DD Spiritual Sword [617-620] (Patreon)

Chapter 617: Evil Emperor Trial Failed — The Full Plan of Tianlin and Ning Fengzhi

"Jun… Jun Tianlin, impossible. Why did you exit seclusion early?" Evil Sword Immortal froze in terror. He had clearly sensed that Tianlin was about to reach the half-step God-Emperor realm and would need several more days before emerging.

Why did Tianlin appear the instant he did? And from the looks of it, Tianlin hadn't forcibly ended his cultivation—he had fully completed his divine ascension.

The newly ascended Asura God had already reached the half-step God-Emperor realm.

Tianlin smiled. "Don't get it? It's simple. When you came to the Human Realm and the God of Lust returned to the God Realm, the Gate of the Gods closed again. You can no longer absorb the God of Lust, which means your Evil Emperor trial has failed. As far as I know, the stronger the divine trial, the harsher the backlash upon failure."

As his voice fell, a gloomy voice rang in Evil Sword Immortal's mind: ["Evil Sword Immortal: Evil Emperor trial failed. God-seat inheritance revoked. Evil-thought Devouring ability stripped. Evil Spirit Pearl fractured."]

Evil Sword Immortal incredulously took out his treasured Evil Spirit Pearl and saw cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.

"Familiar voice, right? That's the will of the previous Evil Sword Immortal hidden in the pearl. He'd hoped you would one day slaughter your way back to his original world to take revenge on Jing Tian and Chong Lou. So he set trials for you. But your scheming and your strength—even on this Douluo Continent, whose power system is beneath the Sword and Fairy world—fall short. Go to that world and you'd only be courting death. He's completely given up on you; his obsession dissipated." Tianlin explained.

"You know Jing Tian and Chong Lou… so you're also a soul from that world." Evil Sword Immortal assumed Tianlin came from Sword and Fairy; no wonder he had the Holy Spirit Pearl to counter him—surely a contingency left by those great beings.

"Think what you like; it's close enough," Tianlin nodded. "Now you understand why my strength spiked. Our trials are oppositional. My Holy Emperor trial is to stop you from destroying the world and to eliminate you. With your trial's failure, mine is more than half complete, so my power surged."

"Despicable! Holy Emperor? You plotted against me!" Evil Sword Immortal roared.

Tianlin shrugged. "We may be acquainted, but slander is still slander. I didn't plot you. I intended to kill you head-on. The one who plotted you was my father-in-law."

Hearing this, Evil Sword Immortal turned to Ning Fengzhi. To him, Ning Fengzhi was an ant, never worth a glance. Now even more so: after self-exploding his rings, Ning Fengzhi's spirit was shattered and his power gone—he couldn't beat an ordinary person.

Ning Fengzhi gave a bitter smile. This son-in-law was truly ruthless, selling him out in a heartbeat.

"I was only hypothesizing," Ning Fengzhi said. "The God of Lust mentioned that even a Supreme God-King can't change the world's rules. From Tianlin, I heard key points of your Evil Emperor trial. So I devised this: separate you and the God of Lust into different realms and then lock the Gate of the Gods. That should finish you, no?"

"Because under those conditions, to absorb the God of Lust you'd need to first become a God-Emperor to ignore the rules and force open the gate. But to become a God-Emperor, you'd first need to absorb the God of Lust. A paradox."

The God of Destruction nodded. "Right. When the Sword God wrote this plan to me with sword-arts, I realized there was another way to break the game. Ning Fengzhi also told me that not only do you hold leverage against me, I actually hold leverage against you. We could lure you out under the pretext of a deal, then send the God of Lust back once you emerged."

"Impossible. That talisman the God of Lust used requires coordinates. The God Realm doesn't have the Star Shift Talisman's coordinates." Evil Sword Immortal was becoming hysterical. He refused to accept the truth, insisting the God of Lust was still in the Human Realm, merely hidden by some secret art.

