The Old Gods

Chapter 871 The Secret of the Demon Cave
Gods, return to your places!

The afterimages of gods and demons flew out from the bodies of the Burning Gate warriors, like birds returning to their nests, and flew into Lu Ran's eyes one by one.

The physical bodies left in the hall became soulless shells, no longer qualified to exist, and shattered into mist one after another.

It was also completely absorbed by Lu Ran.

Don't waste it!
Soon, only a handful of people remained in the once-crowded hall.

"You should all go back and rest too." Lu Ran's gaze swept over Chang Ying, Bai Manni, Shangguan Hongfu, and the others.

"Yes."

"This subordinate takes his leave." The others responded one after another, but Chang Ying remained where she was and did not leave.

Lu Ran naturally noticed the dark-skinned girl's unusual behavior and teased, "What's wrong, Mr. Chang? Is there anything you want to tell me? Reveal some secrets of heaven?"

Chang Ying looked up at Lu Ran, her expression serious: "Wishing the sect leader a resounding victory!"

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly: "The result is not bad, right? What exactly was the draw?"

Chang Ying said in a deep voice, "Where there's a will, there's a way!"

Lu Ran's expression was strange: "You're really starting to look more and more like a charlatan, huh?"

What kind of fortune slip did you draw?

And then you tell me, "Be brave, be brave, my friend"?
"What kind of fortune?" Jiang Ruyi asked softly from the side.

Chang Ying lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, Madam, I can't figure it out."

"Huh?" Lu Ran was taken aback.

Inside the hall, Deng Yuxiang, Yu Changsheng, Huangfu Zhao, and Hua Qingying were seated, while Leng Xuanshuang brewed tea and Yan Shuangzi secretly guarded them.

These people's moods had clearly changed.

This caused the atmosphere inside the room to quickly become oppressive.

"Wow~"

Lu Ran personally took action, and with the energy surging in his hand, he picked up a fortune stick.

As he shook it, the wooden sticks inside rattled.

1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds!
Lu Ran was shocked!

Everyone else was dumbfounded.

Not issuing a visa?
The divination stick container contains five sticks: the best, the good, the medium, the bad, and the worst.

Lu Ran was still shaking the lottery tube, but no lottery ticket flew out.

Does this mean that when a question involves the survival of gods and demons at the highest level, the divination method is incapable of answering it?

Lu Ran slowly lowered his hand, his expression solemn.

He finally understood that Chang Ying had deliberately stayed behind to remind him of this matter.

"I understand." Lu Ran spoke slowly, breaking the silence in the room. "This fortune slip is indeed named 'Where there's a will, there's a way.'"

Chang Ying looked apologetic and lowered her head even further.

As an heir, Chang Ying was already deeply bound to the divination sticks school. She felt guilty for not being able to provide support to Lu Ran in her professional field.

It has to be said that Chang Ying has changed a lot.

Even though it wasn't her fault, the Valley Master of Starry Sky Valley still felt a sense of "inescapable responsibility".

"Sect Master, this is also a good thing," Yu Changsheng said softly.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran turned his head to look.

Yu Changsheng analyzed, "If the sect leader and the Valley Master of Starry Sky can't figure it out, perhaps even the Spirit Sign itself can't figure it out."

"I hope so," Lu Ran replied.

Chang Ying used the Sea-grade technique, while Lu Ran used the Heaven-grade technique.

The spirit divination stick itself can unleash even higher-level divine techniques! Who can guarantee that that scoundrel can't figure it out?
As the saying goes: one cannot predict one's own fate, nor can one heal oneself.

Hopefully, all of this is not due to the skill level of the technique, and hopefully the spirit divination sticks themselves are unable to comprehend their own destiny, or even the destiny of all the gods and demons in the world.

Of course, these are all Lu Ran's beautiful fantasies. In any case, there are some things that must be done!
Caution is essential; to this day, Lu Ran has not been to many places.

For example, the remote southwestern edge.

Even though Lord Immortal Sheep was at Blood Dust Divine Mountain, Lu Ran never went there because of the existence of the Blood Skull Clan.

Take, for example, the northwestern border region.

