Chapter 442: An Unbeatable Combination?

"Who sent you, and how many of you are there?" Lu Ran demanded in a cold voice.

"I-I..." the man stammered.

First dying, then having his soul captured and sealed within the Xie Fa: Soul Prison, every single detail of this had far exceeded his expectations.

How could the man possibly react correctly within such a short time?

Lu Ran cared nothing for your excuses!

With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned an ancient bronze mirror.

As the full-length mirror settled beside Lu Ran, its counterpart materialized directly inside the mountain, appearing within an empty meditation chamber.

There were exactly seven meditation stone chambers within Cloud Sea Cliff.

Distributed across different regions inside the mountain and separated by considerable distances, they allowed multiple people to cultivate in tranquility simultaneously.

Holding the black mist orb in one hand, Lu Ran reached his other hand into the full-length mirror.

Xie Fa: Soul Fire!

"Ah! Ahhhhhhh!" Instantly, the man let out a miserable scream.

Ethereal black flames scorching the man's soul from another dimension proved a hundred times more cruel than any torment inflicted upon the physical body!

Yet the man's screams merely echoed within the dark, empty stone chamber, unable to transmit through the full-length mirror.

Five seconds later, Lu Ran extinguished the Soul Fire.

After waiting a few more seconds, he withdrew his hand from the mirror, still carrying the black mist orb.

"Ah..."

"Shut up!" Lu Ran commanded in a deep, heavy voice.

The man immediately fell silent, clenching his teeth tightly, his face contorted by excruciating pain.

"Speak, how many of you are there?" Lu Ran demanded once again.

"W-we..." the man continued to stammer, constantly gasping for air.

Lu Ran's gaze turned icy cold as he once again reached his hand toward the full-length mirror.

"Don't!" The man finally realized the gravity of the situation. "Don't... Ah! Ahhhhhhh!"

Heart-rending screams echoed once more within the dark, empty meditation chamber.

Cloud Sea Cliff remained utterly silent.

No one knew that a soul was currently screaming and weeping inside the mountain, suffering endless torment.

Ten seconds later, Lu Ran extinguished the Soul Fire once again.

And when he withdrew his hand from the mirror, still holding the black mist orb, the man became completely obedient!

The man immediately trembled as he spoke: "I'll talk, I'll talk! I beg you, don't... I'll tell you everything!"

Lu Ran stared at the dead soul in his palm: "How many of you are there?"

"Thirty-three people!"

"Three people?" Lu Ran's tone turned unfavorable; holding the Soul Prison, he made as if to thrust it into the full-length mirror.

"It really is three! Including me, exactly three! I dare not deceive you, boo-hoo... I beg you..." the man cried and pleaded incessantly.

"Cultivation realms, sect affiliation."

"They are biological siblings. Shi Shi Guangwei is a believer of Divine Lie Tian, at Jiang Jing Stage Five! Shi Shi Yali is a believer of the Heavenly Phoenix, at Sea Realm; I do not know the specific stage."

Hearing this, Lu Ran's heart tightened.

A believer of Divine Lie Tian?

And a Sea Realm expert, a believer of the Second-Grade Deity: Heavenly Phoenix?

The Heavenly Phoenix Sect was an extremely powerful support sect, proficient in healing, control, soothing the mind, and more!

Combined with the Lietianyi Sect, the two of them were practically an unbeatable combination!

Seizing the opportunity, the man pleaded: "My lord, spare me, I beg you! That sibling pair possesses great strength and has killed countless people; I dared not resist.

I was forced to come and gather intelligence!

I am merely a servant, I was coerced, I beg you for mercy..."

"You were coerced?" Suddenly, a voice spoke up.

Lu Ran turned to look, seeing Yu Fish Changsheng approaching.

In the pitch-black environment, since Yu Fish Changsheng had not activated Shi Zhan Shen Fa, he likewise could see nothing, yet his divine weapon paper fan could provide him with ample information.

Yu Fish Changsheng approached the man's corpse, bent down, reached out, and grasped the other's necklace: "Your count of Divine Power Beads is quite substantial."

This hardly seemed like the treatment a slave should receive?

The man choked up, then hastily said: "Those were their extras, they gave them to me..."

