Word Count: 3,122 Words
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In the core region of the Evildemon Forest, territory that had once belonged to the Evileye Tyrant clan was now occupied by a single human. Brilliant golden light stained the sky, and from all directions came the faint, majestic echo of a hymn.
The anomaly did not last long. The boundless golden radiance spiraled inward, converging into a vast golden funnel that descended over the human below. Spirit rings emerged around him one after another, their oppressive might sweeping wantonly across the Evildemon Forest.
Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Red, Gold, Red, White-Gold!
Nine spirit rings blazed across the forest, and countless spirit beasts dropped to their knees. They knew this human had slain the Evileye Tyrant Emperor. If he wished it, he could massacre every living thing in the Evildemon Forest.
Ling Bai slowly opened his eyes. His pupils shone like twin golden stars, and spirit power surged violently around him.
His cultivation had advanced to Rank 97.
This was one of the traditional advantages of Twin Martial Spirits. After breaking through to Titled Douluo, absorbing high-quality spirit rings could raise one's spirit power at astonishing speed. Before its death, the Evileye Tyrant Emperor had absorbed the spiritual power of the entire Evileye Tyrant clan, causing both its spirit ring and spirit bone to evolve.
After its fall, all of those benefits passed to Ling Bai. He had not merely stepped into Rank 97. The spirit power within him was already approaching Rank 98.
The Evileye Tyrant Emperor had filled the last gaps in the Seraphim's ninth spirit ring and head spirit bone. From this moment onward, Holy Evil Douluo's strength had reached its peak!
Ling Bai also sifted through the Evileye Tyrant Emperor's memories and gained hundreds of thousands of years of insight into the spatial attribute. He only needed a period of seclusion to sort through and digest it all, and his mastery of space would improve by leaps and bounds. The third spirit core no longer seemed so impossibly distant.
Inside his Spiritual Sea, the Snow Empress and Electrolux both looked utterly satiated. They unanimously agreed that the Evileye Tyrant Emperor had truly been a fine beast, willing to drive its own race to extinction if it meant elevating their souls.
Ling Bai also copied a portion of the Evileye Tyrant Emperor's spatial insights for the Snow Empress, helping her gain deeper control over spatial power and laying a firmer foundation for condensing Yin-Yang Complement twin spirit cores in the future.
Once he had finished, Ling Bai spread his six angelic wings and flew to the edge of the Evildemon Forest, where Nan Qiuqiu, the young mistress of the Earthdragon Sect, was shivering in the cold wind.
"H-Holy Evil Douluo..."
The girl called out pitifully, like a small beast that had been abandoned, tears spinning in her eyes.
Ling Bai's battle with the Evileye Tyrant Emperor had far exceeded the limits of what she could bear. The sky above was still riddled with spatial cracks that refused to close, and the berserk intent of slaughter made the surrounding world tremble. This was a Limit Douluo, an existence capable of devastating the world.
The boundless blood sea that Primordial Blood Hell had conjured across the sky had left Nan Qiuqiu with a thought she'd been too afraid to voice aloud.
Holy Evil Douluo seems even more frightening than Evil Spirit Masters...
She had truly witnessed the 'evil' in Holy Evil Douluo now. Her liver and gall felt as though they were shuddering.
Just as he had on the way there, Ling Bai caught Nan Qiuqiu by the back of her collar and flew toward Sunrise City.
Not long after the Continental Youth Elite Spirit Master Grand Tournament ended, the old emperor of the Sun Moon Empire passed away. Crown Prince Xu Tianran ascended the throne, and the first thing he did after taking power was dispatch the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion to Sunrise City to guard the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires.
Sunrise City stood on an open plain. The Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion had turned it into a fortress, with spirit cannons arranged as densely as a forest. With the legion's terrifying firepower, they could flatten the entire city in a very short time.
Night laid a dim veil over the walls, nearly fifty feet high. Their tops were lined with an astonishing number of spirit searchlights and spirit power detectors, and notices had been posted everywhere forbidding outside Spirit Masters from entering.
