Douluo Continent: Starting with a Heavenly Fire Judgment

Chapter 501 Heaven Dou City

Seeing Xu Jiujiu's stubbornness, Ji Lin shook his head with amusement. However, recalling the exciting scene from last night, Ji Lin felt a slight warmth in his heart and unconsciously became aroused again. Feeling the heat on his thighs, Xu Jiujiu's body stiffened, and he thought to himself that something was wrong.

Sure enough, the next moment, Ji Lin pushed her back onto the bed. Before she could beg for mercy, the bed creaked and shook, and the battle reignited.

Inside the Sacred Mark Space, Xue Di, who had just calmed down, looked at the renewed flames of war outside through the Sacred Mark Space and shook her head. This was one of the reasons why she fled back to the Sacred Mark Space as soon as she woke up. Having read many novels, Xue Di knew that men were very energetic in the morning. Fortunately, she ran fast, otherwise, it wouldn't just be Xu Jiujiu being bullied by Ji Lin outside now.

After what happened last night, Xue Di and Ji Lin's relationship became even closer. Ji Lin also lifted the barrier on Xue Di's Sacred Mark Space. Xue Di can now freely view the outside scenery through the Sacred Mark Space, unlike before when she had to report to Ji Lin and needed his permission to freely enter and exit the Sacred Mark Space.

Watching the battle raging outside, Xue Di unconsciously squeezed her legs together. She quickly blocked the Holy Mark Space to avoid thinking about what happened last night.

In Ji Lin's room, as the great battle drew to a close, the sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

Ji Lin held Xu Jiujiu, who was slightly panting and covered in sweat, in his arms, enjoying the afterglow of flying into the clouds. "Sister Jiujiu, next time we should invite Qiu'er and the others. It will definitely be more fun."

Xu Jiujiu gave Ji Lin a listless glare and said, "You wish!"

Ji Lin smiled. Now that things had started, Xu Jiujiu was much more accepting of this kind of thing. Next time, if Wang Qiu'er was invited, Xu Jiujiu probably wouldn't refuse, since she had a lot of fun last night.

After a long while in Ji Lin's arms, her breathing gradually calmed down, and she actually fell asleep again. Well, after such an intense battle last night, and then being dragged out of bed early this morning for an overtime match, it's no wonder she was exhausted, as her physical condition couldn't compare to Wang Qiu'er and the others.

Ji Lin did not disturb Xu Jiujiu's rest. After washing up, he went out and asked the maid to prepare breakfast for Xu Jiujiu. Then he went to the underground base alone. He did not forget his promise to Xuan Ziwen to cooperate with him in researching the Heavenly Fire Judgment. After all, his Molten Knights were still counting on Xuan Ziwen!

For the next period of time, Ji Lin stayed at Zizai Sect and cooperated with Xuan Ziwen's research every day. Unfortunately, although Xuan Ziwen was a genius soul master, it was impossible for him to make any progress in a short period of time. He was always powerless on his own and still needed other excellent soul tools to work together. Only by pooling their wisdom and exchanging ideas could they spark a spark of wisdom and seize that fleeting inspiration.

If Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, were here, he would surely have gained something. Unfortunately, as the head of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen is someone Xu Tianran is paying close attention to. It's impossible for him to sneak into Xingluo City, and he doesn't have the time to help him with his research.

Fortunately, the situation on the mainland is now stabilizing. Although the war is still ongoing, it is not as intense as it was at the beginning. The Sun Moon Empire and the original Douluo Three Kingdoms have reached a stalemate, and no one has yet broken the deadlock. This situation is the best for Ji Lin, since what he needs now is time.

Whether it's the time it takes for the disciples of the Free Gate to grow, the time it takes for him to grow, or the establishment of the Molten Knights, all of these require time.

Time passed slowly, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye. On this day, Ji Lin received a message from Meng Hongchen that Jing Hongchen, the head of Mingde Hall, had been dispatched by Emperor Xu Tianran of the Sun Moon Empire to serve as the city lord of Tiandou City, the capital of the Heaven Soul Empire. Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen also followed him.

Ji Lin's expression shifted. Tian Dou City was the capital of the Tian Hun Empire, and it had been occupied by the Sun Moon Empire for some time. He hadn't expected that Jing Hongchen would be sent to Tian Dou City as the city lord. What surprised him even more was that Meng Hongchen had also gone to Tian Dou City.

