Chapter 811: Ten Faces of Ambush

In the pitch-black cave, Deng Yu's trembling body gradually grew still.

She remained silent, head bowed, as if still embarrassed and annoyed.

Lu Ran knew she had recovered, because the buzzing in his mind had ceased.

Night Phantom Sculpture has reached Stage Five!

The peak of Jiang Realm!

Too bad the Night Phantom clan has completely collapsed—if Lu Ran had been given more time, he could have cultivated the Night Phantom Sculpture to Sea Realm and then created Jiang Realm Night Phantom minions!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have several more servants?

Lu Ran silently cursed his luck but suppressed his inner urge, softly calling, "Nightmare?"

"Mm." Deng Yu replied in a low voice.

"If you've recovered, let's go back. This is still Night Phantom territory—the sooner we leave, the safer we'll be."

"Yes." Deng Yu masked her inner emotions with a completely expressionless face.

Lu Ran silently smiled but said nothing.

After all, she was a young woman in her early twenties, fiercely proud, yet every time her Sculpture advanced, she ended up trembling like this—pathetic.

It's truly embarrassing~

"Let's go, Master Fish. Let's return to the lake area and rest." Lu Ran immediately summoned the Luodijing.

For days, the group had been fighting nonstop; even with the aid of a Sea Realm Grand Physician to ease their fatigue, they still desperately needed a good night's sleep.

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng, who had been hiding far away, immediately rose and walked over.

When the group teleported outside into the snow-covered forest, they realized it was already deep night.

Lu Ran cast the demonic art Mirror Flower Moon several more times, and the three of them finally returned to the forest beside the highland lake.

The night sky was still shrouded in clouds.

The forest was utterly dark.

Yu Changsheng raised his hand to summon Little Fish, but Lu Ran moved swiftly, grabbing his wrist.

"Shh." Lu Ran whispered the silence command, his voice barely audible.

Yu Changsheng's heart tightened!

In this absolute darkness, he could not observe his surroundings.

Yu Changsheng could rely on nothing but his divine weapon, the Fan of Mist and Rain.

Yet, aside from the many divine weapons Lu Ran carried, the Fan of Mist and Rain detected no other similar energies.

【Don't move.】Lu Ran gripped Yu Changsheng's hand and issued a mental command to Deng Yu.

Deng Yu was already alert; upon hearing Lu Ran's mental order, she strained her ears to listen harder.

Hss~

Lu Ran sniffed: 【There are people. Many of them!】

Deng Yu's expression darkened: 【Are they here to rest by the lake? Or are they lying in wait for us?】

【Calm your aura. Don't let them sense you.】Lu Ran commanded mentally, silently summoning an ancient bronze mirror.

Demon Art: Mirror of Fated Threads!

He focused his mind, and the mirror's image shifted rapidly.

Areas that appeared perfectly flat were deliberately revealed by the Mirror of Fated Threads.

Undoubtedly, someone was hiding underground!

Lu Ran scanned over a dozen patches of ground through the Mirror of Fated Threads.

This meant that within a five-hundred-meter radius centered on himself, at least a dozen people were buried beneath the soil.

Lu Ran lifted his head, gazing far into the distance, carefully observing the environment.

So these people had set an ambush centered on the lake?

This highland lake was large—how many more ambushers lurked beyond the five-hundred-meter perimeter, near the lake's edges?

【Go.】Lu Ran's face turned grim.

He grabbed one in each hand and carefully retreated with his two guardians into the still-open Luodijing.

And after the three figures vanished, the Luodijing remained open.

Lu Ran poked his head out again from within the mirror, focusing his vision to the distant trees.

Slowly, he raised his hand—and five thin red threads emerged from the tips of his five fingers.

Demon Art: Threads of Binding!

As the saying goes: Better to storm the gates of Yama than to be touched by Threads of Binding!

"Today, you've stepped on an iron plate," Lu Ran murmured inwardly, as the five thin red threads crept forward slowly.

Like five venomous snakes hidden in the darkness!

Far more treacherous and harder to detect than any snake.

The Threads of Binding slipped silently beneath the tree, piercing into the earth.

"Huh? Aaah!!"

Sudden screams shattered the deathly silence of the forest.

Lu Ran surged divine power through his hands, and the five threads clung tightly to the ambushers' bodies.

Demon Art: Chaotic Threads!

Building upon control of the target's physical form, this technique obstructs the target's divine energy flow and disrupts spellcasting.

"Pull!"

Lu Ran roared inwardly and yanked sharply backward.

A tall woman was violently dragged from the ground, flying straight toward the Luodijing.

"What's going on?"

"Ambush?"

"Wuuu~~~" The entire lake area erupted into chaos; horns blared abruptly.

Yet even before the horns sounded, the woman had already been dragged into the mirror, and the Luodijing vanished.

Eighty kilometers away, in a dense forest.

Lu Ran lightly flicked his fingers, and the tall woman floated midair like a puppet on strings, slowly turning.

Without a word, a deep crimson hue flashed in his eyes.

Demon Art: Eyes of Binding!

Lu Ran's face turned cruel: "You're going to— Huh?"

Lu Ran was startled—he had intended to offer a greeting gift, using the Eyes of Binding to torment and intimidate the captive, making her more compliant.

But his illusion technique had been reflected back at him?

This woman… doesn't respond to mental techniques?

