"I saw that man in the straw raincoat earlier; he brought back a basket of Mo Li, probably just returned from fishing."

"He's very fast in the water, wrapped in currents; could it be the Divine Technique·Clear Water Flow?"

"He's a Believer under Yan Qing, the Third-class God!"

Lu Ran spoke quickly, lowering his voice, reporting the situation to the Ran Sect members inside the cave.

Yu Changsheng was quite surprised. For everyone's safety, they deliberately relocated, moving tens of kilometers away from the battlefield, before finding a secluded place to settle.

Yet... they still encountered this?

Deng Yuxiang nodded thoughtfully, "No wonder he's active near the sea; turns out he's a disciple of Yan Qing."

Yan Qing, the Third-class God!

This deity holds a decisive position in Da Xia.

Because his sect's Divine Technique granted disciples the ability for water combat!

Da Xia has numerous deities and almost a hundred sects, but very few truly excel in water combat.

Every night of the fifteenth, the disciples of the Yan Qing sect are the absolute main force defending Da Xia's coastline.

"Already at Sea Realm, could he be someone who's tempted by food?" Lu Ran frowned, watching the straw raincoated man skimming across the sea towards the distant shore.

Joking!

As people advance to the River Realm, so-called Great Powers begin to show "Divinity."

The need for eating vanishes, with cravings for meals dropping sharply.

Yu Changsheng pondered for a moment and speculated, "Perhaps this person uses this way to remind himself of his identity and maintain humanity?"

Lu Ran watched the straw raincoated man melting into the night, "I'll go have a look."

"Hm?" Deng Yuxiang, who was already standing behind Lu Ran, grabbed his arm upon hearing this.

Lu Ran reassured her, "Don't worry! I'm familiar with the skills of Yan Qing's sect, he can't do anything to me."

Deng Yuxiang's tone was stern, "At least he's a Sea Realm while you're not in a good state right now."

Lu Ran indeed persisted, "I'll follow from afar, see if I can find his lair; this is a rare opportunity!

If I find anything, I'll instantly teleport back, absolutely avoid any risk."

Lu Ran's tone grew slightly more serious, issuing orders to the others, "Stay here, and without my command, do not leave."

Despite his stern words, his mental transmission was gentle: [Sis, don't worry, I'll be right back.]

With that, Lu Ran's figure flashed.

If he wanted to leave, naturally, no one could stop him.

Deng Yuxiang pressed her lips together, standing at the small cave entrance, looking at the pitch-black night outside.

Normally, the dark night should have been Lu Ran's camouflage.

But the skills of Yan Qing's sect were mostly equipped for water combat.

Yan Qing's disciples possessed the Divine Technique·Clear Water Eye, which allowed them to clearly see the battlefield underwater or even in the deep sea, so they could naturally pierce through the night on land.

In the pitch-black cave, Yu Changsheng spoke softly, "The Nightmare Guardian doesn't need to worry too much. With the Sect Leader's strength, few in this world could hold him back."

Deng Yuxiang didn't respond, also knowing that her concern was causing chaos.

Lu Ran, even when facing Sea Realm disciples of Sword One alone, could consecutively defeat two generals and retreat safely.

Let alone against Yan Qing disciples?

Just hoped that Mo Li's Evil Sculpture could quickly finish advancing, to improve his condition a bit.

In the dark night, Lu Ran flashed into the forest, hiding behind a tree.

He secretly revealed half of his face, observing the shadows in the distant forest.

Stealthily observing.jpg.

Yan Qing's disciples moved swiftly in water, but on land, they weren't as agile.

Lu Ran easily trailed behind the straw raincoated man, following him across the forest.

The man was obviously cautious, frequently checking the surroundings, while Lu Ran maximized his Evil Technique·Evil Agility, reacting incredibly fast!

Each time the straw raincoated man looked around, Lu Ran managed to hide his presence in advance.

Lu Ran followed all the way to a steep cliff, seeing the man jump down before his eyes.

Does his lair lie at the valley bottom?

Lu Ran cautiously stepped forward, peering down to see dense trees, with the man already out of sight.

Can't see him?

No problem!

He flashed to the valley bottom, twitching his nose.

Scent~

To escape from Lu Ran's clutches would naturally be as challenging as ascending to the heavens!

Following the fishy scent, a black cloud lifted beneath Lu Ran's feet, silently trailing him without a trace of footsteps.

What makes one a good dog... uh, excellent tracker?

"Goodness~" Lu Ran murmured, following the scent into a crevice in the mountain.

Does the straw raincoated man live so secludedly?

How many detours, how many steps to get home?

Silently tracking Lu Ran experienced what they call "Initially narrow, just enough for a person"!

After winding through the labyrinth-like mountain tunnel for a long while, his view suddenly brightened!

Lu Ran saw an expansive woodland, marveling in his heart.

It was truly another world!

This place was surrounded by mountains, with just a small patch of sky visible above, yet the dense trees completely concealed the valley bottom.

Lu Ran had just flashed behind a tree when his heart trembled heavily!

Even though his brain buzzed, he heard two joyful children's voices.

"Daddy!"

"Daddy's back!"

The tender childlike voices were quite cheerful and not at all small.

