Chapter 536: The Wine and Meat True Person

Five days later, on a bare, treeless cliff.

The members of the Ran Sect waited in silence.

Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing toward the sky in the northwest, where two crows flew toward them from beneath the churning sea of clouds.

There were no flying birds or walking beasts within the Holy Lingshan Realm.

These two pitch-black crows were clearly believers under the Seventh-Rank Divine Wu Ya Sect.

"They're here," Lu Ran said.

In their line of sight, the two crows halted their advance, circled for a moment, then turned and flew back.

They clearly dared not approach the members of the Ran Sect.

"They left really fast," Lu Ran sighed again.

Over the past five days, Lu Ran had used the Xie Fa technique 'Mirror Flower and Moon' very infrequently; for the entire journey, the Ran Sect members had not even covered half the distance.

But the people of the Great Da Da Feng Tang, guided by the Zhan Ye Dao, had been racing southeast at full speed.

Soon, Lu Ran understood why He Qi and the others were traveling so rapidly.

From the dense forest in the distance, two more crows flew out.

Their tiny claws tightly gripped a flexible tree branch, the other end of which was held firmly in the hands of disciples from Two Two Biwu.

Two disciples from Two Two Biwu were carried aloft by the crows, while simultaneously releasing more flexible branches to bind and carry multiple teammates.

Hmm. Crow lovers express their strong condemnation!

Two tiny crows carrying two strings of people? And within one of those strings, there was even a fatty...

A fatty?

Lu Ran couldn't help but blink his eyes.

A cultivator's physique could be burly, lean and muscular, or gaunt; at the very worst, it would be well-proportioned.

How could there possibly be a fatty?

Moreover, the people of Jiang Jing survived by absorbing divine power, and there was nothing to eat inside the Holy Lingshan.

This...?

Lu Ran was shocked: "How did that flesh grow?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi was also somewhat surprised as she looked at the fat monk draped in a large yellow robe.

This man was over fifty, possessed a large bald head, and had quite a substantial belly!

He had kind eyebrows and benevolent eyes, always wearing a smiling expression.

Lu Ran nearly thought he had seen the Maitreya Buddha...

Under the influence of such an aura, the string of divine power beads worn around the man's neck even resembled a string of Buddhist prayer beads.

"Ya~ Ya~"

The crows cried out, circling the horizon.

Do not let their small size fool you; these were genuine great experts of Jiang Jing. Carrying strings of people, they flew fast and steady, rapidly approaching the cliff.

"Oh?" He Qi uttered in confusion, gazing at the members of the Ran Sect on the cliff.

The next moment, she gripped the Zhan Ye Dao tightly and directly severed the tree branch binding her.

The Zhan Ye Dao shot straight forward, and along with it, He Qi darted rapidly toward them.

As He Qi landed steadily, she released her palm; the Zhan Ye Dao reversed its tip, and she thrust the hilt toward Lu Ran.

"Pa!"

Lu Ran firmly grasped the hilt, sensing an unusual emotion.

It was the feeling of a weary bird returning to its forest.

Peaceful and warm.

The Zhan Ye Dao loved tranquility and was always silent and reserved.

At this moment, it merely revealed a trace of emotion, without truly transmitting any thoughts.

"You've worked hard," Lu Ran murmured, feeling somewhat apologetic.

As his fingers brushed across the blade, deep purple patterns successively rippled across the jet-black Zhan Ye Dao, chasing after their master's fingertips.

Mysterious and beautiful.

While Lu Ran here was apologizing to the Zhan Ye Dao, He Qi before him was looking at Jiangjiang Ruyi in surprise.

"Lady Luo Sister Xian?" He Qi grew even more astonished.

On one hand, she marveled at the growth and transformation of the girl from the past; on the other, she found it somewhat unbelievable that within this cold and cruel Holy Lingshan Realm...

... lovers could actually be together morning and night?

"He Lu Tianjiao, I have long admired your name," Jiangjiang Ruyi said with a smile, nodding her head.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!" He Qi repeated twice, a smile also appearing on her face. "Where did you two meet?"

Holding the Zhan Ye Dao in one hand and wrapping the other around his fiancée's shoulders, Lu Ran said with a grin:

"Didn't you ask me before what was in the northwest?"