"Who said there weren't?" Ning Fengzhi smiled. "You control the God Realm's hub and know our side's power well, but there's one exception: a newly created god-seat not yet admitted into the God Realm registry—a self-made god. The Artificer God, Lou Gao. As an unprecedented craftsman-type first-rank god, he excels at forging divine artifacts. Three years ago, I had him craft a special artifact that can completely conceal figure and aura. With Oscar's Invisibility Sausage as reference, he succeeded smoothly."

"When you opened the Gate of the Gods, Lou Gao wore that artifact, hid himself, and entered the God Realm. The artifact was inscribed with coordinates."

"Otherwise, why do you think Qian Renxue waited until four hundred god-servants had appeared before activating the formation she'd already set up on the gate? Not a mistake—she was waiting for Lou Gao to enter first."

Ning Fengzhi laid out the plan in full. It sounded simple, but he staked everything on it. To execute it, he faced four hundred god-servants and four God-Kings; a single misstep meant total defeat.

But now, he had won. The price paid was only his own cultivation.

"Evil Sword Immortal, do you remember how your predecessor lost? Arrogance—he looked down on everyone and was tricked by Jing Tian and Xu Changqing. Today you're the same. You ignore everyone except me. I, on the other hand, trust every comrade's strength. That's the decisive difference." Tianlin's gaze swept the mountainside, full of gratitude.

"In truth, we each had advantages. I had better intel; you had the higher starting point and easier path to Evil Emperor. From the beginning you maneuvered: using avalanches to perfect the spirit-hunting plan; using the Heaven Dou to scheme against the Three Upper Sects; exposing Bibi Dong's secrets; seizing the Slaughter City; plotting to use the Grandmaster to scheme against Bibi Dong again; pushing continental war; hunting the Emerald Swan; aiding the Heaven Dou Empire to prolong the war… If even one plan had succeeded, today's victor would be you."

"I could only counter each move as it came. In other words, you could fail countless times, but I could not fail even once—or it was total defeat. I was fortunate: my family and friends were strong enough. With their help, every one of your plans was foiled. Your loss was sealed."

After hearing Ning Fengzhi and Tianlin, Evil Sword Immortal finally understood. No wonder every plan felt "coincidentally" spoiled—this father-in-law and son-in-law had been plotting him all along.

Chapter 618: Holy Emperor and Holy Empress — Husband and Wife Tag-Team

After hearing the plan's entirety, the God of Destruction and others actually felt a twinge of pity for Evil Sword Immortal. Brilliant schemer, tremendous strength—yet hamstrung by poor intel, toyed with by a father- and son-in-law.

"Jun Tianlin! Ning Fengzhi!!!" Veins bulged as Evil Sword Immortal charged, sanity consumed by rage. His target wasn't Tianlin, but the now powerless Ning Fengzhi.

Even if he died, he would drag Ning Fengzhi down with him.

"A final impotent roar?" Tianlin smiled, unmoving. Ning Fengzhi had protection.

"Don't you dare hurt my father." Ning Rongrong stepped in front of Ning Fengzhi. Even knowing she was no match, she would not retreat.

Her trident swept horizontally at Evil Sword Immortal.

He dismissed her utterly. Even with his trial failed, he still possessed Supreme God-King power. How could a mere first-rank god like Ning Rongrong touch him?

The next instant, the trident's terrifying force warped his body and sent him flying.

Even Ning Rongrong was startled. How did she get this strong?

That strike was far beyond 108,000 kg—more like tens of millions. Had she become a super-strength maiden?

At that moment, radiance welled from within her along with a gentle voice: ["Ning Rongrong, for assisting Jun Tianlin in stopping the Evil Emperor trial and subduing Evil Sword Immortal: Holy Empress inheritance progress at 80%."]

"Holy Empress!" Ning Rongrong was shocked—there was another divine trial within her, already at 80%.

Even incomplete, this god-seat boosted her power to Supreme God-King level; no wonder she had swatted him away.

