Tianlin's threat sent chills down everyone's spine. That oath was too vicious—if he actually fulfilled it, Douluo Continent would be doomed. In the future, soul masters would have no soul rings to absorb, and all advancement would cease.
But in truth, Tianlin would never actually go that far, no matter what. He was someone who believed in eradicating enemies completely—if he wanted to kill Tang Hao, he'd also kill Tang San, and if Tang San had to die, so did Xiao Wu.
Originally, the Sky Blue Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape were also on Tianlin's must-kill list. But due to the influence of Spirit Hall, their hatred shifted away from him, so Tianlin was willing to let them go, since they no longer bore him such enmity.
Even so, there had to be limits to wiping out one's enemies. If Gu Yuena had a family, Tianlin would have found a way to deal with them too. But those soul beasts were just her subordinates, not people he absolutely had to kill.
So, even if Gu Yuena really did throw his Spirit Pearl and Divine Sword into another dimension, at most he would just take revenge on her in the future—just like she said, he would spend tens of thousands of years searching other dimensions to retrieve them, but he wouldn't lash out at unrelated creatures. That was never Tianlin's style, especially since he had soul beast friends like Ice Empress, Snow Empress, Xiaobai, and Skydream.
Still, even if Tianlin wouldn't actually do it, there was no harm in bluffing. As long as the Silver Dragon King was scared, he'd have a chance to get his items back.
And that's exactly what happened. The Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, knew all too well how ruthless humans could be. She didn't dare gamble on whether Tianlin was just bluffing. If she lost that bet, it would mean the annihilation of all soul beasts. Even if she recovered in two hundred years, Tianlin would only need a few decades to wipe out their entire race.
"Fine! What a vicious human!" The Silver Dragon King's voice was icy. "Human, I agree to return the pearl and sword to you—but not now. I'll give them back in three years."
"Three years?" Tianlin was puzzled. If she was going to return them, why wait for three years?
"Xiao Tian, the Silver Dragon King is gravely injured. She forcibly used god-level power just now, worsening her wounds. She urgently needs the spirit energy in the Thunder Spirit Pearl to heal herself to her previous state. That's why she proposed three years. You can agree. The pearl's power is too great for you to absorb all at once—at most, you can take in one per year, and you already have three pearls. Three years is just right." The soul of the Nuwa descendant spoke to him telepathically.
"Senior, since the Silver Dragon King is injured, do you think my Extreme Curse Returns Yin and Yang could heal her?" Tianlin thought. If she just needed healing, maybe if he healed her now, he could get the pearl back sooner.
"You could, yes. Extreme Curse Returns Yin and Yang is the magic sword's strongest healing skill, and its greatest strength is that it has no upper limit—even at god-level, you could help her recover. But are you really prepared to do that?" the Nuwa descendant asked with a smile.
"Not a chance," Tianlin replied decisively. While it was possible, if the Silver Dragon King recovered fully, she'd be a true first-rank god—and he wouldn't be her match at all.
"Silver Dragon King, I can agree to your terms, but you can't just take my things for three years for nothing. What are you offering in exchange?" Tianlin negotiated. He could lend things, but unless someone was a true friend, he never let others take advantage of him.
Gu Yuena had expected this. Tianlin had the advantage—how could she get the treasures for free? "I have nothing material to offer, having secluded myself for years. But I can swear in the name of Lord Dragon God: If you lend me the Thunder Spirit Pearl for three years, I will do one thing for you—as long as it doesn't harm the interests of soul beasts and is within my power, I promise not to refuse."
"A pretty vague promise. What if, when I ask, you just keep saying you can't do it?" Tianlin feigned sarcasm.
Gu Yuena was furious. "How dare you! As the Silver Dragon King and leader of soul beasts, I would never stoop so low!"
Just as she was angrily defending herself, Tianlin suddenly changed his tune. "Alright, I'll agree! Don't be mad, I was just joking. I know you'd never be such a petty person. I was only teasing because your voice sounds so nice."
"Despicable human, lecher!" The Silver Dragon King was even angrier. Even though she hadn't taken human form as Gu Yuena yet, she was still a female dragon—how dare a human tease her!
"Xiao Tian, have you gotten a bit cocky since becoming a Titled Douluo?" A delicate jade hand snaked around Tianlin's waist—Qian Renxue was eyeing him coldly.
Tianlin froze, almost forgetting that although Ning Rongrong wasn't here, Qian Renxue was just as hard to deal with—if not more jealous.
Ning Rongrong was his officially married wife, so her jealousy was unavoidable. But to flirt with anyone else in front of her—Tianlin was really asking for trouble.
"Men really are all the same!" Below, Bibi Dong felt her daughter deserved better, even if she knew her own judgment wasn't much better—at least Yu Xiaogang never dared flirt with other women in front of her.
"Well, that's enough for today. Silver Dragon King, see you in three years!" Realizing he'd caused trouble, Tianlin made a quick exit. Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at him, gathered the injured Bibi Dong and others with her soul power, and followed.
This was no place for flirting—better to settle things later, somewhere safe.
Di Tian watched the departing humans grimly. He hadn't expected to suffer such a crushing defeat after being invincible for hundreds of thousands of years on the continent. He would remember Jun Tianlin and Qian Renxue—their martial soul fusion skill was the first ever to defeat him.
"Don't worry, Di Tian. At least we saved the Sky Blue Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape. Let's go back to the Lake of Life and heal." Bi Ji understood his thoughts, but those two humans possessed the power to become gods—it was unwise to seek revenge. Bi Ji didn't like fighting. She just wanted to live peacefully with Di Tian in Star Dou Forest forever.
…
Meanwhile, Tianlin and his group landed at the forest's edge, where only weak soul beasts lived—no threat to them.
"This should be safe," Tianlin said, walking toward Bibi Dong and the others. Spirit Kite Douluo immediately grew wary. "Jun Tianlin, what do you want?"
She had reason to be afraid—they were all gravely wounded, and even Qian Renxue alone wasn't a match for Tianlin. If he attacked now, he could wipe them out.
"Elder Spirit Kite, don't worry. Xiao Tian can be childish sometimes, but he's never unreasonable. He takes promises seriously—even to enemies, he never goes back on his word," Qian Renxue said, taking Tianlin's hand. "I know this about him—he'll never change."
Tianlin smiled. He couldn't hide anything from Qian Renxue.
He stretched out his left hand and used the Blue Silver Emperor's healing power to treat their injuries.
Earlier, he and Qian Renxue had made a deal: she helped him retrieve the Spirit Pearl, and he helped save Bibi Dong's group. With the Blue Silver Emperor's power, none of them would die. Both had fulfilled their part of the bargain.