Chapter 154: Northwind Divine Ruins

Chapter 154: Northwind Divine Ruins

Three days later, Boreas City.

The streets and alleys were brightly lit and adorned, and the city was bustling with people both inside and outside its walls.

On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, which coincided with January 1st on the solar calendar, it was New Year's Day.

On this day, the world officially entered the year 2019.

On this day, Northwind followers from all over Great Xia flocked to this place for a pilgrimage, making Boreas City exceptionally lively.

Lu Ran stood in the Martial Arena, and from a distance, he could see the thick incense smoke rising from within the Inner City, spreading out from beneath the Divine Sculpture.

It was indeed a spectacular sight!

In comparison, the Martial Arena seemed rather empty.

In the snowy forest, Lu Ran stood alone in the snow, as if he had rented the entire place for himself.

Most people had gone to the Inner City for worship, not wanting to miss such a grand ceremony.

Lu Ran didn't go.

He wanted to go, he really wanted to broaden his horizons, but...

He didn't want to kneel.

At the entrance of Boreas City, you could admire the deity's greatness without having to kneel.

After all, you were a follower of another deity, so it was understandable.

But to enter the Inner City?

This was your choice to enter, your decision to approach the deity Northwind. Would you not pay your respects?

Amidst a crowd kneeling in prayer and offering incense with utmost devotion, would you just stand there?

What did that mean?

Were you the only one who wasn't drunk?

You could stay sober, no one would bother you, but you couldn't provoke them!

Lu Ran feared that if he went in, he might never come out again.

Si Xianxian was also affected by Lu Ran's predicament, and she couldn't attend the grand worship ceremony either.

At this moment, Si Xianxian was sitting under a large tree on the edge of the Martial Arena.

She held a sugared hawthorn skewer in her hand, with only one hawthorn left on the wooden stick, and she seemed reluctant to eat it.

Si Xianxian sat there, staring at the remaining hawthorn, her tongue occasionally licking her lips, looking like she was craving it.

Hmm... She looked quite adorable.

"Go ahead and eat, I'll buy you another one," Lu Ran's voice came from inside the arena.

"As if I don't have the money to buy it myself!" Si Xianxian rolled her eyes, still reluctant to eat it.

The Martial Arena was quite far from the commercial street, and it would take a long walk to get another sugared hawthorn skewer.

"Hurry up and eat, you're bothering me," Lu Ran's voice drifted over again.

Si Xianxian huffed, "I'm sitting here quietly, how am I bothering you?"

Lu Ran, embracing his twin blades and standing alone in the snow: "Your face reveals your innermost thoughts.

Your heart is bothering me."

Si Xianxian: ?

Lu Ran commanded, "Eat."

"You're so bossy, you'll die from it," Si Xianxian grumbled and opened her small mouth to bite into the skewer.

"Crack~ Crackle~"

Between her lips, the sugar coating shattered, emitting a tempting crisp sound.

It sounded so delicious.

"You've been standing there foolishly for half a day," Si Xianxian mumbled, "What are you thinking about?"

Si Xianxian, who had just been feeling discontent, now had a mouthful of sweetness, and her mood instantly improved.

Even her voice became three times sweeter.

Lu Ran, holding his twin blades: "Don't bother me, I'm in a state of enlightenment."

Si Xianxian, holding the wooden stick, suddenly felt like skewering Lu Ran.

These past few days, Yan Suangzi had been fulfilling her promise to Deng Yuxiang by taking extra care of Lu Ran.

What surprised Lu Ran was that the first lesson Yan Suangzi taught him had nothing to do with saber techniques but instead introduced a concept.

She said that a saber wielder's realm could be divided into three stages.

The first was Body-Blade Unity.

The second was Heart-Blade Unity.

And the third was Mind-Blade Unity.

She explained that the vast majority of saber wielders in the world were at the first stage.

Body-Blade Unity meant being able to skillfully wield the blade in hand.

This was the most basic application.

In your shallow understanding, the saber was merely a tool.

A weapon to help you win and slay your enemies.