Yu Fish Changsheng merely smiled: "You are a believer of the Witch Crow, capable of flight and invisibility; why did you not flee?"

"I-I..." the man stammered, unable to speak.

Yu Fish Changsheng said: "You didn't run because there was profit to be gained, correct? You are a top-tier scout; you knew you were important to them and that they would not easily kill you.

So, while those two ate the meat, you hoped to follow them and constantly drink the soup?"

"No! I didn't, it's not like that," the man denied in panic, loudly arguing and defending himself incessantly.

Yu Fish Changsheng moved to Lu Ran's side, his tone still calm: "Were you thinking that since they could give you extra Divine Power Beads, perhaps in the future they would also share an extra divine weapon with you?"

The man was completely rendered speechless.

This newcomer was too terrifying; it was as if he intended to strip him bare.

Listening to his own strategist's words, Lu Ran immediately demanded: "You said they have killed countless people; how many divine weapons do the two of them currently possess?"

"Two or three pieces!"

"Hmm?"

"Shi Shi Yali possesses a pair of Cold Moon Blade Swords, both Divine Weapons! Shi Shi Guangwei wields a Zen staff, but it is merely a Divine Weapon embryo, its weapon spirit not yet coalesced!" The man dared not be negligent, nor dare utter a single lie.

Lu Ran's face was grim: "Have they activated the Divine Weapon Domain?"

"No! They were all stolen, no Domain activated!"

"Are you sure?"

"I guarantee it! I dare not deceive you, absolutely not a single false word!"

Yu Fish Changsheng suddenly spoke: "Killing so many people, and there are only two Divine Weapons and one Divine Weapon embryo?"

"Ah! There's more!" The man suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Shi Shi Yali also has a Fa Qi, a treasure pearl, hidden on her Divine Power Pearl necklace."

Lu Ran's face darkened: "Why didn't you mention it just now?"

"It wasn't intentional, my lord! After Shi Shi Yali stole the Wind Pearl, she never used it; perhaps she hasn't yet communicated well with the pearl's weapon spirit! I'm sorry, I truly did not intend to conceal it."

Lu Ran cut straight in: "What is the effect of the pearl?"

"It can erect a wind barrier, capable of defense."

Lu Ran's head went "Buzz!"

A Fa Qi? A treasure pearl?

The effect of the Fa Qi is summoning a wind barrier?

Wasn't this one of the top ten rewards in this year's "Lu Lu Tianjiao" list?

For this Fa Qi, the Great Xia official designation is Wind Barrier Treasure Pearl!

Lu Ran still remembered that after he, as the number one on the Lu Lu Tianjiao list, chose the Fa Qi: Blazing Phoenix Pattern Gourd, the Lu Lu Tianjiao ranked second directly took the Wind Barrier Treasure Pearl.

And the one ranked second on the overall Lu Lu Tianjiao list was that Wu Seng young lady!

The Wu Sengyi Sect never recruits female disciples, so Lu Ran naturally had some impression of this Great Xia's only female Wu Seng.

He had even met her when attending the award ceremony before.

When the other party shook hands, her grip was very strong, and she invited him to fight repeatedly, saying she wanted to spar.

What was her name again?

He Qi Feng?

It seemed so.

"Sect Master?" Yu Fish Changsheng spoke softly.

Lu Ran snapped back to reality and immediately asked: "From whom did you steal the pearl?"

The man answered without hesitation: "Wu Seng believers! And a female; it was the first time I've seen a female Wu Seng disciple."

Lu Ran's heart trembled slightly.

Was it really He Qi Feng?

Was she also sent into the Holy Lingshan by the God: Wu Seng?

Lu Ran and He Qi Feng didn't have much of a connection; they could only be considered acquaintances.

But suddenly hearing the death news of a fellow contestant... Wait!

"What happened to that female Wu Seng? Did you kill her?" Lu Ran asked urgently.

"No! She was rescued by sect disciples!" The man sensed Lu Ran's abnormality and hurriedly replied, "She was severely injured by a hammer, but her companions rescued her!"

Yu Fish Changsheng likewise realized something and spoke to advise: "Sect Master, let us interrogate the other information after we return."

Lu Ran hummed in agreement and continued asking: "Do they have any other Divine Weapons or Fa Qi?"

"No more!" The man hurriedly responded, "My lord, I beg you to release me."

