The Old Gods

Chapter 859 Fireworks Golden Body
Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes, took Lu Ran's hand in hers, and gently rubbed her cheek against his palm.

It was a feeling of unparalleled peace that made her somewhat intoxicated.

Having just returned from the battlefield, the lingering chill of killing intent in her heart has quietly faded away.

The dense fog provided excellent camouflage.

Normally, Jiang Ruyi wouldn't behave overly intimately in the presence of outsiders. To her surprise, a casual glance open revealed that the fog had lifted considerably.

The interior furnishings are faintly visible.

Jiang Ruyi immediately turned her gaze to Yu Changsheng, who was seated below the hall.

Who is this strategist?
Yu Changsheng kept looking away, muttering to himself, seemingly immersed in his own world and deep in thought.

The majestic Tianjing is remarkably perceptive of its surroundings.

It's understandable that Jiang Ruyi was completely immersed in a certain emotion due to the influence of the Dao Heart, but what about Yu Changsheng?

How could he not notice the fog thinning?

An Actor Prepares

Lu Ran smiled at Yu Changsheng, then turned his head and looked down at Fairy Jiang.

The continuous flames of war have tempered this beautiful jasmine flower, making it even more austere.

The gradually reddening cheeks softened her cold and aloof demeanor, and also reminded Lu Ran of the image of her deskmate from her memories.

"Who advanced successfully?" Jiang Ruyi let go of Lu Ran's hand.

Lu Ran pursed his lips.

So you just throw it away after you're done using it, right?

Ah,
woman!

Jiang Ruyi lifted her toes and gently kicked Lu Ran's shin, whispering, "I'm asking you a question."

"I don't know." Lu Ran was oblivious to the situation and remained standing in front of the armchair, not moving an inch.

Like a wall!
Jiang Ruyi looked up at Lu Ran, feeling both annoyed and amused.

Just then, the person in the fog gradually became clearer.

He was dressed in white, his wide white robe fluttering even without wind, and the swirling, ethereal silk behind him traced a graceful arc.

Ethereal and otherworldly.

With the blessing of the magical artifact, the valiant young man appeared gentle and refined, ethereal and otherworldly.

That's right! A magical artifact with such top-notch looks and temperament as the Misty Cloud Silk can easily transform a dog into a celestial hound if it's casually tied to its body!

What's more, Lu Ran?
Jiang Ruyi stared blankly for a moment, then looked away with an unnatural expression.

I couldn't bring myself to say what I wanted to say before.

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly and teased, "Little Ruyi, your resistance isn't high enough?"

"Go away." Jiang Ruyi spat lightly and pushed the guy in front of her away.

Lu Ran finally sat back down in his chair.

The first squad of the Burning Gate has the highest overall appearance.

Jiang Ruyi, Leng Xuanshuang, and Yu Changsheng, three peerless beauties, gathered together.

Bai Rao followed closely behind.

Jiang Ruyi was naturally used to the "worldly prosperity," but just now when she looked at Lu Ran, she was clearly lost in thought for a moment. What does that mean?
Hehe ~
Lu Ran had a very good self-esteem.

"Sect Master," Yu Changsheng spoke up at the right moment, "the last time the pseudo-gods in the Sculpture Garden integrated their resources was three and a half months ago."

Lu Ran nodded.

In early May, the warriors of the Burning Gate gathered in the park and gave the Nightmare Stone Sculpture another boost.

It was on that occasion that Deng Yuxiang advanced to the third level of the Heavenly Realm.

"Is it already mid-August?" Lu Ran asked.

He's been advancing in the competition all this time, and he's lost track of the days.

"August 18th".

"Alright! I'll summon the soldiers back and offer resources to the Immortal Jasmine Stone Sculpture. Let's see if we can manage." Before Lu Ran finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head slightly.

Who is calling me?
After searching for a moment, Lu Ran found himself closely connected with the statue of the Fierce Heaven God in the garden: [Sister Xian'er?]

Young Master~~~

The girl deliberately dragged out the sound, making it sickeningly sweet.

Lu Ran shivered immediately.

[Hehe~ Hahahahahaha!] Uncontrollable laughter clearly entered Lu Ran's mind.

