Run.

Desperately run.

Out of the blazing inferno, a team frantically fleeing for their lives burst forth.

People emerged sooty and disheveled, with some even having their clothes caught on fire.

But at this life-or-death moment, no one dared to stop. They all knew too well how hard-won this path to survival was.

"Crack! Crack!"

Lu Ran endured the searing pain, sprinting while slapping at the flames erupting on his arm.

Honestly, Lu Ran felt like he was going crazy.

Not because of the pain, but because he was actually exhilarated...

It wasn't the thought of being burnt to a crisp, imagining himself becoming a deliciously roasted whole lamb.

It was because, in the process of breaking through the encirclement, Lu Ran's Black Lantern Evil Sculpture was rapidly leveling up!

Stream Realm·Fourth Rank.

Stream Realm·Fifth Rank... River Realm·First Rank!

Even now that Lu Ran had broken free, his Black Lantern Evil Sculpture continued to absorb a massive nourishment.

Above and behind him, explosions of Black Lanterns rang out everywhere.

These volatile creatures triggered a terrifying chain reaction.

The explosion of one Black Lantern could affect a small area around it, and this small area could in turn affect a much larger group!

It was as if the Black Lantern clan had entered a "self-destruct program."

Following this, a torrent of Black Lantern clan souls surged toward Lu Ran.

However, Lu Ran did not let it go to his head, and he continued to lead his team in a mad dash, away from the battlefield.

This haul, he had struck it rich!

Just one battle had advanced his Black Lantern Evil Sculpture from the Mist Realm·First Rank to the River Realm·First Rank...

It was something Lu Ran hadn't even dared to dream of, and he was starting to worry whether the Evil Demon itself might notice.

"Over here, over here!" the middle-aged woman suddenly cried out for help.

After emerging from the sea of fire, everyone's vision returned to normal, and the middle-aged woman spotted a soldier squad rushing to their aid on the distant torch-lit path.

Oddly enough, above the soldiers' heads, there floated a formation?

The formation was circular and semi-transparent, very much like a huge map?

And it seemed to be a "dynamic 3D" one, with mountains and rivers sprawling and flowing uninterrupted.

"Whew!"

Astonishing energy burst from the immense topographic map.

It felt as if even the earth and sky shook for a moment!

The next moment, Lu Ran couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

He saw soldier after soldier magically appearing around the soldier squad!

Creating soldiers out of thin air?

No!

The soldiers were diverse in appearance, with uniform military garb, clearly real, living, breathing people.

Evidently, that huge ethereal map was a teleportation formation!

"Put out the fire! Quickly, hurry and extinguish the flames!" the lead soldier shouted loudly.

As Lu Ran's team and the soldier squad drew closer, streams of water sprayed toward them.

"Me! I... Ah!" Chang Ying plunged headfirst into the water.

The flames consuming her clothes were finally extinguished, and her burning body cooled under the spray of the water cannons.

But Chang Ying hardly felt relief; her body had been badly burned, and she was overtaken with excruciating pain.

As the two groups met, the number of military soldiers had increased by more than fifty, multiplying tenfold!

This teleportation formation was truly extraordinary.

"Immediately heal the wounded!" the team leader continued to command.

Several soldiers quickly spread sycamore branches and leaves over Lu Ran and others.

"Are there any other trainees?" the soldiers asked loudly.

"No, we didn't see anyone else," the middle-aged woman responded at once, her injuries minor under her Bamboo Leaf Clothes.

"Tell me about the situation over there!"

"It must be an Evil Nest, we saw black mist spreading, and a swarm of Black Lanterns emerged from the fog!"

"Indeed, an Evil Nest. Did you see its exact location?"

"No..."

After a brief exchange, the soldier loudly ordered, "Your squad escort them to the nearest Stone City! The rest of you, with me!"

Suddenly, a cry from Lu Ran came from beneath a pile of sycamore branches and leaves, "The Evil Nest should be to the left of the torch path!

I saw the black fog spilling from a graveyard on the left."

There were those in the soldier squad naturally able to see through darkness, like the Witch Crow Believers.

But regardless of the value of the information Lu Ran provided, he would definitely share it, never hoarding it.

"Okay." The soldier acknowledged, leading the troops forward.

"Rustle rustle~"

Lu Ran struggled to clear the sycamore branches and leaves piled upon him, looking forward.

Each soldier displayed their powers, with the entire troop breaking down into smaller units, over a dozen squads charging towards the thundering explosion of battle.

"Let's go!" one of the female soldiers said.

Lu Ran just felt the sycamore branches and leaves suddenly tighten around him, lifting his body into the air.

As the soldier squad moved swiftly along the rough terrain, Lu Ran could feel life force wildly pouring into his body.

This Biwu Believer was quite powerful!

Her healing methods went beyond mere "wound treatment," able to soothe the spirit and replenish life force for everyone.

Soon, they arrived at Stone City.

After another check of their injuries and a debrief, the six were forcibly ordered by the military to leave the Demon Cave.

Escorted by a squad of soldiers, they tirelessly crossed over one Black Grave Mound after another, eventually returning to the main city of Stone City without any harm.

As Lu Ran and the others wound around stone columns and climbed stairs, they also saw more and more trainees being summoned back here.

It seemed that everyone had been forcibly removed from the field.

