Chapter 932: Jade Solitary City

The stars and moon shifted, and the sky was filled with morning glow.

On the sea cliff, Lu Ran, half-asleep, opened his drowsy eyes. He sat up and raised one hand to shield his face from the light.

Through his fingers, he saw a red sun slowly rising above the distant horizon where sea met sky.

It was magnificent.

"Awake?" A soft female voice came from his side.

"Hm?" Lu Ran turned his head and saw a pair of bare calves.

He kept tilting his head upward until he saw the woman's radiant face.

No cold killing intent—only a faint smile.

It was beautiful.

"When did you get here?" Lu Ran rubbed his eyes; his speech was still slurred from sleep.

He dared sleep by the sea cliff for two reasons: first, this was his old haunt.

Second, he had the Radiant Light Saber and the Fiery Phoenix Gourd beside him.

If anything happened, the divine weapon and artifact would awaken him immediately.

But clearly, Deng Yu had been added to the "absolute trust" list by both the Radiant Light Saber and the little Fiery Phoenix, so neither awakened Lu Ran upon her arrival.

"Last night," Deng Yu looked down at Lu Ran. "I saw you were sleeping, so I didn't disturb you."

"Oh." Lu Ran was now more alert, his gaze fixed on her earlobe.

There had once been a small ruby stud; now it was replaced by a ruby earring.

The diamond-shaped earring was as large as a fingertip, dangling beneath her delicate earlobe, glowing with an unusual luster under the red morning sun.

It made her face even more dazzling.

Deng Yu raised an eyebrow, her tone playful: "How long do you plan to stare?"

Lu Ran chuckled: "I like looking. I love looking~"

Deng Yu's expression turned odd; she pinched the delicate earring between her fingers: "If you like it so much, I'll give it back to you—why don't you wear it yourself?"

Lu Ran rolled his eyes.

"Heh~" Deng Yu let out a soft laugh.

Lu Ran stopped staring at this radiant camellia and turned toward the sea, grumbling: "I meant your spirit—your vitality, your energy!"

When he first met her, she was this radiant.

But fate had been cruel, her path strewn with thorns.

Fortunately, after many trials, she had returned to her original self.

"Mm." Deng Yu still wore a faint smile, gazing down at the young man seated on the cliff.

In the past two years, her life had indeed been eventful.

Like the waves beneath this Cloud Sea Cliff—great rises, great falls, then great rises again.

Silence settled on the cliff.

The sea breeze stirred, gently lifting her long hair.

Suddenly, Lu Ran, gazing at the sea, asked: "How long do you plan to stare?"

Deng Yu froze, then shot him a look—half-annoyed, half-amused.

He still held a grudge?

She stood with her hands behind her back, lifting her gaze to the red sun over the sea: "Did the Yu Fu statue successfully ascend?"

"Sea Realm, Stage Three."

"Oh?" Deng Yu was pleasantly surprised, then remembered something and sneered, "Luo Tiantu really is a loyal servant."

In the past decade and more, he must have never slacked off."

Lu Ran shrugged: "It seems that even if believers absorb more Holy Spirit Qi, it's still hard to please the deity.

If people want to return home, this path won't work."

After all, the Luo Kong couple had amassed thousands of Holy Spirit Qi!

It was already far, far too much.

Deng Yu said: "The more Holy Spirit Qi a believer absorbs, shouldn't the deity want that believer to die more?

Only then can they offer their soul, carrying the Holy Spirit Qi, back into the deity's embrace?"

Lu Ran pondered: "We still don't know whether the deity can extract Holy Spirit Qi from a living human's soul.

If it can't, then believers truly must die."

Deng Yu's heart stirred: "You could try researching whether you can draw Holy Spirit Qi from living souls.

Bai Lao, Cong Long, and the Xun Luo couple's souls must contain plenty of Holy Spirit Qi."

Lu Ran nodded.

The red sun rose higher; the morning glow gradually faded.

Deng Yu watched silently for a long while, then softly asked: "What's your next move?"

Lu Ran had a clear plan and answered immediately: "I'm about to hit a cultivation bottleneck—I'll enter seclusion to break through.

Then, we'll head to the northwest."

Deng Yu's heart stirred as she thought: "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain?"

"Exactly," Lu Ran confirmed. "Didn't Lady Kong say there might be Evil Dog clans lurking around Ten Thousand Swords Mountain?"

But even Lady Kong wasn't certain.

She'd heard it from a captive, who spoke of a dangerous region called Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, far away in the desolate northwest.

Usually, people saw only rolling mountains covered in dense trees.

Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, however, lay in a barren desert.

There, the peaks stood like blades, each one piercing the sky in dense rows—hence the name "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain."

It was said that many powerful demons dwelled there.

Including, but not limited to, the Wild Female Ba and the Evil Dog clans.

Lu Ran was very interested in exploring it.

His current Evil Dog demonic sculpture was only River Realm Stage One and desperately needed advancement.

