The night sky was clear and the moon was bright. The weather was good.
A beam of holy light, like a comet, sped through the darkness — Qian Daoliu was anxious and traveling at full speed.
Suddenly, a figure blocked his path.
"Senior Qian Daoliu, long time no see," Tianlin had been waiting for him. He knew Qian Daoliu would come.
"Jun Tianlin! What, you can't wait — you want to kill me here and now?" Qian Daoliu said coldly.
"You misunderstand, Senior. Our battle with you and Bibi Dong should be left for the battlefield. I've come here just to say a few words and, if you'll allow, share a drink." Tianlin took out two bottles from his soul tool and landed on a hillside.
"Heh, then I'll risk my life to accompany you," Qian Daoliu also landed. Tianlin tossed him a bottle. Qian Daoliu drank it without suspicion, then frowned, "Kid, you call this a drink? It's just water! The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is so rich, yet you can't even buy a bottle of good wine?"
Tianlin smiled awkwardly.
"Sorry, Senior. My master never allowed me to drink — except on my wedding day with Rongrong, I've never touched alcohol. It's a habit."
"Sword Dao Chen Xin is such a boring person," Qian Daoliu complained, sitting on the hillside. "Kid, it can't have been easy learning swordsmanship from such a serious man. Honestly, you could have come to Spirit Hall — with your talent, I'd have taken you as a disciple at first sight. Our Angel lineage has great sword techniques too, and in terms of resources and background, we're better than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ever was."
"You could have focused on training, instead of running around strengthening your sect, carrying everyone else just to barely match Spirit Hall. If you'd joined us, the continent would already be unified and people living in peace. You could have married my granddaughter and been a perfect couple. In terms of beauty and talent, how could Ning Rongrong compare to my granddaughter?"
Tianlin laughed and sat beside him.
"It does sound nice. But, unfortunately, I'm destined not to belong to Spirit Hall."
"Why, do you have a grudge against us?" Qian Daoliu was unhappy.
"Not really. To me, both sects have their bright and dark sides. In fact, Spirit Hall has done more for the continent — soul awakening services, fighting evil soul masters, resisting beast tides, even working with the empires to set up soul beast forests to protect them. All these are great contributions. My sect, frankly, only helps a few villages. My father-in-law opposes slavery, but even with his status, he can't change the continental system. At best, he buys slaves and settles them in villages as commoners — a drop in the bucket."
"As for the darkness, I don't know much about our own. Even my master probably doesn't know — my father-in-law and Bone Grandpa handle it. Spirit Hall is just a bit domineering, and after Qian Xunji took over, many bad elements crept in. Most temple masters became ruthless, and after Bibi Dong replaced him, she didn't rein them in — she cared only for her own training."
Qian Daoliu smiled calmly.
"You see things clearly, but why say you're destined not to join Spirit Hall? You think you wouldn't get as high a status as in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? If you married my granddaughter, Spirit Hall would be yours! You could reform it as you wish, and I'd fully support you."
Tianlin shrugged.
"Honestly, it's simple — I was born in Seven treasure Village, so the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was nearby. If I'd been born in Spirit City, I'd have joined you!"
"Such a simple reason. Kid, did you stop me today just to say you have no real issue with Spirit Hall, or is there something more important?" Qian Daoliu probed, already guessing Tianlin's intent.
"You're right, Senior. I'm here to persuade you to surrender. My master and I will face you and Bibi Dong — this battle is inevitable, and likely to the death. If we win, I hope you'll order Spirit Empire to surrender. If you and Bibi Dong win, I'll have my father-in-law surrender." Tianlin said bluntly.
"You can see it too — your Spirit Empire was indeed the strongest, but I've taken the Holy Dragon Legion and Balak Kingdom's army, and my father-in-law dealt a heavy blow to your soul masters at Heaven Dou City. Now, our strength is balanced, perhaps even slightly in our favor. If we fight, the war will drag on for ages, and if the two empires join, millions could die before unification."
"You can't escape — Bibi Dong's army is surrounded by me and my father-in-law. If you fight to the death, Spirit Empire will be utterly destroyed."
"But if we combine our forces, the continent can be pacified in months. Don't worry — I never intended to exterminate Spirit Empire. The kingly way is to conquer by surrender whenever possible."
Qian Daoliu replied,
"A fight to decide everything, I can accept. But what about Bibi Dong? I can't command her, nor persuade her to surrender."
Tianlin's eyes steeled.
"The dead don't need persuading. Senior, I said this is a fight to the death — I won't show mercy, and I know Bibi Dong never will either. I will do everything to kill her, or die trying."
He'd wanted Bibi Dong dead for a long time. Of Spirit Empire's two pillars, Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong, once Bibi Dong was dead, her successor would be Hu Liena. If Qian Daoliu and Hu Liena were willing to surrender, all would be settled.
Qian Daoliu sighed and stood.
"If you and Bibi Dong must fight to the death, the one who suffers most is Xue'er."
"But I agree to your proposal. If I lose and Bibi Dong dies, Spirit Empire will surrender. But I believe the victors will be us. If you lose, I hope you keep your word and have Ning Fengzhi lead the others to surrender."
"You can trust me, Senior. I always keep my word," Tianlin promised. "As for Sister Xue, she and I are just star-crossed — it's fate."
Qian Daoliu nodded helplessly and left. He agreed, first because he'd already planned to leave such instructions with Golden Crocodile Douluo if he died. Second, this was a good opportunity — with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect blocking them, Spirit Empire's chance to unify the continent was nearly zero. At Tianlin's rate of growth, he'd overthrow Spirit Empire before Qian Renxue became a god. Better to settle it now, before he reached his peak.
If they lost now, they'd have no chance in the future — and surrendering then would be no shame.