The Qianhua Mountain Ridge in the afternoon was peaceful and serene.

Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow by, causing the sea of flowers to sway like waves.

A tall, disheveled man in black stood silently by the riverbank, gazing at the beautiful scene.

So, there's such a pure place in this harsh Holy Spirit Mountain.

No wonder Lu Tianjiao chose to meet here.

Having not seen him for many years, it's uncertain what realm he's in now. Unless something went wrong, he should have reached the Sea Realm by now, right?

Maybe he's at the high ranks of the Sea Realm, or even at the peak of the Sea Realm?

Without absolute strength, how could he have snuck into Rust City unnoticed, undetected?

And at the last moment when Lord Qiang Xiu sent the disciples away, how did he slip a small note into his nephew's palm...

For a whole month, the Wang family uncle and nephew couldn't figure out how that note appeared.

"Phew~"

By the riverbank, a surge of energy churned.

Wang Quan turned his head and saw the bronze mirror of the Evil Mirror Demon faction. With a casual grasp, the black long spear behind him flew into his palm.

Yet the tall figure that walked out of the mirror left Wang Quan startled.

Niu Zhengzheng?

Wang Quan naturally knew about the teammates in his nephew's squad.

The overly tall and burly Niu Zhengzheng had a highly recognizable appearance, hard to mistake.

What shocked Wang Quan even more was that judging from Niu Zhengzheng's aura and energy fluctuations, the kid might be one or two ranks higher than him.

Sea Realm, Fourth Rank?

"Uncle Wang!" Niu Zhengzheng grinned, his face so dark that his neat teeth appeared particularly white.

Wang Quan silently nodded.

He vaguely remembered that Niu Zhengzheng ranked second to last in Wang Ling's team regarding strength.

The one ranked last was Lu Tianjiao's sister, Qiao Yuansi.

"Oh no!" Niu Zhengzheng suddenly slapped himself and quickly stepped aside.

Wang Quan remained silent, and as the burly man moved away, he saw a woman in white walk out of the mirror.

Guan Yiren saw Wang Quan at a glance and nodded gently, "Uncle Wang."

Wang Quan still said nothing.

Another Sea Realm Fourth Rank?!

It seems this harsh Holy Spirit Mountain truly spurs growth.

His nephew had already fallen far behind his two teammates.

Suddenly, the three by the riverbank turned their heads simultaneously.

A tall, thin figure appeared and disappeared, disbelief in his eyes.

"Niu... Niu-head?" Wang Ling grabbed Niu Zhengzheng's strong arm, looking up at the big dark-faced man, utterly bewildered.

A familiar face in a foreign land!

And on this Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, which is far from the human world!

This reunion even made Wang Ling feel like he was dreaming.

"Haha!" Niu Zhengzheng's hearty laugh erupted as he fiercely hugged Wang Ling, his large hand heavily slapping the other's back, "I missed you like crazy, haha!"

"Lighten up, lighten up..." Wang Ling was filled with joy, but his Water Flow Armor on his back was clanging loudly under the force.

"I say! What's up with you? How did you become so skinny like a little chick?" Niu Zhengzheng released his old comrade, looking Wang Ling's skinny frame up and down.

"I... Yiren?" Wang Ling was stunned again, his gaze falling on the woman's fair and beautiful face.

Guan Yiren watched her old friend with a smile.

She was different from Niu Zhengzheng, not a tender flower raised in a greenhouse by Lu Ran.

She had roamed the Mountain Realm, seen everything, and experienced everything. Feeling an extreme aversion to this dirty world, she then fled to the Moon Shadow Heavenly Pool to escape from the hustle and bustle.

Beneath that cold lake, she had plenty of time to sort out her thoughts and recollect past memories.

The faces of Niu Zhengzheng, Wang Ling, and Qiao Yuansi had all flashed through her mind.

She thought she'd never see them again in this life.

Yet unexpectedly, a brother who cherished his sister took her to the Moon Shadow Heavenly Pool for a trip, and it changed her life path completely.

"Look out!" Wang Ling's eyes tensed as he saw a hand reach out from the Landing Mirror behind Guan Yiren, poking the girl's back.

