Chapter 946: The Path to Heaven?

"Damn thing"

Lu Ran gripped the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, muttering under his breath; even though he had long shut off the Evil Method · Evil Perception, he was still startled by the noise.

Worse still, the group of Blackfire Steeds had also been frightened by the sound.

Hooves trampled chaotically, walls of fire rose high, and rings of flame spread outward.

The scene was utterly chaotic!

"Shhh~"

Lu Ran's figure flashed once, retreating to a small hill hundreds of meters away.

There, four people stood motionless.

Deng Yu looked at the furious returnee, a faint smile curling her lips: 【General Ran, failed again?】

Whenever others were present, she always treated Lu Ran with respect and submission, always building up the Master's prestige.

But that didn't stop her from teasing someone via telepathy.

"Hmph." Lu Ran grunted irritably.

He waved his hand carelessly; the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade (Demon General's Blade) quietly shattered, dissolving into specks of energy.

It was said that Blackfire Steeds recognized their masters, showed great loyalty to the Demon General clan, and would unconditionally assist them in battle.

Yet Lu Ran, as the master of the Evil Demon · Demon General, could not control the Blackfire Steeds.

It was so infuriating~

Lu Ran was so angry he wanted to immediately create a Demon General and throw it right into the herd.

Ride them one by one!

Unfortunately, the quota for creating Demon Generals was full; the Demon General Generals were all guarding Cloud Sea Cliff.

If he sent a telepathic message asking Fengxian'er to kill one Demon General, then summoned it himself... hmm, not really necessary.

You must strengthen yourself to forge your own strength.

Lu Ran still wanted to become a Demon General himself, riding a mighty steed with majestic glory.

"Sigh," he sighed; his disguise plan had completely failed!

These tall, powerful horses had truly fierce tempers.

Not even letting anyone touch them, let alone ride them.

Hmm, as fierce as the Great Nightmare~

Yu Changsheng's eyes held a hint of amusement as he chuckled: "If the Master carried the Artifact · Wind Barrier Pearl, it would be better."

Even if the fire within the herd raged fiercely, the Master could remain unharmed and continue taming them."

Lu Ran: "."

He turned his head, gazing at Yu Changsheng with a resentful look.

"Hehe~" Yu Changsheng, seeing Lu Ran's pouty expression, couldn't help laughing.

Lu Ran was utterly exasperated!

From Dragon! And Deng the Big Girl... I've truly spoiled you two!

Accepting the Artifact · Wind Barrier Pearl was undoubtedly Lu Ran's major blunder.

Because of this, Yu Changsheng had already teased him twice on this journey.

How to put it...

It was all because He Qifeng's expression had been so sincere, her concerned gaze so heartfelt, that Lu Ran had been deeply moved.

Lu Ran, in a moment of weakness, accepted the Wind Barrier Pearl and promised the Wu Seng girl that upon returning from the Great Northwest, he would tell her what exactly lay in that realm.

Yet right after Lu Ran received the Wind Barrier Pearl, Deng Yu sent a telepathic request.

The Great Nightmare said one thing: 【Evil Demon Master, not planning to hide anymore?】

Lu Ran was mortified!

If he carried the Wind Barrier Pearl on his person, all his secrets would be exposed to its owner—He Qifeng.

So, after bidding farewell to He Qifeng and walking several miles out of the Forbidden City, he had Yu Changsheng return the Artifact · Wind Barrier Pearl.

As for why he didn't return it himself on the spot...

Lu Ran chickened out.

The Wu Seng girl had just ascended to the Sea Realm—too terrifying. Lu Ran feared she might crush him with one hand.

He could already picture He Qifeng's furious expression!

To betray such a lovely lady's goodwill was truly deserving of death.

Fortunately, the Silent Night Blade was a cold, aloof godlike figure!

Otherwise, He Qifeng might have used the divine weapon to interrogate Lu Ran until he confessed everything.