"Haha!" He Qi let out a loud laugh. "Truly, the heavens show mercy... Oh?"

Casually, He Qi spotted another person.

Due to the difference in terrain height, He Qi bent her knees slightly and tilted her head to look at the face beneath someone's hat brim.

"Ha! Isn't this Feng'er?" He Qi was pleasantly surprised again.

Xue Xue Fengchen had long heard that He Qi was making a great name for herself in the mountain realm, rising like the midday sun.

Furthermore, Lu Ran had ruthlessly informed him that City Lord He had already become a vast ocean!

Now that they met face to face, Lu Ran had indeed not lied.

Even though He Qi's demeanor was warm and his attitude friendly, that terrifying pressure still crushed Xue Xue Fengchen's heart, making it pound with dread.

"He Lu Tianjiao." Xue Xue Fengchen cupped his fists and bowed, feeling deeply ashamed in his heart.

He Qi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Our Great Phoenix of Xihuang has joined the Ran Sect?"

Xue Xue Fengchen nodded heavily.

Standing beside Lu Ran, He Qi fixed her beautiful eyes tightly on Xue Xue Fengchen and whispered:

"Damn it, you beat me to it!"

"Haiya~ With this sort of thing, whoever picks it up first gets to keep it." Lu Ran chuckled with a 'hehe'.

Xue Xue Fengchen: "."

Hearing Lu Ran's triumphant words, He Qi couldn't help but snort.

Her gaze swept over Deng Deng Yuxiang and Gao Gao Yunyan; after observing them carefully for a moment, she sighed with emotion: "Your journey to the Northwest this time has yielded abundant rewards!

Did you recruit another Ming Hai Jing expert?"

"When I recruited her, she was still at Yi Ming Hai Jing," Lu Ran shrugged. "I just chatted with her, and she broke through to Ming Hai Jing.

I couldn't even stop her!

Sigh, I really don't know what's going on~"

He Qi:???

You rascal!

Are you putting on airs with me again?

"Haha!" Gao Gao Yunyan couldn't help but laugh, her laughter carrying the boldness unique to the Xihuangyi Sect.

There was not a single flaw in Lu Ran's words.

Gao Gao Yunyan knew very well that if she hadn't met Lu Ran and followed the right leader, her state of mind would absolutely never have leaped to the heavens!

In that case, the notion of breaking through to Ming Hai Jing wouldn't even exist.

In youth, everyone is brimming with arrogance, believing themselves to be extraordinary.

But just look at Tianhuang Mountain!

Among the multitude of believers in the mountain, which one isn't a talented Second-Rank Divine Disciple?

Aren't there still plenty of Xihuang believers, already forty or fifty years old, still stuck at Jiang Jing·Fifth Segment?

"Hmph." He Qi felt both unwilling to admit defeat and annoyed by Lu Ran's showing off, yet at the same time, she appreciated and liked him even more.

It was extremely awkward.

"What are you humming about?" Lu Ran also snorted. "If I recall correctly, didn't someone else chat with me and then break through to Ming Hai Jing?"

At this, He Qi became obedient.

She pressed her lips tightly together and stopped humming.

He Qi's advancement to Ming Hai Jing was, of course, due to her own efforts.

But it was undeniable that it was precisely while she was displaying herself to Lu Ran that her Dao Heart became brilliant enough to violently smash through her cultivation bottleneck.

"Aiya, alright, alright." Seeing He Qi looking as if she were about to burst from being stifled, Lu Ran hurriedly changed the subject: "And these seniors are..."

This time, the Great Da Da Feng Tang had brought fourteen people.

Among them, four were believers of the Wu Crow; at this moment, they were still circling overhead, standing guard.

It was evident that these few Wu Crow disciples had been trained very well by He Qi.

Of the remaining ten, Lu Ran recognized most of them.

Elders Gu and Jin, and Yin Yin Tianlong, whose name carried great grandeur.

The Two Two Biwu disciples, Zhu Huai and Zhu Hua, as well as Hou Yun, the eighteenth rank on the Lu Tianjiao List.

As for the remaining three, Lu Ran did not recognize them, yet all three were Ming Hai Jing experts!

