Chapter 85: The Eye of the Perished Realm!

The next day, at dawn.

Lu Ran swept the house clean, then took the Silent Night Blade and a wooden practice sword, donned a black raincoat, and stepped out the door.

Taking advantage of the city not yet being under lockdown, he could still go out for a stroll.

"Rustle-rustle-rustle."

Lu Ran stood before the building, gazing up at the gloomy, rainy sky.

"One layer of autumn rain brings one layer of chill."

He murmured these words to himself and walked alone into the curtain of rain.

When Lu Ran arrived at the Wu Lie River residential compound, he held an extra plastic bag containing breakfast bought from a shop.

Familiar with the route, he went to the old, abandoned rooftop and headed straight for a corner.

"Dad."

Lu Ran took a carton of milk from the plastic bag and placed it on the stone railing: "It's been a long time since I visited; I found that little Li Hua."

Saying this, he chuckled: "From now on, you won't have to eat canned fish anymore."

Then, Lu Ran took a can of luncheon meat out of the plastic bag.

Coming to pay respects again this time, Lu Ran was no longer who he used to be.

He had transformed from the confused, low-status novice believer he once was into someone who now possessed a garden of divine and demonic sculptures.

He was even equipped with the Xie Fa of the Fierce Dog clan and the Lie Hun Mo clan.

It carried a strong sense of "defying the whole world."

"Is this good or bad?" Lu Ran asked softly.

He was only seventeen; he had not seen much, nor experienced much.

Yet such questioning was destined to receive no response.

His deceased father remained silent,

with only cold rain sliding down his face.

"Who knows," Lu Ran answered his own question. "At least it gave me some hope and confidence."

Lu Ran raised his eyes slightly, looking toward the surging, flowing waters of the Wu Lie River in the distance.

The surging river waters possessed a majestic momentum.

They added a touch of fierce character to this small city's rain-soaked alleys, where the gloomy rain fell continuously.

In the chilly autumn rain, Lu Ran lifted his twin blades, stepped backward step by step, and groped along on his own.

Regarding the skill of wielding twin blades, Lu Ran had made tremendous progress during the past twenty days of training in the Demon Lair.

"Whoosh!!"

With his realm elevated, Lu Ran's physical qualities had improved greatly; when he wielded his blades, the sound of cutting through the air was even more intense.

Between heaven and earth, mist constantly gathered toward him.

The rain alley was hazy with mist and rain, while the Wu Lie Riverbank stretched out with vast, misty waves.

It matched quite well with the young man on the rooftop, surrounded by swirling mist.

Lu Ran had intended to show his father his recent growth, but he did not expect the fluctuation of divine power within his body to become increasingly violent.

Was he about to advance?

Delight filled Lu Ran's face; his twin blades moved faster and faster in his hands, slicing through layers of the rain curtain.

In recent days, he had constantly felt as though he were on the verge of breaking through and advancing.

The Demon Lair was rich in energy, an excellent place for cultivation; during his twenty-day journey to the Jinmen Demon Lair, Lu Ran had never been lax.

Moreover, during his trials, he often used the Divine Power Bead to absorb and refine the corpses and bones of evil spirits, drawing energy from within the bead to replenish himself.

After returning home last night, Lu Ran had stayed awake all night, cultivating before the shrine until dawn.

On this tenth day of the ninth lunar month, Lu Ran's arduous cultivation finally yielded the desired result.

"Heh."

Lu Ran let out a long sigh, gradually coming to a stop, his twin blades hanging naturally at his sides.

The divine power within his body flowed like a stream, moving in an orderly fashion, accelerating continuously, and expanding his human meridians.

Lu Ran trembled slightly, standing before the rooftop railing, gazing from afar at the Wu Lie River waters.

The dual enjoyment of body and mind actually made Lu Ran's eyes appear somewhat blurred.

"Ah~~~"

After a full half-hour or more, Lu Ran suddenly let out a comfortable moan.

This place was desolate and uninhabited; Lu Ran behaved recklessly, shouting very loudly.

"Clatter~"

The twin blades in his hands fell to the ground, splashing up tiny droplets of water.

Lu Ran stretched out his arms and stretched his waist with fierce intensity.

So satisfying!

So very satisfying indeed.

Now, can I learn the Shen Fa: Immortal Pupil?

Lu Ran's heart stirred greatly; while enjoying the surging sense of power after his advancement, he recalled the method of casting the technique.

Casting this Shen Fa was relatively simple.

A Xiang Xiang Xianyang believer needed to focus their attention on their pupils, mobilize the divine power within their body, and gather it at the eyes.

Then, by praying to their own deity, they could activate the corresponding Shen Fa.

"Hoo~"

A surge of divine power rippled outward.

Lu Ran's round pupils transformed into the horizontal slits of the Xiang Xiang Xianyang!

"Did it work?" Lu Ran wasn't entirely sure.

Although his pupils had changed, his field of vision remained completely unaltered.

Lu Ran glanced left and right, shifted several steps sideways, and came to a stop before a puddle of accumulated water.

Bending down to look, he saw that his own eyes had become "dead sheep eyes," resembling two minus signs.

"Huh?"

Lu Ran's expression shifted slightly; he had startled himself!

He had seen this before online: the appearance of Xiang Xiang Xianyang devotees while casting spells.

When other devotees activated their "Immortal Pupils," their entire demeanor appeared extremely rigid and dull.

But at this moment, when Lu Ran looked at himself...

He looked lifeless, exuding waves of yin wind!

"Gulp." Lu Ran swallowed.

This wasn't him trying to glorify himself, nor was it an illusion.

Lu Ran had seen the pair of eyes reflected in the puddle before!

He had seen them more than once at the Black Fire Sheep Head!