Little did you know that for a true saber wielder, the blade in their hand was a manifestation of their personal spirit.

This was the second stage: Heart-Blade Unity.

At this level,

The saber could be resolute, domineering, or even compassionate.

Thus, the saber in your hand was no longer just a cold object.

Instead, it became a tangible representation of your spiritual will!

Yan Suangzi gave Lu Ran a high evaluation.

She said that during Lu Ran's match with Bu Qingfeng, she had vaguely glimpsed the embryonic form of 'Blade Intent.'

Lu Ran's saber indeed knew how to speak.

At the very least, it was in the babbling stage.

However, Lu Ran wasn't a Northwind follower, and he didn't need such a deep understanding of the saber.

He didn't even need to delve into it!

After all, everyone had limited energy, and no matter how deeply followers of other sects studied this path, it wouldn't benefit them much.

Only Northwind followers must strive to comprehend this; it was a mandatory requirement of the sect!

If you wanted to learn and use the Northwind sect's River Basin divine art, followers had to reach the third stage—Mind-Blade Unity.

In this stage: The person is the saber, and the saber is the person.

After Yan Suangzi explained this concept, Lu Ran suddenly realized something!

Previously, when Lu Ran first carefully observed Yan Suangzi, he had this thought:

"She's like a towering saber standing amidst the icy snow.

Her cold aura is awe-inspiring!"

This was Lu Ran's immediate impression of Yan Suangzi, a thought he had never shared with anyone.

And after understanding the concept of Mind-Blade Unity, he finally realized just how powerful Yan Suangzi was!

Lu Ran was relieved that he had the opportunity to learn about these concepts.

Indeed, he wasn't a Northwind follower, but he was the Dark Sect Lord!

I

O

B

A

"Lu Ran?" A voice called out, waking Lu Ran from his thoughts.

"What's up?" Lu Ran turned his head.

Si Xianxian shook the wooden stick: "I'm going to buy some sugared hawthorn skewers, I'll be back soon."

"No, the market is too crowded right now, you can't go.

Lu Ran immediately refused.

"What's the problem with a crowd?"

"I'm afraid someone will bump into you, and you'll slap them away." Lu Ran hummed, "Both of us will end up in prison."

"You!" Si Xianxian pouted and stood up, obviously having endured Lu Ran for a long time.

She didn't mind the previous few times, but now, he was stopping her from eating the sugared hawthorn skewer. How could she let that slide?

"Mmm, I'm angry." Lu Ran immediately tried to placate her.

"Hmm." Si Xianxian's body swayed slightly, and she placed a hand on her forehead.

After a few seconds, Si Xianxian regained her senses and looked at Lu Ran with a hint of anger in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I'll go with you." Lu Ran sighed, taking a step towards the edge of the field.

"Hmph, that's more like it!" Si Xianxian didn't wait for Lu Ran and headed straight into the depths of the snowy forest.

Half an hour later, in the bustling commercial street filled with people.

Si Xianxian held a warm sweetened pancake in one hand and a strawberry-flavored sugared hawthorn skewer in the other, her eyes sparkling with greed.

Where was the angry look from earlier?

"Crunch!"

The sugar coating was crispy, and the taste was sweet and delightful.

"Mmm." Si Xianxian closed her eyes, her face filled with happiness.

Lu Ran extended his finger and poked her spine, "Let's go."

Si Xianxian took the opportunity to step forward, clearly in a great mood, her pace light and cheerful.

Perhaps the strawberries were a little too sweet, as she happily shook her head, mumbling:

"I'm a little wild horse, I'm so happy, so happy~"

Lu Ran: ???

Wow!

No wonder she's a patient, what a state of mind!

She's truly enjoying herself!

Thinking about it, Aunt Si probably wouldn't dare to take her daughter to such a bustling market, right?

Her previous life must have been very dull and oppressive.

"Hey?" Si Xianxian was still in her happy state when suddenly, a running child bumped into her.

Instantly, the strawberry sugar hawthorn skewer in her hand dropped.

As a martial artist, she instinctively lifted her foot, kicking the sugar hawthorn skewer back up and catching it in her hand again.

