Chapter 56: Energy Source?

Jiangjiang Ruyi truly lived up to everyone's expectations!

That very night, while the squad was lodging in Shitoucheng, she had a "sudden flash of inspiration" and successfully advanced.

Regrettably, only Tian Tian witnessed it; Lu Ran and Deng Yutang were temporarily unaware.

After all, everyone was sleeping in separate rooms.

At that time, Lu Ran was in the bathroom of his own room, carefully washing his blood-stained clothes.

"By the way, Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang." Lu Ran paused his movements.

He frowned slightly, pondering, "As long as I venture deep into the Demon Cave and go far enough, I can reach the front-line Shitoucheng Wall.

If I can make it in time for the invasion of the great demon army...

Then beneath the city walls, there will surely be mountains of corpses!"

The more he spoke, the brighter Lu Ran's eyes became: "What is the maximum range for our soul binding?

Can I stand atop the city walls and, borrowing the military's hands, harvest the souls of demons on a massive scale?"

This was far, far more efficient than Lu Ran killing demons himself.

A voice transmission arrived unexpectedly: "Being too presumptuous will expose your existence prematurely."

"Expose?"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang suddenly asked, "Do you think we use the souls of demon minions to nourish the Yemo Yemo Xiesu within our garden?"

Lu Ran was somewhat puzzled: "Isn't that the case?"

"No, it is Qi."

"Qi?"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang said, "Although demon minions are independent individuals, their lives are all granted by the demon stone statues."

Lu Ran nodded.

Xiang Xiang Xianyang continued, "Every minion carries a wisp of 'Qi' from the original demon stone statue.

You can understand this wisp of Qi as the energy source of the original demon.

This wisp of Qi is hidden deep within the soul of the demon minion."

Xiang Xiang Xianyang's voice was hoarse and somewhat gloomy as he continued, "The reason our demon statues can continuously grow and strengthen

is because we are constantly seizing the energy sources of the enemy stone statues."

Holy crap!

Lu Ran was startled in his heart.

Wasn't this like pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth?

Xiang Xiang Xianyang said, "If you bind a large quantity of souls within a short period, you will inevitably attract the attention of the original demon stone statues.

At that time, what consequences will arise will be difficult to judge."

Lu Ran's head was buzzing!

After a long silence, he said, "But if we continue like this, constantly seizing the Qi of the original demons to cultivate our own Yemo Yemo Xiesu,

one day the other side will discover it, won't they?"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang replied, "Yes, they will definitely discover it.

This sculpture garden in your mind is sufficient to shake the foundation of the original demons.

You must possess enough strength to withstand the wrath of the original demons before they become aware."

Lu Ran's mouth hung slightly open; he was unable to speak.

He had thought that the fifteenth day of every lunar month was the sharp sword hanging over his head.

He never expected

that another even sharper, more dangerous great sword would appear!

Xiang Xiang Xianyang administered another strong dose of medicine to Lu Ran: "Withstanding wrath is insufficient to describe the situation you will face.

You must know that you are slowly gnawing away at the original demons, plundering their energy sources!

Therefore, on the day the original demons come knocking...

it will be either your death or the demons' demise!"

Lu Ran: "..."

Xiang Xiang Xianyang advised, "Avoid greed and rash advancement; do not absorb a large quantity of souls within a short time."

"I understand." Lu Ran nodded heavily.

Seeing Lu Ran's unease, Xiang Xiang Xianyang instead said, "There is no need to worry too much.

Every day, a large number of demon minions die; on their journey back to the soul realm, those wisps of 'Qi' inevitably suffer some loss.

Moreover, the original demon stone statues are also strengthening themselves at every moment.

The total quantity of souls you have absorbed so far is not yet enough to attract the attention of the original demons."

Lu Ran said in a deep voice, "Since that is the case, to what extent must our Yemo Yemo Xiesu grow before there is a possibility of being detected by the other side?"

Xiang Xiang Xianyang pondered for a moment, then transmitted his voice: "It is difficult to give a definite answer.

Perhaps the Jiang Jing, perhaps the Sea Realm, or perhaps an even higher realm."

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

After all, Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang started by mentioning the Jiang Jing.

This meant that for a considerable period in the future, as long as he didn't deliberately seek death, he would be fine.

If he was cautious enough, could he perhaps secretly cultivate his own Yemo Yemo Xiesu to the Sea Realm?

Or even to a higher realm?

"Lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang!" Lu Ran's mind raced as he asked, "Regarding soul binding, can I control it autonomously?"

Though it was called soul-binding, Lu Ran had never once performed the act of "binding."

Every time Lu Ran slaughtered a fiend, the opponent's soul would automatically enter the park.

If he could operate it voluntarily, Lu Ran could naturally head to the front lines and simply absorb them slowly.

Xiang Xiang Xianyang said, "You must know that within your spiritual world, a fiend statue truly exists."

Within a fifty-meter radius around you, once a fiend minion dies, the statue will automatically absorb their souls.

As the fiend statue's realm improves and it grows increasingly massive, its absorption range will also expand.

"Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"I can help you close down this Fiend Sculpture Park."

"There's no need to be so extreme!" Lu Ran immediately refused. "Rest assured."

"This disciple will certainly proceed gradually with Xu Xu, surviving to forge a future—uh, I mean, act with caution!"

"Good." It was clear that Xiang Xiang Xianyang was rather satisfied with Lu Ran's reaction.

Indeed, the facts were just so.

Regarding this matter of "life or death" with the fiend race, though Lu Ran felt as if thorns were on his back, he accepted it calmly.

Lu Ran was a human; from the moment of his birth, he and the fiend race had been irreconcilable enemies.

Your weakness will not earn you their pity.

