Chapter 753: Peak in One Step

Inside the No. 1 seclusion chamber, mist swirled.

Lu Ran sat cross-legged in quiet meditation, appearing like an old monk in deep contemplation, but in reality, his body was surging with turbulent waves.

The mist that surged madly from between heaven and earth was compressed by him with all his might, condensing into streams that flowed into the rushing rivers within his body, merging into the vast, boundless ocean.

The violent divine power fluctuations nourished the divine weapons and artifacts around him.

Among them, the little Chifeng was the busiest.

It was already as full as it could possibly be, yet it pressed tightly against Lu Ran's palm, continuously pouring divine power into Lu Ran's body, clearing out a tiny bit of space, only to absorb more divine power and then continue to irrigate its master.

It was having the time of its life.

"Hum~" Suddenly, the little Chifeng trembled slightly.

"What's wrong, Chi... Chifeng?" Lu Ran said, stuttering. Although he knew he should be focusing on his breakthrough, he couldn't help but ask out of concern when the little Chifeng had an abnormal reaction.

The Chifeng-patterned gourd immediately stopped its trembling.

"What exactly... is wrong?" Lu Ran frowned slightly.

The little Chifeng rarely spoke in human language; even when it did, it usually emitted pleasant phoenix cries.

As the master of the artifact, Lu Ran could usually grasp its meaning, but this time, he truly couldn't understand.

【Want to, trap, trap the enemy.】 A childish, immature voice imprinted itself into Lu Ran's mind.

The voice was soft and sweet, making Lu Ran's heart nearly melt.

【Inside the tummy, trap the enemy, don't let them move.】 The little Chifeng said in a small voice.

Lu Ran understood the little Chifeng's meaning. Recently, he had often taken enemies into the gourd, using the Shadow of Evil to force prisoners to tear up their contracts and control them.

So, was the little Chifeng trying to help?

Did it want the enemies to be directly controlled and unable to move the moment they entered the gourd?

"You are so well-behaved." Lu Ran cradled the Chifeng-patterned gourd in his arms, gently stroking it.

"Li~" The little Chifeng was extremely happy, rubbing continuously against Lu Ran's palm.

To this day, it had helped many people advance.

Most of the time, it was strictly business; for instance, when helping Xue Fengchen, Gao Yunyan, Niu Zhengzheng, and others, the little Chifeng would just stay quietly on the ground.

For a very select few, it would express appropriate affection, such as when helping Jiang Ru Yi.

It would carefully nestle in her arms, not daring to move much, fearing it would annoy her.

But here with Lu Ran, the little Chifeng could frolic to its heart's content and indulge in showing its true nature.

It especially loved Lu Ran's palm.

It was warm and soft, and it felt so comfortable to rub against.

"Hum!" The Chifeng-patterned gourd's vibration amplitude increased slightly, yet its tiny movements were completely masked by the divine power fluctuations triggered by its master.

"Hoo." Lu Ran suddenly raised his head, even his sigh trembling slightly.

The energy churning within his body filled his physical vessel to the brim, repeatedly pushing his limits to the extreme, even giving Lu Ran the illusion that he was about to explode and die.

This was exactly the feeling!

The Eight Desolations Blade was slung diagonally across Lu Ran's back, and its blade spirit was continuously digging deep within the master's "illusion."

Bitterly seeking.

Self-detonation?

Like the Evil Technique: Skull Explosion Grand Burial encountered before, like the master at this moment, unable to withstand any more?

The Eight Desolations Blade spirit was researching a brand-new divine weapon domain, searching for the key to advancing to a Tier 3 divine weapon.

"Hoo!!"

Suddenly, a terrifying wave of energy rippled out from within Lu Ran's body.

He held the little Chifeng in one hand and reached down with the other, pressing onto the Cloud Sea Dust Clear Blade resting flat on his knees.

Rosy Light, Silent Night, and Eight Desolations were all divine weapons; they would take care of themselves.

Yes, the Silent Zhan Ye Dao had long since completed its mission and been retrieved by Lu Ran.

Ever since Lu Ran activated the Nüying Divine Sculpture and signed a contract with the Divine General Wang Longxiang, allowing for telepathic communication, he had retrieved the Silent Zhan Ye Dao.

