Summit of the Old Gods

"Gulp, gulp..."

Inside the Immortal Worship Hall, Lu Ran was picking up the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd, tilting his head back to drink.

In front of him was a group of believers devoutly kneeling before the Immortal Sheep Stone Sculpture.

Everyone present was bound to different Divine Sculptures and Evil Sculptures, but they shared a common identity - Immortal Sheep Believers!

They could all bleat and were equipped with the incredibly powerful Divine Technique·Immortal Hoof, allowing them to swiftly shuttle in and out of the battlefield recklessly.

"Gulp, gulp..." Lu Ran continued to drink the Divine Power with his head tilted back.

Newly joined soldiers in the Ran Sect were mostly Lu Ran's contemporaries, their strengths generally lower than the Ran Sect soldiers within the Mountain Realm.

But with the Immortal Sheep Divine Technique, they gained a huge advantage!

Perhaps due to the large gulps he took, Lu Ran felt overwhelmed, no longer resisting the idea of entering the mountain again, but feeling an anticipation instead.

Conquer that mountain!

Ascend to that cloud sea!

To see the true visage of this world.

Smash some demons, crush some gods...

"Mm." Lu Ran wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then extended the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd forward.

He absorbed everyone, along with their belongings, into the Treasure Gourd.

A moment later, the Immortal Worship Hall was deserted, with only Lu Ran remaining.

"Lord Immortal Sheep." Lu Ran placed the gourd behind his waist, clasping his hands together, "The disciple is ready."

This time, the Immortal Sheep no longer expended Origin Energy to create a magnificent Divine Ruins.

Lu Ran already understood that shattering the door of the Divine Ruins seemed like a cruel challenge but was indeed a great blessing.

[Walk your own path.] A deep voice carried a hint of reminder.

"Yes!" Lu Ran bowed in greeting.

White mist began to float inside the Immortal Worship Hall, the glow in the densest part of the mist growing ever more dazzling.

"Whoosh~" A breeze blew through, causing the branches of the trees to sway and rustle.

Lu Ran slowly lifted his head.

In front of him was a cliff, and in the distance, there were endless rolling mountains.

He recognized this place.

A year and a half ago, after breaking into the door of the Divine Ruins, he had fallen here, tumbling across the ground repeatedly.

At that time, Deng Yuxiang ran to his side with concern and cautiously helped him up.

The two silently gazed at the blood-red sunset, lost in thought.

"Back to the starting point, in memory your youthful face..." Lu Ran muttered a song from the Human World, staring at the distant mountains.

This time passing through the Human World, he not only ate skewers of lamb but listened to many new and old songs, consuming lots of mental nourishmeant.

"Boom!"

The sound of the earth-shattering noise suddenly arrived, as if the whole world was about to collapse.

Lu Ran's face instantly turned grim.

He hurriedly lowered the grade of the Evil Technique·Evil Recognition, raised his head, and looked at the tumultuous cloud sea in the sky.

A bunch of wretched creatures!

Let them jump around a few days more.

Lu Ran quickly surveyed the surroundings, then summoned the Transmission Mirror, immediately stepping to Cloud Sea Cliff.

"Sect Leader!" Leng Xushuang, who was trimming the hedge fence, turned to look instinctively to greet him.

Upon seeing Lu Ran dressed in a loose white T-shirt, denim shorts, and white sneakers, she couldn't help but be a little dazed.

An overwhelming sense of youthful aura rushed towards her.

Along with the terrifying pressure exclusive to the Sea Realm experts, it was extremely contradictory.

"Se...Sect Leader." Liu Huo came upon hearing the news and faltered for a moment.

In the Human World, such a regular attire was rarely seen in Holy Spirit Mountain.

Lu Ran seemed like a modern young man accidentally stepping into an ancient feudal land, spanning a thousand years in time, encountering two maidservants with classical charm.

"Everything at home is good, right?" Lu Ran asked.

"Everything is fine."

"The Martial Emperor has never contacted Cliff lately, I guess everything is smooth." They replied in sequence.

Lu Ran nodded, his gaze fell back on Leng Xushuang for a moment, examining her carefully: "You seem different?"

Leng Xushuang knelt down and lowered her head: "Reporting to Sect Leader, this subordinate advanced to River Realm Peak five days ago."

"Congratulations." Lu Ran smiled, recalling, "Last time you advanced, it seemed to be early April?"

Leng Xushuang felt honored, a trace of warmth rising in her heart, though her voice remained as cold as ever, her expression unchanged: "Indeed, Sect Leader."

Now it's early August, and her cultivation speed was fairly steady.

Lu Ran took out the Treasure Gourd, looking at another guard: "So, you are close too?"

Liu Huo felt bitter internally, speaking softly: "This subordinate advanced to River Realm Fourth Rank in late May."

"Oh, then push yourself a little more." Lu Ran casually raised a hand, and the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd hovered in the air, spitting out packages and figures.

The first to emerge was Qiao Yuansi.

Without waiting to survey her surroundings, she saw two beautiful young ladies.

Especially the one clad in a white dress, a cold and charming woman, Qiao Yuansi opened her mouth in an "o" shape: "Wow!"

Some people, you don't need to see their full image to sense something wrong!

Because some people seem not to be on the same level as the ordinary multitude...

Qiao Yuansi unbelievingly squatted down, tilted her head and face upwards, observing the kneeling Leng Xushuang with lowered head.

Oh wow!

Is there actually someone in this world who can rival Sister Ruyi in beauty?

Leng Xushuang was a bit bewildered.

