The Old Gods

Chapter 818 A Dao Heart

"Um"

Lu Ran, lying on the bed, opened his sleepy eyes and stared blankly at the stone wall above.

It took him a while to realize where he was.

Lu Ran vaguely remembered that he had activated "mentally challenged mode" in the closed training room. Nearly a month of continuous battles had left him physically and mentally exhausted. As his brain stopped buzzing, he drifted off to sleep in a daze.

When I woke up, I was already in my bedroom?
Lu Ran's expression turned strange.

It's not that I'm questioning Fairy Jiang's strength; after all, she's at the peak of the Sea Realm, so lifting someone weighing 150 or 160 pounds is incredibly easy for her.

The key is how she hugged her.

Will he carry her in a princess carry, like he always does?
Tsk~
It's a little embarrassing to think about, isn't it?
Hmm. It's also possible that he used his magic weapon, the Immortal Binding Whip, to drag the dead dog up like that?

"Awake?" A soft voice came from beside me.

"Huh?" Lu Ran was startled and turned around to look, only to find Jiang Ruyi lying next to him.

Lu Ran was a little confused.

How could I not have noticed such a large, living person sitting right next to me the whole time?!

Home is indeed a place where one can relax mentally.

Or, more fundamentally, the people of the Sea Realm are far too insignificant to be considered worthless.
arrogant!

Lu Ran frowned slightly.

After fighting with the Faceless Jade Venerable for so long, he didn't learn anything else, but he did pick up some bad habits.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Ruyi asked softly.

Lu Ran composed himself, looked at the stunningly beautiful face so close to his, and grinned:
"It's been a month since I last saw you. I heard you've advanced to the peak of the Sea Realm!"

Jiang Ruyi nodded slightly and reported to him on the overall situation of the Burning Gate: "The Martial Emperor's advancement to the Heavenly Realm has greatly helped the soldiers."

Emperor Feng, Generals Feng Yan and Dragon God have all advanced to the peak of the Sea Realm.

“Okay!” Lu Ran nodded repeatedly.

Including Xun Shenjiang and Qin Shenjiang, the number of soldiers currently stuck at the "half-step Heavenly Realm" is quite large.

Lu Ran sat up, touched that cold and beautiful face with one hand, and smiled:

"So, Xiao Xiao Ruyi, when do you plan to advance to the Heavenly Realm?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes, feeling his warm palms.

She felt much better after Lu Ran woke up.

Lu Ran is no longer an ordinary Celestial Realm cultivator; he is invisibly ravaging the weaker creatures around him.

He became Lu Ran again.

The unique emotional entanglements among humans silently resist the divine and demonic system and the laws of heaven and earth.

"As I remember."

"Hmm?" Jiang Ruyi kept her eyes closed.

Lu Ran asked softly, "Is there anything I can do?"

As we all know, believers at their peak need a moment of enlightenment, a flash of inspiration!
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruyi said, "Tell me about your experiences over the past month."

"Uh." Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then uttered four words, "Kill, run away."

Jiang Ruyi opened her eyes, smiled, and glared at him: "Tell me more."

"Go on, tell me more." Lu Ran pouted and muttered, "They're treating me like their personal social media."

Jiang Ruyi: "."

If Lu Ran hadn't said that, she would have almost forgotten that she came from modern society.

I've forgotten when was the last time I used my phone.

Looking back on those days of growing up, studying, and living in modern cities, I really miss them.

At the time, it seemed like nothing special!
Humans are truly strange creatures.

While I'm in the mortal realm, I want to visit the Divine Ruins.

Having arrived at Holy Spirit Mountain, they desperately wanted to return to the human world.

Unfortunately, one cannot return to the mortal realm; one can only go through the heavens. However, the heavens are not the way home either; they are merely another lie told by gods and demons.

That place was just another place of forced labor and burial ground for humans.

Jiang Ruyi looked at the young man who had returned from the Heavenly Battlefield and listened attentively as he recounted everything that had happened there.

The Celestial Realm is truly a battlefield between gods and demons.

Above, gods and demons confront foreign enemies.

Below them are demonic minions vying for resources with the Faceless Jade Venerable.

Within that realm, human believers were a minority, and they were also the ones hunted down by external enemies and suppressed by the combined forces of gods and demons.

Who gave you humans the potential to create miracles and defy fate?

Lu Ran recounted what he had seen and heard over the past month, and also described Deng Yuxiang's terrifying rate of growth.

When Jiang Ruyi heard that after transforming into a pseudo-god stone sculpture, she was able to grow so wildly and rise so powerfully, she was overjoyed.

"The Great Nightmare is already at the second level of the Heavenly Realm. In a little while, I'll have her create a physical body for me!" Lu Ran couldn't hide his excitement.

Jiang Ruyi suddenly said, "The sacred mountain is the passageway for the dead, and all resources converge there. If you could live in seclusion near the sacred mountain..."

Lu Ran couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

This is precisely the future development plan that he and Mr. Conglong researched and formulated.

Unfortunately, Lu Ran has not seen any sign of the sacred mountain in the past month.

After all, Lu Ran and his two companions weren't traveling recklessly; they were secretly causing trouble and making roundabout advances.

Jiang Ruyi pondered, calmly analyzing, "That way, you won't delay your own cultivation, and you can wait for the prey to take the bait." "That's right, Mr. Long's thoughts coincide with yours. Now, I'm looking for a sacred mountain, a suitable one."

"Suitable?"

“Each sacred mountain and its surrounding area is guarded by different races of divine and demonic minions,” Lu Ran explained. “My place of seclusion must be carefully selected.”