Lu Ran was also infected by this strong joy and tentatively asked, "[You've advanced to the Heavenly Realm?]"

"Are you in the sect?" Si Xianxian suddenly asked.

Yes, I'm here.

"What are you so busy with? Didn't you even notice the fog had lifted?" Si Xianxian asked, puzzled.

【Oh.】Lu Ran had a preconceived notion that the fog was summoned by Huangfu Zhao.

So, does that mean Mr. Huangfu has already succeeded?
Hope so.

Lu Ran thought to himself, counting the days, he realized that he had successfully broken through the bottleneck more than ten days after Huangfu Zhao advanced.

It seems that breaking through from the second level of the Heavenly Realm to the third level takes about a month.

"Of course it's me!" Si Xianxian exclaimed excitedly. "Are you home? I'm coming to find you now. This time it's my turn to go to Mogu Peak with you!"

The thought of smashing the Fierce Heaven God statue filled her with excitement.

Come visit Tianya Residence.

【Okay~】

Lu Ran smiled, imagining how she would rush over in such a hurry.

“It’s Sister Xian’er, she has advanced to the Heavenly Realm.” Lu Ran looked at the two of them.

Yu Changsheng gently shook his folding fan and nodded repeatedly: "With the Mad Immortal protecting us, our chances of defeating the Ghost Talisman Doll have increased significantly."

Lu Ran wholeheartedly agreed!

The Fiery Heavenly Sculpture in the sculpture garden has already been nurtured to the second level of the Heavenly Realm by him. Sister Xian'er will inherit everything from the stone sculpture, and her strength and realm will also rise accordingly.

It has to be said, Sister Xian'er is truly blessed. Lu Ran made up for everything the world had wronged her about.

She has just advanced to the Heavenly Realm and is about to advance to the second level of the Heavenly Realm.
Once the Immortal Jasmine Stone Sculpture and the Mad Immortal Stone Sculpture both reach the third level of the Heavenly Realm, the Burning Gate can make its move!
Lu Ran pursed his lips, eager to try.

Coincidentally, I'm about to head to the second heaven, where the resources are said to be far greater than those in the first heaven.
Lord Immortal Sheep is right, we are indeed getting closer!

Lu Ran made up his mind and transmitted a message in his mind: 【Mr. Huangfu?】

【Young Master.】

"Is everything alright, sir?" Lu Ran couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

[I have fulfilled my mission! I have reached the third level of the Heavenly Realm.]

"Good, good, good!" Lu Ran said several times, delighted. "From now on, I'll have to rely on you, sir, to kill the ghost talisman and slay the flame dragon."

Huangfu Zhao was somewhat taken aback. Even with his usual composure, his heart raced slightly: [Young Master's plans?]

"Yes, we still need to do some final preparations." Lu Ran thought for a moment, then transmitted his voice, "Sir, please come to my house. I have some questions to ask you."

"Yes, sir!" As the voice transmission ended, a purple bolt of lightning shot out from the cave below the edge of the sky, climbing the steep stone wall and flashing across the island.

"call!!"

A gust of wind swept in, and a man dressed in a magnificent purple robe stood outside the entrance of Tianyaju Cave.

Huangfu Zhao tidied his appearance, informed the shadow guards, and then stepped into the cave, where he saw the people inside.

"Young Master! Young Madam!" Huangfu Zhao bowed respectfully and asked.

Lu Ran felt relieved!
This is the right way to address someone; it matches the relationship. Listen to how they address Sister Xian'er—it's all a mess!
"Sir, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat." Jiang Ruyi sized up the noble and dignified man in the purple robe, looking at this being who stood at the pinnacle of humanity.

"Yes." Huangfu Zhao stood up upon receiving the order, nodded amicably to Yu Changsheng, and then sat down on the other side of the hall.

Lu Ran asked impatiently, "Mr. Huangfu, what is the difference between the third level of the Heavenly Realm of the human race and the second level?"

People like Jiang Ruyi, Yu Changsheng, and Deng Yuxiang have already merged with the stone sculptures and have broken away from the category of human race.

Asking Deng Yuxiang, of course, yielded no satisfactory answer.

