The next day, at twilight.
Inside the small bedroom, after sleeping for a whole day, Lu Ran finally awoke.
"Umm..." Lu Ran, still drowsy, let out a groggy nasal murmur.
He swept a cheeky cat tail away from his face with one hand and scratched his cheek in the process.
"Meow~" The tabby cat, seeing its owner awake, made as if to flee.
However, it was pressed down onto the bed by a large hand.
Lu Ran lay on his side, holding the restless tabby in his arms, fumbling around the pillow.
He picked up his phone and began to check it, only to notice a special message.
Instantly, Lu Ran became much more alert.
Early in the morning, Lu Ran had already reported his safety to his family and teammates, but it seemed he had forgotten someone?
Jiang: "Are you okay?"
The brief four characters conjured up a vision of a fair and beautiful face in Lu Ran's mind.
"Meow?"
The tabby in his arms peeked out, curious about the glowing screen.
After a moment's thought, Lu Ran replied:
"I'm fine, how about you?"
Lu Ran didn't hold out much hope for a reply; after all, Jiang Ruyi was very dedicated and focused on her cultivation, and she sent the message in the morning.
At that time, he was fast asleep.
However, Jiang, the beauty, quickly responded, "Mm."
Lu Ran, looking at the lonely word on his screen, couldn't help but grin.
Only a period for company with this aloof word.
"What to do?" Lu Ran lowered his head and kissed the fluffy little head of the tabby, "How should I reply to this?"
The beauty Jiang in the phone was somewhat talented.
She could kill a conversation with just a couple of phrases.
"Meow~" The tabby stretched out a paw, seemingly wanting to imitate Lu Ran and touch the phone screen.
Lu Ran pulled the tabby into his arms, his fingers tapping on the screen.
Ran: "Do you miss me?"
Lu Ran stared at the phone screen, waiting silently.
This time, he got no reply for a long time.
"Just take it as a yes." Lu Ran muttered softly, tossing his phone beside the pillow.
He passed a hand over the tabby, pinching its tail.
"Buzz~"
Suddenly, the phone vibrated.
Lu Ran unlocked his phone instantly, and again saw four words.
Jiang: "A little bit."
Lu Ran's face just showed a smile when it turned into a peculiar look because the message disappeared.
What, she took it back?
Come on, are you fishing for me?
Hmm... if it was another girl, maybe.
But with Ruyi's temperament, that shouldn't be it?
Jiang: "I saw that you joined another patrol team again."
Ran: "What did you take back?"
Jiang: "That was the Barbaric Woman—you should have gone home; a lot of people were worried about you."
Lu Ran looked at the words on the screen, silent for a while, and replied:
"Saw?"
Jiang: "Yes, there's a photo of you in the group chat, fighting against a Barbaric Woman."
Lu Ran's face stiffened and he immediately scrolled through the class group chat.
It was like an explosion in the group—so many messages.
In this "Night of Ghosts," the students were crying out, and even the teachers seemed to lose control of the situation.
Finally, Lu Ran's scrolling thumb stopped, first seeing a flow of comments:
"Lu Ran is badass! He won damn it! The fight is over damn it! I just saw him harvesting energy damn it!"
"Don't die please, I beg you, wuu wuu wuu..."
"He's crazy, acting like he's got no regard for his own life!"
"Can he... can he survive this? How's Lu Ran doing now?"
"@Ran, are you there? Is this person really you?"
"Holy mama, a Barbaric Woman!! And he dared to confront her?"
The comments Lu Ran saw were naturally from the end to the beginning.
He realized he was a bit stupid and should have clicked on "mentions," to save time scrolling.
Lu Ran scrolled up until, after a long while, he finally saw a blurry photo.
The photographer must have been in a residential building, probably on the second or third floor.
The neighborhood was a mess, covered in yellow sand.
On the sand dune above stood an extraordinarily tall figure.
The Barbaric Woman with her back to the photographer, tilted her head back slightly as if howling at the sky, her red hair wildly swirling in the wind and rain.
She held two battle axes, arms spread, revealing her dominant physique and proud stature.
Arrogant, unruly.
Just this back view alone was enough to make one feel an endless sense of oppression!
Beneath her raised arms, one could see, further away, a figure in a yellow raincoat.
The youth held knives in both hands, in a forward charging posture, ascending the dune...
Though the features were a bit blurry, one could faintly make out that it was Lu Ran.
Their classmate from Grade 12 (4), Lu Ran!
After some thought, Lu Ran remembered which battle this was.
The Barbaric Woman really was pretty strong.
The sand dune under her feet had also given Lu Ran a hard time, almost ensnaring his ankles.
Thanks to his comrades' help, and thanks to Evil Technique·Caged Fire (Illusion)!
Otherwise, Lu Ran might really have been dragged into the sand dune and buried alive.
"Heh."
Remembering the thrilling scene from the night before, Lu Ran chuckled and shook his head.
He opened the private chat again and sent a message to the beauty Jiang:
"These brutes are simple-minded and easy to kill."
Jiang: "Have you seen what you're saying?"
Ran: "..."
Indeed, he should have posted that message in the class group, with its hundreds of members. With a big enough trash bag, he could fill it to the brim.