Rescuing people could not be done as brazenly as storming a border pass. When one of the city guards stepped away to relieve himself, Ling Bai cut him down with a single sword strike, destroyed the corpse without a trace, then used the Thousand Illusion Charming Appearance to disguise himself as the dead man and led Nan Qiuqiu into Sunrise City.
The two of them chose a small inn to stay in. Once inside, Ling Bai revealed his true appearance and asked Nan Qiuqiu, "Do you know where the prison is?"
"I escaped halfway..."
Nan Qiuqiu scratched her head awkwardly.
Ling Bai let out a helpless sigh. According to the memories from his previous life, the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires were imprisoned in a water dungeon built alongside the moat. Although the guards had been switched from the Holy Spirit Cult to the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion, the odds of the prison itself being moved were not high.
Nan Qiuqiu pressed her red lips together and said softly, "Holy Evil Douluo, the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion has five Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shells. How are we supposed to save them?"
"Five? You're being a little too optimistic..."
Ling Bai narrowed his eyes. That number was nothing more than disinformation released on purpose, with the sole aim of fishing!
The Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion's true reserve was around twenty shells. The five Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shells known to the public were probably the ones Xu Tianran had openly allocated to them. The rest had been hidden away over the years by successive commanders through sheer persistence and effort.
That was exactly why Huo Yuhao had once seized fifteen Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shells from Xu Tianyuan's Storage Spirit Guidance Device in one go!
With the physical toughness of a humanoid Great Beast, Ling Bai could take five or six of those shells head-on without much trouble. Twenty, however, and he would have no choice but to slink back into the Spectral Demiplane to weather the storm.
Which meant Commander Xu Tianyuan had to die the instant he showed himself. Under no circumstances could the man be allowed to fire Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shells one after another!
"Meditate and recover your strength. We move at the fifth watch."
"Understood!"
The fifth watch was when people were at their most exhausted. It was the perfect time for killing, arson, and ambushes. Ling Bai and Nan Qiuqiu crept toward the moat, and sure enough, they spotted several patrol members of the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion along the southern wall.
Ling Bai quietly activated the Harbinger Zhen left leg spirit bone skill. He moved like a phantom in the night, and every time his sword flashed, a life was claimed. The patrolling Spirit Guidance Masters never even had time to react before the Angel Sword pierced their hearts.
They all possessed at least four-ringed cultivation and carried triggered defensive Spirit Guidance Devices, but compared with Holy Evil Douluo, the gap in strength was simply too vast.
Inside the water dungeon, a squad of Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Masters stood faithfully guarding the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires. An unfamiliar figure materialized before them without warning. Pitch-black spirit cannon muzzles swung toward the intruder, and a harsh shout rang out.
"Halt! Who are y—"
Before the sentence could finish, heads were already parting from shoulders. Ling Bai crooked a finger behind him, and Nan Qiuqiu immediately scurried over in a crouch, sneaking after him with all the subtlety of a thief.
The two of them pressed deeper into the dungeon. Rows of iron cages stood neatly in place, each one holding eight to ten people. The water inside was a full meter deep. Murky river water soaked the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires until their faces were deathly pale and their auras faint. In a place like this, they had almost no way to rest. All they could do was lean against the bars and endure.
Ling Bai scanned them briefly. These five to six hundred people were the contestants and teachers from the Continental Youth Elite Spirit Master Grand Tournament. Without exception, anyone capable of representing their academy or sect in battle was an outstanding talent of the younger generation.
By imprisoning them in defiance of all convention, the Sun Moon Empire had not only torn away any pretense of civility with the Three Great Empires, but also used them as hostages to suppress the major academies and sects, preventing them from daring to involve themselves too deeply in the war.
"Mom!"
With every outer guard dead, Nan Qiuqiu could wait no longer and cried out for Nan Shuishui.
"Qiuqiu? Is that you, Qiuqiu?!"