...

Outside the central building, beneath the feet of the Divine Technique·Wild Drums, the crowd bustled.

The majority of the social trainees had no idea what had happened, left to curiously inquire around.

Naturally, people noticed the most distressed group—Lu Ran's team!

These few students appeared thoroughly shaken, their clothes scorched and charred.

Through the tattered clothing, they could see fresh, newly formed flesh.

It cannot be overstated how powerful healing Divine Technique truly was.

If they had been treated with ordinary medical procedures, with burns of such severity, who knows how long they would have laid in the hospital, how much suffering they would have to endure.

And even after recovery, they might have needed skin grafts.

"It's good, everything's okay, it's so good," the middle-aged woman said as she embraced her daughter's tall and slender body, her eyes rimming with tears.

In the dark and daylight-less Demon Cave, people's nerves had been on edge.

Back on Earth, back in the human world, the woman's emotions, long suppressed, finally exploded.

The ordeal they had just gone through could be perfectly described as a narrow escape from death!

"Okay," Si Xianxian's body was somewhat stiff.

After hesitating for a moment, she raised her hand and gently patted her mother's back.

The woman seemed to think of something, turning her head to several young men and women, "Thank you all, thank you!"

By now, she finally understood that within that dark graveyard stood an Evil Nest.

For that reason, the woman was even more aware that if Lu Ran had been even a moment later...

Her daughter would have surely died there!

Not just physical death, but her soul would have likely been burned, enduring untold extreme agony.

"What's your name, aunty?" Lu Ran turned to look at the woman.

"Si, Si Caiqin."

Lu Ran took a deep breath and calmed himself, "Aunty, without you, we couldn't have escaped either."

"No, it's not like that," Si Caiqin shook her head again and again, "If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have approached the Evil Nest, you wouldn't have been put in danger."

"Evil Nest?"

"Was there an Evil Nest in our training area?"

"You've got to be kidding me, how many years has it been since one of those appeared?!" Once the woman spoke out, an uproar erupted outside the building.

After a brief chaos, people realized another thing!

These group of students... had actually survived?

They had fought their way out from an Evil Nest?!

Si Caiqin paid no attention to the crowd; she looked at the few of them, disheveled and battered, "I really don't know how to thank you..."

As she spoke, she supported Chang Ying's arms with one hand, her face full of sorrow as she looked up at the girl.

This girl, who had been at the foremost front of the team, was the most severely burned.

Chang Ying, tall as she was, had become a lone shield, providing protection for her teammates behind her.

"Aunty will take you to the hospital, let's go right now," Si Caiqin urged hurriedly.

"We've already been healed," Chang Ying replied softly, her eyes downcast.

Indeed, the injuries had been healed.

But Chang Ying still felt a lingering pain, as if she were still being burned by flames.

The brush with death had undoubtedly affected her greatly.

The normally carefree and laughing Chang Ying was now a bit dazed.

"I want to go home," Tian Tian extended her hand, gently tugging on Lu Ran's sleeve.

"I want to too," Chang Ying turned to look at Lu Ran, "Lu Ran, I want to go home."

Tian Tian's simple words brought all of Chang Ying's grievance to the surface.

Lu Ran nodded, "Yes, let's go home."

Hearing his words, Chang Ying nodded again and again, and Tian Tian gripped his sleeve even tighter.

"You all..." Si Caiqin's eyes were full of pity, she hesitated to speak.

"The military has healed us twice, we're fine," Lu Ran told her, "We need to go home to recuperate."

"Then... then aunty will take you, let's go!"

"There's no need, we live in Rain Alley City, in Wu Lie River Province."

"I'll drive you back," Si Caiqin approached Lu Ran, supporting his arms, "You've helped our family so much, and I've let your parents down as well, I'll take each of you home..."

The middle-aged woman spoke excitedly, full of guilt and gratitude, unsure how to express it.

As a mother, Si Caiqin could more acutely feel the anxiety of parents when their children are out in the world.

In the end, Lu Ran couldn't resist any further and nodded.

Si Caiqin immediately went to arrange the car, and Si Xianxian stood beside Lu Ran.

"Thank you," she said seriously, her gaze sincere.

A stark contrast from her furious demeanor on the battlefield.

Lu Ran quietly nodded, saying nothing.

He stood silently, his gaze gradually becoming distant, lost in thought.

This venture into the Demon Cave, Lu Ran had indeed made a fortune.

The Black Lantern Evil Sculpture had risen to the top!

He had now reached River Realm·First Rank, surpassing both the Evil Dog Evil Sculpture and Soul Splitting Demon Evil Sculpture.

The Black Lantern clan's first four Evil Techniques were all within Lu Ran's reach now!

Healing, hallucination, black smoke...

After returning home, he could find Evil Sculpture to learn them.

Now that Lu Ran had advanced to the River Realm, he could also directly equip the Evil Technique·Yin Fire Cage.

That was the terrifying single-target control method.

This training trip had been enormously rewarding.

But at the same time, Lu Ran had also endured an incredibly perilous brush with death.

Perhaps,

This is the compulsory lesson for the world's Believers?

Lu Ran looked at his teammates, feeling quite apologetic.

After all, it was he who had chosen this place, he who had insisted on coming here.

But they had encountered an Evil Nest...

Damn!

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