Chapter 983: Great Anger

In the Misty Rain Lake, crowds thronged across every island.

Numerous Sea Realm experts soared high above the islands, standing solemnly as they gazed toward the southeast.

The battle between Lu Men and Hu Xu Tang was only ten kilometers away in a straight line from Misty Rain Lake.

Anyone could see the dust swirling across the sky.

Not to mention the thousand-meter divine spear that suddenly appeared in the heavens!

Where did this disciple of the Second-Rank God—West Wasteland—come from?

How dare he fight a disciple of the Second-Rank God—East Thunder?

“Master of Tianya Island!”

Above Tianya Island, several Tianluan disciples unfurled their pure white luán wings and flew to the Master’s side.

“That Shocking Thunder Divine Spear is a thousand meters long!” one Tianluan disciple said, pale with alarm. “The opponent is at least a Sea Realm disciple of East Thunder!”

“Yes, Master!”

“Should we send someone to investigate?”

The Master of Tianya Island’s expression was equally grim.

But since the Shocking Thunder Divine Spear appeared and then vanished, does that mean the West Wasteland disciple gained the upper hand?

If we could eliminate a Sea Realm powerhouse from Jingting Mountain, it would be good news for the Qianzhou Alliance.

But what if the West Wasteland disciple has ulterior motives?

East Thunder. West Wasteland.

Both are Second-Rank Gods, yet their disciples grow more arrogant by the day!

The problem is, West Wasteland disciples rarely appear in the Jiangnan Archipelago, don’t they?

Lu Men?!

The Master of Tianya Island froze in thought, instantly piecing together many possibilities.

Meanwhile, on Mingyue Island, within a large private courtyard.

He Qifeng’s hair was disheveled, a loose robe draped carelessly over her body—this lazy, homebound appearance starkly contrasted her usual stern demeanor.

Clearly, she had just woken from sleep.

He Qifeng gazed toward the southeast and spoke softly: “You say this intelligence was given to Lu Ran?”

Two black-clad men knelt respectfully behind her and replied: “Yes, City Lord!”

“Last night, Lu Menzhu ordered us to gather intelligence near Misty Rain Lake. At midnight, we spotted a small team arriving there, so we—”

“Mm.” He Qifeng gave a casual reply, and the two Wuya devotees fell silent immediately.

Her eyes flickered slightly as she watched the dust clouding the southeastern sky; a faint smile curved her lips:

“You sneaky dog, Lu Ran—you’re truly ruthless, aren’t you?”

He Qifeng pondered briefly, then understood the full scheme.

Lu Ran was clearing out the lurking vermin—and simultaneously forcing Jingting Mountain to launch a full-scale invasion!

Hmm. Good.

He Qifeng stood with her hands behind her back, her mind filled with Lu Ran’s increasingly heroic face.

The pitiful Qianzhou Alliance still dreamed that Yun Zhuxian would soon emerge from seclusion, crushing all with absolute power and delivering justice to all.

Hah. Delusional.

Would Jingting Mountain ever give you such an opportunity?

But the stance of Naihe Datang was clear—He Qifeng could say nothing, and could do nothing.

Yet,

What she could not do, Lu Ran did!

What the righteous He Tangzhu could not bear to carry, Lu Ran bore!

“Who told you to come back?” He Qifeng suddenly spoke.

“Lu—we reported our mission this morning, and Lu Menzhu ordered us to leave—”

“Did I tell you to come back?” He Qifeng turned her head slightly, smiling as if in good spirits.

The two Wuya devotees were startled, then immediately understood:

“Yes!”

“As you command!”

They instantly transformed into crows, vanished from sight, and flew toward Qinghedao.

“Master of Qinghe Island!” The Master of Huihe Island stepped on a lotus leaf, speeding toward He Yingcai.

“Master of Huihe Island.” He Yingcai stood midair, also standing on a lotus leaf.

“Where is Lu Menzhu?” the Huihe Island Master asked urgently.

He Yingcai shook her head: “As soon as I sensed something, I went to fetch Lu Xuedi—but his room was empty.”

The Huihe Island Master’s face froze, then he turned toward the southeast:

“This—he—”

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s Lu Xuedi and his team,” He Yingcai whispered.

