Chapter 373: Forbidden Arts
Chapter 373: Forbidden Arts
Two hours later, in Changbai Mountain Province's Joy City, known as the "Spring City of the Northern Territory".
Here, Lu Ran and his three companions found temporary lodging.
In a luxurious hotel near the high-speed train station, they occupied the top-floor suite.
In the bathroom of the bedroom, the sound of the shower could be heard continuously.
In the living room, Deng Yutang sat on the sofa, occasionally glancing at Lu Ran who stood by the window.
"Relax, this is the Mountain Lord's territory," Lu Ran suddenly spoke up.
Within the borders of Great Xia, it was rare for the domains of powerful gods to border each other.
It was almost like a situation where "kings do not meet each other".
Usually, there would be buffer zones between powerful gods, with the presence of weaker gods' territories to some extent.
However, the Second-Rank God Northwind and the Second-Rank God Mountain Lord were in a constant struggle for every inch of land!
Despite both being deities, they divided Great Xia's provinces between them, neither giving way to the other.
Northwind stood tall in Ice City, with his clone statues extending northward.
Mountain Lord stood in Joy City, and his influence stretched southward.
The two deities' original statues were less than 300 kilometers apart in a straight line, creating a rather peculiar sight.
Lu Ran spoke softly, "Moreover, Immortal Sheep has already helped with the negotiations. Since Northwind agreed to let us go, they won't easily go back on their word."
Deng Yutang suddenly stood up and knelt towards a figure not far away.
Lu Ran frowned slightly and turned to look at Deng Yutang, "Get up!"
"Brother Lu," Deng Yutang's eyes reddened, and his voice choked with emotion.
He didn't know how much Lu Ran had sacrificed.
He had witnessed Lu Ran, covered in blood, pulling his sister from the clutches of death.
He had also seen Lu Ran repeatedly summoning gods to rescue his sister from Northwind's grasp.
The titles of Great Xia's top disciple and the leader of Immortal Sheep Sect's Falling Immortal Mountain seemed insignificant compared to the gratitude and deference shown by the Immortal Sheep deity.
Did Lu Ran save Deng Yuxiang's life?
No! Lu Ran had saved her again and again, life after life!
Setting aside the insults and stains on Lu Ran's reputation, how would he explain this to Immortal Sheep?
What divine wrath would Lu Ran face upon his return?
Today, Immortal Sheep had lost face in Northwind City.
"Brother Lu! I am forever indebted to you, and this life..." Deng Yutang began.
"Stand up!" Lu Ran interrupted, his voice stern.
Deng Yutang's gratitude overflowed, and he looked up at Lu Ran.
Lu Ran stared at Deng Yutang, "Stand on your own."
Deng Yutang remained silent for a long time before choosing to obey, silently rising to his feet.
Lu Ran turned to look out the window, his voice low, "Damn it, brother, why are you doing this to me?"
Deng Yutang's nose stung, and two lines of clear tears flowed down his cheeks.
Lu Ran gazed down at the city below, letting out a soft sigh.
It was for the best.
In the future, it would be more convenient to bring Deng Yutang into the Flame Sect.
Although Lu Ran's original intention was purely to save Deng Yuxiang, objectively, the Flame Sect had gained a pair of devoted siblings.
Two loyal companions who were deeply grateful to him.
"Hehe." Lu Ran suddenly laughed, "I thought you and your sister weren't close."
Deng Yutang sat down on the sofa, his head bowed, covering his eyes with one hand, "I used to think so too."
Today, this brave and fearless Crimson Band Believer was unusually vulnerable.
From childhood, Deng Yutang had always lived in his sister's shadow.
It couldn't be called tragic, but it was certainly no light matter.
The "painful" memories of his childhood would always leave a deep impression.
And today, as Deng Yuxiang hovered between life and death, Deng Yutang recalled many childhood memories that had been overlooked.
For instance, Deng Yuxiang holding his hand on their way to school.
Or how she protected him from bullies and stood up to older students.
And how she gave him his first weapon, a wooden spear with red tassels.
And the many nights of the fifteenth.
In his younger days, it seemed like Deng Yuxiang was always by his side.
During those times when he should have been scared of the world outside the Shelter, Deng Yutang wasn't afraid.
Because he didn't have time.
Because he was busy being bullied by his sister.
Looking back now, perhaps it was a form of protection and love, in its own way.
Who knew? Maybe it was.
"She's a River Realm body, don't worry, she won't die," Lu Ran reassured him.
"Mhm," Deng Yutang nodded heavily.
Lu Ran gazed at the snowflakes falling outside the window, "In a while, you book the tickets. Tonight, I'll take your sister back to Falling Immortal Mountain."
"Can I come along?" Deng Yutang asked.
"Sure, your sister will need comforting when she wakes up," Lu Ran said, tilting his head slightly.
The sound of the shower stopped.
Soon, the sounds of drying and dressing followed, faint and delicate.
After a while, Lu Ran spoke, "Let's go and see her."
Deng Yutang immediately stood up and joined Lu Ran at the bedroom door, knocking gently.
"Click."
Soon, Bai Man Ni opened the door and quickly stepped aside.
It was clear that Bai Man Ni's thoughts were with Deng Yuxiang. She wore a bathrobe, her long hair still wet and dripping, with no time to dry it.
