Summit of the Old Gods-Chapter 1125 - 1049: Tears Before the Shrine

The room was deathly silent.

Lu Ran stared expressionlessly at the two souls, and after a long while, finally spoke:

"What is it."

His voice was low, somewhat hoarse, and the souls hiding within the living beings were like startled birds, filled with terror.

"Lord Wang Quan sent the disciple here to pay respects to the lord." Li Rouyin lowered her head deeply, not daring to look at the emperor-robed youth in front of her.

The Lu Ran in her memories was still that gluttonous kid.

Every time he came to Duskbamboo Crossing, this rascal would always make her angry, and she often wished to hit his buttocks with the blind stick.

Yet, Lord Wang Quan doted on him, indulged him, and agreed to whatever he wanted.

The answer was revealed not long after.

Lu Ran’s last visit had thoroughly shocked Li Rouyin; she knew of his struggles after the Divine Ruins, knew that this gluttonous kid’s power and influence were steadily growing.

But she could never have imagined that the Rebirth Money he held contained the divine soul of the Divine Jade Talisman!

What... what exactly had he been doing all these years?

With the successive downfall of the Great Xia Gods, could it all be because of him?

Later, when the Ran Gate Gods descended, and Qin Yanzhi returned to the human world, they informed her of many things.

Li Rouyin then fully understood that the gluttonous youth of the past had performed deeds of creation, slayed countless gods and demons, and become the new ruler of this world.

Regarding Lu Ran, Li Rouyin repeatedly adjusted her attitude.

She had already placed this youth in the most supreme position, for he was, after all, the Master of Ran Sect, the unequivocal leader of the Great Xia’s gods.

Yet at this moment, Li Rouyin’s heart and soul trembled, realizing her reverence for him was still insufficient.

From an ordinary youth to Da Xia’s genius, from a humble human clan believer to the leader of all gods.

Ultimately becoming the rule itself, surpassing god and demon.

How can a person achieve such heights...

"Sect Leader." Qin Yanzhi, seeing that Lu Ran remained silent for a long time, braced himself to speak, "The two of us came hastily, if you..."

"How did she know." Lu Ran suddenly asked.

Li Rouyin took out a string of Rebirth Money from her arms, holding it in her palm.

Lu Ran looked at the ancient coins on the pale palm, understanding filled his heart.

What a Wang Quan!

Also placed spies beside me.

But Rebirth Money, after all, is a fragment of a magic artifact, without a fully formed artifact spirit; not to mention accurately conveying information, they seldom possess autonomous consciousness.

So this kind of spy and the Magic Artifact--Smoke Green Gauze are fundamentally different.

Probably during a transition of power, they exhibited some abnormalities which drew Wang Quan’s attention.

"Come on." Lu Ran turned his head, no longer looking at the two of them.

"Yes." Li Rouyin immediately got up, but as she crossed the doorway, she froze.

The ordinary door seemed like an invisible boundary line.

Outside the door, it was already terrifying, inside it felt like another world, like... the Netherworld.

Ironically, Li Rouyin considered herself representative of death, always accompanying dead souls.

But here, her identity had changed.

Dead souls had always been her means to nourish her soul and body; she could easily control and command them, countless dead souls had cried and begged for mercy in her hands.

Crossing this threshold, Li Rouyin felt herself demote from the position of controller, becoming the crying dead soul.

Her flesh strained on.

Her soul cried, begging its master to leave this place...

"Hoo~" The black fire on the emperor-robed youth gradually extinguished.

His bizarre horizontal pupils reverted back to human clan’s pupils.

"Heh... heh..." Li Rouyin’s chest heaved violently, as if she could finally breathe.

She struggled to take another step forward, quietly saying, "Thank you."

Lu Ran looked up at the small divine shrine’s little Immortal Sheep sculpture, with a trace of sadness in his eyes: "I just became it, the aura is too strong.

Time will eventually calm me down."

