Chapter 936: What

Since he had happened to witness He Qi's advancement, Lu Ran naturally could not leave.

Under the arrangement of Yin Tianlong of the Great Wind Hall, the members of the Ranyan Sect moved into a newly repaired wooden house.

One must admit, Wu Jifeng is truly worthy of its position at the very center of the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm!

The Purple Forbidden City is merely thirty kilometers from Wu Jifeng, making it effectively situated at the heart of the world.

During He Qi's advancement, quite a few people arrived!

Fortunately, Lu Ran and his group never had to lift a finger—Wu Jifeng's members merely revealed their identities, and no team dared to challenge them head-on.

The Ranyan Sect members thus indulged freely in feasting and drinking.

He Qi's breakthrough into a major realm summoned the highest level of mist—mist that formed a "mist tornado."

Moreover, her advancement took a long time, requiring five to ten days.

How others benefited, Lu Ran did not know, but Little Chifeng was utterly delighted~

Lu Ran, however, behaved like a madman, hugging the Chifeng-patterned gourd and muttering incessantly:

"We must eat living things, absorb living demons, we must eat living humans."

Little Chifeng found this amusing and was not annoyed at all.

Even as Lu Ran nagged endlessly, Little Chifeng always responded to him, chirping joyfully "li-li" in his mind.

As if she truly enjoyed this kind of interaction with her master?

Lu Ran nearly laughed in anger!

Every sentence gets a reply, yet none of them mean anything, right?

On the seventh night, the mist finally dispersed, and Lu Ran immediately stepped out of the wooden house.

Seeing the night was deep and remembering He Qi might continue her seclusion to consolidate her realm, Lu Ran returned inside.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, Lu Ran heard a call from outside the house:

"Lu Ran! Brother Lu, are you awake?"

"Ah, yes!" Lu Ran instinctively reached for a teleportation technique, but his clear mind halted him before he could reveal his demonic art.

He stepped out quickly and saw a woman radiating formidable energy.

"Damn~" Lu Ran grinned.

No wonder the Sea of Heaven is so vast!

This overwhelming aura made one tremble.

Excellent!

You've advanced!

Though He Qi is not yet a Divine General of the Ranyan Sect, they are allies, comrades—Lu Ran now had another powerful backer.

Like Deng Yu before her, the newly advanced He Qi radiated overwhelming momentum.

As she stepped forward, crushing pressure surged forth like a tidal wave, threatening to crush Lu Ran's bones.

"Hah!" He Qi laughed heartily, placing a hand on Lu Ran's shoulder, "I owe my advancement entirely to you!"

Lu Ran: "Huh?"

He Qi's beautiful eyes sparkled as she spoke plainly: "If I hadn't wanted to outdo you, to show myself to Brother Lu, my Dao heart would never have become so clear!"

Lu Ran: "."

Not only do you open with a full-power strike, you're chasing me down now, right?

"Hehe~" He Qi smiled wider at Lu Ran's resentful expression, "You must work harder too, little Jiang Realm cultivator!"

"Don't let Sister Qi fall too far behind!"

Honestly, Lu Ran nearly stamped his foot and cursed.

He Qi clearly possessed the traits of the Wu Seng sect: she loved challenges and grew stronger with every fight!

If Lu Ran fell behind, if his strength waned, he would no longer be worthy to be her opponent.

That would be far too boring.

"Why aren't you speaking?" He Qi's gaze burned, "Shaken?"

Lu Ran, visibly disgusted, brushed her hand away with a cold snort:

"I'll let you run around for a few more days."

"Perfect! That's the spirit!" He Qi was delighted, her hand returning to press firmly on Lu Ran's shoulder.

It made him grimace, his Water Armor trembling constantly.

Lu Ran quickly stepped back: "Enough, enough—I should be going."

"Going?" He Qi stepped forward, her hand still on Lu Ran's shoulder.

Their movements matched perfectly—neither had truly moved.

Beside them, Yin Tianlong's gaze turned resentful once more, fixed on He Qi's hand resting on Lu Ran's shoulder.

Lu Ran felt numb.

Are you seriously dancing with me?

Before he could fully process it, He Qi pushed forward, pinning him against the wooden house's doorframe.

Lu Ran:???

A Sea Realm elder is bullying me!

Isn't anyone going to stop this?

Someone actually did!

A terrifying aura surged from Lu Ran's left side—though not aimed at him, it was enough to make his heart race.

He Qi turned to see Deng Yuxiang standing not far away.

Two magnificent women, both heavenly prodigies and both at Sea Realm Stage One, locked gazes without flinching.

One's gaze burned fiercely, her aura majestic.

The other's eyes were sharp, icy and piercing.

Poor Lu Ran, the little Jiang Realm cultivator.

【Nightmare.】 Lu Ran urgently called in his mind.

After two full seconds, Deng Yuxiang finally shifted her gaze slightly toward Lu Ran.

【It's fine, just chatting.】 Lu Ran nodded gently.

Deng Yuxiang fell silent for a moment, then turned her gaze elsewhere.

He Qi, however, looked at Lu Ran with admiration: "Impressive, Lu Ran! You've mastered the art of command!"

"One glance, and a Sea Realm powerhouse obeys?"

Lu Ran rolled his eyes: "Let go of me already, or we might actually start fighting."

He Qi then remembered what she had intended to say: "I wanted to hear your advice—we should plan the city's development together! Where are you rushing off to?"

Lu Ran sighed: "The Ranyan Sect was sent out with a mission—we must go to the northwest."

He Qi was puzzled: "Why go to the northwest?"

Lu Ran paused: "To see what sects are stationed there, what demonic races exist. We've already stayed a week—our progress is far behind."

He Qi remained confused: "Why?"

Lu Ran was momentarily speechless.

