Chapter 457: Prepare for Battle!

After a month, Lu Ran finally returned to Cloud Sea Cliff.

He had no time to rest; immediately, he summoned everyone to the Assembly Hall.

The Sea Realm expert Xun Xun Yifei's advancement was the top priority for the Ran Sect and required utmost attention!

As everyone took their seats, Lu Ran briefly learned about the recent situation at Cloud Sea Cliff, then he lent the Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd to Xun Xun Yifei.

Lu Ran specifically ordered Xun Xun Yifei to simply place the magical artifact on the ground and not move it.

When necessary, the Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd would automatically expel divine power.

Lu Ran's magical artifact, of course, could only be drunk from directly by its owner~

What? Deng Deng Yuxiang had once drunk from it directly?

Hmm... not to be repeated!

Lu Ran lent out the Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd first to increase Xun Xun Yifei's chance of successful breakthrough, and second for the sake of his own artifact.

Once the God General began the advancement mode, drawing in thick energy from heaven and earth, Little Little Chifeng could naturally feast to its heart's content!

This would greatly benefit the magical artifact!

As for Xun Xun Yifei's suggestion to go to the seabed for the advancement, Lu Ran rejected it.

This was the result of Lu Ran's discussion with Yu Fish Changsheng.

Both knew the God General did not want to implicate Cloud Sea Cliff, but Xun Xun Yifei was a key general of the Ran Sect, and the matter of advancement allowed for no slightest mishap!

Compared to the ocean, the land was safer.

"Whatever happens outside has nothing to do with you; your only task is one thing: advance!" Lu Ran said solemnly, looking at Xun Xun Yifei. "Go prepare. In three days, I await your good news."

"Yes!" Xun Xun Yifei replied respectfully, rose, and departed.

The Little Chifeng Pattern Gourd floated behind the God General, following along; seeing it fly left and fly right, it was clearly very happy.

Little Little Chifeng naturally knew there was more food to be had!

"A Sea Realm advancement does not last a short time; we have a tough battle to fight!" Lu Ran's gaze swept over the crowd in the Assembly Hall. "Everyone must seize the time and rest well."

A minor realm advancement in the River Realm requires two to three days.

A minor realm advancement in the Sea Realm, however, requires anywhere from five to ten days, a relatively long duration.

"Alright, everyone disperse." Lu Ran waved his hand to signal everyone's departure, then added, "Luo, stay behind."

Xiang Xiang Luoying had just risen from her seat; confused, she stood where she was.

Lu Ran waited until everyone had left the Assembly Hall, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Sister... Da Da Mengyan."

Deng Deng Yuxiang stopped in her tracks, turned her head to look, a faint smile hidden on her face.

Lu Ran said, "Bring in the Night Demon Guard Unit."

"Yes!" Deng Deng Yuxiang turned and quickly departed.

Only after everyone had left did Lu Ran turn to look at the young mother: "God General Xun's advancement will take no less than five days and no more than ten; you cannot leave this place for even a moment during that time."

"With your two children at home, will they be alright?"

Seeing Lu Ran's concerned expression, Xiang Xiang Luoying felt warmth in her heart.

This young sect master truly cared about her two children.

Moreover, the sect master knew proper boundaries; apart from that one time he followed her when they first met, in the days since, Lu Ran had never stepped foot into the couple's residence.

Even until now, Lu Ran had not formally met the two children.

Yet he had always kept them in his thoughts.

"They are very sensible and very strong; they can take care of themselves," Xiang Xiang Luoying said softly.

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Luo, if you need it, I can assign Jing Hong to you to help look after the children."

"Thank you for the sect master's kindness, but it is not necessary," Xiang Xiang Luoying instinctively refused.

Lu Ran then said, "We have worked together for so long; you have a certain understanding of Jing Hong. Besides, she is also a mother of two children and has considerable experience in this area."

"You need not refuse in haste; go back and consider it carefully, and give me your answer within two days."

Xiang Xiang Luoying, filled with gratitude, bowed her head slightly: "Yes."

"Go then." Lu Ran nodded in acknowledgment; watching the young mother turn and leave, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Taking care of both husband and children...

Goddess Luo,

being great is enough.

Lu Ran turned his head and glanced at the date on the wooden board—May 19, 2020.

This month had passed so quickly.

Of course, the gains were also gratifying.

