Eight Desolate Blade finally entered the upgrade mode, and Lu Ran was overjoyed!

The only problem was that this place was not safe.

Lu Ran could, of course, use the Transmission Mirror to step into Mist Rain Lake and seek refuge with the Thousand Boat Alliance.

But doing so would harm the Eight Desolate Blade.

The energy of heaven and earth was frantically converging toward the river valley. If Lu Ran left with the blade, how could the Eight Desolate Blade condense its Artifact Spirit and take form?

Thus, Lu Ran could only make minor adjustments to his location and not leave the area.

Fortunately, the weapon's upgrade process didn't take long!

It could range from dozens of minutes to a few hours, unlike the Human Clan's upgrades, which often took days.

"Lu Ran, take the blade to the cave," Jiang Ruyi immediately instructed.

Lu Ran needed to concentrate fully on leading the Eight Desolate Blade to condense its Artifact Spirit. Naturally, Jiang Ruyi took over the command of the Ran Sect.

She swiftly arranged for the group to form a defensive formation around the river valley cave.

Lu Ran didn't dare use Instant Teleportation but instead carefully cradled the Eight Desolate Blade in both hands and walked step by step back to the riverside cave.

He listened to Jiang Ruyi's orderly commands, feeling quite reassured.

Jiang Ruyi's arrival undeniably made the Ran Sect more complete.

She possessed the necessary prestige and ability to lead a group of warriors capable of destroying everything in their path.

Don't assume that, just because Jiang Ruyi was the Sect Leader's lady, it was natural for everyone to obey her commands.

Nightmare and Evil Shadow, these characters—none of them were easy to deal with.

Such people's loyalty to Lu Ran far exceeded their allegiance to the Ran Sect as an organization.

If Jiang Ruyi's aura were even slightly weaker, or her command ability slightly poorer, Deng Yuxiang would undoubtedly take over forcefully.

Everything was prioritized under the task of protecting Lu Ran—everything else simply didn't matter.

"I occasionally let Yan God General cast Floating Sand to scout for potential enemies. You don't need to concern yourself," Jiang Ruyi said softly at the cave's entrance, then stepped outside.

Lu Ran caught only bits of her words.

He couldn't afford to be distracted; deeply connected to the Eight Desolate Blade, he sank into his task.

In the sky, dense mists gathered, forming terrifying Fog Dragon Rolls.

"Buzz!!"

Lu Ran grasped the blade's handle, holding the violently trembling Tang Blade upright before him.

"Eight Desolate Annihilation, annihilate everything in Eight Desolates."

Lu Ran murmured inwardly, holding the weapon as he solidified his path, repeatedly emphasizing his inner determination.

This name—

Little Yuanxi certainly didn't hold back in intensifying things for Lu Ran!

His younger sister was delighted, using just a few playful words to give the blade such a domineering name, with ambitions reaching beyond the skies.

Lu Ran, however, had fought his way through countless battles, carrying this Sky Steel Blade with him through trials and tribulations until finally, his efforts bore fruit.

No! Not yet.

Becoming a Divine Weapon was only the first step.

There was still the Divine Weapon Domain!

As for the other Heavenly Star Saber in Lu Ran's possession, Cloud Sea Dust Purity...

Haha,

He'd rather not even think about it.

Lu Ran knew himself well; he was acutely aware that his current rank was far from deserving of the name his mother had bestowed upon that blade.

If you wanted to talk about "intensity," his mother was far tougher than Little Yuanxi.

"Phew~"

Thick energy continued to pour into the blade, time slipping away second by second.

Sometimes dust would rise and quickly disperse—it was Yan God General searching for hidden, lurking threats.

Lu Ran remained focused.

He could clearly feel the Eight Desolate Blade's Artifact Spirit gradually taking form.

Lu Ran's determination intensified, murmuring non-stop in his heart:

"Holy Spirit Mountain Realm has never lacked enemies."

"On this path forward, enemies are even more abundant!"

"Kill."

