Chapter 287: Falling Immortal Residence

Chapter 287: Falling Immortal Residence

Lu Ran gently moved his body, feeling the vitality of this new form.

This sensation was limited to his immediate perception.

Lu Ran understood that in places he couldn't see, his blood, flesh, meridians, and bones had all been tempered.

Just thinking about it, Lu Ran found it incredible.

Suddenly, something came to mind, and he weakly asked, "Sage Sheep?"

Silence filled the room, and there was no response in his mind.

Lu Ran asked himself, "Can I also possess this blessing ability?"

"Oh?" The voice transmission sounded again.

It was evident that Lu Ran's question had piqued the deity's interest.

Lu Ran immediately said, "In my mind, there exists a Divine Demon Sculpture Garden with nearly a hundred deities.

If I activate one of the divine statues, can I also receive blessings?"

"Difficult."

"Difficult?"

For some reason, the Sage Sheep changed the topic, "If the divine realm of the Night Silence Blade is the same as that of other divine weapons, how would you handle it?"

Lu Ran furrowed his brows and said, "Grab."

In this context, 'grab' doesn't distinguish between active and passive; it's more about being compelled by circumstances.

Take Deng Yuxiang as an example.

She had no choice but to keep the appointment! The Night-Slaying Great Blade is Deng Yuxiang's intimate battle companion, a divine weapon entirely under her command and responsibility.

Deng Yuxiang herself is also an extremely proud and powerful martial artist.

From any perspective, Deng Yuxiang couldn't back down.

Once the divine realms overlap, she could only compete with her opponent.

A deep voice resonated in his mind, "The ability to bestow blessings can only be possessed by a true deity."

"A true deity?"

The Sage Sheep, surprisingly patient, replied, "The pillar of light I bestowed upon you, including the divine ruins you saw in Boreas City.

These abilities are less about the deities themselves and more about the symbol of their status."

Lu Ran was puzzled, "A symbol of status?"

The Sage Sheep spoke softly, "Whoever stands in that position will possess this ability."

Lu Ran nodded thoughtfully, "I see."

The Sage Sheep continued, "The deities in your sculpture garden are all false deities.

No matter how well you cultivate the divine statues in the garden, they will remain outside their positions and can only linger in your spiritual world."

"False deities." Lu Ran pondered silently.

The Sage Sheep wouldn't have brought up the divine realm out of the blue.

As he thought, Lu Ran's heart stirred, and he made a guess, "Sage Sheep, I understand!

For my false deity to become a true deity, does it also need to seize something similar to the divine realm?"

"A worthy disciple." The Sage Sheep responded with satisfaction.

Lu Ran hurriedly asked, "What is that?"

The Sage Sheep said, "Let's call it divine essence for now.

It determines how much power you can possess and defines your status."

"Divine essence."

"Steadily grow, gain my acknowledgment, and you will gradually come to understand."

"I understand," Lu Ran lowered his head.

Suddenly exposed to these secrets, Lu Ran's mind was in disarray, and he felt a bit disappointed.

The Sage Sheep asked, "Why the long face?"

Lu Ran replied awkwardly, "I was thinking that if possible, in the future, I could also help Jiang Ruyi temper her body and transform her bones, allowing her to cultivate faster."

The Sage Sheep remained silent for a long time before transmitting, "Receiving a deity's blessing is not just about cultivating faster."

Lu Ran was taken aback, "What?"

The deep voice carried a hint of amusement, "The true purpose of transforming one's body and bones is to raise the cultivation limit."

Lu Ran's mouth formed an 'O' shape.

Raise the cultivation limit?

My goodness!

It's about fundamentally enhancing one's aptitude, isn't it?

"Slap!" Lu Ran slapped his forehead.

Yes!

His entire being has been tempered, and to some extent, he has transcended the limitations of the mortal body.

The heights he can reach are naturally even higher, right?

This is like 'defying fate'!

Take Deng Yutang as an example. Normally, he would only be qualified to be chosen by the Fifth Rank Deity Crimson Mantle.

If, before worshipping the deity, Deng Yutang had received blessings and his aptitude had skyrocketed, could he have been taken under the wing of a first or second-rank deity?

Theoretically, it should be so!

Of course, in practice, it wouldn't work.

After all, the Sage Sheep had clearly stated that if Lu Ran had come earlier, he might have been blessed to the point of bleeding from the seven apertures and his physical body destroyed.

Even Lu Ran, a powerful figure in the River Realm, was considered by the Sage Sheep to have a fragile physical body.

If it were an ordinary person before worshipping the deity, they might have been blessed to the point of disintegration.

The Sage Sheep's tone still carried a hint of amusement, "You love her deeply."

Lu Ran was shocked!

He never expected such words to come from a deity's mouth.

Lu Ran organized his thoughts and said, "She is my most devoted companion and my most loyal battle companion."

After some thought, Lu Ran added, "I believe that in the future, she will also be my most devout believer."

"Heh." The Sage Sheep let out a soft laugh, as if seeing through Lu Ran's thoughts.

Lu Ran awkwardly scratched his head.

He had thought that if he activated a divine statue, he would possess the power to bestow blessings, and he would definitely help Jiang Ruyi temper her body and transform her bones.

Now, that dream was shattered.

Lu Ran could only put on a thick face and speak highly of Jiang Ruyi to the Sage Sheep.

For Jiang Ruyi's sake, Lu Ran didn't mind putting himself out there.

He knew who would be by his side until the very end.

The Celestial Ram spoke softly, "Jiang Ruyi is not like Chang Ying, nor is she Si Xianxian.