Because I need the Evil Hound Sculpture to advance to Sea Realm, and only after I reach Sea Realm myself can I use Sea-grade demonic arts!

But I can't say that.

Lu Ran reorganized his thoughts: "I need a comprehensive understanding of the world I inhabit."

"I must comprehend this Sacred Spirit Mountain!"

Hearing this, He Qi fell silent.

She was not pleased.

Her aura grew denser as a result.

Lu Ran whispered: "Qi Feng, your aura is too overwhelming—I can barely breathe. Could you… step back a little?"

Before he finished speaking, He Qi reached to her neck and removed a gem.

Lu Ran looked puzzled as she opened her palm, offering him the artifact—Wind Barrier Gem.

"Here."

"What's this for?"

"I promised you before—your Silent Night Blade is with me. When I obtained a divine artifact, I'd give you one in return."

"The Wind Barrier Gem recognizes you?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." He Qi nodded. "My sect knows little of the northwest—it's said to be desolate."

"You're exploring the unknown—you may face danger. Take it."

Lu Ran hesitated: "Silent Night is enough with you—I can communicate with it."

"Take it!" He Qi insisted, her tone revealing the authority of a leader.

Lu Ran: "."

Are you seriously treating me as your subordinate?

But He Qi meant well—she even gave him a precious artifact; Lu Ran had no grounds to refuse.

He Qi suddenly smiled, her eyes bright: "If you ever face mortal danger, contact me immediately."

"No matter how far away, Sister Qi will come save you!"

Lu Ran: "."

Looking into her sincere eyes, Lu Ran sighed softly.

In this world, making a friend like her was truly rare.

"Take it," He Qi Feng forcibly pressed the Wind Barrier Pearl into Lu Ran's hand. "When you return safely, tell me in detail what's out in the northwest."

"Alright, got it!" Lu Ran accepted the gesture with a smile and nodded.

What's in the northwest?

I hope there's Ten Thousand Swords Mountain—somewhere within it lies what I seek.

"Desert! Desert!"

"We're out! I see mountains!"

Beneath a churning sea of clouds and a gloomy sky, a group of tiny figures flew swiftly between towering, needle-like stone pillars piercing the heavens.

The crowd's expressions brightened; voices erupted in excitement, and the oppressive clouds above seemed to thin slightly.

Jiang Ruyi flew in silence, her heart finally easing.

No one had anticipated that the Stone Pillar Forest would be so vast and densely packed—after flying past one stretch, another stretched ahead.

This journey had taken the group over twenty days!

For most of that time, they hadn't been traveling—they'd been fleeing in panic, hiding and dodging.

Because the Stone Pillar Forest was teeming with demonic entities.

When they set out, the Yu Fu believer squad had ten members; now only six remained.

Four Jiang-level experts had perished.

Master Yu Fu had warned them this realm was perilous.

At the time, none of them grasped the severity.

After all, back in the mortal world, they were all revered experts—beings capable of protecting entire regions!

But here…

The Mighty River?

What's there to be proud of?

I'll kill you, Mighty River!

Jiang Ruyi pressed her dry lips together, hearing the whisper beside her.

"We're finally out—no more stone pillars," An Xian murmured endlessly, barely holding back tears of relief.

Had they not been able to fly, they would have been wiped out entirely!

The normally timid demonic creature, the Golden-Winged Bat, now swarmed like locusts—covering the sky and turning people into desiccated corpses in seconds.

And the elusive Sand River Dolls, stirring up terrifying sandstorms as if determined to swallow this entire realm.

On their flight from danger, the group also encountered the terrifying Wild Woman Ba tribe.

Strictly speaking, they hadn't seen them.

It was the divine weapon, Liang Ye Sword, acting as scout, venturing deep alone and discovering them.

Who among them had even a shred of will to resist?

If Jiang Ruyi hadn't reacted swiftly and decisively, constantly adjusting their escape route and leading the team in flight, they would have perished here.

"Captain Jiang," a middle-aged man flew to her side. "We can't let our guard down. Let's fly farther—settle on that distant mountain, what do you think?"

Jiang Ruyi gave a slight nod.

The man added, "Shall I tell Meng Zhixuan?"

Jiang Ruyi turned her head, glancing at Meng Zhixuan flying nearby.

Just then, Meng Zhixuan turned to look back, his face beaming with joy as he nodded.

Jiang Ruyi's expression remained blank; she turned forward again, refusing to look at him once more.

Meng Zhixuan's smile froze; unconsciously, a shadow of bitterness flickered in his eyes.

At this moment, the six Yu Fu disciples had split into two teams.

Initially, the ten had been divided into two squads, in line with the Great Xia believers' team-building philosophy.

But after personnel adjustments, the two squads now formed were genuine factions.

Where there are people, there is conflict.

Jiang Ruyi was no longer the gentle girl who treated the world kindly in high school.

She had grown cold, silent, and had no interest in any conflict.

Yet conflict found her.

And Jiang Ruyi was no weakling!

You say the divine weapon is powerful, so it should contribute more—should lead deeper into unknown zones to scout and protect everyone's safety.

Then shouldn't command belong to me?

You say those with greater strength should aid comrades, shoulder more responsibility, think for the whole team—all for the sake of completing Master Yu Fu's mission better.

Then shouldn't the captain's position be mine?

If you think I'm just a young girl and try to assert seniority or authority to control me, you're wrong.

When you drop all pretense and resort to invoking the name of the Divine One to suppress me—

You're even more wrong.

I won't be manipulated. I won't be kidnapped.

I'll only become more certain of the true face behind your false smile.

Jiang Ruyi's gaze turned icy.

Now that we've left the Stone Pillar Forest behind,

It's time we had a proper talk.

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(End of Chapter)