DD Spiritual Sword [557-559] (Patreon)

Chapter 557: Repelling the Evil Sword Immortal, Both Sides Suffer

"This... what is this thing?" Bibi Dong was greatly shocked. Even the Asura Demon Sword couldn't break through the power of the Evil Spirit Pearl, yet this sword weakened so much evil energy the moment it was drawn. Could there really be a sword in this world stronger than the Asura Demon Sword?

Like the Evil Spirit Pearl, the Demon Supressing Sword had not become a martial soul, so it retained its full power. Now, the Demon Supressing Sword was also a super artifact, its quality not inferior to the Evil Spirit Pearl, and its opposing attributes made it especially effective in Tianlin's hands, enough to turn the tide once more.

"As expected, this sword truly belongs to you." Seeing the divine power of the Demon Supressing Sword stir, Di Tian gave a bitter smile, filled with envy. Though he was a master of the sword himself and loved the Demon Supressing Sword dearly, no matter how hard he tried, he could never gain its recognition; in fact, as a soul beast, he was even repelled by it.

This time, he could barely wield the Demon Supressing Sword only because he came to assist Tianlin, but he still could not unleash its true power.

"Senior Di Tian, thank you for your help this time. In the future, I will repay you generously." After thanking Di Tian, Tianlin turned resolutely to Bibi Dong, saying, "Bibi Dong, next, let's enter our third round. Watch how my Demon Supressing Sword breaks your Evil Spirit Pearl—Sword God!"

The strongest sword technique of Shu Mountain, Sword God, had already been mastered by Chen Xin, so naturally Tianlin had learned it as well and used it even more skillfully.

A phantom of the Sword God appeared behind him. The Demon Supressing Sword multiplied into thousands, and the previously unstoppable aura of the Evil Spirit Pearl was quickly forced back under the sword's domain. Sunlight poured down onto the land once more, warming all hearts.

Only after experiencing darkness does one truly appreciate the value of light. The people on the ground, previously trembling in fear—be they citizens of Heaven Dou City or soldiers of the Spirit Empire—all cheered at this moment.

Even though they couldn't see what was happening in the sky, everyone could feel that evil was retreating.

Ning Fengzhi showed a faint smile. "This battle is won by our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. From now on, no one can stop our sect from unifying the continent, nor can anyone prevent Xiao Tian from reaching the pinnacle of this world."

"Die, Bibi Dong!" Tianlin shouted angrily as thousands of swords flew together.

"I won't lose to you! Evil Spirit: Heavenly Wrath!" Bibi Dong did not dare to be careless, unleashing the ultimate move stored within the Evil Spirit Pearl—a super-powerful attack that gathered immense evil energy.

It was like an evil version of the Spirit Bomb.

Fortunately, Bibi Dong had not yet mastered much evil energy, or else this move would have no theoretical upper limit. If combined with the malice of the entire continent and the Seven Deadly Sins, this attack could vaporize the entire Douluo Realm, including the God Realm.

"I didn't expect you to master this move just after fusing with the Evil Spirit Pearl, Bibi Dong. You truly are a genius of your generation. Unfortunately, you're still too inexperienced."

The Evil Spirit: Heavenly Wrath had no upper limit, but also no lower limit. With just Bibi Dong's own malice powering it, Tianlin didn't take it seriously.

In the clash between Evil Spirit: Heavenly Wrath and the Sword God, Bibi Dong was at a complete disadvantage from the start. The divine power of the Demon Supressing Sword continued to tear apart the evil energy, as this sword was innately a nemesis to all things evil.

"Divine Sword Illuminates the Soul, Judging and Punishing Evil!"

Tianlin called out the true name of the Demon Supressing Sword—Zhaodan Sword, one of the divine weapons of the Nine Springs, from Zhaodan Spring, whose ability was to judge evil.

The previous Evil Sword Immortal had already been subjected to purification by the Divine Pool of the God Realm, which, in fact, referred to the Zhaodan Spring. In other words, the Zhaodan Spring was the bane of the Evil Sword Immortal.

"Zhaodan Spring? How could this world also contain the power of Zhaodan Spring!"

The Evil Sword Immortal inside the Evil Spirit Pearl was horrified. The previous Evil Sword Immortal had left him little, only obsessions with names like Feipeng and Zhonglou. Even though he didn't know who they were, just hearing those names filled him with rage.

But there was also his nemesis—Zhaodan Spring. If judged by Zhaodan Spring, everything would be over.

