Heaven Dou City—two days and nights had passed since that great battle. The Spirit Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had officially declared a ceasefire. With the Emperor Bibi Dong missing, her heir apparent, Hu Liena, became the highest leader.
However, Hu Liena's strength was insufficient, and not everyone accepted her. Many objected when she proposed a ceasefire.
Fortunately, Qian Daoliu stood by her side. As the Grand Worshipper, most people respected his authority.
A small minority still refused, but given the situation—facing the full force of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's soul masters and 300,000 troops, plus the Holy Dragon Legion's 20,000 soul masters and Barak Kingdom's 400,000 troops—there was no choice.
Nearly 30,000 soul masters and a million soldiers surrounded them. Resistance meant certain death.
With the war over, most people were happy. Only those in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect remained worried, as Tianlin had not yet awoken. Even Oscar's Ultimate Curse of Yin and Yang was useless, as his fake Demon Sword couldn't expel the evil energy from the Evil Spirit Pearl in Tianlin's body. Even the real one might not work, for the Evil Spirit Pearl was far superior.
"Xiao Tian, wake up. Now's not the time to sleep," the Skydream Iceworm anxiously called to Tianlin's spirit.
"Brother Skydream, I want to wake up too, but my spirit is too weak. I can't use my soul power at all. I really don't know how to recover from this," Tianlin replied helplessly.
"Absorb the Wind Spirit Pearl. Use its power to drive out the evil energy inside you," the Skydream Iceworm said, prepared for this. "The descendant of Nuwa told me: the Spirit Pearls' power is completely compatible with your body and soul. They'll never harm you. She only told you to absorb one per year because she worried the power would be too much for your body to handle at once, even with Ning Fengzhi's bone-tempering technique."
"But now, all your attributes, including soul power, are at their lowest. The Wind Spirit Pearl's power will restore, not boost, you—so there's no risk."
"I see!" Tianlin's eyes lit up. "Brother Skydream, lend me some spiritual power so I can wake up."
"Don't worry, Xiao Tian. I've got you." The Skydream Iceworm slowly transferred its pure spiritual power into Tianlin's soul. In fact, it had begun this two days ago, but didn't dare send too much at once for fear of overwhelming Tianlin's weak soul.
Ning Rongrong sat by Tianlin's bed, sleepless and worried, trusting her husband would not fall. He had recovered from absorbing external spirit bones in the past, and she believed he would again.
Just then, Tianlin's eyelids and fingers twitched. Ning Rongrong was overjoyed, crying, "Sword Brother, you're awake! It's me, Rongrong! Open your eyes and look at me!"
"Crying like a little kitten... I'm sorry for making you worry," Tianlin said, smiling as he wiped away her tears.
Trying to get up, Ning Rongrong quickly held him down. "Sword Brother, don't move. You need rest. I'll call Grandpa Sword and Dad. They're all worried about you."
"I'm fine, Rongrong. Help me guard. I'll recover soon." Tianlin sat cross-legged.
"Okay!" Rongrong obeyed, trusting he had a way.
Tianlin took out the Wind Spirit Pearl and, using his last bit of willpower, summoned the Holy Spirit Pearl and began absorbing the Wind Spirit Pearl.
This time, the Wind Spirit Pearl's power was gentler than any other. It was a sentient item, worried for Tianlin, so it restrained its power as much as possible.
"Thank you. Sorry for the trouble," Tianlin smiled, beginning to absorb its energy.
Emerald-green light enveloped him. Black energy was visibly expelled from his body.
Though the Evil Spirit Pearl was powerful, it was only a remnant force now and not a match for the Wind Spirit Pearl.
Tianlin's face grew rosier as his strength was restored, his soul power circulating again. The Wind Spirit Pearl restored him just right, with no excess power left. If he had another Spirit Pearl now, he could absorb it immediately.
Truly a blessing in disguise; what should have taken two years to absorb could now be completed early.
The Wind Spirit Pearl formed a green-gold fifth ring, also granting Tianlin wind-elemental immortality arts:
Hurricane Fury: A wide-area wind-element attack.
Wind Command: Doubles speed, wind-element auxiliary technique.
Wind Screen: Absolute wind-element defense, immune to wind attacks and can reflect or strengthen itself with enemy wind-element power.
Summon God—Wind God: Summons the Wind God to aid in battle.
About an hour later, Tianlin finished cultivating. Ning Rongrong happily sat at his bedside. "Sword Brother, that's wonderful! I can feel you've recovered at least eighty percent. The Spirit Pearl's power is truly miraculous."
"Of course. With Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind Spirit Pearls recovered, only the Thunder Spirit Pearl remains. I promised the Silver Dragon King three years' use of the Thunder Spirit Pearl, but now I may need it back. Bibi Dong isn't dead, and once she fully merges with the Evil Spirit Pearl, she'll be even stronger. Even with the Demon Supressing Sword, I won't be her match. I must absorb the Thunder Spirit Pearl early and reach the ninth ring on the Holy Spirit Pearl," Tianlin said, not overly joyful; the enemy was not yet vanquished.
"Will you ask for it back? The Silver Dragon King might not agree," Ning Rongrong worried.
"She will. She sent Di Tian to aid me, after all. The Silver Dragon King realizes that this continent-wide disaster cannot be weathered by soul beasts alone," Tianlin said confidently. "And though she only returned what was mine, sending the Demon Supressing Sword was a great help. I'll repay her by using the Ultimate Curse of Yin and Yang to heal her old wounds in exchange for the Thunder Spirit Pearl."
"By the way, Rongrong, has Di Tian left?"
Ning Rongrong shook her head. "Not yet. He said his master ordered him to help you completely dispel the darkness. Now that Bibi Dong has fled, his mission isn't done, so he'll stay and assist you for a while. But he also said he won't interfere in human wars—only in matters involving Bibi Dong."
Tianlin laughed. "That's fine. We don't need him to unify the continent. His help against the Evil Sword Immortal is enough—he's a top-tier force."