Lu Ran cut in firmly: "What is their location?"

"Right at..."

After obtaining the enemy's approximate location, Lu Ran immediately transmitted a voice in his mind: 【Sister?】

【Is there a situation outside?】 Deng Deng Yuxiang's tone was serious.

【You don't need to worry! I am opening a mirror now to send you a soul; use the Afterlife Coin to preserve it.】

【Yes.】

As soon as Deng Deng Yuxiang replied, a floor-to-ceiling mirror opened beside her.

Lu Ran reached one hand into the mirror and directly dispersed the black fog cluster: 【Now.】

With the Xie Fa: Soul Prison cancelled, the souls within were released.

Deng Deng Yuxiang naturally could not see the dead souls, but with Lu Ran's instruction, she immediately summoned the Afterlife Coin and bound the just-freed dead soul back into the ancient coin.

"No, don't, no..." The man screamed in terror, shaking his head constantly, despair written all over his face.

Meanwhile, beside the ancient tree on the cliff top.

Yu Fish Changsheng's face was grim: "Sect Master, the Lietianyi Sect and the Tianluan Sect complement each other perfectly; the combination of these two is extremely troublesome!"

Lu Ran responded in a deep voice: "If they were not strong, how could these two have stolen so many Divine Weapons?"

If there were only Divine Lie Tian disciples, no matter how strong their output was, Lu Ran could play them to death through mental output!

If there were only Tianluan disciples, even if the opponent was at the Sea Realm and their healing methods were astonishing, the people of the Ran Gate could still slay this great support!

Yet these two combined together.

"Split and break them!" Lu Ran immediately spoke.

Yu Fish Changsheng nodded immediately; he thought the same.

Lu Ran spoke in a deep voice: "I will take the first move and blow them apart directly! You all go to besiege the Sea Realm Tianluan disciple; I will confront that Divine Lie Tian believer!"

Yu Fish Changsheng frowned tightly: "Sect Master..."

A Divine Lie Tian disciple at Jiang Jing: Fifth Stage was naturally dangerous to the extreme, capable of even slaying a Sea Realm!

Before such a powerful opponent, all of Lu Ran's defensive means would inevitably be as brittle as paper.

Lu Ran added, "Mr., do not worry! If all else fails, I still have a trump card!"

Yu Fish Changsheng asked in confusion, "Does the Sect Master still possess some ability that has not yet been revealed?"

Lu Ran shook his head and said, "No, I am referring to the divine technique of my Xianyangyi Sect."

Yu Fish Changsheng pondered carefully; the Xianyangyi Sect possessed no major move, no technique worthy of being called a trump card.

Divine Technique: Scapegoat Body?

Lu Ran probably could not use it!

This was Divine Lie Tian; the heavens were high and the road far, making the connection between the deity and the believers extremely weak.

Lu Ran could cast other divine techniques, but wanting to summon the true form of Lord Xiang Xianyang to possess him, shielding him from wind and rain and aiding him in slaying believers of Lie Tian, was clearly impossible.

Yu Fish Changsheng was certain that Lu Ran understood this point, so he guessed, "Sheep?"

Lu Ran's gaze turned cold and sharp: "Sheep!"

As everyone knows: the fewer the words, the greater the matter!

Yu Fish Changsheng's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly advised, "Sect Master, you absolutely must not!"

A brief note: the 'small program' Yu mentioned refers to the protagonist traveling from the mortal world to Divine Lie Tian, shifting from previous battles against evil spirits to conflicts between humans (such as the events involving the people of Tian Tu Mountain, Liangye Jian Shanfeng, Dao Ji Shanfeng, and so on).

Compared to his time in the mortal world, the protagonist's fate has undergone a tremendous change; the plot has shifted significantly from before, and the conflicts have become even more intense.

As a result, no one considered this a 'thrilling small program,' so Yu felt too embarrassed to mention it.

Yet somehow, rumors spread claiming that my 'small program' meant releasing extra chapters?

I'm a contestant who delays updates! It takes me over four hours to write a single chapter; how could I possibly release extra chapters? I really am...

But having said that, ever since I changed my update schedule, I have been updating precisely on time!

I haven't delayed a single update!

PS: There will be another chapter at 22:00.

(End of Chapter)