Chapter 569: Power Skyrockets

The clone's appearance was identical to Lu Ran's; even the white robe draped over its body had been pieced together from energy.

Hmm... for now, let's call this clone "Shadow Ran."

Although the appearance was consistent, people could distinguish the real from the fake at a single glance.

Because Shadow Ran was merely a puppet, devoid of even a shred of vitality.

"Come here," Lu Ran commanded.

Shadow Ran's eyes were hollow; it remained motionless.

"Master, this is an Evil Art," Yan Yan Shuangzi reminded him.

"Oh." Lu Ran scratched his head awkwardly, then shifted his mind.

As expected, Shadow Ran moved in response to its master's thought, taking a step forward.

Lu Ran frowned slightly.

This puppet possessed no independent consciousness; every action required the master's personal control.

Furthermore, Lu Ran's consciousness could not enter this shell.

He could only operate this body like playing a video game, holding a controller and viewing from a third-person perspective.

Shadow Ran also possessed no techniques whatsoever; it could only fight with its physical body.

"No first-person perspective, no autonomous control, and I can't even summon the Water Flow Armor..."

Lu Ran sighed, his eyes full of regret.

He could only manipulate Shadow Ran to raise its hand, take steps, and so on; he could not perform more exquisite operations, nor could he use this body to absorb or utilize the divine power within.

Originally, Lu Ran had intended to use Shadow Ran to probe the conditions of the Heavenly Realm.

As a result, the various restrictions of this Evil Art had completely blocked that path!

"Sigh..." Lu Ran let out another long sigh and handed over the Cloud Sea Dust-Clearing Blade in his hand.

Even though the puppet had a thousand limitations, this shell was still extremely powerful!

Although it was a body of flesh and blood, its essence was pieced together from pure energy; even a basic attack should possess substantial lethality.

"Come." He controlled Shadow Ran to take the Cloud Sea Blade and slashed toward Yan Yan Shuangzi.

Yan Yan Shuangzi reacted with incredible speed, immediately drawing her Evil Moon Curved Blade to resist.

"Clang!"

Yan Yan Shuangzi's expression changed slightly; she retreated several steps in succession, feeling her Hukou go numb.

What a powerful physical body!

"Master, this clone possesses the physical strength of the Sea Realm," Yan Yan Shuangzi said while engaging Shadow Ran in a fierce battle.

"Call him Shadow Ran," Lu Ran said casually.

As time passed, his control over Shadow Ran became increasingly effortless.

Yan Yan Shuangzi suffered immensely!

As the true form of the Evil Hound, she possessed two absolute advantages:

The Evil Art · Evil Awareness allowed her to rapidly gather all battlefield information, while the Evil Art · Evil Sensitivity granted her incredibly fast reactions and an extremely high rate of movement.

However, Lu Ran also possessed Evil Awareness and Evil Sensitivity!

Moreover, he stood outside the battle, possessing a perspective that commanded the entire situation.

This Sea Realm body of flesh and blood, combining crushing-level strength with Lu Ran's own reaction speed, was completely suppressing Yan Yan Shuangzi!

"Whoosh~"

Fighting while retreating, Yan Yan Shuangzi finally could not hold out; she flickered away, breaking free from the melee.

Run?

Lu Ran turned his head slightly, glancing behind him with his peripheral vision.

Shadow Ran moved in accordance with its master's thought; its feet exploded with force as it shot diagonally backward, charging straight at Yan Yan Shuangzi.

Yan Yan Shuangzi: "..."

Her true opponent was the combination of a Sea Realm shell plus Lu Ran's original combat consciousness and fighting techniques!

Hmm... one must also add "the clear perspective of an outsider."

The disadvantage was too great!

The breaking point should be Lu Ran's original self.

But Lu Ran's original self was countless times stronger than Shadow Ran, surrounded by numerous Divine Arts and Evil Arts.

If you cannot even defeat a puppet, how can you presume to challenge the original?

"Enough." Lu Ran controlled Shadow Ran to stop.

Yan Yan Shuangzi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had personally realized just how strong the sense of oppression was when fighting against Lu Ran!

It was just like a f*cking mad dog!

There were a few moments where Yan Yan Shuangzi wanted to activate her Divine Weapon Domain · Evil Moon.

But she restrained herself.

Shadow Ran didn't matter; if it died, it could be summoned again. Her main concern was the Cloud Sea Dust-Clearing Blade.

That was her master's treasure!

Naturally, it was also one of the objects she was sworn to protect.

"Not bad," Lu Ran thought silently.

