Chapter 465: Found

Without Si Si Xianxian stared blankly at Lu Ran, the mist in her eyes growing thicker, his face becoming increasingly blurred in her vision.

She had been here for over ten days.

She had become that person everyone despised again, feeling the world's overflowing malice.

No!

How could people merely despise and hate her?

The people here would directly brandish their slaughtering knives!

She hid east and west, fleeing in a wretched state while being hunted down.

The beautiful dream that someone once wove for her by hand, bringing her up Lady Luo Sister Xian Mountain, had now shattered completely.

She had returned to the past.

A past far more vicious than her own past.

Once again, she had been abandoned, standing opposite the entire world.

Lonely, helpless.

Terrified that each day might be her last.

"Wu—"

Without Si Si Xianxian puckered her small mouth, sobbing as she threw herself into Lu Ran's embrace.

Perhaps someone's smiling face was too warm.

Or perhaps the hand resting on her head was too gentle.

Without Si Si Xianxian ultimately broke her composure; burying her face against his shoulder, her fingers tightly clutching his coarse straw raincoat, tears flowed uncontrollably.

Lu Ran let out a heavy sigh.

He gently rubbed Without Si Si Xianxian's head, saying softly, "It's alright, I'm here."

"Mm-hmm!" Without Si Si Xianxian, face still buried, nodded continuously.

Lu Ran asked again, "Jiang Ruyi didn't come, did she?"

"No, the Lady didn't come," Without Si Si Xianxian hurriedly replied.

Lu Ran couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Actually, there was one matter he had never dared to think about deeply.

Now, Lu Ran knew clearly that the gods were selecting believers with great strength and terrifying potential, constantly throwing them into Lingshan.

And Jiangjiang Ruyi—

Her talent was outstanding, and though young, her cultivation realm was frighteningly high!

She fully met the conditions for entering the mountain!

【Sect Master.】 Yan Yan Shuangzi suddenly sent a voice transmission, interrupting Lu Ran's thoughts, 【Has the battle ended?】

【Mm.】

【Your subordinate has slain a Greedy Wolf believer; does the Sect Master wish to collect the soul?】

【I'm coming over now.】 Lu Ran replied, patting Without Si Si Xianxian's back as he did so.

The girl finally left his embrace, still keeping her head lowered, as if unwilling to let people see her fragile, weeping appearance.

"Mr. Cong Long, heal her again." Lu Ran waved his hand. "I'm going over to the Evil Shadow side."

Without Si Si Xianxian's heart panicked; she hurriedly reached out and grabbed the hem of Lu Ran's clothes:

"W-where are you going?"

Her somewhat flustered yet cautious demeanor made Lu Ran's heart ache terribly.

"I'll be right back; just count to ten, okay?" Lu Ran said softly, much like coaxing a small child.

Lu Ran naturally understood the extent of Lingshan's "abilities."

For Without Si Si Xianxian, who had just arrived and suffered so much, he was exceptionally gentle.

"Oh." Without Si Si Xianxian silently cursed herself for having a head full of mush and immediately released her grip on his clothes.

How could Lu Ran possibly abandon her?

He was different from others.

Lu Ran turned around, facing away from the small hill, and opened a pair of pitch-black horizontal pupils.

No wandering souls drifted across the battlefield.

Just while he was comforting Without Si Si Xianxian, the souls of the Greedy Wolf disciples had already been automatically drawn into his pupils.

After confirming the battlefield situation once more, immortal mist swirled beneath Lu Ran's feet: 【Nightmare, follow me.】

【Yes!】 Deng Deng Yuxiang responded immediately.

"Hiss—"

A man and a woman shot through the air with great speed, their wide straw raincoats flapping loudly as their figures vanished into the mountain forest.

On the small hill, He He Qi Feng stood with hands behind her back, remarkably composed.

At this moment, her eyes, eager for talent, were even more greedy than the greedy gazes of the Greedy Wolf disciples.

