The Old Gods

Chapter 873 Return to the World
Lu Ran's response was swift and decisive.

Without receiving any telepathic message, he waited quietly, gazing at the fiercely fighting battlefield.

As it turns out, a counterfeit is still a counterfeit.

Even though Puppet Jade Venerables have a numerical advantage, their overall combat strength is still inferior.

While the Puppet Jade Venerables do indeed possess high defense and health, they lack corresponding skills. When their hands and feet touch an enemy, they cannot contaminate the enemy's body or turn it into jade.

A true faceless jade vessel is acceptable!

Lu Ran also discovered an interesting phenomenon: the Puppet Jade Venerables were originally made of jade, and after they were contaminated, the difference was not visible to the naked eye.

However, the corrupted Puppet Jade Venerable will become extremely fragile, its skin will peel off in pieces, turning into dust and disappearing with the wind.

So, even the Faceless Jade Venerable himself is afraid of his own output?
"If you've made up your mind, then come." After a long while, the Immortal Sheep finally transmitted his voice, "The vortex in the far southwest."

【Yes!】Lu Ran immediately agreed, looked up, and locked onto the destination.

Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "By the way, I heard that Senior Cheng Xin has been staying with you?"

[They seem to know quite a bit.]

Lu Ran felt relieved! He was finally certain that Cheng Xin was still alive.

Ignoring the domineering sheep's cold attitude, he continued, "This disciple has long admired the name of Grandpa Cheng and would very much like to pay my respects to the venerable elder."

Before Lu Ran could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a telepathic message: "He will appear if necessary."

【Huh?】Lu Ran was taken aback.

Judging from what Lord Immortal Sheep is saying, he doesn't intend to let me see Senior Cheng?

Is there any explanation for this?

What? Without him, you can't slay the demon.

"No, that's not it." Lu Ran shook his head repeatedly. "This disciple just wants to see him with my own eyes and make sure he's alright."

"Come back." The deep voice ended the conversation abruptly.

Lu Ran pursed his lips, his figure flashed, and he arrived at the southwest of Blood Dust Divine Mountain, looking up at a vortex of dark clouds.

"Whoo~"

Holding a sword, he flew upwards with the help of divine weapons, without revealing any divine power.

Closer, even closer
As Lu Ran flew along the steep mountain wall, he couldn't help but feel uneasy as the swirling dark clouds drew closer.

Suddenly, Lu Ran's vision blurred.

The sounds of fierce fighting on the battlefield vanished without a trace.

It felt like the whole world had been muted; it was a very strange feeling.

The dark clouds in the sky and the sea of ​​fog on the ground all dissipated.

In its place, there is a dazzling starry sky.

Another, wide and beautiful Milky Way, like a ribbon shimmering with strange light, stretches across the entire night sky.

A familiar feeling welled up in Lu Ran's heart.

He's been here!
This is the Demon Cave: Galaxy Bay!

It is a demonic lair that breeds the Mirror Demon clan.

On Mount Luoxian in the Great Xia Dynasty, the demon cave suppressed by the Immortal Sheep himself is none other than the Milky Way Bay.

Yes, as Hua Qingying said, the gods would use the Demon Cave as a passage. Although their true forms stand in the human world, the stone pillars beneath their feet would pierce deep into the earth and connect with the divine mountain of the third heaven.

Lu Ran strained to look up, continuing to gaze upwards along the peak of the sacred mountain.

The mountain peaks rise high, hundreds of meters above the sky, piercing into a "starry sky curtain".

A starry sky backdrop?

Lu Ran recognized it too; wasn't this the same style as the gate to the Demon Cave?

Where is the demon?
Lu Ran suddenly realized the problem: wasn't it said that there were many evil spirits roaming in the lower demon cave?
Even the entire lower demon cave can be seen as an evil lair?
Lu Ran looked around but didn't see a trace of any evil spirits.

He pondered for a moment, then immediately sought guidance from the Immortal Sheep. The answer he received was simple: the demon minions would be born from the side of the evil gods.

The swirling dark clouds above the sacred mountain seem not far away.

However, after entering the lower level of the demon cave, the peak of the sacred mountain connected by the Immortal Sheep God Sculpture and the peak of the sacred mountain connected by the Evil Mirror Demon Sculpture are extremely far apart.

Follow the sacred mountain where the immortal sheep took root, and walk all the way up to the human world.

If you climb up the sacred mountain where the Demon Mirror Demon is rooted, you will arrive at the deepest part of the Upper Demon Cave.

Lu Ran nodded secretly.

We flew upwards along the mountain wall, into the starry sky.

"Huh?" Lu Ran was surprised to find that the ground beneath his feet had become solid, and the surrounding area was brightly lit by torches and filled with stone buildings.

The mountainside beside him had completely transformed into a gigantic stone pillar.

Along the stone pillars, a series of stone steps have been built, spiraling upwards until they reach the starry sky curtain at the top.

Lu Ran remained silent for a long while.

Now I understand it completely.

He found himself in the upper demon cave, inside the magnificent stone city built by the human army!
The stone pillar beside him is the one on which the god stood.

The steps built around the stone pillar are the only path that all human believers in the world must descend when they go to each demon cave for training.

Lu Ran had walked this stone-stairs path many times in various demon caves.

"Heh," Lu Ran sighed deeply and continued flying upwards.

He once again pierced through the curtain of starry sky, which was the real gate to the demon's lair, and appeared alone in the military camp.

Lu Ran remembered clearly that the Demon Cave Galaxy Bay was extremely dangerous and not open to the public.