Remember, once a human reaches River Realm, each minor stage increase enhances the power of their techniques slightly!

Moreover, Lu Ran had a disciple who inherited the Evil Dog lineage—Yan Shuangzi.

If the Evil Dog demonic sculpture kept ascending, she could merge with it again and again, to a far greater degree.

This would improve her cultivation potential and raise her ceiling!

She had always faithfully, devotedly followed Lu Ran.

Lu Ran would naturally treat her well.

If he could use Evil Dog corpses to cultivate the Evil Dog demonic sculpture, that would be ideal.

Subconsciously, Lu Ran still wanted to preserve Holy Spirit Qi for cultivating divine sculptures—he didn't want to kill human believers.

Even though his hands were already stained with blood.

No washing could cleanse them.

"Hm?" Lu Ran lifted his eyes slightly.

Deng Yu bent down, reached out, and rubbed his head gently: "Take a few days off.

Since entering the Holy Spirit Mountain, you haven't rested at all."

Lu Ran laughed: "Don't you remember how you begged me tearfully to find the Evil Dogs for your best friend?"

Deng Yu:???

Tearfully?

"Hmph." Deng Yu laughed in mock outrage, increasing the pressure on his head, making Lu Ran sway back and forth.

Thus, the Lord of the Rui Sect unlocked a new role—Bobblehead.

"Stop! Stop!" Lu Ran begged, trying to push her hand away.

Yet the vast sea's crushing force over all beings was comprehensive.

As a River Realm cultivator, Lu Ran needed to activate the Fiery Heaven Power just to push her away.

"When we go to Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, come with me!" Lu Ran added.

Hearing this, Deng Yu finally eased her grip.

Lu Ran finally exhaled: "It's settled then! I'll enter seclusion right away. While I'm gone, you manage Cloud Sea Cliff.

If anything happens or you're unsure what to do, ask Cong Long and Bai Lao."

Deng Yu snorted.

Lu Ran added: "Also, visit Bai Lao every day. Ask whether Cloud Sea Cliff is peaceful—better safe than sorry."

"Got it," Deng Yu replied offhandedly, smoothing Lu Ran's shoulder-length hair. "Want me to tie it up?"

"No. I'll take a bath first—feel refreshed before entering seclusion."

Lu Ran's figure flickered, finally escaping her grasp.

Deng Yu turned her head curiously.

Because Lu Ran hadn't flashed into the sea—he stood twenty meters from the cliff's edge.

Then, Deng Yu saw Lu Ran sprint, accelerate, and leap off the cliff with one foot.

Question: What's it like to jump into the sea from an 800-meter-high sea cliff?

Ordinary people would surely be crushed by the waves!

As a Jiang-level adept, Lu Ran, well, he was also a bit cowardly.

As he fell, he summoned the Yu Fu Array to slow his descent, then plunged into the sea.

Deng Yuxiang silently watched the sea surface until the man surfaced, at which point she lifted her gaze toward the rising sun.

"Ten Thousand Swords Mountain."

Deng Yuxiang murmured to herself.

Just hearing the name made one feel it was fraught with peril.

Meanwhile, in the human realm's Great Xia — Yumen Pass.

Beneath the Divine Yu Fu, an ancient city had also been built — Yugucheng.

Even in the early morning, the city was packed with people.

Within Great Xia, wherever a Divine's true form resided, crowds were always thick — some came to pay homage as Yu Fu's devotees, others to visit and pray for blessings.

Amid the throng, there was one particularly unusual open space.

A white-robed woman, elegant and ethereal, her face veiled, walked silently behind the city guard leading the way.

Her noble aura, so sublime it made others feel ashamed, and the faint pressure she radiated, kept a radius of several meters completely empty — no one dared approach.

Even the noisy crowd fell silent wherever she passed.

This woman was Jiang Ruyi, who had rushed here overnight to pay homage!

Even with her white veil, many recognized her — she had appeared in the first season of "Heavenly Prodigies."

Moreover, she had another identity—the fiancée of the Human Realm Master of the Xiang Xianyang faction!

People stopped in their tracks, their gazes turning toward her.

Jiang Ruyi's expression was blank, cold as a lifeless jade statue.

She was long accustomed to these burning, admiring, reverent stares.

As the woman passed, the long street, frozen as if paused, slowly returned to normal.

"Whoa! Jiang Ruyi!"

"Is that really her? Back when I watched 'Heavenly Prodigies,' she didn't seem like this? So ethereal, so cold!"

"Such terrifying aura — she must be high-level Jiang! Man, Lu Ran really has luck."

"By the way, what's Lu Ran doing? Haven't heard anything about him in a while."

"Who knows where he's messing around? Maybe he's on the front lines? Otherwise, he wouldn't be gone this long."

"Damn, I even miss him a little! I'll burn a few extra incense sticks for Yu Fu later and pray for Lu Ran!"

(End of Chapter)