"Success."
Chen Junting slowly opened his eyes.
"Phew—"
He let out a mouthful of impure air, and his entire body instantly felt much lighter.
With a thought, he looked inward at his two soul cores. He saw that one occupied the upper Dantian, and the other occupied the middle Dantian. They were spinning separately, seemingly unconnected, but the killing intent and sword intent within them were interwoven with one another.
Amidst the collision of their auras, the faint shadow of the "Seven Kill Sword" could be seen.
Obviously, his modified Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core method—using the core of the Yin-Yang complementation technique, combined with the breakthrough method of ancient Super Douluos who had to comprehend and fuse their martial souls—had succeeded.
At this moment, his cultivation had steadily reached Level 90. As long as he obtained a ninth soul ring, his cultivation would break through once more, officially making him a Title Douluo.
But regarding this ninth soul ring...
"You're not choosing to condense a soul ring yourself, right?" Di Tian spoke up, meeting Chen Junting's gaze.
"No." Chen Junting slowly shook his head. "My thoughts on this haven't changed since back then. The spot for the ninth soul ring is reserved for the Evil Emperor."
"Good."
"By the way, Senior Di Tian." At this moment, Chen Junting suddenly changed the subject. "I have an idea here, I wonder if you'd be interested in hearing it?"
"Your business, I will help with." Di Tian's tone was flat. "This is what I promised."
"Since that's the case..." Chen Junting pondered for a moment before saying, "Wait for my news. We'll make a trip to the Sun Moon Empire and the Evil Demon Forest."
"We?" Hearing the underlying meaning in Chen Junting's words, Di Tian raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, including Xiong Jun and the others."
...
Night fell, and the stars of the Big Dipper hung low in the west. Within the magnificent architectural complex of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the room where Ning Tian stayed was permeated with a quiet yet busy atmosphere.
Inside the room, bookshelves stood in rows, filled with various precious tomes and account books. On the ceiling, the soul guide lamp was still emitting a faint light at midnight—not glaring, and harmless to the eyes.
At the green jade desk, Ning Tian sat before the table, facing a mountain of parchment scrolls that recorded the various expenditure details of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's army on the battlefield. The goose-feather quill in her hand constantly wrote on the paper, her brows furrowed, revealing exhaustion in her eyes.
As the next Sect Master, Ning Tian had to shoulder the affairs of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. One of the more important aspects was the sect's expenditures. During these wartime days, to ensure the supply of materials and the allocation of funds for the sect's army on the battlefield, Ning Tian hadn't had a proper rest for quite a few days. Every expenditure and the distribution of every resource concerned the trajectory of the war and the safety of their disciples; not the slightest bit of carelessness was allowed.
Ning Tian rubbed her sore wrists and pressed on her aching eyes. The tip of the goat-hair brush hovered over the Nine Treasures Army Logistics Ledger, and a drop of vermilion ink slowly bled along the wolf-hair bristles.
"The soul tool wear and tear rate of the Soul Engineer corps last month was twelve percentage points higher than the estimated value..." she murmured to herself. Her golden hair draped over the account books, and her fingertips accidentally got stained with ink.
Just as Ning Tian felt physically and mentally exhausted, her originally weary demeanor suddenly refreshed, as if she had sensed something.
Creak—
The door to the room was gently pushed open.
Chen Junting walked in with steady steps, his tall and upright figure entering the room. A cool evening breeze blew in through the open window, causing his white robes to flutter in the wind.
Seeing Ning Tian's exhausted appearance, a flash of heartache crossed Chen Junting's eyes. He walked gently behind Ning Tian and reached out with both hands, gently resting them on her temples.
Ning Tian, who had expected this, froze slightly, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. She put down the brush in her hand, leaned back in her chair, and enjoyed Chen Junting's care. "You're back," Ning Tian said softly, her voice carrying a hint of relaxation after her fatigue.
Chen Junting leaned down and gently kissed Ning Tian's forehead. "You've worked hard. These tedious tasks must be quite exhausting."
Ning Tian shook her head. "As the next Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, this is my responsibility. Moreover, the army's expenditures during the war are of great importance; I must handle them with caution. But..."
Speaking of this, she suddenly chuckled. "Brother Junting, it is indeed tiring. I am tired."
"Then how about taking a good rest?"
"You have to help me." Her tone was coy, carrying a hint of pampered whining.
"Okay." Saying this, Chen Junting pulled Ning Tian into his arms.
The two of them just quietly leaned against each other, enjoying this brief moment of warmth and tranquility. During these busy days, they had each run their own errands; such tenderness was especially precious.
After a while, Chen Junting straightened up. His slight movement immediately made Ning Tian realize he had serious business to discuss.