Tianlin gently descended beside her. "Rongrong, nice gift, right? On Sea God Island, when I gave you summoning rights to the Snow Demon, I also imprinted the Holy Empress inheritance upon your Nine-Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

"Wonderful, Sword Brother! Then I can fight by your side." She was delighted; more than the power, she loved being beside him.

Tianlin nodded. "Good. Let's, as husband and wife, beat this guy down together."

"Fools! You won't kill me so easily." Evil Sword Immortal raised the Evil Spirit Pearl again. It wasn't fully shattered; he would draw on its last reserves.

A world-polluting tide of evil qi seeped out. He roared, "Evil Spirit Canopies the Heavens!"

His ultimate, scaling with the evil qi's strength.

"A dying struggle." Tianlin flipped his palm. The Holy Spirit Pearl—now fully a creation artifact, detached from its former martial spirit state—soared forth.

It had fully merged the Five Spirit Pearls' powers, plus the mental attribute of the Skydream Ice Silkworm and the Yin-aspected mental attribute of the Silver Dragon King. With the Silver Dragon King's element-harmonizing gift, it could deploy all immortal arts with power far beyond the Evil Spirit Pearl.

First: Yang-aspected immortal art, Five-Spirit Purge Evil—80% of the miasma cleansed.

Then: Yin-aspected immortal art, Demon Souls to Salvation—vast nether yin assimilated the remaining 20% of evil qi.

Next, the five-spirit immortal arts in unison:

Earth: Mount Tai Descends

Fire: Infernal Sea

Water: Wind and Snow Seal the Heavens

Wind: Tempest Shatters the Sky

Thunder: Ninefold Heaven's Thunder

With the barrage, the Evil Spirit Pearl's fracture accelerated, cracks racing outward.

"What a terrifying artifact!" the God of Destruction exclaimed. The pearl that once ravaged the God Realm was suppressed this thoroughly.

"Golden Thirteen Tridents—No Return!" Ning Rongrong pressed the assault on Evil Sword Immortal himself. With his pearl suppressed, he lacked an artifact—prime time to kill him.

"You think I have no artifact? Destruction Scepter!" Evil Sword Immortal produced a scepter, blocking the Sea God Trident—equal in might to that super-artifact.

All eyes turned to the God of Destruction. Wasn't that his super-artifact?

"Don't look at me. When he occupied the God Realm, Evil Sword Immortal confiscated most artifacts and super-artifacts. Otherwise why didn't I use the Destruction Scepter earlier?" the God of Destruction said helplessly.

It made sense: to control a god, control their artifact.

Caught off guard earlier, Evil Sword Immortal was now fully committed. His strength was no less than Ning Rongrong's; his Destruction Scepter matched the Sea God Trident. After thirteen exchanges in midair, even the full Golden Trident forms couldn't best him.

"Rongrong, your combat experience is lacking; you haven't brought the Golden Thirteen Tridents to mastery. Watch me."

Tianlin made his move. A divine sword descended. Evil Sword Immortal reflexively raised the Destruction Scepter—there was a clear ding, the sword returned to Tianlin's hand, and the scepter crumbled to dust.

One of the God Realm's mightiest super-artifacts couldn't withstand a single clash.

"The God-Demon Sword… Worthy of a weapon forged by merging two supreme artifacts and sacrificing a super-artifact," Chen Xin said, thrilled as a swordsman seeing such a blade in his disciple's hand.

The God of Destruction ached—his scepter!—but consoled himself. "It's for saving the world. They have a Divine Craftsmen; I'll ask him to craft me a new one."

Evil Sword Immortal's despair deepened. "The God-Demon Sword—damn it, even that has been restored."

The Holy Spirit Pearl already left him helpless; with the God-Demon Sword in play, he had no hope.

He then pulled out, in turn, the Evil God's Scales of Judgment, the Life Goddess's Tree of Life, the Good God's Heart of Goodness—the five God-Kings' super-artifacts. Aside from the Asura Sword already refined, he used everything.

Against the God-Demon Sword, all met the same fate. Only the Tree of Life and Heart of Goodness—useful beyond battle for nurturing life and guiding virtue—were spared destruction; Tianlin only knocked them away, to have Lou Gao repair later.

