Chapter 839: The Dirty Mountain

"Aaaah!!"

As a flicker of red passed through Lu Ran's eyes, the woman let out a shriek.

Under excruciating pain, her flying form twisted unnaturally; the water-flow battle robe and the newly activated Divine Art: Shattered Wind Armor both became unstable.

Lu Ran surged forward with flawless continuity.

In his right hand, he swung the Radiant Light Blade in a vicious diagonal slash; in his left, he gripped the Silent Night Blade and thrust it forward with full force.

"Stop!"

"Hold!"

Several shocked cries rang out, mingling with the sound of the woman's robe tearing apart.

In the face of death, Kong Jingqi unleashed an astonishing will to survive!

Enduring the agony of being pierced by ten thousand needles, she abandoned all restraint and violently whipped a tornado from beneath her feet.

Northern Wind Divine Art: Northern Wind Howl!

She hoped this would halt the enemy's advance and disrupt his rhythm.

But Lu Ran—

As his right hand brought down the Radiant Light Blade, shattering the enemy's defense, his left hand, still clutching the Silent Night Blade, suddenly released the hilt.

"Swoosh!"

The Silent Night Blade, propelled by momentum, shot forward at blinding speed!

The woman's water-armor still bore the gash torn open by the Radiant Light Blade.

The Silent Night Blade, precisely targeted under Lu Ran's gaze, struck with pinpoint accuracy!

It slid straight through the tear and plunged into Kong Jingqi's chest.

"Ssssh!"

Blade met flesh.

Kong Jingqi's head had already been splitting with pain; now she felt her heart turn icy.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the hooded youth standing motionless in the snow.

The tornado never fully formed—the cold blade pierced her heart, and she no longer had the strength to sustain the Divine Art.

"Ssssh!"

Blade met wood.

The Silent Night Blade, still impaling the woman, flew forward and pinned her to a massive tree.

Bu Ming's breath caught.

The other two Northern Wind devotees turned pale with shock.

All of this happened too fast.

One moment, the hooded youth had been shoved away by the furious female companion, told to get lost.

The next, Kong Jingqi had been split open, pierced through the heart, and nailed to a tree by the hooded youth!

To outsiders, the process seemed simple.

Lu Ran had merely exploited surprise and relied on the power of divine weapons.

In truth, it was not so.

Where others could not see, Lu Ran unleashed a torrent of techniques.

In this rigidly hierarchical world, even killing someone one minor stage above you was difficult.

Yet Lu Ran pushed his demonic arts to their absolute limit!

Demonic Art: Threaded Pupil—mental output that damaged the opponent's mind, destabilizing her form and armor.

Demonic Art: Demonic Agility—dramatically increased Lu Ran's reaction speed and strike velocity.

Demonic Art: Soul-Shattering Power—boosted his physical strength, combined with the Radiant Light Blade, instantly tearing through the defenses of a River Realm Stage Five expert.

Demonic Art: Demonic Perception—guided the Silent Night Blade's flight path with perfect precision.

Smooth as flowing water, seamless as one breath.

Is Lu Ran still just a treacherous sneak who wins by ambush?

Hmm. Yes.

But not quite.

Lu Ran is far more cunning, far more ruthless than anyone imagined.

"You!" Kong Jingqi's eyes remained wide open.

Only now, at this moment, did she seem to realize her life was ending.

All her noble, dignified aura vanished, replaced by boundless terror.

Lu Ran stared at the woman; beneath the brim of his hat, his eyes were cold as frost.

Holy Spirit Mountain taught me many things.

How do you like this tactic—"Internal Betrayal on the Battlefield"?

"You fucking died already!"

"Die!" The two Northern Wind disciples, shocked and enraged, shot backward into the air, putting distance between themselves and Lu Ran, while simultaneously casting spells.

Instantly, storms and wind blades erupted.

Bu Ming also retreated, but he did not cast any spell.

It was more like… fleeing?

A peak River Realm Stage Five expert, facing a youth of lower cultivation, chose to flee?

