Chapter 711: First Battle! The Heavenly Realm!

"Forbidden City. The Forbidden City." He Qi kept muttering to himself.

Lu Ran's heart sank.

Yes, the Forbidden City!

After Peak Master Tu destroyed Wuji Peak, he did not linger at the site nor ascend right there; instead, he headed straight south.

Thirty kilometers south of Wuji Peak lies the location of the Forbidden City!

The problem is, the Forbidden City is filled with Weak God disciples; how could such tiny ants arouse the interest of a Heavenly Realm expert?

Lu Ran absolutely did not believe that Peak Master Tu had deviated from his cultivation path.

On the contrary, the other party was very clear-headed, and his goal seemed extremely definite.

So, killing people was not the objective; destroying that highly symbolic Forbidden City was the real focus?

Was this correct?

The atmosphere of the Wuji Peak faction had been personally rectified by Peak Master Tu;

that Forbidden City itself was built only under Peak Master Tu's support and protection!

How could a clear-headed person, a dignified and awe-inspiring superior, possibly negate his own career, thoughts, and life ideals for no reason?

To speak bluntly, one did not even need to be a superior.

Just take an ordinary adult; asking him to negate his own thoughts and overturn his deeply ingrained concepts would be more difficult than killing him.

And in Peak Master Tu's case, he even had to personally destroy everything from his own past!

Could this be right?

Lu Ran's thoughts raced, and two words sprang to his mind—gods!

There must be gods meddling in this!

Lu Ran immediately recalled a piece of news he heard when he last returned to Great Xia: the second edition of "Lu Lu Tianjiao" had been halted.

It was highly likely that it had been halted by the myriad gods!

The tiny and humble human race wished to resist, scattering sparks of fire that fell into this Holy Lingshan.

Were small flames like Lu Ran and He Qi, intending to start a prairie fire, about to be stamped out directly?

Lu Ran seemed to have figured it out.

Peak Master Tu was likely acting on the gods' orders to destroy Wuji Peak and the Forbidden City.

He might even have been specifically ordered to kill this person, He Qi!

And within the Holy Lingshan, gods and believers could not communicate; the only possible variable was Peak Master Tu advancing to the Heavenly Realm!

So, did the gods take the opportunity to communicate with him during this special process of Peak Master Tu "ascending to heaven"?

Or did the gods unilaterally read Peak Master Tu's experiences within the mountain?

Regardless of which, it served as a reminder to Lu Ran.

Those Sea Realm He He Tangzhu who had surrendered in sects like the Lychee Garden Sect and Shocking String Island must all be brought under his command.

For example, Wei Yun, the He He Tangzhu of the Flowing Cloud Hall within the Lychee Garden Sect!

This person was at the peak of the Sea Realm.

Once Wei Yun fortunately advanced to the Heavenly Realm, it would undoubtedly be the beginning of a nightmare!

"Wind Heavenly Emperor!" A stern female voice suddenly rang out, waking Lu Ran from his reverie.

He looked up to see He Qi, holding the divine weapon Nine-Ring Golden Zen Staff, had just taken flight when Yan Yan Shuangzi blocked her path.

"Move aside!" He Qi spoke without any courtesy, casually waving her Zen Staff as she attempted to continue flying forward.

"Ding!"

Two second-tier divine weapons collided heavily, emitting a piercing sound.

"Calm down, He Qi Feng!" Lu Ran flashed to He Qi's side and firmly grasped her wrist.

"Let go! Let go!" He Qi was anxious at heart and struggled fiercely, but Lu Ran's palm was like an iron vice, holding her fast.

As a Great Wu Seng at the third stage of the Sea Realm, she simply could not move!

"Calm down! Can you catch up?" Lu Ran shouted in a deep voice.

He Qi's fierce struggling movements stopped abruptly.

Peak Master Tu possessed the magical treasure Three Thousand Ripples Shoes; with one step he could leap a thousand meters. How could she possibly catch up?

Wait!

Lu Ran!

He could instantaneously move, and he could also teleport.

He Qi suddenly raised her eyes to look at Lu Ran and said urgently, "Lu... Lu Ran, the Forbidden City! Our Forbidden City!"

In Lu Ran's eyes, He Qi had always been a figure of wisdom and courage, possessing the demeanor of a great general.

Yet at this moment, she was burning with anxiety and had completely lost her composure.

