Chapter 374: Crimson Camellia

In an instant, the entire scene fell silent.

Following this came the sound of "thump, thump."

Inside and outside the arena, the disciples of Lord Bei Feng knelt to the ground one after another.

Throughout the entire city of Lord Bei Feng, including the streets beyond the ancient walls, wave after wave of people fell to their knees.

In years past, only on the first day of the sixth lunar month could the people of various regions catch a glimpse of the gods' figures upon the God-Worshipping Platform.

Yet today, on the third day of the New Year, the Lord God has actually appeared?

High above the heavens, a colossal phantom of a god permeated with vast, majestic divine might!

He wore a snow-colored great cloak and a silver hair-binding crown upon his head.

Majestic and stern!

An overwhelming aura crushed the tiny humans of the mortal realm.

The God: Lord Bei Feng!

"Lord Lord Bei Feng, Lord Lord Bei Feng!"

Liao Liao Wushuang, filled with both shock and joy, gazed up at the sky, muttering to herself.

As everyone knows:

The gods, lofty and supreme, regard all living beings as ants.

How could they condescend to act as judges for lowly ants?

Furthermore, the personality of the God: Lord Bei Feng is rather cold and ruthless.

Therefore, when Liao Liao Wushuang called for the god to manifest, she held little hope.

But Lord Lord Bei Feng has come!

When she spoke of the "Life-and-Death Bond," the god showed no reaction.

When she mentioned being a believer for thirty years and offering devout worship, the god still showed no reaction.

But when she mentioned fighting within the Demon Cave and shedding blood for her sect for thirty years—

The God: Lord Bei Feng truly arrived!

It seems that dedicating oneself utterly to the sect can earn the pity of the gods.

"I beg Lord Lord Bei Feng to judge on my behalf!"

Liao Liao Wushuang, nearly weeping with joy, knocked her head heavily against the snowy ground.

Under this vast divine might, all living beings were prostrating themselves.

Even Lord Hu Cheng, an existence at the peak of mortal power, knelt on the ground, bowing his head in reverence.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed only two people remained standing.

Lu Ran and Deng Deng Yuxiang.

Strictly speaking, Deng Deng Yuxiang should also be kneeling in utmost reverence.

Alas, at this moment she was distraught; her body and spirit had suffered a tremendous blow, leaving her completely unresponsive to external affairs.

"Hoo—"

Lu Ran smelled the pungent scent of blood from the blood-soaked figure in his arms, then took a deep breath.

This matter,

could have ended here with Liao Liao Wushuang.

Lu Ran was willing to admit his guilt and accept punishment, and had even prepared to owe favors and make compensation.

Alas, with Liao Liao Wushuang, there was absolutely no room for negotiation!

Lu Ran vaguely felt that Liao Liao Wushuang harbored not only pure murderous intent toward Deng Deng Yuxiang but also some other psychological motive.

It was the kind of situation where negotiation was entirely impossible!

This matter,

could also have been elevated to the sect level and concluded here with Lord Hu Cheng.

Hu Hu Jiaojiao and Deng Deng Yuxiang were friends who had faced death together, and Hu Hu Jiaojiao was also Lord Hu Cheng's own granddaughter.

With this connection, plus his own status as Sect Master, everything would have had room for maneuver.

Hu Hu Jiaojiao had revealed that the Life-and-Death Bond was signed before the divine statue, leaving no room for manipulation; at the very least, during the combat, no one could interfere.

Since that was the case, Lu Ran would enter the game with his own body!

You want room for maneuver?

I will give it to you!

Facts proved that Ran De Xiang Fa was correct; Lord Hu Cheng established the tone with just a few words.

However, just as Lord Hu Cheng was scolding Lu Ran and about to propose a solution, Liao Liao Wushuang disrupted the proceedings.

She had pierced the sky!

She gave Lu Ran the result he least wanted to receive: accountability from the gods!

Now things had truly escalated out of control.

Lu Ran sighed faintly in his heart, gazing up at the god who stood supreme over all living beings.

"Lord Xiang Xianyang."

Lu Ran had no other choice; he could only invite the ancestral master Sister Xian Xiang Xianyang to emerge.

Consider the Great Sage Equal to Heaven; even with skills that reached the heavens, he still had to ascend to seek help.

We will also seek help,

no shame in that~

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky!

The crushing force made Lu Ran's thighs tremble and a layer of cold sweat quickly appeared on his forehead.

What a terrifying aura!

The god Lord Bei Feng already possessed a majestic aura; at this moment, his pair of huge eyes were locked onto Lu Ran.