Controlling this clone involved absolutely no delay; it had truly achieved movement following one's will.

Speaking of which, the Evil Art · Evil Shadow had ascended from the Jiang Grade to the Sea Grade, completing a slight transformation that allowed it to persist stably.

So, if this Xie Fa advances one more step and reaches the Heaven Grade, will it undergo another qualitative transformation?

Will Lu Ran's consciousness be able to enter it?

"Eh?" Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

Could he cast the Sinful Mirror Xie Fa: Mirror of Fate to track Shadow-Ran at a fixed point, thereby opening a third-person perspective?

Yes!

He could remain beneath the Sea of Clouds, watching Shadow-Ran in the mirror and controlling him to roam the Heavenly Realm.

What was the detection range of the Sea Grade: Mirror of Fate again?

It should be a radius of one thousand meters!

That's enough!

At the very least, it is sufficient for Lu Ran to get a glimpse of the Heavenly Realm.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed to Lu Ran!

Once the Great Da Da Mengyan finishes upgrading, we'll give it a try.

"Can the master only summon one Shadow-Ran?" Yan Yan Shuangzi asked softly.

She naturally possessed sufficient knowledge reserves; she just wanted to confirm it further.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then raised his hand again.

Immediately, another figure appeared.

Two Shadow-Rans?

Yan Yan Shuangzi was quite delighted, after all, everything Lu Ran demonstrated, she would be able to possess in the future.

But in the next moment, her heart sank to the bottom again.

The two Shadow-Rans stood side by side, and the puppets, whose states had originally been stable, suddenly began to flicker.

"Puff~ Puff!"

Both Shadow-Rans shattered simultaneously, turning into thick mist.

Lu Ran: "."

Yan Yan Shuangzi: "."

In the unseen depths, there are always rules.

Lu Ran's raised hand did not lower; energy churned within his palm.

"Crack!!"

Two rows of canine teeth suddenly appeared, snapping shut fiercely.

Sea Grade: Evil Teeth!

Each canine tooth was enormous; arranged side by side, their length reached an astonishing ten meters.

The drastically increased output range also caused part of the stone wall on the west side of the cave to be bitten apart.

Chunks of gravel rolled down.

Lu Ran was quite satisfied and added, "It is said that the blinking distance of Sea Grade: Evil Shadow Flash can reach ten thousand meters."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ran's figure abruptly vanished.

Then, his figure reappeared, and he smiled at Yan Yan Shuangzi: "No problem! At the River Grade, one can teleport one thousand meters, while at the Sea Grade, it is ten thousand meters.

After we return home, working as a food delivery rider or courier and the like will surely earn us a fortune!"

In a single day, wouldn't we deliver several thousand or even tens of thousands of orders?

Knowing full well that Lu Ran was joking, Yan Yan Shuangzi still couldn't help rolling her eyes.

Such a divine technique as instantaneous movement,

is it meant for delivering fried chicken, skewers, and spicy hot pot?

"Oh?" Lu Ran blinked. "You look down on me?"

Although the two deliberately avoided making eye contact, Lu Ran was, after all, at the Jing Shi Hai Jing, and his imposing manner was extremely formidable.

Under such circumstances, for Yan Yan Shuangzi to still make such a small expression, she must have been venting a massive complaint in her heart, right?

Yan Yan Shuangzi's heart immediately tightened, and she lowered her head slightly: "N-no, I didn't."

Lu Ran, however, smiled: "Sister Yan Shuangzi, this is quite good; don't suppress your true nature.

Birds of a feather flock together; as we both know, you and the Great Da Da Mengyan are the same kind of people."

He naturally hoped that Yan Yan Shuangzi could regain her former splendor.

She was no ordinary cat or dog!

Back in Lord Bei Feng City, Yan Yan Shuangzi was the undisputed leader among the younger generation!

Unfortunately, that title of leader brought her to this cruel Spirit Saint Mountain.

And it tore her body and soul into thousands upon thousands of pieces.

Lu Ran had searched and picked through the fragments, finally piecing her back together, so naturally, he wanted to lead her to regroup and shine with renewed vigor.

Yet she had always belittled and degraded herself.

She seemed trapped in the abyss, identifying herself as a vengeful mad dog.

The journey to Misty Rain Lake finally allowed her condition to improve somewhat; the recovery of her eyes and arms made her entire person feel much more alive.

"I am not restraining myself," Yan Yan Shuangzi said in a low voice.

"Heh." Lu Ran snorted coldly. "No wonder you two could become best friends!

Your mouth is just as stubborn as hers."

