The Old Gods

Chapter 1003 March 3rd

The fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month in 2023 is a day worth commemorating.

Amidst the anxieties, elation, and anticipation of the people of Daxia, time ticked by.

As dawn broke on the horizon, the evil spirits still did not appear.

The Great Xia Dynasty and even the whole world were cheering for this historic night. People naturally attributed the fact that evil spirits dared not invade to the descent of the gods of the Burning Gate.

A significant number of extremists attribute everything to Lu Ran.

Strictly speaking, this statement is correct.

The night was so peaceful because, in a certain temple dedicated to the gods, the Emperor of Gods and Demons and the Lord of the Burning Gate were drinking and making merry.

Snowflakes were falling heavily inside Yugu City.

At the foot of the Fairy Jasmine statue, in the back garden of a mansion, a young woman stands in an octagonal pavilion, quietly admiring the snow.

Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the pavilion.

Her feathered robes were whiter than snow, and she seemed as ethereal as a fairy.

The woman in the pavilion turned her head and looked over. Seeing that the man was safe and sound, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"How did the talks go?" Jiang Ruyi had barely uttered the words when she felt a blur before her eyes.

The young man in feathered robes didn't even bother to take a step; he simply flashed in front of her, reached to his side, and picked up a wisp of rosy silk.

Yanxia Ling struggled slightly, then said helplessly, "You took the wrong one."

"Huh?" Lu Ran was indeed a little confused. He looked down and then let go of the ribbon, grabbing another wisp of green gauze that was as thin as smoke and mist.

Jiang Ruyi smelled a strong odor of alcohol and frowned slightly: "How much did you drink?"

“A few cups. Or perhaps we should call them goblets?” Lu Ran said as he folded the smoky blue gauze into strips.

Looking at the young man so close to her, Jiang Ruyi felt that he was drunk and his eyes were glazed over.

His emotions were not discernible, making it impossible to predict the outcome of his attendance at the banquet.

The physical strength of the Weiwei Heavenly Realm is beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, making it very difficult for them to get drunk.

He said "a few cups," but it's probably much more than that!
Come to think of it, Lu Ran went to the banquet at midnight and didn't return until dawn.
Jiang Ruyi secretly cursed "liar" to herself, but she obediently closed her eyes as the young man did, letting him cover her eyes.

Gradually, she not only smelled the wine, but also a faint fragrance.

Jiang Ruyi hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "What is this fragrance?"

Lu Ran was taken aback and looked at the cold and beautiful fairy's face. With her eyes covered, she had a unique charm.

What's even more striking is that this icy fairy actually had her lips slightly pursed.

Very interesting~
Tsk, is that jealous little pot back at it again?

"It should be the plum flavor in the wine," Lu Ran said with a smile. "Don't worry, there are no maids or dancers or anything like that, it's just pure drinking."

Jiang Ruyi, slightly embarrassed and annoyed that her little secret had been exposed, pursed her lips tightly.

Lu Ran lowered his head and rested his forehead on her shoulder, leaning against her and muttering in dissatisfaction, "So pure that I want to curse!"

"Not to mention fruits or anything, there's not even a snack to go with the drinks. At least give me a plate of peanuts!"

"Hehe~" Jiang Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle.

Lu Ran was still muttering to himself: "In the local dialect of Sister Xian'er, the Evil Spear Emperor is a drunkard."

"A complete drunkard, he just drinks straight."

Jiang Ruyi regretted not keeping her composure and immediately straightened her face, no longer smiling: "Aren't you just his snack with drinks?"

"Huh?" Lu Ran's mind opened up, and he suddenly understood.

That seems to make sense, doesn't it?
"Hmph." Surrounded by the strong smell of alcohol, Jiang Ruyi gave a soft hum.

"A feast for the eyes, isn't it?" Lu Ran muttered to himself. "It's kind of embarrassing~ To be honest, I do have some good looks."

Jiang Ruyi: ?

She was both annoyed and amused, but before she could say anything more, the guy clinging to her had already kissed her neck.

Jiang Ruyi wanted to push him away to talk about serious matters, but she was afraid that this lump of mud would fall to the ground, so she could only helplessly pat his back:
"What did you talk about?"

"We talked quite a bit," Lu Ran sighed softly, recounting the conversation to Madam Ranmen.

When Jiang Ruyi heard that the Evil Spear Emperor wanted to decide the ruler of the Three Realms through a duel, her expression turned strange.

When she heard that the Northwest forces would have Lingqian and Lietian fighting, she immediately realized that this must have been at Lu Ran's request.

Jiang Ruyi knew very well how much Lu Ran hated these two gods.

When she heard that the final battle would be between two kings, Jiang Ruyi frowned.

A Celestial Being vs. a First-Class Evil God?
“The Ranmen Sect has a large and capable army; there’s no need for such a fuss,” Jiang Ruyi said.

Lu Ran sighed and then recounted the bargaining chips in the hands of the Evil Spear Emperor, which made Jiang Ruyi's expression grow even colder.

This is the Achilles' heel of the gas-powered vehicle, or more precisely, the Achilles' heel of the land-based gas-powered vehicle.

He still cares.

As for the remaining soldiers of the Burning Gate, they had almost no such weakness.

They may only care about a few family members; as for others, they will be categorized as "the common people."

When facing Lu Ran, the gods of the Burning Gate were naturally extremely respectful.

Whether it was their heartfelt reverence, their unwavering loyalty, or the camaraderie forged through shared life-and-death experiences, it was all driven by a deep sense of camaraderie.
In every respect, the soldiers were "alive".