Undoubtedly, the Forbidden City was her "supreme treasure."

That was her career, carrying her ideals and ambitions; it was the thing she vowed to defend with her life.

"Lu Ran, Lu Ran!" He Qi pressed her hands onto Lu Ran's shoulders, her eyes full of pleading. "Let's go quickly; there are our people in the city!"

Yan Yan Shuangzi immediately said, "Master, Peak Master Tu's strength is terrifying; it is absolutely not something we can match!"

"Shut up!" He Qi glared furiously at Yan Yan Shuangzi, then tightly gripped Lu Ran's shoulders again. "Let's go quickly. Is Elder Lu inside your gourd? Let's hurry to the Forbidden City and teleport Peak Master Tu away!"

Yan Yan Shuangzi's face was as grim as water: "This journey is far too dangerous! What Master needs is steady growth, to uproot the gods and demons in the future, not to take risks on such matters and die halfway."

With a sharp "Crack," the Son of Heaven sword suddenly unsheathed.

He Qi grabbed the golden hilt and slashed horizontally toward Yan Yan Shuangzi: "I told you to shut up!"

He Qi seized the golden sword hilt and slashed horizontally at Yan Yan Shuangzi: "I told you to shut up!"

Yan Yan Shuangzi's figure flashed, appearing three meters away.

Since both parties held different positions, their decisions naturally differed as well.

Yan Yan Shuangzi cared nothing for the Forbidden City, nor for the citizens within its walls; whether they lived or died had nothing to do with her.

She cared only for Lu Ran.

"Slap!" Lu Ran's other hand seized He Qi's other wrist.

He Qi did not struggle, merely lifting his eyes to stare straight at Lu Ran, his gaze full of pleading as he trembled and said, "We are the pride of Great Xia, Lu Ran! I beg you, our compatriots are in there!"

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded.

Yan Yan Shuangzi's expression suddenly changed!

Lu Ran released He Qi, performed a spell with one hand, and summoned an ancient bronze mirror: "Wind Heaven Emperor, Evil Shadow Guardian, heed my command."

A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Yan Yan Shuangzi's heart.

Lu Ran conjured a full-length mirror and spoke word by word: "You two stay here; do not act rashly."

He Qi's eyes widened slightly.

Yan Yan Shuangzi, however, looked extremely grim: "Master—"

"This is an order." Lu Ran cut her off directly, his form turning invisible as he stepped into the full-length mirror, entering the Forbidden City in a single stride.

There were many reasons supporting him in doing this.

For instance, the reputation of being the pride of Great Xia.

On a deeper level, it was because of his own restless heart.

Although reason told Lu Ran not to go, and although the Great Wu Seng flying across the sky from the Heavenly Realm had already thoroughly intimidated him...

Yet after that Great Wu Seng flew past...

The Master of Gods and Demons, the Master of the Ran Sect, felt his own heart stirring restlessly.

"Buzz!!"

The Tang Dao hanging at his waist suddenly trembled.

Lu Ran's expression froze; he reached one hand into his robe and grasped the buzzing, vibrating Cloud Sea Blade.

Cloud Sea, Dust Cleared?

The reaction was actually so intense.

Lu Ran suddenly realized that the act he was about to perform aligned infinitely with the blade's name, "Cloud Sea, Dust Cleared."

Peak Master Tu was not a god, but he was certainly a cloud sea enveloping a region of heaven and earth.

And indeed, a cloud sea of sufficient caliber!

The former Shanzhai Master of Heaven's Disciple Shanzhai, Wolf Flower, Wolf Bone, the Hidden Wolf Shanzhai Master, the masters of Mount Jingting Mountain, Jingxian Island, and Liyuan Sect—all these "cloud seas" counted merely as experience.

They were laying the foundation for the emergence of a divine weapon.

Could today's Peak Master of Wuji Peak in the Heavenly Realm be the opportunity for gathering the weapon spirit into its final form?

"Apologies; perhaps I will disappoint you," Lu Ran murmured, brushing two fingers across the cold blade.

He did not believe he could defeat a great expert of the Heavenly Realm.

Moreover, the opponent was a first-rate godly disciple of the Wu Seng.

Mm... regardless, such a reaction from this blade could only be called an unexpected joy.

The third reason prompting Lu Ran to come here, and also the most crucial one, was a person.

He Qi!

Why would someone so wise and brave undergo such a "drastic change in temperament," completely losing their composure?