Yan Yan Shuangzi smiled too, the corners of her lips curving slightly, her words coming from the bottom of her heart: "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Lu Ran, but I am very certain that I am following my own heart.

What kind of person to become, what kind of path to tread.

My life goal has never been as clear as it is now."

Lu Ran fell silent for a long while before speaking: "Since your mind is so clear, I will seek your opinion."

Yan Yan Shuangzi leaned in to listen.

Lu Ran spoke slowly: "Do you want me to take you now and kill our way up Blade Ridge Peak, or wait until you reach the Sea Realm, and then we kill our way up Blade Ridge Peak together?"

Hearing this, Yan Yan Shuangzi tightened her grip on the Evil Moon Curved Blade.

Lu Ran added: "Do not consider me, and do not consider the Ran Sect.

You need only consider yourself!"

Silence.

Endless silence.

Lu Ran gave her ample time to think, lowering his head to gently stroke the Cloud Sea Dust-Clearing Blade.

"Master." Two short words, her voice trembling slightly.

"Have you decided?"

"Can... can you take me to kill our way up Blade Ridge Peak after I advance to Sea Realm, Stage Five?"

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then nodded appreciatively: "Of course I can!

I promise you; the matter is settled."

Yan Yan Shuangzi... she intends to use Blade Ridge Peak to prove her Dao!

Does she plan to use the Lord Bei Feng Faction as a sacrifice, breaking through directly from the peak of the Sea Realm into the Ocean Realm?

I knew it; you and the Great Da Da Mengyan are the same kind of person!

Wise and tough.

Swift to repay kindness and vengeance.

"Go back, guard the entrance to Seclusion Chamber Number One, and report immediately if anything happens."

"Yes." Yan Yan Shuangzi, filled with gratitude, responded in a deep voice, her figure flashing as she vanished.

Lu Ran remained in the cave at the cliff's base, causing two more rings of Bai Yu stone tablets to diffuse around his body.

Currently, among the fifteen stone statues Lu Ran had activated, only six had advanced to the Sea Realm.

They were the five Yemo Yemo Xiesu: the Evil Hound, the Night Phantom, the Sin-Mirror Demon, the Ink Carp, and the Sea Shark-Person.

And one Master Yu Fu divine statue.

The Divine Lie Tian divine statue is still at Sea Realm, Stage Five; it seems I must find time to go out to sea and collect a wave of Holy Spirit Qi.

Clearly, now is not the time to set out.

For now, Lu Ran would first test the various Hai Pin Shen Fa he currently possessed.

The Jiang Pin · Master Yu Fu Great Formation consisted of eight Bai Yu stone tablets.

After reaching the Sea Realm, Lu Ran summoned a full sixteen Bai Yu stone tablets!

Divided into an inner circle and an outer circle.

Eight jade tablets rotated slowly from west to east within the inner circle, while eight jade tablets on the outside rotated in the opposite direction.

The sight was quite miraculous.

Lu Ran also knew that once he crushed the Sea Pin · Lightning Shackling Talisman, the lightning domain that diffused out would reach a diameter of five hundred meters!

What kind of concept is that?

Back then, Luo Luo Tiantu relied on this very move to make Lu Ran extremely wary!

Lu Ran picked up the Cloud Sea Dust-Clearing Blade, his fingertip gently tracing along the slender blade body.

Lines of flame, like a small fire snake, were imprinted by him into the blade body.

"Whoosh~"

Blazing flames erupted!

Lu Ran raised the fiercely burning blade, and inadvertently, the figure of his late father flashed through his mind.

With this single strike, the surroundings would surely plunge into a sea of fire.

Incinerating all things!

In truth, these four attribute Bai Yu stone tablets could enchant weapons even back at the River Realm.

Before worshipping the gods, Lu Ran had indeed dreamed of following in his late father's footsteps.

But heaven did not grant his wish.

He embarked on another path.

Now, he had activated the Master Yu Fu divine statue within the Holy Lingshan, and the grade of his divine arts far surpassed that of his late father.

Reaching the terrifying height of the Sea Realm!

Rosy clouds in the silent night, clouds and seas across the eight wastelands.

Using enchanted blades of four attributes, employing Father's habitual methods to thoroughly cleanse this filthy Holy Lingshan, surely he would feel proud of his son?

And that ugly god with his hypocritical appearance!

Lu Ran licked his lips.

Master Yu Fu,

you had better sit firmly within Jade Gate Pass!

It won't be long before I guarantee...

I will personally come to your door to visit!

(End of Chapter)