The Scales of Judgment weren't so lucky, joining the Destruction Scepter as dust.

Chapter 619: Holy Spirit Shatters Evil Spirit — God-Demon Smites Evil Sword

With two divine artifacts in hand—Holy Spirit Pearl suppressing the Evil Spirit Pearl, and the God-Demon Sword breaking the rest—Tianlin coordinated with Ning Rongrong focusing on Evil Sword Immortal himself, leaving him nearly defenseless.

"Sword Brother, what are you, a Saiyan? Riding the wind while I tank the boss—get rid of that pearl and come help me!" Ning Rongrong pouted. Of all Tianlin's teachings, she'd forgotten most—but the Dragon Ball bedtime stories stuck.

Tianlin smiled. "I want you to acclimate to your new strength through battle. You are not weaker than him. And once I destroy the Evil Spirit Pearl, he's finished: your 80% Holy Empress power alone can solo him."

At that moment, a holy light entered the battlefield—Qian Renxue had returned.

"You're here, Sister Xue. Lend me a hand," Tianlin said. To annihilate the Evil Spirit Pearl quickly, he needed her help.

"I've waited for this day," she answered. Back then, both of Tianlin's spirits resonated with her, giving them two spirit fusion skills. Holy Demon Angel was one; the other paired the Holy Spirit Pearl with her Angel.

But the Holy Spirit Pearl had become a creation artifact, far beyond her Eight-Winged Angel, so they couldn't fuse now. Still, their resonance remained; the Angel could bolster the Holy Spirit Pearl.

"Beneath the blue seas and azure skies, the heart is moonlit every night." Bathed in holy radiance, Qian Renxue danced as she recited the immortal incantation. A full moon rose in broad daylight.

"That's Cold Moon!" Chen Xin recognized a Shu Mountain Daoist art—an auxiliary spell that grants "immortal affinity," turning the target's immortal arts into critical strikes with multiplicative power. It required a woman in love to realize its mindset, illustrated by a tale of the moon goddess Chang'e. Others couldn't truly wield it; moreover, no one but Qian Renxue—who once resonated with the Holy Spirit Pearl—could buff an artifact of such high grade.

"Good. Fusion immortal arts: Thunder–Earth: Demon Takes the Body; Wind–Fire: Conflagration of Heaven; Wind–Water: Wind and Snow Seal the Heavens; Fire–Thunder: Blazing Thunder; Fire–Earth: Stars Sink, Earth Quakes!"

Tianlin unleashed five peak immortal arts in a row. Demon Takes the Body was like a simplified "shedding the mortal shell"—a 200% all-attribute boost with no side effects.

The other four were top-tier offensives.

Under Qian Renxue's immortal-affinity, every Holy Spirit Pearl attack critted—exactly the power needed to shatter the world-ending Evil Spirit Pearl swiftly.

Conflagration of Heaven: wind and fire unite, burning mountains and rivers.

Wind and Snow Seal the Heavens: cold winds bite, freezing all.

Blazing Thunder: thunder falls, annihilating life.

Stars Sink, Earth Quakes: meteor firestorms, sundering heaven and earth.

One by one, the explosive strikes hammered the pearl. Even as a doomsday artifact, it couldn't endure: fractures widened and multiplied, its surface barrier thinning.

"No—stop!" Evil Sword Immortal howled. Once the pearl was gone, there would be no path back.

"Say goodbye to your artifact forever." Tianlin loosed a final thrust—Shu Mountain's basic sword-flight, but guided by the God-Demon Sword—piercing the brittle Evil Spirit Pearl.

It shattered completely, dissolving into dust.

"Ah!"

With the pearl gone, Evil Sword Immortal's power dropped again, barely maintaining peak Supreme God-King. Divine power scattered; his strength kept falling.

Seizing the moment, Ning Rongrong executed the Golden Thirteen Tridents' strongest form—man and trident as one—thrusting through his heart.