"Bibi Dong, give me your body. You cannot withstand Zhaodan Spring. Use my trump card; only then do we have a sliver of hope today." The Evil Sword Immortal's voice echoed in Bibi Dong's mind.

He used Bibi Dong's own voice, so she thought it was her own inner evil speaking. At this point, with the Evil Spirit Pearl possessing her, all goodness had been abandoned, and she was easily taken over.

"Hm?" Bibi Dong's aura changed dramatically. Tianlin immediately noticed and smiled. "Oh, it's you. Long time no see. So you survived my sword strike last time. But if you dare appear before me again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"You wretch! If not for someone gifting you the power of Zhaodan Spring, you would have died today for sure!" the Evil Sword Immortal cursed. "Fine, call this my loss. But you wait—one day, this world will fall into my hands. Evil Spirit: Heavenly Wrath, explode!"

The Evil Sword Immortal poured all the evil he had absorbed from slaughtering villages in the Slaughter City into this one final strike.

Finally, the forces of both sides reached equilibrium. A cataclysmic explosion erupted in the sky, blasting Di Tian, Qian Daoliu, and Chen Xin away.

After a long time, the sky gradually returned to calm. Bibi Dong was nowhere to be seen; that strike had gravely wounded her. She now needed to find a place to recover and would not be returning to the Spirit Hall anytime soon.

Tianlin looked up at the sky. Before him, tens of thousands of figures appeared—souls absorbed by the Evil Sword Immortal. They smiled at him, expressing their gratitude.

It was because of Tianlin's sword that they were freed from within the Evil Spirit Pearl.

"Sorry, I couldn't save you back then, nor could I avenge you just now," Tianlin said apologetically.

The villagers shook their heads. They all knew these things were not Tianlin's fault.

The Zhaodan Divine Sword emitted light, guiding them with the power of judgment. In the Douluo Continent, there were also gods who ruled over death; these souls would go to them for reward or punishment according to their deeds in life.

Soon, all the souls departed. Tianlin let out a long breath, the Demon Supressing Sword falling from his hand as he tumbled toward the ground.

How could anyone easily withstand the power of Evil Spirit: Heavenly Wrath, which gathered so much force? Bibi Dong was seriously wounded, but so was he—his internal organs damaged, evil energy invading his body, even his soul power ceasing to flow. Even the Ultimate Curse of Yin and Yang was unusable now.

For the first time, Tianlin had reached such an extreme limit.

Whoosh

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a beautiful figure flew in and caught him.

"Rongrong, I won!" Tianlin said, holding on to his last shred of consciousness.

"I know. I never doubted it. My Sword Brother is the strongest!" Ning Rongrong wept, both worried and excited.

Tianlin smiled and closed his eyes, falling into a deep coma.

Chapter 558: Absorbing the Wind Spirit Pearl, Body Recovered

Heaven Dou City—two days and nights had passed since that great battle. The Spirit Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had officially declared a ceasefire. With the Emperor Bibi Dong missing, her heir apparent, Hu Liena, became the highest leader.

However, Hu Liena's strength was insufficient, and not everyone accepted her. Many objected when she proposed a ceasefire.

Fortunately, Qian Daoliu stood by her side. As the Grand Worshipper, most people respected his authority.

A small minority still refused, but given the situation—facing the full force of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's soul masters and 300,000 troops, plus the Holy Dragon Legion's 20,000 soul masters and Barak Kingdom's 400,000 troops—there was no choice.

Nearly 30,000 soul masters and a million soldiers surrounded them. Resistance meant certain death.

With the war over, most people were happy. Only those in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect remained worried, as Tianlin had not yet awoken. Even Oscar's Ultimate Curse of Yin and Yang was useless, as his fake Demon Sword couldn't expel the evil energy from the Evil Spirit Pearl in Tianlin's body. Even the real one might not work, for the Evil Spirit Pearl was far superior.

"Xiao Tian, wake up. Now's not the time to sleep," the Skydream Iceworm anxiously called to Tianlin's spirit.

"Brother Skydream, I want to wake up too, but my spirit is too weak. I can't use my soul power at all. I really don't know how to recover from this," Tianlin replied helplessly.

"Absorb the Wind Spirit Pearl. Use its power to drive out the evil energy inside you," the Skydream Iceworm said, prepared for this. "The descendant of Nuwa told me: the Spirit Pearls' power is completely compatible with your body and soul. They'll never harm you. She only told you to absorb one per year because she worried the power would be too much for your body to handle at once, even with Ning Fengzhi's bone-tempering technique."

