DD Spiritual Sword [560-562] (Patreon)

Chapter 560: Heaven Dou and Star Luo — War on Two Fronts

"Don't worry, Xiao Tian. Yesterday, I already sent Uncle Dugu and Uncle Ying, leading 300,000 troops, back to defend Gengxin City. The Star Luo Empire has already suffered greatly and, for now, they won't be able to take such a fortified city as Gengxin," Ning Fengzhi said, "We're preparing to go to Spirit City next. That is the center of the continent and marks the beginning of our alliance with the Spirit Empire."

Tianlin nodded. He always trusted Ning Fengzhi to handle things and understood his intentions. Spirit City would be the capital of the future empire.

"I'll go to Spirit City, too. Afterward, Di Tian, I'd like to go with you to the Star Dou Forest. In exchange for healing the Silver Dragon King, I want to collect the Thunder Spirit Pearl from her in advance."

Di Tian jumped up excitedly, "What did you say? You can heal Her Majesty immediately?"

"Yes. I can pay first and take the goods later. You saw what happened that day with Bibi Dong. I can tell you, at that time, she controlled less than one-fifth of the Evil Spirit Pearl's power. We have a common enemy now and should join forces." Tianlin was sincere—pay first, take the item later—meaning he was willing to heal the Silver Dragon King first, and after confirming her recovery, he'd retrieve the Thunder Spirit Pearl. This was entirely beneficial to her.

"Alright! If what you say is true, I can promise you this on Her Majesty's behalf," Di Tian assured him. The Silver Dragon King only held the pearl to heal herself; if there was another way, returning it was fine.

"Hmm, one more thing—Brother Tianheng, Sister Yan, Gu Ran, Sister Lingling, the two Shi brothers, Oslo, Yu Feng, Oscar, Yiran." Tianlin called out his friends one by one. "I won't get involved in unifying the continent anymore. To defeat the Evil Sword Immortal, I'll focus on cultivation. Rongrong, Hongjun, Huan Yin, and my master are the same—focused on becoming gods. So, I'll leave the rest to you all—defeat Star Luo and Heaven Dou, and bring about the continent's unification."

Yu Tianheng stepped forward and asked seriously, "Xiao Tian, are you really willing to hand everything over to us? Our strength and wisdom are nowhere near yours."

Tianlin smiled calmly, "Tianheng, I once heard a saying: 'Only the weak need to band together.' But I've never believed that. Maybe in the vast universe, I'm still as weak as an ant, but at least here on the Douluo Continent, I am currently the strongest human. No matter how powerful I become, I never thought of solving everything by myself."

"Your strength is important to me. I need your help. Please, everyone, lend me a hand!"

"Haha, good!" Yu Tianheng laughed heartily. "Xiao Tian, leave the continent to me. Even if I have to risk my life, I'll show you a unified land!"

Gu Ran patted his chest, "Yes, boss, you and big sis, and Hongjun, just go with peace of mind. I'm not a marshal for nothing!"

Ma Hongjun rolled his eyes, "What do you mean 'go with peace of mind'? We're going to cultivate, not to die. Can't you speak properly? Go sing 'Happy Birthday' to yourself."

Seeing this group of young people, Chen Xin also made up his mind to accept the divine trial and become a first-level god, so he could help Tianlin with even greater strength.

"Since that's the case, Jun Tianlin, you might as well come back with me now. Not only can you retrieve the Thunder Spirit Pearl, you can also cultivate at the Lake of Life, where the spiritual energy is abundant. You can reach level 99 faster," Di Tian urged, not understanding why Tianlin still wanted to go to Spirit City at such a critical moment. He could leave the rest to others.

"I… Senior Di Tian, please give me seven days—no, five is enough. After five days, I'll head straight to the Star Dou Forest. There are some things I must do first," Tianlin said with difficulty.

At first, Di Tian wanted to press further, but Ning Rongrong suddenly pleaded, "Senior, please give my husband these few days. Otherwise, with concerns on his mind, how can he focus on cultivation?"

"Rongrong!" Tianlin was surprised. He hadn't expected Ning Rongrong to see through his thoughts.

