Chapter 374: Showdown!

Chapter 374: Showdown!

Deng Yuxiang suddenly laughed.

The smile was somewhat bitter, and then, it seemed as if she had let go of something.

Lu Ran cautiously asked, "What's wrong?"

Deng Yuxiang slowly closed her eyes.

No wonder she felt warm all over, and no wonder she saw little Lu Ran.

So, she was already dead.

Is this where people go after they die?

A pitch-black world.

And a warm figure in her memories.

That's good.

After fighting for so long, she was tired.

Forever lying here, with the memory of him by her side.

That's good.

Lu Ran looked at Deng Yuxiang with some worry and couldn't help but tighten his grip on her palm, sending more black fire to her.

Deng Yuxiang suddenly opened her eyes.

The real sensation coming from her palm made her feel a little lost.

But when she opened her eyes again, the whole world was pitch-black.

After all, the Fiery Phoenix Pattern Gourd wasn't always lit.

"Little Lu Ran," the woman's hoarse voice came from the darkness again.

"Do you want some water?" Lu Ran asked softly.

As he spoke, Lu Ran felt his hand being grasped back.

She clenched it tightly, as if she wanted to crush his bones: "Are you really there?"

Lu Ran raised his eyebrows slightly, and his heart stirred.

Not far away, the Radiant Blade silently unsheathed, and a faint golden-red glow appeared on the cold blade.

But under Lu Ran's command, the light on the blade was dim.

Lu Ran smiled and said, "What, do you think you're dead?"

Deng Yuxiang stared at Lu Ran in shock.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds... Her gaze fell on their hands again, looking at the faintly burning black fire.

"You?" Deng Yuxiang's astonishment was beyond words, and she looked up at Lu Ran again.

Lu Ran nodded slightly, "Yes, Inferno Cage Sorcery."

"Who, who are you?"

"I'm Lu Ran." Lu Ran gently freed his hand from her grip.

He stood up and walked to the side, taking a bottle of water from the table.

In the dim light of the Radiant Blade, Deng Yuxiang saw the familiar silhouette, leaving and returning.

In the dim environment, she instinctively wanted to listen to everything.

But Deng Yuxiang realized that she no longer had the right to cast spells.

It wasn't that she couldn't mobilize the divine energy within her, nor was it that the deity didn't allow it.

It was that the channel to report upwards had been cut off!

"Drink some water." Lu Ran helped Deng Yuxiang, who was in a daze, to sit up and lean against the headboard.

As the clear water went down her throat, she finally became a bit more lucid.

"My Divine Art?" Deng Yuxiang asked in a trembling voice.

Intentionally or not, she ignored the fact that Lu Ran knew Inferno Cage Sorcery.

Lu Ran said, "You're no longer a Northwind Follower."

"I, I was expelled..."

"No, Northwind wants your life."

"Northwind wants my life?"

Lu Ran sat on the edge of the bed, looking straight into her eyes, "Read with me, Northwind."

Deng Yuxiang was stunned for a long time before she whispered, "Northwind."

Was there any difference?

Yes.

The respectful title "Northwind" was gone, and he was addressing her directly by name.

Lu Ran asked, "Where does your last memory stop?"

Deng Yuxiang thought for a moment, and her eyes gradually dimmed.

It seemed that she had remembered the broken Night Slash Great Saber.

Lu Ran sighed inwardly and told her the whole story.

Deng Yuxiang leaned against the headboard, and the flames that had enveloped her body had long since dissipated. The bath towel wrapped around her head also fell off when she stood up earlier.

Her jet-black hair, washed smooth by Bai Man Ni, now hung loosely.

The drooping eyelids and gloomy expression gave her a broken, yet beautiful look.

Lu Ran picked up the water bottle and offered it to her again, "Northwind wants your life.

He wants to take away your soul and nourish the stone sculpture."

The ever-radiant and dazzling Deng Yuxiang now looked like a lifeless puppet, allowing Lu Ran to manipulate her and drink water.

Lu Ran said in a low voice, "Coincidentally, I also want your life."

The broken puppet finally showed a hint of reaction.