Nan Shuishui splashed through the water the instant she heard that familiar voice, rushing to the front of the cage and staring at Nan Qiuqiu with eyes wide in agitation. Mother and daughter clung to each other through the bars and burst into tears.
"Move aside. I'll get them out."
Ling Bai gestured for Nan Qiuqiu to step back, then shattered every cage with a single Evil-Banishing Slash, freeing all the hostages of the Three Great Empires.
"You're... Ling Bai? No... Holy Evil Douluo!" Nan Shuishui's eyes went wide with shock the moment she recognized him.
"My reputation's gotten that big? It reached all the way into prison?"
"Super factions like Shrek Academy, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, and the Body Sect are all on the Sun Moon Empire's target list," Nan Shuishui explained. "Your extermination of the Body Sect caused an enormous uproar here. The Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion celebrated for several days straight, feeling the continental war had just lost one of its greatest threats."
"Holy Evil Douluo did the right thing wiping them out! Once the war begins, who knows which side the Body Sect would've supported? Who would've thought Du Busi was actually Death Abyss Douluo?"
Some of the younger Spirit Masters among the prisoners were already growing agitated.
Everything they knew had come from the mouths of Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion members. Led by the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and Shrek Academy, the Heavenly Soul Empire had unified its story that Du Busi was Death Abyss Douluo, and the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion had simply passed that story along to the prisoners.
They had spent months locked in this water dungeon, living a life without daylight. They had long since had enough, and many had even believed they would never see freedom again. Ling Bai's arrival was like a god descending from heaven. Naturally, the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires rallied behind the bright and righteous Holy Evil Douluo and cursed the Body Sect for colluding with Evil Spirit Masters.
"A hero truly rises in youth! We can never repay such grace!"
"Holy Evil Douluo, please accept our bows!"
Some were so overcome they nearly knelt straight into the water. Ling Bai didn't need them to kneel. He pulled them back to their feet, and blossoms of Angelic Holy Fire descended into their bodies one by one. The Sun Moon Empire had poisoned them all with Soul-Extinguishing Powder, but to the Seraphim's purifying power, cleansing the toxin was as effortless as eating and drinking.
Nan Qiuqiu helped support her mother. Both still had reddened eyes when Nan Shuishui spoke again:
"Holy Evil Douluo, the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion will realize very soon that they've lost contact with the guards here. We've suffered months of torment at their hands. Our bodies are weak and our spirit power nearly spent. We won't be able to follow you through a breakout...
You should take the young ones and go. They are the hope of the Douluo Continent. We older ones will stay behind and risk our lives to hold back the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion."
"That's right! Even if we old ones die, we'll buy you time!"
One team leader after another patted the backs of their juniors and sternly warned them not to become a burden to Holy Evil Douluo.
"Mom!"
Nan Qiuqiu's eyes went wide. She had run everywhere begging for help for her mother, cast aside the pride of the Earthdragon Sect's young mistress, and been willing to become a slave or maid if that was what it took. She simply could not accept that the moment they reunited would also be their last!
"No... no..."
She shook her head at Ling Bai, her lovely eyes brimming with pleading.
"Listen to me, everyone. None of you needs to die!"
Golden light flowed through Ling Bai's eyes, and a resounding dragon roar burst forth. The Bone Dragon King stepped out of the Spectral Gate, its body swelling instantly to tens of meters long. It even lowered itself to avoid crashing into the ceiling of the water dungeon.
"We split into two groups. All of you, get on the Bone Dragon King. Most of the Sun Moon Empire's Spirit Guidance Legions are deployed to defend against the Star Luo Empire. The Bone Dragon King will carry you straight toward the relatively weaker Heavenly Soul border!
As for the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion, I'll hold them off alone!"
The safest method, of course, would have been to send everyone into the Spectral Demiplane, then break through the defensive lines by himself and return to the Heavenly Soul Empire.
But he was here to build his reputation. What would be the point if these people went into the Spectral Demiplane, closed their eyes, and then simply opened them again at home?!