"But now, all your attributes, including soul power, are at their lowest. The Wind Spirit Pearl's power will restore, not boost, you—so there's no risk."

"I see!" Tianlin's eyes lit up. "Brother Skydream, lend me some spiritual power so I can wake up."

"Don't worry, Xiao Tian. I've got you." The Skydream Iceworm slowly transferred its pure spiritual power into Tianlin's soul. In fact, it had begun this two days ago, but didn't dare send too much at once for fear of overwhelming Tianlin's weak soul.

Ning Rongrong sat by Tianlin's bed, sleepless and worried, trusting her husband would not fall. He had recovered from absorbing external spirit bones in the past, and she believed he would again.

Just then, Tianlin's eyelids and fingers twitched. Ning Rongrong was overjoyed, crying, "Sword Brother, you're awake! It's me, Rongrong! Open your eyes and look at me!"

"Crying like a little kitten... I'm sorry for making you worry," Tianlin said, smiling as he wiped away her tears.

Trying to get up, Ning Rongrong quickly held him down. "Sword Brother, don't move. You need rest. I'll call Grandpa Sword and Dad. They're all worried about you."

"I'm fine, Rongrong. Help me guard. I'll recover soon." Tianlin sat cross-legged.

"Okay!" Rongrong obeyed, trusting he had a way.

Tianlin took out the Wind Spirit Pearl and, using his last bit of willpower, summoned the Holy Spirit Pearl and began absorbing the Wind Spirit Pearl.

This time, the Wind Spirit Pearl's power was gentler than any other. It was a sentient item, worried for Tianlin, so it restrained its power as much as possible.

"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble," Tianlin smiled, beginning to absorb its energy.

Emerald-green light enveloped him. Black energy was visibly expelled from his body.

Though the Evil Spirit Pearl was powerful, it was only a remnant force now and not a match for the Wind Spirit Pearl.

Tianlin's face grew rosier as his strength was restored, his soul power circulating again. The Wind Spirit Pearl restored him just right, with no excess power left. If he had another Spirit Pearl now, he could absorb it immediately.

Truly a blessing in disguise; what should have taken two years to absorb could now be completed early.

The Wind Spirit Pearl formed a green-gold fifth ring, also granting Tianlin wind-elemental immortality arts:

Hurricane Fury: A wide-area wind-element attack.

Wind Command: Doubles speed, wind-element auxiliary technique.

Wind Screen: Absolute wind-element defense, immune to wind attacks and can reflect or strengthen itself with enemy wind-element power.

Summon God—Wind God: Summons the Wind God to aid in battle.

About an hour later, Tianlin finished cultivating. Ning Rongrong happily sat at his bedside. "Sword Brother, that's wonderful! I can feel you've recovered at least eighty percent. The Spirit Pearl's power is truly miraculous."

"Of course. With Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind Spirit Pearls recovered, only the Thunder Spirit Pearl remains. I promised the Silver Dragon King three years' use of the Thunder Spirit Pearl, but now I may need it back. Bibi Dong isn't dead, and once she fully merges with the Evil Spirit Pearl, she'll be even stronger. Even with the Demon Supressing Sword, I won't be her match. I must absorb the Thunder Spirit Pearl early and reach the ninth ring on the Holy Spirit Pearl," Tianlin said, not overly joyful; the enemy was not yet vanquished.

"Will you ask for it back? The Silver Dragon King might not agree," Ning Rongrong worried.

"She will. She sent Di Tian to aid me, after all. The Silver Dragon King realizes that this continent-wide disaster cannot be weathered by soul beasts alone," Tianlin said confidently. "And though she only returned what was mine, sending the Demon Supressing Sword was a great help. I'll repay her by using the Ultimate Curse of Yin and Yang to heal her old wounds in exchange for the Thunder Spirit Pearl."

"By the way, Rongrong, has Di Tian left?"

Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Not yet. He said his master ordered him to help you completely dispel the darkness. Now that Bibi Dong has fled, his mission isn't done, so he'll stay and assist you for a while. But he also said he won't interfere in human wars—only in matters involving Bibi Dong."

Tianlin laughed. "That's fine. We don't need him to unify the continent. His help against the Evil Sword Immortal is enough—he's a top-tier force."

