Chapter 973: When the Task Is Done, He Flings His Robe and Leaves

A general’s incompetence dooms his entire army.

Fang Lingfeng lost her courage almost the moment battle began and fled in panic.

The ten-member squad she led scattered like sand.

As disaster struck, each teammate ran for their life; not a single effective resistance formed from start to finish.

Of course, it was also because the Ruan Sect members were too overwhelming—they slaughtered without mercy!

The battle erupted instantly and ended just as swiftly.

All told, it probably lasted only a few dozen seconds.

“Lord, no enemies remain nearby!” Gao Yunyan called out loudly.

“Stop the sandstorm,” Lu Ran ordered.

The swirling dust vanished instantly; only the Liusha River continued to flow.

Suddenly, thin sand whips emerged.

They rose one after another from west to east, lashing up from the riverbed as if trying to turn the entire place upside down!

In the sky, Jiang Ruyi descended slowly, wrapped in the Yu Fu Array.

The Dongting Sect had no flight techniques; fighting such believers from high above was undoubtedly safer.

“Snap! Snap! Snap!”

Each sand whip flipped up the corpses of Dongting disciples and located the lotus buds hidden in the river.

Far from the battlefield, to the east, a large lotus bud was lifted to the surface.

The Liusha River vanished; the lush forest disappeared entirely; the ground retained its wavelike terrain.

The scene was magnificent!

“You take these two; I’ll absorb the rest into my pupils,” Lu Ran said, his horizontal pupils wide open as he seized Deng Yu’s wrist and reached toward the front-left.

From high above, a cold voice rang out: “Lu Ran.”

Lu Ran looked up at the Immortal Jiang: “What is it?”

Jiang Ruyi’s gaze lingered on Lu Ran’s hand for a moment, then her thin lips parted: “Lotus Sword believers.”

“Oh,” Lu Ran turned to look.

Through the delicate lotus bud, Lu Ran seemed to see a flock of ostriches.

Around them, silence reigned—the battle had clearly ended.

Yet the lotus bud remained intact; those within dared not emerge, unwilling to face their fate.

Lu Ran scanned the surroundings and collected the lingering souls of the fallen.

Excluding Fang Lingfeng, ten Dongting disciples left behind seven corpses; only three escaped alive.

Having completed this, Lu Ran finally approached the lotus bud.

Since the lotus remained tightly closed, Lu Ran was brazen—he teleported directly over: “You are safe now.”

His words echoed inside the lotus bud, striking fear into all who heard them.

Are all the people from Jingting Mountain dead?

So fast?

Who exactly are these mysterious hooded, cloaked figures?

The Lotus Sword disciples turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The reason? Probably Deng Yu’s offhand remark: “These Lotus Sword believers are mine.”

In the cruel Sacred Spirit Mountains, the weak naturally assumed they would be captured.

Whether to be killed or tortured, they did not know.

But the Lotus Sword disciples did not know that Deng Yu said that merely to deceive the enemy.

Great Nightmare wasn’t foolish—it wouldn’t reveal itself as reinforcements from the Thousand Boats Alliance!

What if some enemies escaped?

Wouldn’t that be handing them intelligence for free?

The facts proved Great Nightmare’s caution correct: several Dongting disciples had indeed escaped.

“Come out. I am a guest of the Thousand Boats Alliance,” Lu Ran said again.

Simple as it was, the words were like a sudden beam of light piercing an endless abyss!

At least, they kindled a glimmer of hope in several Lotus Sword disciples.

“Lord Pei?”

“Lord, we—” Several spoke softly, their tone tentative.

The red-robed Lord Pei clenched his teeth silently and opened the lotus bud.

Delaying was meaningless.

Their fate was inevitable.

“You—you’re here as a guest of our Thousand Boats Alliance?” Lord Pei stared at Lu Ran, startled.

He had expected to face a mysterious man in green cloak and bamboo hat.

Instead!

Before him stood a young man in a flowing white robe, dignified and imposing.

High above, a noble, coldly beautiful woman in white robes gazed down upon them.

Such attire clearly signaled their superior status!

“I have old ties with the Green Lotus Island Lord and was invited here as reinforcement,” Lu Ran said gently, nodding.

“What?”

“Reinforcements?” Nearly twenty Lotus Sword disciples stirred in agitation.

Great sorrow, then great joy.

One moment, they feared death—or a miserable survival.

The next, their fate changed utterly.

“Thank you, sir, for saving us!” Lord Pei bowed deeply, face filled with gratitude. “I am Pei Hong. May I ask your esteemed name?”

Around Lord Pei, his disciples wore varied expressions.

Some seemed dazed, barely believing.

Others were overwhelmed with relief; some even wept with joy.

Lu Ran introduced himself, then added: “Return home soon.”

“Lord Lu’s great kindness, Pei Hong will never forget!” Pei Hong bowed deeply. “If you do not mind, please accompany me back to the island so I may properly—”

“No, I have another mission,” Lu Ran raised his hand to stop him.

By now, he was accustomed to the reverence shown by sea-level cultivators.

His aura and presence had been forged through countless such encounters.

“Then, Pei—”

“Lord,” Deng Yu stepped forward.

Instantly, the Lotus Sword disciples changed expression.

Clearly visible: deep dread in their eyes.

