Chapter 897: Divine Weapon · Evil Moon Domain?

At the bottom of Yunhai Cliff, inside a small cave.

A piercing scream echoed within, lingering for a long time.

"Enough, stop screaming!" Lu Ran dimmed the black flame burning the soul.

"Mmmgh…" The man, terrified, dared not scream again, yet emitted strange sounds as the pain had not yet faded.

Lu Ran leaned against the cave entrance and asked, "Which faction do you belong to?"

In Lu Ran's eyes, four Jiangjing-level Yanqing disciples sneaking in from the sea must have been organized and deliberate.

"Seafolk Guild! My lord! We're from the Seafolk Guild!" the man cried out urgently.

He looked as if he feared answering too slowly would bring more torment.

"Seafolk Guild?" Lu Ran was genuinely surprised.

He actually knew this organization!

Xun Luo and his wife had once said that two factions once existed here, later merging in a power struggle before setting sail together to seek the Immortal Island.

After merging, they called themselves the Seafolk Guild!

"Yes, Seafolk Guild! Seafolk Guild!" the man stammered frantically.

"Did you find the Immortal Island?" Lu Ran frowned slightly.

The man visibly froze: "My lord… you know about us?"

Lu Ran's face darkened: "Am I chatting with you?"

The man jumped in fright and hurriedly said, "We found it! There are many islands at sea, and some are saturated with Sacred Spirit energy!"

Lu Ran nodded slightly: "So your Seafolk Guild has stripped all the Sacred Spirit energy clean, and now you're returning?"

He assumed these four might be a vanguard unit.

If so, Yunhai Cliff must brace itself—hard battles were likely coming!

But the man sobbed: "We escaped! Ever since we found the Immortal Island, we were surrounded."

"Oh?"

"The sea is too deadly—Black Carp, Fisherman Old Man, Furious Sea Flame Serpent, especially the Merfolk—they delight in tormenting us!"

Lu Ran let out a cold snort.

Merfolk—that is, mermaids.

The demonic Merfolk race all appear as males: human torsos with fish tails, each exuding noble, elegant charm.

Like the Thread-Puller Shadows and Yanzhi People, the more beautiful their appearance, the more cruel their methods of torture.

And the Merfolk are the sworn enemies of the Yanqing sect!

Who else would the Merfolk kill?

Logically, the demonic beings of the Sacred Spirit Mountains should prioritize gathering Sacred Spirit energy.

So "sworn enemies" might not be the true root of the conflict.

More likely, these Yanqing disciples who sailed far out had invaded the Merfolk's territory, threatening their core interests.

The man continued his lament: "We were trapped on an island, surrounded entirely by Merfolk—we endure their sonic assaults daily.

We hide and flee, terrified the Furious Sea Flame Serpents might spot us from the sky."

Lu Ran interrupted: "And then you escaped?"

The man hurriedly said, "We had internal divisions…"

As the captive spoke, Lu Ran pieced together the general picture.

Faced with their encirclement, the Seafolk Guild split into two factions.

One faction wanted to wait for a stormy night, flee the Immortal Island by air, and seek the next island to continue gathering Sacred Spirit energy for the Divine Lord.

Only this way could they possibly win the Divine Lord's favor!

Only this way might the Divine Lord, in mercy, allow believers to return to the mortal world!

This faction held the majority.

The smaller faction wished to return to their original base.

Though returning meant abandoning hope, compared to the perilous sea, they preferred not to die here and refused to seek another Immortal Island.

Eventually, violent conflict erupted within the Seafolk Guild.

The fanatical believers would not tolerate disloyal Yanqing disciples!

The Divine Lord's will was supreme—how could believers, fearing death for selfish gain, betray their faith?

Many others, weary of the Sacred Spirit Mountains and longing to go home, would not allow anyone to undermine morale!

Thus, fellow disciples drew blades against each other.

Fortunately, Yanqing's divine arts all manifest in water form.

And Yanqing disciples themselves do not use water-based techniques.

It was as if, "We were all taught by the same master—none can break each other's spells."

Only then did the minority manage to escape the Immortal Island.

They first fought their own comrades, then lost some to demons, and scattered further along the way—ultimately, only this four-man team reached Yunhai Cliff.

"Hah." Lu Ran laughed bitterly.

Pitiful?

Pitiful my ass!

Lu Ran growled: "You're this broken, and instead of resting and recovering, the first thing you think of when seeing someone ascend is to sabotage them?"

"Sorry, my lord, sorry! We're blind, we're…!" The man panicked, begging incessantly.

Lu Ran cut him off harshly: "No more excuses! I just want to know—what were you thinking?"

The man stammered, then suddenly shifted: "W-we didn't mean to harm anyone, we just… aaaaah!"

Mid-sentence, a faint soul-fire ignited in Lu Ran's palm.

Screams rang out, mixed with sobs and pleas.

Lu Ran burned him for a full ten seconds before extinguishing the flame.

"We've been away too long!" the man cried loudly, no longer daring to lie, "When we returned, we saw a new faction here, saw someone ascending!"

Lu Ran stared coldly at the man: "And then?"

