Chapter 156: A Heaven-Sent Opportunity?

Lu Ran had truly gained some insight!

Not all deities are as generous as Lord Lord Bei Feng.

After all, creating a Divine Ruin requires an immense expenditure of effort.

Let alone tourists like Lu Ran; even the Lord Bei Feng believers living within the city must wait ten or eight years before witnessing a Divine Ruin descend!

There are even some deity believers who will never see traces of a Divine Ruin in their entire lives.

Take the believers of the deity·Divine Lot, for instance.

Judging by the deity·Divine Lot's shameless face when wildly gathering faith power,

Lu Ran fundamentally did not believe that Divine Lot would bestow blessings of this caliber upon its disciples.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" The shouts rang out in perfect unison, their momentum mighty and profound, stirring one's blood to boil!

Lu Ran's eyes narrowed as he gazed toward the inner city from afar.

Were these cheers of encouragement?

The next moment, from among the ten-odd Lord Bei Feng believers standing in the high sky, a young man draped in a snow-colored cloak flew out.

Wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, he charged straight toward the Divine Ruin!

The tiny human seemed like an ant trying to shake a great tree, using an equally tiny blade to hack at the gate of the magnificent palace.

"Thud!"

A dull boom shook heaven and earth!

"Pfft!" The young man was immediately blasted back, even spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Presumably, he had been injured by the shockwave.

The trembling sound from that palace gate was so intense that even Lu Ran, far outside the city, felt his eardrums ache!

One could only imagine what a devastating blow that young man had suffered.

Just as the young man was blasted away, another young man rushed out.

Wielding a large chopping knife, he sped toward the palace gate.

"Thud!"

Another violent tremor rang out.

This young man was also blasted back, his blade even flying from his grasp.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" Inside the inner city, waves of cheering continued, growing ever more fervent.

The ten-odd Lord Bei Feng believers arrayed in the high sky charged one by one toward the gate of the Divine Ruin.

And one by one, they suffered severe injuries, spat blood, and returned without success.

"Yan." Lu Ran spotted a familiar figure.

It was Yan Yan Shuangzi's turn!

She showed no fear, not the slightest hesitation, as she lifted a horse-chopping great blade identical to Deng Deng Yuxiang's and charged toward the palace gate.

"Truly reckless with her life."

Lu Ran pressed his lips together as Yan Yan Shuangzi was also fiercely blasted back.

What exactly lay behind that palace gate?

A divine weapon?

A strand of sword intent?

Or perhaps a wisp of pure "Qi" belonging exclusively to the Lord Bei Feng Blade?

Whatever it was, the deity·Lord Bei Feng had placed this Divine Ruin here, waiting for disciples to claim it.

Yet, the disciples could not even open the palace gate.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Amidst the successive booms, Lu Ran watched the Lord Bei Feng believers rush forward one after another.

The more he watched, the more apprehensive Lu Ran became.

His understanding of deities was still too shallow.

The deity·Lord Bei Feng had merely descended a single Divine Ruin, yet its power had already reached such a level.

In the future, was he destined to compete for the right to survive against existences like this?

"Lu Ran?"

The room door stood wide open as Si Si Xianxian from next door ran in.

"What is it?" Lu Ran kept his eyes fixed on the sky, replying casually.

"This time, we've really struck gold; we even get to witness a Divine Ruin!" Si Si Xianxian said excitedly.

She looked left and right, spotted two blades resting on the table, quickly picked them up, and walked over to Lu Ran.

"What are you doing?" Lu Ran took the two blades, looking at Si Si Xianxian with some confusion.

Unexpectedly, Si Si Xianxian said, "I don't know either! Who knows what kind of thing you're comprehending!

This is a Divine Ruin of the Lord Bei Feng sect!

Just hold the blades; maybe you'll understand something?"

Lu Ran was torn between laughter and tears.

Sister Sister Xian was a hammer-wielder; she understood nothing.

Moreover, Sister Sister Xian was a patient, her mental state not being good either.

But Sister Si Xianxian dotes on me!