Xun Xun Yifei, Xiang Xiang Luoying, Yu Fish Changsheng—

Seeing these great figures, each respectfully addressed as part of the "Vast Sea," made He He Qi Feng nearly go mad with envy!

Ran Dog! Ran Dog.

Sooner or later, I'll leash you!

I'll drag you back, along with all your Ran Sect warriors, and have you all join my Great Wind Hall!

While He He Qi Feng over here was full of ambition, Lu Ran and Deng Deng Yuxiang over there had arrived before the corpse.

Through the perspective of the Death Realm Pupil, Lu Ran saw the soul of a female Greedy Wolf disciple floating beside Yan Yan Shuangzi, screaming loudly and clawing about frantically.

It was clear that this woman hated Yan Yan Shuangzi to the extreme.

Alas, the living and the dead tread different paths.

No matter how frantically the Greedy Wolf female disciple sought revenge, she could not affect those in the real world.

"Sect Master." Yan Yan Shuangzi bowed respectfully, bending her waist and lowering her head.

The Greedy Wolf female disciple whipped her head around to look, the ferocity in her eyes suddenly changing.

She suddenly realized that Lu Ran seemed able to see her?

"You! You all... you all shall die a horrible death! You %&*#!!"

"Hmph." Lu Ran snorted coldly and instructed Deng Deng Yuxiang, "Release one soul from the coin to make room for this new wandering spirit."

This Greedy Wolf believer should know quite a bit of intelligence, shouldn't she?

"Yes." Deng Deng Yuxiang raised her hand, and the ancient coin on her wrist trembled slightly.

As a fragment of a dharma tool, the Reincarnation Coin could imprison at most three wandering spirits.

At this moment, the coin's capacity was full; inside were three Yan Qing disciples from the Sea Folk Gang, still waiting for Lu Ran to interrogate them.

Deng Deng Yuxiang released one soul, which Lu Ran immediately devoured; he then assisted Deng Deng Yuxiang in trapping the wandering spirit of the Greedy Wolf female disciple into the ancient bronze coin.

After everything was done, Lu Ran said, "Clean up the battlefield; make sure to collect the Divine Power Beads, daggers, and so on."

Greedy Wolf believers liked to use weapons like daggers and short blades.

Although this group possessed no divine weapons, there was no telling if they had divine weapon embryos among them!

Speaking of divine weapon embryos—

"Oh my." Lu Ran tapped his forehead; ever since receiving the news, he had been so focused on rushing to save people that he had forgotten to bring the Nine-Ring Golden Zen Staff.

Thinking this, Lu Ran closed his Death Realm Eye and hurriedly returned to the battlefield.

The members of the Great Wind Hall were still waiting on the hill.

Is He He Qi Feng really capable of putting on such airs, still striking a pose over there?

Love it or hate it, her proud stance with hands clasped behind her back was indeed imposing and very much befitting a leader.

"Thanks!" Lu Ran spoke again.

"No trouble." He He Qi Feng smiled and nodded; regardless of her inner longing, her expression management was quite good.

Lu Ran surveyed the battlefield: "Let's split the captured spoils fifty-fifty."

He He Qi Feng laughed instead: "You kid, do you want to strip me, the Hall Master of the Great Wind Hall, of everything?"

Lu Ran: "Huh?"

He He Qi Feng snorted, lifting her chin and chest: "My Wuji Peak is a prestigious orthodox sect!

If I lead the Great Wind Hall on a mission and bring back a pile of weapons, what would that look like?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Indeed, Spirit Holy Mountain did not produce blades; if she took so many weapons back, it would most likely be assumed she obtained them through murder and plunder.

Even if that weren't the case, once the disciples of Wuji Peak saw them, they would inevitably overthink it.

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "You didn't lift a finger; we did everything ourselves, and the captured spoils are voluntarily gifted by me."

He He Qi Feng: "What, are you trying to pay protection money?"

Lu Ran shrugged: "That's not impossible either."

He He Qi Feng laughed and scolded: "You kid, you still want to strip me of everything!"

