The Old Gods

Chapter 978 Dead Father
“No need to worry, he exists stably, and his soul strength is much higher than when he died,” Wang Quan said slowly.

Since Lu Ran entered the Hall of Rebirth, he had remained calm and composed, but when he heard Lord Wangquan's words, his body couldn't help but tremble.

My father is still alive.

No, he is dead, but his spirit lives on.

"Soul strength?" Lu Ran looked up at the stone sculpture.

"Hmm." Wang Quan responded softly, "After meeting you for the first time, I discovered that you were that person's disciple, so I had Rou Yin investigate your identity."

Only then did I realize that you were a descendant of the souls I had lost.

Since then, I have often nourished this departed soul, awaiting this day to come.

Lu Ran remained silent for a long time before finally clasping his hands together and bowing deeply in gratitude: "Thank you, Lord Wangquan. May I ask..."

"Click."

Far behind, the heavy palace doors were suddenly pushed open.

Lu Ran turned his head slightly and glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye, only to see Li Rouyin walking slowly towards him.

Inside the Hall of Rebirth, she no longer needed her cane. Her slender figure moved through the fine red threads, arriving at the depths of the hall, where she knelt respectfully and said, "Lord Wangquan, you called me."

"Whoo~"

A blurry afterimage suddenly appeared on Li Rouyin's body.

This is a female deity, dressed in an ancient and elegant style, wearing a gorgeous black dress adorned with exquisite dark gold patterns.

Her long, jet-black hair was pulled back, and she was adorned with dark gold jewelry that accentuated her nobility and closely resembled her unique eye color.

This was Lu Ran's second time seeing Lord Wangquan. Unlike last time, her eyes were no longer cold, and her expression was much gentler.

Lu Ran even saw a delicate beauty in it.

He was exactly like his only follower.

After the afterimage of the god appeared, Li Rouyin did not say another word. She slowly got up and walked to the side.

When she returned, the afterimage on her body had perfectly overlapped with her physical form.

A string of ancient coins appeared in her slender, jade-like hands.

The human and the god were dressed exactly alike, with similar expressions. Their faces were so perfectly overlapped that Lu Ran couldn't tell whether he was looking at Wang Quan or Li Rouyin.

"Step back a bit, your eyes are dangerous," Wang Quan warned.

Lu Ran retreated step by step, wanting to get closer, but it wasn't until he reached the entrance of the main hall that he saw Li Rouyin (Wang Quan) nod slightly.

She raised a string of coins in her hand, and a ghost emerged from them.

Lu Ran slightly widened his eyes.

I saw a strange yet familiar back view, and this back view was being pulled backward by a suction force.

Li Rouyin slightly raised her hand, and the departed souls instantly froze in mid-air.

As her slender hand slowly turned, the souls of the dead, controlled from afar, slowly rotated their bodies.

"Heh," Lu Ran sighed softly, his voice trembling slightly.

As he swept past the swirling, thousands of red raindrops, he saw a middle-aged man who looked exactly like the figure in his memory.

Ten years have passed, yet they have left no trace of time on the face of the deceased.

My father still looks like he's in his early thirties.

It was still the same as he looked ten years ago, on that stormy night before he left home.

Neat short hair, a cold and aloof face.

He wore a jet-black combat uniform, black military boots, and trousers tucked into the boot shafts.
Lu Ran gazed at the departed soul, then at the still youthful and vibrant phantom.

The deceased gazed back silently, expressionless, as if he were sizing up a stranger.

But from some point onward, a glimmer of light appeared in the eyes of the departed soul, and its solemn expression gradually turned into confusion, and then into astonishment.

"Ranran?"

The departed soul murmured in disbelief, its voice slightly raised, carrying a hint of doubt.

The difference between a 13-year-old naive boy and a 23-year-old dashing young man is like heaven and earth.

Height, face, clothing
Her flowing feather robes and ribbons gave her an ethereal and otherworldly air, making her seem like a banished immortal.

Within the blood-red lower half of the mask, blood mist surged slowly like particles, eerie and terrifying.

These are just the external aspects.

The youth, tempered by time, exudes an intangible aura, especially in their eyes that are no longer innocent and naive.
"Long time no see." A muffled voice came from behind the blood crystal mask.

In fact, Lu Ran never expected that he would say such a thing when he actually got to this point.

It seems too ordinary, unworthy of my many years of longing and remembrance.

They don't deserve this special reunion.

“You’ve grown up,” Lu Xing said from afar.

“You haven’t gotten any older.” Lu Ran smiled. “If I had come ten years later, we would have been the same age.”

"Hehe." Lu Xing also laughed.

But the smile didn't last long before it faded away.

A profound silence fell over the Hall of Rebirth.

Years later, the father and son, separated by death, met again, but there was no scene of excitement, joy, or tears.

Both sides were very restrained in their emotions.

A faint bitterness permeated his words.

"Buzz~" A buzzing sound came from Lu Ran's waist, and the Xia Guang Blade automatically unsheathed and flew out.

Even until Lu Xing's death, the Radiant Light Blade failed to form a complete blade spirit; it could only be considered a divine weapon embryo. Its consciousness was quite limited, and its understanding of its original owner was vague.
Lu Xing, on the other hand, recognized his old friend at a glance.

"Go ahead," Lu Ran said softly.

With its master's permission, the Radiant Blade slowly drifted over.