"Watch the Divine Ruin, don't look at me!" Si Si Xianxian reached out and patted Lu Ran's cheek. "Hurry, watch closely, hurry and comprehend!"

Lu Ran: "."

What am I supposed to comprehend!

How to learn from the Lord Bei Feng believers and violently smash down doors?

What the hell does this have to do with a blade!

"Have you comprehended it yet?" Si Si Xianxian gazed at the Divine Ruin from afar; after a long while, she couldn't help but ask.

"I have comprehended it."

"Ah?" Si Si Xianxian's face lit up with joy. "What did you comprehend?"

Lu Ran spoke in a drawn-out tone: "When it comes to smashing doors and breaking walls, the Lord Bei Feng believers truly aren't up to the task."

"You should swap in your Divine Lie Tian believers, having them charge up wielding hammers..."

Si Si Xianxian:???

"You!" Si Si Xianxian was nearly driven to laugh by anger. "You spent all that time comprehending the Dao, and this is the thing you came up with?"

Lu Ran: "Just say whether it makes sense or not!"

"Uh..." Si Si Xianxian scratched her hair.

It actually seems right!

"Good heavens." Lu Ran let out another exclamation.

In his line of sight, Yan Yan Shuangzi was once again forced back by the shockwave.

Her snow-white greatcloak was now stained full of fresh blood, her appearance utterly miserable.

She had clearly suffered tremendous injuries; she could barely even stand steady.

The wind coiling beneath her feet seemed as though it might vanish at any moment.

"Boom!"

Another earth-shaking, sky-trembling dull thud rang out.

Finally, one of the Lord Bei Feng believers could no longer endure it.

This young man, wielding a great cleaver, flew like a kite with its string cut, tracing a parabola through the air as he plummeted downward.

Thus, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

One Lord Bei Feng believer after another was injured, fell unconscious, and crashed to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, only four believers remained high in the sky.

And as the number of believers decreased and the rotation frequency increased, the time left for the few remaining believers to regulate their breath grew shorter and shorter.

"Pfft—"

Once again, Lu Ran watched Yan Yan Shuangzi get forced back by the shockwave.

Covered in bloodstains, her hair disheveled and streaming, she was in a wretched state, having long lost the appearance of that unparalleled, magnificent genius.

For her, treading through the air should have been the simplest of matters.

Yet at this moment, she staggered unsteadily, as if she might misstep at any second and plunge from two or three hundred meters high in the sky.

In this round of attacking the gate, the Lord Bei Feng believers lost another major figure.

Only a mere three people remained in the air.

Lu Ran, unable to bear watching, suddenly realized a problem and opened his mouth to speak:

"Tell me, if that great door cannot be smashed open, what then?"

Si Si Xianxian stated matter-of-factly: "If it can't be smashed open, then naturally they won't obtain the opportunities hidden within."

Lu Ran: "."

He suddenly realized that he had been wrong.

The God·Divine Lot might have created the Divine Ruin; all it needed to do was prevent the believers from obtaining the rewards inside.

"Crack!!"

Suddenly, a sound of shattering exploded across the heavens.

Lu Ran immediately raised his eyes and saw a crack creeping across the palace's great door!

The one who achieved this feat was precisely that heroic young man wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade!

"Ahhh!!!"

The young man's roar likewise exploded across the heavens.

That impassioned shout completely ignited the entire Lord Bei Feng City!

Inside and outside the city, countless crowds looking up erupted into astonishing cheers.

Amid these exhilarating shouts, Yan Yan Shuangzi's eyes were filled with utmost determination; she gripped her identical Zhan Ye greatblade tightly and fiercely charged toward the city gate.

"Crack!!"

Another crack appeared!

Another figure was sent flying!

Another mist of blood sprayed across the sky!

"No, no..." Lu Ran's heart hung in his throat as he watched Yan Yan Shuangzi's swaying, precarious figure.

Lu Ran was still worrying, but the queuing Lord Bei Feng believers allowed not a moment's delay.

Another young man lifted his blade and charged upward.

This single strike was deafening!

Cracks ran wildly across the palace's great door, and equally "shattered" was this young man who had disregarded his very life.