What constitutes a suitable place for seclusion?

There may not be a clear answer, but we can use the process of elimination to remove some of the worst options.

For example, there are sacred mountains guarded by the Greedy Wolf-Evil Dog minions, and sacred mountains where the Mountain Lord-Yin Li Tiger minions reside. These kinds of beings are elusive and have extremely strong senses!

This will greatly increase the risk of exposure to land-based fuels.

The question then arises: every sacred mountain is naturally heavily guarded, and which sacred mountain area does not have an excellent scout team?
That's why Lu Ran had to be so selective, choosing the relatively shorter one from among a group of tall people.

Once Lu Ran goes into seclusion, his ambition for hegemony is within reach!

In Lu Ran and Yu Changsheng's plan, Lu Ran would cultivate himself and intercept the souls of the dead as appropriate.

The Burning Gate Warriors, on the other hand, form squads in other areas to collect Holy Spirit Qi, kill enemies, and devour the souls of the dead.

Therefore, the composition of the squad becomes particularly important.

The first category consists of those who can break through armor, such as Deng Yuxiang and Si Xianxian.

Even for top-tier gods like Yan Chou and Wu Xiao, while their minor techniques might not be enough to inflict damage on the Faceless Jade Venerable, their ultimate moves can still do the trick.

Yan Chou's Sky-Piercing Evil Spear and Wu Xiao's Twin Heroes Mask - Mighty Black Face are both presentable weapons.

The second category consists of scouts, such as Yan Shuangzi and Jin Que'er.

Thirdly, the team's early warning system includes: fortune tellers, clairvoyants, and foxes who try to peek into the secrets of heaven.

People like Chang Ying, Bai Manni, and Bai Yanhui can keep disasters one step behind everyone else!
Fourthly, there are those who also possess strategic value and can lead a rapid relocation – Lu Yuan and his apprentice Qin Yan!

With these four cornerstones as the foundation, and supplemented by soldiers with defensive, medical, control, and soul-binding abilities, a powerful squad can be established.

Yu Changsheng believes that there could be 2 to 3 such Burning Gate teams.

After all, if there are too many teams, the personnel and resources will be scattered, and if there are too few teams, the target will be too big, and the resources acquired will be difficult to allocate.

Some time ago, when Yu Changsheng described this plan to Lu Ran, Lu Ran nodded repeatedly in agreement!

Like a chick pecking at rice!
What does it mean to have a promising future?
“That’s it.” Lu Ran briefly explained the plan.

Jiang Ruyi nodded secretly and said, "Chang Ying is currently only at the second stage of the Sea Realm, and Elder Bai and Manny are also not strong enough."

Lu Ran said, "People like Chang Shengun are not in the combat sequence. As long as the other members of the team are in good condition, she can go on the expedition with the team."

The energy in the Celestial Battlefield is so rich that cultivation is much faster than in the Mountain Realm.

Even so, Lu Ran added, "It's still a long way from the team being fully formed, no rush."

Lu Ran has only just entered the Heavenly Realm and is still in the initial stage.

He only has Deng Yuxiang, Yan Chou, and Bai Rao under his command. Even if Lu Yuan is included, it is only enough to form a small, rudimentary team.

Next, he still needs to search for the sacred mountain, try to abduct the souls of the dead, and bring out weapons like Luo Ying and Wu Xiao as soon as possible.

All beginnings are hard!

Just like when Lu Ran first entered the mountain realm, as long as you get through the most difficult initial stage, everything will be alright.

Furthermore, if we can find Mother's former Cloud Sea subordinates during the selection of the sacred mountain, the overall strength of the Burning Gate will be greatly enhanced!
Yan Chou and Bai Rao are good examples.

Once merged with the stone sculpture, the two were no longer under the control and suppression of gods and demons, and both reached the second level of the Heavenly Realm!

"Ruyi," Lu Ran called softly, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

"Ok?"

Lu Ran suddenly turned over, bracing himself on the bed on either side of her head, and looked down into her beautiful eyes.

Jiang Ruyi looked somewhat uneasy and turned her head slightly to avoid eye contact.

His actions were very aggressive, and the terrifying pressure from the Heavenly Realm could not be completely erased by other factors.

"I've already shared my observations of the Celestial Realm, and I've also explained the next steps and future plans," Lu Ran said in a low voice. "What else do you want me to do for you?"

Jiang Ruyi's eyelashes trembled slightly, seemingly revealing the slight trembling in her heart:

"Do you want to merge the Martial Emperor with the stone sculpture and throw him into your sculpture garden?"

"Oh." Lu Ran seemed a little disappointed and responded in a low voice, "Then I'll go."

Jiang Ruyi's heart tightened: "Okay."

"Ok?"

"You can rest a little longer and stay with me for a little while longer." She looked away, her voice soft and gentle.

Lu Ran smiled and said, "Just for a little while?"

Jiang Ruyi finally raised her eyes and looked at Lu Ran's face.

Their eyes met, and she saw a familiar, teasing smile in his eyes.

It should have felt disgusting, just like always.

But as she looked at it, she suddenly realized that something seemed to have shattered in the darkness.

"call!!"

Suddenly, a violent surge of divine power rippled out from her body.

In an instant, the smile vanished from Lu Ran's eyes, replaced by utter astonishment.

Then came a series of pleasant surprises!

Jiang Ruyi smiled, slowly raised her hand, and gently stroked his eyebrows with her fingertips.

Right,

How can I only stay for a short while?

(End of this chapter)