He was grievously wounded, but not dead—that wasn't his fatal point.

"Heh… impressive, all of you. I never thought I'd lose this badly. But even dying, I'll take you all with me—Evil Massacre of All Beings!" On the brink of death, he prepared to self-detonate.

If Evil Spirit Canopies the Heavens was stoking evil thoughts as fuel, this was packing them as gunpowder for an instant cataclysm. Even in his state, it could destroy the world.

"Still won't yield? I'll meet it head-on. Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Slash!" Tianlin intended to clash directly.

He was confident: in ultimate might, Primordial Spirit Slash and Evil Massacre were comparable; in cultivation, he had the edge. Evil Sword Immortal's desperation could compensate somewhat, but he lacked a critical element—no Evil Spirit Pearl, no other artifacts—while Tianlin held the God-Demon Sword.

The two devastating waves collided, their aftershocks enough to sink the Douluo Continent. Tianlin had to split focus, using the Holy Spirit Pearl to shield the land.

"Die!!" Evil Sword Immortal roared, pushing harder.

Tianlin stayed silent, eyes resolute.

They deadlocked for twenty minutes.

"Incredible. To sustain such terrifying power—just how deep is their cultivation?" the God of Destruction marveled.

But all power wanes. As Evil Sword Immortal's force ebbed and Tianlin's kept rising—thanks to the God-Demon Sword both dispelling evil and absorbing it to strengthen itself—the balance tipped.

"Sever!" Tianlin bellowed. The Primordial Spirit Slash tore apart the Evil Massacre's evil force, and he flashed forward. In Evil Sword Immortal's despairing gaze, his sword pierced the forehead—his true fatal point.

Chapter 620: Evil Sword Immortal Falls — Holy Emperor's Light Shines Upon the World

"Why? Why did I lose? Tell me, Jun Tianlin." Evil Sword Immortal stared at the God-Demon Sword skewering him.

"Every defeated Evil Sword Immortal asks that. The last one lost the same way. Here's the answer: absorbing human wickedness is convenient for power, but do you think it's good for you? Arrogance breeds overconfidence; wrath clouds reason. An arrogant army is doomed—more so when it lacks reason. These were key reasons for your fall. From the very start, you could never win." Tianlin drew the sword as Evil Sword Immortal dissolved like the shattered pearl.

At that moment, the Holy Spirit Pearl radiated countless beams over all present; the largest two enveloped Tianlin and Ning Rongrong. Slightly lesser rays fell on Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, Qian Renxue, and others, while a few ignored rules entirely, piercing the shut Gate of the Gods into the God Realm. Scattered glimmers touched every soul master who had fought. These were the Holy Emperor's auxiliary trials—an accidental, universal bestowal only such a divine official could grant.

A gentle voice sounded in their minds:

["Jun Tianlin: led kin and comrades in concert, destroyed the Evil Spirit Pearl, slew Evil Sword Immortal—Holy Emperor god-seat fully inherited."]

["Ning Rongrong: assisted husband Jun Tianlin, led kin and comrades in concert, destroyed the Evil Spirit Pearl, slew Evil Sword Immortal—Holy Empress god-seat inherited."]

["Qian Renxue: assisted beloved Jun Tianlin to victory—Angel god-seat ascended."]

["Ning Fengzhi: extraordinary wisdom, assisted son-in-law Jun Tianlin to victory—Guidance of the God of Wisdom. May use it to restore cultivation and create a self-made god-seat."]

["Chen Xin: assisted disciple Jun Tianlin to victory—Sword God god-seat ascended."]

["God of Lust: assisted disciple Jun Tianlin to victory—cultivation and aptitude increased."]

["Gu Rong: assisted junior Jun Tianlin to victory—cultivation and aptitude increased."]

["Dugu Bo…"]

["Yin Yang…"]

["Ma Hongjun…"]

"…"

After the God of Lust, all participants received cultivation and aptitude increases—the boost was not minor. The Douluo Continent was about to enter a golden era. In a few years, many Title Douluo—and even gods—would arise among those enhanced.