"Indeed, a little wild horse!" Lu Ran couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Si Xianxian's face darkened, "Shut up!"

Lu Ran still couldn't hold back his laughter, "That sugar hawthorn skewer is so pitiful!

Not only do you eat it, but you also kick it before eating?"

Si Xianxian glared at Lu Ran with a fierce look, then started searching for the running child.

"No way!" Lu Ran immediately blocked her path, "You absolutely can't slap a child, you might accidentally kill them."

"Hmph." Si Xianxian turned her head to look at the sugar hawthorn skewer, searching for any dust that might have stuck to the sugar coating.

Hmm. No big deal.

It's not like it's dirty, eating it won't make you sick!

She symbolically blew on it and took another bite.

"Wow!"

"What a powerful aura." From the crowd, exclamations of surprise suddenly rang out.

Lu Ran looked up and saw a group of Northwind followers flying through the air, heading towards the direction of the inner city.

There were at least three to four hundred of them, a truly overwhelming sight! Each Northwind follower was full of vigor, making onlookers envious.

They must be here for a pilgrimage?

Lu Ran paused to admire the scene for a moment, imagining himself flying freely in the sky one day.

Of course, at that time, he wouldn't be using the Divine Art: Clear Wind Dance, but rather the Dark Art: Night Dance of the City!

"Let's go, let's head back to the inn." Lu Ran snapped out of his thoughts and walked forward with Si Xianxian.

"Let's stay a bit longer!" Si Xianxian was a little reluctant to leave.

"You can eat in the room, I've been training all morning and want to take a break."

"Alright." As the two of them spoke, they walked half the street and turned into an inn.

This was where they were staying in Boreas City, and the room fee was paid by Yan Suozhi.

It was hard to imagine how expensive a room would be during this special time period.

"Don't go running around!" Lu Ran came to the second floor and, before pushing open the door, he reminded her again, "Be careful!"

"I know, I know." Si Xianxian entered the room with her snacks and casually closed the door.

Lu Ran sighed and pushed open the door to his room.

The inns in the city had an ancient charm, and the interior decorations were also elegant and traditional.

Lu Ran walked to the window and picked up his phone from the table, flipping through it.

It had been a long time since he received a message from a certain someone, she must be very busy.

Busy with cultivation and training.

For Jiang Ruyi, Lu Ran declined Si Xianxian's suggestion and didn't accompany her to the Ice and Snow World for fun.

However, Boreas City was equally bustling and lively, and Lu Ran found everything fascinating.

He had thought more than once that if only he could replace the little wild horse with Jiang Ruyi.

"Happy New Year." Lu Ran typed out four words and sent them.

Lu Ran waited for a moment, and as expected, there was no response from the other party.

He sent messages to his family, and at that moment, an anomaly occurred!

"Buzz!"

The entire Boreas City seemed to tremble.

Lu Ran was startled and abruptly raised his head, looking out the window.

"What the..." Lu Ran's mouth hung open in shock. A mirage?

In the distant north, beside the Divine Statue, a phantom appeared in the sky.

It was a majestic Chinese-style palace!

It was as if an image from ancient times had been projected, exuding a powerful aura!

"Divine Ruins." Lu Ran muttered.

He had seen the Dark Nest before, which was the powerful method of the Demon Sculpture Incarnation, allowing it to summon countless demon minions within a specific area.

And the grand, illusory scene before him was the special ability of the Divine Being Incarnation.

It wouldn't bring calamity to the world, on the contrary, it was another form of blessing from the Divine Being.

It seemed that Lord Boreas was in a good mood and wanted to reward his disciples?

Creating Divine Ruins, just like the Demon creating the Dark Nest, was extremely exhausting!

Lu Ran used his sharp vision and saw more than ten Northwind followers flying high, arriving at the palace entrance.

These ten-plus people were truly majestic and full of spirit! No joke, how could they be just ten-plus people? In Lu Ran's eyes, they were like ten-plus blades.

And among them, a large blade was none other than Yan Suozhi.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end