Si Xianxian has dropped in rank.

This shattered Lu Ran's illusions.

He had thought that, with Yu Changsheng helping to nurse her body, as long as Si Xianxian could maintain her mental realm, she could hold onto her strength at River Realm·First Segment.

But reality was cruel.

Si Xianxian ultimately fell to River Realm·Fifth Rank.

For the Human Clan, as servants of the gods, the backlash from tearing apart the contract was simply too great.

Lu Ran's heart hung heavy again.

It should be known that dropping in rank wasn't the most terrifying part.

What's truly horrifying is the Human Clan being hit so hard, they collapse entirely and are unable to rise again.

So during this time, Lu Ran stayed by Si Xianxian's side.

On one hand, to take care of her body.

Lu Ran's Healing Techniques were of River Grade; whether it was the Cage Fire (Bath) or the Resurrection Carp, their healing effects were quite good.

On the other hand, Lu Ran needed to clarify the road ahead for Si Xianxian and strengthen her resolve!

Stabilizing her mental realm was of utmost importance!

Si Xianxian's demeanor repeatedly set Lu Ran's worries to rest.

She didn't succumb to despair.

On the contrary, after tearing apart the contract, Si Xianxian seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden.

That sense of liberation, that pure, heartfelt joy, even made Lu Ran feel envious!

Lu Ran seamlessly transitioned to lead, commanding his Fake God·Lie Tian Sculpture to sign an inheritance contract with Si Xianxian.

Thus, the Mad Immortal was born!

Carrying the mission to crush Lie Tian and usurp the Divine Position, she followed Lu Ran and embarked on a journey to upend the world.

Days passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was early June.

That morning, Deng Yuxiang came looking for Lu Ran.

At the time, Lu Ran was sitting at the edge of the sea cliff, his legs dangling over the edge, occasionally swinging them back and forth.

Si Xianxian was squatting beside him.

The sea breeze gently ruffled her loose hair, revealing her sweet and beautiful face.

But for such a poised yet sweet woman, her actions were somewhat childish—she was, uh, squatting and playing with dirt?

She extended a finger, poking at the ground with her fingertip, crushing tiny stones one by one.

Lu Ran's voice was soft, murmuring something continuously.

Si Xianxian occasionally curved her lips into a faint smile and replied in a low voice.

This scene was beautiful.

In Deng Yuxiang's eyes, it looked as if Lu Ran was gently tending to a delicate flower.

Suddenly, an odd expression crossed Deng Yuxiang's face.

She realized something: the Si Xianxian before her was a reflection of her past self.

And also of her current self.

There was a time when she was plunged into the depths of despair, and Lu Ran had patiently accompanied her and carefully looked after her...

Until the flower bloomed again.

"Morning!" Lu Ran's voice rang out from afar.

He'd naturally sensed someone approaching.

Deng Yuxiang snapped out of her thoughts, striding forward quickly. "Sect Leader."

Squatting on the ground, Si Xianxian tilted her delicate face upward, looking at Ran Sect's first Guardian.

Si Xianxian was the fourth Guardian—though she was at the very bottom, she at least made it into the ranks of the Guardians.

When it came to choosing code names, Lu Ran respected the personal preferences of other Guardians and Divine Generals. But when it was Si Xianxian's turn, he unilaterally gave her the name "Mad Immortal."

Regarding this code name, Si Xianxian felt conflicted deep down but said nothing.

Ever since leaving the Fierce Heavenly Sect, whenever she went wild or acted insane, no one bore the blame for her actions anymore.

As Lu Ran put it: "It's purely because you've got a nasty temper!"

Now it was clear for everyone to hear!

It was Sect Leader himself who told me to go mad...

"I've hit a bottleneck in my cultivation," Deng Yuxiang dutifully reported, her manner calm and measured.

It was almost as if she were subtly teaching Si Xianxian how to interact with the Sect Leader.

"Good news!" Lu Ran's face instantly lit up with joy.

After over four months of cultivation, she was finally about to break through? Her speed of progress was already commendable!

River Realm·Fifth Rank...

Once she stepped into the pinnacle rank, the Human Clan would no longer need any more cultivation.

With just a single epiphany, she could storm out of the rivers and into the seas!