The Great Xia military is stationed halfway up Luoxian Mountain, with its barracks located inside the mountain.

so.
Lu Ran's figure flashed and he appeared directly in the sky.

The sky is azure, dotted with fluffy white clouds. On Mount Luoxian, the statue of the Immortal Sheep stands majestically, its presence awe-inspiring.

Looking down further, the beautiful Erhai Lake shimmers with light, and the Cangshan Mountains stand like a screen in the distance.

The Great Xia Dynasty in the Human Realm - Luoxian Mountain!
Lu Ran concealed his figure, standing quietly high in the sky, his mind filled with extremely complex emotions.

came back.

It climbed home by itself.

In the lowest level of Holy Spirit Mountain, after experiencing all the hardships of the world and hearing all the lamentations of the mountain, one ascends to the heavens.

On the battlefield of the Heavenly Realm, he visited various sacred mountains, gathered up the old forces of the Cloud Sea, rebuilt the Burning Gate team, and cultivated a series of false gods.

Venture into the vortex of dark clouds, pass through the lower evil lair, and arrive at the familiar upper demon cave.
Returning to the human world.

How long is the journey home for a human believer who has been thrown into the Holy Spirit Mountain by the gods?

Or rather, there was simply no way home.

"Whoo~"

The shimmering silk fluttered gently, like a soft hand caressing Lu Ran's cheek.

Lu Ran closed his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and rubbed his cheek against the light ribbon.

He returned to Earth several times.

But this time, he followed the path that a human believer should truly take.

The Cloud Sea Dust Clear Sword also sensed Lu Ran's emotions and trembled slightly.

Under the clear sky, she dared not reveal her sword spirit.

Not daring to appear in this tranquil and beautiful sky as Qiao Wanjun, she could only tremble slightly and caress Lu Ran's palm.

Lu Ran opened his eyes and looked down at Ye Yu City below.

At the end of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, human society was relatively peaceful, with crowds bustling about and streets teeming with traffic.

People living in this world are still living positively and optimistically.

"I'm back." The Cloud Sea Sword Spirit's energy flowed through the hilt of the sword, speaking softly.

Lu Ran realized that his mother was communicating with him through the divine weapon.

He gazed deeply at the city, then his figure flashed and he arrived at the Luoxian Pavilion, finally revealing his true form.

"Is everything going smoothly?"

"Hmm, all went smoothly." Lu Ran stood by the pavilion pillar, leaned to the side, and gazed into the distance.

Behind her, the illusory Qiao Wanjun gradually took shape.

She watched her son's retreating figure and asked softly, "Ranran, is there something you're hiding from Mommy?"

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment, ignoring his complicated emotions, and said softly:
"I am going to unsheathe my sword against gods and demons."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Wanjun remained silent for a long time.

She was well aware of how hard her child had worked and how many dangers they had faced along the way.

Lu Ran had been waiting for this moment.

But when that time really comes, how could she, as a mother, not worry?

"Wait for an opportunity." Suddenly, a hoarse voice entered my mind.

"What?" Lu Ran looked up at the magnificent statue of the Immortal Sheep God.

"Once the Ghost Talisman Doll perishes, the gods and demons will surely notice, and your living space will be greatly compressed," the Immortal Sheep said calmly.

Lu Ran nodded silently.

"So you can wait a bit, until the celestial realm is thrown into chaos again." The god's voice suddenly turned incredibly cold.

"Let it get even more chaotic?"

"Ha." The Immortal Sheep sneered. "The situation on the front lines is constantly changing; I can't hold out forever."

Lu Ran was stunned for a while before saying, "Does Lord Immortal Sheep intend to let the Faceless Jade Venerable in to slaughter gods and demons?"

Do you think that when I said "once the arrow is released, there's no turning back," I only meant you taking action?

Lu Ran suppressed his turbulent emotions and realized what the Immortal Sheep Lord meant.

[The gods and demons have always been divided and lacked cohesion, and they showed signs of weakness early on in the face of the Faceless Jade Venerable's attack.]

Lu Ran nodded again.

He had visited many sacred mountains. The strongholds of gods and demons seemed secure, but they were merely sacred mountains that hadn't been blasted apart.

In terms of the battlefield situation alone, the Faceless Jade Venerable undoubtedly had the upper hand.

The chilling voice fell again: "Once the Faceless Jade Venerable breaks in, the gods and demons will be further devoured and their defeat accelerated, or they may unite in a desperate situation and counterattack the Jade Venerable. The outcome is uncertain."

"so?"

Regardless of which outcome unfolds, it will at least provide you with some cover while the Faceless Jade Venerable wreaks havoc.

The immortal sheep paused for a moment, then continued: "If you can seize the divine position without being exposed, the gods and demons will not first think that the human race is behind it."

The sculpture garden I gave you is beyond the comprehension of gods and demons.

Lu Ran's heart skipped a beat!
Is it beyond the comprehension of gods and demons?

Such words.
So, is the Immortal Sheep a being on a higher level than gods and demons?

[The gods and demons might think that with a traitor within their ranks, those gods and demons capable of teleportation or invisibility would become suspects.]

[Even gods and demons might suspect that it was an attack by Jade Venerables from other celestial realms, who joined forces with the Jade Venerable of this realm to launch a sneak attack.]

"Other celestial realms?"

[With stones all over the world, do you think only the Great Xia region has mountain realms and celestial realms? Do you think only the gods and demons of the Great Xia region were attacked and killed by the Jade Venerable?]

Lu Ran gripped the Cloud Sea Dust Clearing Sword tightly.

(End of this chapter)