On an island belonging to Jianlian Sect, a man clad in a bright red robe watched the dust-choked horizon with great excitement.

One of his disciples approached: “Master Pei, this dust—it seems like—”

Unlike other alliance members, Master Pei and his men had once been rescued by Lu Men; they knew Lu Men’s battle tactics well.

And West Wasteland disciples were extremely rare in the southeastern region of Shengling Mountain!

Naturally, Master Pei and his men linked the event to Lu Men’s Feng and Yan Generals.

“It must be Lu Menzhu,” Master Pei sighed, recalling the mysterious figures—each wearing a conical hat and straw cloak.

The sharp gaze of the broken-blade woman.

The overwhelming aura of the battle-axe woman.

The cold, celestial maiden standing high above, looking down upon all.

And the young Menzhu who seemed easygoing, yet was ruthless, decisive, and wielded power beyond measure.

“Lu Men is nothing like our Qianzhou Alliance,” Master Pei sighed deeply.

“Thank heaven they’re our allies,” a Jianlian disciple muttered.

“That’s the Son of Summer! Even if they weren’t allies, they wouldn’t harm us! The dust is thinning—has the battle ended?”

Throughout the Qianzhou Archipelago, everyone watched the situation with tense anticipation.

The Chenzhua Sect, stationed on the southeastern flank, had already gathered a large force and flown to the frontline islands.

Other sect masters arrived with their disciples as well.

And a rumor spread like wildfire:

According to Bihe Sect, Lu Men had long been stationed on Qinghedao collecting Shengling Qi—so—

Outside the lake battlefield, over ten kilometers away.

The lake water that once existed was now buried under earth.

Lu Ran opened his horizontal pupils, absorbing souls one by one, murmuring: “One. Two. Thirteen!”

Five escaped?

“Clear the battlefield,” Lu Ran ordered, then shot toward a hardened, towering wave of earth.

Since the battlefield was close to Misty Rain Lake, he had to be cautious when using Soul Prison Formation.

Nearby, a furious, cursing soul was drawn to his twin pupils.

Lu Ran had deliberately saved the enemy commander for last!

Logically, he should have had Deng Yuqian activate the Afterlife Coin to imprison the soul first, then take it somewhere hidden for interrogation.

But Lu Ran was truly furious right now!

“Huh~” Lu Ran summoned a black mist, swallowing the man into his Soul Prison.

Previously, only Lu Ran could hear the curses—now everyone could hear them.

“You little brat! Do you know who I am? Huh?” The soul’s face twisted in rage.

Deng Yuqian’s expression grew colder.

She whirled to look at Lu Ran—only to find him smiling.

Deng Yuqian: ?

Someone was cursing Lu Ran; she was so angry her hands trembled—yet the man himself was laughing?

“Hey! Don’t say it!” Lu Ran actually laughed. “I was just about to ask you—who the hell are you?”

The soul had barely uttered “I—” when it shrieked in agony.

Lu Ran looked down at the soul writhing in agony in his palm.

The soldiers silently cleared the battlefield; as time passed, they realized their Master was truly enraged.

In the past, when Lu Ran punished a soul, he burned it for no more than ten or twenty seconds.

But now, the faint soul-fire had been burning for a full minute!

The Hu Xu Tang Master endured pain he had never known.

A tortured soul suffered more than heart-piercing agony, more than being devoured by thousands of venomous insects and snakes.

Each second stretched into an eternity—endless, unrelenting.

The malice in Deng Yuqian’s heart finally began to ease slightly.

Only after the soldiers had cleared the battlefield did Lu Ran extinguish the soul flame and ask, “Speak—who are you?”

“Jingting Mountain, Hu Xu Hall Master.”

“Now I know who you are. And then?” Lu Ran demanded.

“N-nothing. Nothing at all!” The Hu Xu Hall Master’s face twisted in excruciating pain as he shook his head frantically. “Sorry! Sorry, my lord! So sorry!!”

Lu Ran let out a cold snort.

Jiang Ruyi floated down gently and whispered, “This isn’t the place for interrogation.”

“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!” The Hu Xu Hall Master blurted out at once.

Not far away, Xue Fengchen held a pile of battle halberds, staring intently at Lu Ran’s profile.

Gao Yunyan noticed and turned to look at Xue Fengchen.

