Chapter 182

Between the deity and her son, whom would she choose?

Lu Ran tried his best to restrain himself, but he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

The deities would eventually discover the existence of the Sculpture Garden. Whether he revealed it himself or it was exposed passively, the gods would never spare him.

When the gods finally turned their blades toward him, would his mother stand by his side?

"Mother." Qiao Yuanxi called out, waking Lu Ran from his deep thoughts.

Qiao Wanjun nodded slightly, not looking at her daughter.

Immediately, Qiao Yuanxi pouted.

Qiao Wanjun stared quietly at Lu Ran. After a long while, she slowly raised a hand.

That palm was slender and fair, like a piece of exquisite art.

It was also a hand that had once rested upon Lu Ran's head time and time again.

Lu Ran understood the meaning of this gesture, but he hesitated before stepping forward.

The closer he got to Qiao Wanjun, the more he felt a sense of oppression.

Although the aura was intangible, it was undeniably real.

Fortunately, her smiling eyes were gentle.

It was a very contradictory scene.

Qiao Wanjun was clearly an oppressor, her existence crushing all living things around her.

At the same time, she was trying her best to soften herself, to soothe the mortal before her.

"You seem to have grown a bit taller."

Qiao Wanjun's voice was soft. The hand she had held in mid-air landed on Lu Ran's head.

Lu Ran: "I just came out of the demon cave; I'm dirty."

Although he said that, Lu Ran didn't dodge.

Qiao Wanjun smiled, not minding at all.

Her palm slowly moved down, and a slender, jade-like finger gently traced the contours of Lu Ran's face.

This face was still somewhat green.

His eyes, however, had become a bit more resolute.

Lu Ran said in a low voice: "Mom."

"Mm." Qiao Wanjun regained her focus slightly. "You've become much stronger."

She dropped a hand and gripped the hand he was using to hold the hilt of the Xiaoguang Blade.

Qiao Yuanxi pouted again: "Mom noticed him, I thought you only had eyes for brother."

Qiao Wanjun's beautiful eyes stared lightly at Lu Ran:

"I did indeed see a blade first, and only then did I notice this one."

Lu Ran, however, blurted out: "How long have you been standing here? Your hand is ice cold!"

"Are you trying to manage me now?" Qiao Wanjun turned her wrist.

The sudden movement gave Lu Ran a start.

She was holding Lu Ran's hand, which meant she was holding the Xiaoguang Blade, sweeping it toward his neck.

Lu Ran resisted instinctively, but in terms of raw strength, he was no match for her.

"Hum!"

The Xiaoguang Blade trembled violently, unwilling to harm its master.

The next moment, Lu Ran's pupils shrank slightly!

A divine weapon of such caliber was actually unable to break free from the woman's control. She held it, inch by inch, forcing it toward her son's neck.

The process was incredibly slow, every frame feeling like a strike to the heart!

Qiao Wanjun clearly had no intention of harming Lu Ran; she was simply giving the divine weapon a chance to resist.

"Hum!!"

The Xiaoguang Blade vibrated violently, and a layer of rosy light spilled from the blade.

Qiao Wanjun stopped her movement. Looking at the gorgeous, ethereal red glow, she said softly: "As expected."

She finally let go.

At the same time, Lu Ran's palm was violently knocked away by the hilt.

"Whoosh!!"

The Xiaoguang Blade, which had been struggling with all its might, suddenly lost its opponent. With its immense force unable to be retracted, it flew off like a wild horse, plunging diagonally into the snow.

"Don't!" Lu Ran hurriedly reached out, blocking Qiao Wanjun's side.

Because the Xiaoguang Blade, which had been stuck in the snow, had already flown up, turning its tip to point directly at the woman.

Qiao Wanjun didn't move, completely indifferent to the threat of the divine weapon.

She stared quietly at Lu Ran, watching him protect her, seemingly enjoying the moment.

After a full ten seconds, Lu Ran finally pacified the Xiaoguang Blade and sheathed it on his back.

He raised his eyelids to look at the woman who looked like a celestial being, helpless: "Mom, what are you doing?

If you wanted to see the divine weapon, I could have just let it show itself."

Although he said that, Lu Ran's heart was in turmoil.

What level of power was Mother at?

Even a divine weapon couldn't contend with her?

The Profound Heaven Sect didn't specialize in raw power, so this could only be attributed to her cultivation realm!

Lu Ran sighed heavily in his heart. If his mother, as a human disciple, could be this strong,

then just how terrifying would the deity herself be?

Qiao Wanjun stood with her hands behind her back, her eyes filled with a hint of pride:

"The blade is as its name implies.

What he couldn't complete, you have completed for him."

"Whoosh!!"

A phantom image suddenly expanded from the Xiaoguang Blade on Lu Ran's back.

The weapon spirit looked hostile, staring fixedly at the woman.

Qiao Wanjun looked at the other "son" and raised an eyebrow slightly.

She seemed surprised by the image of this weapon spirit.

However, since the Xiaoguang Blade was already her son's weapon, it was within reason.

Lu Ran noticed a shift in Qiao Wanjun's attitude.

Originally, she hadn't cared about the weapon spirit's feelings, even forcefully wielding it to kill its master.

Now, she nodded apologetically, saying softly: "Alright."

These two words weren't a standard apology, but more like a soothing gesture.

But coming from the mouth of a powerful Profound Heaven disciple, it was practically an apology.

Lu Ran reached back and gripped the hilt. With their minds connected, the spirit slowly retracted and merged back into the blade.

Qiao Wanjun looked at Lu Ran's expression:

"Don't be discouraged. Once it unlocks its Divine Weapon Domain, it will take on a different form.

