Chapter 916: Bloodbath Across the Eight Directions

Three days later, by the sea cliff.

Lu Ran sat in deep meditation, the Bahuang Juemie Dao resting flat on his knees, a finely crafted gourd nestled in his arms.

Taking advantage of the Ruan Men dual guardians' breakthroughs, Lu Ran and his weapons and artifacts greedily absorbed the thick energy of heaven and earth.

In such a cultivation environment, slow growth was impossible!

Suddenly, Lu Ran felt a mysterious presence calling to him.

It must be Xian'er-jie.

After all, the Great Nightmare was still leveling up, and Lu Ran had remained continuously linked to the Evil Shadow Guardian.

Lu Ran immediately accepted the "voice call," and a voice instantly echoed in his mind:

【Young Master~~~】

The way she dragged out the syllables made Lu Ran grimace.

Damn!

That little voice was so sweet~

Lu Ran could almost picture the sweet smile on Xian'er-jie's face.

【Did you succeed?】 Lu Ran ventured.

【Haha, I'm Jiang Jing again!】 Si Xianxian was ecstatic, bouncing with joy, 【Finally no more dried fish meat! ~】

Lu Ran smiled and warned: 【Congratulations! The Great Nightmare is still leveling up—the inner cliff is rich with divine power. Don't slack off; use this chance to solidify your realm.】

【Yes yes, thank you, Young Master, for saving me from the fire! I'll serve you as your ox and horse, repay your great kindness!】 Si Xianxian sent back a cheerful voice.

Lu Ran: "."

Si Xianxian: 【Why'd you go quiet? Don't you believe me?】

Lu Ran sneered: 【Just focus on your cultivation, you little Jiang Jing beginner! You're supposed to be a Ruan Men guardian—I'm embarrassed to even mention you.】

Si Xianxian's face instantly fell: 【You're ashamed of me?】

Lu Ran snorted: 【When we first met, I was Xi Jing and you were He Jing. Now I've reached Jiang Jing, and you've barely escaped He Jing.】

Si Xianxian's temper flared instantly, her beautiful eyes nearly blazing: 【Young Master! Have I given you too much leeway?】

Her good mood from the breakthrough vanished in an instant.

Damn bastard!

Every word stabbed right into his heart!

Si Xianxian gritted her teeth: 【Come on, tell me where you are! I'll ride the Flame Heaven Kui to find you!】

【No time! No meeting! Get back to cultivating!】 Lu Ran cut the connection abruptly.

Si Xianxian was indeed only at the early stage of Jiang Jing—within the Sacred Spirit Mountain territory, she meant little.

But she was a follower of Lie Tian!

More precisely, Si Xianxian was destined to replace Lie Tian's divine throne.

The phrase "cross-rank killing" was made for her! If she went mad, she could even kill a Hai Jing cultivator.

"Huh~" Lu Ran exhaled, calming his thoughts.

Playful as it was, Si Xianxian's successful breakthrough had lifted a heavy burden from Lu Ran's heart.

It meant her body had fully recovered.

She now had a clear, definite goal, and her heart had stabilized once more.

Undeniably, humans were the most base of beings—the cost of rebelling against the gods was horrifically high!

Si Xianxian had voluntarily torn up her pact with the gods, and the backlash had been immense.

Lu Ran had reason to believe that precisely because he had ventured out to sea and cultivated the Divine Sculpture to level up, Si Xianxian's fusion with the Sculpture had deepened, restoring her completely.

"Good. Good that she's recovered," Lu Ran murmured.

Si Xianxian had bid farewell forever to her tragic past! From now on, she would walk without chains, stepping boldly forward, ascending step by step to the heavens!

Ultimately, she would become that mad immortal.

Lu Ran smiled again, gripping the blade's hilt in one hand and cradling the blazing phoenix-patterned gourd in the other, sinking into deep cultivation.

Si Xianxian took three days to break from He Jing to Jiang Jing.

Deng Yuxiang's breakthrough to Hai Jing, however, would require five to ten days.

These five to ten days were Deng Yuxiang's most beneficial phase.

Divine power would continuously expand her meridians, nourish every inch of her flesh and blood, and enhance her physical strength.

Thus, the longer she took to complete her breakthrough after shattering the bottleneck, the more advantageous it was for her!

The only problem? This was the Sacred Spirit Mountain territory!

The longer your breakthrough took, the more likely you were to be attacked by enemies.

On the sixth day of Deng Yuxiang's breakthrough, something happened!

Lu Ran, already on edge, suddenly received a voice transmission from Yan Shuangzi.

【Master!】

【What's wrong?】 Lu Ran's heart lurched—the Evil Shadow Guardian had been silent; she rarely spoke unless necessary.

To his surprise, Yan Shuangzi transmitted: 【I've reached my cultivation bottleneck. Reporting to you, Master.】

Lu Ran:???

The mist generated by the Great Nightmare's breakthrough was immense—those swirling mist dragons still stretched between heaven and earth!

In such an environment, everyone in Ruan Men was advancing at double speed.

But the issue is—

Lu Ran vaguely remembered Yan Shuangzi had returned to Jiang Jing in late March, and now it was late June.

Only three months? Already leveling up again?

Her cultivation speed was on par with Lu Ran's!

Wait—

Lu Ran suddenly recalled Yan Shuangzi had fallen from Jiang Jing·Stage Two.

Could it be that rebuilding her Dao heart and retracing her cultivation path made her progress even faster?