The greed of the oracle sticks will eventually break the hearts of the believers.

The evil deeds of Fiery Heaven will also gradually consume the lives of the faithful.

You have led these two out of their suffering, and they will naturally be grateful to you. They have nowhere else to turn, and will only worship you devoutly.

But why would Jiang Ruyi follow you?"

Lu Ran's expression was one of astonishment.

As the deity spoke, mentioning various human names, Lu Ran felt like he was in a dream! The Celestial Ram chuckled, "The Jade Talisman has been kind to Jiang Ruyi. Why do you think she would leave the Jade Talisman sect and follow you instead?"

Lu Ran lowered his head in silence.

The Celestial Ram continued, "Because of your shared past? Your personal charm?

Or is it because of the so-called human emotions?"

Lu Ran remained silent, offering no response.

Are human emotions truly so insignificant?

Lu Ran did not think so.

In this world, there are many ways to form bonds: family ties, friendships, and entangled interests.

Which way is nobler, and which is more base?

Setting aside the emotions that the Celestial Ram scorned, Lu Ran and Jiang Ruyi shared a similar background.

They were both humans, with a common ultimate goal, forming a community of interests.

However, Lu Ran also became aware of a serious problem:

The Jade Talisman had been kind to Jiang Ruyi! No matter how complex the relationship between Lu Ran and the Jade Talisman was, the deity had never wronged her.

Even though the essence of worship is an exchange of interests between humans and deities,

Deities provide cultivation methods to humans to fight against evil.

Humans, in turn, offer their faith to deities every day they live.

After death, they also dedicate their souls to nourish the divine stone statues.

But..."

Suddenly, a deep voice spoke again, "She will follow you."

"Huh?" Lu Ran was startled, "What did you say?"

The Celestial Ram seemed to want to spare Lu Ran further distress, and the playful tone in his voice was gone, leaving only seriousness.

"She will eventually follow you."

Lu Ran was a bit dazed, still hearing the Celestial Ram's words echoing in his ears, but now the deity had suddenly changed his tone.

He hurriedly asked, "Why?"

The Celestial Ram spoke softly, "One day in the future, she will come to understand the true nature of this world."

Lu Ran furrowed his brows, "Nature?"

The Celestial Ram said, "You are on the right path. I await the day you will reveal the answer to me.

Similarly, when you uncover everything, you will also tell her."

Lu Ran opened his mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally replied softly, "Yes."

The Celestial Ram said, "Jiang Ruyi is not my follower, but she will be by your side, helping you confront this world.

Bestowing blessings is not impossible.

However..."

Lu Ran remained silent, listening intently.

The deep voice echoed in his mind, "Once you learn the Evil Art of Mirror Flower and Moon, and can deceive the heavens and cross the sea, bringing her into this room, then we can talk."

Lu Ran spoke with a heavy voice, "Thank you, Celestial Ram, for your blessing!"

This time, there was no response.

Lu Ran waited for a while, realizing that the deity had left, and he finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.

With his complex thoughts, he just wanted to take a breather.

He knelt and crawled a few steps on the bed, pulling aside the semi-transparent bed canopy to examine the antique-style bedroom.

The wooden wardrobe had exquisite carvings on its edges.

On the eight-immortal table placed against the wall was a vase with vibrant flowers.

Not far away, under the wooden window, there was also a dressing table.

He thought for a moment, put on his shoes, and headed outside.

Stepping out of the bedroom, Lu Ran found himself in a small hall, elegantly furnished.

On the other side of the hall was another room, perhaps a kitchen or a study?

Lu Ran didn't go to check, but instead, he pushed open the wooden door of the hall and stepped into the outside world.

The place he had been brought to was a small courtyard with a single gate, surrounded by a waist-high picket fence covered with climbing vines and dotted with flowers.

Lu Ran walked out of the courtyard gate, and all around him were dense trees. There was a small path under his feet, winding through the forest, its destination unknown.

He turned his head and looked up at the wooden plaque above the gate, on which three large characters were written—Falling Immortal Residence.

Lu Ran was shocked! This mountain was called Immortal Sheep Mountain.

This temple was called the Immortal Sheep Temple.

And this small courtyard was actually called the Falling Immortal Residence?

Is this a place I can live in?

As he was still in a state of surprise, Lu Ran's gaze swept past the plaque, and he looked up to see the giant divine statue behind it.

It turned out that this small courtyard was located behind the Celestial Ram.

"Little disciple... um, Lu Tianjiao." Suddenly, a voice called out.

Lu Ran turned to see a woman standing there.

She had beautiful eyes, fair skin, and her hair was tied in a bun.

This hairstyle, combined with her white robe, gave her an air of a Taoist priest.

"You're awake," the woman said with a delighted expression, carrying a bamboo basket and pushing open the courtyard gate.

"Who are you?" Lu Ran asked, smelling the aroma of food from the basket.

The woman stood still, holding the basket in front of her, and said, "I'm Cheng Rou, also a believer of the Celestial Ram."

Lu Ran suddenly tilted his head slightly, as if sensing something.

After a moment, he spoke, "Xian Guang said it was you who brought me here."

Cheng Rou smiled and said, "Your divine weapon is very protective of you, with a strong aura that keeps others at a distance.

I had to persuade them for a long time before they allowed me to help you up."

"Oh," Lu Ran also smiled, "You don't need to change the way you address me; just call me Little Martial Brother."

Cheng Rou's eyes were bright and clear, and her smile was gentle, "Sure."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end