This journey had been fraught with challenges for Deng Yuxiang, but it had forged an unshakable will and soaring ambition within her.

The Sea Realm—was it really so far away?

Lu Ran immediately commanded, "Head over to Cloud Sea Residence, bring Little Chi Feng, and then prepare for your breakthrough in the seclusion room."

Deng Yuxiang lowered her head respectfully. "Understood!"

Lu Ran then turned to Si Xianxian, who was squatting and playing with dirt. "You too—don't just sit idle. When Big Nightmare breaks through, it'll also be an opportune time for others to cultivate."

"Go to the seclusion room and see if you can quickly rise back up to River Realm."

"Understood." Si Xianxian mimicked Deng Yuxiang's gesture, nodding in response.

The newly reborn Mad Immortal Guardian yearned for power with unmatched intensity.

After all, if she wanted to settle scores with Lie Tian and utterly obliterate that old bastard, she needed absolute strength!

On another note, Si Xianxian wasn't particularly fond of fish.

As a River Realm cultivator, she needed sustenance to maintain her life.

In these past few days, Si Xianxian had grown utterly sick of grilled fish and smoked fish.

With limited ingredients, it was difficult to prepare anything delicious within Holy Spirit Mountain.

Two days ago, Lu Ran had even specially created a Fog Realm·Evil Dog, slaughtering it to improve her diet, giving her a meal of dog meat.

But to Si Xianxian, the Evil Dog's meat tasted rather peculiar...

If she could regain her River Realm strength soon, she wouldn't have to worry about food anymore.

Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, off you go."

The two Guardians accepted their orders and departed. Lu Ran stood up as well, sending a mental transmission: [Evil Moon.]

[Here.]

[Besides those two who just left, summon everyone else in the cliff residence. We're meeting in the council hall in five minutes.]

[Understood.]

Lu Ran stretched lazily with abandon, gazing up at the swirling cloud seas around him. "Ahh~~~"

My Ran Sect is about to have its fourth Sea Realm Great Power!

Tiantu Mountain, your good days are numbered!

Indeed, Lu Ran had no notion that Deng Yuxiang would remain stuck at River Realm·Fifth Rank.

What the hell is "Death of Five"?!

My Nightmare Guardian was merely passing through—she's the woman who'll overthrow the Night Charm and crush the North Wind to pieces!

The one who will stand beside me in slaughtering gods and demons across the heavens—the Big Nightmare!

How could she possibly linger for long?

With a world-overturning ambition, let's just charge straight into the Sea Realm!

The thought of personally cultivating someone destined to conquer the Yangyang Sea filled Lu Ran with restless excitement and joy.

"Waiting for flowers, coming spring after spring, mocking my madness through the merciless years..."

Lu Ran, in rare spirits, began quietly humming a fitting tune. Leaning back, his figure flickered and disappeared.

When he reappeared, he was inside the council hall.

The body leaning back a moment ago had effortlessly settled into the main seat at the long table.

...

By the third of June, a heavenly phenomenon occurred!

A swirling mist converging upon Cloud Sea Cliff signaled to all that the Ran Sect's first Guardian had broken through her bottleneck and successfully entered the advancement phase.

Lu Ran further understood the outstanding merit of his Little Chi Feng, lavishing heartfelt praise upon Deng Yuxiang...

What a remarkable Magic Artifact—it was truly extraordinary!

Deng Yuxiang had prepared plenty of Divine Power Pearls but barely absorbed any of them. Little Chi Feng, single-handedly, carried her straight to the mountaintop!

Having learned from past experiences, Ran Sect members executed their guarding tasks with greater ease this time around.

Blades and weapons encircled the mountain, scanning for any potential threats.

The Evil Demon squads performed their respective duties, with one team of Evil Mirror Demons scattered around Cloud Sea Cliff, fervently refreshing Connection Mirrors.

The Evil Mirror Demons couldn't reside inside the cliff.

After all, anything with traces of Divine Power energy could be displayed on the Connection Mirror.

Needless to say, Ran Sect's collection of hundreds of Divine Power Pearls would just dominate the view indefinitely!

Good luck trying to sift through it all with your copper mirrors!

And when you finally spot a cluster of glowing Divine Power Pearls, the mirrored image wouldn't change for hours...

