Douluo: Martial Soul Seven Kill Sword, The Sword Opens Heaven's Gates

Welcome to our new Patrons: thedistraction and omar amurrio!

------------------------------------------------------

Within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect

In order to secure their position among the top three sects and attempt to claim the title of the continent's number one sect, Ning Fengzhi placed great importance on the re-selection conference of the seven great sects.

On this day, he invited representatives from the Snow Mountain Sect and the Sky Sword Sect to come to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to discuss matters related to the conference.

Before the representatives of the two sects arrived, Ning Fengzhi and his group held a brief meeting.

The content of the meeting naturally revolved around selecting participants for the competition.

As an auxiliary-type soul master, Ning Fengzhi could not represent the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect in the sect leader battle.

Within the sect, Chen Xin, who was at level ninety-seven, clearly outclassed Gu Rong, who was at level ninety-six. Therefore, Chen Xin would represent the sect in the sect leader battle.

Although Gu Rong often sparred with Chen Xin and verbally expressed dissatisfaction, when it came to the sect's interests, he did not object.

Ke Jie proactively spoke up, "Sect Leader, I am a control-type soul master. If I were to face a peak Soul Douluo-level battle-type soul master, I might struggle to eliminate my opponent."

His soul skills were primarily focused on control, which worked wonders when paired with Sword and Bone Douluo. However, in one-on-one battles, he was at a disadvantage and lacked the ability to deliver a decisive blow.

Ning Fengzhi was not overly concerned about this.

Ke Jie was still a Title Douluo, and the sheer force of his soul power alone was more than a Soul Douluo could withstand.

All three Title Douluo would naturally participate, but since there were three elder battles, they needed to send one more elder.

Within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, besides soul masters with the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda spirit and auxiliary-type soul beasts, only those at the Soul Sage level could serve as elders. The rest of the elders were all Soul Douluo-level experts.

Among them, there were several peak Soul Douluo.

Before Ning Fengzhi could speak, Chen Xin was the first to say, "Old Zhang and Old Hua are quite capable, but they're too old. High-intensity matches might be too much for them to handle."

These two were peak Soul Douluo within the sect, younger than Chen Xin by about ten years.

However, the physical condition of a Soul Douluo could not compare to that of a Title Douluo.

After breaking through to become a Title Douluo, one's physical fitness experienced a significant leap, and with each level breakthrough, their blood vitality and life force increased.

Peak Soul Douluo, on the other hand, had not undergone such fundamental changes in their life force. Those who had suffered injuries earlier in life often had lifespans comparable to ordinary people who lived long lives.

The decline in blood vitality and life force most directly impacted their combat effectiveness.

The two individuals Chen Xin referred to, despite having broken through to level eighty-nine for a long time, were far inferior in strength compared to younger mid-to-low level Soul Douluo like Zhang Erhe and Yang Wudi.

Gu Rong agreed, "Fengzhi, what Old Sword says makes sense. In my opinion, we should send one of the younger elders from the sect to compete."

Ke Jie thought for a moment and then volunteered a suggestion, "Why not let Elder Han Yu compete?"

Han Yu's soul power level was eighty-six, not yet reaching the high-level Soul Douluo tier, but he was young, not yet sixty years old. Most importantly, he was a strong offensive-type Soul Douluo with considerable combat strength.

After some thought, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Bone Douluo agreed with his proposal.

Next, they needed to discuss their opponents' situations.

The Sky Sword Sect's strength was far inferior to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, with only Dugu Bo as their sole Title Douluo. In terms of strength, they were no match for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.

The Snow Mountain Sect was their biggest competitor.

Though the Snow Mountain Sect had only recently emerged, their strength was not to be underestimated.

Moreover, during his last seclusion, Tian Ruyang, the sect leader of the Snow Mountain Sect, had advanced by one level, matching Chen Xin in strength.

Most importantly, aside from the sect leader, the Snow Mountain Sect also had three elders at the Title Douluo level.

If the "branch family" hadn't been established and Dugu Bo had joined the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, they wouldn't have been afraid. But under the current circumstances, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's prospects in the elder battles were not optimistic.

Although the two sects were allies, both wanted to seize the top spot among the upper three sects.

Thus, competition was inevitable.

Gu Rong earnestly said, "As long as Old Sword Master can win the sect leader battle, we only need to win one of the elder battles to secure victory."

The Snow Mountain Sect's eldest elder was only at level ninety-five, so Gu Rong, at level ninety-six, naturally had confidence in defeating him.

