Chapter 156: Enlightenment by the River

Chapter 156: Enlightenment by the River

The Jie Ye Sword and Radiance Blade were in ecstasy.

As Lu Ran continued to gather fragments of the Divine Ruins, the vibrations of the Tang swords grew more intense.

Especially the Radiance Blade!

After all, it was his father's sword, and in terms of growth, it had a head start compared to the Jie Ye Sword.

When this grand blessing ceremony concluded, the Radiance Blade buzzed, as if Lu Ran's grip on the blade was about to slip at any moment.

Lu Ran's heart was filled with ecstatic joy!

He even had the illusion that at this moment, the Radiance Blade was like the Zhan Ye Saber that Deng Yuxiang used to slay the Yin Huadan that night, reacting with even greater intensity!

On the path to cultivating an Artifact Spirit, the Radiance Blade was making steady progress.

This Divine Ruins, exclusive to the Northwind Sword School, had indeed benefited the Radiance Blade immensely!

Like Lu Ran, the Radiance Blade also needed an opportunity to be promoted to a Divine Armament.

The difference was that Lu Ran wasn't sure what his opportunity for promotion was.

But he knew the Radiance Blade's opportunity well:

It would be on a certain morning of the 16th day of the lunar month, when the radiance met the rising red sun.

Success was assured!

Lu Ran was truly delighted, and his trip to Boreas City was absolutely worth it!

But soon, he became a bit worried.

Because Yan Suangzi had gone missing!

A living person had disappeared along with the shattered Divine Ruins, vanishing from this world.

Could it be that she had also exploded?

Lu Ran couldn't help but secretly speculate that among the broken pieces he had absorbed, there might be Yan Suangzi's remains.

Hmm... it shouldn't be the case.

A deity had gone to great lengths to create a once-in-a-decade Divine Ruins, only to sacrifice the only disciple who successfully entered it?

After the ceremony, Lu Ran asked some Northwind Followers, but none of them knew where the radiant Sister had gone.

Lu Ran also called Deng Yuxiang and told her everything that had happened in the city.

Nightmare's reaction finally put Lu Ran at ease.

She said that Yan Suangzi was indeed very lucky.

Although Deng Yuxiang didn't know where her dear friend had gone, Yan Suangzi must have gone to receive her reward.

At the very least, she had earned an opportunity for a trial!

Lu Ran understood, so Yan Suangzi had been teleported to another dimension by the deity?

Lord Boreas, what a method!

Deng Yuxiang's confident words reassured Lu Ran.

He was genuinely concerned that the deity, Lord Boreas, had turned Yan Suangzi into countless pieces and then offered her to the heroes inside and outside the city.

A normal person would never have such thoughts as Lu Ran!

But Lu Ran was all too familiar with the nature of the deities, so he always maintained a strong sense of vigilance.

Lu Ran and Si Xianxian waited in the city for another week, but when Yan Suangzi still didn't return, he dragged the excited Si Xianxian and set off on their journey home.

On the 8th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lu Ran first sent Si Xianxian back to Jin Chuan City and, at the train station, personally handed her over to Aunt Si.

Amidst Aunt Si's repeated thanks and Si Xianxian's reluctant farewells, Lu Ran boarded the train again and embarked on his journey home.

When he returned to Rain Alley City, dusk was approaching.

"Phew!"

Outside the exit, Lu Ran breathed a deep sigh of relief, looking at the deserted train station.

In this small Rain Alley City station, only a dozen people got off the train.

The cold wind blew, carrying traces of frost and snow, slapping against his face.

Lu Ran felt even more desolate.

In the morning, he was still under the feet of the deity, in Boreas City.

The bustling scene of people, now contrasted with the cold and quiet one before him, made Lu Ran feel a great disparity in his heart.

He silently stood for a while before heading to the nearby supermarket.

After buying milk and bread, Lu Ran hailed a ride and headed to the banks of the Wu Lie River.

Once again, Lu Ran climbed onto the rooftop of an abandoned residential building.

"Dad, it's been a while since I came to see you."

Lu Ran spoke softly as he approached a corner of the rooftop, placing the milk and bread on the stone railing.

"I've reached the Fifth Stage of the Stream Realm; I'm just a step away from reaching the same Great Realm as you."

Lu Ran took two steps back, cradling the two swords in his left arm, and drew out the Radiance Blade with his right hand.

"Your old comrade is also about to become a Divine Armament."

For some reason, Lu Ran's expression became a bit strange.

"You say, when the radiance gathers the Artifact Spirit, should I call him uncle?"

"Hmm, each to their own."

"I call him uncle, and he calls me master."

The youth in black looked like a madman.

In the cold winter, he stood alone on the dilapidated rooftop, talking to himself.

After a long while, Lu Ran turned to look south, gazing at the rolling waters of the Wu Lie River.

In this white, desolate world, everything was silent, and the land was frozen.

Only this Wu Lie River stubbornly flowed.

Thick white mist rose from the river's surface, as if the water was boiling hot.

No matter how cold the weather, the river remained turbulent.

"Creak, creak!"

Lu Ran stepped on the snow, making strange sounds as he approached the stone railing.

His eyes seemed to be in a trance, as if he had entered a state of enlightenment.

As the sun set,

The afterglow fell on the youth in black, leaving a dark golden silhouette, which was quite striking.

As night fell,

The beautiful silhouette gradually disappeared, and the youth's head was already covered in frost and snow.