Perhaps even He Qi himself had not realized that the root cause lay in that Dao Heart!

The Forbidden City...

... bore the weight of her Dao Heart!

Lu Ran knew very well that it was relying on that city that He Qi had advanced to the Sea Realm, enabling her to walk firmly on the path ahead and ascend step by step to the heavens.

Once that city was destroyed, then his own Wind Heaven Emperor...

Would she fall right here?

Most likely, yes.

And what about himself?

Lu Ran asked his own heart, looking down at the panicked people within the magnificent city below.

Although Wuji Peak was thirty kilometers away from the Forbidden City, the commotion over there was simply too great! Towering mountains collapsed, endless golden dragons soared into the sky, charging into the clouds...

The citizens of the Forbidden City had naturally noticed such a heavenly calamity.

Would his own Dao Heart be affected?

Lu Ran, concealed, stood silently high in the sky.

The panicked crowds below were like ants, insignificant beings not meant to be cared about.

Yet Lu Ran's vision was exceptionally sharp! He could see every trembling figure clearly and hear every cry of terror.

"Hoo..."

Lu Ran let out a deep sigh, raised his eyelids, and gazed northward.

A golden figure was rapidly approaching!

If Peak Master Tu did not possess that magical artifact, the Golden Boots, Lu Ran might still have been able to organize an evacuation, but with the artifact's assistance, Peak Master Tu leaped a thousand meters in a single bound.

Compressing the earth into inches, he arrived in an instant.

【Blazing Phoenix, notify Elder Lu to be ready to activate the Other Shore Flower at any moment!】 Lu Ran, feeling somewhat disappointed, transmitted the thought.

At this final moment, he still harbored the fantasy that Peak Master Tu's target was not the Forbidden City.

Facts proved it: all so-called fantasies should be abandoned; being ready to fight at all times should be the only main theme.

A Heavenly Realm Wu Seng has arrived!

Heading straight for the Forbidden City!

"Peak Master Tu... Tu?"

"Peak Master Tu!!"

"Con-congratulations Peak Master Tu on exiting seclusion and ascending to the Heavenly Realm." Several voices came from various parts of the city.

Some used loud shouts to cover the terror in their hearts, while others spoke with voices trembling uncontrollably.

The disciples of Martial Extreme Peak's Great Wind Hall naturally recognized their own Peak Master; they tried calling out to him, seemingly hoping to bring him back to his senses.

Or perhaps attempting to summon a shred of mercy from Peak Master Tu.

Everyone knew clearly that the calamity-level scene atop Martial Extreme Peak could only have been created by Peak Master Tu.

Sadly, these calls, one after another, failed to bring Peak Master Tu back to his "senses."

Expressionless, he lowered his head to gaze down at the city below.

Overwhelming pressure, like towering waves and billows, crashed downward wave after wave, ruthlessly crushing the trembling multitude beneath.

Lu Ran saw that the sorrow in Peak Master Tu's eyes had vanished.

All that remained was indifference.

Slowly, Peak Master Tu raised a hand, summoning a giant golden palm high in the sky.

After this strike.

Everything would surely vanish like smoke and clouds dispersing.

"Peak Master Tu!"

"No, Peak Master Tu, it's us! We are of Great Wind Hall, Peak Master Tu!!"

Just as people cried out in terror and despair, suddenly a snake's hiss exploded across the heavens:

"Hiss!!"

Peak Master Tu's expression did not change.

Compared to the multitude in the city, Peak Master Tu had detected a faint fluctuation of divine power long before the illusory great python appeared, and the golden boots on his feet had already rippled out a circle of golden waves.

As he turned and flew backward, he brushed past the terrifying illusory great python.

Peak Master Tu remained expressionless yet radiated an imposing aura without anger, his eyes fixed tightly on the direction where the giant python was constantly piecing together its body and roaring as it charged out.

Strangely, that place was utterly empty!

The illusory white-scaled great python seemed to have charged out from another world entirely.

Suddenly, Peak Master Tu spoke; he did not care whether the opponent was a demonic disciple, why they could turn invisible, or even bother asking the newcomer's identity.

His voice was low as he merely uttered four words:

"You want to stop me."

From the empty sky came the voice of a young man, equally low, equally majestic and imposing:

"Mn, I want to try."

Asking for some monthly tickets.

(End of Chapter)