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang!" Lu Ran screamed in his heart, "Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang!!"

"Hmm?"

Finally, a voice came from within his mind.

The casual response made Lu Ran's heart bloom with joy!

Master, save me!

Lu Ran didn't even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before hastily replying, "I've caused a huge disaster!"

"You?" Xiang Xiang Xianyang's voice was hoarse, filled with interest, "Caused a disaster? That is rare."

The god Xiang Xiang Xianyang's doting love for Lu Ran was known to all.

But for such a long time, Lu Ran had truly never caused any trouble.

On the contrary, Lu Ran had fulfilled Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang's expectations time and again.

Even though the matter of the scapegoat body failing to combine with the paper effigy was a flaw, looking at Lu Ran's overall career as a believer, it did not obscure his jade-like virtues.

Now, with Lu Ran so panicked and anxious, claiming he had caused a huge disaster?

The god Xiang Xiang Xianyang was truly intrigued!

Lu Ran quickly reported the situation.

"Hiss—"

Before he could finish reporting, Lu Ran suddenly inhaled a sharp breath.

He hurriedly pressed Deng Deng Yuxiang's head down, shielding her in his embrace.

The overwhelming aura seemed as if it would crush him completely!

The crowd kneeling in the distance was likewise trembling, and some secretly glanced over here.

Upon seeing that Lu Ran and Deng Deng Yuxiang were still standing, the disciples of Lord Bei Feng were dumbfounded.

Lu Lu Tianjiao, do you really not want your life?

Yes, you are indeed not a believer of Lord Bei Feng, but the fault in this matter lies with you, and the Lord God has come specifically to assign blame.

You... will you still not kneel?

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang, I..." Lu Ran's face was deathly pale.

"Whoosh!!"

Energy churned, and immortal mist rose in all directions!

The pressure on Lu Ran suddenly lightened, and a phantom distinctly appeared!

The god Xiang Xiang Xianyang!

Clad in a long robe of Bai Yu, though it was a phantom, it was as crystal-clear and lustrous as mutton-fat jade.

Under the shine of the warm sun, that wide Bai Yu long robe shimmered with a strange luster, also shielding Lu Ran and Deng Deng Yuxiang beneath the robe.

In the snow not far away, Lord Hu Cheng, who was kneeling with his head bowed, twitched his eyelids.

How large was Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang's phantom?

It was no smaller than the specifications of a two-hundred-meter-tall stone statue!

That Bai Yu long robe naturally encompassed this Lord of the Lord Bei Feng City, as well as all the disciples surrounding the martial arts arena, beneath it.

Truly unexpected, that strife among humans would escalate to this extent.

Even the Lu Lu Zongzhu of two sects could not resolve it.

The true form of the god has personally arrived on the scene!

High in the heavens, Lord Bei Feng looked displeased, gazing at the abruptly appearing Xiang Xiang Xianyang.

Xiang Xiang Xianyang, meanwhile, was smiling, appearing gentle and friendly, and cupped his hands in salute toward Lord Bei Feng.

One in the sky, one on the ground.

Two gods gazed at each other from afar.

The gods did not speak, and no one knew what the two were communicating.

Humans naturally dared not speak; apart from trembling while kneeling in prostration, they dared not make any other movements.

And the scene of the two gods meeting caused the area inside and outside the ancient city to "grind to a halt."

Especially in the urban districts further away.

Citizens in the streets and alleys, behind the windows of high-rise buildings, far from the ancient city district, felt less psychological pressure.

Many people did not kneel but stared wide-eyed at this scene.

"Is the god in the sky Lord Lord Bei Feng?"

"Correct! The one standing in the city is Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang!"

"Truly an eye-opener! What are these two gods doing here?"

"I don't know!"

"Right, today is the third day of the first lunar month! Perhaps Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang has come to pay New Year's respects?"

"Look, look! Something's changing!"

High in the heavens, Lord Bei Feng's expression was stern, returning to a featureless state.

While Xiang Xiang Xianyang, standing in the city, was still smiling and once again cupped his hands in salute.

Has a result been reached?

"Whoosh~"

As expected, the illusory image of Xiang Xiang Xianyang quietly dissipated, dreamlike and ethereal.

"Let's go." A voice transmission suddenly descended, imprinting itself into Lu Ran's mind.

"Huh?" Lu Ran froze for a moment.

That's it? Does my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang wield such immense influence?

My lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang said indifferently, "Leave Lord Bei Feng City."

Lu Ran had no time for anything else and hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang, but what about my sister...?"