Judging by their aura, the three of them were likely high-stage Ming Hai Jing, or perhaps even at the peak!

Counting He Qi, the Great Da Da Feng Tang had brought a total of Si Ming Hai Jing experts this time.

Lu Ran was unclear on exactly how many Ming Hai Jing experts Wuji Peak possessed in total, but if one calculated based on twenty...

Then Wuji Peak had dispatched one-fifth of its Ming Hai Jing experts, which was quite considerable.

"Hu." He Qi took a deep breath.

City Lord He, angered by a certain someone, struggled to adjust her emotions.

In the Wu Seng young lady's dictionary, there had always only been victory, never defeat.

But ever since meeting Lu Ran, her dictionary had gained an extra page:

"He Qi Feng?" Lu Ran called out.

"Mm." He Qi looked at the detestable Jiang Jing lackey, suppressing the urge to slap him flat with a single palm.

She turned around to introduce them to Lu Ran:

"These two seniors both bear the surname Zhang; you may address them as Elder Zhang."

"This one is the Flesh-and-Wine True Person."

"Emm..." Lu Ran was a bit bewildered as he looked at the smiling 'fat monk'.

What kind of title is that?

Seeing Lu Ran's dumbfounded expression, He Qi felt a bit happier and nudged him with her elbow: "Hurry up and greet them!"

"Ah, ah!" Lu Ran immediately offered his greetings one by one.

"Good, good, good! Greetings, young friend." The Flesh-and-Wine True Person smiled cheerfully, holding one large, fat hand before his chest. "Hearing about you a hundred times is not as good as seeing you once!

Young friend, you truly are as brilliant, divine, martial, and extraordinary as the rumors claim!"

Just a moment ago, Lu Ran had been dumbfounded; now, his face was already turning slightly red.

"This... you gluttonous monk, pouring sweet talk on me the moment we meet?"

"Hehe~"

"You really can read people accurately!"

"Oh?" He Qi seemed to have discovered a new continent, staring at Lu Ran's face, "So Sect Master Lu has moments where he blushes too?"

Lu Ran scratched his head: "Let's go! No time to lose; we'll chat as we walk."

"Young Friend Lu."

"Hmm? Gluttonous... Great Master?" Lu Ran stumbled over the words.

The Gluttonous True Person asked: "I heard that within the Yun Qianzhou Alliance there is Misty Rain Tea, and also Flower-Fruit Cakes?"

"Ah, yes!" Lu Ran nodded immediately, "But the taste isn't much to speak of; Great Master, don't hold out too much hope."

Previously, when Lu Ran had invited He Qi to come, he had indeed mentioned that he was attending a banquet, drinking tea and eating pastries.

"Good, good, good!" The Gluttonous True Person's fat face was full of joy, nodding repeatedly, "Let's go quickly, let's set off at once!"

Lu Ran: "..."

In all his life, this was the first time he had encountered a believer of this type.

Was this really a Wu Seng disciple who valued reputation and loved to fight fiercely?

This fat monk was so strange.

Lu Ran looked at He Qi in confusion; the young lady Wu Seng had a smile on her face again, pretending to be puzzled: "What is it?"

"Nothing." Lu Ran grinned, then simply changed the subject, "Four De Hai Jing great Wu Seng; with this, the Yun Qianzhou Alliance is surely saved."

"For all we know, we might even strike straight at the yellow dragon and charge directly up Thunder Shock Mountain!"

As a first-rank deity, the God·Wu Seng allows disciples under his gate to learn De Hai Jing ultimate moves.

A De Hai Jing·Wu Seng believer punching the ground can cause countless golden dragons to surge forth from beneath the earth!

Just like dense, densely packed fountains!

The destructive power is boundless!

With the Yun Qianzhou Alliance possessing such Deng Ji Fa, even if the disciples of Thunder Shock Mountain aren't shattered by the golden dragons, they must be blasted flying into the sky, right?

Then what else is there to say?

For Lu Ran and the others, just kill and be done with it!

"Impossible!" He Qi refused very decisively.

"Ah?" Lu Ran didn't understand why; he looked at the young lady Wu Seng, only to see her face completely serious.

(End of Chapter)