Chapter 304: The Heartless

Chapter 304: The Heartless

"Flame God is here!"

"Waaah, after four months, Flame Dog is even more handsome~"

"They call me Flame General, Flame Charm, Flame Dog. No! Actually, my true identity is a monk."

"This poor monk, from Cai Nan, is heading to Wu Lie He River to find a fight. My Buddhist name is Hard-to-get!"

"Extra! Extra! There's a show to watch! The live streamer next door, Miss Qi Feng, has challenged Lu Ran!"

"What? The first on the Heaven Chart is challenging the third? Is Mars colliding with Earth?"

"Hasn't He Qi Feng also advanced to the River Realm? How dare she? Also, she's already at the River Realm, why is she still sticking around on Heavenly Pride and not leaving?"

"The top two on the Heavenly Pride list have both advanced to the River Realm, and you want to replace them all, just so your Flame Dog can be first? How shameless!"

"Don't spread rumors! The Monk Miss said she was looking forward to sparring with Flame God, not challenging him!"

Lu Ran's live stream was filled with a flurry of comments.

He didn't know that he had poked the hornet's nest of the Monk followers.

Not just the first on the Heaven Chart, He Qi Feng? Among the hundred Tianjiao, there were at least five or six Monk followers who had mentioned Lu Ran to some extent.

The Monk sect has always been fond of sparring and challenging.

Now, in front of the people of Great Xia, Lu Ran had singled out a River Realm Monk follower, and was even calling him a 'Flower Monk'.

Such disrespect had infuriated the Monk sect!

Lu Ran was completely unaware of this, and didn't have time to pay attention to it.

However, regarding the Tianjiao's advancement to the River Realm, he had indeed heard something.

With each episode of Heavenly Pride, a total of 18 participating Tianjiao had advanced to the River Realm.

It was no wonder they were the hundred Tianjiao carefully selected from all over Great Xia.

Look at this success rate!

The speed of advancement was truly astonishing.

Before the official competition began, if a student advanced to the River Realm, they would simply be replaced.

But with Heavenly Pride already underway, the rankings were set, and naturally, there would be no mid-competition substitutions.

Conversely, once you advanced to the River Realm, the judges' scoring standards for you would naturally become much stricter.

Thus, an interesting phenomenon emerged:

As I became stronger and killed more enemies, my score decreased.

After a battle, the final scores of the Tianjiao who had advanced to the River Realm were mostly lower than their scores in the River Realm.

This was a rare opportunity for Lu Ran to take down the top two.

"Xiao Lu!"

Lu Ran, who was patrolling with his teammates, heard a call.

He turned and saw a couple, both tall and sturdy, waving and smiling at him in front of an auto repair shop.

These were Chang Ying's parents, easily recognizable.

After all, to have a daughter as tall and robust as Chang Ying, the couple must be of a similar type.

"Uncle Chang, Aunt Chang," Lu Ran was very polite, smiling and waving, reminding them, "As usual, stay inside the house in the evening and don't come out to watch the excitement."

"Okay, we won't cause any trouble for the organization."

"Be careful," the Chang couple smiled and assured and instructed.

For Lu Ran, the couple not only admired him but also felt grateful.

They knew that their daughter's admission to the top university in the province was largely due to Lu Ran's guidance.

"No need, go back," Lu Ran waved his hand hurriedly when he saw the couple coming to deliver water.

In fact, it wasn't just the Chang couple.

Along the patrol route, including shops, residential areas, and more, Lu Ran had become familiar with many people.

After all, he patrolled this route every 15th of the month.

During daytime patrols, there were often people delivering water and food.

Lu Ran had excellent eyesight.

He always saw people with enthusiastic smiles, but their eyes hid fear and worry, grateful for the protection of the Moon-Gazing people.

This damn world hadn't spared anyone.

Suddenly, Lu Ran stopped in his tracks, looking at the Chang couple's backs with a thoughtful expression.

Beside him, Jiang Ruyi immediately stopped and, at the first opportunity, signaled to the others behind her.

Sun Zhengfang and Wei Long immediately fell silent.

Ever since they gathered at West River Park, they knew that Lu Ran was in a crucial period of enlightenment and advancement to the River Realm.

And Lu Ran's enlightenment was related to this city.

In other words, every moment he spent in Rain Alley City could potentially trigger his advancement mode.

It was truly heartbreaking.

Lu Ran's River Realm, Fifth Stage, was considered a crucial period.

But Sun Zhengfang, also at the River Realm, Fifth Stage, was not in a crucial period at all.

Perhaps the first year or two were truly crucial.

After being stuck for more than twenty years, it no longer felt crucial.

"What's Flame God doing? Why did he stop?"

"Is he advertising?"

"Waaah~ Flame Baby is so good, he must know I'm missing my parents and deliberately showed them to me."

People.

Lu Ran stood in place, his mind filled with a stream of images of the citizens' faces.

Were those who were still persevering and living in this cursed land also a part of Rain Alley?

Like this,

Was it enough to make it more profound?

Lu Ran silently stood for a long time before finally taking a step forward.

His gaze swept across shops and residential buildings, thinking of faces that existed or would never be seen again.

Behind him, Jiang Ruyi quietly followed.

Sun Zhengfang and Wei Long had good judgment and stayed further back, following the couple from a distance.

From day to night,

The light drizzle arrived as expected.

Until a shrill scream completely shattered the silent night.

The night of the 15th finally unveiled its grand stage.

"Hiss!"

Jiang Ruyi furrowed her brows slightly, looking at the Fog Shadow Person ahead who was roaring loudly, seemingly finding it a bit annoying.