What kind of devotee is she?

I don't care what kind of devotee you are!

Do you think my Demon Art—Chaotic Threads—is a joke?

Lu Ran surged divine power through the red threads, violently blocking the woman's internal divine energy flow.

Then, once again, a seductive deep crimson flickered in his eyes.

"Aaaah! Aaaaaah!!"

The tall woman shrieked in agony, her body and mind pierced by countless needles.

Excruciating pain surged through every limb and bone, twisting her features and causing her body to convulse uncontrollably.

Mental defense techniques require active activation; once Lu Ran further disrupted her divine energy flow, he could forcibly interfere with—or even shut down—her mental defenses.

"Shut up!" Deng Yu hissed, her voice brimming with authority.

"Ugh." The tall woman instinctively obeyed—but the extreme pain forced out involuntary moans.

Once Lu Ran confirmed the captive posed no threat, he glanced around: "Let's find somewhere hidden."

At the same time, on a nearby cliff not far from the highland lake.

Long ago, before Lu and Deng had investigated the lake and met Yu Changsheng, they had rested right here.

Now, a woman stood motionless upon it, her face chillingly cold.

"M-Master." A man knelt trembling behind her.

"Speak." The white-robed woman spat out a single word.

"Jing Hong… Jing Hong… is missing." The man stammered, his forehead pressed to the ground, "We just searched—we couldn't find her."

"Useless!" The white-robed woman hissed through clenched teeth.

As her anger flared, the temperature of the world plummeted.

"Sss!"

Blade piercing the skull.

The white-robed woman casually flicked her sleeve—her flying sword instantly shattered the man's Water Armor and pinned him to the spot where he knelt.

She had executed her slave, yet her fury remained unquenched.

And the horn's search-and-scouting sound still echoed through the forest.

Beneath the invisible sound waves, the white-robed woman's actions were clearly perceived by all who blew the horns.

Yet none dared utter a word of complaint—instead, they searched with even greater fervor.

Whether sorrow, despair, or possible anger, all emotions could only be buried deep within.

A low horn sounded, its tone uniquely distinct, echoing through the silent night.

Like a farewell for fallen comrades.

Inside a hidden cave in the mountain, a pale golden little fish drifted slowly through the air, illuminating the newly opened small cavern.

Notably, this fish came from the lowest-grade Mist-grade Prayer Carp.

Clearly, Yu Changsheng feared his purification method might interfere with Lu Ran's work, so he deliberately lowered the quality of his divine art.

"Lord of the Sect, impressive technique."

Yu Changsheng gazed intently at the red thread protruding from Lu Ran's fingertip.

My lord of the Sect!

How many demonic factions have you infiltrated?

Over the past ten days of battle, Lu Ran had repeatedly revealed some demonic art, leaving Yu Changsheng secretly alarmed.

And tonight,

Lu Ran has actually pulled out the demonic art of the Threadpuller Clan?

Yu Changsheng struggled to remain calm.

But reputation precedes the man!

These seductive creatures were drenched in poison, inflicting terrible wounds upon the human race.

Anyone would feel fear and raise their guard.

Yu Changsheng never imagined that the gentle, courteous Lu Ran was secretly this dangerous!

"Mr. From Dragon, you jest," Lu Ran said casually, his eyes fixed on the captive.

The other end of the fine red thread was tied to a woman.

Five threads touched her forehead, both wrists, and both ankles, fully controlling her every movement.

The woman was over forty, tall and sturdy, half a head taller than Deng Yu.

Compared to Deng Yu's curvaceous figure, this woman was even more robust.

She wore black clothing, patched with visible mending.

Because Deng Yu had issued a prior order, the woman dared not beg for mercy, yet her eyes brimmed with tears, her face etched with pleading.

"What sect do you follow?" Deng Yu interrogated.

The tall woman's lips trembled: "Warhorn Follower."

Fifth-rank Divine: Warhorn!

The Warhorn sect's offensive techniques were scarce, but their auxiliary abilities were exceptional.

Among the Wangyue people's forces, such followers could be found, but most Warhorn Follower were recruited into the army.

Of the Warhorn sect's six divine arts, five were sound-based techniques!

Various horn tones offered comprehensive effects and proved highly effective.

Recalling the day Lu Ran offered the demonic entity Yanzhi Ren on the Altar of Devotion, the students had screamed and wept, terrified into a frenzy.

At that time, one instructor had blown a horn to regain control.

The entire chaotic courtyard had instantly fallen silent.

This demonstrated the Warhorn Follower's formidable control ability!

"Warhorn Follower?" Deng Yu's inner fury intensified.

She had privately analyzed that perhaps Yu Changsheng had once angered someone, leading them to find the lake region and set an ambush.

But the Warhorn Follower profession was far too targeted.

Lu Ran's few weaknesses was his fear of sound!

Could this be coincidence?

If Lu Ran hadn't been sufficiently cautious, with his uncanny sense of danger,

He would already be pinned in place by the horn's sound in the lake region!

"Who sent you?" Deng Yu seized the woman's throat and lifted her to eye level.

The woman's lips trembled: "Swordpeak, Dongfang Ning."

Deng Yu's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly; her fury surged uncontrollably, filling the entire cave.

DONG! FANG! NING!

Three updates today: 12, 18, 22.

(End of Chapter)