"Ugh, ahhh~~~"

Lu Ran stretched fiercely, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Accompanying his movements, several crisp bone cracks echoed from within his body.

Sea Realm, Fourth Stage!

"Hehe~" A happy smile appeared on Lu Ran's face, looking a bit silly.

From this day forth, this lord is also a high-stage Sea Realm expert, as in the legends!

One more step, and it will be the peak of the Sea Realm!

"Ugh." Lu Ran turned into a puddle of mush again, leaning backward, but the Silent Zhan Ye Dao exerted a slight force, propping up its master and preventing him from lying down.

Lu Ran: "..."

Now he could see how much the divine weapons cared about their master.

Rosy Light and Eight Desolations were always in telepathic sync with Lu Ran; when the master wanted to lie down and relax, neither blade stopped him.

Only the Silent Zhan Ye Dao preferred quiet and had been immersed in its own world, caught off guard by this scene.

Poor Silent Night; it was still a Tier 1 divine weapon to this day and had always been suppressed by a certain divine weapon that had gotten there first, not allowing it to comprehend a divine weapon domain.

Lu Ran reached back, gripped the hilt above his shoulder, and drew the Silent Zhan Ye Dao out.

He finally lay down, saying softly, "That guy, where exactly is it..."

Silent Night rarely expressed a thought: 【It had better be very strong.】

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded in agreement.

Back when they were in the human world, the Silent Zhan Ye Dao had already touched upon the correct path of comprehension, only to be blocked ever since.

Lu Ran's strength had soared all the way, and now he had reached the Sea Realm, Fourth Stage!

The longer it dragged on, the stronger he naturally became. One day, when Lu Ran truly found that divine weapon blade that had been suppressing the Silent Zhan Ye Dao...

The other party had better be very strong!

Otherwise, it would be crushed into fine powder under Lu Ran's foot.

Would that divine weapon master be in the Heavenly Realm? Or deep within some demon lair in the human world?

Was the divine weapon master a human, or the original form of a god or demon...

Lu Ran's mind wandered as he lay limply on the ground, only realizing after a long time that the mist in the seclusion chamber had not completely dissipated.

Was there still someone advancing within the cliff?

【Ru Yi.】

【Congratulations.】 In his mind, the gentle voice of Fairy Jiang came immediately.

【Who is advancing?】

【Your Starry Sky Hall Master.】

【Chang Ying?】 Lu Ran's face lit up with joy. 【She was River Estuary Realm, Fourth Stage before, right?】

【Yes, she has been advancing for two days and could reach the peak of the River Estuary Realm at any moment.】 Jiang Ru Yi felt quite emotional.

Thinking of the few people in Lu Ran's team: Tian Tian, Deng Yutang, Chang Ying...

The ones who joined the Lu Sect last were actually the most promising!

Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a person; did it really have to first suffer their heart and mind, and labor their muscles and bones?

【I was thinking a while ago that once Chang Ying advances to the Sea Realm and can stand on her own, I'll let her lead a team to retake Starry Sky Valley, linking up with Longxiang Valley to look out for each other.】 Lu Ran said with a smile via telepathy.

Jiang Ru Yi pondered for a moment and nodded secretly; if it were Chang Ying, she should be able to handle the great responsibility.

She then asked, 【Are you going to stay in the seclusion chamber for a while longer? Little Qiao Yuanxi really wants to see you.】

【I need to get used to my new body a bit more. When I lay down just now, the ground was cracked by the impact; I need to adjust.】

【Then I will have her wait for you at home.】

【By the way, what is the date today?】

【February 19th.】

When the night was deep and quiet, the mist within Cloud Sea Cliff finally dissipated; it seemed the divine stick Chang had gotten her wish.

Lu Ran also snuck back home.

It just so happened that Jiang Ru Yi, who was cultivating in the study, was just getting up to leave, and was intercepted by Lu Ran.

"Long time no see, Empress." Lu Ran embraced the warm, fragrant jade and walked back into the study; one by one, the weapons automatically returned to their places, and the little Chifeng flew back to the desk.

It was a pity that the little Chifeng still hadn't managed to advance and comprehend new functions.