As for Ke Jie and Han Yu, they stood no chance against the other two Title Douluo-level elders of the Snow Mountain Sect.

Therefore, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's only hope for victory lay in winning the sect leader battle.

Ning Fengzhi turned his gaze toward Chen Xin.

Whether the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect could make further progress depended entirely on him.

Chen Xin picked up the teacup beside him and took a leisurely sip. "Although I haven't found a way to break through to level ninety-eight, I'm not a newcomer at level ninety-seven."

Tian Ruyang had only broken through to level ninety-seven less than a year ago, while Chen Xin had been at this level for several years. His accumulation of soul power and mastery of strength far surpassed Tian Ruyang's.

Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

With Chen Xin's confidence, this match was unlikely to have any surprises.

Nevertheless, he still reminded him, "Uncle Sword, do not underestimate our opponents. The ranking results of the sect re-selection conference are crucial to the sect's future development."

Since taking over the sect, Ning Fengzhi had overseen significant growth for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. If he could elevate it to the position of the continent's number one sect during his tenure, there was no doubt he would go down as the most legendary sect leader in its history.

Future generations would undoubtedly rank him alongside the sect's founder.

After all, who didn't want to leave behind a lasting legacy?

Not long after, Tian Chenxing, the eldest elder of the Snow Mountain Sect, and Bai He, the representative of the Sky Sword Sect, arrived at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to discuss the next steps.

If the three sects could secure all three top spots, their influence would be unprecedented.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Snow Mountain Sect naturally had no issues—it was merely a matter of ranking.

As for the Sky Sword Sect, although the current situation seemed manageable, who could guarantee that unforeseen variables wouldn't arise?

---

Meanwhile, Feng Xiaotian and his group had finally managed to escape the territory of the Wind God Pterosaur.

"Exhausting," Chen Huayu panted heavily, sitting on a rock.

Being overweight, running was particularly exhausting for him.

After surveying the surroundings and confirming there was no danger, Feng Xiaotian arranged for everyone to take a break.

After resting, Oscar pointed toward the valley floor and asked curiously, "Aren't you curious about what's down there?"

Curiosity was human nature, and the others were equally intrigued.

A cluster of buildings that stood out from the architectural styles of the continent held high exploration value. Perhaps rare treasures could be found within.

Feng Xiaotian felt a strange pull toward the building cluster at the bottom of the valley.

But in Ning Tianchen's absence, he was now the group's leader and had to ensure everyone's safety.

The presence of powerful predatory soul beasts like the Wind God Pterosaur in the valley meant venturing deeper could lead to unforeseen dangers.

"Let's note the location for now and send stronger members from the sect to explore once we return," Feng Xiaotian said gravely.

This was the safest course of action.

Last time, their recklessness had already trapped them here. They couldn't afford to be reckless again and risk uncontrollable accidents.

Yu Die agreed, "Xiaotian is right. Let's leave this place first."

"I see that these buildings have existed for a long time and haven't been discovered by outsiders. Even if we leave, we don't have to worry about someone else beating us to it."

Oscar cast a deep glance at the building cluster in the valley, then withdrew his gaze, tacitly agreeing with Feng Xiaotian's suggestion.

After resting, the group replenished their energy and began heading toward the outer rim of the valley.

This valley was vast, with mountains towering into the clouds.

Their original exit was halfway up the inner side of the valley, so to leave, they first had to climb to the summit.

Not long after, when the group reached the summit, they gazed into the distance. Endless mountain ranges stretched out before them, with many flying-type soul beasts circling above the forest canopy.

It was clearly a paradise exclusively for soul beasts!

"Where is this? Could it be an unknown gathering place for soul beasts on the continent?" Chen Huayu hesitated.

The sight before them did indeed resemble a soul beast habitat.

However, among the bird-type soul beasts circling above the forest, there were several species that had long been extinct and should not exist anymore.

Clearly, this was not any known soul beast gathering place on the continent.

Oscar turned to Feng Xiaotian with a bitter smile. "Are we going to cross the forest? It looks like the area below isn't much safer than the valley behind us."

In the valley, they hadn't encountered many soul beasts along the way. But the forest below was another story.

In a soul beast habitat without traces of human activity, the number of soul beasts could be quite substantial, and one misstep could easily lead them into the territory of a powerful soul beast.

Of course, the soul beasts here had never seen humans, so the likelihood of them initiating attacks was significantly reduced.

But they were completely unfamiliar with this place. Even in the Great Star Dou Forest, where they knew the layout and avoided accidentally entering the territories of powerful soul beasts, who could say how the soul beasts here were distributed?

