Summit of the Old Gods

Outside the Cloud Bamboo Ravine, an endless Bamboo Sea.

A woman clad in a green cape and hat, gracefully retreating step by step.

"Swoosh~ Swoosh~"

In midair, bamboo wood flying spikes shot down, as dense as rain.

The caped woman leisurely maneuvered through the bamboo rain, evasively and freely.

"Hmm!" The Bamboo Wood Demon was enraged, shouting in fury.

Even with low intelligence, it could sense that this human woman was toying with it.

The two had been at it for a while, the woman easily approached it, yet never attacked.

She allowed the Bamboo Wood Demon to throw flying sticks, hurl bamboo leaf knives, thrust bamboo spears from the ground, and pour bamboo rain from the sky.

The various evil techniques of the Bamboo Wood Demon clan, the woman tasted them one by one.

"Hehe~" Zhong Ling (Shadow Three) had playful laughter in her large eyes, suddenly stepping forward, close to the Bamboo Wood Demon's body.

The Bamboo Wood Demon was on full alert!

Zhong Ling merely extended a fair small hand, slapping the Bamboo Wood Demon's face.

"Smack~"

The slap produced a crisp sound.

The Bamboo Wood Demon tilted its head: ???

After a brief moment of confusion, the Bamboo Wood Demon grew even angrier, barking incessantly.

For a moment, it unleashed all sorts of evil techniques at Zhong Ling furiously.

Zhong Ling, satisfied in her heart, continued to train her movement technique amidst the bamboo rain.

Sniff~

Moments later, as Zhong Ling closed in, she suddenly twitched her nose.

Amidst the endless bamboo fragrance, she actually caught a whiff of floral scent?

"Hmm!" The Bamboo Wood Demon noticed the distraction and instantly showed ferocity, swinging its bamboo stick down fiercely.

"Smack!"

Zhong Ling casually grabbed the bamboo stick, twitched her nose again, and suspiciously turned her head back.

"Hmm! Hmm!!" The Bamboo Wood Demon grew frantic, pulling on the bamboo stick with all its might.

Yet it couldn't reclaim it at all.

Both were of the River Realm, but the evil demon made entirely of bamboo had a body too weak.

How weak was this clan's strength?

Zhong Ling casually pulled, and the Bamboo Wood Demon staggered towards her arms.

Zhong Ling didn't even turn her head, her hand feigned a grip and thrust toward the Bamboo Wood Demon's face.

"Swoosh!"

The Divine Weapon · Obsidian Dagger at her leg swiftly shot out, grasped in her hand at the last moment, it pierced the Bamboo Wood Demon's face.

"Crack!"

The bamboo tore apart with a crisp sound.

Zhong Ling turned around, looking far into a cluster of bamboo woods: "May I ask, might it be Senior Lu Yuan?"

"Oh?" A surprised voice came from behind the bamboo cluster.

Zhong Ling's heart jumped with joy, she hastily said: "I am Shadow Three, a colleague of Qin Yanzhi."

From behind the clustered bamboo wood, an old man in a gray robe emerged.

He was of medium height, around 1.7 meters, though white-haired, he was full of vigor.

Zhong Ling's apricot eyes widened, excitedly saying: "It really is you... ah!"

The initial joy of meeting was immediately replaced by fear.

The old man, without anger, had an imposing aura that swept over, leaving the River Realm person breathless.

Even the soul seemed to tremble!

"Lu... Senior Lu, hello." Zhong Ling took a step back, trembling as she spoke.

The old man squinted slightly: "Where is Qin Yanzhi?"

"He... he's searching for you, for the past two months, he's been looking all over Holy Spirit Mountain for you."

"Why?"

"We... the Sect Leader can return to the Human World without being punished by the Divine, can help Senior Lu accomplish some tasks and fulfill his wishes." As Zhong Ling spoke, she frantically called for Lu Ran in her mind.

"Hehe." The gray-robed old man chuckled.

Sect Leader?

Truly ignorant of the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth.

To say such lies to return to the Human World.

The foolish disciple is truly naive to be fooled by such lowly lies.

Sigh...

The old man sighed internally.

He thought, perhaps due to his own obsession, that the disciple also developed an obsession, wanting to show a filial heart, thus being seduced by thieves.

"Whoosh!!"

Under Zhong Ling's feet, a phantom Other Shore Flower suddenly bloomed.

Unlike the black Other Shore Flower during teleportation, this Flower Sea was a vibrant red.

Sensuously beautiful.

A faint mist spread within the Flower Sea, accompanied by a soft floral scent, seducing people.

Dust Shadow Divine Technique · Dust Shadow Reincarnation!

This was an illusion technique, where anyone submerged by the red Flower Sea would fall into past memories.

"Swoosh~"

The old man cast a spell with extreme speed, without warning.

Zhong Ling reacted just as swiftly, instantly flickering away.

"Oh?" The old man was rather surprised, watching the caped woman disappear into the Flower Sea.

Instant Teleportation?

Where did she go?

No matter!

In front of a Dust Shadow disciple, teleportation is useless.

In the moment of their exchange, the mark from the Dust Shadow Sect had silently been etched onto Zhong Ling's body.

"Whoosh~"

The old man flipped his palm; a phantom black Other Shore Flower rapidly bloomed.

Seven hundred meters away, within the bamboo forest.

A caped woman stood bewildered, dazed, when suddenly a map appeared above her head.

Mountain peaks towered, rivers flowed rapidly.

In just an instant, the grey-robed elder appeared beside Zhong Ling.