Because the divination slips were on that sacred mountain, Lu Ran didn't dare to wait there for them to come to him, fearing that the bastard would draw a bad slip and then deliberately investigate to find out where the problem was.

Whether it can be found out is another matter.

After all, divination sticks are a type of fortune telling, and the conclusion is simply good or bad, giving you a favorable or unfavorable result.

Specific details cannot be provided.

But why should Lu Ran alert the other party?

Therefore, caution is necessary, but at the same time, being timid and hesitant is absolutely unacceptable!
We must unsheathe our swords against gods and demons!

"Thanks, Yingying." Lu Ran didn't call the charlatan again, but sincerely thanked him. "Go and rest."

"Yes." Chang Ying stood up and took her leave.

After the Valley Master of Starry Sky Valley left, the room fell into silence.

It wasn't until Leng Xuanshuang served tea that Lu Ran reached out and took it, breaking the silence: "Everyone, Ms. Hua Qingying, who recently joined the Ran Sect, has provided me with a lot of information."

Jiang Ruyi turned her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on the dignified and quiet woman.

Hua Qingying immediately stood up.

Each and every warrior of the Burning Gate deeply moved her.

Among all the false gods, the one who caught Hua Qingying's attention the most was this young Lady Ranmen.

The phrase "fairy-like beauty" seems tailor-made for Lady Ranmen.

When the sect leader and his wife sat on either side of the eight-immortal table, taking their seats in the grand master's chairs at the head of the table.
A line of poetry popped into Hua Qingying's mind:
It's rare to find a couple who are still young!
It's truly enviable.

This filthy world, like a stagnant pool, truly needs such youthful energy to break all the old shackles.

"Hua Tian told me about Senior Cheng Xin of my Immortal Sheep Sect, and also told me what exactly is in the vortex of dark clouds that pierced the peak of the Divine Mountain in the Third Heaven."

At this point, Lu Ran looked at the woman and said, "Tell everyone about the vortex of dark clouds." "Yes," Hua Qingying replied respectfully, her eyes growing even more devout.

Humans are complex animals.

Hua Qingying joined the Ran Sect for two reasons: firstly, she still harbored a sliver of hope, and secondly, Lu Ran had indeed saved her life.

Thirdly, she knew in her heart that beneath Lu Ran's seemingly gentle words and actions lay absolute strength.

From a certain perspective, Lu Ran is no different from the God Cheng Hua.

Faced with either of them, Hua Qingying had no choice.

It is precisely this third point that perfectly aligns with her long-standing, self-consistent thought process of constantly adjusting and adapting for survival.

Today, batches of "weapons" arrived, and when one after another, terrifyingly powerful pseudo-gods respectfully bowed to Sect Master Lu, Hua Qingying was even more excited.

Lu Ran's wings were far more complete than she had imagined!
This is a rising new god!

Moreover, this "new god" is her own kin, and he promised her a favor: that she would personally ascend the altar of worship next June.

For the rest of her life, she would personally protect and care for her younger sister as she grew up.
"Hua Tianjiang?" Lu Ran reminded Hua Qingying, who was looking lost in thought.

"Ah!" Hua Qingying hurriedly said, "The vortex of dark clouds is the Demon Cave, where a large number of evil demons roam."

Deng Yuxiang narrowed his eyes: "The Demon Cave? The Demon Cave where humans trained?"

"Yes."

The people in the room weren't fools, and they quickly figured out the spatial relationships between the human world, the demon cave, the heavenly realm, and the Holy Spirit Mountain.

"Continue," Jiang Ruyi said softly, still processing the astonishing news.

"The Demon Cave is divided into two levels." Hua Qingying organized her thoughts. "The upper level of the Demon Cave is connected to the human world. It is a place where believers train and where the human army is stationed."

The lower demon cave is connected to the third heaven.

These words elicited various reactions from the crowd.

Who could have imagined that the training ground of my young and weak self in the Misty Stream Realm would be so close to the world's most elite battlefield?

Hua Qingying continued, "The true form of the demon is a stone sculpture, and it will be stationed in the upper level of the demon cave."

