Two flowers bloom; each tells its tale.
A few days before Yu Tianheng pacified the Heaven Dou Empire, Gu Ran had already fought his way to the Star Luo imperial capital.
With the army badly damaged and lacking high-level soul masters, Star Luo was actually easier to take than Heaven Dou.
With Dugu Bo and his Snowy Swan's Kiss present, hundreds of thousands of troops were like sitting ducks.
Even with Dugu Bo restraining his toxins to avoid lethality, merely depriving an army of combat ability was easy for him.
The unstoppable army broke into Star Luo's capital. Inside the palace, Dai Tianzhe and his wife, the Zhu Empress, combined their martial souls into the Netherworld White Tiger for one last stand.
Unfortunately, the empress was only in the 80s. Their fusion couldn't, like in the original story with Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, break into a divine realm. Though at Super Douluo level, they didn't exceed the cap.
With Oscar present, he used a replicated Mirror Sausage to produce a demon sword; one move "Flow of Wind and Water" forcibly dissolved their fusion.
Then Dugu Bo and Yin Yang, both Titled Douluo, joined forces to capture Dai Tianzhe. He surrendered, and Star Luo fell.
For Zhu Zhuqing's sake, Gu Ran spared them and released Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun to reunite. They hadn't committed city-massacres like Xue Beng; there was no compelling reason to kill them.
Of course, neither military nor political power would be returned to them. From now on, they would reside in Spirit City under strict watch, barred from leaving for at least two or three generations—lest Star Luo diehards try to use them to restore the throne.
Not killing them had benefits: using Dai Tianzhe's name, border garrisons surrendered unconditionally, greatly reducing bloodshed.
Thus Star Luo was pacified.
Gu Ran then led the army to return. In fact, he defeated Star Luo days earlier than Yu Tianheng took Heaven Dou. Receiving Ning Fengzhi's orders, he had to move at once to assist Tianheng.
Unexpectedly, when he reached Heaven Dou City, he ran into Yu Tianheng returning with his army as well. A brief exchange revealed Heaven Dou had already been pacified.
"Tianheng, you're amazing. I came to help, and you'd already handled the Heaven Dou Empire and even accepted the Clear Sky Sect. Truly worthy of our Emperor Team's captain," Gu Ran congratulated.
"Yeah, but the price wasn't small," Yu Tianheng said heavily. His battlefield had seen many deaths.
Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians and his grandfather Yu Yuanzhen had perished in this war.
Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong came out from the city. Ning sighed, "Tianheng, don't grieve too much. We heard everything from Chenxiang and the others. The Thunder Crown didn't die in vain. He accomplished what no one else could. For the continent to unite, he is the greatest contributor."
"Yes, Sect Master Ning. I will inherit Grandfather's will and guard this unified land bought with his life." Though saddened, Tianheng had let go; his grandfather wouldn't want him to live in sorrow.
Ning nodded. "Then, into the city."
The two triumphant armies returned to Heaven Dou City. Next they would head to Spirit City to announce the unification and proclaim the name of the new empire across the Douluo Continent.
The army entered the city—except Gu Rong, who gazed nostalgically at the sky.
"Old Dragon, you've gone too. But I won't be sad for you. Back then, you, I, and Old Sword had a shared goal: to one day defeat the Twin Peaks of the soul master world. Now, Old Sword defeated Qian Daoliu, and you defeated the Bat King with power equal to Tang Chen's. Our dream is finally realized. Heh, I envy you. If our places were switched, could I make the same choice? Probably not. I lack the death-defying resolve you and Old Sword have—that's why I'll never measure up," Gu Rong sighed.
…
Days later, after regrouping, Ning Fengzhi led the combined leadership of Spirit Hall, Clear Sky Sect, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the high command of both Heaven Dou and Star Luo toward Spirit City.
Along the way, Dugu Yan finally returned—now a Titled Douluo. She had fully absorbed one of the two Dragon King soul bones—the Ice Dragon King's bone. It wasn't torso or left arm, so she used it without hesitation.
The bone's power was immense. It took her months just to absorb and harmonize the soul power, then she obtained her ninth ring in the Sunset Forest and set out to support Yu Tianheng.
She arrived a step too late; the war was over. Learning of Yu Yuanzhen's death, Dugu Yan wept in Yu Tianheng's arms. Ever since marrying into the Blue Lightning Clan, the family-minded Yu Yuanzhen had treated her like a true granddaughter.
In her heart, Yu Yuanzhen ranked just after her own grandfather Dugu Bo, her husband Tianheng, and her younger brother Tianlin.
Had she known, she would've returned earlier. She still had a Dragon King soul bone. If she'd given it to Yu Tianheng to help him ascend to Titled Douluo, then their martial soul fusion could have neared god level. Even if Yu Yuanzhen hadn't died, they could have defeated the Bat King.
Yu Tianheng comforted her for a long time before she emerged from grief.
…
Meanwhile, at the Lake of Life, Tianlin finally separated the Demon Sword from his martial soul, elevating it into a super artifact with power rivaling the Demon-Suppressing Sword.
Its original nine soul rings all fused into the blade. The Demon Sword's techniques didn't vanish—without the rings' constraints and with its five attributes fully contained, it could unleash all demon sword arts freely, even beyond what Tianlin had gained via soul rings.
That is, previously unusable skills like Earthfire Shakes the Heavens, Sword Rebukes Wind and Thunder, Chaotic Shadows Demon-Slaying Sword, Sword Qi Reverses Heaven and Earth, etc., were now available.
"Incredible. I feel that since that rake turned his demon sword into a super artifact, his combat strength has surged again. Ordinary second-level gods in the God Realm likely aren't his match when he wields the Demon Sword and the Demon-Suppressing Sword," the Silver Dragon King marveled. "In all my years, I've never seen someone at peak Douluo erupt with power beyond a second-level god. Once he becomes a god, he might instantly surpass the five God Kings."