At the same time, not far away, Liao Liao Wushuang kept his head bowed, whispering: "... My lord Lord Bei Feng, this is everything I have encountered.

Liao Wushuang, carrying divine weapons, has been utterly loyal to you, shedding blood and risking life for the Lord Bei Feng faction for thirty years.

For this unfinished life-and-death duel, I beg my lord Lord Bei Feng to seek justice for me."

The deity Lord Bei Feng coldly swept a glance downward, noticing Deng Deng Yuxiang, who was severely injured and half-dead.

That life-and-death contract,

was indeed signed right before him.

Since the outcome of this battle was already decided, naturally, life and death were sealed!

The deity Lord Bei Feng looked at Deng Deng Yuxiang as if viewing an ant.

What Jiang Jing powerhouse, what outstanding talent.

Just an ant, nothing more.

Afterwards, Lord Bei Feng's gaze grew slightly colder.

He looked at that believer of Xiang Xiang Xianyang who had challenged the authority of a deity and ignored the life-and-death contract...

Slowly, Lord Bei Feng reached a hand down.

"Pfft!" In Lu Ran's arms, Deng Deng Yuxiang suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Sister? Sister Deng Yuxiang?" Lu Ran's expression changed drastically; he jerked his head up toward Lord Bei Feng.

"Whoosh!!"

Inside Lu Ran's body, the illusory image of Xiang Xiang Xianyang suddenly expanded.

Its scale instantly became incomparably magnificent, towering between heaven and earth!

"Aaaaaah!!"

As Xiang Xiang Xianyang appeared, Deng Deng Yuxiang suddenly let out a miserable scream, her voice extremely shrill.

Her eyes rolled back, and her hands clutched her head tightly.

Had Deng Deng Yuxiang not possessed a Jiang Jing body, she would have long since died from excessive blood loss.

Even though she had been reborn and was no longer an ordinary person, at this moment, she was already half-dead!

In this state, Deng Deng Yuxiang should not have been able to make a sound, nor should she have been capable of any movement.

It was hard to imagine what excruciating pain she was enduring!

"Buzz!!"

A vibrating sound came from the high heavens above.

Around the illusory image of Lord Bei Feng, the energy fluctuations were particularly violent.

Earth-shattering!

Yet in the eyes of the deity Lord Bei Feng, there actually appeared a trace of anger as he looked toward the deity Xiang Xiang Xianyang.

Xiang Xiang Xianyang, having appeared once again, still wore a smiling expression and cupped his hands toward Lord Bei Feng.

No one knew exactly what had transpired in those few short seconds.

People merely knelt in prostration, trembling with fear.

Once again, two deities, one in the sky and one on the ground, faced each other from afar.

The atmosphere seemed somewhat tense, like swords drawn and bows bent.

No, it was the deity Lord Bei Feng unilaterally displaying his fury.

The deity Xiang Xiang Xianyang still maintained the appearance of a kindly old man, smiling as he gazed upward.

"My lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang?"

"Hmph, Lord Bei Feng intends to take the life of the person in your arms and reclaim her soul and energy source."

Lu Ran's heart tightened; did Lord Bei Feng intend to take Deng Deng Yuxiang's life?

So, was that why she had suddenly vomited blood just now?

The voice transmission entered his mind again: "You caused such a commotion just to save her life...

Then I shall help you save her!

I have forcibly severed the contract between her and Lord Bei Feng; Lord Bei Feng cannot reclaim her!"

Lu Ran:!!!

So, that was why Deng Deng Yuxiang was clutching her head and screaming?

It turned out the contract between believer and deity had been broken?

"I know the person in your arms is quite capable and can join your ranks to become your future asset.

But there is one thing, Lu Ran."

"Disciple is present!"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang's voice became hoarse, his tone gloomy: "In a moment, I will offer an energy source as compensation.

After all, this is Lord Bei Feng's territory, and I have caused him to lose face.

Remember this well!

This compensation given today, you must later recover a hundredfold from Lord Bei Feng on my behalf!"

Lu Ran looked at Deng Deng Yuxiang in his arms, who had nearly lost her life and almost suffered the dispersal of her soul.

He lowered his head, a trace of hatred flashing in his eyes:

"Yes!"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang smiled cheerfully while gazing at the Lord Bei Feng, sensing the churning emotions within Lu Ran's heart.

Xiang Xiang Xianyang's smile grew ever broader as he sent another voice transmission:

"If, in the future, the person in your arms could replace the Lord Bei Feng's position..."

"... that would be even more interesting."

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(End of Chapter)