Lu Ran mainly wanted to know why his mother was so feared by gods and demons.

To this day, he has spoken with his mother several times, but has never brought up the matter in person.

“Hmm,” Huangfu Zhao pondered, “In terms of technique, the spellcasting effects of human believers at the first, second, and third levels of the Heavenly Realm should not be much different.”

Lu Ran nodded, knowing that the Heavenly Grade technique was already at its limit.

Huangfu Zhao then changed the subject: "But on a personal level, the power, physical strength, and mental strength of our human race have all greatly improved."

Lu Ran agreed with this statement, but still couldn't find the reason why the gods and demons were afraid of it.

Huangfu Zhao said in a deep voice, "Especially at the spiritual level! The spiritual strength of our human race seems to be excessively powerful."

"Oh?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

Huangfu Zhao looked at Lu Ran and said, "I see that the young master is in high spirits, so he must have just advanced not long ago?"

"Correct."

"Does the young master have a direct feeling about the difference in mental strength between the first and second levels of the Heavenly Realm?"

Lu Ran jumped to his feet, suddenly realizing, "So that's how it is!"

The people inside the room all looked over.

Huangfu Zhao sighed, "It seems that the young master is more perceptive than I am."

"No, not at all!" Lu Ran waved his hand. "It's true that it's hard to get a direct sense of mental strength, but I have the data."

"Data?" Now it was Huangfu Zhao's turn to be puzzled.

Lu Ran slowly said, "Sir, you may not know this, but the only indicator of how many stone sculptures in my sculpture garden can be activated is the level of my spiritual power!"

Huangfu Zhao nodded thoughtfully, a slight ripple stirring in his heart.

Such a secret should certainly not be made public.

Lu Ran's unwavering recounting of the story clearly demonstrated his absolute trust in Huangfu Zhao, treating him as one of his own.

"In the Fog Realm, I can only activate 1 stone sculpture; in the Stream Realm, I have 2 more activation slots; in the River Realm, I have 5 more; in the River Stream Realm, I have 8 more; and in the Sea Realm, I have 15 more."

Lu Ran paused for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "With the advancement to the first level of the Heavenly Realm, I have gained 28 more slots for activating stone sculptures!"

Yu Changsheng said softly, "The second level of the Heavenly Realm has 51 more?"

"Huh?" Lu Ran was taken aback and looked at his strategist, "How did Mr. Long deduce that?"

Yu Changsheng: "The sum of the number of slots for the first three realms."

Lu Ran: ? ? ?
Is this really a math problem?

Yu Changsheng asked, "Is that right?"

Lu Ran opened his mouth: "Uh, Immortal Sheep told me that there are about 50 spots available."

Yu Changsheng's eyes flickered slightly: "There's not much difference. Let's continue calculating until the sect leader advances to the third level, at which point the additional activation slots will be available."

Jiang Ruyi said softly, "94 seats."

Yu Changsheng sighed softly, "And it's not just 94 in total. The total number of stone sculptures that the sect leader can bear and control also includes all the previously activated slots."

With such mental fortitude, it's no wonder that gods and demons fear him.

Lu Ran grinned.

Good guy~
So it turns out we humans are numerical monsters!
What happened to the promise of humility and lowliness?

The reality is that the human race's innate potential, cultivation speed, and mental strength are all things that make gods and demons extremely wary.

That's truly astonishing.

Yes,

We are fragile, and our lifespan is short.

But we humans are like fireworks, able to bloom brilliantly for an extremely limited time, illuminating the entire night sky!

Yu Changsheng looked at Huangfu Zhao: "With Mr. Huangfu's current mental strength, has he reached a certain critical point where he can counter the gods and demons?"

That's the question, but the answer is definitely yes!
Because the myriad gods and demons have already given everyone a clear answer.

Gods and demons who reign supreme above the heavens and rule over all living beings in the three realms
They just can't tolerate a little girl like Qiao Wanjun!
They openly suppressed and secretly sabotaged the Yunhai Sect, completely destroying it and never giving the human race a chance to rise.

Don't forget that all of the above actions were based on the premise of foreign invasion.

This undoubtedly adds another layer of prestige to the human race!

(End of this chapter)