Their location is generally far from the entrance to the demon's lair, providing humans with a sufficient buffer zone for believers to train, for armies to station, and for fortifications to be built.

Jiang Ruyi nodded thoughtfully: "The lower level of the demon cave only contains demon minions?"

"Reporting to Madam, the lower level of the Demon Cave is more like a huge evil lair! Demon minions of different strengths and realms are born there at all times."

Hua Qingying paused for a moment, then continued, "The relatively weaker minions will go to the upper demon caves to create the illusion that the demon race is continuously attacking the human world."

The powerful henchmen descended to the celestial realm, collecting energy for the demon's true form within the first, second, and third heavens.

"Alas," Yu Changsheng sighed deeply.

He had long realized that the world was shrouded in a giant lie.

Even when everything became clear, Yu Changsheng still couldn't help but sigh.

The gods and demons certainly have a heart.

Hua Qingying continued to demonstrate her value, adding her own thoughts: "Qingying believes that the lower demon cave is an evil lair, and can also be considered a buffer zone."

The evil gods were probably also worried that the Faceless Jade Venerable would suddenly break through the blockade and storm into the vortex of dark clouds.

Therefore, the true form of the evil entity resides in the upper demon cave, while creating demonic minions in the lower demon cave.

"Where are the gods?" Jiang Ruyi suddenly asked.

Hua Qingying: "Each sacred mountain has many sharp peaks that pierce into different vortexes of dark clouds. The divine sculptures will pass through the demon caves and pierce straight into the ground, connecting the stone pillars beneath our feet with the sacred mountain."

The divine sculptures and the evil sculptures exist in two different realms.

We have all seen the true forms of the gods; their statues reside in the human world, standing tall in ancient cities.

Deng Yuxiang said coldly, "In your opinion, which route is the safest for us to take to slay the evil god on this trip?"

Hua Qingying looked at Lu Ran and said softly, "With the sect leader's strength, he should be able to go anywhere. However, it would be easier to find him if we went directly into the Dark Cloud Vortex from the third heaven."

Yu Changsheng understood the other party's thinking: "Should we just follow the stone pillars upwards?"

“That’s right!” Hua Qingying nodded repeatedly.

From the human world, one can descend into the demon's lair.

Even from the third heaven, one can ascend to the demon's lair.

The difference is that if you go from the third heaven, you have to cross the buffer zone and pass through the evil nest.

It's clear that Hua Qingying has absolute confidence in Lu Ran, after all, she has personally experienced how mysterious Lu Ran is when he's invisible.

He also witnessed firsthand how one false god after another entered Lu Ran's eyes.

Lu Ran carries an army with him at all times!

He only needs to conceal himself; once he reaches the designated location, he can instantly deploy an entire team.

"Little Lord."

“Mr. Huangfu?” Lu Ran looked at the man who rarely spoke.

Huangfu Zhao said in a deep voice, "This matter is of utmost importance! I suggest that you first communicate with Lord Xianyang."

“That’s natural.” Lu Ran nodded and added, “Let’s first formulate a specific plan for hunting down the Evil God Ghost Talisman Doll so that I can receive guidance when I report to Lord Immortal Sheep.”

With a "whoosh," Yu Changsheng gracefully unfolded his paper fan and gently fanned himself.

Lu Ran looked at the strategist: "I presume Mr. Long already has a plan in mind?"

Yu Changsheng stood up, cupped his hands and said, "The Ghost Talisman Doll has a low level of intelligence and weak defense. Its habitually blurred form will be easily destroyed."

If we focus on these three points and make targeted deployments, we will surely be able to defeat this tribe!

Lu Ran nodded gently: "I'll add a little more for you, sir."

In an instant, everyone in the hall turned to look at Lu Ran.

"The Ghost Talisman Doll that once stood in the sculpture garden was not the real thing. It's understandable that you were misled, sir," Lu Ran said slowly. "The real Evil God Ghost Talisman Doll is a boy and a girl holding hands."

But those two little hands that were clasped together could separate.

"Oh?" Yu Changsheng's eyes lit up.

Lu Ran nodded emphatically: "Let me explain in detail."

(End of this chapter)