Chapter 102: Cage of Fire

Chapter 102: Cage of Fire

Three days later, at Black Grave Ridge.

This was the seventh Black Grave Ridge that Lu Ran and his group had encountered.

As far as the eye could see, the small hill was dotted with mounds, and tombstones stood crookedly.

This unique terrain was eerily similar to a graveyard! When the night wind blew through, it turned into a chilling breeze.

Numerous black lanterns floated around the graves, creating an even more terrifying scene.

"Kill!"

Lu Ran let out a loud roar as he held a torch.

Fear?

In the dictionary of the Red Turban Believers, there was no such word as "fear"! Even if, hypothetically, there were ghosts in this graveyard, the group would still charge forward with their weapons at the sound of Deng Yutang's fervent battle cry.

The Red Turban blessing was all-powerful, and nothing could stop them.

With the flag fluttering in the wind, they were ready to take action! In reality, the combat strength of the Black Lantern Clan was not very strong, and their initial threat level was relatively low.

There was only one Dark Art that the group needed to be cautious of—the Illusionary Flame Cage.

This art could induce hallucinations in its targets!

It could confuse the target's mind, making it difficult to distinguish between virtual reality.

This was a Dark Art that the Black Lantern Clan possessed when they reached the third stage of the Stream Realm. Once a human fell victim to it, it would cause significant trouble.

However, the weakness of this art was also evident.

As soon as you realized something was amiss, you just had to close your eyes.

As long as you didn't look at the faint glow emitted by the Black Lanterns, you wouldn't be affected by the illusions.

For example, if you found that the scene in front of you kept switching between the graveyard and your bedroom, you should immediately close your eyes!

You were about to fall victim to the illusion!

If you kept watching, the scene in your eyes would no longer switch, and you would truly "go home"!

Perhaps, behind you, you might even hear your mother's gentle voice calling you to come out for dinner.

If you followed her, your physical body in the real world would naturally leave the torch-lit path and enter the pitch-black graveyard.

Could you not go?

It was difficult.

Because the moment you fell victim to the illusion, your mind would already be confused.

Aside from the Dark Art of the Illusionary Flame Cage, the other Dark Arts of the Black Lantern Clan were not as formidable.

They were mainly focused on healing, explosions, and releasing black smoke.

Over the past three days, the trio of Deng, Tian, and Chang had each performed their duties, constantly refining their teamwork, and their efficiency in killing enemies had skyrocketed!

Why were they a trio?

Because the stray sheep was always lurking in the darkness.

Lu Ran seemed to be afraid of the light, constantly wandering among the undulating hills and roaming the eerie graveyard.

He looked more like a ghost than a human! From another perspective, Lu Ran, who stayed in the darkness, was always following the trio of Deng, Tian, and Chang.

Wasn't this another form of "lingering spirit"?

"Soul, return."

In the pitch-black graveyard, Lu Ran extended his hand and muttered softly.

Four dog fangs appeared out of thin air, and a black lantern in the distance was bitten to pieces.

"What are the four directions?"

Lu Ran's eyes, like those of a dead sheep, spoke chilling words to summon souls.

The soul of a Black Lantern drifted over and was sucked into Lu Ran's Netherworld Eye.

Without the "surveillance cameras," Lu Ran's combat strength soared!

The feeling of recklessly using Dark Arts was so refreshing!

Lu Ran usually killed enemies by dashing back and forth on the battlefield and fighting in close quarters.

When had he ever been able to accomplish such feats while standing still?

The joy of a Dark Art user,

I could feel it!

"Hmm~"

Lu Ran's body swayed slightly, and he shivered.

The souls of the Black Lantern Clan had been collected, and he could now activate the Black Lantern Demon Sculpture! He quickly scanned his surroundings and threw out a few more dog fangs, immediately establishing a connection with the God and Devil Sculpture Park in his mind.

"Buzz!"

In the sculpture park, a massive Black Lantern sculpture trembled slightly.

Lu Ran carefully felt the connection with the activated demon sculpture.

"Cataclysmic Flame Cage, Cataclysmic Flame Cage."

Lu Ran quickly understood the first Dark Art of the Black Lantern Clan.

After just over ten seconds, a black flame quietly ignited in Lu Ran's hand.

"Huh?" Lu Ran's mouth slightly agape.

Was this the Dark Art of the Cataclysmic Flame Cage?

Where was the cage when there was only fire?

Oh, right!

The Black Lantern Clan itself was like a lantern!

The names of the Demon Clan and their Dark Arts were mostly given by humans.

When people saw the Black Lanterns exploding with a loud boom, they called it the "Cataclysmic Flame Cage," which made sense.

But when Lu Ran, a human, used this Dark Art,

he summoned a ball of pitch-black flame!

Obviously, the Black Lantern Clan was responsible for causing this fire to explode, harming both themselves and others.

"Oh no." Lu Ran dared not move!

He was afraid that the black flame in his hand would explode!

So, did he have to hurt a thousand enemies and damage himself by eight hundred?

In the future, when he encountered someone with a foul mouth, he could just slap them!

His hand would be bloody and mangled, and the other person's mouth would be blown to smithereens, right?

It would be a satisfying way to deal with them.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran's heart stirred.

The flame in the cage gave Lu Ran a clear response, a unique connection between the Dark Art and its user.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then tried to extend his hand forward.

As expected!

The flame in the cage slowly floated forward.

If it had a lantern cover, wouldn't it be a Black Lantern?

Lu Ran suppressed his excitement, swayed his palm, and the flame in the cage swayed from side to side.

Then, he controlled the flame in the cage and directed it towards a Black Lantern.