Ning Rongrong smiled, "It's okay. I know you can't let her go. Something big happened outside Heaven Dou City. Even if Qian Renxue was wandering the continent, she would surely return after hearing the news. The situation with Bibi Dong and the Spirit Empire must have hit her hard. Now, only you can comfort her. No matter what, after this war, we're not enemies anymore. If you ignore her, you won't be able to forgive yourself."

"Thank you, Rongrong." Tianlin sincerely thanked Ning Rongrong. She was truly different from before.

Ning Rongrong playfully interrupted, "Humph, don't thank me yet. I want to go with you. After this, I'll return to Sea God Island to finish my nine trials quickly, so I can come back and help you. So, first, I want to keep an eye on you and not let you mess around with that angel, and second, I can't bear to be apart from you in these last days."

Tianlin took her hand, "Alright, as I promised, as long as it's not a dangerous place, I'll take you wherever I go."

Cough, cough!

At that romantic moment, a chorus of coughs echoed in the hall—reminding them that Tianheng and the others were still there.

But the two were used to showing off their affection, openly flaunting it. This had become one of Ning Rongrong's little pleasures since she shed her "little witch" ways.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin smiled, while Di Tian looked puzzled. So this is how human couples interact? Maybe he'd try this with Zi Ji, and force Scarlet King to watch. If Scarlet King tried to escape, he'd beat him. After all, Scarlet King's real body was a dog; eating some "dog food" would be good for his health.

Tianlin laughed awkwardly, "Well, since everything's decided, let's get ready. Sister Yan, can you come with Rongrong and me for a moment? The old monster has something for you—a big family secret."

"Fine, but I never knew my family had any big secrets. Grandpa is so biased, only telling my brother and sister-in-law, not me." Dugu Yan complained as she followed them.

Actually, Dugu Bo had no real secret. The secret was with Tianlin. He just wanted to give the Dugu family what was rightfully theirs.

The rest immediately left to mobilize their troops. They were about to attack both empires at once, so clear division of labor was needed: Gu Ran would handle the Star Luo front, and Yu Tianheng would lead the army to Heaven Dou.

Speed was of the essence; the army would set out in a few days.

Tianlin headed to Spirit City to accept the surrender of the remaining Spirit Hall members and stabilize the situation. Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong stayed in Heaven Dou City, controlling the situation from behind the scenes.

Chapter 561: Ice-Fire Dragon King Soul Bone — Attacking Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires

Dugu Yan followed Tianlin and Ning Rongrong to the former imperial study of Emperor Xue Ye. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "Xiao Tian, can you tell me now? What's this big family secret? Is it like the Angel or Qian families, maybe some divine inheritance?"

Tianlin broke out in a cold sweat, "Sister Yan, you think too much. Divine inheritances aren't that easy. I called you here just to say: you haven't been home in a while."

"Go home? Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan or Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Why now?" Dugu Yan was confused—she'd just visited both families recently.

Tianlin shook his head, "Neither. I mean your original home—the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well."

"The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well?" Dugu Yan was stunned. That was technically her home, since she grew up there. But why go back now, to eat more immortal herbs?

"Sister Yan, you and the old monster only know it's your home, but not how it formed. Let me tell you: legend has it there are nine Dragon Kings—Time, Mountain, Fire, Ice, Earth, White, Holy, Golden-Eyed Black, and Emerald Dragon Kings—each incredibly powerful. The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings both fell in the Sunset Forest, and their corpses are buried ten thousand feet beneath the well. The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well was created by them and nourishes all things," Tianlin explained.

Dugu Yan was shocked, "You mean, under my home, the Ice and Fire Dragon King corpses are hidden?"

Tianlin nodded, "Yes, and not just the corpses—there should be soul bones, and not ordinary ones, but super soul bones rivaling my million-year-old skull. Sister Yan, if you absorb them, your strength could reach that of a Super Douluo. If you want to share one with Tianheng, you could both become ordinary Titled Douluos."

He then looked at Rongrong, "Rongrong, take out the items."

