After a brief meditation, Bibi Dong, the strongest among them, was the first to recover. Her Death Spider Emperor martial soul had strong self-healing abilities, and her abdominal wound was no longer serious—her strength had recovered by two or three levels.
"Jun Tianlin, whatever else, the fact remains that you saved us today. I don't want to owe you for that. Thank you," Bibi Dong said coldly.
Since her fall into darkness, Tianlin was the first person she'd ever thanked.
"No need. I only saved you because I planned to use those ferocious beasts to kill you. If you died, it would have benefited me the most. I just didn't expect you to bring Sister Xue here, forcing me to intervene." Tianlin didn't care for her gratitude. Did she really think Bibi Dong would spare the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for this small favor?
If it were anyone else, Tianlin would accept the debt. But not Bibi Dong. Back then, Qian Xunji raised her, but she betrayed him for Yu Xiaogang. Whatever Qian Xunji did later, Bibi Dong betrayed him first.
In the original story, Qian Renxue and Hu Liena may have been infatuated with Tang San, but at least their loyalty never wavered—they always stood by Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong didn't even measure up to them.
So Tianlin looked down on both master and disciple. After today, they'd still be mortal enemies—no need for polite words.
"You!" Bibi Dong was visibly annoyed at being so blatantly disregarded. As the Pope of Spirit Hall, when had she ever been so disrespected? She could tell Tianlin's contempt was genuine.
Tianlin couldn't be bothered to explain to an enemy. He turned to Qian Renxue: "Sister Xue, now that Bibi Dong's recovered a bit, our deal is done. Let's hope next time we meet, it's not on the battlefield."
"Mother… Xiao Tian…" Qian Renxue was the most pained and helpless. The two people she loved most were locked in irreconcilable conflict.
No matter which one survived in the end, she'd never be able to face the other again.
"If only you weren't from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect…" Qian Renxue murmured as she watched Tianlin leave.
"Xue'er!" Bibi Dong's heart clenched at her daughter's sadness.
Of course, she wasn't going to spare the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for Tianlin's sake, nor give up her ambition to unify the continent. But Tianlin had overlooked something crucial.
…
After retrieving the three Spirit Pearls, Tianlin left Star Dou Forest satisfied. He could only absorb one per year, but even one would greatly increase his strength.
The battles today, against both Di Tian and Gu Yuena, had given him valuable insights. From Titled Douluo level 95 onward, unless you had lucky encounters, rank advancement depended more on understanding than raw soul power.
Tianlin needed to seize this opportunity.
Instead of returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he headed straight for Slaughter City to complete the Asura God's Sixth Trial.
After half a day's flight, he arrived at a city near Slaughter City. Before entering, he wanted to absorb a Spirit Pearl and call upon the soul within him.
At an inn, Tianlin booked a top room, isolated the area with his domain, and called softly, "Senior, are you still there?"
"Xiao Tian, come into your spiritual sea!" Skydream Ice Silkworm's voice summoned him.
Tianlin sat cross-legged on the bed, his soul entering his spiritual sea, where Skydream Ice Silkworm and Xiaobai awaited him.
"Brother Skydream, have you always known there was another soul in my spiritual sea?" Tianlin asked. He didn't believe Skydream, with his powerful spirit, could have missed it all this time.
"Yes, sorry, Xiao Tian. I didn't mean to keep it from you, but that big sister wouldn't let me tell you," Skydream apologized. "Actually, when you absorbed my soul ring, she first appeared. Thanks to her help, you were able to absorb my ring so smoothly—otherwise, you'd have died."
Tianlin nodded, not blaming Skydream, just annoyed at being kept in the dark. But now that it was out, it was fine.
"So where is this senior, Brother Skydream?"
"I'm here. Nice to finally meet you, Xiao Tian. It's your first time seeing me, but I've watched you grow all these years. I'm very pleased—you've proven I made the right choice," a gentle woman's voice sounded behind him.
Tianlin instinctively turned and was stunned. He'd once thought Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue were the most beautiful, then, after meeting Snow Empress, that she was even more stunning. Now, his rankings had changed again.
The woman before him, in both aura and beauty, surpassed even the Snow Empress—she was breathtaking. Most astonishing of all, she had a human upper body and a serpent's lower body.
If he were a native of Douluo Continent, he might have thought she was a snake-type soul beast. But Tianlin was a transmigrator.
"Are you… Nuwa?"
The woman shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm not Nuwa, but her descendant—the first generation. The ancestor of Zixuan, Qing'er, Zhao Ling'er, and the others. I've been sleeping inside the Holy Spirit Pearl, protecting the Nuwa line."
"The first Nuwa descendant!" Tianlin was shocked. Though not Nuwa herself, she inherited her bloodline most purely. Just one of her descendants, Zixuan, could rival the likes of Chonglou at full power. This woman was likely a match for the strongest gods and demons.
No wonder she could easily block attacks rivaling a God King.
"Senior, you said you chose me. Does that mean my arrival in this world wasn't a coincidence—you brought me here?" Tianlin asked.
The Nuwa descendant nodded. "That's right. Sorry for not asking your permission before bringing you here. We had no choice. We need your help to save this world."
"No need to apologize. I love this world. If you hadn't brought me here, I'd never have met so many friends and lovers," Tianlin smiled. "To repay you, I'm willing to help—just tell me where the Evil Sword Immortal is."