By then, it will be very difficult for me to even wield it."

Lu Ran nodded thoughtfully.

A weapon that gathers a spirit is only a divine weapon in the eyes of the world.

But in the eyes of powerful disciples, the Xiaoguang Blade was just a defective product?

Only after unlocking the Divine Weapon Domain could it be called a true "divine weapon"?!

"Mom, look at me!" Qiao Yuanxi pouted. "You have such a big treasure of a daughter standing right here!"

Qiao Wanjun continued to look at Lu Ran:

"Have you thought about what kind of Divine Weapon Domain the Xiaoguang Blade might have?"

Qiao Yuanxi: "..."

Her little face was puffed up with anger, but she didn't dare to be too presumptuous.

In the end, she could only sit in the snow, playing with the snow in frustration...

Lu Ran felt a slight movement in his heart. If he could get guidance from his mother, that would be wonderful.

He immediately recounted his philosophy and the various ways the Xiaoguang Blade had leveled up to his mother.

Only after Lu Ran finished speaking did she say softly: "A good line of thought."

Lu Ran: "Does Mother have any suggestions?"

Qiao Wanjun shook her head: "You already possess the cultivation to nurture a divine weapon; there is nothing I can teach you.

You have unique experiences and your own path to follow."

Lu Ran felt a pang of regret in his heart: "Oh."

Qiao Wanjun sighed: "I had intended to keep you here, but it seems you are becoming increasingly inseparable from Rain Alley City."

Lu Ran nodded silently.

Whether it was the morning glow he carved out or the gifts he bestowed upon the world,

the foundation of all this, the root of his and his blade's rise, was all in Rain Alley.

From this perspective, his mother could be considered to have given him a hint—take root in Rain Alley.

Qiao Wanjun said indifferently: "If one day, you and Xiaoguang realize the Divine Weapon Domain but are unable to possess it, remember to tell Mother."

Lu Ran realized something, looking at his mother, who stood there with spirit and grace, like a celestial being:

"Is Mother going to help me shatter that divine weapon?"

Through that layer of veil, Lu Ran caught a glimpse of a faint smile on Qiao Wanjun's face.

She just smiled, without responding.

Good heavens~

Lu Ran clicked his tongue in his heart. It was time to write a book!

"My Overbearing Sword Immortal Mother."

Wait a minute!

What if that divine weapon wasn't in the hands of a human, but in the hands of a deity?

Lu Ran hesitated for a moment and didn't ask.

His strength was still weak, and some probes were unnecessary for now, as they would easily expose his rebellious heart.

"How is it here?" Qiao Wanjun turned around, looking at the vast snowy mountains, her eyes slightly dazed.

Lu Ran looked up, and it was indeed a magnificent sight of ten thousand miles of snow.

"Very spectacular," Lu Ran answered truthfully.

Qiao Wanjun: "If I were to go into seclusion here and not see you for several years, would you come to visit Mother?"

"Of course," Lu Ran answered without hesitation.

"Ah? Mother is going into seclusion?" In the snow, Qiao Yuanxi looked up and asked hurriedly.

Qiao Wanjun finally deigned to speak to her daughter: "Isn't this what you've been hoping for?

Once I go into seclusion, there will be no one left to restrain you, and you won't have to complain about me behind my back anymore."

"No, no way!" Qiao Yuanxi had a bitter little face. "I never complained about you behind your back; I like being with Mother."

The girl's words were stuttering, clearly lacking credibility.

Qiao Wanjun: "Then I'll just take you with me and we can go into seclusion and cultivate together."

"That, that..." Qiao Yuanxi opened her mouth, her voice getting smaller and smaller. "That's not necessary."

Lu Ran took the opportunity to ask: "What cultivation realm is Mother trying to break through to by going into seclusion?"

"Go back." Qiao Wanjun said softly. "On New Year's Eve, I will go back to accompany you."

Lu Ran: "..."

She was the same as always, tight-lipped about internal sect affairs and closed-mouthed about her own cultivation realm.

He wondered if this was a rule set by the deity herself.

Qiao Wanjun looked at Qiao Yuanxi, instructing: "When you go back, listen to your brother and don't be naughty."

"Oh." Qiao Yuanxi replied in a small voice.

"Go." Qiao Wanjun issued the order to leave.

The siblings looked at each other and didn't say anything more.

Lu Ran drew the Xiaoguang Blade from his back, Qiao Yuanxi took the Black Ice Sword, and they stepped forward quickly.

She took Lu Ran's Night Blade, then jumped lightly onto Lu Ran's back.

"Hold on tight, the blade is about to fly." Lu Ran said in a low voice, then leaped into the air, gripping the hilt, and flew down the mountain.

He always felt that the woman's gaze was following him.

A moment later, Lu Ran couldn't help but let the Xiaoguang Blade carry him downward, turning his head to look at the mountain peak.

At the summit, Qiao Wanjun stood quietly, like a celestial being isolated from the world.

The mountain wind whipped up specks of frost and snow, blowing her long hair and long dress.

Lu Ran had excellent eyesight and could see many things.

Those eyes, which should have been cold, were now filled with tenderness and love, watching him leave silently.

Lu Ran turned his head silently, facing the snowy forest below.

He was increasingly thirsty for strength!

Lu Ran didn't know when he would be qualified to show his hand to his mother.

He only hoped that when the day the deity drew her blade arrived, his mother would still be looking at him with tenderness and love, standing firmly by his side.

Mm. She would.

She definitely would!

Lu Ran gripped the hilt of the Xiaoguang Blade, not only trusting his mother but also believing he could handle all of this.

If there was to be a final battle, then that so-called Sword Immortal—

If the Sword Immortal could be,