Dugu Yan followed Tianlin and Ning Rongrong to the former imperial study of Emperor Xue Ye. Unable to hold back her curiosity, she asked, "Xiao Tian, can you tell me now? What's this big family secret? Is it like the Angel or Qian families, maybe some divine inheritance?"
Tianlin broke out in a cold sweat, "Sister Yan, you think too much. Divine inheritances aren't that easy. I called you here just to say: you haven't been home in a while."
"Go home? Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan or Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect? Why now?" Dugu Yan was confused—she'd just visited both families recently.
Tianlin shook his head, "Neither. I mean your original home—the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well."
"The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well?" Dugu Yan was stunned. That was technically her home, since she grew up there. But why go back now, to eat more immortal herbs?
"Sister Yan, you and the old monster only know it's your home, but not how it formed. Let me tell you: legend has it there are nine Dragon Kings—Time, Mountain, Fire, Ice, Earth, White, Holy, Golden-Eyed Black, and Emerald Dragon Kings—each incredibly powerful. The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings both fell in the Sunset Forest, and their corpses are buried ten thousand feet beneath the well. The Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well was created by them and nourishes all things," Tianlin explained.
Dugu Yan was shocked, "You mean, under my home, the Ice and Fire Dragon King corpses are hidden?"
Tianlin nodded, "Yes, and not just the corpses—there should be soul bones, and not ordinary ones, but super soul bones rivaling my million-year-old skull. Sister Yan, if you absorb them, your strength could reach that of a Super Douluo. If you want to share one with Tianheng, you could both become ordinary Titled Douluos."
He then looked at Rongrong, "Rongrong, take out the items."
"Okay." Ning Rongrong obediently produced four talismans and handed them to Dugu Yan. "Sister Yan, these are two Fire Shield and two Water Shield talismans. Each lasts an hour. Stick one of each to yourself when you go in, and you'll be safe from the well's dangers. Sword brother said the Ice and Fire Dragon King spirits may still be active, but their soul power and attributes are restrained by the shields, so just don't fight them—grab the soul bones and leave."
Dugu Yan was touched and a bit confused, "Xiao Tian, Rongrong, why give me the dragon bones instead of keeping them for yourselves? My grandfather doesn't know this secret. You're only telling me, right?"
They smiled. Ning Rongrong said, "We only take from our enemies, never our own people. The Well was unclaimed; since Grandpa Dugu settled there first, it's your family's home. What's there is yours to decide."
"And you're not an outsider. Grandpa Dugu is an elder of my family, and you're his only granddaughter, so you're family. In our clan, a married daughter is still family—unless someone betrays us, family will always be family."
Dugu Yan accepted the talismans gratefully, "Thanks, Xiao Tian, Rongrong. If there's a torso or left arm bone, I'll bring it back for you. You can't refuse."
"Okay. We'll accept only those two parts. The rest you must use yourself," Tianlin replied. He appreciated the gesture. If the Well belonged to an enemy, he'd have taken everything by force.
"Once we become Titled Douluos, Tianheng and I can use our fusion skill to its fullest. Even if we're not as strong as you future gods, we can still contribute something."
Dugu Yan decided to share the bones with Yu Tianheng. Tianlin agreed; it was her right.
She was, after all, the only woman in the original story who never showed any affection for Tang San, loving only Yu Tianheng—Tianlin admired her for this.
…
The next day, everyone set off in groups. Aside from Dugu Yan, temporarily leaving, Yu Tianheng led the army, with others, to attack the new Heaven Dou capital, Binghai City. Powerful allies accompanied them.
Gu Ran led another force, with Oscar, Meng Yiran, Ye Lingling, and 200,000 troops to Gengxin City.
With the previous reinforcements, they had 500,000 troops, plus several Titled Douluo-level experts. Star Luo had numbers, but their top fighters were now weaker than Heaven Dou.
Just Dugu Bo alone was enough to keep Dai Tianjue's 700,000 troops in check. Tianlin instructed him to use only non-lethal toxins to paralyze, not kill.
Bai Chenxiang would relay battlefield information to Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong. If a front had trouble, they could reinforce it.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, Ma Hongjun, Huan Yin, and Chen Xin would focus on their divine trials for future battles.
Tianlin didn't fully trust the elders and worshippers of the Spirit Empire, though he knew they wouldn't dare rebel with him and Chen Xin present. Even if they wanted to, Qian Daoliu wouldn't allow it.
In the last battle, Qian Daoliu saw that the combined strength of this master and disciple surpassed all other Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall.
But not daring to rebel was one thing; whether they'd cause trouble was another. Following the principle of "don't use people you doubt," Tianlin preferred to set aside this force for now, unless they behaved.
The two armies set out. Tianlin, Ning Rongrong, and Di Tian went with Qian Daoliu to Spirit City to receive the Spirit Empire's surrender, making it official.
He was strong enough now—even if all the Titled Douluos attacked together, they couldn't beat him, and Di Tian wouldn't allow anyone to hurt Tianlin, as he still needed him to heal his master. Qian Daoliu wouldn't do anything foolish.