And at this moment, Zhong Ling...

"Huh?"

Zhong Ling's head ached, and she clutched it with one hand.

She lay on the desk, her face resting on her arm, and opened her eyes in confusion, seeing an open window and curtains fluttering in the wind.

The chalk head that fell with a clatter was still rolling on the desk.

"Zhong! Ling!" A stern voice came from the podium.

"Hehe!"

"Haha..." Laughter filled the classroom, completely waking Zhong Ling up.

She propped her elbow on the desk and foolishly looked up.

Before seeing the teacher, she saw Zhong Ya, the eldest sister sitting in the first row wearing the school uniform, turning around with a reproachful look.

Zhong Ling, as if through muscle memory, playfully stuck out her tongue and cautiously looked at the podium.

But then the face of that female teacher began to change.

It turned into an old, wrinkled face.

Turned into a grey-robed elder!

The classroom environment also transformed with it. The classmates who were laughing maliciously turned into vivid green bamboo.

"Heh..." Zhong Ling gasped, suddenly awake.

She knew that the moment the grey-robed elder began the Divine Technique, she had already flickered away.

However, the Heavenly Grade Dust Shadow Reincarnation just barely grazed her, and even that was enough to ensnare her in its trap.

"Se…Senior..."

Zhong Ling spoke with a trembling voice, unable to move at all.

At this moment, her entire body was encased by the shadow of a grey Other Shore Flower.

Dust Shadow Divine Technique—Blooming Flower Bind!

There were also waves of energy invading her body, wreaking havoc, preventing her from casting any spells.

Dust Shadow Divine Technique—Blooming Flower Chaos.

As a disciple capable of instant teleportation with the Evil Dog Clan, Zhong Ling was caught just like that.

No way to resist!

"Speak." The grey-robed elder stood in front of Zhong Ling, "Where is Qin Yanzhi?"

"He... he's really been looking for you everywhere, Senior Lu! Mr. Qin joined the Ran Sect, and he is now the Divine General of our Ran Sect..."

The grey-robed elder remained unmoved, his somewhat clouded eyes narrowed slightly, exuding infinite pressure that crushed the trembling life: "How did you capture him?"

Zhong Ling's heart pounded violently, her face pale.

"Qin Yanzhi has a girlfriend! The Sect Leader was tasked by that person to come to the Mountain Realm to find Qin, to take care of Qin..."

"Senior Lu." Suddenly, a youthful voice came from above behind.

The grey-robed elder slowly turned his head, looked up, and couldn't help but squint again.

Such a young one, truly impressive!

He saw a young man standing in mid-air, his posture erect, and the loose Black Gold Emperor Robe, accentuated his imposing aura.

So young, yet he had the presence of a king ruling over all.

Remarkable...

However, the young man's clothes were slightly disheveled, and there were specks of yellow sand on him, as if he just came off the battlefield?

Lu Ran noticed the elder's gaze, apologetically smiled, and brushed off the sand from his body:

"Forgive me, Senior, I was just killing some dogs over at Ten Thousand Blade Mountain."

"Oh?" The grey-robed elder instantly showed interest.

Ten Thousand Blade Mountain, that's in the Northwest!

The Evil Dog Clan indeed roamed there.

And this young man so boldly claimed he was just killing dogs?

"I have already informed Qin Yanzhi, he will be here soon..." Before the voice fell, a teleportation array unfolded above Lu Ran's head, and he immediately changed his tone, smiling, "He's here."

The grey-robed elder couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

One reason was realizing that the young girl in the raincoat likely wasn't lying to him.

The other was being quite astonished that this exceptional, heroic young man possessed such daring, to casually converse with a Heavenly Realm Power without a change in expression.

As for the young man standing in mid-air, looking down from above, the grey-robed elder didn't care.

Because there was a reason for it!

Because the Dust Shadow Sect's Divine Techniques often manifested as blooming flowers, mostly blossoming on the ground.

"Whoosh!!"

Energy surged, and a shadow fell.

"Maste... wow!" Qin Yanzhi's face first lit up with joy, then he began scrambling.

How could he know that Lu Ran was standing so high!

Lu Yuan: "..."

Lu Ran: "..."

Yangyang Sea, what a spectacle!

Merely twenty or thirty meters, no more than the height of ten floors, and yet could this do any harm?

"Master Lu!" Qin Yanzhi held the Silent Night Blade and landed steadily.

The Silent Night Blade then slipped from his grasp and flew to find its master.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, the immense grey Other Shore Flower behind him dissipating without a trace.

"Thud!"

Zhong Ling kneeled heavily on the ground, her body trembling, cold sweat streaming down her forehead.

"Master Lu!" Qin Yanzhi rushed forward, grasping the elder's wrists with both hands, exclaimed excitedly, "You have finally returned!"

Seeing his disciple safe and sound, a slight smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face, his words carrying a teasing undertone: "Not seen in a few months, I heard you joined an organization?"

"Master Lu, let me introduce you, he's Lu Ran, the Sect Master of the Ran Sect!"

Lu Yuan looked up again.

Lu Ran swiftly descended, cupped his hands in salute from a distance: "Junior Lu Ran, greets Senior Lu."

Lu Yuan nodded lightly: "Seems to have some Sect Master spirit."

"Senior overpraises." Lu Ran responded with a smile.

Some people wore a smile, but inside they were in a panic!

From the moment he saw Lu Yuan, Lu Ran almost transformed into a small tabby cat.

Every hair stood on end...

...