Chapter 626: Crow in the Earth

Did the Peak Lord of Daoji Peak advance?

Gone mad?

Kept killing?

Wu Huan's words left everyone in the hall stunned.

The members of Ran Gate had all sorts of theories about who destroyed Daoji Peak, but no one imagined that the North Wind Sect had been slaughtered by their own people!

"This?" Lu Ran stared blankly, turning to Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng.

Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng's face was grim; the sudden news was indeed unexpected.

Shengling Mountain has its own system of operation.

One of its iron rules is that disciples of the same sect may band together for mutual support.

Fellow believers serve the same deity; they form a shared interest group, with mutual aid as a foundational condition.

But if the Peak Lord of Daoji Peak did this…

Wouldn't every sect on Shengling Mountain be thrown into panic?

"Is there still a risk of madness when ascending to Tian Jing?" Jiangjiang Ruyi frowned slightly.

There was one fact everyone tacitly accepted: the newly advanced Peak Lord of Daoji Peak must be a Tian Jing powerhouse!

Achievements speak louder than words!

Only a Tian Jing powerhouse could have wiped out the entire North Wind Sect!

"Has Yun Yun Qianzhou remained in seclusion all this time because of this?" Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng suddenly spoke up.

"Is that so?" Lu Ran pondered silently.

He had been in close contact with Yun Yun Qianzhou before; Tian Jing powerhouses were indeed sacred and inviolable.

But to say the man was mentally confused or harbored murderous intent—

Lu Ran had truly sensed nothing!

Also present were Jiangjiang Ruyi, He Qi, and several other Hai Jing island masters.

They must have sensed nothing unusual either; otherwise, with such a long conversation, none of them would have remained so composed.

So… is Yun Yun Qianzhou hiding it well?

Or is it simply the nature of Tian Luan believers—Yun Yun Qianzhou is inherently gentle and benevolent, so he never unleashed slaughter?

As he thought, Lu Ran turned to He He Yingcai.

"Lord?" He He Yingcai rose respectfully.

"Sit," Lu Ran sighed helplessly. "How can I possibly let you return to Yan Yu Lake now?"

He He Yingcai immediately realized Lu Lu Xuedi was concerned for her.

She paused, then analyzed: "Lord, you needn't worry too much—we don't yet know what psychological state the Peak Lord of Daoji Peak was in."

Perhaps he was deceived by the deity, seeking to exchange something by purging humanity?

Whatever the reason, Yun Yun Qianzhou never took that path; he's been Tian Jing for so long—if he meant to slaughter Yun Qianzhou Alliance members, he would've acted long ago."

"That's true."

"Mm." The others nodded silently, watching the calm and analytical Shen Cangjiang.

He He Yingcai continued to reassure Lu Ran: "I can remain rooted in Yan Yu Lake without issue."

Even if Yun Yun Qianzhou has been corrupted and misled by the deity, he's held out this long already."

Before he loses control, he'll surely warn the alliance members."

It was clear He He Yingcai had already identified the deity as the culprit.

Whether or not the deity was truly the killer, given all the crimes of the gods, even the gravest accusations against them would be justified.

Lu Ran felt deep admiration as he looked at the woman in the light green dress.

On her, Lu Ran read four words—A General's Demeanor!

Hmm… then again, it makes sense.

A woman who could win over Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng could never be ordinary.

"Wang Hanchuan went mad—then what?" Deng Deng Yuxiang turned to Wu Huan, her voice cold.

Wang Hanchuan was the Peak Lord of Daoji Peak's name.

A name that sounded majestic and chillingly cold.

"T-The Peak Lord killed anyone he saw, leaving no survivors; even the elders couldn't stop him… stop…" Wu Huan stammered, trembling.

Even today, he still remembered that bloody, cruel night vividly.

Thanks to his identity as a Wu Ya believer, Wu Huan possessed night vision.

Precisely because of this, he witnessed a scene like hell itself.

Shattered peaks, collapsed buildings.

Limbs scattered across the ground, shredded flesh mingled with the cold wind.

Lone severed heads, eyes wide open, rolling alone in the snow.

In the mortal world, Wu Huan had often participated in city-guard duties during the Fifteenth Night, a battle-hardened veteran who'd seen the brutality of war.

But even the Fifteenth Nights of the mortal world were less than a ten-thousandth as horrific as that night on Daoji Peak.

Those images still haunted his mind; the piercing screams and wails still echoed in his ears, becoming his endless, inescapable nightmare.

Wang Hanchuan… is a demon!

A demon wearing human skin!

"I turned into a crow and hid—I—I was blown away by a strong wind, didn't dare flap my wings, afraid of being heard…" Wu Huan spoke in broken fragments, forcing back his terror.

If he could, he'd never recall that night again for the rest of his life.

But there was no choice—Wu Huan had to recall carefully.

His life was clenched in the hands of these people; though he had entered the mountain for only three or four months, Wu Huan knew well the face of Sacred Lingshan.

Only the existence of Lu Ran could give Wu Huan a slight sense of relief.

Whether it was the Great Summer Prodigy Xue Xue Fengchen or Lady Luo Sister Xian Jiangjiang Ruyi, neither had shown the slightest gentleness from start to finish.

It seemed they had already been assimilated by this mountain.

"I—I hid in the soil, crawling slowly inward, burrowing underground." Wu Huan hung his head, speaking softly.

The story was not long,

but it was terrifying enough.

A humble creature had survived, trembling and fearful, mostly by luck.

After all, Wu Huan was merely a segment of Jiang Jing.

The Northern Wind sect's techniques covered a vast area and were extremely lethal.