First, he had established contact with the future Ran Sect God General, He He Qi Feng.

Currently backed by the Martial Peak, He He Qi Feng would certainly provide great assistance to the Ran Sect when necessary.

Secondly, the Night Demon Evil Sculpture had advanced to the Sea Realm, allowing Lu Ran to update and iterate the Cloud Sea Cliff's Evil Demon Guard Unit.

Additionally, the Tree-Face Demon Evil Sculpture was in a pending activation state; however, during Xun Xun Yifei's upcoming advancement, this race would likely be of no use.

When humans advance, they inevitably attract thick mist; at that time, the Tree-Face Demon race would become completely blind.

How could they even talk about protecting Cloud Sea Cliff? It would be good enough if the withered trees didn't cause trouble!

Really...

Why does such a perfect "defense tower" have to grow a face?

Having a face is one thing, but why must it grow a pair of eyes!

If the Tree-Face Demon race didn't have eyes, would they, like the Black Lamp race or like divine weapons and magical artifacts, observe the world in ways ordinary people cannot comprehend?

In that case, no matter how dark the night or how thick the fog, could the Tree-Face Demons still function normally and serve well as a defense tower?

"Sect Master."

"Hmm?" Lu Ran came to his senses, turned his head, and looked over.

He saw only Deng Deng Yuxiang entering, leading eighteen Night Demons.

Each possessed a graceful figure and striking curves.

What a pity.

Lu Ran secretly lamented, then looked at Deng Deng Yuxiang: "I need to summon River Realm Night Demons."

Deng Deng Yuxiang understood immediately; she raised her hand to grip the hilt of the broken blade behind her shoulder, then raised an eyebrow slightly as if probing.

Lu Ran nodded gently.

"Hiss!" Deng Deng Yuxiang immediately drew her broken blade, lifted the mysterious black veil of a Night Demon beside her with one hand, and slashed directly across the other's throat.

A line of blood shot forth!

In an instant, the remaining seventeen Night Demons tensed their bodies, and killing intent filled the room.

"None of you move!" Lu Ran commanded at the right moment.

The Night Demons all stood in place, motionless.

Deng Deng Yuxiang acted without hesitation, lifting another mysterious black veil, and thrust her blood-stained broken blade into the neck of another Night Demon.

"Hiss!"

"Hiss."

Before long, corpses lay crisscrossed inside the Hall of Deliberation; the flowing fresh blood dyed Deng Deng Yuxiang's straw sandals red.

Ever since the Ran Sect stopped wandering and settled at Cloud Sea Cliff, Deng Deng Yuxiang had acquired her own residence, where she stored her slightly damaged black combat suit, black leather boots, and other clothing.

Inside Lingshan, clothes and shoes were all consumables!

Deng Deng Yuxiang could not bear to wear them.

She firmly believed that one day, the Ran Sect would return to the human world.

By then, Deng Deng Yuxiang wanted to dress more decently.

Nowadays, everyone in the Ran Sect, including Lu Ran, wore the same attire—green straw raincoats, green bamboo hats, straw robes, and straw sandals.

"Whoosh~"

One by one, the souls of the dead Night Demons flew toward Lu Ran, throwing themselves into the embrace of the Lord of Fiends.

"Puff~ Puff~"

One by one, the miserably slain corpses transformed into energy; the blood covering the ground shattered into mist and gradually vanished from this world.

Lu Ran, meanwhile, had already extended his hand and begun crafting brand new fiendish minions.

Currently, the Night Demon Yemo Yemo Xiesu within the Sculpture Garden was at Sea Realm · Stage One, guaranteeing that Lu Ran could craft ten Night Demons at River Realm · Stage Five.

In the future, for every minor stage the Night Demon Yemo Yemo Xiesu advanced, Lu Ran would be able to craft two additional Night Demon minions at the peak of the River Realm.

"Divine Power shapes their body, Origin Qi builds their soul."

Lu Ran silently recited the incantation, and a Night Demon gradually took form before his palm.

Deng Deng Yuxiang walked slowly to the long table, half-leaning and half-sitting on its edge, quietly watching Lu Ran cast his spell.

Suddenly, she reached forward with one hand and used the broken blade to lift the Night Demon's black veil.

A deathly pale, absolutely beautiful face came into view, while eerie purple pupils captivated the soul.

