Chapter 783: The Clever Dog

Yuan Ying swallowed hard.

He was certain Lu Ran was Jiang Jing, for he carried none of the overwhelming aura of a Sea Realm cultivator.

But Lu Ran's icy gaze, fixed on him with a grinning smile,

sent chills down Yuan Ying's spine!

Of course! How could a disciple of the First-Class Divine Spear—Corpse Gate be weak?

Moreover, this young man bore several divine weapons, most likely looted—proof of glorious victories!

Our side certainly outnumbered them, with Luo Zhongzhu and Kong Lady holding the line.

But the master is the master; absolute realm suppression ensures his safety.

Yuan Ying himself was Sea Realm—Stage Three.

"What?" Yuan Ying cried out in shock, his face turning pale!

The next instant, the forest vanished—he had fallen into a deep crimson world.

In the next breath, countless red threads surged toward him, dense as a net!

Beautiful. Deadly.

Each red thread's tip, like a fine needle, pierced his skin, piercing through every limb and bone.

Ten thousand arrows through the heart?

Far worse—this was ten thousand threads piercing his body!

"Aaaahhh!" Yuan Ying clutched his head, face twisted in agony, staggering backward several steps.

"Crack." A sound of shattering jade talisman echoed.

Lu Ran's heart jolted—he instantly teleported away.

"Ziz~ ziz!"

Centered on Luo Tiantu, countless currents of electricity surged like frenzied serpents in every direction.

In an instant, a five-hundred-meter-diameter "ball of lightning" formed around Luo Tiantu.

Five hundred meters!

What did that mean?

The vast lightning domain painted the sky a deep blue-purple.

Though it was a control technique, within its five-hundred-meter radius, trees shattered into fragments, then turned to dust.

"Damn."

Lu Ran inwardly recoiled, appearing on the cliff across the gorge.

Thanks to his Evil Perception and Evil Sensitivity, his reaction was swift enough.

Otherwise, he'd already been struck by that explosive surge of lightning!

And thanks to the maximum one-kilometer teleport distance of Sea Realm—Evil Shadow Flash.

Otherwise, he'd have been trapped inside the lightning domain!

Sea Realm divine arts were truly terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Ran barely escaped death.

But several of Tian Tu Mountain's bandits were fully engulfed by the lightning domain.

Yet, the Jade Talisman devotees possessed the divine art—Jade Talisman Array.

The white jade talismans surrounding them could absorb the electrical currents released by other electric-lock talismans.

But the problem was, Luo Tiantu was too strong!

In his fury, he unleashed everything—crushing a Sea Realm—Electric Lock Talisman.

Yuan Ying and the Yu brothers were Sea Realm devotees; their divine arts were naturally Sea Realm level, meaning they could only partially resist the electrical control.

The Yu brothers' faces darkened, suffering terribly, forcing themselves to resist with all their might.

As for Yuan Ying,

He was electrified, his whole body numb!

Because before being engulfed by the lightning domain, Yuan Ying had been struck by the Evil Art—Thread-Gaze.

A single round of "Ten Thousand Threads Piercing the Body" wouldn't kill Yuan Ying, but it inflicted agonizing pain, disrupting his cultivation.

Add to that, their own chieftain, Luo Tiantu, was absurdly powerful—how could Yuan Ying possibly withstand his lord's wrath?

"Opportunity!" Lu Ran thought.

The brilliant lightning nearly blinded his eyes.

Lu Ran did not dodge—he narrowed his eyes, studying intently.

Relying on memory and visual input, Lu Ran suddenly raised his hand and sheathed his blade.

"Crack!"

At the exact moment Lu Ran raised his hand, amid the blinding lightning, two rows of canine teeth materialized midair above Yuan Ying's cliff.

Silent. Unseen.

For the crisp sound of the teeth snapping shut was drowned by the chaotic roar of the lightning.

Shhh~

The lightning domain vanished—sky and earth cleared.

Luo Tiantu's gaze turned icy—he sought Lu Ran, but saw Yuan Ying, severed at the waist, on the cliff.

Instantly, Luo Tiantu's face turned ashen.

Kong Lady's eyes widened slightly: "This—"

Due to the dense lightning and blinding brilliance, neither knew what had transpired within the domain.

How had Yuan Ying died?

Yu Lengshan and Yu Lenghe were stunned and enraged!

Though electricity still coiled around them, they forced their Jade Talisman Array to reinforce their water-armored suits and hastily retreated backward.

On the opposite cliff, Lu Ran still held his hand, gripping the hilt of his shoulder blade.

His gaze was cold, fixed on the group.

The world fell silent.

The narrow gorge divided them.

"Heh. Heh. Hahahahahaha!" Luo Tiantu suddenly laughed.

His laughter grew louder.

Lu Ran's lips curled slightly, watching the furious Sea Realm master.

He knew—it was laughter born of rage.

For Lu Ran could feel Luo Tiantu's fury.

Without exaggeration, the very atmosphere of this land had been ignited by the Sea Realm master's wrath.

Lu Ran did not interrupt him.

He hoped Luo Tiantu would laugh longer—giving him more time.

After all, in another dimension, Yuan Ying's soul had to drift from that cliff to this one.

Pity—he'd wanted Yuan Ying to witness his blade.

But plans changed faster than expected.

Hmm. Blame your own chieftain—he's just too strong.

If I hadn't acted, I'd be disrespected your chieftain by stealing the spotlight!

"Good! Very good!" Finally, Luo Tiantu stopped laughing.

He gazed at Lu Ran, speaking slowly: "Young friend, you have courage! And skill!"

It seemed that, compared to Lu Ran's silent murder of Yuan Ying, Luo Tiantu cared more about Lu Ran's audacity.