He didn't even qualify to stagger; his eyes rolled back, and he crashed into the ground like a cannonball.

High in the sky, only two blood-drenched figures remained.

"Jiang Jiang Shimei Yan, your senior brother won't stand on ceremony—cough, cough, no, cough, ceremony."

The youth wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade wore tattered robes, coughed up blood, and had a deathly pale complexion.

Yet his tiger-like eyes blazed with spirit, fixed tightly on the palace gates crawling with cracks.

Yan Yan Shuangzi wiped her blood-stained mouth corner with one hand, a smile on her face.

Though her voice was weak, her tone was bold and unconstrained: "Senior Brother, please!"

"Ha!" The youth hoisted the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, violent winds surging beneath his feet.

In an outer city inn, Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

Regarding the third realm, Unity of Man and Blade, Lu Ran gained an extremely intuitive understanding.

The valiant youth and the Green Dragon Crescent Blade were perfectly integrated!

Within that fleeting flash of blade light and human shadow, it seemed a true Green Dragon bared its claws and fangs, roaring as it charged toward the palace gates.

Lu Ran also seemed to comprehend the blade intent within:

Qi devouring Shanhe, sweeping away ten thousand armies!

Domineering!

Truly f***ing domineering—hmm?

"Boom!!"

Amidst a terrifying muffled sound, the valiant youth was sent flying backward.

Along with his spirit soaring to the heavens, it was all knocked back down.

Silence filled heaven and earth.

Only at the palace gates did the sound of cracking continue to emanate.

One second, two seconds... ten seconds.

The valiant youth finally steadied himself; in his expectant gaze, those palace gates still stood firm.

Immediately, sighs arose one after another.

The gates were already covered in cracks; they were just a hair's breadth away!

"Haha! Hahahahahaha!" Suddenly, a burst of loud laughter erupted from high in the sky.

The youth laughed up at the heavens, blood flowing freely from his mouth.

Within what sounded like a heroic laugh, there seemed to be mixed a hint of bitterness, a hint of helplessness.

Yan Yan Shuangzi's expression grew somewhat complex: "Senior Brother..."

"Rules are—cough—rules." The youth waved his large hand. "Jiang Jiang Shimei Yan, please!"

His boldness and unconstrained nature were in no way inferior to Yan Yan Shuangzi's.

Yan Yan Shuangzi fell silent, gazing at the gates poised to shatter.

The youth's voice turned stern: "With the gods above and all eyes upon us! Yan Yan Shuangzi, display the demeanor befitting our Lord Bei Feng Faction!"

"Yes." Yan Yan Shuangzi lifted her long, slender great horse-chopping blade, her large cloak fluttering wildly.

Suddenly, for an instant, Lu Ran seemed to see Deng Deng Yuxiang.

No,

Lu Ran was very unwilling to admit it, but Yan Yan Shuangzi seemed to surpass her by a margin.

These two close friends had chosen two completely different paths of growth.

All consequences brought about by personal choices must naturally be borne by the individual...

A wild wind suddenly rose, frost and snow filling the sky.

A white-clad, blood-stained figure danced gracefully like a startled goose, while the long, slender blade struck fiercely like a flood dragon.

One person, one blade, breaking through the surface with a single point!

Yan Yan Shuangzi forcibly shattered the palace gates that had barred countless geniuses from entry!

Amidst an extremely piercing sound of shattering, the white-clad, blood-stained figure charged vigorously into the Divine Ruins.

"Crack!!"

"Damn!" Without Si Si Xianxian's sweet little mouth spoke sharply; she covered her ears with both hands, feeling as though her eardrums were about to be shattered.

"Rumble!!"

Inside and outside the city, cheers were still rising when the Divine Ruins suddenly exploded.

Lu Ran's eyes widened abruptly; where was Yan Yan Shuangzi?

She had pierced through the palace gates, entered the Divine Ruins alone, and then—

Where was she?!

How did she disappear?

Don't tell me Yan Yan Shuangzi ascended to immortality in broad daylight!

She is only at the fifth stage of the River Realm; it shouldn't be possible...

