Chapter 279: The Path to Heaven
Chapter 279: The Path to Heaven
The night of calamity continued, with scenes of tragic farewells unfolding in every corner of the city.
Lu Ran and his teammates fought valiantly, bloodied and unyielding.
Due to the mocking effect of his physical body, he constantly attracted the envy of the Vermilion Paper People.
So, from time to time, he would lure several Vermilion Paper People into the shopping mall on the southeast side of the square, using the dark environment to stealthily kill members of the Vermilion Paper Clan.
Each time he repeated this tactic, the results were extraordinary.
When his brain buzzed once more, Lu Ran suddenly realized that he had already slain a hundred Vermilion Paper People.
Within the Divine Demon Sculpture Garden, the Vermilion Paper Evil Sculpture of the River Realm's Fourth Stage had advanced to the Fifth Stage!
Just one step away from the River Realm, and from Lu Ran creating Vermilion Paper People.
No, that's not right!
How could it be just a hundred?
Not every Vermilion Paper Person who descended was of the River Realm.
"Pfft~" In the pitch-black mall, a shattering sound echoed.
The Vermilion Paper Person who had died in Lu Ran's arms, its flesh disintegrated into mist.
Lu Ran summoned the divine power pearl from his neck, along with energy, and absorbed the soul of the Vermilion Paper Person for his own use.
Then, while feeling the tremors in his mind, he strode towards the entrance of the shopping mall.
As Lu Ran stood at the collapsed entrance, gazing at the square, he also sensed a subtle difference.
As far as his eyes could see, there was only one Vermilion Paper Person.
And she was being surrounded and killed by a group of Moonwatchers, eventually perishing.
"Is it over?" Lu Ran muttered to himself.
Was the Night Parade of Ghosts finally over? Not only the Night Parade, but even the number of demons invading the world had noticeably decreased.
Midnight had long passed.
This unusually long battle was also coming to an end.
"Divine Sheep, are you there?"
Lu Ran called out softly.
The mall was quiet, both inside and out, with only the faint sounds of battle coming from the distant battlefield.
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Ran began to pray to the Divine Sheep, trying to attract its attention.
"Divine Sheep."
"Hmm." The deep voice finally entered Lu Ran's mind.
Lu Ran's prayers and calls had elicited a response.
Lu Ran: "Divine Sheep, have I killed too many Vermilion Paper People tonight?"
"It's acceptable."
Lu Ran thought for a moment, then continued, "Now, the Vermilion Paper Evil Sculpture in the garden has reached the Fifth Stage of the River Realm.
I can apply for a patrol and continue collecting the souls of the Vermilion Paper People along the way.
This way, we can advance the Vermilion Paper Evil Sculpture to the River Realm in one go."
A deep transmission sounded: "Don't be hasty and greedy, caution is paramount."
"Hmm." Lu Ran nodded.
Lu Ran's desire for strength was unquestionable.
At this moment, a huge temptation was presented before him, indeed tempting.
As long as Lu Ran patrolled the Rain Alley City a few times, the number of souls he could collect would be quite impressive.
But Lu Ran wasn't overwhelmed, which was why he sought advice.
Since the Divine Sheep ordered him to stop, he decided to do so.
"Divine Sheep," Lu Ran said, suppressing his urge.
"Can't I really do something for the human souls that have perished?"
In fact, Lu Ran had asked this question long ago when he was still weak.
At that time, the Divine Sheep had responded with a mocking tone, saying:
"A mere Stream Realm, with ambitions beyond the heavens."
After careful consideration, Lu Ran believed that this wasn't a negative response.
If the Stream Realm wasn't possible, would a higher realm be feasible?
"Divine Sheep?" Lu Ran's voice carried a hint of inquiry.
The transmission ended with the same eight words: "A mere River Realm, with ambitions beyond the heavens."
Lu Ran: "."
This time, he keenly sensed that there was no mockery in the Divine Sheep's tone.
Lu Ran remained silent for over ten seconds, then slowly spoke, "So, it's possible!
So... can I create demons using human souls, just like creating demons, and give them new flesh and blood bodies?"
The Divine Sheep replied indifferently, "Using the power of origin to shape the souls of demons and build energy bodies is the ability of the demon's true form.
Divine statues cannot summon minions.
God statues can only help you summon the shadows of gods, and you know this.
Do you want to cast the bodies of demons for human souls?"
Lu Ran pursed his lips, "At least, they're still alive."
The Divine Sheep asked, "Can it be considered alive?"
The short four words were deafening.
Can it be considered alive?
Can it be considered living?
Humans are all products of their time.
Especially in this extremely sharp contradiction, each person carries a strong color of the times.
You let a very pious, small believer of the gods, reborn as a demon.
How should they deal with themselves?
Can it really be considered living?
The Divine Sheep's tone softened, "Don't think about it, you can't do it."
"Huh?"
"You can make demon minions as a demonic technique, this technique has strict casting conditions and accurate casting procedures."
The Divine Sheep paused, then continued, "The souls within the demon minions can only be shaped by the power of origin of the demon's true form.
Instead of considering this path, it's better to absorb the human souls into your artifact.