Seeing that he was happy, Xu Jiujiu smiled and said, "Haven't you always wanted to bring your Miss Meng back? This is a good opportunity. Our current research also needs her. Do you want to make a trip?"

Ji Lin nodded and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Not only Meng, but I will also bring Xiao Hongchen. He is also a genius soul master. If it weren't for the fear of attracting the attention of the Sun Moon Empire, I would have brought Jing Hongchen back with me. I don't know how many old subordinates he brought to Heaven Dou City this time, but it shouldn't be many. His foundation is still the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, so it's impossible for him to bring too many people to Heaven Dou City."

Having made his decision, Ji Lin didn't hesitate for long. He greeted Wang Qiu'er and the others, and after leaving Xingluo City, he headed towards the Tianhun Empire. Thinking of Tiandou City, Ji Lin remembered that the birthplace of the Tang Sect seemed to be Tiandou City. Unfortunately, Tiandou City had now fallen into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire.

Heaven Dou City is a renowned metropolis on the entire Douluo Continent. Located in the north-central part of the Heavenly Soul Empire, it serves as a crucial transit point for storing grain and transporting troops. Its geographical location is extremely important to the Sun Moon Empire, making it a strategic stronghold that the empire would undoubtedly deploy a large force to guard.

Xu Tianran sent Jing Hongchen to oversee Tiandou City primarily because Tiandou City is extremely important, and it also demonstrates his trust in Jing Hongchen. Jing Hongchen's strength ranks among the top in the Sun Moon Empire, and with him in charge, Xu Tianran can rest assured that Tiandou City will not be retaken by the Heavenly Soul Empire.

Although Jing Hongchen remained neutral before Xu Tianran ascended the throne, his Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy was very important to the Sun Moon Empire. Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen had led the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy to defeat Shrek Academy, making history. Therefore, Xu Tianran valued Jing Hongchen quite a bit. Of course, Jing Hongchen's status was still not comparable to that of his confidants, such as Ju Zi.

Because the Sun Moon Empire was forced into this war and launched it hastily, its own burden was immense. Although Ju Zi's sound tactics gave them an initial advantage, as time went on, supply lines stretched, and after occupying large swathes of the Heavenly Soul Empire's territory, they needed to divide their forces to garrison these areas. They also had to constantly contend with sporadic attacks from the Heavenly Soul Empire's resistance forces and the hidden sects lurking in the shadows. Their daily expenditures were now enormous. Therefore, the Sun Moon Empire mobilized all available resources to participate in the war. Jing Hongchen, a ninth-level Soul Master who had initially remained neutral but only pledged allegiance to Xu Tianran after his ascension to the throne, was naturally entrusted with heavy responsibilities.

However, the Holy Spirit Cult is becoming increasingly arrogant within the Sun Moon Empire. The Holy Spirit Cult leader demands that any large city occupied by the Sun Moon Empire must have a deputy city lord, who must be a Holy Spirit Cult Soul Master.

The Sun Moon Empire's high command initially expressed strong opposition to this, but the Holy Spirit Cult's strength had become too great, especially with the existence of two Limit Douluo, who played a huge role in this war of aggression. Therefore, Xu Tianran had no choice but to compromise in the end. He knew that the Holy Spirit Cult's current strength was becoming too much to handle, but for the sake of his own ambitions, he could only compromise for the time being.

Xu Tianran's true intentions were actually quite simple: to use the Holy Spirit Cult to continuously expand the territory of the Sun Moon Empire, and as the war progressed, the strength of the Holy Spirit Cult's followers would inevitably be continuously depleted.

The Holy Spirit Cult has grown to its current size through thousands of years of clandestine accumulation; it cannot have been formed in a short time. If their casualties become too high, the overall strength of the Holy Spirit Cult will inevitably be weakened.

Moreover, although the two Limit Douluos of the Holy Spirit Cult are powerful, don't forget that they are both over two hundred years old, which is close to the human limit. They may die of old age at any time. What Xu Tianran is really afraid of is actually the Death God Douluo and the Dragon Emperor Douluo.

(End of this chapter)