The Old Gods

Chapter 1070 The Next Life Reincarnation

The Jade Venerable Clan withdrew their troops, leaving behind a ravaged Heavenly Realm.

The Burning Gate won, protecting the Great Xia war zone.

But did they really win?
The sight of destroyed sacred mountains and fallen soldiers is heartbreaking.

In the northwest region, only two sacred mountains remain: Fengyan and Changying; in the southwest region, only two sacred mountains remain: Xuechen and Xianmo.

In the northeastern region, only the Evil Shadow Mountain stands firm.

In the southeast region, only Longshen Mountain stands alone.

Besides the four corners of the celestial realm, another "three-point line" running through the battlefield still stands stubbornly, from north to south:

The Northern Nightmare Mountain, the Central Golden Jade Mountain, and the Southern Pear Garden Mountain.

Nine!

After this battle, only nine sacred mountains remained in the Burning Gate.

Even the iconic Sword One Divine Mountain was destroyed when Sword One himself went out to provide aid.
The news of the soldiers' deaths filled Lu Ran with even greater grief.

Fifteen gods and demons, including Huang Que, Hong Zhu Er, You Huo Ju, and Yu Shi, perished in battle.

Niu Zhengzheng, Jin Que'er, Tu Feng, and Bai Yanhui, a total of four soldiers, sacrificed their lives.

Ironically, it seems that the human soldiers who died were the ones who shouldn't have died.

How strong is Tu Feng's martial arts?

Throughout the rise of the Burning Gate, this former peak master of Martial Peak always served as a vanguard.

Yet this striker, with his top-notch overall qualities, was crushed to pieces by Yu Zun.

The golden sparrow can become invisible, has illusions, and can travel a considerable distance at high speed, making it extremely mobile.

Bai Yanhui can not only become invisible, but also sense danger.
The way Jin Que'er died on the eastern battlefield was strikingly similar to that of Huang Que on the western battlefield. She was wrapped in a jade robe that covered the sky and turned into golden light that darted around, but no matter what she did, she could not escape the Jade Venerable's palm.

Are all those who drowned able to swim?
Powerful vanguards, cloakable scouts, and prophets who can foresee the future.
Niu Zhengzheng's death further illustrates a cruel truth:

The Jade Emperor did not simply slay a single god, but rather crushed an entire divine mountain.

She overcame all the techniques of all the gods and demons on Changying Divine Mountain and forcefully plucked Niu Zhengzheng's head from the midst of a vast army.

These were all soldiers who died in battle, and countless others suffered heavy losses in this battle.

What shocked and angered Lu Ran the most was Yin Yan's experience.

This sounds incredible.

Shouldn't it be that those with weaker overall strength are more vulnerable in war?

However, Yin Yan, a terrifying being who could transform into an ancient ferocious beast, into a demonic wind, and possessed maximum mobility, almost died on the battlefield.

As the leader of the mountain, Yin Yan unleashed her terrifying body, which was ten thousand meters long, and rampaged across the battlefield. However, she was repeatedly assaulted by waves of white jade.

She didn't want to be completely turned into jade, so she reverted to her original form and was surrounded by the Jade Venerable Clan.

Most fatally, a Jade Venerable himself emerged from the waves.

Yin Yan tried to escape by transforming into a demonic wind, but was almost completely scattered by the omnipresent, fluttering jade robe.

That was an incredibly thrilling scene!
The crisis was only averted when she transformed back into her original form.

But it was only temporarily lifted.

She swung countless sinister whips, but could not drive away the powerful Jade Venerable himself; in fact, the other party even grabbed her whip.

She finally unleashed her ultimate move, plunging an area into absolute darkness.

Let every gust of wind be her, yet none of them are her.

However, that area was quickly filled with countless minions of the Jade Venerable under the leadership of the enormous Jade Venerable.

What utter despair that was!
When you've exhausted all your abilities, you'll better realize just how weak you are.

Thanks to the special properties of this technique, every wisp of demonic wind within the domain is her.