General Yan had bright phoenix eyes and was never one to conceal his aura.

Logically, Xue Fengchen should have sensed Gao Yunyan’s gaze immediately—but this time, he kept his eyes locked on Lu Ran.

As if he wouldn’t even blink!

Gao Yunyan was puzzled. She didn’t think Xue Fengchen recognized this Hu Xu Hall Master, nor did she believe he was soft-hearted enough to be disturbed by a prisoner’s suffering.

She realized Xue Fengchen was lost in some deep emotion.

“Dream Nightmare, retrieve the soul.” Lu Ran stood beneath the tide of mud and waved his hand.

Deng Yu stepped forward and activated the Afterlife Coin.

Finally, Xue Fengchen closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

Gao Yunyan hurriedly asked, “Xiao Chen, what’s wrong?”

Xue Fengchen fell silent for a moment, then murmured, “I’m just… moved.”

Gao Yunyan’s phoenix eyes lit up!

She was about to speak when Xue Fengchen turned away, gazing far off into the misty rain.

Gao Yunyan wisely held back and quickly approached Lu Ran, lowering her voice: “Men Zhu!”

“What’s wrong with Feng’er?” Though Lu Ran never turned his head, he felt the heat of her gaze.

Gao Yunyan: “He said he’s moved. It’s likely he’s—”

Lu Ran’s heart leapt with joy. “How can I help? Is it related to me?”

“Should I keep standing here? Bring out the Hu Xu Hall Master again?”

Everyone turned to look at Xue Fengchen. He gazed toward the distant mountains, as if deep in thought, no longer looking at Lu Ran.

Jiang Ruyi suggested, “Let’s return. Give Fengchen a quiet, stable environment to think.”

“Yes! Let’s go!” Lu Ran nodded decisively.

On the way back, Lu Ran saw numerous figures soaring high above the Mist Rain Lake.

When the members of Ran Men finally emerged from the forest and reached the lakeshore, they witnessed a spectacular scene.

Many people stood in the sky!

Some with pure white wings, others standing on lotus leaves, on lotus petals, or holding oil-paper umbrellas.

The island was also packed with people.

Especially the Flower-Supporting Isle near the southeast, which was densely crowded.

The Thousand Boats Alliance, standing ready, stirred in agitation upon seeing the Ran Men soldiers.

Yu Changsheng silently shook his head.

The battlefield was so close to Thousand Boats Island, yet no one had been sent to investigate—only watching from the air?

The Thousand Boats Alliance was truly beyond saving, determined to uphold their doctrine to the end.

“Lord Lu!”

“Lord Lu.” The Sky’s Edge Island Master, expression complex, descended with his troops to the lakeshore. “What is this?”

He Qi stood among them, carefully observing the returning soldiers.

“Ah, don’t mention it!” Lu Ran waved his hand. “We came out to gather Holy Spirit Qi, and ran into a bunch of fools.”

“Probably from Jingting Mountain’s Hu Xu Hall.”

Upon hearing this, He Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling faintly at Lu Ran.

The Sky’s Edge Island Master stared at the pile of captured halberds: “Did Ran Men annihilate the enemy force?”

“Not quite. A few got away.”

A few got away?

Everyone’s expressions varied, silently lamenting.

Indeed, Dongting disciples moved with terrifying speed—annihilating such a small squad was nearly impossible!

Lu Ran snorted: “But the ones who escaped were all Hall members.”

“From now on, Jingting Mountain has only seventeen Sea Realm Hall Masters left.”

Everyone: !!!

The Sky’s Edge Island Master’s heart trembled slightly.

First Lingfeng Hall Master, now Hu Xu Hall Master?

Just now, Lu Ran said a few escaped—everyone naturally assumed it was the strongest, the Sea Realm Hu Xu Hall Master himself.

But Lu Ran—

If he continued like this, Ran Men might just dismantle every Hall of Jingting Mountain one by one.

Wait—no.

The Sky’s Edge Island Master frowned, sinking into thought.

Lu Ran spoke: “Gentlemen, we have urgent business. We’re rushing back to the island—let’s talk later.”

The Sky’s Edge Island Master snapped back to himself: “Ah, yes! Bihe disciples, escort Lord Lu back to the island!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

(End of Chapter)