Word Count: 2,768 Words
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Spiritual Annihilation was the Demon Eye Evil Tree's most powerful spiritual attack. Its destructive waves would even backfire upon the caster, sending twisted hallucinations rippling through the Evil Tree's chaotic mind as black branches sprouted wildly across its inner vision!
Neither Ning Fengyu nor the Blue Silver Emperor specialized in spiritual defense. They had no choice but to contract their innate domains, focusing wholly on shielding themselves.
Suddenly, an immense and majestic will surged from Ling Bai's body, radiating overwhelming dominance without restraint.
Above the Valley of Life, the cloud layer churned violently. The sea of clouds for hundreds of miles billowed outward in an instant. The Spiritual Annihilation wave crashed against this will like a raging tide striking an unyielding reef, shattering into mere foam.
The Demon Eye Evil Tree stared at Ling Bai in disbelief. It had always believed that in the spiritual domain, only the continent's second-ranked Great Beast, the Evileye Tyrant Emperor, could surpass it. How could its Spiritual Annihilation have failed!
Ling Bai stood high in the sky, holding the Angel Sword that was linked to his very bloodline. His calm gaze pierced the clouds, reaching toward the distant horizon.
Under the blazing sun, the Angel Sword shimmered with golden brilliance, as if containing the purest power in all creation. Ling Bai drew a deep breath as an entirely new sword intent surged within his chest!
The air around him grew dense. A sword aura vast and resplendent as the noonday sun filled the sky. Unlike the blood-soaked Seven Kill Sword Intent, this was an intent of righteous heavenly might!
Sword intent was a spiritual combat technique representing a sword cultivator's will. Ling Bai had set aside the Seven Kill Sword Technique he had practiced for years, seeking a new path through countless battles at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy where he wielded only his Angel Sword.
That sword intent truly belonging to him had continuously merged with his being, flowing through his veins and becoming part of his soul!
Sunset glow reached across the sky, and magnificent sword energy pierced the rainbow!
Sword Intent: Heavenly Brilliance!
The thorns covering the Demon Eye Evil Tree burst like blooming flowers, spraying bloody mist. Heavenly Brilliance was Ling Bai's own creation, a sword intent carrying the sacred will of sky and sun, the ultimate nemesis of all evil. The Demon Eye Evil Tree felt as if a sun was bearing down upon it, its scorching heat threatening to melt it into a puddle of foul liquid!
On the sidelines, the Golden Tortoise's jaw hung open, drool trickling unbidden. Ning Tian and Wu Feng were equally dumbstruck. A radiant pagoda then spun into the air as Ning Tian called out:
"The Seven Treasures revolve to produce a Glazed Pagoda!
The Seven Treasures have names. The third is: Attack! The fifth is: Spirit Power!"
Twin beams of multicolored light shot into Ling Bai's body. The 5-ringed Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda granted him a sixty percent boost to both attack and spirit power, causing his aura to surge once more!
A rustling sound echoed as the Demon Eye Evil Tree's head slowly lifted, mechanical and stiff. Its black-and-red eyes, filled with unwilling malice, met the dazzling golden gaze of the Seraphim.
With a dying beast's final roar, the Demon Eye Evil Tree leaped into the air, baring its chest as it flew toward Ling Bai.
Given their hostile relationship, this was certainly not going to be a warm embrace. The black-and-red thorns on its chest erupted forward like blades. The eyes on their tips distorted into gaping mouths filled with fangs. To be caught in this 'hug' was to suffer the cruelest torture imaginable!
The Forest Demon Realm surged upward with it. Those grotesque trees merged into endless black-red chains, each link studded with staring eyes in a truly nightmarish sight.
This was a suicide attack, a final trade of life for life. Though Ning Fengyu and the Blue Silver Emperor weren't its targets, they could hardly stand idle. The Blue Silver Emperor formed a midair barrier, blocking the chains' advance.
