Chapter 815: Raging Sea Flame Dragon

Lu Ran and the others traveled east for more than half a month, and the journey remained relatively smooth.

Along the way, Lu Ran gathered even more Sacred Spirit Qi and cultivated the Lie Tian Divine Sculpture to River Realm·Stage Three!

At this point, Lu Ran had acquired all six foundational techniques of the Lie Tian Sect.

There was the Primary Divine Art · Lie Tian Hammer for summoning weapons, and the Divine Art · Lie Di Thousand Flames for unleashing vast expanses of fire ahead.

There was the Divine Art·Lie Bao Tian Qiong for long-range output and detonating flame hammers; and the Divine Art·Lie Tian Power for enhancing strength.

There was also the Divine Art·Lie Huo Tian Kui for killing across ranks and boosting damage output.

And the Divine Art·Chi Di Qian Li, which hurls the flame hammer into the sky, scorching all things beneath, withering the earth and drying up vegetation.

For Lu Ran, the most useful technique was "Lie Huo Tian Kui"!

He tested it—once activated, his entire body burst into flames.

Then, the blazing Lu Ran unleashed a furious barrage upon Yu Changsheng.

Yet Yu Changsheng's Water Armor remained intact.

It was as if mocking Lu Ran's incompetence.

It was truly: I'm standing right here—go ahead and hit me!

I gave you the chance, and you still can't do it?!

Doused like a bucket of cold water, Lu Ran found the reason.

His Divine Art·Lie Huo Tian Kui was River Rank!

Even with some damage bonus, it struggled to break through the Sea Rank·Water Armor.

He'd need a River Rank·Lie Huo Tian Kui to inflict meaningful damage on Sea Realm experts!

So what else was there to say?

Keep gathering Sacred Spirit Qi!

But one thing soothed Lu Ran's wounded spirit.

Ordinary Lie Tian believers, once activating Lie Huo Tian Kui, could not stop—it lasted until their divine power and stamina were utterly depleted.

And that wasn't all!

Afterwards, Lie Tian believers had to lie in bed for days just to barely recover.

Lu Ran didn't need any of that!

As the master of the Lie Tian Divine Sculpture, Lu Ran could activate or deactivate the Divine Art at will.

This alone lifted a heavy burden from Lu Ran's heart.

In the future, if he bound the Lie Tian Divine Sculpture to Sister Xian, she could likely do the same.

Another point worth noting: generally, only third-rank or higher deities possess River Realm grand techniques.

But Lie Tian was an exception!

Though ranked seventh, this deity possessed a seventh technique.

And that wasn't all—

Lie Tian even possessed a Sea Realm grand technique!

In other words, Lie Tian should have been ranked first or second—but due to its extraordinary nature, it was relegated to the seventh row.

The Lie Tian Sect's River Realm grand technique could summon a hundred-meter flame hammer that, upon crashing down, triggered a cataclysmic explosion!

Lu Ran had every reason to believe this sect's grand technique dealt more damage than others' River Realm techniques.

He felt a strong urge to summon a "Lie Tian Divine Hammer" and smash it into Jian Shanfeng!

Crush those Jian Yi sect bastards—ahem.

Sinful, sinful.

My mother was also a Jian Yi disciple—I can't just unleash area-of-effect blasts.

Over the past half-month, the new recruit Jing Hong had performed excellently.

As Yu Changsheng had predicted, once Jing Hong realized Lu Ran was fundamentally different from Jian Shanfeng's people, she became utterly grateful to him.

Seven years of servitude had erased Jing Hong's sense of dignity.

She had already lost everything except her life.

And Lu Ran… actually treated her like a person!

Really treated her like a person!

At first, Jing Hong couldn't believe it—she thought she was dreaming.

As days passed, once she fully understood her new surroundings, tears often filled her eyes.

Tears of overwhelming joy.

Jing Hong only now realized: this misfortune had turned into fortune!

She never expected that joining the ambush would lead to her rescue from suffering by a cruel demonic disciple.

No—Master wasn't just a demonic disciple.

He seemed… omnipotent!

He could casually wield all kinds of Divine Arts and demonic techniques, as if picking flowers.

Jing Hong felt not only profound gratitude toward Lu Ran, but also deep reverence.

Deng Yu Xiang naturally welcomed this development.

She had deliberately guided Jing Hong to offer absolute loyalty to Lu Ran—and thus to Ran Men.

After all, Jing Hong was a Human Sea Realm·Stage Four expert.

Though her years as a slave had utterly crushed her spirit and reduced her to insignificance,

Her rank and power remained undeniable.

As a support-type believer, with proper direction from Lu Ran, she would yield extraordinary results.

Time passed, marked by Jing Hong's occasional tears, until early March.

On this day, fierce winds howled!

The sky was choked with dark clouds, lightning flashing and thunder roaring.

"Rain coming?" Lu Ran gazed upward, surprised.

Since entering the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm, this was his first encounter with such weather.

Deng Yu Xiang listened intently, then gave a casual order: "Jing Hong."

"Yes!"

Jing Hong sprinted up three steps at a time, leaping onto a massive boulder and summoning a phantom horn.

The horn was ancient in design, radiating an aura of antiquity, as if carved from some beast's tooth.

