Chapter 89: Night's Menace

Day and night alternate; stars and moon revolve.

In the blink of an eye, it is already the fifteenth day of the ninth lunar month.

At dawn, the alarm sirens echoing through the city disturbed Lu Ran, who was in the midst of diligent cultivation.

"Ah~~~"

Lu Ran stretched viciously; another night without sleep left him feeling somewhat drowsy.

This human flesh and blood body, in the end, still limited Lu Ran.

He desperately wanted to cultivate until the end of time, wanting to use divine power to constantly expand his meridians and strengthen his body.

But the mental exhaustion forced him to catch up on sleep.

It's just like a damn anti-addiction system~

"Lord Xiang Xianyang, good morning." Lu Ran stood up and bowed respectfully toward the shrine.

Afterward, he walked to the windowsill and gazed at the rainy scene outside.

The sky was gray and hazy, with a fine drizzle falling.

Rain Alley City was as it always was; tonight, he feared he wouldn't see the moon again.

"Eh?" Lu Ran suddenly leaned forward, looking up at the sky shrouded in overcast clouds.

Evil Technique · Evil Perception, activate!

Lu Ran exerted his vision to the limit, watching with his own eyes as a "Wu Sheng" flew past in the air.

Yes, the very same kind of "Wu Sheng" from opera performances.

The figure was dressed in full theatrical costume, appearing in grand attire.

The several command flags inserted behind its back fluttered continuously in the slanting wind and fine rain.

"A First-Rank God · Wu Sheng believer?" Lu Ran was shocked.

Judging by this display, the opponent clearly possessed peerless strength!

Did a tiny place like Rain Alley City really need the protection of a First-Rank God's believer?

Even someone like Deng Yuxiang, a Second-Rank God · Bei Feng believer, coming to guard Rain Alley City was considered a waste of talent.

After all, Rain Alley had too small a population, and the demons it attracted were relatively weak.

As for the mass ghost procession on the fifteenth of last month, that was just an accident.

However, Deng Yuxiang's situation was indeed somewhat special; after all, Rain Alley was her home.

From this point of view, the God-People Bureau still had some warmth; at the very least, they were willing to let Da Mengyan give back to her hometown.

Generally speaking, the Moon-Gazers executing missions in Rain Alley City were at most believers under Third-Rank Gods.

And this one flying through the air...

"Don't tell me." A sense of foreboding rose in Lu Ran's heart.

To actually see a believer of the First-Rank God · Wu Sheng appear early in the morning.

Could it be that something was going to happen again tonight?

The more Lu Ran thought about it, the more panicked he became.

He immediately found his phone and sent a message directly to Chang Ying:

"Big Axe Chang, do you have time to cast a divination for Rain Alley City?"

Lu Ran waited quietly for a reply, the heroic posture of the Wu Sheng he had just seen inevitably surfacing in his mind.

There was more than one First-Rank God, certainly not just the God · Jian Yi; there were a full four of them.

The Sword Immortal of the Capital, the Spear Saint of Chang'an, the Martial Monk of Songshan, and the Martial Saint of Guangfo.

These four stood together at the pinnacle of the Great Xia divine sequence.

And the locations where the true statues of these four gods stood were precisely the four most densely populated areas of Great Xia in this world.

Every night of the fifteenth, these four areas...

They were lively!

It was truly a world of demons in chaos, with evil spirits running rampant.

In fact, regarding the first three ranks of Great Xia's gods, there was a popular rhyme circulating among the people:

"One Immortal, one Saint, a pair of Martial Heroes, four-directional soldiers guarding the borders in peace.

Eight Heavenly Demons, illusions unfathomable; twelve Earthly Fiends, slaughtering evil spirits."

These short four sentences encompassed all the gods in the first three ranks of the divine sequence.

Great Xia was vast, with nearly a hundred gods.

These 28 people, singled out, are recognized by the people of Huaxia as powerful gods!

They were also the gods every young person longed to summon when stepping onto the God-Respecting Platform.

As for the gods from the fourth rank onwards...

