Summit of the Old Gods

Lu Ran's response was straightforward and decisive.

With no transmission falling in his mind, he waited quietly, gazing at the fiercely battling battlefield in the distance.

The truth proved that an imposter remained an imposter.

Even though the Faceless Jade Venerables had superior numbers, their overall combat strength was still inferior.

The Faceless Jade Venerables indeed had high defense and health, but they did not possess the corresponding skills. When their limbs touched the enemy, they couldn't corrupt the enemy's body and turn it into jade.

The true Faceless Jade Venerable could!

Lu Ran also discovered an interesting phenomenon: the Faceless Jade Venerables were inherently made of jade, and when they were corrupted, the naked eye couldn't distinguish the difference.

But the corrupted Faceless Jade Venerables would become particularly fragile, their skin peeling off in chunks, turning to powder and scattering in the wind.

So, even the Faceless Jade Venerable herself feared her own output?

[Thought it over, then come.] After a long time, Lord Immortal Sheep finally sent a transmission, [The vortex at the far southwest.]

[Yes!] Lu Ran immediately agreed, looking up and locking onto the destination.

Then he remembered something and asked, [Right, I heard that Senior Cheng Xin has always been on your side?]

[You know quite a lot.]

Lu Ran's heart settled! He finally confirmed that Cheng Xin was still alive.

Ignoring the cold demeanor of the domineering Lord Sheep, he continued, [I've long heard the great name of Grandpa Cheng, and I'm eager to meet the esteemed elder...]

Lu Ran's words were interrupted by a transmission: [He will appear if necessary.]

[Ah?] Lu Ran's face froze.

From the tone of Lord Immortal Sheep, it seemed he wasn't going to let him meet Senior Cheng?

Is there something behind this?

[What? Without him, you can't slay demons?]

[Not at all.] Lu Ran shook his head repeatedly, [I merely wish to see him in person to confirm his well-being.]

[Come back.] The deep voice ended the conversation directly.

Lu Ran pressed his lips, his figure flickered, and he arrived in the northwest of Blood Dust Divine Mountain, gazing at a vortex of dark clouds.

"Phew~"

With sword in hand, he flew upward with the help of the Divine Weapon, not exposing a trace of Divine Power.

Closer, getting closer...

Lu Ran flew along the steep mountainside, watching as the vortex of dark clouds drew nearer, feeling a bit uneasy inside.

Suddenly, Lu Ran's vision blurred.

The sounds of fierce battling on the battlefield disappeared without a trace.

The whole world seemed to be muted, a very peculiar feeling.

The dark clouds in the sky and the sea of mist on the ground all dissipated.

In their place was a brilliant starry sky.

Moreover, a wide and beautiful galaxy, like a ribbon shimmering with strange luster, spanned the entire night sky.

A familiar feeling surged in Lu Ran's heart.

He'd been here before!

This is the Demon Cave · Galaxy Bay!

It's the Demon Cave that produces the clan of the Evil Mirror Demon.

In the Human World, atop Luoxian Mountain in Da Xia, Lord Immortal Sheep's true form suppressed Demon Cave, which was precisely Galaxy Bay.

That's right, as Hua Qingying mentioned, the side of the Gods would make a detour through Demon Cave. Though the true form stands in the Human World Da Xia, the stone pillar beneath the feet would pierce deep underground, connecting with the Divine Mountain of the Third Heaven.

Lu Ran strained to look up, following up the peak of Divine Mountain.

He found that the peak was towering, piercing into a "Starry Sky Curtain" several hundred meters in the sky.

Starry Sky Curtain?

Lu Ran was also very familiar with it; wasn't it the same as the Demon Cave Gate?

And the Evil Demons?

Lu Ran suddenly realized the problem; wasn't it said that there were many Evil Demons roaming in the lower Demon Cave?

Even the entire lower Demon Cave could be seen as an Evil Nest?

Lu Ran looked around, seeing no trace of Evil Demons.

After pondering for a moment, he immediately sought Lord Immortal Sheep's guidance, receiving a simple response: the lackeys of Evil Demons would be born by the Evil God.

The dark cloud vortex above the Divine Mountain seemed not far.

But once entering the lower Demon Cave, the peak of Divine Mountain connected by Immortal Sheep God Sculpture was far apart from the peak connected by Evil Mirror Demon Sculpture.

Along the Divine Mountain rooted by Immortal Sheep, go all the way up, straight to the Human World.

If climbing up along the Divine Mountain rooted by Evil Mirror Demon, the destination would be the deepest part of the upper Demon Cave.

Lu Ran nodded silently.

He flew up along the mountain wall, entering the Starry Sky Curtain.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran was startled to find the ground beneath him was solid, surrounded by bright torches and stone buildings.

The mountain wall beside him completely turned into a huge stone pillar.

Along the stone pillar, circles of stone steps were built, spiraling upwards to the Starry Sky Curtain at the top.

Lu Ran remained silent for a while.

This time, he thoroughly understood.

He'd arrived at the upper Demon Cave, within the grand Stone City built by the Human Clan Regiment!

And the stone pillar beside him was the pillar under the feet of the God.

The stairway built around the pillar was the only path that all Human Clan believers took when going to every Demon Cave for training.

Lu Ran had walked on such stairways many times in one Demon Cave after another.

"Ha..." Lu Ran let out a deep sigh, continuing to fly upwards.

Once again, he pierced through the Starry Sky Curtain, which was truly the Demon Cave Gate, appearing alone inside the military camp.

Lu Ran remembered clearly that the Demon Cave · Galaxy Bay was exceptionally dangerous and not open to the public.

The Da Xia military stationed midway up Luoxian Mountain, with military camp structures located within the mountain body.

