https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-431-Today-not-suitable-for-breakthrough-/12951656/
Chapter 432: Madness
Chapter 432: Madness
Hundreds of kilometers away, at the bottom of Snow Valley, within a hidden cave.
Previously, the Flame Sect members had embarked on their journey from this very place, and now upon their return, they had gained an additional member.
Lu Ran casually summoned a Heaven-Burning Hammer.
The hammer blazed with intense flames, dispelling the cold air within the cave.
Deep inside the cave, Deng Yuxiang sat leaning against the stone wall, holding the motionless Yan Shuangzi, her hand gently caressing her disheveled hair.
Her eyes filled with heartache, her fingers lightly brushed over her friend's deeply sunken eye sockets.
One by one, faintly golden fish appeared from Yu Changsheng's side.
The light illuminated the cave, restoring vitality to everyone within.
Yan Shuangzi's pale face gradually regained some color, and the shocking wounds on her body, including the hidden illness within, were being continuously healed.
However, the sunken eye sockets under Deng Yuxiang's fingers did not fill out.
Yan Shuangzi's severed arm also did not regrow.
Lu Ran's expression was not pleasant.
His River Poisonous Art: Rebirth Carp, for the time being, could not regenerate the lost limbs.
Yan Shuangzi's eyeballs, naturally, could not grow anew.
Lu Ran remained silent, nodding slightly.
Yu Changsheng spoke again, "Once I cultivate to a higher realm beyond the Sea Realm, and the Eternal Life Carp advances another grade, perhaps it will be possible."
These words were not mere empty comfort.
Yu Changsheng was very familiar with his healing divine art. The Sea Sacred Art: Eternal Life Carp, in terms of replenishing vitality and healing injuries, had already reached its pinnacle!
Advancing another grade would likely lead to a qualitative change, venturing into higher domains.
The cave fell silent as the words echoed within.
Yan Shuangzi's skin gradually became smooth and fair, but this was just the surface.
The true terror of the Sea Realm Great Physician lay in the Eternal Life Carp he released, which, with an absolute quantity of vitality, could renew Yan Shuangzi's body, on the brink of death, from the inside out.
Renewing vitality!
Lu Ran quietly waited, glancing at Luo Ying, who was sitting alone nearby. He said, "You've worked hard, Luo Shenjiang."
Luo Ying lifted her eyes to meet his gaze and nodded respectfully.
She had no connection with Yan Shuangzi and had long become numb to tragic stories, but Luo Ying admired Lu Ran's attitude.
His unwavering dedication and willingness to risk his life to save his own people—this was commendable!
One day, Lu Ran would treat her with the same devotion.
Luo Ying became even more certain that her loyalty and dedication would be rewarded.
Lu Ran turned his gaze towards the cave entrance, where Jing Hong stood on guard with utmost vigilance.
He spoke, "Well done."
Jing Hong's Thunder Horn had indeed set the tone for the Flame Gate Sect.
As Lu Ran encouraged his soldiers, he suddenly heard a muffled nasal sound.
He turned to look and saw Yan Shuangzi's fingertips slightly move, awakening from her coma.
"Shuangzi?" Deng Yuxiang also noticed.
Yan Shuangzi's body trembled slightly.
Deng Yuxiang's voice was softer than ever, "Shuangzi?"
Yan Shuangzi was stunned for over twenty seconds before asking incredulously, "Deng Deng Yuxiang?"
Her voice was hoarse, and her lips trembled slightly.
Deng Yuxiang's nose twitched, and she embraced Yan Shuangzi, "It's me, it's me."
Yan Shuangzi struggled to lift an arm, and her dirty palm rested on Deng Yuxiang's face, constantly caressing it.
"Deng Yuxiang, Deng Yuxiang."
Yan Shuangzi mumbled, her fingertips brushing over Deng Yuxiang's eyebrows, then her nose and lips.
Having lost her eyes, she continuously touched her friend's face, recalling her appearance in her mind.
However, those memories seemed like a distant past.
So distant that she was on the verge of forgetting her dear friend from the past.
Or perhaps, the prolonged days of captivity and torture had caused Yan Shuangzi to forget many things, leaving her memories hazy and blurred.
"How...how did you get here?!" Yan Shuangzi's voice suddenly rose in pitch.
By the second sentence, her emotions completely spiraled out of control.
Yan Shuangzi's hand frantically groped Deng Yuxiang's face, "How are you here? You shouldn't be here! Go, go now. Have they captured you too?"
Suddenly, Yan Shuangzi's movements stopped.
She seemed to have lost all her strength, and her lone arm drooped down.
She shook her head repeatedly, speaking incoherently, "No, you shouldn't be here, no, no."
As she spoke, two lines of clear tears flowed from her sunken eye sockets.
Deng Yuxiang's heart ached, and she immediately explained, "This isn't Blade Ridge Peak. We rescued you!"
But Yan Shuangzi couldn't hear any words; she was immersed in her own world, constantly murmuring, "You shouldn't have come to Holy Spirit Mountain. It's all a deception!