With a reminder on his lips and a subconscious action, he had lunged forward with his spear in an instant.

Guan Yiren frowned slightly, a pair of pure white Simurgh Wings spread instantly behind her, shielding the hand.

"Clang!"

The spear tip clashed with the seemingly soft wings, producing a piercing metallic sound.

"Yiren?" Wang Ling was utterly confused.

Seeing his old friends one after another let him momentarily ignore the mirror until a hand reached out from it, prompting Wang Ling to intervene intuitively.

However...

Wang Ling didn't understand where the Evil Mirror Demon's Evil Technique came from.

Nor did he understand why Guan Yiren, formerly a Sword Cultivator, would reveal a pair of holy Simurgh Wings.

Not far away, Wang Quan, always with a stony expression, suddenly widened his eyes!

The youth that walked out of the mirror made the brilliant Qianhua Ridge lose its color.

"Gulp." Wang Ling swallowed.

Due to Guan Yiren's wide and long wings covering his front, his entire field of view was blocked.

Wang Ling couldn't see anything, but he felt a terrifying pressure, like an invisible giant wave pressing down, intimidating his spirit.

"Uncle Wang, long time no see." The muffled voice sounded from behind a mask.

Wang Quan pursed his lips, ultimately saying nothing.

It was hard for him to associate this mysterious youth with Da Xia's first genius.

The Lu Tianjiao in his memory was handsome and valiant.

This youth before him... hmm, seemed like someone who had fallen into the trap of an evil cultivator, uttering the nasal passages completely sealed by a malicious magic artifact.

Indeed, the lower half of the youth's face was adorned with a strange "instrument of punishment."

But his feathered garments fluttered elegantly, faintly revealing an ethereal immortal aura.

"Still so few words, huh." Lu Ran smiled and turned around, reaching out to gently tug on the edge of the Simurgh Wings.

Guan Yiren trembled lightly, her lips tightly pressed together.

"Ran... Brother Ran?" Wang Ling also widened his eyes, speaking in stammering tones.

"Goodness~" Lu Ran couldn't help but tease, "No wonder Little Yuansi calls you a skeleton, you truly fit the part, huh?"

Once, Wang Ling stood as firm as a pine!

The present Wang Ling stands like a pole, heading directly towards the "skull".

"Sect Leader."

"Sect Leader!" Four figures appear out of thin air, kneeling and bowing.

"You worked hard." Lu Ran takes out a tea bag and tosses it to one person, "Leave one person, the others can return to rest."

"Yes." Shadow One goes to brew tea, while the other three return to Tianya Haijiao.

Only when Lu Ran disperses the Landing Mirror do the Wang family's uncle and nephew realize that the Evil Mirror Magic was indeed from Lu Ran!

"You go inside to chat, I'll come over in a moment." Lu Ran gently strokes the pure white Simurgh Wings, slightly mischievous, flicking the tips of the feathers with his fingers.

Guan Yiren's body trembles again, quickly retracting the pure white wings.

She keeps her head low, softly responding: "Okay."

"Come on, come on!" Niu Zhengzheng grabs Wang Ling's shoulder, hastily leading the surprised and confused teammates away.

Lu Ran gazes at the man standing afar, "Wang Uncle should go over too, Yiren has much she wants to say to you."

"What's your Realm?" Wang Quan finally speaks.

With a unique smoky voice, he pulls Lu Ran back to the fifteenth night of Night of Ghosts + the descent of the Demon Lord.

"Above the Sea Realm." Lu Ran says in a muffled voice.

Wang Quan pauses silently, hoarsely saying: "Yet I feel like I'm facing a god."

Lu Ran: "..."

Just facing a god?

If I were to bring out my fiancée, wouldn't it kill you?

Lu Ran shakes his head and smiles, truthfully responding: "Two Great Realms above the Sea Realm."

Wang Quan struggles to control his expression, his heart quietly trembling.

The two had met only once, during the night the Evil Spear Emperor Clan invaded Rain Alley City.

The former Pride of Da Xia was merely First Rank of River Realm, while Wang Quan was Middle Rank of River Realm at the time, helping Lu Ran guard his hometown.

Wang Quan thought he already had a high opinion of Lu Ran.