Luo Tiantu had long since ascended to the Sea Realm.

In his world, there were perhaps only a few types of people.

One kind: obsequious, groveling, servile.

Another: kowtowing, wailing, begging for mercy.

But a young man like Lu Ran—he hadn't seen one in this Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm for a very, very long time.

"Young friend, with such strength at your age, truly admirable." As he spoke, his anger gradually faded.

He gazed at Lu Ran and continued: "Why not join Tian Tu Mountain? Let us build something great together. What do you say?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Wait—Sea Realm elder!

I just killed two of your bandits right under your nose. Are you really okay with that?

Or is this what it means to be a superior—cold and heartless?

"Huh~"

Kong Lady flew to Luo Tiantu's side, returning to her former composed, elegant demeanor.

She reinserted her cracked hairpin into her hair, smiling in harmony with her husband: "Young friend, your skill is truly impressive."

Once Lu Ran confirmed Yuan Ying's soul had entered the garden, he said directly: "The road of the martial world is long—we'll meet again."

Then Lu Ran vanished.

He had no intention of fighting two Sea Realm masters to the death!

Just now, Luo Tiantu showed only a single move, nearly pinning Lu Ran to death right there!

His heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

Lu Ran's only advantage was his mental output.

But Luo Tiantu and Lady Kong were both Sea Realm cultivators; even if the Yu Fu sect had no refined defensive techniques and they were caught off guard, they could still rely on their Sea Realm mental strength to react swiftly and rejoin the battle.

Physically, Lu Ran also struggled to break through their defenses.

He could only try using the Radiant Light Domain.

Overall, Lu Ran could match them in a struggle.

But only if he was willing to risk his life!

So, there's no need!

Why not wait until I've cultivated the Lie Tian Divine Sculpture, then challenge the two Sea Realm experts?

Why not wait until I've cultivated the Yu Fu Divine Sculpture, activate the Yu Fu Array, absorb their attacks while slashing them to pieces with chaotic blades? Isn't that better?

"Hmph." As Lu Ran vanished, Luo Tiantu's expression darkened instantly.

Lady Kong's face was grave: "Tiantu, how did Yuan Ying die?"

Luo Tiantu slightly lifted his chin, gesturing toward Yuan Ying's corpse with it.

Yu Lenghe immediately stepped forward to examine it closely.

Lady Kong frowned slightly and added, "Before Yuan Ying was engulfed by lightning, he seemed to have suffered some kind of mental shock?"

Luo Tiantu's gaze was unreadable: "The Qiang Xiu sect only has mental defense techniques—no offensive mental arts."

Lady Kong analyzed: "This boy has at least three divine weapons or magical artifacts—perhaps one of them grants that ability?"

"Chief!" Yu Lenghe called out loudly.

"Speak."

Yu Lenghe knelt on one knee before Yuan Ying's corpse, looking up at the chief: "Yuan Ying's body feels as if it was bitten through."

"Bitten through?"

"Yes, Chief, look at the fracture surface of the corpse."

The two Sea Realm experts descended and examined it closely.

As they studied it, Lady Kong's eyes flickered with realization, and she murmured softly, "This boy probably isn't a Qiang Xiu disciple!"

"Oh?"

Lady Kong stared at the severed bones and said gravely, "This looks like canine teeth tearing—irregular, jagged."

This boy must have fallen into the demonic path—he's a demon disciple, a follower of the Evil Hound?"

Yu Lenghe knelt, head bowed, facing the two: "Chief, Lady—among all the Qiang Xiu disciples I've ever seen, not one has ever gone without a spear!"

Luo Tiantu nodded thoughtfully.

So, the so-called Qiang Xiu Divine Art: Piercing Cloud Shadow is actually the Evil Hound Demonic Art: Evil Shadow Flash?

Hmph,

He's good at pretending.

When he first cast his technique, he deliberately tilted his body to fake the motion of Piercing Cloud Shadow.

Lady Kong's eyes flickered: "No wonder his reaction was so fast—he managed to dodge the Lightning Shackles Talisman. He must have relied on the Evil Hound's demonic art."

After all, the lightning burst from the Lightning Shackles Talisman is nearly instantaneous to ordinary people!

Lu Ran dodging it was truly astonishing.

Lady Kong suddenly frowned: "But if he's a demon disciple and an Evil Hound follower, why is his mind so clear?"

Luo Tiantu, arms crossed behind his back, mused: "The Evil Hound craves more Sacred Spirit energy—it naturally needs a lucid servant."

If he were mentally unstable, he wouldn't have been running away—he'd already be dead in my hands."

Lady Kong linked her arm through Luo Tiantu's, her face filled with concern: "Tiantu, this boy is young, yet his talent is extraordinary."

At just the River Realm, he dares to act so boldly before us—someday, he will become a great threat!"

This boy cannot be allowed to live!"

Luo Tiantu reached out, his fingertip brushing lightly over the jade flower hairpin in Lady Kong's coiffure, tracing its cracked patterns.

His motion was gentle, yet a terrifying pressure spread outward.

At his feet, kneeling Yu Lenghe trembled uncontrollably.

Yu Lengshan, on guard nearby, felt as if needles pricked his back, daring not to even breathe deeply.

Luo Tiantu said calmly: "I'm going to Jingting Mountain."

Lady Kong's phoenix eyes gleamed, and a gentle smile appeared on her face: "The Evil Hound clan certainly fears those loudmouths."

Though she spoke these words, inwardly she sighed deeply.

The Sacred Spirit Mountains stretch endlessly!

This pup is clever—and he knows how to run.

If we let him escape this time, finding him again won't be easy.

What I fear is not finding him—then, years or even decades from now, he comes to us himself.

(End of Chapter)