"Okay." Ning Rongrong obediently produced four talismans and handed them to Dugu Yan. "Sister Yan, these are two Fire Shield and two Water Shield talismans. Each lasts an hour. Stick one of each to yourself when you go in, and you'll be safe from the well's dangers. Sword brother said the Ice and Fire Dragon King spirits may still be active, but their soul power and attributes are restrained by the shields, so just don't fight them—grab the soul bones and leave."

Dugu Yan was touched and a bit confused, "Xiao Tian, Rongrong, why give me the dragon bones instead of keeping them for yourselves? My grandfather doesn't know this secret. You're only telling me, right?"

They smiled. Ning Rongrong said, "We only take from our enemies, never our own people. The Well was unclaimed; since Grandpa Dugu settled there first, it's your family's home. What's there is yours to decide."

"And you're not an outsider. Grandpa Dugu is an elder of my family, and you're his only granddaughter, so you're family. In our clan, a married daughter is still family—unless someone betrays us, family will always be family."

Dugu Yan accepted the talismans gratefully, "Thanks, Xiao Tian, Rongrong. If there's a torso or left arm bone, I'll bring it back for you. You can't refuse."

"Okay. We'll accept only those two parts. The rest you must use yourself," Tianlin replied. He appreciated the gesture. If the Well belonged to an enemy, he'd have taken everything by force.

"Once we become Titled Douluos, Tianheng and I can use our fusion skill to its fullest. Even if we're not as strong as you future gods, we can still contribute something."

Dugu Yan decided to share the bones with Yu Tianheng. Tianlin agreed; it was her right.

She was, after all, the only woman in the original story who never showed any affection for Tang San, loving only Yu Tianheng—Tianlin admired her for this.

…

The next day, everyone set off in groups. Aside from Dugu Yan, temporarily leaving, Yu Tianheng led the army, with others, to attack the new Heaven Dou capital, Binghai City. Powerful allies accompanied them.

Gu Ran led another force, with Oscar, Meng Yiran, Ye Lingling, and 200,000 troops to Gengxin City.

With the previous reinforcements, they had 500,000 troops, plus several Titled Douluo-level experts. Star Luo had numbers, but their top fighters were now weaker than Heaven Dou.

Just Dugu Bo alone was enough to keep Dai Tianjue's 700,000 troops in check. Tianlin instructed him to use only non-lethal toxins to paralyze, not kill.

Bai Chenxiang would relay battlefield information to Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong. If a front had trouble, they could reinforce it.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, Huan Yin, and Chen Xin would focus on their divine trials for future battles.

Tianlin didn't fully trust the elders and worshippers of the Spirit Empire, though he knew they wouldn't dare rebel with him and Chen Xin present. Even if they wanted to, Qian Daoliu wouldn't allow it.

In the last battle, Qian Daoliu saw that the combined strength of this master and disciple surpassed all other Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall.

But not daring to rebel was one thing; whether they'd cause trouble was another. Following the principle of "don't use people you doubt," Tianlin preferred to set aside this force for now, unless they behaved.

The two armies set out. Tianlin, Ning Rongrong, and Di Tian went with Qian Daoliu to Spirit City to receive the Spirit Empire's surrender, making it official.

He was strong enough now—even if all the Titled Douluos attacked together, they couldn't beat him, and Di Tian wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Tianlin, as he still needed him to heal his master. Qian Daoliu wouldn't do anything foolish.

Chapter 562: Spirit City Turned into Purgatory

After saying goodbye, the Spirit Empire group rushed with Tianlin. The main army was led by Snake Spear Douluo, while the top experts flew ahead to Spirit City.

All Titled Douluos could fly, so what would normally take over ten days took them less than a day.

"About twenty five km more, past the next town, and we'll reach Spirit City," Qian Daoliu said. He didn't know how to face the people of the Spirit Empire after such a defeat—their subjects would surely be miserable, now reduced to a conquered people.

Luckily, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect wasn't bloodthirsty, nor as classist as the two empires. For the common people, it was just a change of rulers; life wouldn't change much.

"Wait, there's a strong smell of blood ahead," Di Tian, being a beast, had sharper senses than Tianlin. He was the first to notice as they neared the town.

"Something's wrong," Tianlin felt a surge of resentment ahead, even before smelling blood due to his connection with the Holy Spirit Pearl.