Chapter 559: Confucian Outside, Legalist Within—The Strategy for Ruling a Nation

Holding Ning Rongrong's hand, the two walked out of the room towards the palace of Heaven Dou's imperial palace. Di Tian, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Qian Daoliu were all present, as were the younger generation like Emperor Battle Team.

Aside from Di Tian, the others were there to discuss the cooperation between the Spirit Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. In reality, it was surrender—surrounded by a million troops, there was no other way.

Ning Fengzhi planned to found a new empire. The Spirit Empire was a theocracy, its faith above all. Under Qian Renxue, the people would live well as long as they kept faith and goodness, protected by the Angel God. But this faith-based model wasn't conducive to development.

If good days came just by believing, who would care about progress? Even if Qian Renxue started soul tool research, efficiency would remain low.

In the new regime, Ning Fengzhi decided to govern with virtue and constrain with law.

That is, he would promote Confucian thought publicly, but rely on Legalist principles in practice—combining moral exhortation and legal administration. Confucianism values benevolent rule and ethical guidance; Legalism values rule of law and strict enforcement.

Soul masters would still enjoy the highest status, but in return, they must protect the innocent. As long as they kept the people safe from nobles, bandits, and beast tides, they could live as they pleased. But if a soul master broke the law, their punishment would be doubled—the more privileges, the more constraints.

Ordinary people would be rewarded according to their labor.

It was still not entirely fair, but in a world where strength is respected, true equality is a joke. Ning Fengzhi had balanced things as best he could.

It was possible, given the ratio of ordinary people to soul masters on Douluo Continent was about 1000:1—one thousand supporting one soul master wasn't too great a burden.

As for faith, Tianlin and Ning Fengzhi had discussed it. They didn't object to the spread of Angel God faith as long as it wasn't a harmful cult; regular religions were fine. But faith must not be forced, nor could heresy be punished or negative, despairing messages spread. Violators would be destroyed.

It was for this reason that Qian Daoliu finally let go. Though all people wouldn't only worship the Angel God, this was still very good. Ning Fengzhi reminded him that this was the only way Qian Renxue would not have to oppose Tianlin—he didn't want his granddaughter to be heartbroken.

As for Bibi Dong, only by joining forces could Tianlin fully help her break free from the Evil Spirit Pearl's control. After all, she was Qian Renxue's birth mother, and the Qian family owed her a great debt.

Qian Daoliu had no choice. Reason, emotion, and threat—all three had been used on him. With Chen Xin and Tianlin now unstoppable, there was nothing he could do.

At that moment, Di Tian opened his eyes. With the strongest cultivation, he sensed Tianlin's aura first.

"You're awake?" Di Tian stood and looked at him strangely. "No, not just awake—you're fully recovered? That's impossible; those wounds shouldn't heal in less than a year."

Everyone looked to the door and saw the energetic Tianlin, and were overjoyed.

Especially Chen Xin, who hadn't thought of becoming a god these days. To him, the most important thing was Tianlin and Ning Rongrong's well-being.

"Wow, Xiao Tian, what are you made of? Even Di Tian said it should take a year to recover, but you're fine after two days." Oslo checked Tianlin up and down, patted his shoulders and chest, pulling Ning Rongrong away to listen to his strong heartbeat.

No wonder Tianlin once wanted to cut him down.

Ning Rongrong was exasperated, "Oslo, stay away from my Sword Brother. His heart belongs to me."

"Aw, don't be stingy, sister-in-law. I'm just worried about Xiao Tian. But his heartbeat sounds strong, so he should be fine," Oslo joked.

"Xiao Tian, I'm sorry," Yu Tianheng and others stepped forward.

Tianlin was confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

"Because, even though we're your seniors and you always helped us get stronger, we were useless when the crisis came," Dugu Yan said sadly. They'd felt guilty and useless during Tianlin's coma.

"Xiao Tian, next time don't shoulder everything alone. My brother and I may be weak, but we can be your shield. Even if we die, we'll protect you," Shi Mo said.

Tianlin smiled at everyone. "Alright, from now on I'll rely on you all more. In fact, I have something to ask you all soon."

"Great! Whatever you need, just say the word!" Yu Tianheng thumped his chest.

"We'll talk later. Right now, there's something important to do," Tianlin said, stepping forward. "Father-in-law, news of the Spirit Empire and our sect's alliance will soon spread. The two great empires won't sit idle."

"We must send people to defend Gengxin City. Dai Tianjue may tolerate Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun now, but once this news gets out, he'll attack and try to unite with the Heaven Dou Empire in retaliation. To him, the throne is more important than his son."