"Haha!" Lu Ran laughed out loud as well.

"Keep it yourself; I don't care for it." He He Qi Feng changed the subject, "Where is my Nine-Ring Golden Zen Staff?"

Lu Ran: "..."

He He Qi Feng looked at Lu Ran with a smile that wasn't quite a smile: "You didn't bring it?"

Lu Ran said awkwardly, "I left in a hurry."

"Then go back and fetch it now; I'll wait for you." He He Qi Feng waved her hand.

To this day, Lu Ran had not informed the other party where the Flame Gate's base was located.

In this battle, the people of the Flame Gate had arrived so quickly.

He He Qi Feng naturally assumed that the Flame Gate's base was not far from here.

How could she know that Lu Ran's lair was very, very far away, right up against the border of Spirit Holy Mountain...

During this journey, Lu Ran had frantically activated his landing mirrors; the energy within that string of Divine Power Beads around his neck had been completely drained!

"In a few days," Lu Ran said apologetically, "I will deliver it to you in a few days."

He He Qi Feng: "..."

Her gaze turned deep and dark; she stared at Lu Ran for a long time before saying, "You kid, you deliberately withheld the Zen Staff, didn't you?"

Lu Ran's face showed shock: "Huh?"

He He Qi Feng's expression turned suspicious: "You deliberately didn't give it to me so that every time I use your Silent Zhan Ye Dao, I'll remember your kindness, is that it?"

Lu Ran was torn between laughter and tears; he raised both hands in a gesture of surrender: "Your Honor, I am innocent!"

He He Qi Feng burst out laughing, then quickly straightened her face: "Hurry up and go back to fetch it!"

Lu Ran waved his hand casually, summoning the Silent Zhan Ye Dao.

He stepped forward and climbed the small hill: "In a few days! First, let me receive and comfort my teammates; there is still one person in the sect about to advance.

Once everything is finished, I will bring it to you."

He He Qi Feng looked at Lu Ran, grinding her teeth in frustration: "That phrase again, 'a few days, a few days, in a few days'!"

To be honest, this was only acceptable because it was Lu Ran!

If anyone else had said such a thing, everyone would inevitably assume that person had ulterior motives and wanted to privately hoard a divine weapon embryo!

If dragged out long enough, once a divine weapon embryo is cultivated into a true divine weapon, it can be plucked like a ripe peach by a "new master"!

Lu Ran's Rosy Light Blade and Jiangjiang Ruyi's Cool Night Sword are both examples of this.

"Here." Lu Ran held out the Silent Zhan Ye Dao, presenting it before He Qi.

He Qi still stood with hands clasped behind his back, looking at Lu Ran with an unhappy expression.

Lu Ran chuckled: "He He Tangzhu should mind his demeanor; so many hall members are watching!"

"Hmph." He Qi finally reached out, gripping the hilt, "If anyone from your side advances, you can return with me to Martial Extreme Peak; I will guarantee your safety."

Lu Ran shook his head: "Thank you for your kind offer, He He Tangzhu, but I appreciate the sentiment without accepting."

"An ungrateful fellow." He Qi glared at Lu Ran again, toying with the Silent Zhan Ye Dao in his hand.

Lu Ran: "."

That tone—why did it feel somewhat resentful?

He Qi stopped dwelling on the matter, turning instead to look at Si Si Xianxian, and asked with interest: "What is this girl to you? Why are you so nervous for her?"

"Her?" Lu Ran turned his head, looking at Sister Sister Xian, whom he had not seen for a long time.

Unexpectedly, Si Si Xianxian looked back as well, mouthing the words: "I counted eleven numbers."

Lu Ran choked slightly, then immediately said in an ill temper: "Picked up from the roadside."

He Qi's expression turned odd: "Picked up?"

Lu Ran laughed himself.

Gazing at Sister Sister Xian, a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes; he nodded gently and smiled:

"Mm, picked up... along the path of growth."

(End of Chapter)