Tianlin's move caught everyone off guard. Oslo hooked an arm around Tianlin's neck, even feeling his forehead. "No fever. Xiao Tian, is your brain glitching again? Inviting an enemy on the battlefield?"
"I'm not crazy. It's just that this man is truly fated with my Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect." Tianlin brushed Oslo's hand aside and extended the invitation again. "Senior, join us. Star Lou isn't right for you."
The reason Tianlin was so eager to recruit him was because he had guessed this man—more precisely, his family's—future. Fire Dragon martial soul. The Wu clan. Weren't they, in the original story ten thousand years later, the guardian family of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?
Back then, the Seven Treasures young mistress Ning Tian had by her side a guardian girl named Wu Feng.
Originally, Tianlin had wondered—ever since he joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he'd never heard of any Wu clan among the affiliated families. He had asked around all over Heaven Dou and found nothing. Unexpectedly, they were in Star Lou.
As for why the Wu clan later moved to Heaven Dou, it probably had to do with Star Lou's ensuing internal turmoil—the alternation of imperial power between the Dai and Zhu families.
"You say Star Lou isn't right for me? Heh. Trying to get me to 'leave the dark for the light'? Star Lou may be brutal, but not necessarily 'dark.' Your Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect isn't necessarily 'light' either. Save your breath—just kill me." Wu Zhao said firmly.
Tianlin shook his head. "I never said anything about dark and light. We're all just contenders trying to unify the continent, slaughtering each other for our own ambitions. Who can really tell right from wrong?
"What I mean by 'not a fit' is about methods of hegemony. Though there seem to be thousands of paths to unification, they boil down to two: the path of dominance and the path of benevolence. Each has pros and cons. Dominance unifies quickly, can end war sooner, restore the continent's vitality, and during chaos, a domineering rule can stabilize the state. The drawback is excessive casualties during unification.
"The benevolent path is the opposite: fewer short-term casualties and better lives for the people, but slower to unify. If it drags into endless war, the eventual casualties may exceed those under dominance.
"In our times, the Star Lou Empire and Spirit Hall walk the path of dominance, while my Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect takes the benevolent path. As for Heaven Dou, they're lucky to protect themselves and have no right to compete. Senior, think about your temperament and the choices you just made. Which path do you really want: dominance or benevolence?"
Tianlin's words left the Fire Dragon Douluo deep in thought, silent and unsure how to answer.
Tianlin continued, "If you're like my Bone Grandpa—whose loyalty to the sect surpasses personal conviction—pretend I never asked. But if you're merely working for the Star Lou Empire, think it through. There's time. You can decide later." With that, Tianlin chopped the Fire Dragon Douluo on the neck and knocked him out.
The battle raged on; there was no time to let him ponder. Nor could Tianlin release him. Knocking him out was best.
Tianlin turned and ordered, "Yu Feng, Oslo, Ma Hongjun—go assist Tuoba Xi against the Star Lou army. Tonight, this battlefield must be decided."
"As for Zhu Zhuqing, stay here and protect Chenxiang. Your main purpose for coming was to defeat Zhu Zhuyun and Dai Weisi and reclaim your dignity. You've done it. Don't keep fighting. Star Lou is your homeland—killing your former compatriots will damage your state of mind."
"Yes!" The three split up and plunged into the battle.
Zhu Zhuqing shot Tianlin a grateful look. "Thanks, Tianlin!"
"Senior brother, go save my grandpa! He's been trapped by another Titled Douluo." Bai Chenxiang pleaded urgently.
Tianlin smiled. "Don't worry, junior sister. It should be decided soon. I didn't help your grandpa because he didn't need it. Senior Bai He trained with my master's swordsmanship, and with Shu Mountain's divine blade Shetian Sword, that mere Mad Bull Douluo can't beat him."
…
The war lasted two hours. With no one commanding, the Star Lou army fell apart, dead or fleeing.
Then the black fog in one area thinned, revealing silhouettes. Bai He collapsed to his knees, using the Shetian Sword to prop himself up, clearly exhausted—but his expression was elated. He had won.
No sneak attack—he had slain a Titled Douluo head-on. The headless corpse in front of him was proof: the Mad Bull Douluo's head lay at his feet.
The Shetian Sword still shimmered, seemingly unsated—it hadn't needed to use its full might against a mere rank-92 Titled Douluo.
"Shetian… what a blade. No wonder even Tianlin praises it as divine." Bai He laughed.
"Well done, Senior Bai He. With your victory, this battle should reach its end." Tianlin picked up the Mad Bull's head, flew into the sky, and shouted with full soul power, "Star Lou soldiers, listen and look! Your Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and consecrated elders are all here."
He lined up the captured Dai Weisi, Zhu Zhuyun, and the Fire Dragon Douluo, fixing them in midair with soul power. In his hands were the heads of the Twin Serpents Douluo and the Mad Bull Douluo.
The Star Lou soldiers were aghast. Not only had their generals been assassinated, but their crown prince, crown princess, and three consecrated were all defeated—three captured, two slain. Their already-flagging morale collapsed; they had no will to fight.
Whom to fight for? How to fight? No one knew now.
"Drop your weapons! Those who surrender will not be killed!" Tianlin's roar shook heaven and earth.
The overwhelming force broke the last straw. Star Lou soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.
In the east, the sun rose. After a night of fighting, the decapitation raid was complete. The Star Lou front was essentially pacified.
In this battle, Tuoba Xi's Holy Dragon Legion cut down 260,000, captured 140,000, and seized countless supplies and arms. The rest scattered, and the Holy Dragon Legion pursued. Tianlin ignored the stragglers—he had more important tasks.
After tonight, Tuoba Xi being a Seven Treasures man could no longer be hidden. But it would take days for the news to spread—at least until deserters reached Star Lou.
In that window, Tianlin would push hard northwest to link up with the Luo father and son, then lead their 400,000 to sweep the northwest of the Douluo Continent and rendezvous with Ning Fengzhi under Heaven Dou City.