The Old Gods

Chapter 808 Wavering?

Lu Ran was full.

After searching for a while, he absorbed hundreds of strands of holy spirit energy.

In the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, Lu Ran completed in just half an hour what a Mirror Demon would take half a year to accomplish while stationed on an island.

During this time, he inevitably encountered other living beings.

There was the terrifying faceless jade deity, as well as a combination of demons and divine minions, which truly broadened Lu Ran's horizons!

Even though Lu Ran was mentally prepared, his understanding was still completely overturned.

In the human world, gods and demons are irreconcilable enemies.

In the celestial realm, gods and demons cooperate closely and share weal and woe.
From childhood, Lu Ran was constantly told by his family, school, and society as a whole that the gods are our saviors and we should be grateful and worship them with devotion.

Evil spirits are the root of all chaos in the world.

As someone born in an era of gods and demons, Lu Ran's values ​​were shaped by this background.

But after entering Holy Spirit Mountain, his heart gradually crumbled.

The world doesn't seem to be the way people say it is.

After entering the Heavenly Realm, Lu Ran witnessed firsthand the scene of demons and divine lackeys working together, sharing life and death.
A blatant irony!

Lu Ran could also imagine how desperate the others must be.

When people ascend to heaven and finally break free from the shackles of lies, they find that they can do nothing about it.

Above their heads, gods and demons were suppressing them.

External enemies pose an even greater crisis, forcing humanity to endure humiliation and continue to serve the gods and demons.

Lu Ran's feelings were complicated.

In just half an hour, the holy energy that had descended from the sky was completely devoured by a large number of faceless jade deities and demon-god minions.

Lu Ran found a slightly larger stone peak, hid there alone, and activated the Heavenly Grade Evil Technique: Mirror Flower Moon.

One step, and you're in the human world.

Inside the Jingxian Hall of Luoxian Mountain, an old man is kneeling in front of a prayer mat, praying devoutly to the stone sculpture.

"call!!"

A terrifying energy fluctuation emanated from behind the old man.

Inside the walls on both sides of the main hall, hundreds and thousands of small sculptures of celestial sheep trembled continuously.

"Who is it?" Cheng Yi's heart sank, and he turned his head sharply to look.

The demon cave suppressed beneath the feet of the Immortal Sheep is none other than the Milky Way Bay, a demon cave that is also home to the Mirror Demon Clan!

Upon seeing the bronze mirror, Cheng Yi was alarmed, thinking that some powerful demon had escaped.

Then, his cloudy eyes widened slightly!
To their astonishment, a young man in a straw raincoat walked out of the mirror.
"Grandpa Cheng." Lu Ran nodded slightly, his familiar yet somewhat muffled voice coming from inside the blood crystal mask.

"Mountain Master?" Cheng Yi asked in a trembling voice, his mind a little blank.

He temporarily forgot about evil magic; the terrifying pressure from the majestic Heavenly Realm made him feel disoriented, as if he had seen a god.

As the young man walked step by step, it was as if a towering mountain was rolling over him.

As one of the first believers, Cheng Yi was quite knowledgeable, but in his entire life, apart from meeting the deity in person, he had never felt so insignificant.

Has the Lord of Luoxian Mountain already approached godhood?

If Lu Ran knew what Cheng Yi was thinking, he would probably just smile wryly.

What kind of god is so humble?

Having just fought a faceless jade deity, Lu Ran needed Deng Yuxiang's assistance to defeat the enemy together.

One might even have to kneel and slide under the feet of the Faceless Jade Venerable to avoid a deadly predicament.
"Don't tell anyone I'm back," Lu Ran instructed softly.

"Yes, Master, your technique is superb."

"Go down." Lu Ran didn't explain, looked up at the stone sheep statue, and said, "By the way, Grandpa Cheng, could you please find me a bamboo hat? It got crushed into a piece of mutton fat jade during the battle."

Cheng Yi was unclear about what kind of battle Lu Ran had participated in, and he also didn't understand what "mutton fat jade" meant.

But he's not stupid. The mountain lord said this on purpose, most likely he was communicating with a deity.
"Yes." Cheng Yi, filled with doubt, immediately withdrew and, after leaving the main hall, firmly closed the heavy hall door behind him.

Lu Ran came to the table, selected three incense sticks, and lit them in front of the burner.

"Whoosh~" A surge of energy suddenly appeared at his waist, and the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit materialized.

Lu Ran turned his head and saw the illusory image of his mother.

I saw the complicated look in her eyes.

"Is this your gaze, or hers?" Lu Ran asked softly.

"Is there a difference?" the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit asked in return.

Lu Ran pursed his lips, but in the end said nothing and silently inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner.

"Your fighting style is truly unexpected," the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit said softly, his expression growing increasingly complex.

There was admiration, but also a hint of lingering fear.

How does she compare to you?

"Different styles, equally stunning."

Lu Ran smiled, a very happy smile.

He took a few steps back, clasped his hands together, and looked up at the stone statue of the Immortal Sheep: "Immortal Sheep, your disciple has returned after first glimpsing the Heavenly Realm."

A deep voice entered Lu Ran's mind: [How do you feel?]

"It's quite magical." Lu Ran shook his head and smiled. "I saw some low-ranking demons and gods, which are not commonly seen in the mountains."

Have you encountered any external enemies?

"I saw it." Lu Ran paused, then uttered a rebellious remark, "It's a very elegant jade carving."

【Ha.】The Immortal Sheep let out a cold laugh.

"she says."

What did she say?

"After I chopped off her legs, she said something to me before she completely disappeared," Lu Ran told me truthfully, though he had some doubts in his heart.

Is there a problem with that? [Heh.] The Immortal Sheep chuckled. [You have good taste.]

