Chapter 775: Flame Gate

At the bottom of the gorge, inside a small cave.

Lu Ran and Deng Yu were resting inside.

The cave, artificially excavated, was square and felt like a living room.

The entrance was rectangular, just like a home door.

This cave was the work of the Radiant Blade and the Silent Night Blade.

After all, the Night Phantom Sculpture was still leveling up, and the Great Nightmare was too clumsy to move—its long legs trembling, unable to even stand—so Lu Ran hadn't dared make it dig the mountain.

After resting for a while, the Night Phantom Sculpture inside Lu Ran's sculpture garden finally stabilized.

"Huh."

Deng Yu sat on the ground, her back against the stone wall, letting out a long sigh.

Lu Ran grinned and said, "Your compatibility with the Night Phantom Sculpture is growing higher."

Deng Yu shot Lu Ran a cold glance.

Lu Ran pouted and muttered under his breath, "Why so fierce?"

Deng Yu narrowed her eyes: "Little Lu Ran, you—"

Lu Ran quickly changed the subject: "Let's pick codenames!"

Inside the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm, we won't use our real names."

Deng Yu pulled out an elegant dagger and idly played with it, saying nothing more.

It wasn't so much anger as using irritation to mask her embarrassment.

This damn sculpture!

You level up, fine—but why make me shake along with you?

Lu Ran suggested, "How about your codename be Nightmare?"

Deng Yu let out a cold snort: "When we first met, that's what you called me in your head, isn't it?"

Lu Ran thought of something else: "Or combine it with some Night Phantom elements? Night Phantom? Phantom Nightmare?"

Deng Yu fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Ran: "Right now, I'm becoming Night Phantom.

But in the future, I will still be myself."

Lu Ran's eyes lit up, and he nodded firmly: "Fine. Nightmare."

Deng Yu lowered her head, then suddenly shook her head and smiled.

Fixating on a codename felt childish.

But Lu Ran said not only must she become Night Phantom and replace Night Phantom—she must surpass Night Phantom.

That was her ultimate goal.

Only then might she truly help him fulfill his grand ambition.

"What should I call myself?" Lu Ran pondered silently.

Mainly because she always called him "Little Lu Ran"—it annoyed him.

Seeing his troubled expression, Deng Yu said offhandedly, "If you can't think of one, I'll call you Mountain Lord."

It avoided the words "Fallen Immortal" and didn't mention Lu Ran's name—perfectly meeting his requirements.

Lu Ran's heart stirred: "Call me Gate Lord."

Deng Yu frowned: "Gate Lord?"

Lu Ran nodded: "Of course—Flame Gate!"

From today on, you're my Flame Gate's First Guardian."

Deng Yu looked at Lu Ran with a half-smile: "So, you heard there are many factions in the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm, and now you want to start your own?"

Lu Ran didn't dare admit he'd already had this ambition.

He shrugged: "We don't know how long we'll fight in this realm—maybe we'll find like-minded allies?"

Hearing this, Deng Yu nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled!" Lu Ran declared, pulling off the Rebirth Coin from his wrist, "Today is the grand founding day of Flame Gate!

Nightmare Guardian is the first member to join my sect."

"Come on, come on! Nightmare, this is my gift to you."

Deng Yu:???

My Lord?

Our organization has exactly two people—why are you putting on airs?

"Take it!" Lu Ran tossed the Rebirth Coin at her.

Deng Yu froze slightly, realizing Lu Ran wasn't joking.

She caught the ancient coin and said seriously, "This is a magical artifact!"

Lu Ran corrected: "It's a fragment of a magical artifact."

"Little Lu Ran, you told me this was given to you by the Master of Oblivion Spring."

"Didn't we agree not to use real names?"

Deng Yu looked at Lu Ran helplessly and tossed the Rebirth Coin back: "I can't accept it."

Lu Ran caught the coin and smiled: "Thankfully, the Rebirth Coin has no spirit—otherwise, being tossed around like this, it'd be cursing us."

Deng Yu's face hardened: "Tie it on. I won't take it."

Lu Ran gave her a strange look: "Are you ordering me?"

Deng Yu stared straight into Lu Ran's eyes: "If you keep acting like this, you'll get what's coming to you soon."

Deng Yu Xiang stared directly at Lu Ran: "If you keep acting this recklessly, it will indeed happen soon."

Wow.

You really want to order me?

You're turning heaven upside down!

Lu Ran stood up and sat down beside Deng Yu: "I've thought this through."

Deng Yu furrowed her brow but let him take her wrist as he explained.

As he wrapped red thread around her wrist, Lu Ran said: "I need souls—whether human or demonic, I need them all!

In today's battle, you and I briefly split into two battlefields.

Future fights will likely repeat this situation.

When I can't return in time, I need you to collect the souls for me."

Deng Yu finally understood.

She no longer refused and nodded: "Alright, I understand."

Lu Ran continued: "This is a fragment of a magical artifact, with no formed spirit—only a trace of awareness.

Now, I'll teach you how to activate it."

Honestly, if they were fighting in the mortal realm, even if Lu Ran lost one or two souls, he wouldn't care much.

Even if he missed a Jiang Jing soul, he could still identify it.

But in the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm?

He didn't want to lose a single soul!

After all, you never know how much Sacred Spirit Qi an enemy's soul carries!

Take the Night Phantom they just killed—

It directly pushed Lu Ran's Night Phantom Sculpture into Jiang Jing Stage Two!

