200 Km east of Spirit City, in a forest, Bibi Dong was recovering. Tianlin's Demon-Suppressing Sword had wounded her badly, its aura restraining her evil power. Now, even using her abilities was very difficult. After yesterday's forced battle, her injuries worsened, and so was the Evil Sword Immortal's. Both were in dire straits.
"Bibi Dong, if you'd absorbed Qian Renxue yesterday, you could've used her divine power to dispel the sword's aura. The Demon-Suppressing Sword restrains evil, but not holy power," Evil Sword Immortal complained.
"Hmph, don't think you can control me just because you're my dark side. I hate Spirit Hall and the Qian family, but this has nothing to do with Xue'er. I won't let you hurt her," Bibi Dong replied coldly.
Evil Sword Immortal, disguised as Bibi Dong's dark side, had fooled her completely. Their spirits, powers, and memories were identical, and Bibi Dong's mind was clouded by the Evil Spirit Pearl.
Actually, within the Evil Spirit Pearl, there was a third Bibi Dong—a pure, kind version from before she met the Grandmaster, now locked away. This was Bibi Dong's good soul, thoroughly sealed. Yet, one thing could not be erased: her last shred of motherly love for Qian Renxue.
The Evil Sword Immortal underestimated a mother's strength.
"Never mind. With our current injuries, we'll need a year or two to recover. Our progress toward godhood will suffer. Since you refuse to touch Qian Renxue, I have another idea," Evil Sword Immortal said.
"What idea?" asked Bibi Dong.
"Remember that healing soul beast stronger than Nine Heart Begonia, with immense vitality?"
"Emerald Swan," Bibi Dong remembered. "That terrifying healer, Bi Ji. If I could absorb her power, I'd recover quickly."
But she was worried about the Silver Dragon King, the lord of Di Tian, whom she felt she couldn't defeat.
Sensing her concerns, Evil Sword Immortal smiled, "Don't worry. After that last battle, the Silver Dragon King is badly wounded, unable to even fight at Ultimate Douluo level. Using the Evil Spirit Pearl, we can still muster god-level power once. We must succeed in one strike, or we'll be the ones crippled for years."
"Alright, no time to lose. Let's go to Star Dou Forest," Bibi Dong agreed. Other than Qian Renxue, she could kill anyone now.
…
At dawn, in Spirit City, under witness of the entire population, Spirit Empire's heir Hu Liena and Grand Worship Qian Daoliu proposed unification with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Vice Master Jun Tianlin and handed over all military and soul master forces to Tianlin, who accepted.
Anyone could see this "unification" was just a polite way of saying surrender. When the continent was pacified, the new Empress Hu Liena would abdicate, saving face.
The crowds cheered Tianlin, grateful for his healing efforts.
Qian Renxue watched with mixed feelings. Sad that Spirit Empire lost and Bibi Dong was missing, but happy that she was no longer Tianlin's enemy—she could finally stand by his side, even if Ning Rongrong was an obstacle. Qian Renxue was stubborn—she never gave up on what she set her heart on.
When news spread, the two empires would panic. They had hoped both sides would weaken each other, but now, the two united—who could resist such a force?
The ceremony lasted until noon. At the city gate, Tianlin bid farewell to Qian Renxue and Qian Daoliu, then left with Ning Rongrong.
Tianlin sighed, "Senior Qian Daoliu, this may be our last meeting. Who knows if we'll ever have a drink together again?"
"Haha, probably not. And you never even treated me to a drink! I won't miss it," Qian Daoliu laughed.
"Xiao Tian, Grandpa, what are you talking about? Why won't you ever meet again?" Qian Renxue asked in confusion.
Apparently, Qian Daoliu hadn't told her about his planned sacrifice in her final god trial.
"It's nothing. Senior Qian Daoliu will stay in the Worship Hall from now on, and I don't like such solemn places," Tianlin replied, leaving Qian Daoliu to tell her himself one day.
"Yes, I'll always guard the Worship Hall. Farewell, Jun Tianlin. Work hard; when you reach God Realm, take care of my granddaughter. With you there, I'm at ease." Qian Daoliu sighed.
"Don't worry, I swear no god will bully Sister Xue in the God Realm. Farewell, Senior." Tianlin bowed, taking Ning Rongrong's hand as they left.
Ning Rongrong, unlike Qian Renxue, knew about the sacrifice. Normally, she would have been jealous, but facing a dying elder's last wish, even this little troublemaker could only stay silent.
After leaving Spirit City, at a crossroads, Ning Rongrong had to go her separate way. To become the Seagod, she needed to head to Seagod Island. Thanks to Tianlin's domain and Oscar's eighth spirit skill, her level had reached eighty-nine. She needed to absorb four more soul rings to reach ninety-four, then challenge the final trial.
"Rongrong, be careful. Your ninth trial will pit you against a being stronger than a Ultimate Douluo. This should have been your eighth trial, but maybe because you're a support type, it was postponed. Remember, wait until your Ice Heaven Snow Maiden martial soul has eight rings and your Glazed Tile Pagoda has nine before challenging it. Four more soul rings should push your level close to ninety-four, and then your summoned Snow Demon will be equivalent to level ninety-seven. With the Seagod Trident, use all your trump cards to win, understand?"
"And take this—my new Fiery Demon Slash talisman. It's ten times stronger than before. Use it to break enemy defenses..."
As Tianlin kept reminding her, Ning Rongrong suddenly kissed him, silencing his nagging.
After a long kiss, Ning Rongrong smiled, "Don't worry, Sword Brother. I'll win, because I know how much I mean to you. I won't let you down."
Tianlin nodded in relief, "You've grown up. You know what to fight for. Now I can rest easy. Go, Rongrong—I'll be waiting for you to return stronger."
"Mm!"
Ning Rongrong flew toward Hanhai City.
Tianlin watched her until she disappeared, then turned to Di Tian. "Let's go, Senior Di Tian."
They both shot off toward the Star Dou Forest.