Unsure of who the girl in front of her was; she was quite presumptuous.

One figure after another appeared, making the small courtyard of Cloud Sea Residence seem somewhat crowded.

"Xuan Shuang, Liu Huo." Jiang Ruyi's voice came, "These packages, take them into the house, the gray one is for you two."

"Yes, Lady."

"Thank you, Lady." The two immediately responded, taking the packages and leaving.

"Yuanxi, Tian Tian, go with them to familiarize yourselves with the environment." As soon as Jiang Ruyi appeared, she stepped into the role of the hostess, arranging everyone.

The Evil Shadow Guardian and the two Shadow Guards were sent back to rest.

Deng Bai and his wife, with their child, were arranged to stay at Nightmare Residence, waiting for Lu Ran to come and sign the contract.

The remaining Niu Zhengzheng, Lu Ran directly opened a Transmission Mirror, reaching directly into the seclusion room inside the mountain.

"You better not drink directly from it! Just put the gourd on the ground, it's very experienced and has helped many people. When you need to break through, just tell it." Lu Ran joked as he handed the gourd over.

"Ah! Thank you, Sect Leader!" Niu Zhengzheng nodded repeatedly, holding the Treasure Gourd, and walked into the Landing Mirror.

In just a minute or two, the courtyard was quiet again.

Jiang Ruyi looked at Lu Ran: "You should visit Senior Lu."

Visiting immediately upon returning to the cliff naturally shows great sincerity.

"I'll leave the house to you then!" Lu Ran held his fiancée's hand, planting a light kiss on her fair hand back.

Jiang Ruyi showed a faint smile: "Go on then."

Lu Ran's figure flickered, and when he appeared again, he was already standing in front of an isolated courtyard in the northeastern dense forest within the cliff.

At this moment, two elderly men, wearing gray and white robes, were playing a game of chess in front of a stone table.

"Sect Leader?" Lu Yuan was first stunned and then slowly stood up.

Those cloudy eyes stared tightly at Lu Ran's face, fearing to see any expression of guilt or regret.

"Sect Leader." Bai Yanhui also stood, greeting Lu Ran in the direction guided by the Divine Sword.

"Elder Bai, I want to have a chat with Elder Lu." Lu Ran walked into the courtyard.

"Yes, I'll excuse myself." Bai Yanhui said nothing more, taking his sword and leaving.

"Hu~"

The sea breeze blew, ruffling Lu Ran's short hair, as well as unsettling the elderly white-haired man's heart.

Lu Ran did not beat around the bush, opening with four words:

"They are doing well."

Lu Yuan stood quietly, his old hand resting on the stone table, and the bulging veins on the back of his hand indicated that the elder's heart was not as calm as it seemed.

"Healthy and prosperous." Lu Ran came to the table, handing a photo over.

Lu Yuan's fingers trembled slightly, carefully taking the photo.

In the photo, an elderly woman with slightly lean features was sitting on a sofa, her silver-white hair tied at the back, deep wrinkles extending from the corners of her eyes but appearing extraordinarily gentle.

Presumably, it's because of the many smiling eyes that time has carved such deep lines.

Beside her stood a middle-aged woman in a light yellow knitted sweater, serene and beautiful.

She stood beside the sofa, the sunlight streaming through the window falling on her, making her smile even more gentle and charming.

Lu Yuan's figure suddenly shuddered.

In a trance, he seemed to see two wives.

One was the wife from over thirty years ago when they parted, and the other was the now aged wife of over thirty years later.

"Grandma Wen is a Caiyu Believer, with a robust physique and great vitality..."

"Your daughter, Lu Yancun, is a Sky Phoenix Believer, now a soldier posted at Demon Cave, and is an excellent military doctor..."

Lu Ran sat opposite the stone table, speaking softly.

"She..." Lu Yuan suddenly spoke, his voice trembling, "What's her name?"

"Lu Yancun, 'Yancun' as in the inkstone paste, 'cun' as in retention."

Lu Ran looked at the elder but saw two lines of tears streaming down.

An elder over seventy, a powerful one with an awe-inspiring presence, the first-generation believer who battled bloodily for the Human Clan.

Each identity seemed incompatible with the word 'tears.'

However, when the three words "Lu Yancun" were spoken...

Lu Yuan completely broke down.

Now Lu Ran had already learned the meaning behind the words "Yancun," from conversations between Shadow Two and Grandma Wen.

Senior Lu Yuan enjoyed playing chess as well as calligraphy.

Yancun,

Was the inkstone he left at home unfinished after his sudden departure.

Lu Ran also knew of eight words, spoken with a smile by Grandma Wen, about the origin of her daughter's name:

"Relics trigger memories, pen and ink stay warm."

In the past, Mr. and Mrs. Lu Wen had endless disputes over their daughter's name, never reaching a decision.

Since Lu Yuan's disappearance, Wen Lanxin looked at the objects her husband left behind and came to a conclusion:

"Then just call her Yancun..."

Wen Lanxin, a typical Eastern woman, everything is so reserved.

Whether sorrow or longing, all fused into a name.

Fused into an ordinary old object.

It was just those eight words; Lu Ran did not know if he should say them to Senior Lu Yuan.

Afraid that he would be even sadder, miss them more, or break down further.

Afraid Senior Lu would disregard the threat of Divine Dust Shadow and insist on returning to the Human World.

"Sigh..." Lu Ran sighed deeply, looking toward the lush forest outside the fence.

Watching as the wind blew, gently swaying the treetops.

...

At the beginning of the month, asking for some monthly votes.