Ning Fengyu's ink-black eighth spirit ring blazed brilliantly. Her Sky Azure Vine Emperor climbed along the Blue Silver Emperor's defenses and latched onto the chains. Sharp barbs rose from its vines and plunged deep into those baleful eyes!
Sky Azure Vine Emperor's Eighth Spirit Skill, Life Siphon!
The Sky Azure Vine Emperor pulsed like a living conduit, greedily draining the Demon Eye Evil Tree's vitality. Within moments, the chains withered like rotten wood, dropping one by one to the earth below.
Woman and beast gave their all, yet still couldn't halt the Evil Tree's assault on Ling Bai. He stared into that thorny embrace, knowing that no matter what wounds it suffered, this fellow would cling to him at any cost.
"Seraphim, die with me!"
The Demon Eye Evil Tree held the determination to die, firmly believing that the moment its thorns pierced Ling Bai would be victory, even if the Angel Sword destroyed it afterward!
The speed of a 200,000-year Great Beast erupting with its full power was like a tightly coiled spring being released. The Demon Eye Evil Tree became a bizarre specter of vengeance, moving so fast that an ordinary Spirit Master would find it difficult to react.
Yet in the Demon Eye Evil Tree's vision, Ling Bai abruptly vanished. The instant before it embraced its target, it could almost feel the touch of a human body, but in the next moment, it lunged at empty air, grabbing only an illusory afterimage!
"Harbinger Zhen!"
The Demon Eye Evil Tree's eyes looked ready to split. From the residual spirit power in the air, it recalled its old, evil spirit beast acquaintance from the Star Dou Forest!
The Harbinger Zhen's two spirit bone skills, Traceless Phantom and Void, had no offensive power but were absolute life-saving divine techniques that always brought surprises.
Tiger Arm Douluo Chen Hu and the Great Beast Demon Eye Evil Tree, two powerful experts had now both been tricked by the Harbinger Zhen.
Ling Bai had first entered the Void state as a precaution before activating Traceless Phantom to dodge. His third, sixth, and seventh spirit rings shone as he unleashed Holy Heart, Great Sun Angel, and Angel Avatar. Under the amplification of these three spirit skills, every swing of the Angel Sword was like heavenly punishment upon the Demon Eye Evil Tree!
The Angel Sword drew a massive arc as it slashed downward, aimed directly at the Demon Eye Evil Tree's brow. After comprehending Sword Intent: Heavenly Brilliance, Ling Bai seemed to be conversing with the sun and resonating with the sky. He had become the incarnation of the Angel Sword!
One sword to slay all evil!
The Demon Eye Evil Tree stood rigid in the sky. Unable to maintain its human form, it revealed its true body: a menacing hundred-meter-tall giant tree. In the center grew a black-and-red demon eye, but that eye had clearly lost its vitality and looked as fragile as glass.
The giant tree slammed heavily onto the ground, sending dust and shattered branches flying. Yet for some reason, no spirit ring appeared.
Once the battle concluded, the group cautiously approached the Demon Eye Evil Tree's corpse. Ning Fengyu summoned numerous Sky Azure Vine Emperors to flip the giant tree, but she still couldn't find its spirit ring.
"No way, it got away?!"
Ning Fengyu was half annoyed and half puzzled; annoyed that all their hard work had been for nothing, and puzzled as to how the Demon Eye Evil Tree had managed to escape under everyone's noses.
Ling Bai descended to the ground, his hand hidden behind his back clutching a constantly struggling branch. The eye on the branch overflowed with infinite despair.
After setting up a layer of holy spirit power to seal it, Ling Bai tossed the branch into his storage Spirit Guidance Device before walking over with a regretful expression.
"Bai-ge!"
Ning Tian rushed forward to embrace him. The Spirit Guidance Devices she made couldn't affect a Titled Douluo-level battle; all she could do was use her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to support him. The Evil Tree's final attack had truly frightened her.
Wu Feng kicked at a fallen branch, trying to console him. "So what if one evil spirit beast got away? Don't take it to heart. You'll definitely find a better one next time!"
