The Old Gods

Chapter 927 Beauty and Charm
The stone sculpture of the Lantern Master is located in Hangzhou, in the Qiantang River province.

Lu Ran had been to the Bamboo Sea Demon Cave before, so traveling was much easier. Taking advantage of the darkness, he activated a teleportation mirror and stepped into the deep forests outside Anji City.

He flashed once, standing high in the night sky, gazing at the distant divine lantern avatar.

Beneath the feet of this doppelganger stone sculpture lies the Demon Cave Bamboo Sea.

Hidden within the bamboo forest is a secluded bamboo ferry.

There is a little chef named Li in Youhuang Ferry. I wonder what her current strength and realm are.

As the sole heir of the Wangquan sect, Li Rouyin was naturally handpicked, possessing top-tier talent and aptitude.

She spends all her time by Lord Wangquan's side, so her growth rate should be very fast, right?
The two had last met a long time ago.

That time, Lu Ran went to deliver the good news, telling the young lady that he had found Qin Yanzhi, whom she had been longing for.

He shamelessly asked for a few coins as a bride price, and then took on another task.

Unfortunately, there has been no news of Hao Tian to this day.

"Sigh," Lu Ran sighed heavily in his heart, unsure of how to face her.

Gradually, his gaze fell on the stone lantern sculpture.

Lu Ran remembered clearly that when he last met Li Rouyin, the young lady let slip that the lantern worshippers would go to Youhuang Ferry every month to ask for the souls of the dead.

Whether Lord Wangquan is a prisoner or living under someone else's roof, he still has to pay tribute every month.

Clearly, the Wangquan sect, from its deities to its followers, has always lived a life of humiliation.

As the old saying goes: If you take someone's money, you have to do their bidding.

Since I can't find your brother, I'll kill the guy who extorted and robbed you first!

"Hmm," Lu Ran nodded secretly, then turned and disappeared.

The straight-line distance from Anji City to Hangzhou City is only seventy or eighty kilometers. In just one flash, he was standing in the sky above the bustling metropolis.

Looking down at the world below, Lu Ran's eyes were somewhat unfocused.

He had just been in a fantastical realm like the mountain realm or the celestial realm, and now he had arrived in the human world with towering buildings and flashing neon lights.

Anyone would feel a little dazed at times.

Hangzhou is brightly lit under the night sky.

On this night of the eleventh day of the lunar calendar, the city was peaceful, giving people a false impression of national prosperity and peace.

Hangzhou is a really big city, but the lanterns are also quite large!

The massive stone sculpture, standing 270 meters tall, is easily found by anyone.

Especially at night, exquisite eight-sided lanterns float inside and outside the ancient city of Huadeng, just like Kongming lanterns released by people, soaring high and far in the night sky.

Lanterns surrounded the figure of the flower lantern, adorning the somber stone sculpture with vibrant red.

Lu Ran shook his head secretly.

How could such a beautiful woman have such a vicious heart?
That being said, the stone sculpture in front of us should be an empty shell.

The original lantern should be lurking deep within the demon's lair. The stone sculptures standing in the ancient city, including the lantern's clones in other areas, are merely stone shells.

Yan Shuangzi, who possesses two divine positions, has already comprehended many abilities.

This includes the ability to create fake bodies, like the small statues of gods that every household worships. These objects, imbued with the aura of the gods, can better gather people's faith.

"Shu~"

Lu Ran's figure flashed to the outside of the ancient city, and with the help of Yanxia Ling, he slowly flew downwards.

Following the usual path of those who had undergone trials, he sneaked into the gate of the Demon Cave and then saw a rather familiar scene.

A magnificent stone city!
Under the pitch-black night, trails of torches stretched outwards from the city, like winding fire dragons, extending to the horizon.

The Black Lantern Clan's Demon Cave!

Also known as Black Graveyard.

Upon arriving here, Lu Ran couldn't help but think of Si Xianxian.

He and Sister Xian'er met in a dark cemetery, which began their ill-fated relationship.

You wicked maid!
He spends all his time thinking about how to get into the wife's bed.
Lu Ran muttered to himself, surveying the city from all sides, and then quietly flickered away.

This was his first time traveling from the human realm. He teleported and compared different directions along the way, eventually choosing the direction with the most demonic minions and the densest human defenses.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

As night fell, he hesitated beneath the swirling clouds of the third heaven.

In the early hours of the morning, he took a detour through the human world, eventually arriving at the location of the evil god, Black Lantern.

Lu Ran hovered in the night sky, gazing at the area shrouded in black mist, and couldn't help but grin.

Thank goodness I didn't act rashly!

The evil god, Black Lantern, sat atop a stone pillar, and the area within a radius of three thousand meters was already covered in black mist.

If Lu Ran were to sneak in through the starry sky curtain beneath the stone pillar, he would surely be discovered!
It was precisely because the black mist shrouded the heavens and earth that the two deities, Xiaoqiang and Yunjian, stood brightly beside the stone pillar.

One on the left and one on the right, they look like two door gods!

They always guarded the gates of the demon's lair.

Yes, both the generals Xiaoqiang and Yunjian can release clouds and mist to sense the creatures within them.

Lu Ran saw the back of Lady Flower Lantern. She was on the edge of the black mist, kneeling three thousand meters north of the stone pillar, her long dress spreading out like ocean waves.

She closed her eyes, as if resting, looking serene and beautiful.

Lu Ran suddenly narrowed his eyes, his phoenix eyes piercing through the thick black fog, and saw a stone statue standing three kilometers southeast of the stone pillar.

Bihe? Lu Ran was taken aback.

She's not over at the Bamboo Forest Sacred Mountain, right?
The evil god, Phantom Shadow, has already been killed by the Burning Gate.