Remember, Lu Ran had just killed one of their comrades beneath Blade Ridge Peak!

Bu Ming abandoned his comrade, ignored the honor of Blade Ridge Peak, even disregarded his own dignity—to run?

It was utterly shocking!

In contrast, the other two River Realm Northern Wind disciples reacted normally.

Deng Yu kicked out a string of Night Phantom Blades; Lu Ran dodged aside, vanishing behind a distant tree and activating a floor mirror.

Bu Ming's heart lurched!

Instant. Teleport?

Bu Ming had deep grievances with Kong Jingqi and did not share the same fury as the other two Northern Wind disciples.

Moreover, his temples throbbed relentlessly—he sensed something was off about this pair of hooded figures.

A cultivator's instinct drove Bu Ming to abandon the dignity of a River Realm master and flee. He never imagined that even with his sharp instincts, he still couldn't escape?

What kind of devotee is this hooded youth?

More importantly—where did he go?

Bu Ming's backward flight abruptly halted—he sensed energy fluctuations behind him.

Without hesitation, he spun and hurled a string of wind blades.

But no one was there—only two rows of uneven canine teeth.

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Swoosh~"

For some reason, the sound of tearing air overlapped.

Alongside Bu Ming's wind blades, a string of water arrows shot through the snow-laden forest.

A Sha Divine Art: Linked Sky Beads!

"Stop! Fellow cultivators, let's talk!" Bu Ming shouted, frantically hurling more wind blades.

He knew these water arrows must have auto-tracking properties.

Dodging was impossible.

To escape, he had to shatter the arrows.

While Bu Ming tried to negotiate, the Northern Wind disciple in the forest roared in fury:

"This is Blade Ridge Peak! Not your playground! Are you all tired of living?"

Bu Ming: "…"

"Crack! Crack!"

At that moment, a series of shattering sounds rang out.

Wind blades and water arrows flew toward each other, like needle meeting needle.

Yet even the foremost water arrow effortlessly shattered the entire string of wind blades, cutting through like a hot knife through butter!

Bu Ming's pupils contracted violently!

This… this was a Sea-grade arrow?

Bu Ming instantly summoned a tornado and spun around, dashing straight toward Blade Ridge Peak.

As he flew, he continuously hurled tornadoes behind him, trying to disrupt the arrows' speed.

But the Sea-grade Divine Art: Linked Sky Beads—its momentum was terrifying, piercing through each newly formed tornado in succession.

And in the next instant—

Two rows of canine teeth appeared directly before Bu Ming.

"Crunch!"

In a flash, Bu Ming desperately twisted his body, veering rightward.

And before him, a figure suddenly flickered into view.

Green cloak, blue hat, eyes cold as ice.

"Gulping." Bu Ming swallowed hard.

By now, he had no time to wonder why the hooded youth possessed multiple techniques.

It wasn't just because the situation was dire—he blinked, and fell into a world of deep crimson.

"Me!!"

Bu Ming screamed in agony.

Every limb and bone felt pierced by ten thousand needles, but the true fatal blow came at the same moment—a water arrow striking from behind.

"Crack! Crack!"

The water arrow's force was too great—it pierced through Bu Ming's back, launching him forward, his body arched like a drawn bow.

Lu Ran, directly before Bu Ming, vanished silently.

"Aaaah!!" The piercing scream cut off abruptly.

"Sssss—"

Deng Yu's gaze was sharp, mist swirling beneath her feet.

Clutching a broken blade, she cut through the path, her sword leaving long gashes as she chased the panicked Beifeng disciple fleeing under a hail of arrows.

Nearby, Jing Hong stared in horror at a corpse riddled with countless punctures.

The Beifeng disciple's eyes bulged, his crimson blood soaking the pristine snow-covered forest.

Yu Changsheng gently fanned his paper fan, watching the Shenjiang of Rumen—Luo Ying.

Finally!

He could finally return to his support and healing role.

