Chapter 625: The Mystery of the Annihilation

The perception technique of the Shanweiyi Sect is indeed exceptionally effective.

With the help of Xiong Xiong and others, the people of Ran Xin Zhong Zhong searched through the collapsed mountain body and found over one hundred skeletons!

Judging by their clothing, the disciples of Lord Bei Feng clearly make up the majority!

The servants wearing miscellaneous, tattered clothes actually make up an even smaller proportion.

Such a scene makes one's spine turn cold.

What is even more terrifying is that the vast majority of the corpses retain expressions of extreme terror from before their deaths.

"What exactly happened at Dao Ji Peak?" Yu Fish Changsheng murmured.

"Sect Master."

"Sect Master." Several greeting voices sounded.

Yu Fish Changsheng turned his head and saw Lu Ran and Yan Yan Shuangzi walking forward, one after the other.

The young man in the imperial robe had a face as still as water.

The woman behind him kept her head low, hiding her face deep beneath the wide brim of her conical hat.

"Is this all of them?" Lu Ran said in a deep voice.

Xiong Xiong, with a large bald head, trotted over and seized the opportunity to show off: "Replying to the Sect Master, there are 148 corpses in total.

There might be more around Dao Ji Peak; shall I go search?"

Lu Ran thought for a moment and called out: "Da Da Mengyan."

Deng Deng Yuxiang looked at Yan Yan Shuangzi with slight concern and stepped forward.

"Make arrangements, divide into three teams, and protect Xiong Xiong and the other two as they search in different directions." Lu Ran ordered.

"Yes." Deng Deng Yuxiang immediately accepted the order and quickly arranged the personnel.

Lu Ran turned, waved his hand, and summoned Yan Yan Shuangzi: "Go take a look."

"Mm." Yan Yan Shuangzi kept her head down and took a step forward.

A dead silence filled the world, with only the cold wind howling in gusts.

It blew through this horrific scene, making one's spine turn cold.

Yan Yan Shuangzi was very silent; Lu Ran was even more silent.

Without a doubt, Dao Ji Peak provoked someone they should not have.

It might have been just a verbal quarrel, or an issue regarding the ownership of divine weapons or servants.

Or, given the filthiness of Sheng Lingshan, perhaps the two sides didn't even have a violent conflict, but merely a simple encounter?

Such a colossal entity simply came crashing down with a boom.

Lu Ran could not help but think of himself.

Would his proud Ran Xin Zhong Zhong, and the seemingly impenetrable Yun Hai Ya, also be completely wiped out in an instant?

"Sigh," Lu Ran heaved a heavy sigh in his heart.

Jiangjiang Ruyi walked over, her naturally hanging palm gently touching the back of Lu Ran's hand through her sleeve.

Lu Ran reached back and grasped her hand.

Jiangjiang Ruyi said softly: "These deceased believers all seem to be from Dao Ji Peak."

Lu Ran's heart sank.

This is a huge question!

Dao Ji Peak was annihilated, yet on a battlefield of this level, there is no sign of the opposing side?

Even the Liangye Jian Yi Sect could not achieve this!

Lu Ran looked out and indeed could not find any "female sword immortal" type believers among the corpses.

As Jiangjiang Ruyi said, this place is filled with people wearing white or black tight-fitting clothes, or servants in miscellaneous, tattered rags.

In an instant, the sense of crisis in Lu Ran's heart shot up!

This means the enemy, with an absolutely crushing momentum, easily wiped out the Lord Bei Feng Sect.

This...?

Is this right?

Lu Ran suddenly realized his previous line of thinking was wrong.

The opponent is not a powerful faction organization; it is likely just a small squad, or even a single person!

A term surfaced in Lu Ran's mind—Tian Jing!

"Master." Yan Yan Shuangzi flashed over and knelt halfway before Lu Ran and Jiangjiang Ruyi.

But Lu Ran was still immersed in the two words "Tian Jing" and did not respond.

Seeing this, Jiangjiang Ruyi asked: "What is it?"

"I saw eight people from Ming Hai Jing." Yan Yan Shuangzi's voice trembled slightly. "There is no sign of Elder Xing."

Jiangjiang Ruyi asked: "Among these people, are there any who do not belong to Dao Ji Peak?"

Yan Yan Shuangzi struggled to calm her emotions and replied in a deep voice: "Subordinate cannot recognize everyone, but most of them are familiar; they all belong to Dao Ji Peak."

"Return!" Lu Ran blurted out, then quickly switched to sound transmission: 【Great Da Da Mengyan! Order everyone to return, quickly! As for the other two search teams, who can I transmit sound to?】

【You contact the Mad Immortal, and I will find the other team.】 Deng Deng Yuxiang, hearing Lu Ran so anxious for a rare occasion, asked: 【What happened?】

【Return, immediately!】

If the one who annihilated Dao Ji Peak is a Tian Jing grand master...

What if the opponent is still nearby?

Lu Ran has truly come into contact with a Tian Jing grand master—Yun Yun Qianzhou.

The seclusion period of Alliance Leader Yun is calculated in "months"; from last November to this April, Yun Yun Qianzhou was still in seclusion.

It's been almost half a year, and he never showed his face!

【Lu Ran, we found him! He's underground!】 Just as Lu Ran recalled Si Si Xianxian, he heard this reply.

Him?!

Lu Ran's heart leapt to his throat; he immediately sent a voice message: 【Where are you? Don't touch him!】

【Huh?】 Si Si Xianxian sounded puzzled. 【General Yan already pulled him out—he's a follower of the Witch Crow, and he was trying to fly away!】

Lu Ran paused, then immediately sent another message: 【Bring him back. Don't search further!】

In the midst of their exchange, he happened to spot the Spellmaster Follower—Bai Yan.