He instantly sped up. In less than half a minute, they reached the town.

This little town, much like Seven Treasure Village, was under Spirit Hall's protection and full of Angel God believers. Life had always been peaceful, untouched by bandits or evil soul masters.

But today, the prosperity was gone—only bodies remained.

They landed and saw a scene from hell. Qian Daoliu's eyes filled with rage, "Who did this? Who dared massacre my Spirit Hall's people, our angel believers? I'll tear them to pieces!"

Ning Rongrong turned away, unable to bear it. She had killed enemies in battle, but never innocent civilians. What did continental wars have to do with them? Why such cruelty?

Tianlin checked the corpses. The way these people died was similar to those at border villages years ago.

Meaning: the Evil Sword Immortal or his subordinates did this. But all his subordinates had been dealt with—he had no one left to send.

The victims were Angel God believers, so there was only one possibility: Bibi Dong.

She had been consumed by the Evil Spirit Pearl's evil. The hatred she had gradually let go of, due to Qian Renxue, had resurfaced uncontrollably.

Tianlin wasn't sure if Bibi Dong in the original wanted to destroy the continent, but he was sure she wanted to destroy Spirit Hall. She probably planned to wipe out the Spirit Empire at its height as revenge.

Now that was impossible. So she could only take revenge through slaughter.

But after the last battle, both Tianlin and Bibi Dong must've been severely injured. She should have been lying low.

The only explanation: to complete the final test of the Rakshasa God, which required unleashing her deepest evil.

So before secluding herself to heal, she had to destroy what she hated most.

"Oh no, Spirit City!" Tianlin suddenly realized—if even a small village of Angel believers was slaughtered, how could Spirit Hall itself be spared?

"Senior Qian Daoliu, we must hurry to Spirit City!"

Without time to explain, he flew at full speed, with Di Tian right behind.

Qian Daoliu left two Douluos to bury the townsfolk, then chased after Tianlin.

The three strongest arrived at Spirit City first. It, too, was now a living hell.

Once the continent's greatest city, now it was filled with corpses, collapsed buildings, cracked ground, fire everywhere, and the cries of the people.

Golden Crocodile Douluo arrived next, his voice trembling with grief and anger. "Our Spirit City… why has it become like this?"

"Rongrong, save them!" Tianlin shouted. Spirit City was a metropolis of nearly a million—there had to be survivors.

"Yes!" Ning Rongrong wielded the Sea God Trident, summoning water from the moat to put out the fires.

"Wait—the three worshippers!" Qian Daoliu suddenly remembered: three worshippers were guarding the city, each with power above rank 96. Maybe they survived.

He left Ning Rongrong and the others to rescue people while he and Tianlin rushed to Spirit Hall.

The once-majestic Angel God statue was now dust. Only Bibi Dong had the power and hatred to do this.

In the square, four people lay on the ground. Two were gravely wounded; two were just skeletons.

"Third! Xue'er!" Qian Daoliu rushed over. The survivors were the Third Worshipper and Qian Renxue.

The other two skeletons must have been the Fourth and Fifth Worshippers.

"Sister Xue'er!" Tianlin reached Qian Renxue first, checking her injuries.

Qian Renxue weakly opened her eyes, "Xiao Tian, am I dreaming? If I could see you before dying, that would be nice…"

"I won't let you die, Sister Xue'er." Tianlin summoned his magic sword. "Eighth soul skill: Extreme Curse—Return of Yin and Yang."

The sword's light enveloped both Qian Renxue and the Third Worshipper. Qian Renxue's wounds healed, but the Third Worshipper remained dying.

He shook his head, "Don't waste your effort, young man. There's a force inside me destroying my body, stronger than your sword's power."

"Xiao Tian, the Third Worshipper has the Evil Spirit Pearl's power inside, resisting your magic sword. The Extreme Curse can't penetrate, so you can't heal him. Bibi Dong was ruthless to him, only showing mercy to Qian Renxue," Skydream Iceworm said. Previously, only the Wind Spirit Pearl could drive out the Evil Spirit Pearl's power from Tianlin.

Unless the Holy Spirit Pearl left Tianlin and became an artifact, he couldn't heal the Third Worshipper right now.