At the very edge of the domain, she once again transformed into an ancient ferocious beast, forcefully breaking through the encirclement, shattering the peak of the sacred mountain with a single slap, and closing the vortex of dark clouds.

As she was being continuously turned into jade, Yin Yan fled desperately towards the nearest Evil Shadow Mountain, ultimately managing to escape with only a small portion of her life.
Lu Ran couldn't help but wonder, if the Ran Sect hadn't appointed Yin Tianjiang as the leader of the mountain, hadn't given her such a heavy responsibility, and had instead allowed her to return to her scout role, would Yin Tianjiang's personal philosophy and combat strategies have been completely different?
And there are countless soldiers like Yin Yan who nearly died in battle.

The ferocity of the Battle of Ranmen was so great that it is worthy of being recorded in history.

It's to the point that anyone who sees it would be shocked.

If Lady Ranmen hadn't intervened in time, using the Divine Weapon Domain: Remaining Calamity to temporarily immobilize the various Jade Venerables;

If the Burning Gate had not operated smoothly, powerful gods such as Lu Tiandi and Feng Tiandi would not have rushed to the rescue.
If Lu Ran hadn't displayed unparalleled strength, making Jade Venerable realize the need for further adjustments...
It's likely that the entire celestial battlefield has been completely leveled by now.

"Wow~"

On the Immortal Jasmine Mountain, a crisp sound of copper coins clashing together rang out.

The celestial bodies of all the gods of the Burning Gate knelt on the enormous stone hand sculpted by the Immortal Jasmine God.

A sense of oppression filled the air.

Lu Ran stood in the palm of the Immortal Jasmine God statue, his eyes dim, holding a pile of magical artifact fragments and Rebirth Coins that the soldiers had just offered, feeling the souls of the dead within them.

Regardless of whether a god is single or double, and considering only the individuals who existed, the Burning Gate lost a total of nineteen generals in the battle.

Only nine of the dead souls were recovered.

Only two of the human souls were not retrieved.
The former head of the Sky Sparrow Pavilion, the woman who always wore a long golden dress, a golden veil, and golden copper bells tied to her ankles, died completely within the Heaven-Covering Jade Robe.

After death, his soul was completely devoured by the Jade Venerable.

The former peak master of Martial Peak has also disappeared from this world forever, becoming the energy that nourishes Jade Venerable.

One of the Heavenly Generals of the Burning Gate is missing.

Of the eight great generals, one is now forever missing.

"Waaah!" Qiao Yuanxi buried her face in Jiang Ruyi's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

She also had a golden copper bell on her ankle, which was a gift from the Golden Sparrow.

The two established a close relationship in the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm. Later, when they were stationed in the Heavenly Realm, they often chatted privately through the magical artifact, the Heavenly Sound Bell, encouraging each other through the days.

Now, her sister Sparrow is gone.

All that remained was the lonely Heavenly Bell on his ankle.

"Whoo~"

The mountain breeze carried the girl's cries far, far away.

Jiang Ruyi wrapped one arm around Xiao Yuanxi, gently rubbing the back of her head, letting the girl's tears soak her clothes, and also looked up at the young man in imperial robes not far away.

This battle report was nothing short of a heavy blow.

Lu Ran's journey has indeed been fraught with danger, but with ample strategy and support from various quarters, the outcome has ultimately been positive.

Sneak attacks, encirclement and suppression, infiltration, and defection.
As it turns out, the God and Demon faction was already corrupt and rotten, and the Burning Gate successfully overturned everything.

But when faced with the Faceless Jade Venerable, the situation completely changed!
Undeniably, Jade Venerable's strength was unparalleled, and he was already suppressing gods and demons in his killing. However, ultimately, this was the first time the Burning Sect had encountered such a situation.

A large number of deaths and injuries piled up on Lu Ran's head.

Jiang Ruyi knows very well what kind of person he is, and she must feel extremely guilty.

"Sect Leader." A voice rang out, waking the soldiers who were immersed in grief and oppression.

Lu Ran slowly turned his head and looked at the Dragon Protector.

