Summit of the Old Gods

"How... did Sister Ruyi become a god?"

Qiao Yuansi stared blankly at Lu Ran. For nearly the past five months, she had been in seclusion cultivating, not knowing much about the outside world.

With her impending breakthrough to the Sea Realm · Fifth Rank, she paid no attention to external affairs.

If Shadow One hadn't come to find her, Qiao Yuansi would not have known her brother had returned to Heaven's Edge.

"On the night of the fifteenth, we went to slay a god." Lu Ran propped himself up with one hand, struggling to sit up in bed.

Despite his difficult movements, his tone was nonchalant.

Yet these casual words left Qiao Yuansi stunned!

Lu Ran shifted back, resting against the headboard, and sighed comfortably, "Your Sister Ruyi seized a divine position."

"Was it the Jade Talisman?" Qiao Yuansi grasped Lu Ran's wrist tightly.

"The Ghost Talisman Doll."

"Amazing, truly amazing! Gods and demons can really be defeated, brother you... huh?"

Qiao Yuansi suddenly thought of something, pondering, "So, it was Sister Ruyi who became a god in the Sculpture Garden, and your little body couldn't handle it, that's why you fainted?"

Lu Ran: ???

What nonsense!

I'm at least at the Heavenly Realm · Second Level, quite robust, okay!

Although... well, I did fail to withstand her last move.

"Brother, quickly summon Sister Ruyi, hey! How can you be so calm..." Qiao Yuansi's words suddenly stopped.

Lu Ran noticed something strange and turned to look.

Only to see Qiao Yuansi with a pouting little mouth, muttering, "Pretending in front of your sister? Deep down you must be anxious too and have been wanting to summon Sister Ruyi to see, right?"

Lu Ran: "..."

"Hurry up, hurry up~" Qiao Yuansi tugged at Lu Ran's wrist, shaking it back and forth.

"Alright, alright, I'll ask her first." Lu Ran mumbled, "She's Lord Evil God now, need to seek her approval first."

"Yes, yes! You better behave in the future, don't make Sister Ruyi angry."

Lu Ran couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Hehe~" Qiao Yuansi covered her little mouth with one hand, her crescent-shaped laughing eyes, adorable to the extreme.

It was evident that the Ran Sect's success in slaying a god had greatly invigorated her.

She was elated by Jiang Ruyi's seizure of the divine position and transformation into an Evil God.

"Hoo!!"

A formidable energy surged out from within Lu Ran.

Qiao Yuansi's body stiffened, realizing the entire bedroom was filled with a semi-transparent energy.

Was this the remnant shadow of the Evil God?

Since this remnant shadow was excessively large, the siblings weren't even sure which part of the shadow was enveloping them.

Lu Ran's figure instantly flashed, arriving at Heaven's Edge.

"Wait for me!" Qiao Yuansi, caught off guard, was left empty-handed.

Naughty brother!

Qiao Yuansi puffed her cheeks, grinding her teeth in annoyance.

Just as she stood up, she noticed a floor-length mirror appear beside her. Without a second thought, Qiao Yuansi stepped in.

"Ah!" Qiao Yuansi exclaimed, standing on Heaven's Edge, tilting her head back and back again.

This was nearly three hundred meters, wasn't it?

Only on the God Worship Platform on the first of June could one see the god's remnant shadow.

Just earlier at Tianya Residence, Qiao Yuansi had been playful, but as the remnant shadow fully formed, she seemed to lose her voice.

Time felt as if it stopped at this moment.

The sea breeze ceased to blow, and the air seemed to solidify.

This colossal god's remnant shadow stood silently on the island, the regal and elegant Phoenix Robe accentuating her overwhelming celestial might.

The Phoenix Robe Nine Heavens was red with gold patterns.

It cast the entire world in a warm hue.

However, this Phoenix Robe was not warm and couldn't erase the aloof aura of the god's remnant shadow.

A wave of pressure from the god herself spread across the heavens and earth, invisibly commanding all creatures to bow down.

"Brother."

"Mm?"

Qiao Yuansi hugged Lu Ran's arm, half her body hiding behind him, whispering, "I'm a bit scared... uh."

Qiao Yuansi suddenly shrank her neck.

Because the god slightly lowered her head, her icy gaze swept over the worshiping masses below, finally landing on Heaven's Edge.

Lu Ran continued to look up at Jiang Ruyi, feeling both familiar and unfamiliar.

Familiar because her form hadn't changed.

Unfamiliar because she stood at a height Lu Ran couldn't comprehend, even invoking his psychological shadow.

Lu Ran recalled that scene from back in Beifeng City, where the North Wind Shadow appeared to take his and Deng Yuxiang's lives.

This Xian Mo shadow was not inferior to the North Wind Shadow at all!

"Are you okay?" A soft voice fell from the sky.

The voice was incredibly penetrating, enveloping the Central Island and resonating across several nearby islands.

"I'm fine, took a nap, and I'm okay now." Lu Ran shook his head.

The Xian Mo shadow gently nodded, then her Phoenix Robe lightly fluttered, slowly floating forward.

"Are you alright?" Lu Ran gazed at the approaching god, instinctively shielding Little Yuanxi behind him.

The Xian Mo shadow remained silent, simply gazing down at Lu Ran, and after a dozen seconds or so, she seemed to regain some humanity.

Those enormous eyes softened slightly.

"Ruyi?"

"Mm." Jiang Ruyi responded softly, reaching out and pointing into the air.

Her slender jade finger tapped, causing a ripple of divine power to spread out.

