The Old Gods

Chapter 874 Eve
"Lord Immortal Sheep, how many Heavenly Battlefields are there in total?" Lu Ran asked.

Five.

"Five of them?" Lu Ran asked gravely. "What's the situation on those battlefields?"

"Not very good," the Immortal Sheep said coldly.

Lu Ran was naturally prepared and asked, "Where is the situation the worst? Is it in our Great Xia?"

India.

Just as Lu Ran was about to say something, he suddenly realized a problem: Lord Immortal Sheep had only uttered the name of a country.

That is
"Is India the same as our Great Xia? One country, one battlefield?" Lu Ran was somewhat taken aback.

There are only 5 battlefields in the world!
It's one thing for Great Xia to carry one on its own, but why is India also carrying one all by itself?
Where are the remaining three battlefields?
Is the world map big enough to divide?
【how? 】

"Oh, right!" Lu Ran slapped his forehead, realizing that he had made a mistake in his thinking.

The battlefield follows the gods.

When the gods descend upon the world, they don't fight for territory, but for the people who live on that land!

The large number of deities that descended upon the Great Xia was not due to the vastness of the territory.

It's because there are too many people!

Similarly, the population of India was no less than that of Great Xia!
In other parts of the world, no matter how vast the territory, if the population is sparse, then there are few gods.

This isn't something you should be worrying about right now. What you need to think about is how to arm yourself as much as possible during the chaos to come.

"Hmm," Lu Ran immediately composed himself.

He pondered for a long time, then looked up at the statue of the Immortal Sheep: "On our side of Great Xia, even with the gods and demons in good order, we still can't reverse the decline. If the gods and demons fall into chaos again, can the front line hold?"

Will the faceless jade deity invade the human world?
From the perspective of the Faceless Jade Venerable, the human race is nothing but ants.

She stormed into someone's house with a knife, her target being the homeowner, not the ants crawling in the yard.

The problem is, she didn't need to deliberately trample on it at all!

Every step she took in the courtyard was a catastrophe for humanity.

We'll have to wait and see.

Lu Ran nodded silently.

【Ha.】The Immortal Sheep chuckled coldly again. 【If they can't hold out, the top human warriors might be liberated, like your mother.】

Lu Ran lowered his head and looked at the Cloud Sea Sword, which gleamed with a cold light.

Yes, if they were truly on the verge of death, the gods and demons, in order to prolong their lives, would release Qiao Wanjun, right?
And what about Xiang Wang, the disciple of the Yunhai Sect? If he were still alive, wouldn't he also regain his freedom?

"Heh." This time, it was Lu Ran's turn to sneer.

Could this be considered a roundabout way to achieve one's goals?

The voice transmission grew fainter and fainter.

Lu Ran also turned around and looked at the illusory Qiao Wanjun.

"Finished talking?" Qiao Wanjun stood with her hands behind her back, her long hair and skirt moving without wind, her elegant and otherworldly temperament making Lu Ran feel inferior.

After all, Lu Ran's ethereal beauty was largely bestowed upon him by the Misty Cloud Silk.

His true appearance should still be that of the swordsman wearing a green raincoat and a blue hat, and a blood crystal mask.

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you. I hope you won't be too upset after hearing it," Lu Ran said in a low voice.

"Something happened on Yuanxi?"

"No, no," Lu Ran shook his head repeatedly.

"That is..." Qiao Wanjun paused, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly sighed, "...concerning the disciples of the Yunhai Sect?"

"Hmm." Lu Ran raised his hand, and a magic gourd flew out from his wide sleeve, spitting out a human figure.

Huangfu Zhao!
The moment he appeared, he immediately looked around, and then froze on the spot.

It wasn't because of the illusory Qiao Wanjun; after all, she was just a sword spirit, and Huangfu Zhao had already seen her several times.

He was taken aback because of the flowers and plants on Luoxian Mountain.

Because of the bright sunshine.

Because of the cool autumn breeze.

Because of the beautiful Erhai Lake with its shimmering waves.

“Mr. Huangfu,” Lu Ran called softly.

"Young Master?" Huangfu Zhao quickly came to his senses.

“The spirit of the Cloud Sea Sword is spiritually connected to my mother.” Lu Ran’s words made Huangfu Zhao turn his head sharply to look at the sword spirit.

Only then did they realize that this was the human world, and that the divine weapon and its master could communicate freely.

“Talk to her, tell her about yourself, tell her about Yunhai’s old subordinates.”

"Sect Leader Qiao Qiao!" Even the usually composed Huangfu Zhao trembled and knelt down with a thud.

Lu Ran silently lowered his eyes, listening to the middle-aged man's trembling voice. After a long while, he turned and walked out of the pavilion.

To give the former sect leader and disciples of the Cloud Sea Sect some private space.

As a junior, Lu Ran didn't want to see Huangfu Zhao lose his composure and wanted to give this veteran in his fifties a little dignity.

"Ah"

Walking along the forest path, Lu Ran was filled with emotion.

As the Immortal Sheep said, once the arrow is released, there is no turning back.

Which outcome will the gods and demons faction ultimately take? And how much will Lu Ran and his soldiers be able to seize amidst this chaos?
No one can predict the future; only time will tell.

Unbeknownst to him, Lu Ran arrived at Luo Xian Residence and stood in the small courtyard.

He hesitated for a moment, then raised his head slightly, calling out someone's name in his mind.

"Have you returned to the mortal realm?" Fairy Jiang responded immediately upon hearing the call, her voice as cold as ever.

"Hmm." Lu Ran responded softly.