"There seems to be a slight delay."

Lu Ran's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

In fact, the farther the flame in the cage was from the caster, the harder it was to control.

"Boom!" Lu Ran fiercely waved his right hand to the left.

The black flame flew towards the left, colliding with a black lantern.

"Bang!"

The black fireball exploded.

"Bang!"

Another explosion followed.

After the black lantern was hit, it triggered a chain reaction.

You explode, and I'll explode too!

This scene amused Lu Ran.

I'm exploding my summon, but you're blowing yourself up!

Lu Ran realized something: the Black Lantern Clan's lanterns were fully enclosed.

Tightly sealed with minimal gaps, the black fireball couldn't escape, so it could only explode inside the lantern.

"Whoosh~"

Another surge of energy, and a black flame ignited in Lu Ran's hand once more.

He could feel the fire in the cage was scorching.

But Lu Ran wouldn't be burned.

As the caster, he continuously supplied energy to the black flame, maintaining a tight connection with the spell.

At least, until the fire in the cage broke free from the caster's control and exploded, Lu Ran wouldn't be harmed.

"Since it's like this, can I..."

Lu Ran's mind raced, looking at the twin blades stuck in the ground before him.

Could he maintain the spell, coating the blades with the fire from the cage? If so, both his blades would ignite with black flames!

Just like enchantment~ Slash anyone and they'd explode!

The black luminescent stone and black ice materials could naturally withstand explosions of this level.

The only question was whether Lu Ran himself could handle it.

"Hmm." Lu Ran thought it over but decided not to push his luck.

Currently, the fire in the cage was only at the Mist Rank of Dark Arts.

Lu Ran needed to cultivate the Black Lantern Demon Sculptures in the park to the Stream Realm before he could elevate this technique to the Stream Rank.

The higher the rank of the Dark Art, the greater the caster's control over it.

So, Lu Ran decided to be patient and familiarize himself with this Dark Art before attempting anything.

"In my hands, you won't be called the Cataclysmic Flame Cage anymore."

Lu Ran examined the black fire burning in his hand.

After all, this Dark Art's name didn't match the spell he was actually casting.

"I'll just call you 'Cage Fire'!"

Lu Ran waved his hand, sending the black flame flying.

The black flame wavered and flew over a pitch-black graveyard, resembling a wraith flame.

"Yoohoo~!"

In the distance, Chang Ying's cheerful shout suddenly echoed.

Lu Ran turned to look and saw a Phantom Oracle rapidly materializing above Chang Ying's head.

Immediately after, a majestic and valiant soldier took form! The Summoning Sign of the Hexessence Oracle!

"Thud!" The soldier descended from the sky, his feet landing heavily on the ground.

He wore a set of bronze armor and held a long spear.

An ancient, rustic aura washed over them.

Under the bronze helmet, the soldier's face was extremely blurry, almost as if he had no face.

"It's been a while!" Chang Ying placed her hand on the Bronze Armor Guard's head and vigorously rubbed it, overjoyed.

In the past three days, she had drawn all kinds of talismans, except for the Summoning Sign.

The Bronze Armor Guard remained silent, allowing the girl to rub his head.

Tian Tian was left dumbfounded by this scene.

The Bronze Armor Guard stood over 1.8 meters tall, clad in sturdy armor, dignified and resplendent! Such a mighty warrior was treated like a pet by Chang Ying?

Hmm, well, this soldier was indeed a humanoid summon beast.

"Does the Bronze Armor Guard have a time limit?" Deng Yutang asked loudly.

Chang Ying replied, "Yes, five minutes!"

"They're at your left front!" In the darkness, Lu Ran's voice echoed with a warning.

Chang Ying's eyes lit up, and she waved her hand, "Go, kill them!"

"Buzz!"

The Bronze Armor Guard's body trembled, emitting a buzzing sound, as if responding to his commander.

He obeyed the order, charging forward with his spear.

At the edge of the torch-lit path, the Bronze Armor Guard lifted his spear and thrust it into a four-sided lantern.

"Bang!!"

The black lantern exploded.

The Bronze Armor Guard was terrifyingly powerful! The shock wave from the explosion couldn't even force him to retreat a step.

The soldier raised his spear again, fiercely stabbing the black lantern, not giving the demons a chance to catch their breath.

"So powerful," Tian Tian whispered.

However, Deng Yutang's expression was peculiar as he watched the fearless Bronze Armor Guard.

Since they had this powerful ally, what was the point of his presence?

Fortunately, the Bronze Armor Guard could only exist for 5 minutes.

Moreover, the chances of drawing the Summoning Sign were not very high.

"So fierce?" In the pitch-black graveyard, Lu Ran leaned against a tombstone, sitting on it.

Of course, this wasn't an actual tombstone but a stone shaped like one.

Perhaps Lu Ran was disrespectful to the deities.

But if there were human remains buried here, he wouldn't have been so disrespectful.

"Huh?" Lu Ran's gaze never left the battlefield, admiring the Bronze Armor Guard's valiant figure.

The Bronze Armor Guard wasn't stupid at all; his battlefield instincts were incredibly sharp, and he even possessed martial skills!

The soldier advanced and retreated with precision, his spear techniques were proficient, and his style was bold and expansive.

No wonder it was the most challenging Summoning Sign to draw among the Hexessence Oracles!

This Celestial Warrior-like soldier was indeed formidable.

"Over there! Those friends over there!" Suddenly, a voice called out urgently.

Lu Ran turned to look and saw a middle-aged woman running on the torch-lit path in the distance.

She was panting as she ran, waving her hands, "Help us, save us, please!

What realm are you from?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end