressed the attack.

Chen Xin unleashed all eight moves. Qian Daoliu's soul was now on the brink of dissipation.

At this moment, Chen Xin's sword intent reached its peak. His next move would decide victory.

At that moment, from the God Realm to the Star Dou Great Forest, many god-level experts were alarmed.

…

"What's happening in the human world? First overwhelming evil, now sky-piercing sword energy," the God of Kindness said worriedly. "If the one wielding this sword energy is evil, it'll be worse than the Rakshasa God."

"Hey, that guy—he's the Sword God's successor!" The Asura God recognized Chen Xin at a glance.

The God of Destruction was surprised: "What? Your subordinate's successor? When Sword God ascended, his sword intent wasn't this terrifying. If he inherits the Sword God with this swordsmanship, the divine seat might even be promoted! Asura, you've struck gold this time."

The God of Destruction noticed that Chen Xin's sword intent contained immense destructive power—he might even inherit the Destruction God's seat. But the Destruction God didn't want to pass his seat yet—he wanted to lead the God Realm to greater strength himself.

…

"Qian Daoliu, this move is called Sword God!" Chen Xin was about to unleash Shu Mountain's strongest sword technique—Sword God. But rather than summoning the Sword God, he would become the Sword God himself. All Shu Mountain sword techniques in his hands were transformed into his own ultimate skills.

Chen Xin's nine soul rings fused into three halos behind him, glowing with light.

The Seven Kill Sword began to materialize independently, just like the future Sky Douluo Yun Ming's Sky God Spear, becoming a true divine weapon.

"Three halos—a sign of a level-three god!" Qian Daoliu was speechless. Chen Xin, as a Limit Douluo, could temporarily unleash the power of a level-three god.

And not just any level three—those related to swords are always the most terrifying attackers.

Chapter 553: Chen Xin Victorious—Possible Divine Seat Promotion

"A sword is mere iron, becoming sentient through wielding, moving by the heart, living by blood, dying by obsession. Sword mastery lies in control—uniting mind and sword, cycling endlessly, never ceasing." Chen Xin recited the Shu Mountain sword manual, the three halos behind him growing more solid with his elevation.

Sword energy pierced the sky. Behind Chen Xin appeared a giant avatar in his likeness, clad in white.

The avatar, mountain-sized, controlled the Seven Kill Sword, multiplying it into thousands—ten thousand swords flying at once.

This wasn't Tianlin's "Ten Thousand Sword Technique" or "Afterimage Sword" with only a fraction of real power. Each divided sword, except for lacking the original's divine force, was just as sharp—a true divine weapon, fighting with over nine thousand pseudo-divine swords.

As the supreme Shu Mountain sword technique, this move was a super divine skill in Douluo World, letting the user fight foes many times stronger.

Qian Daoliu looked at the myriad swords in despair. Only if he used Angel Descent in the Worship Hall could he hope to resist. Now, he had no chance.

"Angel's Judgement!"

Still, Qian Daoliu wasn't one to wait for death. Even knowing he'd lose, he fought back with all his remaining soul power, launching his final attack.

Their powers collided in the air. Normally unbeatable, the angelic power was dispersed in less than three seconds by the Sword God's supreme attack. The myriad swords slashed around Qian Daoliu.

"Xue'er, you must survive," Qian Daoliu closed his eyes in despair. He knew he had lost completely.

But this time, he admitted defeat willingly. He had done his best. Chen Xin had no help—he was simply stronger. Winner takes all—nothing more to say. Qian Daoliu's only worry was Qian Renxue.

He feared she would seek revenge on Chen Xin. But she was no match, and without him, she could only reach godhood by cultivating to rank 99—her speed could never match Jun Tianlin's. If she sought revenge, she'd surely die.

"Qian Daoliu, how does hell look to you?" After a long time, Qian Daoliu felt no pain, but heard Chen Xin's voice.