What level of nourishment is that?

A true Manchu-Han Imperial Feast!

How many Fifteenth Nights would he have to slaughter to get this effect?

"Yes, channel your divine power into it," Lu Ran explained patiently.

Among the Xiangyang Sect, only Lu Ran knew the Divine Art: Eye of the Dead Realm.

Deng Yu couldn't see souls in another dimension.

But through the coin's reactions, she could indirectly tell whether a soul had been captured.

After a long while, Deng Yu looked at Lu Ran: "This coin still belongs to you. You can come to me anytime to retrieve it.

Or when we return home, I'll give it back to you."

Lu Ran nodded vaguely and said directly: "Come on, let's test it first! Though the Rebirth Coin can't speak to you, it understands your intent.

Now, channel your divine power, send your thought, and release one soul."

Deng Yu didn't repeat him—she didn't want to dampen Lu Ran's enthusiasm.

She raised her arm, the slender white wrist wrapped in layer upon layer of thin red thread.

The ancient coin threaded through the red string trembled slightly.

Lu Ran opened his horizontal pupils and saw the Lady Luo emerge.

He opened his palm, and a wisp of black mist rose.

Soul-Shattering Demon Art: Soul Prison!

Among Lu Ran's demonic arts, he had rarely used techniques that imprisoned or tortured souls.

Today, he'd enjoy a proper display.

Today, he would have a good laugh.

"You! How dare you all!!"

Lady Luo screamed in fury, one finger pointing at Lu Ran.

"How dare I?" Lu Ran sneered.

Has this woman been so long in power that she can't come down from her pedestal?

Come on!

Today, I'll teach you how to lower your status.

Lu Ran manipulated the black mist cluster, intercepting the Death Eye's grasp, and pulled Lady Luo inside.

"Do you know who I am? You! You!!"

Finally, Deng Yuxiang heard the woman's furious shriek.

When a human soul was sealed within the Evil Art: Soul Prison, Deng Yuxiang existed in the same dimension as the dead soul.

"See?" Lu Ran held the black mist cluster in one hand, slowly lowering it.

On the surface of the black mist cluster, Lady Luo's face appeared.

The scene was horrifying and eerie!

"Mm." Deng Yu gave a slight nod, watching Lady Luo gnash her teeth, "Looks like this woman still doesn't understand her situation."

Lu Ran leaned back against the stone wall, one leg bent, elbow resting on his knee, idly tossing the black mist cluster in his palm.

He taunted, "You've lost face, Lady Luo! Your scheme exposed—how embarrassing?"

When they first met, Lady Luo had always been gentle and courteous.

It was all to lure the two of them into the trap.

Now that she was reduced to this, her true nature finally showed.

Lady Luo's eyes blazed with hatred as she screamed, "You filthy couple!"

"You vile, degenerate scum! You'll die a miserable death!"

"If I don't return in three days, my husband will come for me! He'll tear you both into a thousand pieces!"

"Huh~~~" Lu Ran was stunned!

In extreme situations, people react in all sorts of ways.

But Lady Luo's reaction truly shocked Lu Ran!

Does she know she's doomed, with zero chance of survival, so she's gone completely wild?

Yes, I certainly won't let you live.

But I can make you beg me—let you beg to die!

Deng Yuxiang's face was icy with frost; since childhood, she had never heard such vile language.

"Gulping." Lu Ran's Adam's apple moved as he felt the terrifying aura radiating from the woman beside him.

"Little Lu Ran."

"Here!" This time, Lu Ran didn't fuss over the nickname.

"Soulfire." Deng Yuxiang's lips parted slightly.

The Soulfire of the Soul-Shattering Demon was its primary method of torturing human souls.

This art was designed solely to roast dead souls!

"Huu~"

Black flames ignited within the black mist cluster in Lu Ran's hand.

"Filthy, despicable scum! Filthy! Aaaah! Aaaah!" Lady Luo's curses cut off abruptly.

In their place came her piercing, agonized screams.

People always say death isn't the worst thing.

This scene was the perfect example.

"Aaaah, stop! Make it stop! Aaaah!" Lady Luo's face twisted grotesquely.

When she occasionally opened her eyes, her bulging eyeballs looked ready to pop out.

The Evil Art: Soulfire was peculiar.

It could not harm living flesh, nor could it directly damage a human soul while the body was alive.

Only after death did this art become effective.

Deng Yuxiang reached out and gently touched the "black mist face" of Lady Luo, watching her writhing in agony as the soulfire consumed her.

"No, please, please, Aaaah!"

"Stop! Waaah~~~ I'm sorry, please, you, stop…"

"Let me die! Kill me! Kill me! Please, kill me! Aaaah!"

The human souls trapped in the Soul Prison wept bitterly, yet not a single tear fell.

From threats and curses to utter collapse, begging for mercy—it took less than half a minute.

Lu Ran looked at the soul in his palm, writhing under extreme torment, and sighed inwardly.

Over the past forty years, countless people had been tortured beyond recognition by demons.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"You may ask." Deng Yuxiang stared coldly at Lady Luo's suffering—her heart burned with anger, but duty came first.

"Oh." Lu Ran snapped back to himself and extinguished the soulfire.

He looked at the twisted face on the black mist cluster and said gravely, "Now, I ask, you answer."

"Mmm! Waaah…" The dead soul in the prison nodded frantically, sobbing uncontrollably.

(End of Chapter)