It was this terrifying sea-level cultivator who had boldly claimed them as his possessions.

“The battlefield is cleared. Have them collect the corpses and bring the weapons back to Green Lotus Island,” Deng Yu suggested softly.

Lu Ran: [Any divine weapon embryos?]

Deng Yu: [None. Only fifty-odd Spirit Pearl fragments.]

Lu Ran snorted: [They’re filthy rich, aren’t they?]

After communicating with Great Nightmare, Lu Ran turned to look at Lord Pei.

Pei Hong immediately said: “Lord Lu, please proceed with your mission. We’ll deliver the spoils to Green Lotus Island right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all!” Pei Hong hurried to say. “May Lord Lu complete your mission safely and return to the island soon—then I shall come personally to thank you!”

Lu Ran smiled and nodded, then turned to leave.

The way his robes fluttered was exceedingly graceful.

Others’ reactions were unknown, but Jiang Ruyi, hovering in midair, watched him intently.

“Let’s go, Ruyi,” Lu Ran called.

“Mm,” Jiang Ruyi replied, floating down gracefully.

Under the gaze of Lord Pei and the others, the Ruan Sect members faded into the forest, disappearing from sight.

“The Green Lotus Island Lord actually knows such a powerful organization…”

“Lord Lu is so young!”

“Lord Lu seems only at River Level—why do those two sea-level cultivators serve him?”

“Stop talking nonsense! Clear the battlefield—we must return quickly; this place isn’t safe!”

The Lotus Sword disciples whispered among themselves, unaware that Lu Ran had already left far behind.

At this moment, he gazed at the tall figure ahead and called: “Feng’er!”

“Lord?” Xue Fengchen halted and turned.

Lu Ran smiled: “You’ve got to step up your game! Look at General Yan slaughtering everywhere—how mighty!”

Xue Fengchen’s face turned slightly red.

In the recent battle, he had contributed and used Drifting Sands and the Wild Desert.

Yet, in terms of scale, effectiveness, or battlefield results, his performance ranked lowest in the team.

If we pulled up a tactical statistics sheet, Xue Fengchen would be at the very bottom!

Even the lowest-ranked Evil Shadow Guardian in the unit could crush him.

Lu Ran said again: “When will you advance to the Sea Realm?”

Xue Fengchen murmured: “I will strive harder.”

Look at what they’ve done to the poor kid!

The Western Wilderness General at the peak of the River Realm couldn’t even speak up~

Lu Ran wasn’t mocking his comrade—he wanted to push him.

Especially after seeing Gao Yunyan’s combat power, he longed for Ruan Men to gain another Western Wilderness Divine General!

“No problem,” Gao Yunyan stepped forward, draped an arm over Xue Fengchen’s shoulder, and gave it a gentle shake.

It was comfort—and encouragement.

“I’ll teach you a phrase,” Lu Ran remembered something and said. “I have a brother in the mortal world. Every time I ask him when he’ll advance, he always replies the same thing.”

Everyone turned curious eyes toward Lu Ran.

Jiang Ruyi couldn’t help smiling—she already knew what he’d say.

Sure enough, Lu Ran blurted out: “Almost there! Almost there!”

Xue Fengchen: “.”

“That’s psychological suggestion!” Lu Ran looked at him. “Feng’er, when will you become the boundless sea?”

Xue Fengchen fell silent for a moment, then replied in a low, resolute voice: “Almost there!”

“Good,” Lu Ran nodded repeatedly, satisfied.

Suddenly, a gaze settled upon them.

Lu Ran turned to see Deng Yu Xiang giving him a light glare.

She knew perfectly well that the “brother in the mortal world” Lu Ran mentioned was her useless younger brother.

I wonder how Deng Yutang is doing now.

Has he entered the River Realm?

Or is he still stuck at some high stage of the River Realm?

“Nightmare.”

“Hm?”

“Give me a soul. We’ll interrogate it as we move.”

“Yes.” Deng Yu Xiang raised her hand and lightly shook her wrist.

Lu Ran lifted a cluster of black mist, and instantly, the terrified face of a man appeared within the Soul Prison.

Lu Ran never showed mercy to enemies.

“Ahh! Aaaah!” As Lu Ran summoned the faint soul flame, the captive screamed in agony.

Amid the piercing background noise, Lu Ran said: “Our tactical execution this time was excellent.

Drifting Sands blinded their vision; Flowing Sands altered the terrain—it was practically a grave made for the Dongting Sect!”

It’s just a pity…”

Deng Yu Xiang looked at the tormented soul and comforted Lu Ran: “Just bad luck.”

Lu Ran: “Let’s think hard—can we optimize the tactic further?”

Jiang Ruyi suddenly said: “Do you remember how you killed Peng the Elder of Tianhuang Mountain back at Ten Thousand Swords Mountain?”

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly: “From above?”

“The Dongting Sect can’t fly either. Once airborne, with no foothold, they lose all speed—you can pick them off at will.”

As she spoke, Jiang Ruyi furrowed her brow slightly, as if the wailing soul was too noisy.

Lu Ran extinguished the soul fire, and silence finally fell.

He pondered the tactic for a long while, then turned to the soul in the prison and asked coldly:

“How many Sea Realm cultivators are there in Jingting Mountain?”

(End of Chapter)