Even to this day, Lu Ran still could not adapt to meeting that gaze.

Behind those eerie sheep pupils,

it was as if there lay a bone-chilling graveyard, a human hell where yin winds wailed!

At this very moment, within his own eyes, Lu Ran saw this very trend emerging!

"Ugh." Lu Ran covered his eyes with one hand.

Mixing with the cold rainwater, he rubbed them vigorously.

This was too embarrassing!

If word got out, wouldn't he be laughed to death by others?

The first person to be frightened by my Divine Art: Immortal Pupil... turned out to be myself?

"My lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang?" Lu Ran composed himself and attempted to communicate with the deity, "Why are these eyes different from those of other Xiang Xiang Xianyang devotees?"

Lu Ran pondered, "They are also not quite like the eyes of the Bai Yang jade carving; instead, they are..."

"What." Finally, a low voice echoed into his mind.

Lu Ran immediately replied, "Instead, they look very much like your eyes?"

Amidst the deity's usually majestic tone, a faint hint of amusement could be detected: "Is that so?"

Lu Ran pressed his lips together: "These Immortal Pupils possess not a shred of dullness.

On the contrary, they are utterly terrifying."

The Xiang Xiang Xianyang fell silent again.

Lu Ran probed cautiously, "Does this method have a special version? Just like the Divine Art: Sound of Compassion?"

A single word transmitted into his mind: "Yes."

Lu Ran's face lit up with great joy: "Please teach me, my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang!"

"Have you truly thought this through?"

"I have thought it through!"

"No, you have not." The transmitted voice grew increasingly hoarse, "After learning this method, you will only suffer greater pain."

"Huh?" Lu Ran was somewhat bewildered and asked in confusion, "To cast this kind of divine art, one must pay the price of self-harm?"

"No, it is spiritual pain."

Lu Ran: "Ah, well..."

The transmitted voice came slowly: "You will be able to see the souls of the dead.

You will see their twisted faces, witness their agonized struggles.

You will see the dead souls crying out, raging, lingering with attachment, filled with sorrow... until their souls scatter and vanish."

Lu Ran:!!!

Black Sheep Head: "In that case, do you still wish to learn it?"

Lu Ran leaned forward, propping his hands on the stone railing, his eyes somewhat vacant.

So-called "dead souls," of course, were invisible to ordinary humans.

Only certain devotees of specific deities and certain evil demons could materialize these dead souls, displaying them before the eyes of the crowd.

For instance, the Lie Hun Mo clan could use Xie Fa to absorb dead souls.

Only through spheres of black mist could people see the faces of those dead souls.

The Black Sheep Head remained silent, not urging Lu Ran.

After a moment, Lu Ran said in a deep voice: "Yes, I want to learn it!"

"You still wish to learn it?"

"Yes!" Lu Ran nodded heavily, "Just because I do not see them does not mean the dead souls do not exist, does it?

If I lacked this ability, that would be one thing.

But since I have access to such a divine art, yet refuse to learn it, how is that any different from deceiving myself?"

Black Sheep Head: "Quite perceptive."

Lu Ran pressed further: "But, my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang, even if I can see these dead souls, what can I actually do about them?"

Lu Ran's mind was highly active.

"Can I consciously restrain souls and draw them into the Divine-Demon Sculpture Garden?"

"Or know where someone has just died in battle, where an evil spirit has been slain?"

"Allowing me to reach the corpses one step faster?"

Black Sheep Head: "Spotting wandering souls is merely an incidental ability."

Lu Ran instantly perked up: "Incidental?"

Black Sheep Head: "The Divine-Demon Sculpture Garden is hidden within these very eyes."

Lu Ran's mouth gaped into an O-shape!

"No wonder I always felt the Black Fire Sheep Head's eyes were lifeless and filled with gloomy winds."

"These eyes are actually a gate?"

"Within the garden behind the gate, every statue requires wandering souls to nourish it."

"Then isn't that equivalent to a graveyard? Isn't it a realm of purgatory!"

"I-I thought you had created a sculpture garden inside my mind," Lu Ran managed to say.

"Indeed so." Black Sheep Head was unexpectedly patient.

Presumably, it was quite satisfied with Lu Ran's performance.

Black Sheep Head said in a deep voice: "Your spiritual world has long been inseparable from these eyes."

"However, given your current level of cultivation and spiritual strength, I must still take the lead and provide support."

"For now, you are not yet capable of taking these eyes from my hands."

Lu Ran: "Is that so..."

Black Sheep Head: "It is good to learn this method superficially for now; it can aid you in restraining souls."

"One day, you will take over these eyes, and everything within them, entirely."

"Please stop saying things like that, my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang," Lu Ran said helplessly.

The fact that my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang would eventually vanish had always been a knot in Lu Ran's heart; yet his strength was too weak, and he did not even know how to help.

Black Sheep Head fell silent.

It perceived Lu Ran's sense of powerlessness and his deep worry with perfect clarity.

Having this intention was enough.

Lu Ran did not know what the divine lord was contemplating.

For now, he could only strive to grow with all his might, according to the divine lord's expectations.

He hoped that one day, when he was strong enough, Xiang Xiang Xianyang would tell him the solution.

Apart from that, there was no other way.

The rooftop fell into silence; after a long while, Lu Ran finally asked:

"So, this is not a special version of the Divine Art · Immortal Pupil, but an entirely new technique you created."

Lu Ran had originally thought my lord Xiang Xiang Xianyang would offer a reasonable explanation.

He did not expect the other party to give no response at all.

After waiting for a long time, Lu Ran tried asking: "What is this technique called?"

"Pupil of the Death Realm."

Two updates for today; let Yu slow down a bit—sitting here all day, updating so much these past two days has made my fingers numb from typing.

I will continue adding more updates tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)