No, you shouldn't have...they can't treat you like this."
"Yan Shuangzi!" Deng Yuxiang raised her voice, trying to rouse the confused woman, "This isn't Blade Ridge Peak. Lu Ran rescued you!"
Yan Shuangzi's words abruptly stopped.
Deng Yuxiang kept rubbing and soothing her back, "No one will hurt you again, never again."
After a long while, Yan Shuangzi's voice trembled, "I...I left Blade Ridge Peak?"
"Yes, Lu Ran rescued you. Do you remember Lu Ran?"
"Who is it?"
"Teacher Yan." Lu Ran spoke softly, "We met in North Wind City last year during the New Year. You taught me."
Due to the connection with Deng Yuxiang, Yan Shuangzi had shown great care for Lu Ran in North Wind City back then.
She had also taught Lu Ran about the three levels of blade mastery:
Body-Blade Unity, Mind-Blade Unity, and Person-Blade Unity.
With this clearer theoretical guidance, Lu Ran saw other powerful martial artists as mere weapons after that.
"Lu Ran." Yan Shuangzi furrowed her brows, as if trying hard to remember.
However, after enduring days without sunlight, her mind was in disarray, and she seemed unable to recall.
"Never mind, Shuangzi. Let's not think about it for now." Seeing her friend's pain, Deng Yuxiang hurriedly advised.
"Hmm." Yan Shuangzi's head drooped.
Her dirty face buried itself in Deng Yuxiang's shoulder.
After just a few seconds, she began to sob again, "It's all fake, Yuxiang. Everything is fake, fake!"
It was clear that Yan Shuangzi's mental state was a cause for concern.
"I'm real, I'm right here. Everything is real." Deng Yuxiang showed a gentleness she had never exhibited before.
It was as if she were soothing a child.
However, Yan Shuangzi couldn't hear what was being said again.
She kept muttering, "Gods are not saviors. Everything is fake! The whole world has been deceived, everyone has been fooled!
There is no way out, no hope. Humanity will never have a day of victory! It is the will of the gods. Demons will forever torment us. Everything is orchestrated by the gods."
Yan Shuangzi seemed to be in a state of madness.
Deng Yuxiang spoke sternly, "I have severed my covenant with the North Wind!"
Yan Shuangzi's body stiffened.
Deng Yuxiang held Yan Shuangzi's face, her thumb wiping away tears from her unceasingly weeping eyes, "Months ago, I stopped believing in the gods."
"You... you severed the covenant?"
"Yes. This Sacred Spirit Mountain is the burial ground created by the gods for humanity, isn't it? Why should I still believe in so-called gods?"
As Deng Yuxiang spoke, Yan Shuangzi's mouth opened slightly.
After a few seconds, Yan Shuangzi suddenly laughed.
She was truly like a madwoman, crying and laughing, shouting and making a fuss.
Was it the joy of finding a kindred spirit?
Was it the joy of finally being understood?
Or was it the sorrow of seeing the ugliness of the world, unable to stop crying out in anguish?
Perhaps it was all of the above.
The Flame Gate Sect members all remained silent, watching the madly laughing and crying woman.
What kind of agony must one endure to become like this?
What kind of inhuman torture must one go through?
This time, no matter how much Deng Yuxiang tried to soothe her, it was of no use.
Lu Ran commanded, "Soul Calming Horn."
At the cave entrance, Jing Hong immediately summoned an ancient horn and held it to her lips.
"Wuuuu~"
The horn's sound was not loud, but deep and resonating within the small cave.
Divine Art: Soul Calming Horn—This technique not only eliminates spiritual influences but also soothes emotions and stabilizes the mind.
Amid the deep horn's sound, Yan Shuangzi, exhausted from crying, nestled in Deng Yuxiang's embrace and fell into a deep sleep.
After a while, Lu Ran pressed his hand.
The Soul Calming Horn stopped, and the tormented soul finally found some peace.
Deng Yuxiang's raincoat was wide enough, and her embrace was warm enough.
But Lu Ran didn't find this scene heartwarming; instead, he felt sad and desolate. He bowed his head and turned to walk out of the cave.
"Sigh~"
The cold wind from the valley bottom blew past, and Lu Ran looked up at the night sky, taking a deep breath.
Faintly, he felt someone calling out to him.
Lu Ran immediately connected his spirit with Night Charm Sorcery, and the woman's words were imprinted in his mind.
[Little Lu Ran.]
[Hmm?]
[I don't have many friends. Aside from Jiao Jiao, she's the only one.] Deng Yuxiang paused, then requested, [Help me. Take her in as a follower, like how you saved me. Can you do that?]
[Of course, which statue do you want her to worship?] Lu Ran didn't hesitate.
He gazed at the starry sky, his eyes sparkling.
Of course, it was a good idea!
If Yan Shuangzi could take revenge with him and personally remove Elder Xing's eyes, it would be even better.
(End of Chapter)
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