Lu Ran stood there, frozen.

Children?!

In this filthy and brutal Holy Spirit Mountain Realm, there are... children?

Lu Ran calmed his turbulent emotions, quietly revealing half of his face, observing from afar.

He saw the man in the straw raincoat holding a basket of fish, standing in front of a fenced courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, a small campfire provided some light.

A boy and a girl about five or six years old were clinging to the man's legs, happily chatting on either side.

A tall figure stood in front of the wooden cabin inside the fence.

She appeared to be in her thirties, with long black hair cascading over her shoulders, exuding a gentle temperament.

Her bright and clear eyes were full of tenderness as she spotted the returnee.

Lu Ran silently watched the happy family of four.

He felt as if this wasn't the Holy Spirit Mountain.

No wonder this Sea Realm Great Power would venture out to fish, it was for the children.

No wonder he was so cautious, setting his foothold in such a secluded location.

Perhaps to the man in the straw raincoat, this wasn't just a foothold.

This was his home.

"Alright, alright, let Daddy roast fish for you," the woman said softly, gently approaching the children.

The man in the straw raincoat wore a loving smile, stepped into the fenced courtyard, and closed the door...

It was at this moment that his expression froze.

Behind a distant tree, hit by the enormous impact, Lu Ran forgot to hide.

And the ever-cautious straw raincoated man, aided by his Clear Water Eye, pierced through the darkness, clearly seeing that half a face.

His wife's footsteps instantly stopped, she sharply turned to her husband and asked, "What's wrong?"

Because of the children, the straw raincoated man made every effort to curb his aura, striving to exhibit a loving side, to coexist with his children.

But at that moment, his demeanor changed!

"Take the children inside," the man in the straw raincoat said deeply, setting down the fish and stepping out.

His wife frowned slightly, her gentle appearance vanished, unintentionally exuding a hint of formidable aura.

"Ugh."

"Ma, Mama..." The two little ones trembled, instinctively hugging their mother out of natural fear.

Yet, she ironically became the source of their panic and terror.

"Friend, impressive skills!" The man in the straw raincoat stepped into the woods, speaking deeply.

In a mere sentence, the temperature in the valley plummeted, murderous intent filling the air.

He felt like a beast whose territory had been invaded, filled with fury.

"I have no ill intent," Lu Ran responded softly.

The man in the straw raincoat suddenly attacked, tossing his hand, several streams of water lashed out like whips.

Yan Qing Divine Technique·Clear Water Whip!

Lu Ran slightly leaned back, with his figure disappearing silently.

The man's pupils contracted violently!

It's over!

Everything's over...

This young man, turned out to be a Qiang Xiu disciple?

Under the Instant Teleportation Technique, how could he protect his family?

"Uncle, I really mean no harm," Lu Ran called out again in front of a tree further away.

The man in the straw raincoat stayed silent.

The youth before him was just at River Realm, certainly could not harm him, nor his wife.

But... they had two children.

The River Realm youth could withdraw at any time and could also reappear at any moment, posing a severe threat to the children.

At the beach encounter during the day, this youth even had a Sea Realm companion.

The man in the straw raincoat grew more regretful!

Why?

Why did I fail to notice anyone was following me?

What should I do now?

As a dignified Sea Realm Great Power, facing a River Realm Believer... I could only pray the other really bore no ill intent.

"You..." Lu Ran's face was complex, "In this kind of place, you formed a family."

The man in the straw raincoat grew more silent.

The color of his face grew more unpleasant.

Indeed, he shouldn't have let these lovely little ones be born into this sinful world.

It was extremely irresponsible.

He should be damned, a thousand cuts awaited him.

"Yifei?" came a woman's voice.

"Don't come over!" The man in the straw raincoat seemed to explode, "Stay at home!"

In truth, his wife was merely standing at the doorstep, with no intention of coming over.

But upon hearing her husband's harsh words, her heart also sank to the valley bottom.

Lu Ran let out a deep sigh, "I know, as long as I stand here, no matter what I say..."

The man in the straw raincoat suddenly interrupted, "You said you mean no harm."

Lu Ran: "Yes."

The man in the straw raincoat spoke deeply, "Then please leave! If you want intelligence and information, I'll give you everything.

Tomorrow morning, let's meet at the beach where we encountered."

Lu Ran nodded silently, saying nothing more, leaning his body slightly and flashing away.

The man in the straw raincoat stood for a moment, his face stern, then turned and strode back to the fence yard.

Inside on the bed, his wife was softly soothing the children. Seeing her husband's return, she immediately got up to meet him, "Who was it?"

The man in the straw raincoat glanced at the two huddled children on the bed, whispered, "Possibly a Qiang Xiu disciple."

Hearing this, his wife's expression changed.

He looked guilty, softly saying, "I'm sorry."

His wife didn't get angry; instead, she quietly leaned into his arms, "How did you handle it?"

"He kept saying he bore no ill will, and I set up a meeting with him tomorrow on the beach, then he left."

With her lips close to his ear, her gaze icy, her voice tinged with a touch of murderous intent, "Tonight, we'll take the children somewhere else.

Tomorrow, I'll go with you."

"Uh-huh."

...

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