On the bed, Deng Yuxiang remained unconscious.
She too was dressed in a white bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a large white towel, and several "moon" characters floating above her body.
The pale light, like soft moonlight, fell on Deng Yuxiang's deathly pale face.
"Sorry for the trouble," Lu Ran said with a nod.
Bai Man Ni lowered her eyelashes, "It's my duty."
On the high-speed train, Bai Man Ni's Moonlight Charm had been continuously active, constantly replenishing Deng Yuxiang's life force.
As a result, the Divine Energy Orbs of the group had been depleted.
The trio approached the window, quietly observing the unconscious woman on the bed.
After such a long healing process, she still had no color in her face, her lips were pale, and it was easy to imagine how severely she had been injured.
This also indicated from another perspective: the River Realm body, whose vitality was truly tenacious!
It was difficult to die.
It was also difficult to recover to full health.
The health bar was too long.
"You guys go to the living room and rest," Lu Ran said.
"Huh?" Bai Man Ni's expression was one of surprise as she looked at Lu Ran.
She was the only one among them with healing techniques.
What did that mean?
Was he not going to treat her?
Deng Yu Tang was also puzzled and looked at Lu Ran.
Lu Ran turned to Bai Man Ni, "Go and comfort your boyfriend properly, he's almost broken."
Bai Man Ni: "..."
Deng Yu Tang: "..."
Does it matter if I'm broken or not? The priority now is to continuously infuse my sister with life force!
Lu Ran urged, "Go quickly, leave this to me."
Deng Yu Tang and Bai Man Ni exchanged a glance.
Their doubts were swallowed and kept in their stomachs.
They naturally had absolute trust in Lu Ran.
If Lu Ran wanted to stay here alone, there must be a good reason for it!
Deng Yu Tang reluctantly looked at Deng Yuxiang, but in the end, he was led out by Bai Man Ni, who was holding his arm.
"Just book the tickets and text me, don't come and disturb me," Lu Ran said as he sent the two out, closed the door, and locked it.
Separated by a door, they looked at each other.
From each other's eyes, they understood the same meaning: since Ran God didn't want them to see, they wouldn't look.
Yes, adults' business, kids should stay out of it.
The young couple obediently went to the living room.
In the bedroom, Lu Ran turned off the lights and drew the curtains.
The room instantly plunged into darkness.
Lu Ran activated the Forbidden Perception Spell in the bedroom and carefully inspected it.
It was a proper hotel, with no messy things.
Afterward, Lu Ran brought a chair and sat by the bed, gazing at the sickly sleeping beauty.
"Sigh."
Lu Ran's eyes were filled with heartache as he slowly extended his hand and held hers, which was icy cold.
"Whoosh~"
A streak of black fire ignited from Lu Ran's warm palm, also burning in her palm.
Black Lantern Inferno Cage!
The gentle black flames could heal the target's injuries.
This fire had no destructive power and wouldn't burn down the house, and the caster could control the fire's range.
Otherwise, the young Lu Ran wouldn't have experimented on Little Raccoon, setting its little head on fire.
When used on a River Grade target, this spell could infuse life force.
But at this moment, the Inferno Cage Fire that Lu Ran cast was a genuine River Grade Forbidden Arts!
"Whoosh~"
The gentle black fire spread along Deng Yuxiang's palm.
Her arms, body, face, and legs were soon bathed in the black fire.
Lu Ran controlled the fire well, only using it to burn her body, without setting the entire bed on fire.
Time passed, and Deng Yuxiang's physical condition visibly improved!
The River Grade Inferno Cage was much more effective than the River Grade Moonlight Charm.
Lu Ran was also bathed in the black fire, nurturing his mind and body.
This burning lasted for nearly two hours.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle."
Lu Ran sat by the bed, holding the Fiery Phoenix Pattern Gourd in one hand, tilting his head back as he drank from it.
The condensed energy flowed from the gourd's mouth into someone's stomach.
Strictly speaking, Lu Ran could directly absorb energy, but he preferred to drink it.
Suddenly, Lu Ran felt the woman's hand move.
He quickly put down the gourd, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and saw that the sleeping beauty on the bed had opened her eyes.
"What... what is this?" The woman's voice was hoarse as she struggled to raise her hand.
She looked at the burning black fire on her hand, illuminated by the golden phoenix pattern light from the gourd.
"Sister, you're awake."
Lu Ran's voice trembled slightly.
In front of the deity, the Northwind Sect, Deng Yu Tang, and Bai Man Ni, Lu Ran always presented a different image.
He was calm and collected, unperturbed by changes.
But at this moment, when Deng Yuxiang truly opened her eyes, Lu Ran almost teared up and followed Deng Yu Tang's example.
Deng Yuxiang's hoarse voice was accompanied by a light cough: "Black Lantern Inferno Cage, Bathing Fire... Cage?"
Lu Ran intensified his spellcasting, transferring more black fire to her.
His voice became softer, "I call it the Inferno Cage."
Deng Yuxiang's eyes were still a bit dazed as she looked at Lu Ran's eyes, which were a mix of light and dark, "Forbidden Arts?"
"Yes, Forbidden Arts."
(End of Chapter)
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