She slowly raised her eyes and looked at Lu Ran.

But her gaze was still somewhat scattered.

Lu Ran's voice turned solemn, "You and I are fortunate to have the protection of the Immortal Sheep deity. It tore up the contract between you and Northwind."

On Deng Yuxiang's pale face, a bitter smile appeared, "Is it worth it?"

"What?"

"Everything is my own doing." Deng Yuxiang's voice was soft and light, so soft it was heart-wrenching, "But you took it all upon yourself.

You even put yourself at risk."

Lu Ran suddenly said, "Do you still remember when we first met on the banks of the Martial Fury River?"

Deng Yuxiang's attention was indeed diverted.

She thought for a moment and recalled that rainy day, that abandoned rooftop.

Lu Ran smiled, "You were the first person to hit me in front of my dad.

And you hit my butt, with a knife.

I thought then, thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, I'll get my revenge someday.

So far, I haven't succeeded, so..."

Lu Ran shrugged.

Deng Yuxiang forced a faint smile, and her head drooped as she remained silent.

Lu Ran changed the subject, "I brought back half of the Night Slash Saber."

As he spoke, he reached to the side.

With a surge of energy, a delicate ancient bronze mirror appeared in his palm.

Deng Yuxiang glanced at the mirror, her gaze fixed.

Lu Ran swiped up and down, and the oval-shaped ancient bronze mirror gradually grew larger, turning into a full-length mirror.

A similar full-length mirror appeared on a table not far from the room.

Lu Ran reached into the ancient bronze mirror at his side.

When he withdrew his hand from the mirror, he brought back a broken blade.

Deng Yuxiang remained silent, holding the broken blade with both hands.

She deliberately ignored the ancient-style bronze mirror.

Self-deception.

Deng Yuxiang used to be a Northwind Follower and an enforcer of the Great Xia.

Even if she discarded all her identities, she was still a human being at her core.

And now, Lu Ran was displaying forbidden arts right in front of her.

Deng Yuxiang dared not think too deeply.

In the forty years since the gods and demons descended, very few humans had fallen into the demonic path, but they did exist.

Unless something unexpected happened, Lu Ran was one of them.

And yet, he had hidden it so deeply.

How ironic.

The number one Tianjiao of Great Xia was actually a believer of the Demonic Cult?

Had the Demonic forces infiltrated to such an extent?

Moreover, Lu Ran's identity was even more terrifying!

If he had only used the Black Lantern Clan's forbidden arts, Deng Yuxiang would have thought that Lu Ran had been bewitched by the Black Lantern Clan's illusions during his training at Black Tomb Hill, causing him to fall into the path of demons.

But at this moment, Lu Ran also displayed the forbidden arts of the Lustful Mirror Demon Clan, Mirror Flower Moon!

What?

What kind of existence was Lu Ran within the Demonic forces?

Deng Yuxiang's heart trembled.

On this day, she had experienced far too much.

And at this moment, the only person by her side, the one who gave her warmth, was a believer of the Demonic Cult.

Lu Ran spoke softly, "The blade is broken, and the sword spirit is shattered.

But this broken blade is still a Divine Weapon embryo."

Even before returning, Lu Ran had sensed that this broken blade might still have the potential to shine again.

At the very least, compared to other ordinary blades, this broken one was more advanced.

Deng Yuxiang held the broken hilt, her slender fingers gently caressing the blade covered in cracks.

Her eyes gradually turned red.

Lu Ran suggested, "We can ask the Celestial Ram Sect for help, and they can assist in repairing it."

Deng Yuxiang paused.

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "Or, we can just repair the cracks on the blade."

Suddenly, Deng Yuxiang asked, "Am I your sister?"

"Huh?" Lu Ran raised his eyes to look at the woman.

Deng Yuxiang looked at Lu Ran, "Can we still coexist?"

Lu Ran nodded matter-of-factly.

Deng Yuxiang closed her eyes in pain, "You're a believer of the Demonic Cult, and you can coexist with me.

So, you must bring me into your camp."

Yes, he had severed her contract with the Deity.

What would be the next step?

Lu Ran's expression was odd, "You misunderstood."