Whether this was an explanation or a psychological suggestion was unknown.

Li Rouyin dared not speak rashly, she placed a string of Rebirth Money before the small shrine, then retreated behind Lu Ran, silently paying respects to the little sculpture in the shrine.

Outside the small rain continuously pattered.

The gloomy sky gradually darkened until a faint light shone through the window.

Rain Alley City was empty, truly a ghost town.

But at nightfall, the street lights in Rain Alley Home District would emit a dim glow.

This awakened Lu Ran.

From the pitch-dark room finally came his hoarse voice: "Thank you for coming to pay respects, it’s night, return now."

"My lord, the disciple has one more thing." Li Rouyin spoke lightly.

"Hmm?"

After much hesitation about congratulating Lu Ran on his ascendancy, Li Rouyin still did not voice it.

How could Lu Ran have any joy from assuming power?

The room was filled with a sense of sorrow, even the Majestic Heaven Realm mourned under Lu Ran’s emotions.

If ordinary people were to enter, they absolutely couldn’t maintain personal will, they would have long since wept bitterly.

Wisely, Li Rouyin refrained from congratulating, instead, she said, "Lord Wang Quan requests you, hoping to join the Ran Sect as one under your command."

"Join the Ran Sect."

"Yes." Li Rouyin confirmed.

Lu Ran was silent for a moment, then said, "Lord Wang Quan has shown kindness to me, could remain in a detached manner, but joining the Ran Sect means absolute submission."

Just protecting his father Lu Xing’s dead soul was enough to make Lu Ran eternally grateful, coupled with the help Rebirth Money provided along the way.

To put it bluntly, even if Wang Quan leveraged the favor for reciprocal gain, made some excessive demands, Lu Ran would acknowledge them.

Yet unexpectedly, Wang Quan wanted to join the Ran Sect, voluntarily becoming his subordinate?

"Hope the lord will grant it." Li Rouyin still used a pleading tone, expressing the god’s humble posture from behind.

Lu Ran lowered his head and chuckled: "Okay, if she wants to establish a sect, choose any area, any city, and discuss with the Lady of Burning Gate, I will notify Ruyi."

In the realm of Da Xia, the Ran Sect is the only "Cloud Sea".

In the future, it might be the only Cloud Sea in the entire world.

Wang Quan can remain outside the system, but she can also join this behemoth and lean against a great tree.

Eventually, kindness will be rewarded.

If Wang Quan chooses not to use it but to actively approach and become a subordinate, she will forever be special in Lu Ran’s heart.

Within the Ran Sect, Wang Quan will also be an implicit, transcendent existence.

The days of being excluded, imprisoned, and forced to make tribute will be gone forever.

No matter how much her special abilities are feared by Gods and Demons, as long as she is in the Ran Sect, everything will not be a problem.

Under Lu Ran’s command, Wang Quan can develop the sect and live out her years in peace.

"Thank you, my lord," Li Rouyin said softly.

"Call me Lu Ran."

Li Rouyin was visibly hesitant.

Lu Ran also realized that such a request might be difficult for her and added, "Calling me Sect Leader is also fine; in the Ran Sect, there are eight positions for Divine Generals, with one always left open.

It has always been reserved for your brother."

With that, Lu Ran let out a long sigh: "The Purple Thunder Demon Peng Evil Sculpture was also kept for him, and to this day, it remains ownerless. Unfortunately, we never managed to wait for him...

Now that Lord Wang Quan has joined the Ran Sect, you will inherit your brother’s title and become this Divine General."

"Mm." Li Rouyin’s nose immediately tinged with sourness, and tears welled up in her eyes.

All day, she had been immersed in Lu Ran’s sorrowful emotions, like a rootless duckweed drifting with the tide.

Upon hearing these words, Li Rouyin’s already sorrowful heart could no longer hold on.

At the doorway, Qin Yanzhi saw his girlfriend covering her face and weeping, and his heart nearly broke.