"Destroy all obstacles, slaughter every enemy barring the way."

"I've long led you onto the path of annihilation; now it's your turn to awake and accompany me... hmm?"

Lu Ran suddenly opened his eyes, then narrowed them again.

"Whoosh!!"

A fierce energy wave spread outward.

Lu Ran's black hair swayed, his wide white robe fluttering wildly in the storm.

The Eight Desolates Annihilation Blade finally ceased trembling.

Though it settled into silence, its slender blade now radiated an icy brilliance.

Rich streams of energy flowed over its sharp edge, as if sharpening the blade repeatedly.

"Ha!" Lu Ran couldn't hide his joy. "It worked!"

Suddenly, a wave of energy surged.

A translucent Artifact Spirit quietly emerged.

As expected, the Artifact Spirit of the Eight Desolate Blade took on a form identical to Lu Ran.

But those ethereal eyes were far sharper than Lu Ran's—

Overflowing with killing intent!

Even Lu Ran couldn't help but inwardly tremble upon confronting it!

Floating before him, the Eight Desolate Blade's Artifact Spirit somehow gave Lu Ran a chilling sense of icy dread, as if a cold breeze swept his back.

The man and the Artifact Spirit stared at each other with blazing intensity.

Lu Ran remained silent, and the Artifact Spirit mirrored his silence, merely displaying its essence before Lu Ran.

It was hard to tell—was it provoking, threatening, or behaving like a child showing off to their father?

After a long while, the Eight Desolate Artifact Spirit knelt on one knee, bowing its head slightly: [Master.]

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

A unique environment nurtures unique entities.

Lu Ran owned both the Dawn Blade and Silent Night Blade, whose Artifact Spirits were equally loyal to him. However, neither of those Artifact Spirits ever displayed such etiquette toward their master.

In terms of communication, humans and Artifact Spirits were closer to equals.

Lu Ran would even apologize for disturbing the silent-loving Silent Night Blade.

But this Eight Desolate Artifact Spirit, born in the Holy Spirit Mountain Realm...

Truly distinct, huh?

"Alright." Lu Ran nodded heavily. The Artifact Spirit's etiquette and address gave him a hint of relief.

Everyone understands the principle:

A blade into which one invests soul and effort will assuredly follow its master with loyalty.

However, the Eight Desolate Artifact Spirit exuded far too overwhelming an aura of killing intent!

It exceeded the confines of "killing" and embodied pure destruction instead.

Lu Ran gazed at the kneeling spirit before him, sensing its profound desire. Slowly, he lowered the Eight Desolate Blade.

The blade tip pierced through the ethereal Lu Ran, merging them together.

Lu Ran's voice was deep, "Now that you've awakened, the path of annihilation begins at Thunder Mountain."

The Eight Desolate Artifact Spirit's gaze grew colder, its killing intent boiling over.

A brief thought imprinted itself onto Lu Ran's mind—terse yet poignant: [Understood.]

"Phew~"

Lu Ran directed his thoughts, and the Artifact Spirit flowed through the blade tip into the Eight Desolate Blade.

He released the blade handle with his right hand as the Eight Desolate Blade obediently hovered mid-air.

With his left hand, Lu Ran opened his wide robes, prompting the blade to "whoosh" upright, pivoting its point and diving directly into the sheath hanging from his left waist with precision.

"Clink!"

The Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd hanging at Lu Ran's right side shifted slightly backward.

It seemed Little Chi Feng wasn't particularly fond of the Eight Desolate Blade?

"It's alright." Lu Ran reached behind to pat the chubby Treasure Gourd lightly. "We're all family."

"Buzz~" The Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd vibrated slightly.

Lu Ran soothed Little Chi Feng and turned to head outside the cave.

By now, the heavy mist had dissipated, leaving clarity all around.

Outside the cave, a woman dressed in a flowing white dress stood with her hands behind her back. Perceiving movement behind her, she turned to look.

Their gazes met, and the two smiled warmly.

"It's done," Jiang Ruyi said with a trace of approval in her eyes.