Your tearful begging will only make the fiend race more excited and more cruel.

For humans, there is one and only one path to survival—resistance!

"Brother Lu?" From outside the wooden door came Deng Yutang's call.

"Ah?"

"Are you done yet? I need to use the toilet."

"Oh." Lu Ran quickly rinsed his clothes.

Deng Yutang waited bitterly for nearly two minutes, then knocked on the door again: "Brother Lu, I don't want to become Qian Hao."

"Immediately! Hold it in! Think of your lifelong reputation!"

The next morning, Lu and Deng checked the time and arrived at the cafeteria on the first floor of the Stone Inn.

By the time the two arrived, Jiang Tian and the other were already seated at a small square table, beginning their meal.

"Yutang." Jiangjiang Ruyi raised her hand and waved it gently.

Lu Ran's expression turned strange; he had clearly been walking in front of Deng Yutang.

Seeing Lu Ran's expression, Jiangjiang Ruyi merely rolled her eyes at him, lowered her head, and began peeling a boiled egg.

"Haha!" Deng Yutang laughed, looking at Lu Ran. "Class Monitor Jiang is still angry with you."

"Just coax her and it'll be fine. Watch closely; I'll only teach this once!" Lu Ran casually picked up his food tray.

Yesterday, his single sentence, "No need to try so hard to pursue me; I accept you," had truly possessed immense power!

Hearing it, Jiangjiang Meiren had felt both shy and furious, ignoring Lu Ran for a long time.

"Alright." Deng Yutang looked somewhat expectant.

The breakfast provided at the Stone Inn was very simple: thin porridge, steamed buns, stir-fried cabbage, and boiled eggs.

Lu Ran and the other quickly served their breakfast and came to the small square table.

"Yutang told me to coax you." Lu Ran set down his tray and casually began peeling an egg.

Deng Yutang was stunned: "Ah?"

Didn't you say that yourself?

Jiangjiang Ruyi didn't even lift her head, continuing to eat the egg in small bites.

Lu Ran said, "I know I was wrong; don't be angry, mie."

Tian Tian paused for a moment, an unprompted trace of pity rising in her heart.

Deng Yutang also halted his movements, feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"You rascal!" Jiangjiang Ruyi said, both annoyed and amused.

You hid the word "mie" quite well, didn't you?

"Oh ho?" This time, it was Lu Ran's turn to be dumbfounded.

Deng Yutang and Tian Tian had already fallen for the trap; if Lu Ran kept saying "mie," the two of them might start calling him "Ran Bao."

But Jiangjiang Ruyi...

Lu Ran's eyes lit up: "You advanced a realm?"

"Mm." Jiangjiang Ruyi extended her hand and waved it before Tian Tian's eyes. "Wake up."

"Oh, oh." Tian Tian came to her senses and hurriedly lowered her head to eat.

"You're teaching me just this?" Deng Yutang realized as well. "I can't learn this even if I wanted to!"

Lu Ran shrugged; that wasn't his concern, anyway—he had taught it, hadn't he?

Looking at Jiangjiang Ruyi, he asked, "Have you also mastered the Frost Talisman?"

Jiangjiang Ruyi raised her hand, pointed her fingertip into empty space, and dots of frost spilled forth.

Her gaze swept past her fingertips to land on Lu Ran across the table; in her beautiful eyes lingered a hint of threat:

"If you dare hide characters secretly again..."

Alas, Jiangjiang Meiren was too gentle; her threatening words carried little deterrent power.

"Congratulations!" Lu Ran's face broke into joy, completely ignoring her words.

As expected of Scholar Jiang; her aptitude was truly impeccable!

So-called luck or sudden flashes of inspiration are, of course, all built upon the foundation of innate talent.

Although Jiangjiang Ruyi is a believer under the Third-Rank God, Master Yu Fu, do not forget that back on the God-Worshipping Platform, she rejected the Second-Rank God, Tian Luan!

In other words, Jiangjiang Ruyi's innate talent is at least on the same level as Deng Deng Yuxiang's.

"No need to worry about fiends like the Mist Shadow People anymore," Deng Yutang sighed.

Fiends come in many varieties, and their physical structures are equally diverse.

There are not only fiends cobbled together from mist, but also all sorts of stone fiends, wood fiends, and so on.

Using Lightning Binding Talismans to control such fiends naturally yields little result, but when Jiangjiang Ruyi flings out a single Frost Talisman...

They just obediently freeze solid, and that's that!

At the very worst, they will at least suffer from slowed movement.

"Eat quickly, eat quickly!" Lu Ran urged. "Let's go kill some dogs and test the effect of the Frost Talisman!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi snorted but raised no objection.

Poor skinny dogs.

Previously, they had been electrocuted by Jiangjiang Ruyi until their bodies were completely paralyzed, burned crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

Now, they were about to be frozen into ice sculptures one after another.

In truth, the skinny dogs could have suffered less, after all, Jiangjiang Ruyi had originally intended to go to Mist Spirit Mountain.

Alas, the Xie Fa of the Vicious Dog Clan was simply too tempting; how could Lu Ran resist such allure?

At this moment, Lu Ran's goal was extremely clear:

From this moment until the squad leaves the Demon Cave, he needed to kill 300 Stream Realm vicious dogs.

Once the Vicious Dog Yemo Yemo Xiesu reaches Stream Realm, Stage Three, his skill repository could add the Xie Fa: Evil Shadow!

This Ci Xie Fa allows the caster to summon an illusory shadow to lure or disturb enemies.

As Lu Ran continuously improves the quality of the Xie Fa: Evil Shadow...

The illusory shadow he summons might even transform into a full clone!

Asking for some votes~

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(End of Chapter)