Seeing this situation, Feng Xiaotian couldn't come up with a plan immediately.

Zhu Zhuqing pointed at the sky and said gravely, "Have you noticed something strange? When we were in Hurricane Gorge, it was already afternoon. We spent over an hour in the wind cave and wandered around this valley for nearly half an hour. By now, the sun should be setting, but here, it still seems to be at its zenith."

The temperature here wasn't high, and the strong winds made them overlook the position of the sun at first.

After she mentioned it, everyone finally noticed the discrepancy.

"Are we no longer on the Douluo Continent?" Chen Huayu proposed an outlandish guess.

Strange phenomena were common on the continent. Perhaps the passage they used to arrive here was some kind of teleportation array that transported them across space.

Though Chen Huayu's speculation seemed far-fetched, upon closer reflection, it was highly plausible.

"Should we go back or keep moving forward?" Feng Xiaotian muttered quietly.

They were truly caught between a rock and a hard place.

As they deliberated, a shadow suddenly appeared high in the sky.

A Wind God Pterosaur with a wingspan exceeding thirty meters had somehow arrived above their heads.

With its wings fully spread, the Wind God Pterosaur resembled a dark cloud blotting out the sky, sending chills down their spines.

"Let's go!"

Without time to think, Feng Xiaotian pulled everyone and quickly fled in another direction.

Unexpectedly, the Wind God Pterosaur landed not far from them and showed no signs of aggression. Instead, it used its beak to enjoy the fruits on the trees.

While feeding, its gaze fell on the fleeing group.

It didn't understand their behavior and curiously observed them.

Seeing no movement behind them, Feng Xiaotian turned around and looked back, feeling surprised.

"Wait, this guy doesn't seem to be a carnivorous soul beast."

They had previously tasted the fruits on these trees, which were quite bland and had rough flesh. Only herbivorous soul beasts would eat such fruit—other soul beasts wouldn't touch it.

Chen Huayu stopped and took out records about the Wind God Pterosaur from his spirit-guided device. "This can't be right. The ancient texts say that the Wind God Pterosaur is a ferocious carnivorous soul beast. Any human soul master who encounters it will be torn apart."

The ancient texts Feng Xiaotian had read also stated the same.

Yu Die remarked sarcastically, "Is it possible that the ancient texts are false?"

After all, the Wind God Pterosaur was a long-extinct soul beast. There were very few written records about it on the continent, mostly appearing as illustrations.

When later generations compiled the ancient texts, seeing such a massive and majestic soul beast, they likely assumed, based on fixed thinking, that it must be a fierce carnivorous soul beast.

Of course, that was one possibility. Another possibility was that humans were the main cause of the Wind God Pterosaur's extinction. To avoid condemnation by future generations, those who recorded its existence deliberately portrayed it as a vicious and aggressive soul beast that attacked humans, framing their actions as righteous and justified.

Regardless of which scenario was true, no one in the group was interested in delving deeper.

The Wind God Pterosaur before them was happily devouring fruit and showed no hostility toward their approach.

---

Not long after, Feng Xiaotian and his group sat on the back of the Wind God Pterosaur, flying above the valley.

Looking at the scenery below, Chen Huayu couldn't help but say, "This is such a beautiful place."

Oscar chuckled and replied, "If this big guy weren't carrying us, we wouldn't be able to fly this high."

Earlier, when they approached, the giant creature had turned its head, signaling for them to sit on its back.

For some reason, the Wind God Pterosaurs here seemed unusually friendly toward humans.

"But this big guy only flies around the valley. How do we communicate with it to take us out of here?" Yu Die asked.

Chen Huayu shook his head. "We'd better not. Many people on the continent want the soul rings of the Wind God Pterosaur. If the outside world learns of this place's existence, the soul beasts here will be doomed."

It wasn't that he wanted to monopolize this place. Hunting teams operating near soul beast forests often received higher rewards from their employers for finding rare soul beasts.

A soul beast like the Wind God Pterosaur, which existed almost entirely in legends, would allow hunting teams to demand exorbitant prices if they discovered it.

Moreover, there were people who slaughtered soul beasts indiscriminately in pursuit of soul bones.

The environment here was pristine and absolutely could not be ruined by human interference.

Minutes later, the Wind God Pterosaur seemed to have reached the "boundary" of this small world. When it tried to ascend higher, it was blocked by ripples in space, unable to proceed further.

------------------------------------------------------

40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow

There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)