"Sinless Valley consists of eighteen members, all of whom are Weak God believers."

Lu Ran remained silent, having never heard of such an organization before.

What surprised him was the makeup of this so-called Sinless Valley.

Could this even work?

The elder with the surname Bai continued, "Our strength is weak, so we gather together to survive and avoid falling into the servitude of others."

Lu Ran nodded slightly.

In this cruel world, Weak God believers indeed had no rights to speak of.

Once discovered by Strong God believers, such people were either slaughtered to the last or reduced to slaves.

Jing Hong was a prime example of this.

If she hadn't been lucky enough to encounter Lu Ran and the others, she might still be enslaved by the disciples of Sword Mountain Peak.

The elder spoke slowly, "We fled from the south to escape for our lives. While passing through this territory, we were discovered by Tiantu Mountain.

Luo Tiantu sought to annex Sinless Valley, dispatching several teams to hunt us down. Failing to capture us despite multiple attempts, he eventually led his team personally to attack."

Lu Ran had already made his calculations.

It seemed that for Sinless Valley to hold out against Tiantu Mountain for so long and escape repeatedly, they undoubtedly owed a lot to the talent of this Spellcaster believer.

Putting himself in their shoes, it was truly a despair-inducing situation.

For the weak who wished to live peacefully, it was as hard as ascending to heaven.

Adding insult to injury, Weak God disciples often possessed certain specialized abilities, which only made them more coveted by others.

"We kept moving to evade pursuit but ultimately couldn't avoid exposure." The elder paused briefly and sighed. "In the last ambush, we seized a chance to launch a counterattack, unexpectedly succeeding and causing the enemy to lose several skilled warriors."

"Oh?" Lu Ran said, somewhat surprised.

The elder's words were sparse and matter-of-fact, but the difficulty of overcoming the strong as the weak could not be overstated.

The overall strength of Tiantu Mountain was clear!

Their stronghold's members mostly consisted of Jade Talisman, Prisoner Demon, and Nuoshua believers—all of whom were from the River Realm.

The fact that the Weak God disciples of Sinless Valley managed to contend with them for so long was no small feat.

Who would have thought they could even strike back?

"I had thought we could suppress Tiantu Mountain's pursuit a bit, gain a moment's respite, at least buy time for a few groups to escape..."

The elder trailed off as he spoke.

His wrinkled face was filled with sorrow.

It seemed heaven had not granted them their wish.

Lu Ran did not think the elder would lie.

The fact that he was standing here already signaled to the elder that he had fought his way through Tiantu Mountain and may even have taken prisoners.

All it would take was a little interrogation for everything to come to light.

If the elder were lying in any way, he would be exposed quickly.

Lu Ran offered words of comfort: "Elder Bai has done his best."

The elder slowly shook his head. "Fate, just fate."

Deng Yuxiang suddenly spoke, "Are all the people of Sinless Valley dead?"

"Most died in battle; a few were executed."

Deng Yuxiang stared at the elder. "What about you? Why are you still alive?"

With a calm demeanor, the elder replied, "Luo Tiantu lost several beloved officers and was furious. The one he most wished to kill was me.

However, his wife had her considerations and pleaded for my life multiple times. Thus, I was spared.

But a reprieve from death doesn't mean freedom from punishment. I had my eyes gouged out and my Achilles tendons severed before being thrown into this prison."

Lu Ran looked at the elder's pitiful state. "So, you humiliated Luo Tiantu, and he in turn sought to utterly humiliate you."

Clearly, this elder was the leader of Sinless Valley, or at least a central figure who had orchestrated various breakout and counterattack strategies.

He had dealt a heavy blow to Luo Tiantu, the Sea Realm Great Power!

It was this defiance that earned him the admiration of Lady Kong, who wanted to recruit him.

And, in turn, it explained Luo Tiantu's treatment of him—as an outlet for his fury.

From this perspective, it seemed Luo Tiantu's tolerance couldn't even match that of his own wife.

"Young friend." The elder did not respond but instead said, "After today's battle, Tiantu Mountain will remain peaceful for a while. You and your men can rest assured and recuperate."

Lu Ran naturally understood the hidden meaning behind the elder's words and replied, "Elder, you stayed amidst the chaos to seek vengeance for Sinless Valley through me,

or perhaps you wish to join my Ran Sect?"

As mentioned earlier, this ordinary wooden prison was incapable of confining a River Realm Great Power. Even though the elder's Achilles tendons were cut, his hands were still free!

And among casters, the River Realm·Third Rank enabled the activation of a life-saving Divine Technique—Invisibility Spell!

This spell allowed Spellcaster believers to enter stealth mode, making it easier for disciples of the sect to escape.

"If you don't find me a burden, this old man is willing to serve." The elder knelt on the ground, bowed his head, and spoke in a low voice.

Lu Ran exchanged a glance with Deng Yuxiang.

Spellcaster believers were immensely functional!

If the Ran Sect could gain a strong Spellcaster disciple, it would be a significant advantage.

Suppressing the buzzing in his aching head, Lu Ran contemplated for a while before smiling:

"Elder, aren't you afraid I'll oppress or enslave you?"

"This old man possesses the Divine Technique·Heart Sense Spell." The elder kept his head bowed and spoke softly.

"Oh, right." Lu Ran smacked his forehead in frustration.

It must be noted: the Heart Sense Spell didn't allow the caster to predict the future.

Rather, it alerted the caster through emotional fluctuations, helping them sense impending danger!

A powerful Spellcaster believer could use the Heart Sense Spell creatively.

Like Spiritual Believers drawing different ranks of fortunes, Spellcaster believers could refine and distinguish various levels of their emotional states!

Calm and composed, restless and uneasy, frightened, panic-stricken, and so on.