For example, in Lu Ran's squad, the Fourth-Rank God · Jian Lian worshiped by the members, the Fifth-Rank God · Hong Jin, and so on...

They didn't even make it into the rhyme.

It was quite lacking in prestige~

As for the God · Xiang Xianyang worshiped by Lu Ran himself, that was even more of a heavyweight!

Before students stepped onto the platform, it was feared that no one would call upon this "notorious" Ninth-Rank God.

"Buzz~"

The phone suddenly buzzed.

Lu Ran unlocked it immediately, only to see a message from Chang Ying: "I'm so bad at this, my strength is so low, my divination won't be accurate."

Seeing this reply, Lu Ran's heart skipped a beat.

Having had some contact with Chang Ying, he understood her divination style.

When Chang Ying drew a good omen, she would definitely say that her divination was accurate!

So when would she say her divination wasn't accurate?

Only when she drew a bad omen!

This thing was the same principle as "left eye twitching for wealth, right eye twitching for disaster."

If my left eye twitches, then I must be about to get rich.

What? My right eye twitched?

Just kidding, isn't that pure feudal superstition? Who believes in that stuff?

Lu Ran tapped the screen with his phone, urging: "Tonight, don't watch the show by the window like before.

Go into the inner room and stay in front of the shrine with your parents."

Chang Ying: "Understood, Captain! I will definitely be obedient!"

It was clear that she cherished this opportunity to join the squad; at the very least, when facing Lu Ran, she was very well-behaved.

No one was stupid; they knew who the "real thigh" was.

Lu Ran flipped through his phone again and added a classmate in the grade group.

The other party passed the friend request quickly and sent a message first.

Bai Manni: "What do you want with me?"

Ran: "How do you feel? Inside."

Bai Manni: "Not very good."

Ran: "Cast a Heart-Sensing Curse and try it out; compare it to last month's mass ghost procession, and see if it feels better or worse."

A moment later, Bai Manni sent another message: "Feelings like this are hard to compare; in short, it's about the same.

However, you also know that I'm someone who gets nervous easily."

Ran: "Being cautious is always good; wishing you safety."

Bai Manni: "Wishing you safety as well. By the way, you must lead Chang Ying well.

She is a bit scatterbrained and doesn't have a very clear positioning of herself.

I think she is more suited for central support, but she insists on charging, which gives people a headache."

"Okay, I understand." Lu Ran replied.

Lu Ran, feeling quite heavy-hearted, rarely revealed a smile.

Chang Ying being able to enter Lu Ran's squad would very likely attract the jealousy of her former teammates.

But Bai Manni, as a captain, cared very much for Chang Ying and didn't have those petty thoughts.

This had to do with individual character.

It also had to do with the background of the entire era.

History had repeatedly shown: wherever there are people, there will always be endless strife, always blood and carnage.

Only in the face of huge disasters would the majority of people stop infighting and unite to survive.

"Hoo."

Lu Ran sighed deeply, placed his phone on the windowsill, and gazed at the overcast clouds in the sky.

Time passed second by second, never stopping.

Daylight gradually turned to night.

Lu Ran caught up on sleep in the afternoon, but he didn't sleep very soundly.

As night fell, Lu Ran came to the window again, holding a lazy little Li Hua cat in his arms.

The cabinet carrying the Xiang Xianyang shrine was placed against the window and the wall.

In other words, the shrine and divine statue were right beside Lu Ran, which gave him a lot of confidence.

"Woo~~~"

"Boom-rumble," strange cries, accompanied by the sound of violent explosions, faintly drifted over.

Lu Ran placed the little Li Hua on the windowsill and patted its little butt: "Go on, go play by yourself."

"Meow~" The little Li Hua looked up at Lu Ran.

Pooper-scooper, I'm being merciful by letting you hold me.

You've grown some nerve, you don't want to hold me anymore?

"It will scare you." Lu Ran gave a light push, heartlessly pushing the little cat away.

Subsequently, Lu Ran's pair of pupils transformed into horizontal pupils.

Divine Technique · Pupil of the Death Realm!