"Reverse Heaven's Order!" Lu Ran glared at the two guardian deities and ordered, "You two! Go kill this entire herd of Blackfire Steeds!"

Yu Changsheng asked with a grin: "Not riding them anymore?"

"If they won't let me ride, what can I do?" Lu Ran waved his hand. "Hurry up, they're so tempting."

"Yes!"

"Yes!" The two guardian deities immediately charged toward the distance.

Lu Ran sighed inwardly, watching the distant battle.

These fiery warhorses were truly irresistible.

Yet no matter how he brandished the Demon General's blade or carried the Demon General's banner, it was useless.

"Neighhh~~~"

"Whoa!" Lu Ran exclaimed in awe.

One Blackfire Steed reared its head and neighed; flames erupted from its body, all four hooves lifting into the air, each step ascending toward heaven!

Every time its hooves touched the air, a burst of flame bloomed!

Like a beautiful flower of fire.

Evil Method · Treading Fire!

And the rapidly spreading fire rings tried to push away everything around.

In his vision, another fiery warhorse transformed into thick smoke and swiftly drifted away.

Even fleeing looked so cool...

How could you possibly withstand this!

Unfortunately, the Blackfire Steeds met Deng Yu.

She casually waved her hand; a gale swept through, instantly scattering the smoke.

If killed normally, a Blackfire Steed could leave behind bones and a demon crystal in its mind.

But one killed while in smoke form? Completely vanished—left nothing behind.

Hmm... but it did leave something.

Souls!

"Master."

"Hmm?" Lu Ran replied absently.

Jing Hong asked: "Since you like the Blackfire Steed clan so much, why not steal their power?"

As head of the Demon Containment Hall, Jing Hong also wanted to equip his Demon General Generals with these fiery warhorses.

Nearby, Luo Ying also perked up her ears.

Lu Ran gave no detailed explanation, only said: "I'm only at the River Realm now; my body's capacity is limited."

He had only one activation slot left; he couldn't waste such a precious slot just for show.

"Shhh~" Lu Ran activated the Soul Realm Eye, searching for souls, his figure flickering.

More than thirty souls surged into his eye—Lu Ran was thoroughly satisfied.

Lu Ran stepped onto a layer of wind waves, gazing westward, faintly spotting the Blackfire Steeds: "Let's go, onward!"

In the future, when I activate this Evil Sculpture, I hope it directly reaches the Sea Realm!

Then, I'll ride a River Realm Demon Lord · Blackfire Steed, occasionally pulling out the Fiery Phoenix Pattern Gourd and sipping it contentedly.

Ah~ I'll die of pure bliss!

"Advance!" Lu Ran ordered, leading everyone toward the west.

In the next battle, they completely left the grasslands behind, entering a barren desert.

Lu Ran and his group had no sense of entering danger.

Two Rivers, Three Seas—they marched confidently into the unknown.

Guardian General slaughtered wildly; the Master feasted greedily.

Whenever Lu Ran lost track of the Evil Demons, he would activate a teleportation mirror.

The Ran Sect advanced westward; wherever they passed, not a blade of grass remained.

Day and night alternated, several times over.

Until one afternoon, an ancient, elegant bronze mirror quietly appeared atop a sand dune.

A long leg stepped out from within the mirror.

The woman wore a green cape and a blue hat, her tall body tense, eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Suddenly, she froze completely!

"Huh?" Lu Ran stepped forward and bumped into Deng Yu's back. "What's wrong?"

"North," Deng Yuxiang casually reached out and yanked Lu Ran out.

Lu Ran immediately turned to look, his eyes widening: "Ten Thousand Swords Mountain?"

Is that Ten Thousand Swords Mountain?

No way! Did we find it this easily?

Lu Ran felt as if he were dreaming—or seeing a mirage.

In his vision stretched an endless desert, with dunes large and small rising and falling like frozen waves, tracing the marks left by the wind.

Amid this magnificent desert scene, those towering stone pillars stood out starkly!

They were called pillars, yet they widened slightly at the base and thinned toward the top, until near the clouds they became razor-sharp spires!

