River Realm Fourth Rank... River Realm Fifth Rank...

"Don't stop, don't." Lu Ran prayed silently, naturally hoping the Jade Talisman Divine Sculpture would keep vibrating.

But in the very next second, Lu Ran let out a sigh.

The Jade Talisman Divine Sculpture stopped at River Realm·Fifth Rank, then fell silent.

No further expansion?

Damn!

Not counting the six guards at the mountain base, Ran Sect members had taken down a total of 25 bandits in the stronghold.

Among them, 11 were Jade Talisman disciples, yet they couldn't push the Divine Sculpture into River Realm?

It's widely known that upgrading a River Realm sculpture is relatively easy.

You only need 100 River Realm dead souls to help a River Realm sculpture advance one minor rank.

To break it down, that's just 10 River Realm dead souls or 10 wisps of pure Holy Spirit Energy.

These 11 Jade Talisman believers have been wreaking havoc here for years, and yet haven't even collected a few dozen wisps of Holy Spirit Energy?

Lu Ran felt quite puzzled.

Unless... all the Holy Spirit Energy was absorbed by Luo the Village Chief and Lady Kong?

How much Holy Spirit Energy must be contained in the souls of those two scoundrels...

Lu Ran's heart thudded!

If he could kill them both and seize their souls... Hold on!

"Smack!" Lu Ran slapped his own forehead.

That explains the nagging feeling something didn't add up — turns out he missed three!

His brain was indeed rattled by all the chaos.

The ancient copper coin hanging on Big Nightmare's wrist still held three captive souls!

[Big Nightmare, where are you?]

[Searching the mountain.] Deng Yuxiang responded, [Haven't found any fish that escaped the net. The intel from the guards at the base seems accurate.]

[Give me a location so I can find you.]

[100 meters west of the main peak, the largest house. This should be Luo Tiantu's residence.] Deng Yuxiang transmitted the message while kicking open the door.

She stepped inside, glancing around, noticing the furniture—quite abundant, crafted with exceptional skill.

Eight Immortal Table, wooden stools and chairs, vanity, canopy bed...

It seems Tiantu Mountain's bandits included talented craftsmen?

"Heh." Deng Yuxiang snorted coldly, her gaze settling on meticulously polished stone teapots and cups atop the table.

Clearly, they knew how to enjoy themselves.

After a brief search, her attention fixed on a large wardrobe.

She yanked the wardrobe open, her fierce eyes betraying a hint of surprise.

The wardrobe, naturally, was filled with clothes.

The problem was—the clothes were overwhelmingly white!

Though some were long or short, robes or skirts, every single piece was white.

"Huh?" A rather astonished voice sounded behind her.

Deng Yuxiang turned around to see Lu Ran entering, curiously eyeing the wardrobe.

She gestured at the wardrobe: "Well, now you've got clothes to wear."

In this primitive world, elegant garments from the Human World were considered a valuable resource.

Lu Ran gestured to his own outfit: "My current attire—a smoke-gray cape and a rain bamboo hat—is the Holy Spirit Mountain chapter·Ran Shen limited-edition skin. How could I change it easily?"

Deng Yuxiang was speechless, turning away and continuing her search of the house.

"Seriously!" Lu Ran took off his bamboo hat, pointing to the small braid at the back of his head. "You braided it for me this morning, remember? That's part of the limited-edition skin too."

Deng Yuxiang rolled her eyes, both annoyed and amused, as she walked over to the vanity table and opened a drawer.

"Rustle~"

The sound of items clinking together was crisp and pleasant.

The lower drawer of the vanity was packed with various gold and silver jewelry.

Golden glimmers, silvery gleams, treasures shimmering brilliantly!

In the Human World, this would ensure a care-free life for decades.

Lu Ran glanced at it from afar, inwardly cursing: "True bandit behavior!"

Not everyone who climbed the mountain was adorned with gold, silver, or jewels, nor dressed in white robes or skirts.

But for Luo Tiantu and Lady Kong to collect so much... How many people did they rob?

And in the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, did these bandits limit themselves to mere robbery?

Murder and plunder! Murder, of course, always comes first...

"Rustle~"

Deng Yuxiang casually stirred the contents of the drawer, picked up a gemstone earring, examined it briefly, then tossed it back.

She bent forward, reached out, and pulled open the lower drawer.

Compared to the upper drawer filled with jewelry, the lower one contained only a single dagger.

An exceptionally ornate dagger!

Its hilt, made of pure gold, was embedded with several multicolored gemstones. The blade, about the length of a forearm, gleamed coldly.

Deng Yuxiang played with it for a moment before tossing it to Lu Ran.

"Oh?" Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

Could this be the Seven Stars Saber wielded by Cao Boss to assassinate Dong Zhuo?

Of course, he was joking; Lu Ran had no idea what the Seven Stars Saber actually looked like.

The dagger in front of him featured a pure gold hilt embedded with seven thumb-sized gemstones—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Quite opulent and exquisitely crafted, it practically screamed money!

"No wonder people have always been eager to raid bandit dens—they're dripping with wealth." Lu Ran muttered to himself.

And this was merely by casually rummaging through the house.

Keep in mind, Luo Tiantu and his gang carried at least four Divine Weapons!

Lu Ran remembered clearly!