However, as a mature artifact, it would study diligently on its own, especially after being praised by Lu Ran as "so well-behaved," the little Chifeng had even more motivation.

"Mm." Jiang Ru Yi's expression was slightly reproachful; the noble phoenix robe on her body was indeed boosting her aura tremendously.

As a Tier 2 artifact, Lu Ran's Black Jade Tiger Talisman only acted up when necessary.

The phoenix robe was the complete opposite; it only refrained from showing its power when Jiang Ru Yi specifically ordered it.

In this artifact's cognition, the world was always ordered by status; at the very beginning, even if someone dared to look at its master, they would be classified as offending imperial majesty.

Phoenix grace across the nine heavens, all living things bow their heads.

It was much better now.

Jiang Ru Yi, along with the phoenix robe, was encircled by Lu Ran; the phoenix robe, like its master, let him do as he pleased.

"There are dead souls inside the Rebirth Money of Nightmare, Shadow of Evil, and Shadow One; remember to collect them tomorrow."

"Another Raging Sea Flame Flood Dragon?" Lu Ran said with a smile.

Every time someone advanced, the Raging Sea Flame Flood Dragon's invasion of Cloud Sea Cliff had become a fixed program.

It was fortunate that Lu Ran's Xiao Mo Li team and Sea Jiaoren team had controlled the Xiao Mo Li Bay area; otherwise, the Xiao Mo Li clan and the Sea Jiaoren clan probably wouldn't be few in number either.

"There are also several human dead souls."

"Humans?" Lu Ran was somewhat surprised. At the beginning of the Lu Sect's founding, there were others who appeared, but in the days that followed, few humans dared to attack rashly.

"Four Yanqing disciples. I had Niu Zhengzheng interrogate them; these people drifted over from the north."

As the original form of the Demon: Soul-Splitting Demon, Niu Zhengzheng naturally also had a Soul Prison and Soul Fire.

Lu Ran could completely liberate himself and let the ox-head be the cruel executioner.

Jiang Ru Yi's voice was much colder: "They haven't been in the mountains long, but they understand the rules thoroughly."

"Mm." Lu Ran remembered the time when he had just entered the mountains.

Ignorant and fearless.

"You are getting closer and closer to the Heavenly Realm." Jiang Ru Yi stopped dwelling on the petty villains, resting her head on Lu Ran's shoulder, her voice softening again.

"Yes, so I have to speed up." Lu Ran said softly.

"Mm?"

"Sleep well tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the lair of the Extinguishing Demon clan to take a look, activate the Evil Sculpture as soon as possible, and no longer fear flames in the future."

Jiang Ru Yi was quite satisfied with this decision of Lu Ran's.

Along with it, the Phoenix Grace Across the Nine Heavens Robe lowered its status, its long tail gently lifting to encircle Lu Ran.

"This is?" Lu Ran was somewhat puzzled.

Jiang Ru Yi: "..."

Sometimes, telepathic communication wasn't all that great.

Her thoughts could be many, but her face remained like a calm lake; however, the artifact followed its master, loving the house and its crow, expressing the emotions of both the master and itself.

Lu Ran felt the phoenix robe gently comforting him from behind and couldn't help but have a strange expression: "The Empress is quite satisfied, huh?"

"Is this encouragement? A reward?"

Jiang Ru Yi's face turned a bit red, changing the subject: "Are you going to take Qiao Yuanxi with you on the expedition tomorrow? I'll go with you to protect her a bit."

Lu Ran smiled and didn't make things difficult for her: "Fine, take the Profound Frost Guard along too; Extinguishing Ridge is too hot, she can help lower the temperature... By the way! Speaking of Profound Frost, does she always help you bathe and dress?"

"Mm, Profound Frost takes special care of me. Who told you that?"

"Who else could it be?"

Jiang Ru Yi was clever and immediately thought of that best friend who had a fiery temper, was small-minded, and was very prone to jealousy.

But she heard Lu Ran change the subject, whispering: "That thing, actually, I also really want to take care of you..."

Jiang Ru Yi's face turned bright red instantly, and she spat lightly: "Go!"

"Dethroned monarch!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 754 =====

(End of chapter)