In the God Realm, the God of Lust rejoiced—Evil Sword Immortal was defeated; she was saved. With the Holy Emperor's auxiliary bestowal, her power rose close to God-King. With time, she would become a true God-King, not a watered-down, revocable one from absorbing Evil Sword Immortal's power.

Even better, the Holy Spirit Pearl's wording called Tianlin her "disciple"—a tacit acknowledgment of her status as his master's wife. With the Holy Emperor's recognition, let's see how Chen Xin could deny it now.

Three beams entered the God Realm: one for her, one for Lou Gao—boosting him—and the brightest, which flew into the God-Forbidden Land. After releasing the Golden Dragon King, Evil Sword Immortal had sealed the Asura God there.

Asura God was bound by colossal chains that shackled limbs and soul, extreme flames beyond even the Fire God's burned beneath him, and a vast wound at his abdomen seeped black miasma—the Evil Sword's cut ravaging him within. Evil Sword Immortal wanted him to taste a fate worse than death.

Weakened but unyielding, Asura God believed his heir would save him.

His wait bore fruit. The Holy Spirit Pearl's cross-realm light bathed him. His contributions to the war were no less than Ning Fengzhi's—had he not saved the God of Lust then, Evil Sword Immortal would have won.

The evil within him dispersed at once; his wounds visibly knit; his power surged.

"Hahaha! We did it! Well done, Tianlin!" Asura God laughed, flexed, and shattered his chains, soaring out of the forbidden land.

When the dust settled, the Gate of the Gods reopened, and Asura God headed straight to the Human Realm.

The Human Realm was peaceful and jubilant. Even those on the continent's fringes had felt the earthshaking battles at Seven Treasure Mountain. Now, all was calm.

When Emperor Gu Ran had summoned the continent's high-level soul masters, many guessed a conflict surpassing continental war was coming. The war ended, and they were unscathed—the outcome was obvious: their First Emperor, Jun Tianlin, had led them to protect the continent once more.

As the Holy Emperor's boons descended, two figures received none: the God of Destruction—this mess stemmed largely from him and the Evil God-King; without their folly, Evil Sword Immortal wouldn't have devoured the Six Sins. Though he helped Ning Fengzhi, it was at best atonement, not merit. As Asura God's judge, Tianlin balanced his crimes and contributions: no punishment, but no reward.

The God of Destruction didn't mind; the God Realm's safety was reward enough.

The other was the Golden Dragon King. Its physique was mighty; though struck by the God of Destruction's World Annihilation, it had recovered somewhat and was preparing to flee. It had witnessed Tianlin's terrifying power—no chance even in hundreds. With Tianlin hugging his wife in celebration, now was the time to escape.

But Tianlin hadn't forgotten it. He'd saved it for someone more fitting.

…

"Where are you going, Golden Dragon King?" A melodious voice sounded behind it—the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, whom it had long wished to devour.

When Tianlin became Holy Emperor, she reshaped her body with his power. As his attendant divine beast, Gu Yuena had fully mastered seven-lineage immortal arts. Though only God-King in cultivation, her combat strength could rival a Supreme God-King.

"Silver Dragon King, what are you doing?" the Golden Dragon King panicked. "We are both soul-beast sovereigns, incarnations of the Dragon God. We should cooperate—don't be rash."

"Cooperate? Laughable. Weren't you just threatening to devour me to restore the Dragon God's power? Fine, I'll oblige—by taking your bloodline instead. Yin-aspect immortal art: Blood-Devouring Curse!"

A blood-red curse struck.

In its despairing gaze, its bloodline power was drained away. The massive golden dragon body withered to a skeleton.

Once Gu Yuena fused that bloodline power, she could begin the Dragon God Great Trial, becoming a new Dragon God. Thus, Tianlin's promise to give soul beasts a path forward would take its first step.

The God of Destruction watched, conflicted. He'd wanted to intervene—he hated soul beasts and didn't want their resurgence—but recalling Tianlin's might, he held back.