Additionally, River Realm-level Evil Mirror Demons could only wield River Grade Divine Method, limiting the Connection Mirror's detection range to just three hundred meters.

Lu Ran's heart, yearning to venture out to sea, grew increasingly restless.

Days ago, Lu Ran had interrogated every Dead Soul within the Rebirth Money one by one, extracting heaps of critical intel. He confirmed that the Evil Mirror Demon tribe indeed appeared on sea islands.

Lu Ran urgently needed to cultivate Night Charm Evil Sculptures!

Similarly, he needed to gather Holy Spirit Energy to nurture the Divine Sculptures in the Sculpture Garden.

The matter of setting out to sea had to be expedited...

On another note, Deng Yuxiang's advancement within the minor ranks of River Realm only required 2-3 days.

Having experienced the prolonged process of Xun Yifei, the Sea Realm Great Power's advancement, they now saw these couple of days as almost trivial.

As days and nights alternated and the cloud seas churned...

By the fifth of June, the misty shroud noticeably thinned out.

This meant... Deng Yuxiang had succeeded!

Since Ran Sect's occupation of Cloud Sea Cliff, this was the first time a member had advanced without enemies showing up to cause trouble!

Even as the mist dissipated, Lu Ran could hardly believe it.

Having been relentlessly beaten down by Holy Spirit Mountain, experiencing such peaceful progression left Lu Ran feeling oddly out of sync...

Unfortunately, no higher-tier celestial phenomenon graced the skies.

The Fog Dragon Roll didn't appear.

In other words, Si Xianxian hadn't managed to reclaim the River Realm amidst this blessing.

Poor Sister Xian'er.

Don't worry, I'll make sure to help you rise again...

[Little Lu Ran.]A voice transmitted directly into his mind.

By the sea cliff, a smile bloomed on Lu Ran's face. He had maintained a constant spiritual connection with the Night Charm Evil Sculpture just for this moment.

There was no mistaking the spirited tone of a triumphant woman in the transmission.

Lu Ran replied instantly: [Congratulations, Big Nightmare! River Realm Peak!]

Deng Yuxiang: [Were there any blind fools trying to bother us this time?]

[Not a single one.]Lu Ran gazed skyward, a smile spreading across his face. [For once, the heavens showed mercy.]

[Good, take Little Chi Feng back. I'm at the tunnel exit.]

[Coming.]Lu Ran's figure flickered away into the distance.

When he arrived in the woods behind Nightmare Residence, he found Ran Sect members gathered to congratulate the Guardian on her achievement.

"Sect Leader."

"Sect Leader!" A wave of respectful voices greeted him as Lu Ran nodded in acknowledgment and stepped forward to accept the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd.

Looking at Deng Yuxiang, he smiled and said, "Get ready to break through again—advance to the Sea Realm."

Deng Yuxiang's smile froze, and a series of question marks seemed to hover above her head.

Do you even hear yourself talking?

"Heh." Yu Changsheng couldn't suppress a laugh.

The Xun Luo couple also wore amused expressions.

Deng Yuxiang resisted the urge to retort, maintaining composure to spare the Sect Leader some face in front of the others.

"What's the matter? Feeling conflicted?" Lu Ran thought for a moment before addressing Deng Yuxiang again with mock seriousness. "Aren't you known for being particularly obedient?"

Deng Yuxiang raised an eyebrow slightly.

Lu Ran, in a coaxing tone, added, "How about this: I order you to break through to the Sea Realm now!"

Deng Yuxiang: ???

She glared at him, unable to hold back, but stopped short of lashing out.

"Hahaha!" Seeing this, Yu Changsheng's laughter grew even louder.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop joking," Lu Ran said quickly, noticing Deng Yuxiang nearing her limit. "Go back to the seclusion room and stabilize your realm first.

In the meantime, I'll take the Zen Stick to Big Wind Hall. Once I return, we'll properly discuss your next step toward the Sea Realm."

"Understood." Deng Yuxiang nodded before turning to the hidden tunnel entrance in the forest.

Lu Ran, filled with lofty ambitions, watched her graceful figure disappear into the distance.

Yangyang Sea.

I must propel you forward!

...

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