She extended her hand forward, and a Cool Night Sword flew out from her sleeve, stabbing straight at the enemy.

The Fog Shadow Person hurriedly dodged, but the Cool Night Sword automatically adjusted its aim.

"Roar!!!" The Fog Shadow Person shouted angrily, gathering a misty orb in its hand.

"Whoosh!" The Cool Night Sword moved with incredible speed, piercing straight through the chest of the Fog Shadow Person.

At the hilt of the sword, where it connected to the blade, a white jade plaque was lodged and suddenly exploded.

Jade Talisman Divine Art: Explosive Flame Charm!

"Boom!!"

The jade plaque shattered, and fiery waves surged.

The Fog Shadow Person, composed entirely of mist, caught fire and burned fiercely, with flames reaching high into the sky.

The light drizzle couldn't extinguish the layers of fiery waves.

The poor Fog Shadow Person met its nemesis and was burned to a crisp.

"Do you remember the first time we encountered a Fog Shadow Person?" Lu Ran suddenly spoke up.

It had been a whole day since he last said a few words.

Jiang Ruyi replied softly, "The first one was a River Realm Fog Shadow Person, unrelated to us. I remember the second one."

"Oh?"

Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but smile, "At that time, you were captured by the Crimson Paper Person and had just been rescued. As we returned to the shelter's entrance, I could only use the Electric Binding Charm, trying hard to restrain the Fog Shadow Person, but to little effect."

The girl who had struggled so desperately back then now effortlessly waved her hand, and the Fog Shadow Person's soul scattered.

"I was talking about that one too." Lu Ran looked at Jiang Ruyi and smiled, "That rainy night, it seemed like the first time you hugged me."

Jiang Ruyi's face froze for a moment, then she lightly glared at Lu Ran and turned her head to look away.

"Wow! They're feeding us sugar! I love it!"

"She's so easily embarrassed!"

"@Wu Lie River University, @Wu Lie River University, @Wu Lie River University."

"The girl expresses her feelings for the first time, embracing in the rainy night, so romantic, hahaha, I'm gonna stick my umbrella into Flame Dog's butt and open it!"

Lu Ran stepped onto the stairs, standing at one end of the narrow, old footbridge, and paused.

At the other end of the footbridge, a large red figure stood.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, "The other protagonist of that night has appeared."

Demon: Crimson Paper Person!

"Be careful," Sun Zhengfang warned.

After all, it was impossible to discern their strength level from their appearance.

However, Lu Ran had a dog's nose, which could sense the intensity of the demonic aura.

Of course, this method of judgment wasn't very accurate, but Lu Ran was certain that the opponent was definitely not from the River Realm.

"Hmm?" The Crimson Paper Person's face originally wore an elegant smile as she sized up her prey at the bridgehead.

However, when Lu Ran lifted the raincoat's hood slightly, she froze.

Her lips, as pale as paper, parted slightly, and within her beautiful eyes, there was a surge of intense emotion.

From surprise to wild joy, and then to scorching heat, her gaze shifted repeatedly, but one thing remained constant: the cruelty hidden in the depths of her eyes.

"I'll go." Lu Ran patted Jiang Ruyi's shoulder and strode forward.

Wei Long's brows knitted as he watched Lu Ran's retreating back, but he held back from speaking due to Lu Ran's status.

Sun Zhengfang, on the other hand, grew anxious, "Little Jiang?"

"Let him go," Jiang Ruyi said softly, her eyes filled with an unclear emotion.

Recalling the night of the college entrance exam, the Crimson Paper clan's ghosts roamed the night.

That night, Lu Ran experienced a rollercoaster of emotions.

Amid the Crimson Paper clan's pursuit, he realized something.

The three cameras were all aimed at Lu Ran.

When he spread his arms, countless faces on the screens behind him were filled with bewilderment.

"No! Bro!"

"What does this mean? Is he going to hug the Crimson Paper Person?"

"Huh?"

"Damn! He's hallucinating, why isn't the Crimson Paper Person attacking?"

"Forget it, let's just bless this new couple, may they live happily ever after!"

Indeed, the Crimson Paper Person didn't attack.

She stood like a bride awaiting Lu Ran to come and marry her.

Compared to killing Lu Ran, the Crimson Paper clan's first priority was to possess him.

As for how to imprison, torment, and torture him afterward, that was another matter.

When Lu Ran showed no hostility and walked into the trap, his actions perfectly aligned with the Crimson Paper Person's primary desire.

That peerlessly beautiful figure, with autumnal eyes, also opened her arms, waiting for a tight embrace.

However, she didn't get the man she desired.

Those who eagerly throw themselves into another's arms are rarely good people.

As the two drew closer, the Night Silence Blade suddenly unsheathed and fell into Lu Ran's hand.

Under Lu Ran's feet, the mist surged, and thunder rumbled from the ground.

Flame Gate Saber Technique Second Move: Thunder Moon!

"Ssss!"

Figures crossed paths, and the blade fell.

A beautiful head flew high, its face filled with bewilderment.

The world seemed to quiet down, and in the drizzle, people watched as if witnessing a silent play.

Only the exquisite Phoenix Crown emitted a pleasant sound.

Lu Ran twirled the blade in his hand, sheathed it, and turned to look behind him.

The headless corpse still stood motionless, the Crimson Radiance Robe gently fluttering in the wind and rain.

A wisp of a departed soul, its face contorted, slowly flew into Lu Ran's eyes.

"Buzz!!"

In the Sculpture Garden, the Crimson Paper Evil Sculpture, cultivated to the River Realm, Fifth Stage, trembled slightly.

One more chapter at 10 PM.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end