Douluo: Spiritual Sword-Chapter 552 - 551: Chen Xin VS Qian Daoliu

"Whoosh!"
Tianlin suddenly erupted, charging at Bibi Dong with a speed barely discernible to the naked eye. Before Bibi Dong could react, Tianlin struck her heart with his palm, sending her flying backward.
Other than his Heaven and Earth Spirit Slash, Tianlin's most powerful physical attack was the Darkgolden Giant Spirit Palm. Now, when Tianlin unleashed this move, its power had reached the demigod level.
Even with the Death Spider Emperor's formidable life force, being struck in the heart by demigod-level power was not something Bibi Dong could shrug off. She spat out a mouthful of blood as her body was flung through the air.
"So fast! I can't see him at all—this speed is way beyond before. It's not just that I've weakened; he's gotten much stronger too. What happened?"
Tianlin smiled faintly. With his Ice-Fire God Seal skill, he had suppressed Bibi Dong's soul power to just under rank 98, while he himself had used Illusory Water Thunder to boost his own power, reaching nearly the same level.
After rank 95, every level is a chasm.
If not for the Evil Emperor Domain, Bibi Dong would never be Tianlin's match one-on-one. Even within the domain, her rank 99 only put her on par with rank 97 Tianlin.
Now, with one rising and one falling, the gap between them widened rapidly.
"Bibi Dong, you're finished!" Tianlin's eyes turned ruthless. Sword aura surged as he caught up to the still-falling Bibi Dong, appearing above her and stabbing his long sword toward her head.
Bibi Dong controlled the eight spider spears of the Death Spider Emperor to shield herself. The demonic sword severed four of them at once, while the other four spears struck at Tianlin's chest. Unfortunately, aside from the Eternal Wound, none of Bibi Dong's other attacks could pierce Tianlin's physical defense.
Even if his soul bone armor was imperfect, after absorbing three spirit beads, Tianlin's physical strength was now superior even to Di Tian. Ordinary attacks couldn't even break his skin.
"Bibi Dong, let's see how many spider legs you have left to block my sword!" Tianlin's attacks came like a tidal wave. For the first time ever, Bibi Dong felt so powerless. After dominating the continent for so many years, she had never been beaten like this. The man before her was, without a doubt, the most powerful and dangerous enemy she had ever faced.
Sword light flashed, and Bibi Dong's body was covered in countless wounds from his blade. Tianlin even fused the Sword of Destruction into his swordsmanship—wherever the demonic sword swept, flesh would begin to disappear. To resist this sword aura, Bibi Dong was forced to keep her Undying Body activated at all times, which greatly drained her soul power.
After dozens of furious strikes, Tianlin's patience ran thin. Bibi Dong was at her limit—time to finish her with his strongest move.
In the distance, Qian Daoliu suddenly sensed Bibi Dong's life force rapidly fading. Realizing the dire situation, he wanted to help, but he couldn't get past Chen Xin.
"Qian Daoliu, your heart is in turmoil," Chen Xin halted his attack. "If you want to save Bibi Dong, you should focus on defeating me first. If you can't even pass my test, how can you face my disciple?"
Chen Xin remained calm from beginning to end. He had never doubted Tianlin's strength—he knew from the start that Tianlin would win.
But he also had to let Qian Daoliu recover his composure, or else, with his unsettled mind, he would be no match for Chen Xin. Even if Chen Xin won, he would not gain the recognition of the Sword God.
"You're right, Chen Xin. I must defeat you first. In that case, prepare yourself!" Qian Daoliu, after all, was a seasoned veteran. He quickly calmed down. If he couldn't solve Chen Xin, rescuing Bibi Dong would be pointless. If he got besieged by that master and disciple, even he would die for sure.
"Ninth Soul Skill—Angel Descent!" Qian Daoliu once again activated his strongest state-type soul skill. For a short time, his power broke past the rank 99 Limit Douluo level, reaching the demigod realm.
Luckily, he didn't use this skill in the Worship Hall, otherwise he could have temporarily gained 20% of the Angel God's power. With that strength, even two Chen Xin would not be able to win.
Back then, Tang Chen was able to defeat Qian Daoliu only because they fought outside the Worship Hall.
"So it's here. Only by defeating the strongest in the human world can I break through my limits and become a god." Chen Xin gripped his Seven Kill Sword tightly. This time, he wouldn't use self-destructive moves, but defeat this move head-on.
"Angel Light Blade—Demon Slay!" Qian Daoliu swung his light sword, instantly unleashing hundreds of crescent-shaped light blades—his signature move. Normally, he could only release twenty at once. Now, their power was multiplied fivefold.
"Heavenly Dao's Return, Weak Water of the Other Shore!" Chen Xin used a sword technique from the Shu Mountain Sword School called the Myriad Dao One Heart Sword, created by a Shu Mountain elder, even incorporating Buddhist concepts. In Buddhism, the "Other Shore" refers to a place free from worldly suffering.
The essence of this sword technique is to follow the Dao's guidance to a paradise free from pain and illness. Originally a defensive technique, it focused on controlling the enemy.
But in Chen Xin's hands, he fused it with the Sword of Destruction, completely transforming its nature.
All twenty of Qian Daoliu's light blades were caught by the Seven Kill Sword and gathered together—this was the Dao's Return. Then Chen Xin swung his sword, sending out an enormous sword energy that blotted out the sky. Wherever it passed, mountains, grass, clouds, and waves all disintegrated into atoms.
This was the offensive move—Weak Water of the Other Shore. In Chen Xin's version of the Myriad Dao One Heart Sword, the Other Shore meant hell.
When Chen Xin taught Tianlin swordsmanship, he said every swordsman's path is different. If Tianlin was still learning others' styles, Chen Xin, after a century immersed in swordsmanship, had already fused others' swordsmanship into his own.
These years in seclusion, he integrated Shu Mountain sword techniques into his own Sword of Destruction. The moves remained the same, but the sword intent was completely his own—different from the natural Dao of Shu Mountain. Each move was murderous.
This was Chen Xin's own sword path. Only those who forge their own sword path can become Sword Gods.
"What?" Qian Daoliu was shocked. He could feel his power far surpassed Chen Xin's, yet his strongest attack was so easily countered by Chen Xin's swordsmanship.
Power can defeat skill, but what about a hundred or a thousand skills?
Anything taken to the extreme creates a force that defies the heavens. Chen Xin had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Maybe, among the true sword masters of higher realms, he was just a beginner, but in Douluo Continent, he was the top sword master. Even the God Realm's Sword God might not surpass him in swordsmanship.