December 15, 2023, is a day worth remembering.

As the people of Da Xia were either anxious, ecstatic, or full of anticipation, time passed by the second.

Until the sky turned light, the Evil Demon still hadn't arrived.

Throughout Da Xia and indeed the whole world, people celebrated this historic night, naturally attributing the Evil Demon's reluctance to invade to the descent of All Gods of the Ran Sect.

Quite a few extremists even attributed everything to Lu Ran.

Strictly speaking, such an assertion is correct.

The peacefulness of this night was precisely because in a certain Divine Worship Hall, the God Demon Emperor and the Master of Ran Sect were drinking together.

In Jade Lonely City, snowflakes scattered leisurely.

In the back garden of a residence beneath the Divine Sculpture of Xian Mo, a young woman stood in an octagonal pavilion, quietly admiring the snow.

Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the pavilion.

Dressed in snow-like robes, ethereal as an immortal.

The woman in the pavilion turned her head to look, seeing a certain someone safe and sound, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did the negotiations go?" Jiang Ruyi had just spoken when her vision blurred.

The youth in snow-like robes didn't even bother to take a step, directly flickered before her, reaching out to his side to pick up a wisp of Smoke and Mist Silk.

The Smoke and Mist Silk struggled lightly, helplessly saying: [You've grabbed the wrong one.]

"Uh?" Lu Ran was indeed a bit dazed, he looked down, only then released the ribbon and grabbed another piece of smoke-like mist, the green gauze.

Jiang Ruyi smelled the strong scent of alcohol, she couldn't help but frown slightly: "How much did you drink?"

"A few cups...perhaps they should be called goblets?" Lu Ran said as he folded the Smoke Green Gauze into a strip.

Looking at the youth so close, Jiang Ruyi only felt his eyes were hazy with intoxication.

She couldn't tell his emotions or deduce how the banquet went.

The body strength of the Majestic Heaven Realm is beyond ordinary understanding, getting drunk is very difficult.

When he says a few cups, it's probably far more than that!

Thinking about it, Lu Ran went to the banquet at midnight, only to return now when the sky is grey...

Jiang Ruyi internally complained about "liars," but also closed her eyes obediently with the youth's movements, letting him cover her eyes.

Gradually, she not only smelled alcohol but also faint fragrance.

Jiang Ruyi restrained herself repeatedly, yet she still asked: "What kind of fragrance is this?"

Lu Ran was momentarily stunned, looking at the cold immortal's face, her eyes covered, she exuded a unique charm.

Even more deadly, this cold as ice immortal, her small mouth slightly pouted.

Very interesting~

Tsk, another jar of vinegar opened?

"It should be the plum fragrance in the wine." Lu Ran said with a smile, "Rest assured, no maids or dancers, it was purely drinking."

Jiang Ruyi, her little mind uncovered, felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed, tightly pursed her lips.

Lu Ran lowered his head, his forehead resting on her shoulder, the whole person leaning on her, mumbling discontentedly: "So pure that I want to curse!

Not even a fruit platter, let alone a dish to accompany the drinks, at least bring a plate of peanuts..."

"Hehe~" Jiang Ruyi couldn't hold back for a moment, letting out a soft laugh.

Lu Ran continued muttering: "Using Sister Xian'er's hometown dialect, the Evil Spear Emperor is just a drunken fool.

Absolutely a big drunkard, just drinking..."

Jiang Ruyi regretted she couldn't hold it together, immediately put on a serious face and stopped laughing: "Aren't you his dish?"

"Eh?" Lu Ran's mind opened up, suddenly he realized.

Seems like that's the logic, huh?

"Hmph." Surrounded by a strong scent of alcohol, Jiang Ruyi gently snorted.

"A feast for the eyes?" Lu Ran muttered softly, "Embarrassingly, it has to be said, I'm indeed quite good-looking."

Jiang Ruyi: ?

She was both angry and amused, but before she could say anything further, the one leaning on her, lips already landed on her neck.

Trying to push him away to discuss serious matters, Jiang Ruyi, fearing this mess would fall to the ground, reluctantly patted his back:

"You discussed... well, what did you discuss?"

"Discussed quite a bit." Lu Ran sighed lightly, recounting the content to the Lady of the Ran Sect.

When Jiang Ruyi heard that the Evil Spear Emperor wanted to decide the Three Realms' dominion through a duel, her expression turned peculiar.

And when she heard that Northwest forces would have Spiritual Fortune and Lie Tian battle, she immediately realized this must be Lu Ran's demand.

Jiang Ruyi knew very well how much Lu Ran loathed these two deities.

When she heard the final showdown would be king vs. king, Jiang Ruyi immediately frowned tightly.

Heavenly Realm vs. First-class Evil God?

"Ran Sect has many soldiers, no need for redundancies." Jiang Ruyi commented.

Lu Ran sighed again, recounting the bargaining chips in the Evil Spear Emperor's hand, hearing it made Jiang Ruyi's face grow colder.

This is the soft spot of Ran Sect, to be precise, it's Lu Ran's soft spot.

He still cares.

As for the rest of the Ran Sect warriors, they almost have no such vulnerability.

What they care about may be just a few family members, others would be classified under the category of "all living beings."

The Gods of Ran Sect are of course exceedingly respectful in front of Lu Ran.

Whether it's heartfelt awe, unwavering loyalty, or camaraderie born from living through life and death together...

Regardless of the reason, the warriors are "alive."

Yet when facing the world, the Gods of Ran Sect are uniformly solemn and dignified.

What's even worse is the cold cruelty.

