Chapter 791: Misheard the Scent of Flowers

Seven days later, on the snowy mountain.

Amid the dense snowforest, a floor-length mirror suddenly opened, and two figures burst out one after another, shattering the stillness of this realm.

Deng Yu fell heavily to the ground, her body trembling as she rolled repeatedly through the snow.

Lu Ran, meanwhile, stepped on black clouds and was flung backward.

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~!"

One after another, Night Mei knives flew out from the floor mirror, furiously chasing the two humans.

Retract!

Lu Ran, frantic with anxiety, roared inwardly as he strained to shut the floor mirror.

At the same moment, a crimson cloud-silk cloak draped over Lu Ran's body!

He thrust one hand forward; the sleeve embroidered with dragons and phoenixes suddenly expanded, sucking in the entire string of Night Mei knives.

Crimson Paper Evil Art · Crimson Paper Sleeve!

At the critical moment, it's still Sister Crimson Paper who's got my back~

"Huuu!!"

Lu Ran landed steadily, sliding backward and stirring up endless frost and snow.

What a formidable group of Night Mei!

Truly fucking brutal.

Lu Ran recalled the terrifying scene just moments ago, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Over these past few days, the two of them had traveled northward.

As altitude increased, the lush forests turned into snow-covered woodlands.

They had finally entered the territory of the Night Mei clan.

In truth, they still hadn't seen the legendary Night Mei Lake.

But Lu Ran knew clearly—he had already entered the Night Mei clan's sphere of influence!

Within this region, all sacred spirit energy descending from the heavens belonged to the Night Mei clan.

Any outsider like Lu Ran, once detected, would be executed on the spot!

Two days ago, while Lu Ran was gathering sacred spirit energy, he encountered the Night Mei clan—since then, a relentless chase and counter-chase had lasted for two full days!

Recalling the peril, even now Lu Ran felt a chill run down his spine.

These Night Mei were highly skilled, their blade techniques ruthless, each strike aimed straight for vital points!

Moreover, within this region, the Night Mei clan was extraordinarily numerous and fiercely united.

And because this clan did not rely on physical eyes to perceive the world, even entering nightfall did not hinder their mountain searches or pursuit.

This nonstop, high-intensity pursuit had begun to push Lu Ran to his limits.

Fortunately, before challenging the Divine Ruins, he had prepared thoroughly and mastered the Niche Mirror Evil Art · Mirror Flower Moon, which allowed him to open a teleportation mirror!

Otherwise—

Whether Lu Ran himself survived was uncertain, but Deng Yu would surely have perished here!

"Nightmare?" Lu Ran quickly scanned around and spotted a trembling woman beneath a distant snow pine.

Her lower garments were torn, revealing a bloody hole in her abdomen.

Blood gushed steadily, blooming into crimson flowers against the pristine snow.

A Night Mei knife had once pierced through her waist and belly.

But as Lu Ran dispersed the floor mirror, that knife severed its bond with its master and vanished without a trace.

"Huu~"

Lu Ran instantly flashed to her side, igniting black flames in his palm to press against her lower abdomen.

He felt both pity and guilt, even changing his tone of address: "Sorry, sister—the evil statues in the garden auto-level up; I can't stop it."

Originally, Deng Yu had been fighting while retreating, with clear strategy.

But when Lu Ran's head suddenly "thudded," the Night Mei statue instantly leveled up—and Deng Yu paid the price.

On a battlefield teeming with peril, one mistake could mean eternal ruin!

Especially when your enemy was the dangerously lethal Night Mei clan!

Worse still, Lu Ran couldn't predict when the statues inside the garden would level up.

For within the Sacred Spirit Mountains, you could never know how much sacred spirit energy resided within each enemy's soul.

"N-nothing," Deng Yu forced a weak smile.

Seeing Lu Ran's guilt, Deng Yu reached out tremblingly and touched his face.

It wasn't the tender moment he imagined.

Her icy fingers pinched his cheek hard.

"Ssht!" Lu Ran hissed in pain.

Deng Yu patted his cheek and whispered, "Alright, even."

Lu Ran laughed despite his concern: "You're awfully generous!"

Deng Yu opened her mouth to say more, but pain twisted her lips.

She wasn't blaming Lu Ran—she simply wanted to distract him.

If you counted heads alone, since the chase began, they'd killed at most forty-some Night Mei.

And half of those were River-stage.

Who knew the Night Mei they'd just slain had such a massive reservoir of soul energy inside!

Like opening a blind box—they'd drawn a golden legendary prize!

Deng Yu had gone from the mighty Qin Liangyu to the frail Lin Daiyu.

"Let's go." Lu Ran scooped her up.

He glanced around, dispelled the conspicuous crimson cloud-silk cloak, and dashed into the depths of the snowforest.

More than ten minutes later, inside a natural cave.

Lu Ran, his head buzzing, supported Deng Yu, who still burned with black fire, and slumped against the cave wall.

"Huh."

Lu Ran exhaled deeply, his skull resting against the stone.

The sudden leveling of the statue had also troubled him greatly.

Beside him, Deng Yu still trembled, but her condition was warming; her body grew pleasantly warm under the black fire's burn.

Leaning against the stone, she too exhaled deeply, a faint smile curling her lips.