But when facing the world, the gods of the Burning Gate all have the same face—solemn and dignified.

Even worse, some are ruthless. The higher they stand, the smaller the creatures beneath them appear.

This is not a problem with individual soldiers, but a flaw in the cultivation system of gods and demons.

This path of ascent is one that erodes humanity, and by digging deeper, it is to make the beings within the cultivation system truly aware of their social status and hierarchy.

The strict hierarchical system allowed gods and demons to gain obedient servants and rule over all living beings in the three realms.

Conversely, this cultivation system also disciplined the gods and demons themselves.

The scene of Lu Ran slowly descending and approaching the crowd in Beifeng City would have been almost impossible for the soldiers of Ranmen and the old subordinates of Yunhai.

Under the leadership of the Lord of the Burning Gate, his soldiers are indeed saving the common people.

However, for most players, this is a macro concept and it is difficult to apply it to a specific individual or group of people.

"What day?"

"What?" Lu Ran clung to the fairy like a lump of mud, his words muffled.

"When is the battle between the Burning Gate and the Evil Spear Emperor's forces scheduled?" Jiang Ruyi raised her slender hand and supported Lu Ran's back.

"March 3rd".

Jiang Ruyi felt a little relieved; there was still plenty of time, two and a half months until now. This meant Lu Ran could attempt to break through and advance to the third level of the Heavenly Realm!
The second and third levels are vastly different!

More importantly, after Lu Ran advances to the third level of the Heavenly Realm, will he be able to transform into a divine sculpture and advance to the Divine Realm?

At that time, will Lord Immortal Sheep...
Thinking about this, Jiang Ruyi felt a mix of emotions.

I wonder what will happen between Lu Ran and Xian Yang if things really come to that.

"The day chosen by the Evil Spear Emperor." Lu Ran slowly straightened up, rubbing his eyes. "I wonder if it has any special meaning."

Lu Ran knew that the third day of the third lunar month was a festival for some ethnic minorities, with the Zhuang people's festival being the most famous.

But it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the Evil Gun Emperor.
While drinking last night, Lu Ran tried very hard to figure out the Evil Gun Emperor's thoughts and intentions.

When the two were discussing the date of their final showdown, Lu Ran wanted to persuade the Evil Gun Emperor to set the date a month later.

Lu Ran really wants to advance!

He wanted to face that first-class evil god with the highest level of his Heavenly Realm.

Unexpectedly, the Evil Spear Emperor casually flicked his sleeves and set the date for the third day of the third month.

Lu Ran certainly had no objection!

This far exceeded his expectations, but after his initial elation, Lu Ran realized another problem.

Did the Evil Gun Emperor deliberately give himself ample time?

Based on what was mentioned at last night's banquet, Lu Ran couldn't help but make many connections.

Did the Evil Gun Emperor know that the tide had turned and he did not want to end up like Qiao Wanjun, tragically and on the path to becoming an emperor, which is why he proposed a duel?

The Evil Spear Emperor readily agreed to Lu Ran's suggestion to add two more life-or-death battles.

Through Lu Ran's few words, the Evil Spear Emperor clearly realized that the Burning Sect would absolutely not tolerate Lingqian and Lietian.

In the struggle between the two forces, sacrifices and compromises are inevitable.

The deaths of Lingqian and Lietian can be seen as paving the way for the remaining generals in the Northwest to surrender.

"Sigh," Lu Ran sighed deeply, feeling more and more emotional the more he thought about it.

If all of this wasn't just wishful thinking on my part, then the Evil Spear Emperor had already made all the arrangements for his afterlife at last night's banquet.

Do not compromise yourself.

Let the new god send him off on his final journey, with a grand funeral and a graceful exit.

At the same time, as a leader, the Evil Gun Emperor also made arrangements for his subordinates' future, so as not to let down his followers to the greatest extent possible.

"I've found a possible connection." Jiang Ruyi had somehow pulled down the veil covering her face and was now looking at her phone.

"Oh?" Lu Ran immediately became interested and rubbed his eyes again.

"The third day of the third lunar month is the birthday of the Emperor."

Looking at the information on her phone screen, Jiang Ruyi continued, "According to the 'Annals of the Five Emperors,' Xuanyuan was born on this day."

Lu Ran's mouth was slightly open.

Could this be a coincidence?

"Do you think it's related?" Jiang Ruyi's gentleness was subtle and imperceptible, blending into the smallest details. She then pulled the veil up, covering her eyes.

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment, then recounted all that he had seen and felt, as well as his presumptuous analysis.

After listening attentively for a long time, Jiang Ruyi also fell into deep thought.

She was constantly worried, but the same story, through the clues Lu Ran found, led to a completely different version.

“The Evil Spear Emperor might be trying to lull us into a false sense of security. In any case, we must prepare well.” Jiang Ruyi supported Lu Ran’s swaying body. “You should rest well and then go back to the Heavenly Realm to cultivate.”

Stop worrying about worldly matters. I'll take care of the arrangements for worshipping the gods on New Year's Day.

"Hmm," Lu Ran replied, but he wasn't very obedient.

He put one arm around her back, bent down and slipped the other arm under her legs, lifting the fairy lady up in his arms.

Jiang Ruyi pursed her thin lips, her cold and charming face ultimately buried in his neck, letting him carry her away from the back garden and towards the house.

She naturally knew that Lu Ran would be diligently cultivating in seclusion for the next month or two.

March 3rd
Could it be the birthday of the human emperor?
Or perhaps it will be the day the Evil Emperor ascends to the top and the Lord of the Burning Gate falls?

It's the beginning of the month, please give me some monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)