The higher one stands, the smaller the beings below.

This is not just a problem for individual soldiers, but a flaw in the God Demon cultivation system.

This upward path is one that erases humanity. Delving deeper, it makes the beings within the cultivation system acutely aware of their hierarchy and status.

The strict hierarchical system rewards God Demons with obedient servants, ruling over the Three Realms' beings.

On the other hand, this cultivation system also disciplines the God Demons themselves.

Before in Beifeng City, the scene where Lu Ran slowly descended upon the crowd was something almost impossible for Ran Sect soldiers or the Cloud Sea's former subordinates.

Under the guidance of the Master of Ran Sect, the soldiers are indeed saving all living beings.

But for most Ran Sect soldiers, this is a macro concept, difficult to implement concretely on any specific person or group.

"What day?"

"What?" Lu Ran, like a puddle of mud, leaned on the Lady, mumbling incoherently.

"When is the battle between Ran Sect and the Evil Spear Emperor set for?" Jiang Ruyi raised her delicate jade hand, supporting Lu Ran's back.

"March 3rd."

Jiang Ruyi's heart eased slightly; the time is quite ample, still two and a half months from now. Thus, Lu Ran can attempt to break through and upgrade to the Heavenly Realm·Third Level!

The Second Level and the Third Level differ by a Great Realm!

More crucially, once Lu Ran advances to the Third Level of the Heavenly Realm, could he transform into a Divine Sculpture and ascend to the God Realm?

Then, would the Immortal Sheep...

At this thought, Jiang Ruyi felt a bit conflicted inside.

Who knows, when that moment truly arrives, what will happen between Lu Ran and the Immortal Sheep.

"The day set by the Evil Spear Emperor." Lu Ran slowly stood upright, rubbing his eyes, "I wonder if it has any special significance."

Lu Ran realized that the lunar calendar March 3rd is a holiday for some minority ethnic groups, most famously celebrated by the Zhuang people.

But it doesn't seem to have any relation to the Evil Spear Emperor?

Last night while drinking, Lu Ran was striving hard to fathom the thoughts and purpose of the Evil Spear Emperor.

When discussing which day the final showdown would be on, Lu Ran aimed to persuade the Evil Spear Emperor to set it one month later.

Lu Ran dearly wished to advance!

Desiring to face that first-class Evil God with a stance of peak Heavenly Realm.

Unexpectedly, the Evil Spear Emperor, with a casual flick of his sleeve, set the date for March 3rd.

Lu Ran certainly had no objections!

This had already far exceeded his expectations, but after secretly rejoicing, Lu Ran realized another issue.

Might the Evil Spear Emperor be deliberately allowing sufficient time?

Considering what was mentioned at last night's banquet, Lu Ran inevitably made many associations.

Isn't the Evil Spear Emperor aware that the great situation is gone, unwilling to fall into decline and tragedy like Qiao Wanjun, ending the emperor's path, so he proposed this confrontation?

To Lu Ran's proposal of adding two life-and-death battles, the Evil Spear Emperor readily agreed.

Through Lu Ran's brief words, the Evil Spear Emperor clearly realized that Ran Sect definitely cannot tolerate these Spiritual Fortunes, Lie Tian.

In the conflict between the two forces, sacrifices and compromises are inevitable.

The death of Spiritual Fortune and Lie Tian also paved the way for the former northwest remnants to submit.

"Sigh..." Lu Ran let out a long sigh, feeling more poignant with each thought.

If all these aren't just self-indulgent fantasies, then the Evil Spear Emperor had already arranged everything for after his demise last night at the banquet.

Not compromising himself.

Letting the new God Master send him off on his final journey, with a grand funeral and a graceful exit.

Simultaneously, as a leader, the Evil Spear Emperor arranged for his subordinates' future as well, ensuring he did not let down those followers to the greatest extent.

"I found a possible related theory." At some point, Jiang Ruyi had slightly pulled down the Smoke Green Gauze in front, picking up her phone to look.

"Oh?" Lu Ran became interested, rubbing his eyes again.

"March 3rd, the Human Emperor's birthday."

Jiang Ruyi continued, looking at the information on the phone screen: "According to the 'Five Emperors Chronicles', Xuanyuan was born on this day."

Lu Ran slightly mouthed open.

Could this be a coincidence?

"Do you think it's related?" Jiang Ruyi's gentle silence blended into the tiny details, and she pulled the Smoke Green Gauze upwards again, covering her eyes.

Lu Ran paused for a moment, recounting everything he had seen and felt, along with his self-indulgent analysis.

Listening carefully for a long time, Jiang Ruyi too fell into contemplation.

She had been anxious all along, and the same story, through the clues Lu Ran found, pointed to another version.

"The Evil Spear Emperor might be lulling us; no matter what, we must prepare well." Jiang Ruyi supported Lu Ran's slightly swaying figure, "You take a rest for a while, then return to the Heavenly Realm for cultivation.

Don't linger on the Human World. I'll handle the Divine Worship matter on New Year's Day."

"Mm." Lu Ran responded, not completely obedient.

With one arm around her back, he leaned forward, sliding one hand beneath her knees, lifting the Lady in his embrace.

Jiang Ruyi pursed her thin lips, her cold and enchanting face eventually buried against his neck, letting him carry her out of the garden towards the house.

She knew well that Lu Ran would enter seclusion and cultivate diligently for the coming one or two months.

March 3rd...

Could it be the Human Emperor's birthday?

Or perhaps the day the Evil Emperor ascends or the Master of Ran Sect falls?

...

It's the start of the month, asking for some votes~

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