Jiang Ruyi truly understood Lu Ran and immediately noticed his low spirits. She asked with concern, "Are you alright? What happened? Um, can I come out?"

【Can. 】

"Whoo~"

A phantom-like figure perfectly overlapped with Lu Ran's flesh and blood body.

The afterimage of Xianmo looked around before slowly flying backwards from Lu Ran's body. Her beautiful eyes gently gazed at Lu Ran: "Were you reprimanded by Lord Xianyang?"

Lu Ran shook his head.

He reached out, trying to take her hand. But he grasped only air.

A reproachful smile appeared on Xianmo's lingering image.

Compared to her cool voice, her eyes were much gentler.

"call!"

As streams of energy converged, a physical body gradually took shape.

She stood there quietly, expressionless, with empty eyes, like a beautiful doll.

As the afterimage of the fairy moss merged into her flesh and blood, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in her pair of crystal-clear eyes.

Finish the finishing touch.

Lu Ran reached out again and took her soft hand in his, as if to confirm her authenticity, and squeezed her palm lightly.

"Are you in a bad mood?" Fairy Jiang rarely took the initiative, so she stepped forward and rested her chin on Lu Ran's shoulder.

"Just now, Lord Immortal Sheep said..." Lu Ran wrapped his arms around her slender waist and gave a brief account.

Jiang Ruyi listened silently, gazing at the forest path outside the courtyard that stretched into the lush mountains.

"I really don't know what the future will look like," Lu Ran sighed.

Jiang Ruyi continued gazing at the lush mountains and forests, her thin lips parting slightly: "You are the most determined person I have ever met."

"Ok?"

“Your goals have always been clear. In all these years, I have never seen you look lost.” Jiang Ruyi smiled faintly.

"I'm not confused either?"

Jiang Ruyi tilted her head slightly and nudged Lu Ran's cheek with her forehead: "Stubborn."

Lu Ran: "."

I rarely hear this term.

Jiang Ruyi's eyes flickered slightly as she softly analyzed, "Are you worried that if we do this, the world will become worse?"

Lu Ran pursed his lips but didn't say anything.

I'm afraid of being accused of being "stubborn" again.

"I'm still worried. If we can really overthrow the rule of gods and demons, will we be unable to protect the peace of the human world or resist foreign invasion?" Jiang Ruyi whispered.

Lu Ran became increasingly silent.

Who knows.

The Immortal Sheep did say that it had the ability to turn the Faceless Jade Venerable into a lamb to the slaughter.

From this perspective, Lord Immortal Sheep definitely has the power to turn any god or demon into a lamb.

Undeniably, this gave Lu Ran a great deal of confidence.

So, what exactly is the background of Lord Immortal Sheep?
Xianyang also made it clear that the existence of the Gods and Demons Sculpture Park is beyond the comprehension of the countless gods and demons.

Is the Immortal Sheep really a god?

Is it really a fairy sheep?

“We have an advantage over gods and demons,” Jiang Ruyi said softly. “Gods and demons may appear to be joining forces to fight the enemy, but in reality they are scheming against each other and are no different from a disorganized mess.”

Lu Ran couldn't help but turn his head to look at the girl's profile.

Jiang Ruyi also turned her head to look: "The situation of the Heavenly Battlefield has become very clear. Gods and demons seem to be helping each other, but in reality, it is only a small-scale cooperation."

They guard their respective sacred mountains, with only a few divine and evil statues working together.

We are different, Lu Ran.

Lu Ran looked into her dark eyes and saw his own reflection in them.

It seems there is indeed some worry.

Jiang Ruyi said softly, "The Burning Gate has one leader, the only leader, and the soldiers are devoted to him and obey his orders without question."

Lu Ran did not deny this point.

No matter how strong an army is, if it is internally divided and filled with suspicion and scheming against each other, it will undoubtedly bring about its own destruction.

As it turns out, the Gods and Demons faction is indeed on this path.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; this path of decline may be one that continues for a very, very long time.

"Most importantly, the sole leader of the Burning Gate possesses countless techniques, and the combined combat power he can unleash is unmatched by any god or demon in the world."

"Xiao Ruyi, are you trying to kill me with flattery?" Lu Ran asked with a strange expression.

Jiang Ruyi smiled slightly: "Quantitative change leads to qualitative change. The height that the divine and evil arts you have integrated can allow you to stand at is incomparable to that of Jian Yi, the head of gods, and Xue Lu, the head of demons."

Lu Ran's gaze shifted downwards and landed on her luscious lips.

Jiang Xianzi's composed demeanor gradually disappeared, clearly realizing what someone was about to do.

"Mmm." Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes, letting him kiss her lightly.

Fluffy white clouds drift across the blue sky.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, making the tranquil courtyard even more serene.

"Hoo," Jiang Ruyi lowered her head slightly, her forehead pressed against Lu Ran's face, and breathed softly.

The two hadn't been this intimate in a long time.

The stone sculpture of Xianmo truly stood in his mind, but the garden was shrouded in mist and isolated from the outside world.

Her physical body led the troops in battle on the celestial battlefield.

He also roamed the celestial realm, and there was a nearly month-long advancement process in between.

Roughly speaking, this young couple hasn't spent much time together in three or four months.

But little did they expect that kiss would happen months later.
It happened on the eve of a major battle.

It is on the eve of an unprecedented shift in the world's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall structure or pattern of the world).

Jiang Ruyi blushed, her eyes lowered, and her smile and composure were now directed at the other person.

Lu Ran raised his hand, smoothed the girl's hair on her forehead, and gently tucked it behind her ear.

Can the world become a better place?
do not know.

Will things get worse?

Maybe.

But we should always give it a try.

(End of this chapter)