The stronger the Spellcaster believer, the finer the distinctions they could make in their emotional states, which allowed them to deduce potential outcomes.

This elder must have received very positive feedback via the Heart Sense Spell!

Thus, he hadn't fled amidst the chaos.

Instead, he sought to follow Lu Ran!

And the Heart Sense Spell's feedback... was undoubtedly accurate!

Lu Ran and his Ran Sect were unlike the vast majority of forces in the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm.

He did not have the habit of enslaving his compatriots.

On the contrary, Lu Ran treated his comrades with sincerity.

"Elder Bai, use the Moonlight Spell to heal your legs. Let's get out of here first and find a place to talk in detail."

The elder rasped, "My Moonlight Spell, only River Grade, cannot fully heal my legs."

Lu Ran furrowed his brows slightly and mentally called out: [Evil Shadow.]

A shadowy figure suddenly appeared, kneeling by Lu Ran's feet.

"Go summon Mr. Conglong to try healing Elder Bai's legs," Lu Ran massaged his temples. "And while you're at it, fetch some clothes and shoes from Village Chief Luo's residence to bring here."

"Understood." Yan Shuangzi's figure flickered and vanished.

Donning a fatigued expression, Lu Ran added, "Elder Bai, wait here a moment. I'll have a Sea Realm doctor come and see if they can assist you."

The elder replied hoarsely, "I am deeply grateful."

As Lu Ran walked away, he suddenly paused and called back, "Elder, I didn't catch your name?"

"Bai Yanhui."

In his raspy voice, the elder added, "Bai as in white goose, Yan as in wild goose, Hui as in returning."

Lu Ran stopped in his tracks, tilting his head slightly to glance behind.

"When the wild geese return, the moon fills the western tower."

That line of poetry, steeped in Da Xia culture, left Lu Ran momentarily dazed.

It whisked him back to his school days in the classroom.

Sitting at his desk in a Chinese literature lesson, it felt like it was just yesterday.

Beside him sat a girl in a blue and white school uniform, her ponytail swaying—Ruyi...

"Buzz~"

The relentless buzzing in his head yanked Lu Ran back to the Holy Spirit Mountain, back to this dark and damp cave.

Heh.

Lu Ran chuckled suddenly.

This damned world felt so unreal...

In the prison behind him, Bai Yanhui kept his head bowed, his weathered face devoid of emotion.

A faint bitterness welled up in his heart.

Lu Ran lingered for a moment, saying no more, and continued walking out.

Deng Yuxiang, using her back for leverage, straightened herself and strode after him with long steps.

"Hoo..."

Outside the cave, Lu Ran took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Let's interrogate the prisoners," Deng Yuxiang suggested softly while standing beside Lu Ran. "We shouldn't rely on one side of the story alone."

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded nonchalantly. "Find a place to do it."

"Tiantu Mountain has a Council Hall, complete with a sand table." Deng Yuxiang guided him gently. "Let's head there."

With the woman leading, Lu Ran found himself at a large building near the main peak.

The Council Hall of Tiantu Mountain exuded an air of hierarchy and order.

When the Ran Sect held council, everyone sat around one large rectangular table.

Here, however, a grand throne-like seat dominated the upper end, while two rows of wooden chairs lined either side below.

Lu Ran felt like he had stepped into Liang Mountain...

"Uh."

Lu Ran avoided the grand chair, opting for an ordinary wooden seat in the middle, and plopped down heavily.

He summoned a cloud of black mist, and Deng Yuxiang gave her wrist a light shake, releasing the last captured soul from the Rebirth Money.

Moments later, a face of sheer terror emerged within the swirling mist.

"Whoosh~" A Soul Fire ignited.

"Ah! Ahhh..." The tormented screams soon followed.

By now, Lu Ran had plenty of experience in extracting information under duress.

He no longer wasted words, starting with the fire to set the tone—soft or stubborn, they would talk eventually.

Deng Yuxiang stepped behind Lu Ran and removed his bamboo hat.

Feeling puzzled, he was about to turn his head when her hands reached out, and her fingertips began lightly massaging his temples.

"How considerate~" Lu Ran suddenly blurted out.

Deng Yuxiang lightly smacked him on the head, then continued to knead gently.

Unfortunately, the tenderness of a Sea Realm Great Power was little comfort to Lu Ran.

His head buzzed incessantly, and the wails of the captured soul filled the air.

Finally, Lu Ran extinguished the Soul Fire and said in a steady tone, "Answer what I ask."

"Yes, yes! I'll answer, I'll answer..."

Lu Ran inquired about Sinless Valley, and the information from the prisoner aligned closely with what Bai Yanhui had said.

Lu Ran felt reassured and nodded subtly to himself.

If Elder Bai were to truly pledge loyalty to the Ran Sect, leaving other matters aside, the defenses at Cloud Sea Cliff would experience a qualitative leap!

Lu Ran then asked about Luo Tiantu's team composition.

"Two East Thunder Disciples," Lu Ran muttered under his breath, his face dark.

Luo Tiantu and Lady Kong were certainly willing to pay the price!

Each time reinforcements were brought in, the East Thunder Disciples were allowed to absorb Holy Spirit Energy first.

East Thunder Disciples—sent specifically to counter Evil Dog followers?

Heh.

You dare step into this mess? Truly overestimating your lifespan.

Deng Yuxiang's eyes gleamed with a touch of icy killing intent as she continued massaging his temples. She spoke calmly, "Aiding tyrants, they deserve to die."

Lu Ran suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his heart leaping into his throat!

He snapped to full alertness, his face no longer gloomy.

He stole a sideways glance and whispered, "Um... could you tone down the killing intent a bit? I'm cold."

Deng Yuxiang didn't respond, instead redirecting his head and softly saying, "I'll take care of those two."

Lu Ran: "..."

...

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