Using the unique effects of the artifact, you can create bodies for them in a short time and control their combat."
Lu Ran remained silent for a long time, then sighed deeply, "Sigh."
Yes, the artifact, the Rebirth Coin, could indeed do this.
But it was only for a short time, as the person wasn't truly alive.
After a few uses, the soul would dissipate.
Once the soul entered the Rebirth Coin, even if Lu Ran didn't refine it, it would still dissipate over time.
This method couldn't even cure the symptoms, let alone the root cause.
The Sage Sheep spoke indifferently, "The souls of humans after death are only fit to be played with.
Either devoured by evil demons,
Or devoured by the deities themselves."
Lu Ran silently bowed his head.
He was well aware of where people's souls went after death.
Aside from those intercepted by evil demons, the souls of all others naturally carried a trace of the deities' energy, returning to their embrace.
Lu Ran's divine weapon, the Rebirth Coin, contained the refined souls of evil demons, constantly nourishing his own soul.
From this, it wasn't difficult to deduce that the deities were also absorbing human souls to nourish themselves.
Every person, after successfully worshipping the deities, established a connection with them.
This connection was like a pathway.
While alive, people used this pathway to provide faith power to the deities.
After death, their souls would also embark on this path, rushing towards the deities to nourish them.
The pitiful humans,
From birth to death, were completely devoured.
Perhaps, it was also because of this that there were few soul-harming divine techniques within the various deity sects.
The deities, of course, wanted complete human souls.
"Sage Sheep," Lu Ran gathered his thoughts and spoke in a low voice, "You just said that my strength is low, but my ambitions are high.
In other words, as long as my strength is sufficient, when facing the souls of my human companions, I have the ability to do something."
"Hmm."
For the first time, Lu Ran received a direct response from the Sage Sheep.
Although it was just a simple "Hmm," it was enough to make Lu Ran overjoyed.
The Sage Sheep spoke indifferently, "Since it's a heavenly technique, it naturally requires heavenly ability."
Lu Ran nodded firmly, "Disciple understands!"
The solution to all the world's worries,
Lies in strength!
"Lu Ran!" In the night sky, a graceful figure slowly descended.
Lu Ran snapped out of his thoughts and looked up, seeing a gentle face.
Ruyi
She was still so elegant, even after experiencing a fierce battle and a painful separation.
Was Jiang Ruyi stronger than Lu Ran?
It was unclear.
But she must have been very concerned about Lu Ran, to put everything aside.
"Are you okay?" Jiang Ruyi stood in front of Lu Ran, extending her hands to cup his cheeks.
"Sorry," Lu Ran apologized with a smile, "I should have returned earlier."
"It's fine, it's already dawn, and the invading demons are almost gone," Jiang Ruyi said gently.
Seeing Lu Ran's dejected expression, her eyes filled with concern.
The team members had all witnessed Hu Ding Tian's death, even though they were far away.
Only Lu Ran had physically touched Hu Ding Tian's body and escorted him into the Wuli Building.
In Jiang Ruyi's eyes, Lu Ran, having experienced the death of a comrade up close, must have endured a greater shock.
She knew that Lu Ran was a very responsible person.
During times of crisis, he would always volunteer, and this was the best proof.
Recalling the Savage Famine Fiend's Night Parade of Ghosts, Lu Ran, despite being only at the Creek Realm, stubbornly defied Sun Zhengfang's orders and insisted on joining the team to fight.
Thinking back to the recent April 15th, even with the terrifying Demon Lord's descent, Lu Ran still braved death and stepped forward.
Such acts were countless.
Perhaps, it was also because of this that Lu Ran felt even more saddened by his comrade's death.
Jiang Ruyi clearly saw that when Lu Ran rushed into the Wuli Building with the body, he was still wearing his hat and scarf.
But when he came out, his disguise was removed.
Lu Ran, revealing his true appearance, attracted even more fire.
This action also gave the other human companions more breathing room, greatly reducing the pressure.
"Lu Ran," Jiang Ruyi's voice was soft, "None of this is your fault."
How could she know that Lu Ran saw more than just a corpse.
It was a 'living' soul, a departed soul pleading with him.
"Hmm," Lu Ran nodded lightly.
It was true that Lu Ran had a heart to protect his homeland.
But he wasn't foolish.
He wouldn't take all the blame upon himself, nor did he feel indebted to anyone.
The one at fault, the one with deep sins, was this ugly world.
It was just that Hu Ding Tian's departed soul kept pleading, telling Lu Ran about his father waiting to hold a celebration for his university admission,
which left a bitter taste in Lu Ran's heart.
Jiang Ruyi leaned forward, her forehead touching Lu Ran's, their eyebrows meeting.
Her voice was so gentle, "Will you return to the team with me? This night will soon pass.
It will soon pass."
As she finished speaking, the girl's soft lips gently pressed against Lu Ran's dry lips.
"Hmm," Lu Ran responded softly, raising his hand to slowly draw out the Night Silence Blade from the sheath on his shoulder.
The night,
was not yet over.
More killing was needed!
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(End of Chapter)
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