"Wuuu~~~"

Jing Hong lifted her head; her short hair fluttered wildly in the gale.

Jing Hong's appearance was plain; the dignity of a Sea Realm expert had long been trampled underfoot by Jian Yi disciples.

Only when she focused on blowing the horn, her towering frame lending weight to the act, did any semblance of presence emerge.

"Wuuu~~~"

The low, resonant horn call carried far, far away.

War Horn Divine Art·Hui Yin Jiao!

Wherever the horn's sound waves passed, all things responded to Jing Hong, allowing her to construct a terrain map in her mind.

This technique had an extremely wide detection range—but a fatal flaw: it was blurry!

Jing Hong could only sense obvious enemies and roughly map terrain; fine discrimination was impossible.

"I—I think I saw a dragon!"

Jing Hong shut her eyes tightly, brow furrowed, using echoes to construct a special mental landscape.

"Dragon?" Lu Ran blinked.

Yu Changsheng stirred slightly: "You mean the demonic race—Nu Hai Yan Jiao?"

"Probably. Its body is enormous." Jing Hong's expression was grave as she turned to Lu Ran, speaking respectfully, "Master, beyond the mountains lies the sea."

Yu Changsheng nodded lightly: "That matches."

Nu Hai Yan Jiao, such demons, typically appear along coastal regions.

"We finally found the sea?" Lu Ran perked up.

According to Yu Changsheng's description, the sea marked the boundary of the Sacred Spirit Mountains, far distant from their starting point.

Half a month's travel would hardly bring them to the sea—but Lu Ran had occasionally used the demonic technique·Jing Hua Yue during the journey.

Each teleportation covered eighty to a hundred kilometers, naturally accelerating their progress.

Lu Ran raised his head, gazing at the distant peaks: "Follow."

No sooner had he spoken than his figure vanished.

Yu Changsheng and Deng Yu Xiang exchanged glances and immediately gave chase.

Jing Hong could not fly and had no high-speed movement techniques—she could only run hard.

By now, she had no thoughts of escape.

Her gratitude and reverence for Lu Ran left her not the slightest rebellious thought.

Besides, if she ran away, she might be killed—or worse, enslaved again.

But with Lu Ran, Jing Hong could be a person!

"Boom!"

This time, it was not a mysterious voice from high above, but true thunder.

During her rapid flight, Deng Yu seemed to sense raindrops falling.

She gazed at Lu Ran's back, mist swirling beneath her feet, and soon reached the peak, standing steadily beside him.

Before she could speak, Deng Yu's eyes sharpened!

Dark clouds churned in the sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared.

Beyond the rolling mountains lay an endless sea, its waves towering and terrifying, making one's heart tremble.

A massive figure drifted back and forth between sky and sea.

It resembled an eastern dragon, its scales all a blood-red hue.

Fierce and dreadful, its aura blazed sky-high!

Demon·Flaming Sea Serpent!

"I've never seen anything like this," Lu Ran sighed. "Thank goodness it doesn't appear inland."

If such a colossal beast descended upon Rain Alley City,

would anyone even survive?

The Flaming Sea Serpent clan never has small members!

Even the lowest-level Mist Realm Flaming Sea Serpent exceeds a hundred meters in length!

Deng Yu squinted, gazing at the terrifying demon wreaking havoc between sky and sea, and sighed as well:

"The Flaming Sea Serpent possesses fiery demonic arts, yet it prefers to dwell in the sea—truly baffling."

Lu Ran nodded in agreement: "No wonder it's Lie Tian's archenemy."

Deng Yu: "Huh?"

Lu Ran tapped his temple: "It's mentally unstable, obviously."

"Hehe~" Deng Yu couldn't help laughing.

Far behind, Yu Changsheng, flying toward the peak, saw the two laughing and chatting.

He thought this man and woman were truly well-matched.

They warmed each other, leaned on each other.

In this filthy, cruel world, they were each other's cure—no fear of losing themselves.

Yu Changsheng had good instincts, but he had to climb this peak.

Having chosen to join Ruan Men and assist Lu Ran, Yu Changsheng intended to give his all—he held himself to high standards. As a part-time strategist, he couldn't keep the sect master waiting.

He swiftly flew to the peak and saw the monstrous, arrogant creature raging above the crashing waves.

Yu Changsheng spoke at once: "Master."

"Lord Dragon?"

"You told me before that you grow stronger by absorbing souls."

"Slap!" Lu Ran smacked his own forehead, annoyed.

Seeing such a creature for the first time was too visually shocking—he'd been too busy marveling and forgot the task at hand!

At this moment, the Flaming Sea Serpent was stirring up chaos.

If there were other demons in the sea, weren't they being slaughtered by it right now?

Lu Ran immediately activated his horizontal pupils, gazing across the sky and sea.

There were indeed souls!

That one—was it the soul of the Demon·Fisherman?

I've never seen this kind of demon with my own eyes before.

You old bastard, why did you provoke the Flaming Sea Serpent? Fuck!

Freshly emerged soul of the Demon·Ink Carp!

Just now surged up from the water!

One, two, three...

Lu Ran's eyes gleamed, his figure flickering again!

Big score!

Third watch complete—please, some moon tickets!

(End of chapter)