【Good news!】 Lu Ran suppressed his thoughts and replied, 【Hand over your duties to Jing Hong, then come to the sea cliff—I'll lend you Little Chifeng.】

Yan Shuangzi hesitated: 【The Nightmare Guardian is still leveling up—should I…】

【No problem!】 Lu Ran cut her off sharply, 【Cultivation advancement is the top priority! One step behind, and you fall further behind!】

The only reason you should deliberately slow your growth is if you yourself aren't ready.】

Yan Shuangzi's fate had already been tragic enough.

She followed him with such loyalty—he wouldn't let her suffer any more.

Yan Shuangzi pressed her thin lips together and whispered: 【Yes.】

Lu Ran fell silent for a moment, then transmitted: 【Yuxiang-jie will be overjoyed to hear you've rebuilt yourself and advanced so swiftly.】

【Yes!】 Yan Shuangzi replied solemnly.

"She's coming back," Lu Ran murmured, picking up the blazing phoenix-patterned gourd and weighing it in his palm.

Breakthroughs were coming in a chain.

Ruan Men's overall strength was visibly surging.

As the sect master, how could Lu Ran not be delighted?

Half a minute later, Yan Shuangzi appeared silently beside Lu Ran, head bowed, one knee on the ground.

Lu Ran handed her the gourd: "Focus on your breakthrough. That's your only task now. Providing you a safe environment is my responsibility."

Yan Shuangzi took the blazing phoenix-patterned gourd, hiding her face beneath the brim of her wide hat, nodding silently.

"Go. I await your good news."

"Yes!" Yan Shuangzi vanished.

Lu Ran sat still for a moment, then slowly rose, inhaling deeply.

He had been in the Sacred Spirit Mountain territory for nearly half a year.

Lu Ran had built a foundation. Originally, only Deng Yuxiang stood beside him; now, many loyal, kindred souls had gathered around him, and everything was falling into place.

When he first arrived, weak and helpless, this cruel world had failed to stop him from establishing his footing.

Nor had it crushed his rising momentum!

From now on—

Lu Ran lifted his head, his determined gaze piercing through layers of mist as if seeing the heavens.

From now on, you won't stop me either!

Lu Ran stood with his hands behind his back, drawing in vast amounts of heaven and earth's energy.

A brilliant Dao heart shone brightly, flourishing unseen.

Time slipped away, the sky gradually darkened.

"Hss"

Suddenly, a faint dragon's roar echoed from the eastern sky.

Lu Ran snapped his eyes open.

Was that the Roaring Flame Sea Serpent?

The eastern seas near Cloud Sea Cliff were already controlled by Lu Ran's Ink Carp team and the Sea Merfolk squad—evil demons had little chance of breaking through.

Only creatures like the Roaring Flame Sea Serpent could possibly have made it this far.

He also loves living on the sea, yet dwells in the sky.

Dwells in the sky?!

Lu Ran's heart stirred; he gripped the Eight Wastes Annihilation Blade: "Eight Wastes, isn't our battle with the Furious Sea Flame Dragon a sky battle?"

"Master?" came Xiang Luoying's voice from the distant mist.

"Lord Luo Shen will hold his post—I'll go see!" Lu Ran shouted, his figure flickering and vanishing.

After three consecutive teleports, Lu Ran arrived at a position three kilometers away, standing between sky and sea.

"Sssss!!"

A dragon's roar shook heaven and earth.

From the gloomy eastern sky, a colossal dragon flew toward them.

Its body stretched hundreds of meters long, its scales all a blood-red hue!

That immense body seemed ready to dye the entire sky crimson.

Its enormous dragon eyes locked fixedly on the direction of Cloud Sea Cliff—the target was unmistakable!

Moreover, the Furious Sea Flame Dragon flew at astonishing speed and paid no heed to Lu Ran, such a tiny being.

Lu Ran turned his head to look behind him.

Cloud Sea Cliff was shrouded in mist; whirlwinds of fog connected sky and sea—truly a sight to draw attention?

"Roar!!"

The Furious Sea Flame Dragon opened its bloodied maw, roaring in fury as it charged recklessly.

Fierce and terrifying, its aura surged like a raging tide!

Lu Ran suddenly soared upward—not choosing to ambush, but deliberately blocking the Furious Sea Flame Dragon's flight path?

"Sssss!!"

The Furious Sea Flame Dragon finally spotted the tiny human.

Yet it did not unleash any technique—only continued flying forward.

Think about it: that mighty, massive body would simply crush through, reducing the puny human to pulp.

"Eight Wastes, wake up."

Lu Ran slowly raised his blade.

Beneath rolling thick clouds, the tiny human stood between sky and sea, blade extended, pointing at the crimson dragon.

The Furious Sea Flame Dragon, hundreds of meters long, charged with a sky dyed red, roaring as if determined to crush all creation.

The battle had not yet begun.

This scene alone already carried an epic grandeur.

"On land, I've taken you to slay countless demons and cut down many villains."

"In the deep sea, we've endured battle after battle, the demons' blood staining entire seas crimson."

"This battle, Eight Wastes—this is our sky battle!"

Lu Ran clenched the hilt; in his gaze, the furious dragon drew ever closer.

A titanic aura surged toward him, mingled with fierce sea winds that made his rain cape snap violently.

In Lu Ran's eyes, murderous intent surged wildly!

Eight Wastes,

Today, we'll wash your blade clean with this scorching dragon's blood.

Eight Wastes,

It's time to wake up!

(End of Chapter)