Only then did Lu Ran remember that the entire Ranyun team's mission had been under Bai Lao's "protection."

His heart eased slightly.

Of course—the peak Jiang Jing Spellmaster Follower couldn't have mispredicted this.

Still, Lu Ran had no intention of dancing on the blade's edge. He waited for the soldiers to return, then planned to activate the Teleportation Mirror and return to Yunhai Cliff first.

Soon, General Yan dragged a slender young man before Lu Ran.

Thud!

Gao Gao Yunyan threw the frail youth down before Lu Ran, his voice stern: "Behave."

The Witch Crow Follower could not only fly but also turn invisible and conceal his aura.

When capturing him, Gao Gao Yunyan had even used the Perception Divine Art—Drifting Sand—and supplemented it with the flying divine weapon—Yellow Sand Axe—to finally intercept this little crow.

It had truly taken considerable effort!

Honestly, if the youth hadn't been crushed beneath rubble and buried deep in soil, the Another Shanwei disciples might never have sensed his bodily outline.

"Y-yes, yes, I'll behave—I'm… Ranyan?" The youth stammered, then looked up and saw the emperor-robed young man before him.

The slender youth's expression shifted from terror, to shock, to disbelief, then to overwhelming joy.

In just a few seconds, his facial changes revealed his violent inner turmoil.

"Ranyan… it's you, really you," the youth murmured, gazing up at the emperor-robed young man.

Since entering the mountain, Lu Ran had changed greatly.

His clothing style had grown archaic; his hairstyle had changed too.

Most importantly, Lu Ran's cultivation had undergone a qualitative leap—his overwhelming, sea-like aura made him unrecognizable from the Jiang Jing youth depicted in The Heavenly Prodigy.

Fortunately, Lu Ran's face hadn't changed.

Jiangjiang Ruyi's face hadn't changed either.

When the slender youth saw the cold, immortal maiden beside Lu Ran, he finally confirmed their identities.

To everyone's surprise, the youth's nose twitched, and he burst into tears:

"Ranyan, w-wah… I… w-wah…"

The youth was young, barely in his early twenties, yet he was at least Jiang Jing—a great power in the mortal realm.

Yet here, in Shengling Mountain, he wept like a fragile child.

No one could imagine how much suffering he'd endured.

Gao Gao Yunyan glanced sideways at Lu Ran.

From the Lord and Lady's expressions, they clearly didn't recognize this Witch Crow Follower.

But this man looked like a child who'd suffered terribly—and had finally found "home."

The influence of the Great Xia Heavenly Prodigy was truly astonishing.

They were complete strangers with no prior connection, yet the Witch Crow disciple's reaction proved absolute trust in Lu Ran.

"Let's talk once we're back," Lu Ran activated a Teleportation Mirror.

The youth sobbed uncontrollably, covering his eyes with his arms, wiping frantically, unable to suppress his emotions.

Lu Ran's gaze swept over the group, then nodded toward Xue Xue Fengchen.

Xue Xue Fengchen understood at once, stepped forward, and helped the slender youth into the mirror.

The group returned to Yunhai Cliff and entered the Council Hall directly.

"Give him a seat," Lu Ran said casually.

"Fengfeng'er?" The youth finally realized the Jiang Jing cultivator who'd supported him was also a familiar figure.

Earlier, during the Ranyun team's search, Generals Feng and Yan had been assigned to different squads.

That's why the youth had never met Xue Lu Tianjiao.

"Mm." Xue Xue Fengchen slapped the youth's shoulder with a large hand, guiding him into the chair. "Stop crying. Answer Ranyan."

Inside the chamber, the youth felt as if he could barely breathe.

He looked around—the Council Hall was grand and imposing.

One after another, each figure radiated the overwhelming aura of a vast and mighty ocean, each distinct in demeanor and style, yet all sharing one trait: a terrifying pressure capable of crushing all life.

The vast hall resembled a Palace of the Underworld.

The youth forgot to cry. Fear and awe filled him; his body trembled slightly.

Among this group of world-shattering great powers, the Great Xia Heavenly Prodigy remained the most striking.

Even from his black-gold emperor's robe, it was clear he was the leader of this group.

"What's your name?"

"U… Wu Huan."

"The nomadic tribe's Wu Huan?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wu Huan nodded rapidly: "I… I'm surnamed Wu. My parents met beneath Wu Huan Mountain."

"That's rather romantic," Lu Ran smiled gently. "How long have you been in Shengling Mountain?"

"Three or four months—I can't remember clearly."

"You were always on Blade Ridge Peak?"

At the mention of this, Wu Huan's face turned grim: "I was captured by the followers of the North Wind, forced to obey their orders and work for them."

"Never thought of running away?"

"They showed me the fate of the Weak God's disciples, showed me how the slaves on Blade Ridge Peak lived, said this was the true face of Holy Spirit Mountain."

Wu Huan's voice trembled, broken and halting: "They said I couldn't escape their ears—I had no path to life."

"Even if I did manage to run away, other Strong God followers would catch me—and it would be worse."

"Staying on Blade Ridge Peak, serving my master faithfully, working hard—I'd suffer less, barely barely survive."

By the end, Wu Huan could no longer speak.

Lu Ran nodded silently and changed the subject: "What happened on Blade Ridge Peak?"

Wu Huan's eyes slowly widened, filled with terror—as if recalling something that filled him with utter dread:

"The Peak Lord, he… he ascended, went mad, killed… kept killing…"

(End of Chapter)