But Deng Yuxiang didn't hear him, already immersed in the memories of their time together.

They had faced life and death together, been each other's mentors and companions until now.

Today, he had even risked everything, saving her life time and again.

But Little Lu Ran...

I am a person, a member of the human race.

I cannot betray my kind, nor can I raise a butcher's knife against my fellow humans.

"Slap!"

Lu Ran suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Deng Yuxiang was holding the broken blade, the sharp edge pointed towards her own neck.

Lu Ran frowned, "What are you doing?"

Deng Yuxiang remained silent, exerting all her strength.

Lu Ran tightly gripped her wrist, not budging an inch.

The Soul Shattering Power of the River Realm was no joke.

Deng Yuxiang tried several times without success. With a bitter smile, tears wet her eyes, and her voice was filled with apology, "I'm sorry, Lu Ran, I can't.

I'll return this life to you."

After she spoke, the room fell silent.

In the dim environment, only the Radiant Blade suspended in mid-air emitted a faint glow.

This faint golden-red light, reflected in Lu Ran's pitch-black eyes, shone with a peculiar luster.

Deng Yuxiang stared at Lu Ran's beautiful yet strange eyes.

She had personally witnessed him slowly shaking his head.

Deng Yuxiang's heart gradually sank.

Yes,

How could he possibly allow it?

He would force her to submit, or bewitch and control her body and mind.

Lu Ran was both amused and exasperated, "Where did your composure go? Well, it's gone."

Deng Yuxiang had suffered too many blows and shocks.

Her state was so poor that her mind was probably a mess.

Lu Ran pried her fingers open, took the broken blade, and casually tossed it onto the carpet, "I'm not a believer of the Demonic Cult.

Did you forget? I'm a believer of the Celestial Ram Sect."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yuxiang's expression worsened.

So, had the Celestial Ram Elder from the Deity's camp joined the Demonic forces?

Lu Ran's expression turned solemn, "I'm not a believer of the Demonic Cult!"

"Hmm?" Deng Yuxiang looked at Lu Ran, feeling a bit lost.

From the moment she woke up, Lu Ran's actions had repeatedly exceeded her understanding.

Lu Ran took a deep breath and said, "Great Nightmare, Sister, Deng Yuxiang.

Trust me.

At least listen to what I have to say, and give me a chance to explain."

Deng Yuxiang silently watched Lu Ran, her tense body slowly relaxing.

Lu Ran reached out to the side, and energy surged again.

Deng Yuxiang's breathing gradually quickened, and she watched as a Night Demon slowly took shape.

What kind of existence was Lu Ran?

How could he create a demon?

"Kneel." Lu Ran pressed down on her hand.

The Night Demon knelt on the ground, bowing its head towards Lu Ran in reverence.

Deng Yuxiang's pupils constricted as she watched her former mortal enemy bowing to Lu Ran.

When the Demonic faced the human race, they would always be extremely cruel.

But at this moment,

The Night Demon was kneeling obediently.

Deng Yuxiang felt like she was in an unrealistic dream.

Lu Ran said, "Seeing is believing. I'm not a believer of the Demonic Cult, and I'm not manipulated by them.

On the contrary, I'm going to invade the Demonic camp and enslave them.

I,

The Demon Sovereign!"

Deng Yuxiang didn't know how to react to the last four words, which made her mind go blank.

Lu Ran paused and continued, "However, my power as the Demon Sovereign is not enough yet, and I can only act as a local tyrant in my own territory.

I'm thinking that one day, I'll be able to kill my way into the depths of the Demon Cavern and replace the Demonic Sovereign Statue!

Then, I will be the true Demon Sovereign.

At that time, we should be able to completely solve the troubles of the human world."

Lu Ran extended his hand, gently pushing aside a strand of hair from her forehead, and tenderly tucking it behind her ear.

He looked into Deng Yuxiang's eyes and smiled, "What do you say, Sister?

Join me in turning this world upside down?"

Deng Yuxiang stared at Lu Ran in a daze.

The room was dim, and the Radiant Blade's light was faint.

But his smile was so dazzling.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end