Lu Ran quickly shifted the subject, tapping on the screen:
"Is your cultivation going smoothly?"
Jiang: "It's mundane but smooth.
Daily meditation and cultivation with senior brothers and sisters, occasionally entering the Demon Cave to temper ourselves and enhance Divine Technique."
Ran: "The Demon Cave guarded by the Jade Talisman is no small feat; be careful!"
Jiang: "You're the one who should be careful."
Lu Ran looked at the text on the phone with a strange expression, imagining multiple tones of voice.
Ran: "Throwing a tantrum?"
Jiang: "I'm going to cultivate now."
Ran: "When will you come back?"
Once again, there was no response on the phone screen for a long time.
Ran: "Maybe it's better if you don't come back. For the past few months, the rain alleys haven't been very stable.
Focus on your cultivation. After you become really strong, let's go hunt Evil Demons together."
Lu Ran figured his message would end up as a note to her.
Unexpectedly, she was still there.
Jiang: "It's getting cold, wear more."
Lu Ran raised his head, looking at the coat rack by the door, at the dark red, wide-knit scarf.
Jiang: "Do you hear me?"
Lu Ran's face broke into a smile, this time certain he had imagined the tone correctly.
Just wonder, would she blush behind the screen?
Ran: "I miss you a little too."
"Ran" has taken back a message
Lu Ran not only retracted the message but also tossed his phone aside.
The classic Lu maneuver, silky smooth~
Holding the tabby, he buried his face in its fluffy belly, taking two deep breaths.
Little Ruyi, trying to compete with me?
Sooner or later, I'll reel you in...
"Meow~ Meow~"
The tabby kept mewing softly but ultimately escaped from the clutches of "Lu the Demon."
Lu Ran got out of bed, went to the shrine, and bowed with hands together.
That morning, when Lu Ran was home, he had asked Lord Immortal Goat some questions and got some answers.
To summon and control Evil Demons, at the very least, he'd need to cultivate the sculptures in the God Demon Sculpture Garden to River Realm level.
The Evil Demons created would be one level lower than the actual Evil Demon Sculptures.
And it would cost "Qi" to do so.
Lord Immortal Goat also said that in critical moments, Lu Ran could even pull the sculptures straight out!
Both Divine Sculptures and Evil Sculptures could aid Lu Ran in battle!
It was just that once a sculpture was summoned out of its zone, it was considered a "severe injury," and the energy expenditure would be enormous!
Moreover, this was the highest understanding and utilization of the God Demon Sculpture Garden.
With Lu Ran's current strength, it was far from enough.
Setting a lofty goal in his heart would do for now.
Currently, as a minion of the Stream Realm, he better not dream of being able to summon the true form of the sculptures.
That being said, since Lu Ran could summon Evil Demons with Evil Sculpture, he naturally could also create "Divine Minions" with Divine Sculpture.
But Lord Immortal Goat strongly advised against it.
The "Qi" Lu Ran could harvest from Divine Sculpture was pitifully little. Creating a Divine Minion would deplete the painstakingly accumulated Qi.
This move would be unwise and not worth the loss.
Lord Immortal Goat's exact words were: Why summon Divine Beings to fight when one can use Evil Demons, which require more energy and have a more stable source?
It's also worth mentioning that the Evil Demon minions made from Evil Sculpture were flesh and blood, just as the Evil Demons Lu Ran had continually encountered.
But "Divine Minions," according to Lord Immortal Goat, seemed to be nothing but residues?
Who knew if Lu Ran could use such "Divine Residues" to bluff people in the future?
Hmm... better be cautious.
Once exposed, the sword hangs overhead.
"Lord Immortal Goat, you said this morning that the foundation of my team was correct?" Lu Ran whispered.
White Sheep Jade Carving: "It is acceptable to seek Earthly Apostles for our garden's Divine Sculptures who will follow your every command and wait on you hand and foot.
But you must be extremely cautious in this undertaking.
The Human Clan believers who worship the Divine Sculptures in our garden must remain utterly loyal to you."
Lu Ran nodded earnestly, ultimately still concerned about a leak.
But his mind was active; he asked further: "Lord Immortal Goat, if people from the Human Clan came to worship the Divine Sculptures in our garden...
Could our Divine Sculptures draw the Power of Faith?"
If so, Lu Ran would have more than one method for cultivating Divine Sculptures.
On one hand, Lu Ran could plunder the "Qi" of True Gods in the world.
On the other hand, continuous offerings from Human Clan believers would come in—why not?
White Sheep Jade Carving: "Difficult!"
Lu Ran: "Difficult?"
White Sheep Jade Carving: "As long as the true gods do not perish, our sculpted figures can hardly rise to prominence."
Lu Ran pursed his lips: "Like the Divine Weapon Domain?"
It's like one carrot per hole.
As long as the True Gods don't die, Fake Gods can't snatch faith?
And compared to the Divine Weapons with Artifact Spirits, the living conditions for Fake Gods were even more vicious.
Lu Ran could only secretly wreak havoc, plundering energy to support this group of Divine Sculptures.
"Ah..." Lu Ran sighed deeply.
How hard it is to replace the gods of this world!
The voice transmission fell again:
"Unless..."
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