The Old Gods

Chapter 917 The Battle Begins!
Inside the sculpture garden, the divine camp.

Jiang Ruyi was discussing the plan with the soldiers of the Burning Gate when suddenly she turned to look to her left.

There stood a pair of siblings—Leng Tianxing and Leng Tianyue.

Both siblings from the Leng family are in their forties, having seen much of life, and it's hard for anything to stir their hearts anymore.

However, at this moment, the two men's emotional fluctuations were so great that they had already affected the meeting.

"The Leng family." Huangfu Zhao noticed the young mistress's unusual behavior and, before she could speak, turned around and reprimanded her.

Indeed, we are all members of the Burning Gate.

However, it is inevitable that the former Yunhai members within the sect can be further subdivided into smaller groups.

The Five Generals of the Cloud Sea always addressed their leader as Young Master or Young Madam.

Because Huangfu Zhao, Yan Chou, Wuya, and the Leng siblings have their own sect leader and their own roots.

"I couldn't control my emotions, please forgive me, young mistress," Leng Tianxing said softly, bowing her head in apology.

Leng Tianyue looked apologetic. Although he was a powerful evil god, he did not lose his manners and apologized along with his brother.

"It's nothing," Jiang Ruyi said calmly, not taking it to heart.

The Great Xia Dynasty had nearly a hundred gods, each with their own unique characteristics and nature.

But there is one ability that is common to all:

The gods will harm every believer who worships them equally.

The more devout and loyal you are, the deeper the hurt you will be when your lies are exposed.

The Leng siblings were once believers under the Star Official's sect. Now that the Burning Sect is about to attack Star Moon Mountain and point their swords at the Star Official, the resentment and hatred hidden deep in the siblings' hearts will finally have an outlet.

It was indeed difficult for the two of them to calm down.

Yu Changsheng stood behind Jiang Ruyi and spoke up at the right moment to ease the atmosphere: "If we can succeed today, the two Cold Heavenly Generals will truly become Star Officials and Moon Spirits."

Jiang Ruyi nodded slightly, naturally also looking forward to the addition of two powerful gods to the Burning Gate: "Get up, calm down, and listen carefully to the battle plan."

A fierce battle is likely to ensue soon.

"Yes."

"Yes!" the two replied simultaneously.

At the same time, in the third heaven.

Lu Ran looked up at the swirling dark clouds, observing them closely.

When he last came to slay the evil god Ming Toad, there were eight sharp peaks piercing into eight vortexes on Star Moon Mountain, but now only five remain.

After observing for a long time, Lu Ran finally flashed and arrived at the bottom of a vortex of dark clouds, and quickly flew into it.

The scenery between heaven and earth changed.

The night sky is vast and boundless, with countless stars shining brightly.

There was also a dreamlike Milky Way stretching across the east and west. The more Lu Ran looked at it, the more profound the starry sky seemed.

I felt even more lonely.

Lu Ran's eyes gradually became unfocused. He had no desire to explore, but he longed to immerse himself in it and drift freely.

Without mission or burden, there are no more desires or worries.
"Whoosh~" Suddenly a figure appeared and quickly pieced together beside him.

Lu Ran snapped out of his daze and immediately stepped aside.

A handsome man in blue appeared, with flowing short hair and deep blue eyes like cold stars.

Evil Demon·Flashing Star Demon!
Lu Ran watched the handsome, devilish man fly away, and following his retreating figure, he saw the rolling mountains.

The Demon Cave of Shining Star is indeed quite beautiful.

If you stand atop a high peak, you might get the illusion that you can "pluck the stars from the sky".

Lu Ran shook his head, dismissing the jumbled thoughts, and flew upwards along the mountain wall, disappearing into the starry sky.

He was familiar with the route and, with the help of Yanxia Ling, slowly flew backward.

The enormous, shimmering star-shaped sculpture stands quietly atop the mountain, its divine stone pillars blending seamlessly with the peak, except that the surrounding rocks have been transformed into a starry sky curtain.

Strange and magical.

Lu Ran looked around and saw that there were no higher peaks as far as his eyes could see.

"Heh." Lu Ran sneered inwardly. Was the Evil God standing so conspicuously to better receive support?

He flew into the night sky and saw many henchmen on the mountainside in the distance.

Inside the Demon Cave, you can see Star Demon minions everywhere, but their numbers seem a bit off.
Lu Ran immediately flew off to investigate.

Sniff~
Before even reaching the mountainside, Lu Ran twitched his nose.

The refreshing fragrance of herbs and trees.

The fragrance of flowers carries a hint of coolness.

No wonder the Flash Star Demon Clan favors this place; that's why the God and Demon Cold Silver Flower - Laurel hides in this mountain.
Lu Ran's face was gloomy.

There really was an ambush!

He didn't care about the faint fragrance; he was more worried about the cold silver flowers falling around him, since each petal had a sensory function.

Perhaps because the silver petals shimmered with a silvery moonlight, making them too conspicuous, the deity did not use this technique.

Lu Ran cautiously approached the mountain, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, and then slowly circled around it.

To his surprise, he saw no signs of damage to the mountain.

The stone sculptures of gods and demons are often two or three hundred meters long. With such a large scale, it is by no means easy to hide them among the rocks!
How could it be possible to leave no trace at all?
Is it possible?
Lu Ran was startled!
The laurel-cold silver flower did not come to support in its original stone form, but rather in the form of a divine and demonic afterimage to ambush here.

This explains why the mountain is intact.

This is a difficult situation!