Whatever sounded the most righteously awe-inspiring, that was the path he chose!
He wanted them to see the Sun Moon Empire's airtight military defenses. He wanted them to witness the sky-filling barrage of Spirit Guidance Devices with their own eyes. Only then would they understand just how arduous and how great it was for Holy Evil Douluo to barge into Sunrise City with dead weight in tow and still rescue them all!
Human hearts were made of flesh. The moment those words fell, many people burst into tears on the spot. If all the righteousness in the world amounted to ten parts, Holy Evil Douluo alone occupied twelve of them, and the rest of the world still owed him two!
Only Holy Evil Douluo was worthy of standing at the head of the righteous path!
"Enough. I can sense a large number of Spirit Masters closing in fast. Everyone, get on the Bone Dragon King, now!"
There was no time for hesitation. If they delayed any longer and Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shells blanketed the area, everyone here would be reduced to ash. The crowd climbed onto the Bone Dragon King one after another. Nan Qiuqiu wiped away her tears, as if steeling herself for something:
"Thank you, Holy Evil Douluo. When you come back safely, whether you want me as a maid or a concubine, I'll do whatever you say!"
Ling Bai smiled and waved. Angelic wings burst from his back, and he shot forward as a streak of golden light, rushing out of the water dungeon ahead of the Bone Dragon King.
The entire Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion had already assembled. Every one of them wore a flying Spirit Guidance Device on their back and black combat gear on their body, the emblem of a giant Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon emblazoned across the chest.
Their eyes first fell upon Ling Bai's nine spirit rings, a spectacle unmatched in all of history, then immediately snapped to the Spirit Masters of the Three Great Empires riding the Bone Dragon King's back!
The Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion roared as one. Their linked Spirit Guidance Devices activated, unleashing every weapon at their disposal in the most violent salvo they could produce.
An energy storm erupted across everything the eye could see. Terrifying spirit rays and spirit cannon shells turned that stretch of sky into a zone of death in an instant.
"Radiant Spirit Array: Holy Guard!"
His first and seventh spirit rings lit up together. Under the Angel Avatar, light traced itself into a seven-pointed star array. Layer upon layer of Radiant Spirit Arrays overlapped in the air, holding fast against the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion's bombardment as an endless metallic clanging rang out without pause.
The Bone Dragon King was a Limit Douluo-level Spectral Creature, and its flying speed was beyond compare. Two beats of its wings and it had already cleared Sunrise City. All the Spirit Guidance Masters could do was watch a tiny black dot shrink into the distance.
"Damn it!"
Xu Tianyuan, commander of the Imperial Dragon Spirit Guidance Legion, looked as if his eyes would split from fury. Those hostages were tied directly to the Sun Moon Empire's continental war strategy. If they escaped alive, Xu Tianran would never spare him!
Xu Tianyuan swung a giant cannon onto his shoulder. It was unmistakably a Class 9 spirit cannon. An azure shell was loaded in an instant, and a destructive energy storm coalesced at the muzzle!
Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shell, Sky Splitter!
The Seraphim's final white-gold spirit ring erupted with dazzling brilliance. Sacred golden sword energy surged forth, its piercing edge shrouding the surrounding sky whole. Ling Bai's eyes locked onto Xu Tianyuan as he prepared to fire.
Sword light split the heavy clouds. Its brilliance was so intense that even the glow of dawn paled before it. A deafening sword cry rang through the heavens, and beneath the vault of the sky, a magnificent and towering Angel Sword materialized!
The sheer grandeur and beauty of it struck onlookers speechless. Golden radiance flashed along every inch of the blade, each edge the perfect fusion of holiness and sharpness.
The Seraphim closed its hand around the Angel Sword, and the sky itself seemed to split in two. Wherever the blade pointed, all things stood in awe. The wind stilled. The clouds ceased. Mountains, rivers, and the great earth fell silent. It was as if, in that single instant, the whole world had stopped breathing!
Seraphim Ninth Spirit Skill!
Sword Might: One Breath Stills the World!