Although Lu Xing's spirit was fixed in mid-air, he could move his limbs slightly.

After many years, his illusory hand once again grasped the Radiant Blade, and a familiar yet strange feeling welled up in his heart again.

The feeling of unfamiliarity far outweighs the feeling of familiarity.

The Radiant Light Blade has become a divine weapon, but it is far more than just an ordinary divine weapon.

Lu Xing and Li Rouyin may lack some perception, but Lord Wangquan is well aware that this is a weapon that only gods and demons are worthy of possessing.

What's even more terrifying is that Lu Ran possesses several such world-destroying divine weapons and magical artifacts!

Wang Quan also knew that Lu Ran's treasures were far more than these.

With the gods and demons in turmoil and countless deaths, it's highly likely that Lu Ran has acquired all the top-tier divine weapons and magical artifacts.

Even Wang Quan dared not make any rash judgments about Lu Ran's strength and the true combat power he could unleash.

So this time, Wangquan did not look down on the ants beneath his feet.

Even though humans at the second level of the Heavenly Realm haven't truly escaped the realm of ants, Wangquan gave him special treatment.

That's why Lu Ran saw a delicate beauty in the deity this time.

"How are your mother and sister?" Lu Xing finally spoke, his illusory hand trying to touch the Radiant Blade. Looking at his old friend, he also thought of his deceased loved ones.

“That’s good. You can go see for yourself once you come back to life,” Lu Ran replied.

"Should I go see for myself?" Lu Xing looked up.

Lu Ran tilted his head slightly and looked at the woman standing behind the departed soul.

Li Rouyin (Wang Quan) slowly shook her head: "Ensuring the existence of the dead is already the limit of my ability."

Lu Ran pursed his lips tightly.

So, will the father continue to exist as a ghost?

Why give people hope only to cruelly deprive them of it?

Lu Ran turned to look at the ghosts floating in mid-air and stubbornly assured them, "I will find a way."

Looking at the determined young man, Lu Xing said, "I have no regrets about being able to see you again and grow up."

Lu Ran looked directly into his father's eyes and said, word by word:
"I have."

Lu Xing's eyes dimmed, and he silently lowered his head, looking at the Radiant Blade.

He was well aware of the many things he had missed, and he was also very clear about the state of the world.

Guilt and self-blame had already consumed the young father's heart.

He was a fierce and fearless warrior on the battlefield, yet he even avoided the gaze of his children.

“That is indeed possible,” Wang Quan suddenly said.

Lu Ran immediately looked over.

Wang Quan nodded slightly: "My ability is insufficient to revive the dead, but the lord you worship may be able to do so."

Lu Ran suddenly had a thought!
I recalled a conversation I had with the Immortal Sheep a long time ago.

When Lu Ran first saw the spirits of the dead fly into the sculpture park, he asked Lord Xianyang if he could do something for his comrades.

It seems that the Immortal Sheep left behind a message:
"Though my life is but a small stream, my ambitions are higher than the sky."

Since acquiring the Eye of Death, Lu Ran was repeatedly moved on the battlefield of the Fifteenth Night, until a certain critical point, he couldn't help but bring up the old story again.

The Immortal Sheep then gave eight more large characters:
"Though our territory is but a small river, our ambitions are higher than the sky."

However, during the second inquiry, the Immortal Sheep was no longer simply speaking coldly, but rather informing Lu Ran to some extent that he could indeed do something.

The prerequisite, of course, is strength.

Now that I've reached the Heavenly Realm, am I strong enough?
【Immortal Sheep, are you there?】Lu Ran immediately prayed to the deity.

After waiting for a long time, no message came through in my mind. I don't know if Lord Immortal Sheep didn't receive it or if he just ignored it.

Lu Ran turned to look at Wang Quan: "My lord, may I..."

Wang Quan understood immediately, collected Lu Xing's soul into the copper coin, slightly raised his hand, and looked at the young man in the distance: "Here."

Lu Ran flashed and instantly stood in front of Li Rouyin.

This string of copper coins contains five coins; the father's spirit is in the third coin, the one for the deceased.

Wangquan instructed, "The soul should not be away from me for too long. If you cannot find a way in a short time, send it back, and I will help you maintain its existence."

Lu Ran accepted the string of money for the deceased with both hands and looked at the woman in front of him: "How can I thank you?"

Wang Quan smiled, her beautiful, dark golden eyes gently gazing at Lu Ran, her thin lips parting slightly:
"No rush, Lu Ran, there's plenty of time."

"Lord Wangquan, do you really believe I can win?"

Wang Quan did not respond further, but looked at Lu Ran meaningfully before his illusory figure disappeared without a trace.

She was left behind a sickly beauty with vacant eyes.

Lu Ran turned around and summoned the bronze mirror. Li Rouyin's voice came from beside him: "Why are you saying sorry?"

Lu Ran paused, then said in a low voice, "I still haven't been able to find Hao Tian. I've searched the entire Holy Spirit Mountain myself and sent my soldiers to look for him, but I still haven't found him."

"You just haven't found him yet, he might still be alive!" Li Rouyin suddenly raised her voice, speaking excitedly.

Lu Ran remained silent for a long time, and the bronze mirror in his hand transformed into a full-length mirror.

"Yes." He lowered his head and stepped into the mirror.

(End of this chapter)