Yet he continued to stare, entranced by the river.

It seemed that

Anything that tried to block its path was swept away by the raging current.

Or perhaps it would become the wisps of white mist on the river's surface, eventually fading into nothingness.

"Buzz!!!"

A surge of intense energy erupted from within Lu Ran's body.

He seemed oblivious to it all, his intoxicated gaze still lost in the frozen river amidst the snow-covered land.

The changing seasons, the passing years.

Nothing could deter the river's surging flow.

Its name was the Wu Lie River.

Violent, fierce, and perhaps with a hint of heroic sacrifice.

"Huff!"

The surging energy stirred up gusts of wind, lifting the snow from the tower terrace.

Amidst the swirling frost and snow, the intoxicated figure's expression gradually changed, their eyes glowing with increasing intensity.

How many times had he advanced on this tower terrace?

"Heh."

Lu Ran took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Regarding a sense of belonging,

This Wu Lie River and Rain Alley City didn't need to give Lu Ran much more.

He knew he belonged here.

Yet, this realm continued to favor him time and again.

As if afraid he would leave.

Lu Ran suddenly thought of Deng Yuxiang. Her experiences and knowledge should be similar to his, right?

That was why she gave up staying in Boreas City, forgoing the shortcut to heaven and returning alone to Rain Alley.

If Nightmare had stayed under the Divine Ground, would she have been crushed by her former close friend?

Could the one who entered the Divine Ruins be her? At least there was a chance.

In the eyes of others, Rain Alley City was forever shrouded in gloom, like a demon's lair.

But to Lu Ran and Deng Yuxiang, the howling wind and rain sounded more like their hometown's gentle sobs.

"Huff!"

In the dimly lit sky, on the dilapidated tower terrace, a terrifying energy surged.

The black-clad youth finally opened his eyes.

The light within them shimmered, as dazzling as an exiled immortal.

River Realm, First Stage!

"Dad, I did it."

Lu Ran turned and looked at a corner of the terrace.

The milk and bread on the stone railing had long since blown away.

Hmm. No big deal.

He had been advancing for so long; his deceased father should have finished enjoying them by now.

A deep voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "You don't seem too happy."

Lu Ran was startled! He thought his father had spoken.

After a moment, he replied, "Lord Sheep."

Lord Sheep: "I thought you'd be jumping for joy."

"I'm quite happy," Lu Ran smiled, "I can have Water Flow Armor now, and I can activate a new Divine Sculpture.

I can also learn the new Divine Art of our Sheep Sect."

As he spoke, Lu Ran's happiness grew, and his tone rose: "Can I turn my enemies into sheep?"

Lord Sheep: "Of course you can, but after using this art, you'll be no different from a lamb.

You'll be extremely weak and defenseless."

Lu Ran nodded: "I still want to learn it!"

Divine Art: Sheep was indeed very special.

When using this art, Lu Ran had to pay a price in almost every way!

Not only would he become physically weak and deplete his divine energy, but his mind would also be extremely exhausted.

There was one more point, and it was the most challenging!

Every time this art was used, the user's soul would also suffer some degree of damage! Until the user had used it enough times and their soul became increasingly incomplete, they would eventually become an empty shell.

That was why followers in the world didn't flock to the Sheep Sect.

Divine energy could be absorbed, physical strength could be replenished, and the mind could be rested, but the soul... How could it be repaired?

Such a bug-level Divine Art was so powerful that it could even kill the user!

That's why the Sheep Sect's followers rarely used this art.

When you cast Divine Art: Sheep, you're committing suicide!

But for Lu Ran, the difficulty at the soul level could be resolved! The Black Fire Sheep Head was an expert in manipulating souls, and with so many evil sculptures in the garden, could he not nurture the garden's owner, Lu Ran? Moreover, Lu Ran also had a Soulbound Coin.

Perhaps this was why the Deity of Oblivion gave Lu Ran the artifact? In any case, the stronger the enemy Lu Ran faced, the more he had to pay.

Until the enemy became powerful enough, no matter how much Lu Ran sacrificed, this art would not take effect.

Lu Ran had studied this art carefully. Taking his current River Realm, First Stage as an example, as long as the opponent was River Realm, Fifth Stage or below, this art would work!

In other words, if Lu Ran wanted to, he could turn Nightmare into a little lamb right now.

Hmm. That sounded quite tempting.

If the enemy was at the River Basin Realm level, Lu Ran's Divine Art would be ineffective.

At that time, no matter how much Lu Ran sacrificed, he could only suffer backlash, and the enemy would not turn into a lamb ready for slaughter.

Even if Lu Ran was at River Realm, Fifth Stage, it would be difficult to cross the realm gap and turn a River Basin Realm follower into a lamb.

The gap between higher realms was like a heavenly chasm! It couldn't be bridged by "clever tricks."

However, once Lu Ran entered the River Basin Realm... Whether the enemy was at the Fourth or Fifth Stage, upon seeing Lu Ran, they would all have to bleat like lambs!

It had a meaning of being "invincible within the same realm." Hmm. Hard to say.

After all, after casting the art, Lu Ran would be no different from a disabled person.

Lu Ran could only rely on his teammates.

In the future, Lu Ran could also control demons, which could be considered a self-contained ability.

L

"As you wish."

"I want to initiate Dark Art: Night Dance of the City."

As he spoke, Lu Ran placed one hand on the railing and looked down:

"I want to stand in mid-air, and step by step, descend from this height!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end