With a surge of energy, a flesh and blood body rapidly materialized, naturally falling from two to three hundred meters high.

Lu Ran was a bit bewildered.

He was adept at creating evil minions, but Jiang Ruyi's actions at this moment completely surpassed his imagination.

Just a light touch, and a flesh-and-blood body emerges?

"Hoo~"

As the body fell from the sky, Lu Ran immediately raised his hand, releasing strands of fine red threads from his fingertips, which adhered to the minion of Xian Mo.

At the same time, the massive shadow of Xian Mo surged towards the small body.

As Lu Ran guided the minion of Xian Mo to a steady landing, Jiang Ruyi already opened her eyes.

"Pop~ Pop~"

One by one, the red threads snapped apart.

"Gulp." Lu Ran's throat moved, his heart shocked.

He hadn't canceled the Evil Technique·Silk Thread!

Jiang Ruyi broke free of the restraints herself, without seeming to exert much effort.

Lu Ran realized that this should be a body of Heavenly Realm·Third Level, a rank higher than his.

But the strength of the body was merely superficial.

The demeanor and aura she displayed, the powerful presence, and the intangible yet real pressure from a god, all made Lu Ran's heart race!

"Thud." Lu Ran suddenly stepped back.

The hand Jiang Ruyi had raised froze in mid-air.

"What's the matter?" She raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Uh." Lu Ran felt a bit embarrassed, murmuring, "I'm just adjusting."

Jiang Ruyi silently lowered her hand slowly.

"I... I'm going to retreat and cultivate, I'm about to... hit a bottleneck." Qiao Yuansi stammered.

"I'll lend you the Phoenix Pattern." Lu Ran blurted out, then remembered something, "I have two Magic Artifacts in the gourd, I'll sort them out and send the little Blazing Phoenix over to you."

"Mm-hmm." Qiao Yuansi left with her head down, and as she passed by Jiang Ruyi, she whispered, "Congratulations, Sister Ruyi."

With that said, she dashed away.

Jiang Ruyi slightly turned her head, glancing at her sister escaping with the corner of her eye.

Qiao Yuansi was a very special presence, having considerable resistance to strong individuals due to her unique growth environment.

But now the situation had utterly changed.

Clearly, Jiang Ruyi was no longer just a matter of higher Great Realm, higher levels than Qiao Yuansi...

"Give her a little more time." Lu Ran said softly.

Jiang Ruyi didn't respond; she just turned her head and softly gazed at Lu Ran.

In her crystal-clear eyes, an indescribable divinity filled the air, making Lu Ran's heart tremble.

This body does not match the soul within!

Jiang Ruyi realized Lu Ran's embarrassment, she shifted her gaze, stepping to the edge of the cliff, staring at the horizon where sea and sky met.

Lu Ran looked at her back, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

At Heaven's Edge, everything was silent.

The two were only twenty meters apart, but Lu Ran felt she was so far, so far away.

This is not idle thinking.

It's the sense of distance formed by the oppressive, cold demeanor, standing above all beings... all these mixed together, forming the distant gap.

It's the towering mountain before Lu Ran's eyes, unseen and untouchable.

He at the foot, she at the summit.

"The master-slave contract with Lord Immortal Sheep, the thread has snapped." A faint voice awakened Lu Ran.

"You... are no longer an Immortal Sheep Believer?" Lu Ran looked at her graceful back.

"The rules don't allow me to be a believer of other gods."

Lu Ran thoughtfully nodded.

The Fake Gods within the Sculpture Garden are also equal, mutually exclusive entities, not permitted to become believers of one another.

"But your original Stone Sculpture can still stand in the Sculpture Garden." Lu Ran sighed, "Lord Immortal Sheep's Sculpture Garden is truly extraordinary!"

No wonder Lord Immortal Sheep once said, the Sculpture Garden is a presence unfathomable to God Demon.

So... what is Lord Immortal Sheep's true essence?

Lu Ran grew more curious; normally, he might fall into deep thought again.

But at this moment, the woman in phoenix robes standing at the cliff's edge made it impossible for him to ignore.

"Are there any other changes?" Lu Ran inquired.

Jiang Ruyi shook her head.

Lu Ran pondered for a moment before asking, "Evil God can create Evil Nests, cast Evil Demon minions across the air, and invade the Human World; can you do all this too?"

Jiang Ruyi paused for a moment, speaking softly, "Upon reaching this position, naturally, I'll know."

Lu Ran's thoughts began to stir.

Is this really possible?

Can she now feed on the terror, pain, and despair of countless beings and thereby enhance herself?

"There are still some mysterious rules waiting for me to decipher." Jiang Ruyi softly spoke.

"Then are you returning to the Sculpture Garden? Or do you need some environment, do you want me to send your original Stone Sculpture there?" Lu Ran immediately asked.

The words of concern fell gently.

This time, Jiang Ruyi did not respond.

She lowered her gaze, watching the waves crashing below the cliff, unafraid as they approached her.

Yet, Heaven's Edge was thirty to forty meters high, and the water droplets couldn't reach the hem of her clothes.

"Ruyi?"

"You."

"What about me?" Lu Ran was confused.

Jiang Ruyi slightly turned her head, looking over her shoulder with the corner of her eye: "How long will you need to adjust?"

Lu Ran: "..."

Jiang Ruyi turned around, pressing her lips tightly together, displeased as she gazed at the indifferent person.

The mountain remains the mountain.

Yet the god standing atop the summit strives to shed her divinity.

Stubbornly watching the small creatures below her feet.

...