"Ten Thousand Swords Mountain," Yu Changsheng also stepped out, gazing far to the north.

That day, clouds churned across the sky, and the stone pillars pierced straight into the heavens, as if ready to punch holes through the heavens themselves.

"Let's go, let's go see!"

Lu Ran was ecstatic—he had been trudging through the monotonous desert for far too long.

Even the majestic sight of "the long river sinking with a round sun" had grown tiresome.

"Huh~"

The ancient bronze mirror quietly transformed into a floor-length mirror, and the five of them stepped through one after another.

"Whoa!" Lu Ran's eyes sparkled with admiration.

From afar, it hadn't seemed impressive at all.

Up close, these towering peaks were astonishingly massive!

Lu Ran's gaze sharpened—he spotted a few peaks piercing deep into the sea of clouds.

A thought struck him: "Master From Dragon!"

"Lord?"

Lu Ran licked his lips excitedly: "We define the Heavenly Realm and the Mountain Realm by the sea of clouds, right?"

The so-called Heavenly Realm was naturally the unknown place where the strong ascended after their transcendence.

The Mountain Realm was this world where everyone had been imprisoned—Holy Spirit Mountain.

Yu Changsheng vaguely guessed Lu Ran's intent, but still said: "Yes, as long as we don't get too close to the sea of clouds, we're safe."

"Master!" Lu Ran pointed excitedly upward, "It went through!"

Yu Changsheng: "..."

What kind of talk is that!

Your master is a respectable man!

"Look—that peak's tip has penetrated the clouds, yet it hasn't been shattered?" Lu Ran's eyes gleamed. "If we climb carefully up the peak—"

Yu Changsheng mused: "Since this opportunity exists, why not have the Lord craft a demon to test it?"

"Good!" Lu Ran nodded immediately, then fell into thought.

This task was perfect for the Yemo clan.

But their quota was full—they were all stationed at the Cloud Sea Cliff.

After much deliberation, Lu Ran finally chose a regal, imposing demonic statue from the Sculpture Garden—the Demon Spear Emperor!

Unfortunately, the Demon Spear Emperor's statue was only River Realm Stage One; Lu Ran could only create River Realm demons.

But it didn't matter—this race could fly and had high intelligence; that was enough!

"Huh~"

Lu Ran immediately reached out one hand.

Gradually, a noble, majestic emperor took form before them!

Jing Hong's phoenix eyes grew brighter and brighter!

If such a being could be brought into the Demon Containment Hall—

"Your Majesty, allow your humble servant to give you a lesson!"

Lu Ran dragged the Demon Spear Emperor, instructing him repeatedly on commands.

Twenty minutes later, black clouds rose beneath the Demon Spear Emperor's feet as he ascended.

Everyone looked up, watching him go.

"Slow down! Slow down!" Lu Ran kept urging, watching the Demon Spear Emperor fly tightly along the pillar until—

The Demon Spear Emperor vanished into the rolling sea of clouds, gone without a trace.

Lu Ran's pupils contracted slightly!

The world fell utterly silent.

No explosion. No sound—only the wind whispering past.

"Gulping." Lu Ran's throat bobbed.

It... just went up?

Did the Demon Spear Emperor ascend to the Heavenly Realm—silently, without a sound?!

"Snap!"

Suddenly, a hand pressed onto Lu Ran's shoulder.

"Sis?" Lu Ran turned, dazed.

Overwhelmed by shock, he'd forgotten others were present and used his private term of address.

Deng Yuxiang's tone was stern, her gaze harsh: "You're just a River Realm rookie—you absolutely cannot go!"

"Snap!"

Another hand pressed onto Lu Ran's other shoulder.

Yu Changsheng's voice was equally grave: "Even if the Lord were Sea Realm, he must not rashly risk himself.

We can probe—we've already gained the best possible outcome.

Lord, listen to her—absolutely not!"

Lu Ran: "..."

(End of Chapter)