In Holy Spirit Mountain,

it has never been a sunlit amusement park.

It’s a bloody slaughterhouse, a Land of Gu Raising for all gods.

Death is the main theme there.

No matter your sect, whether you’re from the River Realm or the Sea Realm, anyone could drop dead the next second.

Nowadays, disciples of the Ran Sect are already spread throughout the Holy Spirit Mountain continent, occupying major regions, while rectifying the Mountain Realm’s atmosphere and searching for the missing person.

Qin Yanzhi also tried hard to search.

To no avail.

Though it is said that his life or death is unknown, Qin Yanzhi has long reached a conclusion regarding Hao Tian’s fate.

It’s just that Li Rouyin is unwilling to accept it.

"I... I begged him not to go, I truly begged him... not to go..." Li Rouyin bowed her head, covering her face, her cascading hair falling as she cried out in pain.

Tears streamed continuously through the slender gaps between her fingers.

She would always remember the day her brother came to Duskbamboo Crossing to bid her farewell.

He said the gods had called him to pilgrimage.

Foolishly, he thought it was supreme glory, believing he was favored by the gods and could cultivate under Lord Dong Ting’s feet and achieve rapid progress.

Little did he know, it was all a ruse.

That day was also the last time the siblings saw each other.

"In this matter, I also bear responsibility," Lu Ran said slowly.

"What?" Li Rouyin raised her head, tears like pearls rolling down.

Lu Ran murmured: "Within Holy Spirit Mountain, there’s a sect called Thunder Mountain, consisting entirely of disciples from Dong Ting’s faction. They waged a sect extermination battle against another force, the Thousand Boat Alliance.

During that great war, I killed many disciples of Dong Ting.

Your brother was summoned to pilgrimage after the Thunder Mountain faction was annihilated."

Li Rouyin stared quietly at Lu Ran.

"Sect Leader!" Qin Yanzhi immediately spoke up, "Thunder Mountain committed all sorts of evil, burning, killing, robbing, enslaving their compatriots. You were enforcing justice, doing what Da Xia’s genius ought to do."

Lu Ran pursed his lips.

Many years ago, a thought occurred to him: "I did not kill Boren, but Boren died because of me."

Having hidden it for so long, finally voicing it gave him a bit of ease in his heart.

And the key person who triggered that sect extermination battle was the leader of the Thousand Boat Alliance—Yun Qianzhou.

Thunder Mountain could not allow a Heavenly Realm Power to appear in the neighboring sect.

And now, Yun Qianzhou is also nowhere to be found.

It seems his fate was the same as Hao Tian’s, only one died in the mountain, and the other in the sky. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Gods and Demons are the true culprits behind all of this!" Qin Yanzhi said in a deep voice, "The Sect Leader killed Dong Ting to avenge Hao Tian’s grievances."

Li Rouyin took a deep breath and slowly closed her beautiful eyes.

There were too many murderers.

It was the evil Thunder Mountain, the cruel Holy Spirit Mountain.

It was the Divine·Dong Ting!

It was the Great Xia Gods who wove an enormous lie and manipulated ants into Ascension by raising Gu.

"Rouyin?" Qin Yanzhi was full of worry.

Li Rouyin slowly lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, Sect Leader, for avenging my brother."

Lu Ran turned to look at the woman: "Don’t blame me?"

"I do," Li Rouyin smiled, though it was very forced.

In an instant, Qin Yanzhi’s heart hung in the air, and he said softly, "Rouyin!"

Lu Ran gave a cold glance at the doorway.

Qin Yanzhi’s body shook intensely, and he quickly bowed his head.

In the dark little bedroom, Li Rouyin’s soft whisper came again: "Blame the Sect Leader...for not leaving Dong Ting for me."

Lu Ran was silent for a long time, reaching out to place his hand on her head, gently rubbing it:

"I’m sorry."

Li Rouyin’s eyes grew moist again, her lips quivering as two clear tears streamed down, dripping onto her dress.

...