Yu Changsheng said, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war! In a battle for survival, casualties are inevitable. We can erect a monument for Tu Tianjiang, Jin Shenjiang, and the gods and demons who died in battle."

May their stories live on and remain immortal in the hearts of the people.

We must pull ourselves together; only by achieving final victory can we honor the sacrifices of our soldiers.

The words of the Dharma Protector, spoken with force and clarity, served as a wake-up call to everyone.

Lu Ran remained expressionless, quietly watching Yu Changsheng.

Their eyes met, and the Dragon Protector's resolute gaze gradually changed, his face turning slightly pale, before he lowered his head.

"Sect Master, Protector Long is right," another female voice said.

Lu Ran turned his head and saw that it was Nightmare Protector looking up at him.

Deng Yuxiang said in a deep voice, "Only by winning can we ensure that their names and stories are passed down! Let all living beings know what they sacrificed for the continuation of their race and for their homeland. Only by winning can we comfort the spirits of our fallen soldiers."

Lu Ran silently watched the woman.

She didn't avoid his gaze; in fact, her eyes were gentle as she looked at Lu Ran.

A profound silence fell upon the enormous stone hand.

More than ten seconds later, another female voice came: "Sect Master".

There weren't many people standing in the hands of the Immortal Jasmine Goddess. The one who spoke was none other than the extraordinary Emperor Juntian. She did not perform the salute of a general, nor did she address him as "Ranran".

Qiao Wanjun gently advised, "Time is of the essence now. The memorial service and other matters should be postponed until after the victory. Right now, we should investigate the Jade Venerable Clan, assess their next move, and discuss countermeasures."

"Sect Leader, you are the leader of the Burning Gate, the only one whom all the gods revere and follow."

The meaning is already clear even without the words being spoken.

All the gods of the Burning Gate bowed their heads to listen, but Lu Tiandi, who was bowing along with the soldiers, slowly raised his head and looked at that peerless figure.

Qiao Wanjun sensed something and turned to look.

Without needing to observe deliberately, she directly saw the only one among the gods who raised his head.

That was clearly the celestial body of the first-class evil god, Blood Skull.

Qiao Wanjun frowned slightly, noticing the strange expression on the blood-stained skull.

He should have had a fierce face and sinister eyes, but at this moment, his blood-red eyes were filled with such complex emotions.

Feeling conflicted?

"I already have a preliminary plan to deal with Jade Venerable." A hoarse voice came from behind the blood crystal mask.

The sound made everyone's heart and lungs stop, and they were horrified!
"Ruyi, you take charge of the overall situation. I have some issues to deal with." The hoarse voice echoed in the ears of the gods.

For a moment, many soldiers were anxious, but dared not speak.

Several gods and demons subconsciously looked up at the Lord of the Burning Gate, then lowered their heads tremblingly.

Lu Ran then specifically named: "Wang Quan".

"My subordinate is here."

"Let's go." Lu Ran waved his hand, and a full-length mirror quickly took shape.

Wang Quan immediately stood up and walked towards Lu Ran.

The man and the god departed one after the other, and as the mirror disappeared, the surroundings fell into a deathly silence once more.

Jiang Ruyi knew, of course, that Lu Ran was doing everything in his power to ensure the victory of the Ran Sect.

But perhaps he should encourage the soldiers, or reveal the plan to give the gods some confidence.

Jiang Ruyi sighed inwardly, knowing that he himself also had a lot of emotions to process.

Ultimately, this is a young leader who has never experienced such a huge setback, and who is not devoid of humanity and is extremely sentimental.

"In this battle, our Burning Sect suffered heavy losses, but we also killed four Jade Venerables in their true forms," ​​Jiang Ruyi said slowly. "Our soldiers will not have sacrificed themselves in vain."

In the sect leader's sculpture garden, the faceless stone statue belonging to our Burning Sect is about to be completed.

For a moment, all the gods turned their gazes toward Lady Ranmen.

A faceless "stone" vessel?

Such a name leaves so much to the imagination!
Compared to the Faceless Jade Venerable, is it stronger or weaker?
Jiang Ruyi still held Xiao Yuanxi in her arms, gently stroking the girl's long hair: "The sect leader has been searching for a way to deal with the Jade Venerable Clan."