In fact, according to Wu Huan's account, he had already died twice.

Once when a wind blade pierced through the crow's tail, and once when the edge of the storm scraped his wing.

The powerful Witch Crow Divine Art—Witch Shadow Substitute—saved him twice.

Had Wu Huan been pierced in a vital spot by the wind blade, or had the storm shifted slightly to engulf the tiny crow, the substitute technique could not have saved him.

He would have been instantly slain!

"Then you just stayed in the soil." Deng Deng Yuxiang frowned tightly.

She wanted more information, but this man could not give her any.

"Y-yes," Wu Huan hurriedly replied, "I kept my crow form, stayed hidden, never moved."

It was truly hard to imagine the psychological trauma the night of Daoji Peak's annihilation had inflicted upon Wu Huan.

The battle had long ended, yet Wu Huan remained buried in the soil.

Day and night alternated endlessly.

He dared not move a single inch.

Only today was he discovered by the Another Another Shanwei disciples of the Burning Gate.

In other words, Wu Huan had hidden himself mid-battle and knew nothing of what followed.

The council chamber fell into silence.

Wu Huan trembled even more violently.

He could sense that these people were dissatisfied with his answer.

"Wu Huan." Lu Ran called softly.

"Ah, Master Ran!"

"Don't be nervous," Lu Ran tried to speak gently, "from now on, follow me—no one will bully you."

Hearing this, Wu Huan's nose tingled with emotion; he nodded repeatedly: "Mm-hmm!"

His survival habits from Daoji Peak made him reflexively perform a grand bow, but Xue Xue Fengchen still stood behind his chair, his large hand firmly pressing down on Wu Huan's frail shoulder, leaving him immobile.

Lu Ran walked to the depths of the chamber, circled around the desk, and sat heavily on the throne, sinking into thought.

Yan Yan Shuangzi had just identified the corpses and seen eight Sea Realm experts.

According to intelligence, Daoji Peak had at least seventeen Sea Realm experts!

That meant at least half the strong ones had escaped.

Dozens of Northern Wind disciples from Jiang Jing had also fled, along with dozens of servants from various sects.

Of course, the number of escapees was calculated based on the number of corpses found on Daoji Peak.

If someone had been pulverized on the spot, leaving no remains, or had died on the escape route beyond Daoji Peak, those were beyond Lu Ran's current consideration.

At this moment, to avenge Yan Yan Shuangzi, Lu Ran should launch a search centered on Daoji Peak.

But the problem was

No one knew where Wang Hanchuan was!

If the man had killed his fill and ascended to the Heavenly Realm, that would be one thing.

But if Wang Hanchuan was sitting in meditation somewhere, or wandering through the snow forest, and happened to be spotted by Burning Gate soldiers—

Everyone might die on the spot!

"Sigh," Lu Ran tapped his forehead.

Jiangjiang Ruyi walked to the desk and spoke softly: "This matter requires careful deliberation. Let the soldiers return to rest first."

"Mm." Lu Ran replied.

Jiangjiang Ruyi signaled everyone to disperse, then added: "Da Mengyan, take Wu Huan and keep him behind."

"Yes," Deng Deng Yuxiang said, glad for the chance to ask more questions; she gave Wu Huan a glance.

Wu Huan's heart lurched in panic!

Among all Burning Gate soldiers, the one he least wanted to face was Deng Deng Yuxiang!

This cold, stern woman had a piercing gaze—she looked exactly like a Northern Wind believer.

Wu Huan rose shakily, inwardly groaning, glancing back every few steps.

But Lu Ran, rubbing his temples in distress, had not noticed this side.

"Come," Deng Deng Yuxiang said coldly. "He said no one will bully you."

"Y-yes," Wu Huan bowed his head and hurried after her.

Only three remained in the council chamber; Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng spoke up at the right moment: "Master, are you worried that the bloodthirsty master of Daoji Peak still lingers in that area?"

Lu Ran nodded slightly.

"There is indeed such a possibility," Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng mused. "If so, a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall."

The hidden shadow lurking in the dark trembled slightly within.

"No."

Yet in the next moment, Yan Yan Shuangzi heard Lu Ran's rejection.

She clenched her fist, then heard Lu Ran say: "The remnants of Daoji Peak must be purged—especially that Elder Xing!"

"If I don't avenge this grudge, I might as well not be the master of Ran Men!"

Jiangjiang Ruyi lowered her hand and gently smoothed Lu Ran's spine.

She rarely saw Lu Ran so emotionally stirred.

She was an outsider, having only heard Yan Yan Shuangzi's story, never witnessed firsthand how Lu Ran had rescued her from Daoji Peak—what shape she had been reduced to.

Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng mused: "If the master harbors such deep hatred, and this matter remains unresolved, it may leave a psychological wound."

"Then let's search!"

"How exactly do we search?" Lu Ran turned to the military advisor, my lord.

Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng paused, then proposed: "One team takes Elder Bai, questioning hearts daily; if anything seems amiss, immediately contact the master and return to Yunhai Cliff."

"The other team, led by the master, will search together with the Evil Shadow Guardian."

"You both possess strong perception and the Shun Yi Ji Fa; as long as you remain vigilant, no problems will arise."

"Hmm." Lu Ran found this deeply reasonable.

For Lu Ran and Yan Yan Shuangzi, these two vicious hounds, everyone else was truly a burden.

Yu Seeing Yu Changsheng reassured him: "Master, do not worry. Many escaped from Daoji Peak—they must have left traces."

"With patience, a few days of searching will surely yield results."

Lu Ran's expression turned grim:

"I borrow your words, Mr.!"

(End of Chapter)