Luo Ying lifted her head slightly—on the battlefield, she showed not a trace of gentleness.

Even as the sunset's glow painted her silhouette in warm hues, her eyes, brimming with killing intent, made Jing Hong feel as if plunged into an icy abyss.

In this filthy Shengling Mountain, since the moment Luo Ying became a mother,

her cultivation breakthroughs and ascent had only accelerated.

Her heart grew colder.

Her arrows grew sharper.

"Got them?" Lu Ran raced over, clutching a clump of black mist in his hand.

Strangely, a man's face surfaced on the black mist.

Split Soul Heresy: Soul Prison!

Deng Yu knew exactly what Lu Ran meant. She glanced at the corpse riddled with holes: "One more!"

Lu Ran opened his horizontal pupils and shot forward.

As he absorbed the souls, he summoned the ancient bronze mirror: "Everyone, retreat!"

"Someone's coming up the mountain!" Luo Ying suddenly spoke, drawing her bow.

On the towering Blade Ridge Peak across the river.

Several men and women were speeding toward them.

Leading them was an old man with white hair, his aura surging like a tidal wave!

Clearly no good!

"Forget them, let's go!" As Lu Ran gave the order, a massive wind blade materialized high above them.

Beifeng Sect's Jiang-level technique: Beifeng Divine Blade!

Jiang Pin's divine blade was about a hundred meters long.

But the blade now hovering above their heads was likely a thousand meters long!

Undoubtedly, this was a Hai-level divine art!

"Hurry, hurry!" Lu Ran urged everyone into the mirror, then grabbed Yu Changsheng, who was lagging behind, and dragged him inside.

The next moment, they appeared in a snow forest a hundred kilometers away.

"Huh." Lu Ran exhaled deeply.

He was confident, but not arrogant enough to directly assault a sect's stronghold.

What's the difference between that and suicide?

Still uneasy, Lu Ran repeatedly used the Heresy: Mirror Moon, leading everyone southward until they hid in a valley hundreds of kilometers away.

Along the way, he kept collecting a clump of black mist.

"Tell me—is Yan Shuangzi on Blade Ridge Peak?" Lu Ran finally stopped running, staring at the face on the mist.

Bu Ming's expression darkened, silent.

Lu Ran's hand surged with energy.

Split Soul Heresy: Soul Fire!

Bu Ming's face twisted instantly; within seconds, the seemingly tough man screamed in agony: "Ahh! Aaaahhh!"

Lu Ran flipped his left hand, revealing another clump of black mist: "Nightmare, give me another."

Deng Yu immediately extended her palm; the Afterlife Coin on her wrist trembled slightly.

No one saw anything—until another woman's face surfaced on the black mist.

Kong Jingqi shrieked: "You! You two! Aaaah!"

Even Luo Ying, as formidable as she was, felt a chill in her heart.

She looked at the soul enduring extreme torment in the Soul Prison, then raised her eyes to the Sect Master.

"Speak!" Lu Ran stared at the black mist imprisoning Bu Ming, dimming the Soul Fire.

Bu Ming: "Yes! Don't burn me! Yan Shuangzi is on Blade Ridge Peak! Please, don't burn me!"

Kong Jingqi kept screaming: "I'll tell! You're looking for Yan, Yan Shuangzi, she's—Aaaah!"

Lu Ran extinguished both Soul Fires, his pupils cold as ice, staring at Bu Ming: "When I asked before, why did you lie?

Why did your expression change when I mentioned Yan Shuangzi's name?"

Unexpectedly, Bu Ming fell silent again!

Hard to believe—under such torture, he still withheld the full truth?

What was he hiding?

Before Lu Ran could press further, Kong Jingqi blurted: "He can't say it! He can't say it! Yan Shuangzi angered someone—her eyes were gouged out, one arm cut off, and she's been enslaved, tortured, abused!"

Deng Yu, who had been on guard, spun around and strode forward.

Her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling: "W-what did you just say?!"

(End of Chapter)