"Finally!" Lu Ran sighed with heartfelt emotion, then asked, "Any disturbances?"

"None," Jiang Ruyi shook her head, somewhat surprised herself.

The Thousand Boat Alliance's reach was extensive, and even though this location was 60-70 kilometers from Mist Rain Lake, no Evil Demon tribes were entrenched here.

Yet, during the past half-hour, not a single Human Clan member had come to investigate—it was quite unexpected.

"The Thousand Boat Alliance didn't come to look either?" Lu Ran asked, puzzled.

"Given the current times, they probably wouldn't risk it," Jiang Ruyi speculated.

"True." Lu Ran nodded in agreement. Thinking of those Sword Lotus disciples who were nearly wiped out—it was no surprise that few dared venture out to investigate.

He suddenly realized something:

Saving others is truly saving oneself!

If the Ran Sect hadn't previously helped the Sword Lotus Sect by eliminating Fang Lingfeng and her squad, this Eight Desolate Blade's upgrade might have been accompanied by a fierce battle!

Jiang Ruyi stepped forward, gently lifting Lu Ran's robes to scrutinize the blade handle:

"Have you thought about the domain direction for the Eight Desolate Blade?"

"Not yet." Lu Ran lowered his hand, gripping the handle lightly. "You really need to think on this carefully!"

"Buzz~" The Eight Desolate Blade lightly vibrated in reply.

Lu Ran suddenly laughed, "Your path to Becoming a God was fraught with difficulty, but your foundation is so solid. Maybe when you grasp the Divine Weapon Domain, things will go more smoothly?"

Once more, the Eight Desolate Blade gently trembled, accepting Lu Ran's mental encouragement.

Or it might have taken its master's words as an order to follow.

"Let's move on quickly," Jiang Ruyi softly urged.

"Alright, let's go!" Lu Ran's confidence surged after nurturing a Divine Weapon.

The hardships faced during the process evaporated, replaced entirely by a deep sense of accomplishment.

The group rapidly cleaned the battlefield, retrieved four strings of Divine Power Pearls, disposed of the bodies, and temporarily buried weapons underground before setting off swiftly.

Sadly, after slaying Fang Lingfeng, Lu Ran had been utterly engrossed by the Eight Desolate Blade.

Focused solely on its upgrade, he hadn't taken any captives, including Fang Lingfeng and several other East Thunder disciples' Dead Souls, which had automatically been absorbed into the Pupil of the Dead World.

Lu Ran couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

Fang Lingfeng, a Sea Realm Great Power and Hall Master, ought to have known more secrets about Thunder Mountain, shouldn't she?

Yet, the matter was settled, and Lu Ran couldn't exactly retrieve Fang Lingfeng's Dead Soul from the Fake God East Thunder Stone Sculpture...

Come to think of it, running into Fang Lingfeng was indeed fortunate!

What a great person!

She risked her life as a sparring partner for the Ran Sect, helping the warriors build experience and rapidly hone their combat skills.

She even helped refine Lu Ran's battle strategies and optimize tactics time and again...

If Thunder Mountain were truly destroyed, Lingfeng Hall would deserve significant credit!

While Lu Ran was rumbling through his thoughts, an unexpected mental communication arrived:

[Master.]

[Um... hello?] Lu Ran froze for a moment, hesitating to call out the Divine Weapon's name.

After all, both Dawn and Silent Night blades were in others' hands. There was no telling who might be contacting him at the moment.

Calling out the wrong name would be—awkward~

To his surprise, the other party paused briefly, before replying with the same courtesy: [Hello.]

Lu Ran: "..."

You're quite polite?

With this response, it was most likely Silent Night—Dawn Blade, with its cheerful personality, wouldn't just drop two simple words like this.

Lu Ran: [Silent Night, what's the matter?]

[He Qifeng received Peak Master's permission to provide support.]

[Great!] Lu Ran's face lit up, and he quickly responded with his thoughts: [How many people can she bring?]

...

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