Even imagining that after many years, upon meeting again, the young man might become a Great Power of Sea Realm Peak.

But reality...

"Wang Uncle, enter the house." Lu Ran speaks again.

"The Dawn Blade, what Rank has it reached?" Wang Quan's Divine Weapon Spear informs its master that the young man bears a multitude of divine weapons and magic artifacts, with a daunting presence!

Wang Quan inevitably recalls the fifteenth night when Lu Tianjiao wielded the Dawn Blade, releasing rays of light akin to satin, slaying a Jiang Realm Demon Lord.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran's smile freezes on his face.

Look at you!

Only saying things that hurt!

Wang Quan seems to realize something, silently nods, and strides away.

Leaving Lu Ran alone by the riverbank, as if struck by lightning.

Upon reaching Qianhua Ridge, Lu Ran recalls Leng Xushuang, his intent was to have the young lady dance gracefully amidst the sea of flowers.

But Wang Quan's words killed Lu Ran's mood.

"Sigh..." Lu Ran reaches into his feather robe, drawing the Dawn Blade from his waist.

There weren't many relics left by his father.

The Dawn Blade was the most helpful to Lu Ran during his growth years in the Human World.

Yet later, Lu Ran obtained the Eight Desolate Annihilation Blade.

The Dawn Blade gradually faded into a secondary role, silently accompanying from the side.

Lu Ran sits cross-legged, placing the Black Ice Blade flatly on his knees, gazing at the delicate, transparent blade in silent contemplation.

Perhaps, one day when Dawn truly comprehends the Second Divine Weapon Domain, Lu Ran will laugh at his own foolishness.

It's so simple, yet a man and a blade have delayed it for so many years.

But before understanding, who would know what form the Second Domain takes?

"Buzz~" The Dawn Blade gently trembles, as if to comfort its master.

Lu Ran lowers two fingers, gently stroking the cool blade.

Clouds roll and unfurl, the sea of flowers undulates.

The sun gradually descends westward, the afternoon transforming into dusk.

Everything between heaven and earth changes, yet the young man by the riverside remains like an old monk in meditation, one hand on the blade, gazing into the western sky.

Suddenly, a surge of energy flows through the blade, as the Sword Spirit appears.

The meditative youth finally awakens, turning his head towards the side, seeing a combat uniform both unfamiliar and familiar.

Lu Ran has four Divine Weapons, their Sword Spirits bearing similar appearances, from the young and inexperienced boy to the heroic young man, with attire vastly different.

The Dawn Blade Spirit wears a black combat uniform.

It's the clothing Lu Ran often wore during wars and trials in the Human World.

The Silent Night Blade Spirit has rarely appeared, but Lu Ran knows its attire, draped in a yellow raincoat.

Like in the past on Rain Alley streets, the boy followed closely behind the Big Nightmare, silently advancing.

The Eight Desolate Blade Spirit wears a green coir raincoat and a blue bamboo hat, like a youthful hero wandering through the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, its eyes filled with an impressive desire for destruction.

The Cloud Sea Blade Spirit is clad in a wide white robe, as light as wind and clouds, floating, almost like an Immortal.

"Dawn?" Lu Ran calls softly.

[Keep looking towards the horizon.]

Lu Ran once again gazes towards the west, where the beautiful sunset fills the sky, the fiery clouds burning at the horizon.

The Dawn Blade Spirit: [This scenery gives me a very special feeling.]

"Could this be your Second Divine Weapon Domain?" Lu Ran's heart begins to pound.

Yet the Dawn Blade Spirit gently shakes its head: [I long for it, but it is very distant from me.]

"Very distant?"

[I cannot leap over the Second Divine Weapon Domain and directly possess it.]

Lu Ran gazes in a daze at the Dawn Blade Spirit.

Is the Dawn Blade implying that within this scene lies what could very well be the Third Divine Weapon Domain?

Lu Ran suddenly laughs, a smile filled with helplessness.

The Sword Spirit bends over, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Don't be downhearted, we'll always have that moment of epiphany."

"Hmm..." Lu Ran looks at the Sword Spirit before him.

The eyes of young Lu Ran are bright and spirited.

The warm smile remains as ever.

...

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