Chen Junting looked into Ning Tian's eyes and said seriously, "I have some plans for the next steps, and I want to discuss them with you."
Ning Tian sat up straight, her eyes showing a focused expression. "Go ahead, I'm listening."
Chen Junting's fingers threaded through Ning Tian's hair, gently stroking her beautiful locks as he slowly said, "In a few days, I plan to head to the North Sea. Yuhao's strength is growing day by day, and he has successfully broken through to Level 80. Previously, the Mermaid Princess made a promise that once Yuhao broke through to Level 80, she would have a clansman with a hundred-thousand-year cultivation become his Spirit. If it weren't for the frequent wars among the Three Great Empires, we probably would have gone long ago."
Ning Tian nodded slightly and said without hesitation, "This is a good thing. Yuhao is naturally gifted. With the addition of a Mermaid clan member as his Spirit, his strength will reach a whole new level."
"But..." Her eyes, like rippling water, seemed to see right through Chen Junting's thoughts, and a faint, knowing smile curled at the corners of her mouth. "What's the next step? It will be dangerous, right?"
Her soft hand brushed against Chen Junting's lapel. "I can feel that Brother Junting's aura seems stronger. You've broken through, haven't you?" It was phrased as a question, but spoken in a declarative tone.
Obviously, under their connected minds, Ning Tian had clearly felt it.
"I can't hide it from you." Chen Junting then explained how, after returning from the Mingdou Mountain Range front line, he had gone to the Great Star Dou Forest to visit Di Tian, and conveniently condensed his second soul core, breaking through to Level 90.
"Did you succeed?" A glint of curiosity flashed in Ning Tian's eyes. "I'm talking about that modified Yin-Yang Complementary method you mentioned to me last time."
"Of course." Once these words were spoken, Ning Tian was instantly overjoyed!
"Brother Junting, congratulations!"
But soon, her tone shifted. The atmosphere transitioned from relaxed to serious.
"Then next is obtaining the ninth soul ring." And this ninth soul ring was exactly the "danger" Ning Tian had just spoken of. She knew very well... well, to be precise, the upper echelons of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect all knew Chen Junting's target for his ninth soul ring.
The Evil Emperor, the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord. The second Ferocious Beast, with over seven hundred thousand years of cultivation. Such strength was no joke!
Furthermore, hunting it was one thing, but absorbing it was another. Even if the Evil Emperor really died, the energy contained in its seven hundred thousand years of cultivation would be enough to explode any Super Douluo. Let alone a quasi-Title Douluo.
"Brother Junting, are you ready?" The moment she said this, Ning Tian already had her answer. Because from Chen Junting's heart, she sensed a strong confidence. Obviously, he had made thorough preparations long ago.
So, without Chen Junting needing to speak, Ning Tian simply nodded and lay against his chest. This also caused Chen Junting, whose mind was connected to hers, to close his mouth, enjoying this moment of tenderness.
Until...
"Xiao Tian, I also plan to annihilate the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters this time." His tone was flat, but a chilling killing intent suddenly erupted without affecting Ning Tian. It not only caused the room temperature to plummet but also left a layer of frost on the window glass.
"The Holy Spirit Cult joined forces with the Sun Moon Empire to slaughter the citizens of our Nine Treasures City, and they killed the disciples of our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. This revenge must be exacted!"
At this moment, Chen Junting's white hair flew wildly, and his face was as cold as ice. "The Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters has already been locked down; it's in the Evil Demon Forest. So this time, not only must the Evil Emperor die, but the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters must also be annihilated. We will not let them off!"
Ning Tian had no intention of talking him out of it. The same deep blood feud could not go unavenged!
"Be careful in everything."
Amidst the chilling killing intent, Chen Junting smiled confidently: "Don't worry. This time heading to the Evil Demon Forest, I will also bring Old Ji and the others, along with Shrek and the Body Sect. Moreover, besides Senior Di Tian from the Star Dou Great Forest, the two great Ferocious Beasts, Xiong Jun and the Myriad Demon King, will also head to the Evil Demon Forest together to completely turn the Holy Spirit Cult's nest upside down!"
"That way, we can at least exact some interest." After all, whether it was Ning Tian or Chen Junting, they both knew that the true foundation of the Holy Spirit Cult lay in its top experts. As long as those top experts weren't wiped out, the Holy Spirit Cult couldn't be considered severely crippled. So, merely destroying a headquarters was more appropriately described as exacting some interest.
However, after listening to Chen Junting's words, Ning Tian's eyes couldn't help but light up, and a trace of temptation even flashed across them. She originally thought that the operation to annihilate the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters would just be Chen Junting plus a few top experts making the trip.
