Chapter 976: Divine Weapon Awakens!

The Eight Wilderness Blade finally activated its upgrade mode, and Lu Ran was ecstatic.

The only problem was, this place was not safe.

Lu Ran could easily use the Teleport Mirror to step straight into Mist Rain Lake and seek protection from the Thousand Boats Alliance.

But doing so would doom the Eight Wilderness Blade.

Energy from heaven and earth was surging wildly toward the river valley—if Lu Ran took the blade away, how could the Eight Wilderness Blade gather its spirit core and take form?

So Lu Ran could only make minor adjustments to his position; he could not leave this area.

Fortunately, weapon upgrades did not take long.

It lasted anywhere from minutes to a few hours, nothing like human cultivation breakthroughs, which often dragged on for days.

“Lu Ran, take the blade into the cave,” Jiang Ruyi spoke at once.

Lu Ran needed full focus to guide the Eight Wilderness Blade in gathering its spirit core, so Jiang Ruyi naturally assumed command of the Ruan Sect.

She swiftly organized everyone to form a defensive formation around the river valley cave.

Lu Ran dared not teleport; instead, he cradled the Eight Wilderness Blade in both hands and walked step by step back to the riverside cave.

He listened as Jiang Ruyi issued orders with calm precision, and his heart grew steady.

Jiang Ruyi’s arrival had made the Ruan Sect truly complete.

She possessed sufficient prestige and ability to lead this band of devastating warriors.

Don’t assume Jiang Ruyi is merely the sect master’s wife, so everyone obeying her is natural.

Those monsters—Nightmare, Evil Shadow—were any of them easy to control?

Their loyalty to Lu Ran personally far outweighed their allegiance to the Ruan Sect as an organization.

If Jiang Ruyi’s aura wavered even slightly, or if her command skills slipped by a hair, Deng Yu would have seized power forcefully.

Protecting Lu Ran was the absolute priority; everything else was irrelevant.

“I’ll occasionally have General Yan use Sand Drift to scout for hidden enemies—just ignore it,” Jiang Ruyi said softly at the cave entrance, then stepped out.

Lu Ran only caught the gist.

He had no energy to spare—he was mentally linked to the Eight Wilderness Blade, fully immersed.

In the sky, thick mist gathered into terrifying vortexes of fog.

“Whir!!”

Lu Ran gripped the hilt with both hands and held the violently trembling Tang blade upright before him.

“All Eight Wilderness perished, perished in all Eight Wilderness.”

Lu Ran murmured inwardly, reinforcing his resolve with the blade, repeating his desire again and again.

The name of this blade—

Xiao Yuanxi really knew how to crank up the intensity!

The sister was delighted, just opening her little mouth and giving it such a brutal name—her ambition had shattered the heavens.

Lu Ran, however, had fought countless battles, dragging this Tianchen steel blade through mud and blood, until now he finally achieved his wish.

No—it wasn’t complete yet.

Becoming a divine weapon was merely the first step.

There was still the Divine Weapon Realm to reach!

As for the other Tianchen blade in Lu Ran’s hand—Cloud Sea Dust Clear—

Ha,

Don’t even think about it.

Lu Ran had self-awareness—he knew his current level was nowhere near worthy of the name his mother had bestowed.

If we’re talking about cranking up the intensity, his mother was far more ruthless than Xiao Yuanxi.

“Huh~”

Thick energy continuously poured into the blade’s body as seconds ticked by.

Occasionally, dust would rise and vanish instantly—that was General Yan searching for hidden scoundrels.

Lu Ran was utterly focused.

He clearly felt the Eight Wilderness Blade’s spirit core gradually taking shape.

Lu Ran’s desire grew stronger, murmuring constantly in his mind:

“The Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm never lacks enemies.”

“This path ahead certainly doesn’t lack them either!”

“Kill.”

“Shatter every obstacle, slaughter every foe in your path.”

“I’ve already led you down the Path of Annihilation—now it’s time you woke up and walked with me… hmm?”

Lu Ran suddenly opened his eyes, then narrowed them.

“Huuu!!”

A powerful wind wave spread outward.

Lu Ran’s black hair streamed, his wide white robe flapped loudly.

The Eight Wilderness Blade finally fell silent.

Its slender, elongated blade glowed with a chilling radiance.

Thick streams of energy flowed over its razor edge, as if sharpening it again and again.

“Ha!” Lu Ran could hardly contain his joy, “It’s done!”

Suddenly, a surge of energy erupted.

A phantom spirit core appeared quietly.

As expected, the Eight Wilderness Blade’s spirit core bore Lu Ran’s exact form.

But its phantom eyes were far sharper than Lu Ran’s own.

Overflowing with killing intent!

Even Lu Ran, seeing it, couldn’t help but be startled inwardly.

The spirit core hovered before Lu Ran, yet he felt a chill crawl up his spine, sending shivers down his body.

Man and spirit locked gazes.

Lu Ran said nothing; the spirit said nothing either—only revealed everything before him.

It was hard to tell whether it was taunting or threatening him—or like a child showing off achievements to his father.

Long moments passed. The Eight Wilderness spirit knelt on one knee, slightly bowing its head: [Master.]

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

Unique environments shape unique beings.

Lu Ran owned two divine weapons—Radiant Light and Silent Night—both equally loyal to him, yet neither spirit had ever bowed to their master like this.

In communication, humans and spirit cores tended toward equality.

Lu Ran had even apologized to Silent Night for disturbing it.

But the Eight Wilderness spirit, born in the Sacred Spirit Mountain Realm—

Was truly different.

“Good,” Lu Ran nodded firmly; the spirit’s etiquette and address eased his hidden tension.

The big picture was obvious to all.