"Yeah, the next one will be even more obedient!" the Golden Tortoise chimed in.
"I'm fine."
Ling Bai patted Ning Tian's back, then smiled and nodded at Wu Feng and the Golden Tortoise.
The Demon Eye Evil Tree had indeed used a clone spirit skill at the end, splitting off a branch that housed its soul. Unfortunately for it, the trick couldn't escape his perception.
Leaving the Demon Eye Evil Tree a thread of life wasn't out of sympathy. Ling Bai simply didn't want the Death Abyss Spider Emperor to absorb its spirit ring in front of Ning Tian and Wu Feng. Knowing too many of his secrets wouldn't be good for them.
His gaze inadvertently fell upon the Blue Silver Emperor as it inched away bit by bit. He smiled:
"I almost forgot about the main event. Blue Silver Emperor."
The Blue Silver Emperor heard the death god's call and its heart instantly skipped a beat. It's over. Out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's lair!
During the battle, the Blue Silver Emperor had noticed Ning Fengyu's spirit power was stuck at Rank 90 and that she needed to absorb a spirit ring. Looking around, who could possibly serve as the Sky Azure Vine Emperor's ninth spirit ring?
Only itself!
The Demon Eye Evil Tree's corpse wasn't even cold yet, and it was about to join it in the underworld!
The Blue Silver Emperor sighed. After witnessing Ling Bai's combat power firsthand, it no longer wanted to put up futile resistance, nor did it regret asking the two for help.
Whether it was the Demon Eye Evil Tree or Ning Fengyu, it was dead either way. But the Demon Eye Evil Tree was far greedier, attempting to devour every plant-type spirit beast in the Valley of Life, while Ning Fengyu only wanted it alone.
Having protected the citizens of the Valley of Life, the Blue Silver Emperor was satisfied and stretched out its neck to be slaughtered. If it had any ink, it would have composed a poem before dying.
Ning Fengyu stepped forward to caress the Blue Silver Emperor's grass blades and said gently, "Comrade Old Blue, don't blame me. Human Spirit Masters are destined to hunt spirit beasts to break through their realms. I have no choice."
"My 200,000-year heavenly tribulation is approaching anyway. I won't be able to pass it, so death is death! Sky Azure Vine Emperor, do it!" the Blue Silver Emperor declared with impassioned fervor.
"Blue Silver Emperor, have you ever thought about living a second life?" Ling Bai interjected.
"What do you mean?" the Blue Silver Emperor asked, confused.
"Your memories should contain the experiences of the previous Blue Silver Emperor."
"Are you talking about the Sea..."
"The one before that!"
"Oh, oh, the Blue Silver Empress!"
The Blue Silver Emperor pondered briefly before asking hesitantly, "You want me to learn from the Blue Silver Empress, sacrifice myself to the Sky Azure Vine Emperor, leave behind a seed, and cultivate anew?"
"Precisely."
Ling Bai nodded. "We did fight together, after all, so I'm giving you a way to live. Rather than perishing today or dying in a heavenly tribulation in a few hundred years, preserving your memories through sacrifice and re-cultivation might not be a bad method.
Of course, everyone has selfish motives. The benefits from a spirit beast's voluntary sacrifice are much greater than from a normal kill."
"Let me think about it..."
The Blue Silver Emperor curled into a ball, inexplicably tempted. The living example of the Blue Silver Empress was right there, and Ling Bai had absolutely no reason to lie to it.
By entering a seed state to recultivate, it would still be the one and only Blue Silver Emperor in the world, and it would have the memories of its previous life to assist it. It could easily live for another 190,000 years.
Three choices: get got right now / drag on a meager existence for a hundred years / live again for 190,000 years.
There was nothing wrong with the Blue Silver Emperor's intelligence. It made its choice in just two and a half seconds.
"I'll sacrifice!"
"Very good."