At the spellcasting level, the afterimage of a god or demon, possessing a divine position, wields divine-grade techniques. At the survival level, even if the afterimage is dispersed, the original stone sculpture will not die. Lu Ran's expression turned grave; he was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

How can this be good?

He circled the mountain several times. Although he possessed the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic used by the Mountain Lords) technique, he dared not venture into it rashly.

They were terrified of coming into contact with the afterimages of gods and demons.

[Everyone] Lu Ran, connected with everyone in the garden, informed them of this troublesome situation.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the park became heavy.

Si Xianxian felt a headache coming on and muttered, "What good are the afterimages of gods and demons coming to help? They'll be scattered by a gust of wind."

hateful!

Why wasn't it a stone sculpture of the original god or demon?
It would be great if we could take them all in one go!

"It seems that the support between gods and demons is not as strong as we imagined," Yu Changsheng mused.

One after another, gods and demons have fallen; this is an established fact.

In such a situation, would gods and demons only use afterimages to come to the rescue?
As Si Xianxian said, no matter how high the level or spell grade of the afterimage of gods and demons, its survivability is very limited.

Yu Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Madam, please ask the sect leader if only Yuegui-Leng Yinhua is like this, or do all the other gods and demons ambush others in the form of afterimages?"

Jiang Ruyi immediately sent a telepathic message to inquire.

"It's still unclear. I'll look for other gods and demons." Inside the demon cave, Lu Ran responded as he soared high into the air, overlooking the mountains.

After searching for a moment, Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

To the left of the shimmering star demon sculpture, dozens of kilometers away, there is a mountain peak that seems a bit strange.

There were also demonic minions gathered there, but for some reason, after approaching the mountain peak, the minions quickly fled.

Lu Ran narrowed his eyes and his figure flashed.

After visiting the place in person, he understood why this unique phenomenon occurred!

Demonic minions are naturally attracted by intense energy fluctuations.

The Star Demon race is quite intelligent, unlike beast-type or object-type demons who are mindless. Once the Star Demons realize that the beings in the mountains are not something they can provoke, they will quickly flee the place.

Lu Ran quickly approached the mountain peak and observed it from all sides. Suddenly, he noticed cracks on one of the mountain walls.

Oh?
Lu Ran's eyes lit up!
Whatever is hidden inside the mountain, it is likely to be the actual stone sculpture, rather than a mere afterimage.

Approach slowly, so as not to cause any trouble. Lu Ran and Yan Xialing were of one mind.

The ribbons dared not flutter even slightly, carrying Lu Ran slowly forward.

Lu Ran opened his dog-like eyes and scanned the rock-covered mountain wall from top to bottom. In the gap between the boulders at the bottom, he saw an incredible outline.

Is that a horse's hoof?
what!
The little thing has finally given itself away, hasn't it?

After examining the area repeatedly, Lu Ran confirmed that he found the gray-black hoof among the gray-white rocks.

Hidden within is undoubtedly the Ye Ma - the Soul-Hooking Horse!
Whether the two merged peacefully or one devoured the other's soul is no longer important.

Lu Ran's mind raced.

If we consider the Evil Sculptor·Shining Star Demon's front to be facing south, then there are hidden gods and demons to the south and west.

So, will the Star Official and the Moon Spirit hide in the north and east?

Lu Ran carefully retreated, and only after confirming that the distance was far enough did he flash away.

After a thorough search, he indeed found two more statues in two other directions.

All of them are made of stone!

Lu Ran was overjoyed and immediately informed his troops of the news.

Inside the garden, Deng Yuxiang frowned deeply: "Given the nature of gods and demons, this situation shouldn't have occurred?"

Laurel-Cold Silver Flower can have a beautiful idea: stay in a safe place and only use its afterimage to provide support.

Would other gods and demons agree to this?

But the result is truly perplexing.

Yu Changsheng speculated, "Guilin-Leng Yinhua is already physically disabled, so she was probably deliberately staying outside to send messages and request assistance."

Deng Yuxiang immediately said, "The laurel and silver flower have merged, and its original stone sculpture should stand in the human world."

Yu Changsheng nodded silently, sighing inwardly.

This is not a good situation.
The Leng siblings felt a chill in their hearts, worried that the Ran Clan might shift their focus, and they both looked at the young mistress who had remained silent.

Gradually, everyone turned their attention to the leader of the Burning Gate.

She remained expressionless, her beautiful eyes closed, and spoke softly: "In a moment, the Nightmare Protector will disperse the afterimages of gods and demons. Your action will be the signal."

"Yes!" Deng Yuxiang felt reassured.

Now that things have come to this, she naturally wants to kill the gods and demons herself, rather than hesitate and look for other targets.

Even assuming other sacred mountains might have one or two stone statues left behind to plead for help.

"Lu Ran said that the stone sculptures are arranged in four directions, about 30 to 40 kilometers away from the Shining Star Demon Sculpture. Based on the characteristics of the four gods and demons, we can divide into four groups and start the battle at the same time."

Simultaneous war?
With four gods and demons?!

That sounds like they're courting death.

However, the current Burning Gate certainly has the resources to do so!
"Lu Ran just gave the order that we have twenty minutes to come up with a detailed battle plan and divide into groups."

As she spoke, Jiang Ruyi slowly opened her eyes and glanced at everyone: "Lu Ran was very determined and looked forward to our performance this time. In the end, he even shouted a word in a fierce manner."

Everyone held their breath and listened intently.

Jiang Ruyi rarely showed a slight smile, repeating the telepathic message Lu Ran had just sent her:
"Start the group!"

(End of this chapter)