The solemn and towering palace turned into scattered broken bricks and tiles, spreading out in all directions.

Just as Lu Ran was searching for Yan Yan Shuangzi's figure, he happened to see a piece of illusory rubble crash onto the youth wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

However, that rubble caused no injury; instead, it merged into the youth's body?

"Grab it, hurry, hurry! A heaven-sent opportunity!"

Without Si Si Xianxian was overjoyed; she directly climbed out the window and scrambled onto the roof.

Lu Ran snapped back to his senses; harboring heavy doubts, he hurriedly followed her out.

At the same time, many people climbed onto the rooftops; throughout the city, believers of the Lord Bei Feng flew up one after another, scrambling over broken bricks and shattered tiles.

Lu Ran watched a massive boulder fly toward him and immediately leaped high to meet it.

"Whoosh~"

As expected, incredibly pure, surging energy flooded into his body!

Lu Ran felt his body swelling to the brim, and an ominous premonition surged into his heart.

"Ugh~"

Lu Ran dry-heaved repeatedly, as if trying to vomit the energy back out.

It was only because everyone was busy scrambling for fragments that no one had time to deal with Lu Ran.

Had anyone been idle, they would have immediately rushed over and kicked Lu Ran viciously several times!

What do you mean by this?

Our divine my lord, in great compassion, teaches without discrimination and bestows blessings upon all living beings.

Does such an act make you feel nauseated?

Lu Ran: "Mm, indeed, it is a bit nauseating."

Because he was at the fifth stage of the Stream Realm.

If the body is compared to a container, Lu Ran, this water bucket, was already full.

No matter how much more water you pour into the bucket, it can only overflow.

"Hum~"

"Hum!" Suddenly, the twin blades in Lu Ran's embrace began to tremble.

Lu Ran's expression froze; he had not expected the Zhan Ye Dao and the Jin Guang Dao to react so violently.

Divine power, of course, is universal throughout the world.

The energy you absorbed in the Demon Cave and the energy absorbed before the divine shrine are identical in essence.

However, the divine power bestowed by the true form of the deity, the Lord Bei Feng Divine Statue, seemed to carry a hint of an extra attribute within the unseen forces?

Nourishing people, and even more so, nourishing blades?

Truly worthy of a divine gate specializing in blade arts!

Lu Ran hugged the twin blades tightly against his chest, feeling their intense reaction.

All along, even when the Jin Guang Dao trembled, the amplitude had been very small; when had it ever made such a huge commotion as today?

"Soon! Soon—ugh~"

Lu Ran paid no heed to his own nausea, locked onto a large patch of illusory rubble, and darted straight out.

Divine Art: Sister Xian Hoof!

For the sake of the twin blades becoming divine weapons as soon as possible, the Sister Xian Xiang Xianyang believer had already abandoned all shame!

A certain little lamb cub was using the Pai De Shen Fa of the Xianyangyi Sect to frantically scramble for opportunities alongside the Lord Bei Feng believers.

Amidst the scramble, Yan Yan Shuangzi's guidance also arose in Lu Ran's mind.

The Second Realm: Unity of Heart and Blade!

The blade is the extension of the blade master's thoughts.

Lu Ran's charging figure came to an abrupt halt; standing atop the roof, he lifted his head to welcome the onslaught of broken bricks and shattered tiles.

"Hum~"

"Hum!" His hands trembled continuously along with the vibration of the blades.

Lu Ran gripped the twin blades tightly, his emotions churning wildly.

We shall ultimately make the nights of the fifteenth in this world,

Peaceful and silent!

We will time and again kill our way through the Jin Guang that rises with the red sun, using that Jin Guang to pierce the misty curtains.

And then, behind those misty curtains, we shall gift the brilliant Xia Guang filling the sky to the countless souls in this human world who have suffered endless hardships.

Four thousand words, begging for some votes.

Thanks to Fourth Rome Linden Wan Dadi for the five-thousand reward for the Si Si Xianxian character card, and thanks to readers 20231019231506389 and Long Zhi Mao for their rewards! Bosses, you are generous!

Finger hearts (`)

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(End of Chapter)