More eager, more diligent, and more effective than any of you.

As she finished speaking, her cold eyes swept over the gods, and she said indifferently, "Don't let me hear anything I don't want to hear, or sense any thoughts I shouldn't have."

Gods: "."

Who knows how?

To put it bluntly, who would dare?

"Follow the dragon."

"lady?"

"Tell me, what do you think the Burning Gate should do next?"

"Madam, we now only have nine sacred mountains left, which is at the critical point of supporting the existence of the Heavenly Realm. The margin for error is too low! In my opinion, the most urgent matter now is to build new sacred mountains and allocate personnel."

While the soldiers of the Burning Gate were having a meeting, Lu Ran, along with Wang Quan, returned to Youhuang Ferry, which was surrounded by bamboo forests.

"Wangquan, keep these few coins safe. I'll come back for them another day." Lu Ran examined each ancient bronze coin and handed them over one by one.

“Yes.” Wang Quan reached out and took it.

On the battlefield today, the death of a soldier means a loss of manpower.

The Burning Gate didn't have enough time, and Lu Ran didn't have enough energy to revive his comrades. Everything had to wait until after the great battle.

Lu Ran picked through the coins, leaving behind two that imprisoned the Jade Venerable's soul: "Later, take out more rebirth coins and give them to Madam so she can distribute them."

“Yes,” Wang Quan replied.

Lu Ran picked up the two coins for the deceased, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Your lifespan is coming to an end. You need to share a divine position with Li Rouyin in order to prolong your life."

Wang Quan nodded immediately.

The decay of the divine body is irreversible; only the infusion of fresh blood can bring her back to life.

Lu Ran continued, "Since you want to share the divine position with her, you must have signed a master-servant contract, not an inheritance contract?"

If Li Rouyin is an heir, then she is meant to replace Wangquan, not to merge with the gods.

“Yes.” Wang Quan nodded immediately.

Lu Ran said in a deep voice, "I need the divine technique, the Rebirth Coin. Since you are not in my sculpture garden, my Forgetful Spring stone sculpture will forever remain a false god."

My Forgetful Spring Divine Technique can only reach the Heavenly Rank at most.

Wang Quan looked at Lu Ran cautiously: "Sect Master, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to give up on Li Rouyin as your disciple."

Wang Quan's heart tightened!
Lu Ran pressed his hand down to calm the god's restless heart: "I will have her sign an inheritance contract with the Forgotten Spring stone sculpture in my garden and take its place."

You give half of your divine position to the false god Li Rouyin, with her new body as the dominant force, and then you merge into one.

In this way, your foundation will be established within the sculpture park, under my command. Are you willing?

Wang Quan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. His hands trembled slightly as he held the ancient bronze coin, slowly kneeling and bowing his head.

"Thank you for your order."

Lu Ran remained silent, looking at the bowed god.

According to Wangquan's plan, she will take absolute dominance after merging with her disciples.

But things are different now; the nature of the situation has completely changed.

Lu Ran knew that his actions were unreasonable and domineering, and Wang Quan had no choice but to submit.

Thinking about everything she had done for him all along, Lu Ran slowly said, "Just consider the battle between the Ran Sect and Jade Venerable as a turning point."

Wang Quan lowered his head and listened silently.

"If the Burning Gate wins, I will grant you the next reincarnation."

"The next... cycle?" Wangquan looked up.

Lu Ran nodded slightly: "Billions of years from now, your and Rouyin's bodies will eventually decay and decay."

At that time, I will create a brand new divine body for you and send your soul into it.

I grant you a next life.

Wang Quan's heart trembled violently. He gripped the money for rebirth tightly in his hand, lowered his noble head deeply, and said in a trembling voice:

"Thank you, Tomb Master!"

Brothers, only one update today!
Goodness, it's been cut from over six thousand words to four thousand four.
Also, I should mention in advance that this book is nearing its end and is expected to be completed around December.

I won't say more now; I'll share more in my closing remarks.

(End of this chapter)