Deng Deng Yuxiang observed carefully for a moment, feeling somewhat disappointed in her heart.

Long ago, she had proposed a hypothesis: would the Night Demon minions gradually transform to resemble her?

At this moment, the Night Demon had not yet changed.

It seemed that only after the fusion between one person and one statue was completed, and Deng Deng Yuxiang herself completely replaced the position of the Night Demon Yemo Yemo Xiesu, would the minions completely change their appearance.

"What's wrong?" Lu Ran asked casually as he prepared to craft the next Night Demon.

Deng Deng Yuxiang did not answer, instead saying, "I feel that I am also close to touching the bottleneck of cultivation."

"Oh?" Lu Ran was pleasantly surprised.

Deng Deng Yuxiang's last promotion occurred shortly after entering Lingshan, roughly at the end of the first month.

Today was the nineteenth day of the fifth month; calculating the time, it had been nearly four months.

"It will still take some time," Deng Deng Yuxiang said softly, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Having not seen him for a month, she missed him slightly; now seeing him return safely, her heart was no longer so worried.

As for the anger she had felt before, Deng Deng Yuxiang had long cast it to the back of her mind.

She liked seeing Lu Ran's surprised expression.

Deng Deng Yuxiang also understood clearly that it was precisely because she had bound herself to the Night Demon Yemo Yemo Xiesu and was constantly fusing under Lu Ran's assistance that this path of cultivation could proceed so smoothly.

In the past, such a speed of growth would have been unimaginable.

"That's good news!" Lu Ran's eyes brightened. "While Xun is promoting, you should try to snag some benefits."

"Mm." Deng Deng Yuxiang nodded gently.

"Additionally, if you truly touch the bottleneck, do not rush to break through," Lu Ran instructed. "Our Ran Sect's strength is still insufficient."

"Wait until Xun Xun Yifei succeeds in his promotion before you attempt your breakthrough."

There was no one else in the hall, so Deng Deng Yuxiang need not worry too much.

Seeing Lu Ran's excited appearance, she glared at him lightly: "I said it would still take a while!"

"I'm just informing you; fusing with the statue truly helps me a great deal."

"Of course it does." Lu Ran continued casting his spell, and another Night Demon took form beneath his palm.

You are my future Lord of Fiends, after all.

Deng Deng Yuxiang added, "Perhaps we can search for the old nest of the Evil Dog clan."

Only now did Lu Ran understand that Great Da Da Mengyan was considering things for her best friend.

Along the way, the Ran Sect had captured quite a few villains, but none of these people could provide the location of the Evil Dog clan's base.

Regarding the Evil Dog clan, Lu Ran harbored a suspicion: did this group of low-intelligence dogs, capable of random teleportation, even have a base?

Furthermore, there was still no intelligence whatsoever on the Sinful Mirror Demon clan, whom Lu Ran had been seeking all along.

It seemed that any evil entities capable of teleportation or transmission were ghostly and elusive, their gathering places impossible to find.

"Mm, let's look for them," Lu Ran replied casually.

Seeing this, Deng Deng Yuxiang changed the subject: "You found He He Qi Feng; what did she say?"

"That's a long story," Lu Ran sighed, then recounted the events to Deng Deng Yuxiang.

Deng Deng Yuxiang was quite surprised, nodding silently as she listened, before finally praising softly, "This woman has great ambition; with her capability and background, she may well become a significant figure in the future."

Lu Ran said in a low voice, "Sooner or later, she will be one of my Ran Sect."

As they spoke, another Night Phantom of the Jiang Realm, fifth stage, quietly formed, then dropped to one knee and bowed in submission to the Lord of Evils.

Watching this scene, the corners of Deng Deng Yuxiang's lips curved slightly upward.

Unknowingly, four months had passed since the two of them arrived at Spirit Saint Mountain.

Lu Ran's growth was far more than trivial.

Power nurtures a person, and position nurtures a person even more.

A person's nature is hard to change, but the aura Lu Ran inadvertently emitted, along with his rapidly growing leadership quality, was exactly what Deng Deng Yuxiang wished to see.

Who doesn't have ambition?

Deng Deng Yuxiang gazed gently at Lu Ran.

To witness his rise and continuous ascent with her own eyes...

This feeling was wonderful.

(End of Chapter)