A smile touched Ling Bai's face. "I know of a treasure land where plant-type spirit beasts can grow at ten times the normal speed without facing heavenly tribulations. I'll find a time to plant you there."
"Oh yes, yes!
Thank you, Seraphim!
You are truly the number one kindest person on the continent!"
Words of gratitude flowed endlessly. The Blue Silver Emperor extended a blade of grass to shake hands with Ling Bai in friendship. Seeing this scene, the three girls' pretty faces twisted while the Golden Tortoise shivered with dread.
Three sentences to trick a 100,000-year spirit beast into happily sacrificing itself?!
Having settled matters with the Blue Silver Emperor, Ling Bai caught Ning Fengyu's eye, signaling her to approach.
"Xiao Bai, want an extra bite of meat?" Ning Fengyu's willow-like eyebrows arched suggestively.
"Playing is playing, joking is joking, but don't mess with my single life!"
Ling Bai looked alarmed and quickly backed away from her.
"Your loss!!"
Ning Fengyu's face turned a rare bright red. She added ambiguously, "How about I knock Xiao Tian unconscious and toss her in your room?"
"Real slick. You're quite the aunt."
Ling Bai shot her an annoyed glare and took the initiative to step aside, clearing the area for the Blue Silver Emperor and Ning Fengyu.
The Blue Silver Emperor gleefully wrapped itself around the Sky Azure Vine Emperor. Red blood flames began to burn as its 100,000 years of cultivation poured into Ning Fengyu. A blue torso spirit bone floated out from the flames, fusing synchronously with her.
A 190,000-year Blue Silver Emperor torso spirit bone!
The Sky Azure Vine Emperor and Blue Silver Emperor were a perfect match. With a 100,000-year spirit beast voluntarily sacrificing itself, there was no possibility of complications. In less than an hour, the aura around Ning Fengyu suddenly became majestic.
Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—the original eight spirit rings seemed mere accompaniments to that blood-red ninth spirit ring.
Ning Fengyu stood. The afternoon sunlight shone from behind her, illuminating her picture-perfect features and exquisitely curved figure with an enchanting halo that made it impossible to look away.
Spirit rings and spirit bones could change a person's appearance. With the Blue Silver Emperor's bloodline fused into her Martial Spirit, Ning Fengyu's appearance became even fairer and gentler, carrying a natural affinity. Her long cyan-green hair and pupils transformed into an elegant bluish-gold.
"Congratulations, Aunt Yu! / Congratulations, Auntie!"
The three juniors congratulated her. Ning Tian asked curiously, "Auntie, have you decided on your title?"
Ning Fengyu gently twirled a lock of her long hair and said with a smile:
"Titles are usually based on one's Martial Spirit. My Martial Spirit is the Sky Azure Vine Emperor.
I'll take the character 'Azure' and the character 'Emperor.' Azure Emperor Douluo."
"We pay our respects to Your Excellency, the Azure Emperor!"
The three joked with Ning Fengyu, who laughed and teased back:
"Be good, and Azure Emperor Douluo will protect you all. Be naughty, and I'll kick your butts—especially you, Xiao Bai!"
After a round of laughter, Ling Bai put away the Blue Silver Emperor's seed, the Golden Tortoise returned to its Storage Spirit Guidance Device, and the four of them set off for Linglong Pavilion, ending their successful hunting trip.
...
Late that night, Ling Bai sat alone in his room after refusing an eager Wu Feng. He took out the branch and said indifferently:
"Demon Eye Evil Tree, playing 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell' under my nose is rather insulting."
[TL/N: 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell'. It means to escape by creating a diversion, leaving a decoy behind.]
"Human, I curse you! I curse you to a horrible death!"
The Demon Eye Evil Tree's roars echoed from within the branch. The wails of a loser were so melodious.
He crushed the branch with a slight squeeze. A blood-red spirit ring bloomed like a demonic flower. A small, pitch-black eyeball floated in the air, flickering with a strange light.
External Spirit Bone, Demon Eye!