This was Lu Ran’s painstakingly nurtured divine weapon—it naturally followed its master.

But the killing intent radiating from the Eight Wilderness spirit was overwhelming!

It had gone beyond mere “killing.”

It was the desire to annihilate everything!

Lu Ran looked at the kneeling spirit before him, feeling its profound desire, and slowly lowered the Eight Wilderness Blade.

The blade’s tip pierced the phantom Lu Ran, merging with it.

Lu Ran said solemnly: “Since you’ve awakened, our Path of Annihilation begins at Jingting Mountain.”

The Eight Wilderness spirit’s gaze was icy, its killing intent boiling.

A thought imprinted instantly in Lu Ran’s mind—brief and stark: [Good.]

“Huh~”

Lu Ran willed it, and the spirit flowed along the blade’s tip, merging into the Eight Wilderness Blade.

He released the hilt with his right hand; the blade hovered midair.

As Lu Ran pulled open his wide white robe with his left hand, the Eight Wilderness Blade shot “whoosh!”—rotating its tip to pierce the sheath hanging at his left waist, sliding in precisely.

“Sss!”

The Crimson Phoenix-patterned gourd hanging at Lu Ran’s right waist shifted slightly backward.

Did Little Crimson Phoenix dislike the Eight Wilderness Blade?

“It’s fine,” Lu Ran gently patted the plump treasure gourd, “We’re all family.”

“Wum~” The Crimson Phoenix-patterned gourd trembled slightly.

Lu Ran soothed Little Crimson Phoenix, then turned and walked out of the cave.

The thick mist had now cleared; the surroundings were bright and clear.

Outside the cave, a woman in a flowing white dress stood with hands behind her back. Sensing movement behind her, she turned to look.

The two exchanged a smile.

“Success,” Jiang Ruyi said, a hint of approval in her eyes.

“Finally!” Lu Ran sighed with emotion, then asked, “Did anyone disturb you?”

“No,” Jiang Ruyi shook her head, also feeling somewhat surprised.

The Thousand Boats Alliance’s influence extends far; even here, sixty to seventy kilometers from Misty Rain Lake, no demonic clans have taken root.

Yet, in the past half hour, not a single human had come to investigate—truly unexpected.

“Didn’t anyone from the Thousand Boats Alliance come to take a look?” Lu Ran asked, puzzled.

“At a time like this, they probably dare not,” Jiang Ruyi speculated.

“That’s true,” Lu Ran agreed wholeheartedly. He thought of the Sword Lotus disciples just now, nearly wiped out in one stroke—who’d dare venture out to investigate?

He suddenly realized something:

Saving others truly means saving yourself!

If the Fire Sect had not previously aided the Sword Lotus faction, had not eradicated Fang Lingfeng and her team, this ascension of the Eight Wilderness Blade might have sparked a major battle!

Jiang Ruyi stepped forward, lifted Lu Ran’s robe, and examined the hilt of the Eight Wilderness Blade:

“Have you decided on the domain direction for the Eight Wilderness Blade?”

“Not yet,” Lu Ran let his hand fall, gripping the hilt. “You’d better think hard about it!”

“Hum~” The Eight Wilderness Blade trembled slightly in response.

Lu Ran suddenly smiled: “Your path to godhood has been so arduous, your foundation so solid—perhaps when you awaken the divine weapon’s domain, it’ll go more smoothly?”

The Eight Wilderness Blade trembled again, accepting Lu Ran’s psychological suggestion.

Or perhaps, it regarded his words as sacred doctrine, even as a command.

“We should leave soon,” Jiang Ruyi softly reminded.

“Alright, let’s go!” Lu Ran, having nurtured another divine weapon, was brimming with confidence.

All the hardship and trials during the cultivation process now transformed into profound satisfaction.

The group swiftly cleared the battlefield, retrieved four strings of divine power beads, disposed of the corpses, and temporarily buried the weapons underground before setting off.

Unfortunately, after Lu Ran killed Fang Lingfeng, his attention was entirely drawn to the Eight Wilderness Blade.

He focused solely on guiding the weapon’s ascension and never took prisoners; the souls of Fang Lingfeng and several other Dongting disciples were automatically drawn into the Eye of the Dead Realm.

Lu Ran couldn’t help but feel a quiet regret.

Fang Lingfeng, a Sea Realm powerhouse and a hall chief, should have known more secrets about Thundering Mountain, shouldn’t she?

But it was too late now—Lu Ran couldn’t possibly dig Fang Lingfeng’s soul out of the pseudo-god’s Dongting stone statue.

Then again, meeting Fang Lingfeng, Lu Ran felt it was his fortune!

What a wonderful person!

She risked her life as a sparring partner for the Fire Sect, letting the soldiers train and drastically boost their combat experience.

She also helped Lu Ran clarify his battle strategies and continuously refine his tactics.

If Thundering Mountain truly falls, Lingfeng Hall deserves much of the credit!

As Lu Ran pondered silently, a thought suddenly reached him:

【Master.】

【Uh, hi?】 Lu Ran hesitated, not directly naming the divine weapon.

After all, Xiaguang and Jiyè were in others’ hands—he couldn’t be sure who was contacting him.

Calling the wrong name would be embarrassing.

Yet he didn’t expect the other side to fall silent for a moment, then reply with two words: 【Hi.】

Lu Ran: “.”

You’re quite polite?

This kind of response was almost certainly Jiyè—Xiaguang was too bright and cheerful to drop just these two words.

Lu Ran: 【Jiyè, what’s up?】

【He Qi has received the peak master’s permission to come for support.】

【Great!】 Lu Ran’s face lit up, then he sent a thought: 【How many can she bring?】

(End of Chapter)