Now Bihe is all alone, and the summoned divine minions have no vessel to live on.

So, was she invited by Lord Lantern to ambush the enemy together?
This is not easy to handle.

Lu Ran's expression was not good.

The shadow of the lotus has its own thread, sometimes tangled; similarly, the lotus leaves have their own tendrils, sometimes tangled!

Its ability to control the battlefield is also among the top in the god and demon faction.

Lu Ran was just thinking how lucky he was that he hadn't acted rashly; if he had come up directly from the lower level of the demon cave, his whereabouts would have been exposed.

Looking back now, it was far more than just revealing their whereabouts.
With Lu Rantian Realm, Level 2, if he were to be touched by divine-grade lotus root silk, he would have difficulty even escaping by flashing.

Okay, okay,
What a beautiful lantern!
Arrogance was indeed a smokescreen; they had already secretly found accomplices.

Lu Ran slowly circled around, then suddenly stopped.

Three kilometers southwest of the stone pillar, he unexpectedly saw another towering and earth-shaking divine statue.

This is a male deity statue, with disheveled hair and a slightly bowed head, resembling a silent, ferocious beast, exuding astonishing power.

He was wearing a large robe and carrying a chain in his hand.

Although the statue was completely gray, Lu Ran had already mentally filled in the image of the other party's robes and chains with a deep red hue.

Third-Rank God - Demon Imprisoner!
This bastard is here too?

Lu Ran's face was gloomy. "Hua Deng is quite popular, isn't he?"
On the other side of the Bamboo Forest Sacred Mountain, there are only two pairs of third-class gods and demons: Bihe-Qiansiying and Qiumo-Laotianmo.

The lantern festival has brought together the main forces of Zhulin Shenshan!

The question is, is the Prisoner Demon a separate deity, or is it a being that has already devoured the soul of the Prisoner Demon and become one with it?
In addition, what about Zhulin Sacred Mountain?
Where have the Mud Spirit - the Mud Swamp Doll, and the Nine Bamboo - the Bamboo and Wood Demon gone?

Lu Ran quickly searched the solid ground for any possible traces of mud.

The weaker Jiu Zhu and the foolish Zhu Mu Yao are not worth worrying about.

However, Mud Lord and Mud Swamp Doll are, after all, fourth-class gods and demons, and should be given some attention.

As Lu Ran flew, his brow furrowed: [Immortal Sheep, excuse me.]

【Um. 】

The chains in the Demon Prisoner's hands appear to be a fourth-tier magical artifact. Do you know its specific effects?

[A demon imprisoned?]

[Yes, disciple encountered Bihe and the Imprisoned Demon in the Black Lantern Demon Cave.] Lu Ran quickly described the situation.

"Hehe, this is a trap set for you." The fairy sheep's tone was somewhat gloating.

Lu Ran: ?
No!

Which side are you from?

However, what Yang said makes sense; just look at their positioning!

Using black lanterns as bait, they waited on the stone pillar.

On either side of the entrance to the Demon Cave, spears and maces stood guard, ready to unleash a massacre.

At the edge of the black mist, lanterns, lotus flowers, and imprisoned demons lined up in three directions, completely surrounding the entrance to the demon cave.

Lanterns are the absolute king of support roles.

Bihe and Qiumo are both skilled in both hard and soft crowd control, making them top-tier crowd control abilities.

Anyone could see Lady Flower Lantern's determination; she truly wanted to bury Lu Ran completely in this dark graveyard!
That's a fourth-tier magical artifact, the Demon-Binding Lock, specifically designed to bind gods and demons. For its specific effects, refer to the Shadow Thread Evil Techniques: Threading Silk and Chaotic Silk.

Lu Ran: !!!
Damn it.
The goddess Bihe is enough to terrify me; the slightest touch of the lotus root fibers could easily lead to my death.

Is this yet another magical artifact for binding gods and demons?

The Demon Prisoner is also a master of crowd control, and with such a top-tier magical artifact, he is even more powerful!

Lu Ran's expression was grim. He cautiously moved about a hundred meters away from the Demon Prisoner, making sure that the Demon Prisoner did not have any other divine weapons or magical artifacts on its body.

He flew behind Bihe, scanned her up and down, and said uncertainly, "[Lord Immortal Sheep, Bihe seems to have the aura of a divine weapon or magical artifact, but I can't find it.]"

The immortal sheep snorted and said coldly:
"Can't you find it? Can't your dog nose smell it?"

Lu Ran, somewhat embarrassed after being scolded, weakly transmitted his voice: "This disciple truly didn't smell anything."

"That's a sachet; its fragrance can calm and soothe the mind of all beings." The immortal sheep seemed to feel a hint of schadenfreude. "All your mental attack techniques will be ineffective in this battle."

Lu Ran looked distressed.

As expected of a human-shaped stone sculpture, it's really getting a lot of orders.

The voice descended further, becoming low and menacing: "If you're scared, then run!"

Lu Ran pouted, ignored the fairy sheep, and circled the black mist for half a turn, probing behind the lantern.

Why are there no magical weapons or artifacts among the lanterns? Are they too powerful to be considered worthy of them?

The celestial sheep did not respond, but instead said: "Aren't you leaving yet? What, are you unwilling to give up?"

Lu Ran slowly flew backward, looking at the group of gods and demons who were sharpening their weapons and waiting in battle, his tone gradually turning sinister: "Lord Flower Lantern has gone to great lengths, laying down an inescapable trap. If this disciple doesn't try to break through..."

The fairy sheep asked playfully, "What?"

Lu Ran's eyes turned icy cold as he licked his lips: "That disciple is utterly oblivious to the charms of a beautiful woman."

Fairy Sheep: ?
good boy!
I knew you could put on an act, but now you're showing it to me in person?
(End of this chapter)