"Yan, I know you want to kill me. Too bad, you're far from being able to. Cherish your remaining time—out of respect for Sister Xue, I'll spare you this once, but next time, don't expect any mercy," Tian Lin taunted.
He had long harbored murderous intent toward Yan, but this guy might still be useful. Since Yan was hopelessly devoted to Hu Liena, and Tian Lin had control over Hu Liena, that equaled, to some extent, control over Yan as well. Who knew when that connection might come in handy.
As for Xie Yue, Tian Lin didn't mind letting him off one more time for Hu Liena's sake. Although Hu Liena had only delivered the message about the soul hunt because Tian Lin was controlling her, the fact remained: she had helped the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect escape destruction. Tian Lin considered it only right to reward merit.
Just then, the earth suddenly trembled—the two sealed soul beasts had begun to move.
The Dark Eclipse had vanished. This wasn't because Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had freed themselves from Tian Lin's restraints, but because their soul power was exhausted.
No matter how powerful the Demon Suppression Domain was, it couldn't produce energy from nothing. Without the support of two Title Douluos' soul power, the domain naturally couldn't last.
"Sister Xiao Wu!" Er Ming roared as he charged toward Tian Lin. "You vile humans! You forced Sister Xiao Wu to sacrifice herself! I'll kill you all—Titan's Heavy Hammer!"
The Titan Giant Ape smashed its fists on the ground, sending a powerful shockwave toward everyone present. To it, both Tian Lin's group and Spirit Hall were enemies; it wasn't targeting any side in particular—it just wanted to kill them all.
Tian Lin raised his right hand, unafraid. Seeing what was in his hand, Da Ming the Azure Bull Python shuddered. "Stop, Er Ming! Azure Annihilation Thunder!"
The Azure Bull Python halted the Titan Giant Ape and blocked its attack with its thunder.
"Why are you stopping me, big brother?!" the Titan Giant Ape fumed.
"Idiot, look at his hand," the Azure Bull Python scolded. "Do you want to get Sister Xiao Wu killed?"
Only then did the Titan Giant Ape see that Tian Lin was holding a Soft-Boned Rabbit in his palm. After tens of thousands of years with Xiao Wu, it couldn't possibly fail to recognize her. More importantly, it could sense Xiao Wu's soul within.
By all rights, after a sacrifice like that, even if Xiao Wu's body remained, her soul should have been gone. Yet now, it could clearly feel her presence.
"You two should be thanking me. If I hadn't just used my magic sword to capture Xiao Wu's soul, she'd be truly dead by now. As it stands, she's only lost her hundred-thousand-year cultivation. She can always train again someday," Tian Lin said with a smile.
"You bastard, give Sister Xiao Wu back, or you'll die today!" the Titan Giant Ape threatened.
"Give her back? You're dreaming. She's my protective charm now. If I hand her over, you'll just punch me. Honestly, facing both of you at once, I'm not confident I can win," Tian Lin replied with a faint smile.
"So what do you want?" Da Ming, far calmer than Er Ming, asked—he knew Tian Lin wanted to negotiate.
"No hurry, there are still plenty of enemies here. Help me first—let's chop off this one's head together." Tian Lin pointed at Ghost.
Today, he planned to reduce the number of Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo Duo by one. The two Title Douluos' Martial Spirit Fusion Skill was a huge threat—not to Tian Lin himself, but to any others in his group. If they targeted people other than Tian Lin, no one could escape the Dark Eclipse's restrictions.
As for why he chose Ghost, there were three reasons:
First, Ghost was stronger than Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Second, Tian Lin hadn't forgotten the grudge of Ghost attacking him with spiritual force years ago. He was extremely vengeful.
Third, Ghost had a right leg soul bone. Killing him was far more valuable than killing Yue Guan—any soul bone valued by a Title Douluo must be extraordinary. Otherwise, with Spirit Hall's resources, it would've been easy to reward these two dedicated elders with a full set of ordinary soul bones. At their level, only rare soul bones could actually boost their strength.
Upon hearing Tian Lin's terms, Yue Guan was furious. "Jun Tian Lin, don't push it! You've already claimed the hundred-thousand-year soul beast, yet you plan to wipe us out? The Grand Worship ordered us not to move against the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect for now. If you break this hard-won peace, do you want a war to the death with Spirit Hall?"
Yue Guan was unaware of the mysterious force involved, simply following the Grand Worship's orders; he assumed Qian Daoliu feared the Sword Douluo, who had reached rank 99, so a ceasefire was called.
But if Ghost died here today, Spirit Hall would never let it go. Was Jun Tian Lin not afraid to trigger another war?
"Haha, what a joke. Haven't we already been locked in a fight to the death?" Tian Lin sneered. "I'll remember the soul hunt for the rest of my life. For certain reasons, we aren't at war for now, but today I'm settling a personal grudge with Ghost."
Tian Lin looked at Ghost. "Ghost Douluo, at the Titled Ceremony years ago, you attacked me when I was just nine. You may have forgotten, but I remember clearly. I was weak then, and you bullied me—now that I'm strong, of course I'll take revenge. What, Spirit Hall can bully others, but can't be bullied in return?"
Tian Lin deliberately shifted focus—so long as this was a personal feud, not a conflict between factions, Spirit Hall couldn't just tear up the truce.
After all, Ghost's attack on Tian Lin years ago had been public. While Ghost hadn't intended to kill him, the world didn't know that. Tian Lin now insisted Ghost had tried to kill him, so it was only natural to seek revenge after growing stronger.
Anyone who lets their dignity and life be trampled without reacting will be looked down upon. As one of the continent's most famous powerhouses, Tian Lin refused to be such a person.
Ghost looked coldly at Tian Lin, saying nothing, and didn't beg for mercy. He had far more backbone than Yue Guan and knew he was dead for sure, so he couldn't be bothered to argue.
"Yue Guan, go! Take Na Na and Xie Yue and get out of here—see you in the next life, brother!" Ghost gave his final farewell and charged at Tian Lin. "Jun Tian Lin, I won't wait to die. If I go down today, I'll drag you with me!"
Ghost was an agility-type Title Douluo. Even with all his soul power exhausted, his speed was still above that of most agility-type Soul Douluos. But to Tian Lin, it wasn't enough.
Tian Lin smiled faintly. "Bold—I'll grant your wish and let you die by my sword!" Since Ghost was charging straight at him, there was no need for the two divine beasts to intervene. He raised his magic sword and charged at Ghost; the two passed each other.
"No! Old Ghost!!" Yue Guan shrieked, sensing Ghost's life force vanish in that instant!