He opened his eyes to see everything for tens of miles razed—the mountains flattened by their battle. Now, he stood in the center of thousands of swords, none piercing him. Clearly, Chen Xin had spared him.

"Chen Xin, why didn't you kill me? Don't you want revenge for your father?" Qian Daoliu asked.

"I told you, my father didn't hate you—he died with a smile," Chen Xin said calmly. "As for sparing you, it's because you're still needed. You promised my disciple, and you'll keep your word, right?"

Without Qian Daoliu, Hu Liena alone couldn't suppress the other Elders of Spirit Hall. To subdue the Spirit Empire, Qian Daoliu had to step up.

Qian Daoliu did not answer directly, but asked, "Chen Xin, can you tell me—what swordsmanship defeated me?"

"This is an ancient swordsmanship my disciple accidentally inherited, the Shu Mountain Sword Technique. Interested? Pity you want to help Qian Renxue become a god, so you don't have long. But after the continent is unified, I wouldn't mind teaching Qian Renxue. With her and my disciple's relationship, I'm sure he wouldn't object," Chen Xin said unexpectedly.

"Such exquisite swordsmanship, you'd really teach my granddaughter?" Qian Daoliu was surprised.

Chen Xin nodded. "Once you fulfill your promise, Spirit Hall and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will no longer be enemies. Qian Renxue and my disciple are close friends. If they're not enemies, they're friends. Why not teach her? Hoarding skills only hinders the progress of swordsmanship."

"Heh, Chen Xin, I'm not your equal. Today's battle, I concede. Don't worry, I'll keep my word. I suppose Bibi Dong is about to lose to Jun Tianlin as well." Qian Daoliu was relieved. Perhaps the Spirit Empire could never unify the world, but this result was good. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, unlike the two empires, would not slaughter indiscriminately. He respected Jun Tianlin and Chen Xin's mercy.

Hearing Qian Daoliu's admission, Chen Xin gazed at the sky, murmuring, "Father, I've won!"

Years of resentment were finally cleansed. Chen Xin's sword path would be brighter than ever.

The sword-shaped mark on his forehead flashed as Qian Daoliu conceded. Golden light descended, enveloping Chen Xin.

Qian Daoliu had seen this before—when he first lost to Chen Xin, when Chen Xin first drew the Sword God's attention and began his trial.

Now the same light appeared. Could it be—

Qian Daoliu's eyes widened. He realized that Chen Xin's trial was him. No wonder Chen Xin refused any assistance—not just to prove his own swordsmanship, but because it was the trial's requirement.

Within the light, Chen Xin met the Sword God again, who looked at him with appreciation.

"Chen Xin, you're the most outstanding sword genius I've seen in years. I made the right choice."

"Senior Sword God, am I now qualified to inherit your seat?" Chen Xin asked.

The Sword God nodded, "Of course. You've passed the trial. But I don't want you to just inherit it directly—it would be a waste of your talent. Would you like to try a different way? If anyone can break the bottleneck that's plagued me for millennia, it's you."

Chen Xin didn't understand, so he asked directly, "What do you mean? Please explain."

"Seat promotion!" The Sword God became solemn. "Our divine seats are not fixed; with enough strength, it's possible to upgrade. Each god has a different way. For the Angel and Sea God, it's faith; for Rakshasa and the Seven Deadly Sins, it's evil thoughts. For me, it's sword mastery.

"Chen Xin, your sword mastery surpasses mine. So, during the inheritance, you can try to break through again, promoting the level-two seat to level one. However, there are two big risks: first, the process takes a long time, so you won't be able to help your disciple for a while; second, if you fail, the seat may shatter, and you'll lose everything.

"There's no need to decide now—I'll give you three days. After that, I'll ask you again. If you're afraid, you can choose the normal inheritance. Whatever you choose, I'll support you." With that, the Sword God departed.

Leaving Chen Xin with a difficult choice.