So...

Lu Ran's figure flickered and appeared directly in the high sky.

The sky was azure, dotted with white clouds.

On Luoxian Mountain, the Immortal Sheep God Sculpture stood tall and majestic, shaking the heavens and the earth.

Looking further down, the beautiful waters of Erhai shimmered, with the distant Cang Mountain standing like a screen.

The Human World Da Xia · Luoxian Mountain!

Lu Ran concealed his figure, silently standing above in the high heavens, with emotions immeasurably complex.

He had returned.

He had... clawed his way back home.

From the lowest Holy Spirit Mountain, after experiencing all the sufferings of the world and hearing all the laments in the mountain, he ascended the Heavenly Realm.

In the Heavenly Realm Battlefield, he visited various Divine Mountains, gathered the old forces in the Cloud Sea, raised the Ran Sect team, and cultivated numerous Fake Gods.

He ventured through the black cloud vortex, passed the lower Evil Nest, and reached the familiar upper Demon Cave...

Returning to the Human World.

As a believer of the Human Clan, after being thrown into Holy Spirit Mountain by a God, how long is the journey home?

Or rather, is there even a way home at all?

"Hoo~"

The Smoke and Mist Silk gently fluttered, like a soft palm gently caressing Lu Ran's cheek.

Lu Ran closed his eyes, slightly tilted his head, and rubbed his cheek against the light, floating ribbon.

He had returned to the Human World several times before.

But this time, he took the route a true Human Clan believer should take.

The Cloud Sea Dust Clear Sword also sensed Lu Ran's mood and trembled slightly.

Beneath the vast heavens, it did not dare to reveal its Sword Spirit.

Not daring to appear in Qiao Wanjun's form in this tranquil, beautiful sky, it could only slightly tremble, caressing Lu Ran's palm.

Lu Ran opened his eyes and looked down at Yeyu City below.

At the end of the lunar August, the Human Clan society seemed stable, with bustling crowds and busy streets.

The people dwelling in this world continued to live positively and optimistically.

"Returned." The energy of the Cloud Sea Sword Spirit flowed along the sword's hilt, speaking softly.

Lu Ran realized that it was his mother communicating with him through the Divine Weapon.

He gazed intently at the city, his figure flickered, arriving at the Luoxian Pavilion, and finally revealing his true form.

"Is everything going smoothly?"

"Mm... smoothly." Lu Ran stood by the pavilion pillar, his body leaning slightly, shoulder resting gently against the pillar, gazing into the distance.

Behind him, the ethereal form of Qiao Wanjun gradually took shape.

She gazed at her son's back, her voice gentle, "Ranran, is there something you're hiding from mom?"

Lu Ran remained silent for a moment, ignoring his complex emotions, and spoke softly:

"I am about to unsheathe my sword against the God Demons."

Hearing this, Qiao Wanjun was silent for a long time.

Of course she knew how hard her child had worked and how treacherous the journey had been to reach this point.

Lu Ran was doing it for this moment.

But now that the time had come, how could she, as a mother, not worry?

[Wait for an opportunity.] Suddenly, a hoarse voice imprinted itself in his mind.

"What?" Lu Ran looked up at the majestic Immortal Sheep God Sculpture.

[Once the Ghost Talisman Doll falls, the God Demons will surely notice, and by then your space for survival will be greatly compressed,] the Immortal Sheep said indifferently.

Lu Ran silently nodded.

[So you can wait, wait until the Heavenly Realm falls into chaos again.] The God's voice suddenly turned chillingly cold.

"Chaos again?"

[Heh.] The Immortal Sheep let out a cold chuckle, [The frontline situation changes rapidly, and I cannot always hold the line.]

Lu Ran was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Does Lord Immortal Sheep intend to... let the Faceless Jade Venerable in to slaughter the God Demons?"

[Do you think when I speak of the bow drawn without turning back, it only refers to you making a move?]

Lu Ran suppressed his surging emotions, realizing what Lord Immortal Sheep meant.

[All along, the God Demon camp harbored hidden agendas and lacked unity, and they had already shown a declining stance in the face of the Faceless Jade Venerable's attack.]

Lu Ran nodded again.

He had been to several Divine Mountains, where the God Demon stronghold seemed stable, but only because the Divine Mountains had not yet been shattered.

In terms of battlefield situation alone, the Faceless Jade Venerable undoubtedly held the upper hand.

The cold words fell again: [Once the Faceless Jade Venerable charges in, the God Demons will be further devoured and hasten to demise, or perhaps unite in desperation to counterattack the Jade Venerable; all situations remain unknown.]

"So?"

[No matter which way the end goes, at least when the Faceless Jade Venerable wreaks havoc, it's a good cover for you.]

The Immortal Sheep paused, continuing: [If you can secure the Divine Position without exposing yourself, the God Demons' first guess won't be human interference.

The Sculpture Garden I granted you is not something the God Demons can comprehend.]

Lu Ran's heart shivered slightly!

Beyond the God Demons' comprehension?

Such words...

So, is Lord Immortal Sheep an existence above the God Demons?

[The God Demons might think there's a traitor within the camp, suspecting those God Demons capable of Instant Teleportation or invisibility.]

[The God Demons might also consider it an attack by another Heavenly Realm's Jade Venerable, cooperating with the local Jade Venerable to launch a successful surprise attack.]

"Another Heavenly Realm?"

[In a world full of stones, do you think the Mountain Realm and Heavenly Realm only exist here in Da Xia? Are God Demons only hunted by Jade Venerables here in Da Xia?]

Lu Ran gripped the Cloud Sea Dust Clear Sword tightly.

...