There was the Heaven Trace Sword, Earth Trace Sword, Blood-Weeping Saber, and the Jade Blossom Hairpin worn by Lady Kong.

If Ran Sect successfully decimates this bandit stronghold, those treasures...

The sect would be swimming in wealth by then!

"Tsk~" Lu Ran clicked his tongue in admiration, his fingers brushing across the dagger's steel blade, convinced this ornate weapon belonged on the battlefield.

You can't just lump it with jewelry because it looks lavish.

"Ha." Deng Yuxiang chuckled, watching Lu Ran's shining eyes, then turned and continued looting the bandit leader's residence.

Moments later, Lu Ran stowed the "Seven Stars Saber," walked to the vanity, opened the top drawer, and found the gemstone earring.

Big Nightmare's earlier movements hadn't escaped his notice.

Her taste has always been consistent.

From their first meeting at the high school gate, she wore a pair of ruby earrings on her earlobes.

Within this pile of gold and silver, the only item catching her attention was this ruby earring, which she had picked up to examine briefly before placing back.

Lu Ran rummaged through the drawer and found the matching ruby earring, casually picking it up: "Sis."

"Hmm?" came the woman's voice from outside.

"Give me the souls contained in Rebirth Money. By the way, what kind of believers were they?"

"One Prisoner Demon believer, one Jade Talisman believer, the other unknown."

"Unknown?" Lu Ran looked toward the doorway.

"That one didn't dare resist, kept begging for mercy. I executed him." Deng Yuxiang walked back inside, speaking nonchalantly.

Good grief~

Lu Ran smirked.

Really, upon reflecting... it's somewhat understandable.

Because when Lu Ran himself faced Deng Yuxiang, he wasn't in a much better state.

Even though he knew in his heart she'd never harm him, her intimidating aura still caused his pulse to race.

"Not planning to keep the souls for further intel gathering?" Deng Yuxiang shook her wrist.

Lu Ran: "Keep the Prison Demon disciple, I'll take the other two souls."

Deng Yuxiang: "..."

Rebirth Money, merely a Magic Artifact fragment, lacked a complete Artifact Spirit.

While capable of generally understanding Deng Yuxiang's intent, it was incapable of more precise operations.

Luckily, Lu Ran possessed the Pupil of the Dead World!

After identifying the Prison Demon disciple's appearance, he instructed Deng Yuxiang to activate Rebirth Money and release all three souls.

He quickly recaptured the Prison Demon disciple.

"Buzz!!"

As two souls entered his body, Lu Ran beamed!

Within his God Demon Sculpture Garden, the Jade Talisman Divine Sculpture stirred once more.

This Divine Sculpture had already reached River Realm·Fifth Rank, and now its expansion seemed poised to reach River Realm!

Deng Yuxiang observed Lu Ran's delighted expression and vaguely pieced together what was happening.

"Here." Seconds later, despite enduring the vibrating discomfort in his head, Lu Ran casually tossed the pair of ruby earrings over.

Deng Yuxiang caught them, surprised by the exquisite jewelry in her palm.

Lu Ran smiled: "If you like them, keep them. Switch them out with your studs occasionally."

Life in Holy Spirit Mountain was already tough.

Everyone lived with uncertainty day by day.

If something small could bring her even a bit of joy, she might as well take it.

Deng Yuxiang's gaze shifted slightly, murmuring a soft "Mm" before gently clutching the ruby earrings in her palm.

Lu Ran added: "By the way, you mentioned earlier finding a slave?"

"Yes, an old man, a Spellcaster believer."

"Let's go, show me. Raiding the house can wait until we've taken Luo Tiantu's soul and let him help us with his own raid." Lu Ran declared.

Deng Yuxiang's lips curled slightly: "Alright."

The duo promptly exited the residence. Under Deng Yuxiang's lead, Lu Ran arrived at a fairly concealed cave entrance.

The cave interior was dark and damp, and his sharp nose caught the unique scent of an elder.

After walking a few dozen steps, Lu Ran spotted a wooden cage in the distance.

Inside knelt an old man, ragged and unkempt.

The elder seemed to sense their arrival, slowly raising his head, his deeply sunken eyes "staring" at them.

Lu Ran furrowed his brow: "Old man, may I ask your name?"

The elder remained silent for a moment before speaking softly: "Bai."

Lu Ran stepped closer, patting the wooden pillars of the cage: "Your strength is already at River Realm. This wooden cage shouldn't be able to hold you."

The elder Bai said nothing further.

If the cage couldn't imprison the slave, then its purpose...

Lu Ran speculated silently.

Perhaps this wooden cage existed solely to humiliate or remind the elder that he had fallen so low?

From this perspective, the elder's prior status must have been quite lofty.

If he had originally been a simple servant, such treatment wouldn't be necessary.

The cave was eerily quiet, Deng Yuxiang leaned against the stone wall and kept her gaze fixed toward the entrance, quietly keeping watch.

Her hand rested in her pocket, fingers fiddling lightly with the ruby earrings.

Lu Ran suddenly broke the silence: "I heard Elder Bai is a Spellcaster believer. Given that, shouldn't you be honored as a guest?"

The elder finally spoke, his hoarse voice cutting through the damp air: "I once belonged to Sinless Valley."

...

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