The smile was self-deprecating.

What kind of evil lord or guardian of the Burning Sect—never even glimpsed Night Mei Lake—was now fleeing in panic?

"Wuuu~~~"

Outside the cave, the cold wind rose, howling like ghosts and wolves.

Inside the cave, dim light, utter silence.

After an indeterminate time, Lu Ran's mind finally stopped buzzing—the Night Mei statue had leveled up successfully.

River-stage, Third Rank!

Deng Yu calmed down; her wounds had been fully healed by the River-grade Fire Within the Cage.

"Alright, retract Fire Within the Cage."

"Let it burn a bit longer—it's warm," Lu Ran murmured.

Deng Yu hesitated a moment, then whispered, "The divine dagger slipped away during the chaos."

Lu Ran snorted coldly: "I saw it. It knows how to pick its moment."

Divine weapons always recognize their masters.

To that dagger, perhaps Lu and Deng were no different from the bandits of Tian Tu Mountain.

During their journey these past days, the two had tried communicating with the dagger.

But its spirit was haughty, refusing to speak with them.

As Crimson Paper put it, the dagger's spirit had sealed itself off, cutting off all contact with the outside.

Yet it seems the seal wasn't perfect after all!

It had precisely seized the chance to escape.

"Say something cheerful," Lu Ran changed the subject. "It's only been a few days, and the Night Mei statue leveled up again—congratulations."

Deng Yu nodded lightly. Last time the statue leveled up was seven days ago?

Or six?

She couldn't recall clearly; perhaps the longer they stayed in the Sacred Spirit Mountains, the more blurred her sense of time became.

Lu Ran: "Your fusion with the statue is growing stronger."

Deng Yu: "."

She had naturally sensed that this Night Mei statue's leveling had affected her body more deeply.

The benefit was, Deng Yu had become even more sensitive to wind.

She knew it wouldn't be long before she could activate the Northern Wind Divine Art · Listening to the Wind's Song, using the Night Mei race's innate trait.

At that point, her combat power would rise another notch!

"Lord of the Sect."

"Hm?"

"Let's rest for the night. I'll begin my advancement too."

"Are you ready?" Lu Ran looked at the woman beside him, a hint of concern in his heart.

After all, she had just walked through the gates of death.

Lu Ran's cage fire could heal her flesh and soothe her spirit, but her inner state still depended largely on herself to stabilize.

"Can't wait," Deng Yu replied.

Beyond the River Realm, each minor advancement brings a significant boost to her physical constitution and spell power!

She truly couldn't wait.

Lu Ran paused, then said: "Let's move further out, away from the Night Mei Clan's territory."

"These assassins are truly skilled—searching day and night, their ears sharper than anyone's."

In truth, Lu Ran's heart was conflicted.

The stronger the Night Mei Clan became, the happier he was.

Once the Night Mei Demon Sculpture advances to the Sea Realm, Lu Ran will be able to create River Realm Night Mei minions!

At that time, he planned to summon several more, forming a small squad to storm the Night Mei Lake!

Thinking of this, Lu Ran couldn't help but wonder: "How do they tell us apart?"

Over the past few days, Lu Ran and Deng Yu had tried wearing Night Mei robes and blending into the demonic ranks.

But every time, the Night Mei detected them as traitors.

Deng Yu pondered: "The Night Mei Clan doesn't see the world with eyes. They're all carved from the same mold."

Our behavior, posture, even body scent—any of these could be what gives us away."

Sniff~

Lu Ran suddenly frowned: "Is my nose broken? Why do I still smell camellia on you?"

"Hm?" Deng Yu looked puzzled—she could only smell blood.

Lu Ran immediately felt awkward after speaking.

He cleared his throat and intensified the black fire: "Uh, let's rest a bit—we're leaving soon."

They had been struggling through this realm for about ten days, engaging in many battles, yet both remained spotless.

Internally:

Both were River Realm adepts, having long transcended the human condition.

They didn't eat or drink, surviving solely on cosmic energy; their bodies were unnervingly pure from within out.

Externally:

Their water-armored form possessed cleansing properties, gradually washing clean their skin and bloodstained clothes.

So after all this time, Deng Yu shouldn't still carry the scent of camellia.

It could only be Lu Ran's mind playing tricks on him.

Deng Yu turned to look at Lu Ran, raising an eyebrow teasingly: "You miss that scent?"

Or do you miss home?

In this Sacred Spirit Mountain, many things he was used to—human customs, comforts—simply didn't exist.

But she didn't voice the latter part.

Too blunt.

She feared embarrassing him, or worse, making him truly sad.

But Lu Ran's pride was stubborn.

He shrugged indifferently, muttering: "I don't miss it. I just asked out of nowhere—must've been a hallucination."

"You're right here beside me, every day. Why would I care about flower scent?"

Deng Yu's gaze sharpened, staring silently at Lu Ran.

Then she saw him summon the ancient bronze mirror, acting busy, frantically searching for something.

After a long while, she lowered her head, smiled faintly, and softly said, "Mm."

Lu Ran: "Come on, let's find a safe spot to advance first—hide for a couple days, then come back and push the Night Mei into the Sea Realm!"

Deng Yu: "Mm, okay."

(End of Chapter)