A pair of dead sheep eyes reappeared, lifeless and chilling to the bone.

In this world, there shouldn't be anyone willing to stare into Lu Ran's eyes.

And even fewer would be willing to push open this "gate."

The divine and demonic sculpture garden hidden behind it was a purgatory where dead souls wandered.

Lu Ran watched carefully.

His field of vision wasn't too wide, because directly in front stood a residential building.

However, Lu Ran was able to look to the left side of the residential building.

After a few short minutes, Lu Ran pressed his hands on the windowsill, staring tightly at the front left.

Evil Technique · Evil Perception could clearly coexist with Divine Technique · Pupil of the Death Realm.

Through the vast night rain, Lu Ran saw a transparent soul floating slowly into the night sky not far outside the residential complex.

That was the soul of a You Tong Gui, and at this moment, it was covering its face and wailing, looking miserable.

Having just died, it seemed to still be immersed in the pain of being near death, unable to extricate itself.

"Don't look." Lu Ran suddenly reached out to one side.

The little Li Hua, which had jumped back onto the windowsill, was covered by Lu Ran's hand over its furry little face before it could even see its master's face clearly.

Unknowingly, Lu Ran's strength had already grown to this point, as if he could foresee the future.

"You really have a rebellious streak, don't you?"

Lu Ran smiled helplessly, holding the little Li Hua again, his palm covering its eyes the whole time.

As the battle became increasingly intense, Lu Ran seemed to be placed in another world.

That pair of eerie horizontal pupils saw a world that ordinary people could not see.

A world of another dimension...

One demon after another descending into the world was slaughtered by the human race, and one after another, wailing dead souls wandered in the night.

It was a hundred times more terrifying than any horror movie in the world!

Lu Ran was experiencing a massive visual and mental impact.

And the little Li Hua in his arms was lazy and enjoying itself, falling fast asleep under Lu Ran's caress.

It was as if all the commotion outside the window had nothing to do with it, all blocked out by its master's warm embrace.

The night grew deeper and more dim.

The rain grew heavier, washing away the blood on the streets and alleys of the small city, covering up the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran suddenly turned his eyes to look straight ahead.

In the lawn of the residential complex, under a large tree, a figure quietly materialized.

It was humanoid, with a tall and sturdy build.

It wore a tattered bamboo hat on its head and was draped in a coir raincoat, looking like a brave warrior wandering the world in ancient times.

Such an outfit really matched this rainy night.

Yet beneath the bamboo hat was a rough, ugly face with a greenish-blue complexion.

At its mouth, there were two chilling fangs.

Demon Race · Lie Mian Ren!

"Hmm?" The Lie Mian Ren searched the surroundings, then its movements paused.

In this residential complex, the homes glowing with warm lights naturally became its targets.

And with one glance, it locked onto a household on the first floor.

And it was precisely this glance that caused Lu Ran's pair of pitch-black horizontal pupils to meet the Lie Mian Ren's pair of cyan pupils in a burning stare!

"Hoo!"

The Lie Mian Ren flicked its bamboo hat, its momentum vigorous, and it strode toward Lu Ran.

Lu Ran, however, remained motionless, without the slightest reaction.

He gently stroked the little Li Hua in his arms, watching the demon approach with cold eyes.

"Hiss," the Lie Mian Ren, originally striding like a meteor, suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Clearly, it had sensed something!

This household was not right.

There was a powerful existence here, emitting an aura of endless majesty, clearly conveying a message—this place is under my protection!

The Lie Mian Ren's instinct to seek advantages and avoid harm was trying to save its life.

It dared not approach again, but paced back and forth, clearly struggling internally.

"Meow?" The little Li Hua seemed to be awakened by the hoarse roar.

"It's nothing." Lu Ran covered the cat's eyes, soothing it softly, "Sleep, sleep."

"Meow~" The little Li Hua rubbed against Lu Ran's arms, whimpering softly in a daze.

Continuing to add chapters today, 12.18.22.

Begging for some monthly votes!

For every thousand monthly votes added, there will be an extra chapter; it's almost there.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 90 =====