"We wanted to secretly investigate—see if this faction was founded by Yanqing believers. If so, we'd try to join them. If not…"

"Then what?"

"Then… then sabotage this person's ascent—strike first. My lord! My lord, I'm sorry, I've told you everything, please spare me!"

Lu Ran's face was grim: "This place is far from your stronghold."

Yunhai Cliff is truly on the seashore.

The Seafolk Guild's base is hidden deep in the mountains and forests.

The man's face twisted in anguish, his voice trembling: "We'll meet eventually—three months, five months, ten years, eight years… eventually… we'll meet…"

Lu Ran closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

The customs and rules of the Sacred Spirit Mountains were not formed in a day or two.

Now he thought about it, Wu Seng's girl's ambitions would likely face endless hardship.

The man dared not utter a sound, filled with regret.

Who could have guessed they'd encounter such a demon?

If he'd known, he'd have stayed with the main force to seek the Immortal Island!

Perhaps, once enough Sacred Spirit energy was gathered, the Divine Lord might truly show mercy…

Lu Ran suddenly asked: "Just the four of you?"

"More than ten of us escaped, but the rest scattered—likely killed by demons. Only these four landed together."

"Hmm. You said there are many Immortal Islands at sea?"

"Yes. The first two islands we landed on had no Sacred Spirit energy—probably collected by Fisherman Old Man or the Nijing Demon."

Lu Ran perked up, his voice rising slightly: "What? Nijing Demon?"

"Ah!" The man trembled, unsure why the youth reacted so strongly, and hurriedly replied, "There's a Nijing Demon clan on the island!"

Lu Ran was both shocked and delighted: "You saw them?"

"My lord, I saw a mirror open high in the sky—a Nijing Demon poked out its upper body and caught the Sacred Spirit energy falling from above!" the man was certain.

"Gulped." Lu Ran's Adam's apple moved.

No wonder no one knew where the Nijing Demon clan's base was.

So it was on the islands?

Of course—they're terrestrial beings, but possess a teleportation technique, allowing free movement between islands.

The only question: was the Nijing Demon this captive saw a lone individual?

Lu Ran immediately asked, but the answer was vague.

According to the captive, he had indeed seen the Nijing Demon's figure—likely on a distant island.

Whether it was one, a group, or if a demonic nest existed there, he had no idea.

At that time, he and the Seafolk Guild members were trapped on the Immortal Island.

No way up, no way down—waiting only for a stormy night to flee by rain.

"In two days, I'll interrogate you again," Lu Ran said. "Then, you'll tell me everything you saw and heard during your voyage."

"My lord! My lord, I can tell you now, please don't—"

"Shut up." Lu Ran immediately summoned the ancient bronze mirror.

The follow-up matters must wait until Xun Yifei successfully advances before further interrogation.

As the full-length mirror took shape, Lu Ran stepped into it and arrived at the region guarded by Deng Yuxiang, west of Yunhai Cliff.

"Master?"

"It's me." Lu Ran responded at once, silently marveling at her formidable strength.

Even amid such a violent storm, she had sensed the divine energy fluctuations.

"Here, take the prisoner first. Once Yunhai Cliff is secure, we'll interrogate him together." Lu Ran hurried to Deng Yuxiang's side.

"Yes." Deng Yuxiang reached out to take the prisoner, then suddenly frowned, "Huh?"

Lu Ran also sensed something—the energy on the cliff seemed even denser?

"Stay on duty." Lu Ran handed over the prisoner and opened another full-length mirror.

Stepping through, Lu Ran hovered midair between sea and sky, several kilometers from Yunhai Cliff.

As the saying goes: those involved are confused!

When Lu Ran left the Yunhai Cliff area, he saw a magnificent sight!

Thick mist churned across heaven and earth, surging wildly toward Yunhai Cliff.

This was naturally the white mist bestowed by heaven during Xun Yifei's advancement.

Lu Ran scrutinized it closely—and as expected, he saw a higher-tier celestial phenomenon!

Within the mist, vast quantities of vapor rotated orderly, forming numerous substantial vortexes of fog that connected sky to cliff.

Is this the phenomenon triggered by a divine weapon's advancement?

Lu Ran slightly parted his lips, his heart growing ever more excited.

He wanted to ask Yan Shuangzi, but feared disturbing her.

Ink-dyed Blade, Cold Ming Blade, Cold Moon Blade, Evil Moon Crescent Blade

The divine weapon changed names multiple times, passed through several hands, and wandered the Mountain Realm for over a decade.

Until two months ago, it finally met the one person after its original master whom it recognized and was willing to entrust its entire existence to.

And Yan Shuangzi, wielding her Evil Moon Crescent Blade, was about to enter the Divine Weapon Realm!

"BOOM!!"

A sudden, earth-shattering sound!

"Sss…" Lu Ran turned pale, drawing in a sharp breath.

It was not thunder.

It was the sound unique to the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm—the terrifying noise from above the dark clouds!

Lu Ran clenched his teeth, clamping his hands over his ears, glaring fiercely at the heavens.

You damned bastards!

My Evil Shadow's Evil Moon Crescent Blade will one day cut you down!

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(End of Chapter)