Lu Ran was even more puzzled and turned to look at the illusory Qiao Wanjun beside him.

Yunhai Sword Spirit nodded slightly: "The Faceless Jade Venerable can indeed communicate, but she has always disdained to talk to ants, so most people don't know it."

You are one of the very few people who can make the Faceless Jade Venerable speak up.

Lu Ran: "."

No wonder the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit had such a complicated look in its eyes.

Lu Ran initially thought it was due to his fighting style of dancing on the edge of a blade, but now it seems there are other reasons as well.

On their first meeting, after only one battle, the Faceless Jade Venerable was able to speak.

I'd say I'm of top quality, wouldn't you say?
What did she promise you?

“She didn’t promise her disciple anything.” Lu Ran scratched his head with a strange expression. “She said that I worked so hard to reach the Heavenly Realm, and that she could see it.”

They said I should kneel at her feet and worship the new Lord.

After saying that, Lu Ran pursed his lips.

You make it sound like I'm so honored!
Did I work so hard to fight my way to the Heavenly Realm just to become your servant?

[It seems your conversation was quite brief.] The voice transmission continued, carrying a hint of teasing. [When you truly understand her, perhaps your resolve will waver.]

"Huh?" Lu Ran was surprised.

He looked up at the stone statue of the immortal sheep, and it was truly hard to imagine that these were the words spoken by a deity.

"Just who is she?"

Lord Immortal Sheep did not respond, but instead asked: "What else did she say?"

Lu Ran organized his thoughts: "She said that gods and demons are a bunch of defeated soldiers fleeing in panic, a bunch of old things that refuse to leave the stage of history?"

After he finished speaking, Lord Immortal Sheep remained silent for a long time.

Lu Ran waited patiently for a long time before finally asking, "Is what she said true?"

"Who knows?" The voice was low and somewhat hoarse.

Lu Ran: ? ? ?
No!

You don't know? Do you think I do?
Suddenly, the voice transmission descended again: "Everything in this world has its own perspective. Instead of me making a conclusion, you should personally verify, contemplate, and form your own understanding."

It's rare to see Lord Immortal Sheep being so sparing with his words.

You first enter the mountain realm, then ascend to the celestial realm. Your understanding is constantly collapsing and being reshaped; this is the process of growth, the path to self-creation.

Go and seek the truth.

You have to walk your own path.

Lu Ran opened his mouth, but after a long while, he couldn't say a word.

Inside the Hall of Respect for Immortals, all was silent.

Lu Ran had already realized that what the Faceless Jade Venerable said was most likely an objective fact.

Are the gods and demons really just a bunch of defeated and utterly defeated soldiers running away with their tails between their legs?

Whether they are considered old things, and whether they should be removed from the historical stage or eliminated, is something that Lu Ran needs to decide for himself.

Strictly speaking, for Lu Ran alone, this is not even a problem.

Because he is on the path of slaying and replacing gods and demons!
As for the Faceless Jade Venerable
What makes her think she's a "new thing"?
Don't be ashamed!

Judging from its appearance and temperament, it is nothing more than a high and mighty stone. No matter how exquisite its appearance may be, what difference is there between it and a god or a demon?

Seeing that the deity was no longer transmitting his voice, Lu Ran spoke up: "Immortal Sheep, I have captured the soul of the Faceless Jade Venerable, which is currently in the Rebirth Coins in my hand."

She spoke to me from the perspective of the true self, and I dared not reveal other techniques in front of her, for fear that she would share what she saw and heard with the true self.”

The only ones you can defeat are lowly lackeys.

Lu Ran: "."

You sheep, your words are so hurtful.

Go forth, don't waste your time on earth.

"There's one more thing!" Lu Ran asked, "This disciple thinks we could use the Faceless Jade Venerable as a pretext to bring the executioners who follow me into the Heavenly Realm and then bring them under our command. What do you think?"

However, the Immortal Sheep no longer paid any attention to Lu Ran.

She's back to being the aloof sheep.

Lu Ran waited for a long time, taking it as tacit consent, then bowed and turned to walk towards the entrance of the main hall.

The heavy palace doors were pushed open slightly, and Cheng Yi, as expected, stood outside the palace holding a bamboo hat, waiting.

Lu Ran took the hat, told him to tidy up the main hall later, then closed the door and looked at the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit beside him: "Does she have something to say?"

The sword spirit had been by Lu Ran's side the whole time, so it must have something to convey.

The illusory Qiao Wanjun nodded slightly, her tone icy: "Within your capabilities, kill as many Faceless Jade Venerables as possible. Their figures are all over the Heavenly Realm, constantly hunting and devouring the power of the God and Demon faction."

The spiritual energy they possess far exceeds your imagination.

This is a shortcut to quickly expand your sculpture garden.

Those in the Celestial Realm can only rely on arduous cultivation to extract the Holy Spirit Qi from the vast divine power within their bodies, using it to nourish their physical form.

And it's only for a short time!

After all, once the Holy Spirit's energy appears, it will disappear soon, merging into the souls of humans and being offered to gods and demons after death.

As for Lu Ran's soldiers and the stone sculptures in the garden, they can skip the arduous training process!

Earn money through hard work, save money through hard work.
Nothing beats robbing for quick money.
Lu Ran nodded silently, summoned the bronze mirror with one hand, and asked, "Any more?"

The Cloud Sea Sword Spirit slowly shook its head: "That's all the master said."

"call!!"

The full-length mirror forcefully tears through time and space, gradually taking shape.

Lu Ran looked at the illusory Qiao Wanjun, staring directly into her eyes, and whispered:

"Take care of yourself and wait for me."

(End of this chapter)