Who would have thought that Old Ji and the others would be included? In this way, her itch was provoked.
Ning Tian tugged at Chen Junting's hem. "Take me too?"
Chen Junting said nothing, merely keeping his gaze fixed on the account books on the green jade desk.
Ning Tian pouted in dissatisfaction. At this moment, she pressed one foot onto the desk, kicked off her shoe, and rested her jade foot on top of it, completely covering the account books. "Nope. I want to go too."
"Next time, next time..." For some reason, Chen Junting found it a bit funny. And the killing intent in the room dissipated at this moment.
"The deep blood feud of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, yet I, the Young Sect Master, cannot personally avenge them? That makes no sense."
Chen Junting nodded, repeatedly saying, "Makes sense." And his agreement only fueled Ning Tian's nagging.
When the nagging was almost done... Realizing he was just humoring her, Ning Tian crossly reached her hand to the soft flesh at Chen Junting's waist and pinched it fiercely.
"Hiss—"
"Cut it out." Ning Tian was still cross, waving her hand. "Don't forget, our minds are connected. Besides, this was just a normal pinch. Could it really hurt you, a quasi-Title Douluo?"
Seeing this, Chen Junting immediately dropped his feigned act and leaned his head close to Ning Tian's ear, as she had turned her head away.
"Not mad anymore?" His warm breath made Ning Tian's earlobes turn red. The tickling sensation made her want to laugh, but she held it in and said, "Mad."
She suddenly turned her head back, the back of her head grazing past his nose. Her watery eyes stared straight at Chen Junting. "Take me with you, and I won't be mad."
Chen Junting turned his gaze back to the account books on the desk, but this time, Ning Tian preempted him: "No need to look at these things. Our grand Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect isn't short of someone who can do the accounting. Previously, Ning Bowen dumped these accounts on me under the beautiful pretext of 'training.' Who doesn't know he just wanted to be lazy! If it were any day before today, I wouldn't say anything. But if I get held up by these things and can't go with you... humph! This is a perfectly valid reason! If he doesn't agree, he can sleep on the couch from now on and forget about getting into Mother's bed."
Hearing this, Chen Junting couldn't help but think inwardly: Goodness! Now she's not even calling him 'Father,' but using his given name directly. And threatening him with not sharing Mother Yang's bed... This family status... I have to admit, what a threat!
"Fine! Let's go together." A flash of sharp intellect crossed Chen Junting's eyes. "When the time comes, write three letters. One is to be delivered into the hands of Xin and Old Ji, having Old Gu receive them, and then they will head directly to the Sun Moon Continent. The other two will be given to Kong Deming, and to Ye Yulin and the others on the Mingdou Mountain Range front line, ten days after Xin and the others depart."
Ning Tian frowned slightly, unable to understand Chen Junting's maneuver. "Hand them over?"
"It's to let them intercept the letters, but don't let them realize it's intentional. Make good use of those spies. As for the contents of the letters, they will be the same as the ones written to Xin and Old Ji. But as for the timeline..." Chen Junting paused slightly. "Push it back a bit."
Bad ideas, so many bad ideas! In Ning Tian's eyes right now, Brother Junting's belly was full of these things. They were practically overflowing.
Looking at Ning Tian's expression, the corners of his mouth curled into a wicked smile. "Understand?"
"Brother Junting, what are you trying to do?"
"Do what?" Chen Junting asked rhetorically before continuing, "Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen, Ye Yulin, Xu Tianyuan... plus 'Zhongli Wu'. All these powerful Soul Engineers and Evil Soul Masters are on the front lines. The top combat power left in Ming Du is at most just 'Ye Xishui'."
Ming Du is empty! And how could the mere 'Ye Xishui' be a match for Di Tian? As for the soul beast, the 'Demon Empress'... Fine! Even if you added her, it would be the same in front of Di Tian.
"So that's how it is." Ning Tian suddenly realized. "Your idea is that after successfully launching a surprise attack on Ming Du, Kong Deming and the others will find out about the attack on Ming Du a step too late. This way, they will definitely rush back to reinforce Ming Du."
This way, they would completely walk right into the trap.
After all, even if Ming Du were destroyed, the Sun Moon Empire wouldn't technically be considered fallen. Although Xu Tianran had killed his brothers and wiped out many royals, there was still imperial blood within the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion—even Kong Deming shared that bloodline.
So the most important thing was the army. What truly needed to be crushed was the army. Therefore, as long as Kong Deming and the others fell into this trap, what awaited the Sun Moon army would be a pincer attack from both front and rear!
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