"Lu Ran represents Rain Alley City, thank you, Senior, for lending a hand!"

Lu Ran stopped in his tracks, clasped his fist in his other hand, and looked up into the night sky.

Twenty meters away, a woman stood upon her flying sword.

She wore a white veil, her black hair pinned up behind her head, her white dress purer than snow, her sleeves fluttering.

Lu Ran could only see the upper half of her face, her brows exuding pride, with a pair of signature phoenix eyes.

The slightly upturned corners of her eyes, carrying a hint of severity, made her seem difficult to approach.

Guan Xiao looked down at Lu Ran, observed him carefully for a moment, and spoke indifferently,

"Peak Master Qiao has raised a fine son."

"Do you know my mother?" Lu Ran raised his eyebrows slightly.

The woman looked to be in her forties, probably a few years older than his mother.

"Guan Xiao wishes Lu Heavenly Pride success tonight," said Guan Xiao with a slight nod before departing.

Lu Ran flicked his right hand, and the Silent Night Blade spun toward a spot five meters away.

"Swish—"

A Straw Demon, just re-constituted, had its head cleaved off.

Immediately after, the bound straw body of the Straw Demon puffed up, and a pile of straw engulfed Lu Ran's lower legs.

Lu Ran watched the departing woman, and clenched his right hand.

The handle of the Silent Night Blade landed steadily in his palm.

He turned his gaze to Ge Bin, who was organizing the Wangyue Army to continue their mission.

The Evil Demon·Blood Skull, whose head he had just sliced off, had also dissipated into mist, vanishing into the atmosphere.

"Go on, Little Lu, don't worry."

Through his earpiece, Liu Yunlan's voice came through.

She was still healing the wounded, providing Lu Ran both courage and peace of mind.

Lu Ran looked distantly toward Liu Yunlan, nodded, and reversed, disappearing into the spreading Immortal Fog.

Thirty seconds in West River, thirty seconds in Hedong.

Lu Ran fought his way back, leaving behind the corpses of Evil Demons, rampaging through the city, and stormed into the Wu Lie Building.

"Brother!!"

In the center of the square, the elite team of Beijing continued their fierce battle.

Upon seeing the path through the Immortal Fog, Yuanxi promptly called out loud.

Right when Lu Ran stopped at the northern side of the square, another cattle-like head was sliced off.

Yuanxi strode forward, running swiftly toward Lu Ran.

"Slick—"

Lu Ran connected his strikes in a line, having just slain a Soul-splitting Demon, and then killed a Ghostly Eyes Ghost.

"Eh?" Yuanxi paused her steps, "Where's my brother?"

She followed the trail of Immortal Fog and found Lu Ran again.

Then, Yuanxi shifted direction, running toward Lu Ran.

"Whoosh~"

Yuanxi suddenly felt a chill breeze and a figure approached quickly.

Lu Ran stood in front of Little Yuanxi, and softly reminded, "The battle is not over yet."

Since the Dawn Blade had been constantly by Yuanxi's side, Lu Ran knew that his sister was safe and sound.

He wasn't too worried, but Yuanxi was different!

She hugged Lu Ran tightly, burying her face in his chest:

"I was scared to death! That was the River Realm Demon Monarch, Blood Skull!"

Her words were thick with lingering fear, and even her voice trembled.

A warmth spread through Lu Ran's heart as he patted Yuanxi's back.

The invasion by the River Realm Demon Monarch naturally triggered alarms.

The Moon Gazers stationed in various districts and streets would receive notifications from the command center immediately.

"It's all right now, see? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" Lu Ran consoled in a soothing voice.

Yuanxi's small hands clutched Lu Ran's clothing tightly,

as if fearing that the person before her would disappear the moment she let go.

She complained softly, "I told the Dawn Blade to help you, but it disobeyed, sticking by my side instead."

Lu Ran smiled and said, "Let's talk about that tomorrow, for now, go lead the battle."

"Um." Yuanxi was not obedient; instead, she rubbed her face against Lu Ran's chest in his arms.

No one knew what the girl had been through.

The advent of a Demon Lord was enough to terrify people.

And this Demon Lord was none other than the Evil Demon Leader·Blood Skull?

Including Lu Ran, there were only three Human Clan powerhouses in Rain Alley City.

To Yuanxi's dismay, she learned that the one facing the challenge was her own brother, Lu Ran.

She truly panicked then.

The Blood Skull clan was legendary in their ruthlessness, often accompanied by words like mass killing and mountains of corpses.

Yuanxi's heart was in her throat!

Now that she saw Lu Ran return safely, she was nearly beside herself with joy!

It was a feeling of relief and regained hope that ordinary people could not fathom.

"You're going to get an earful," Lu Ran joked with a smile.

This scene was set.

After tonight, who knows how the internet would tell stories about Little Yuanxi.

Lu Ran felt that instead of letting others speak, it was better for him to say it, to guide the narrative and ask for some leniency.

He casually launched the Silent Night Blade, his voice gentle,

"A River Realm Fifth Stage powerhouse, on the battlefield, secretly hugging her brother and crying?"

"Um..."

"Are you that afraid I'll die?"

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What are you saying!"

"Then how about you advance to River Realm soon, to help your brother in battle?"

The battlefield was chaotic, filled with roaring.

Yet, amidst this fearsome battlefield, the siblings conversed in gentle tones.

It was somewhat magical, somewhat warm.

"Don't worry big bro! Whoever dares to badmouth my wife, I'll be the first to disagree!"

"Ran Shen is so gentle~ I want a hug too [hug.JPG]"

"Ha ha, emperor Ran is completely whipped! He can't bear to push her away or scold her, can't even speak a little louder, can he?"

"Yuanxi: Did I hear you're Da Xia's number one Heavenly Pride? Stand at attention for me! Stand straight, and give me a hug ~"

"Blood Skull: No! Dude!! You were so fierce when you were killing me, now you don't even dare to breathe heavily, right?"

"Those who are favored are fearless~ [Red rose.JPG]"

The live-stream chat was full of joy, and due to Lu Ran's actions, mostly kind remarks prevailed.

On the screen, Lu Ran was finally able to comfort his sister, and everyone felt a pang of sympathy at the sight of Yuanxi's reddened eyes.

Lu Ran led Yuanxi back to their team, and they heard the hearty laughter of Niu Zhengzheng:

"Brother Ran is mighty! Hahaha! Did you slay the Blood Skull?"

Wang Ling also laughed heartily: "Brother Ran is mighty!!"

Lu Ran responded modestly: "I had help from the seniors, so I had nothing to worry about."

Guan Yiren hovered in the air, her flying swords whizzing freely around her.

She quietly watched Lu Ran, a flicker of concern in her eyes.

Lu Ran sensed something and looked up just in time to see Guan Yiren engage in Sword Flight again, slaughtering Evil Demons.

A moment later, Lu Ran suddenly said, "A senior just now, she is a disciple of Sword One.

She also bears the name Guan, do you know her?"

Guan Yiren continued fighting, not looking at Lu Ran, but simply nodded slightly: "My aunt."

Actually related?

Lu Ran silently nodded.

Since the disciples of Sword One were mortal enemies with the Blood Skull clan, then the Lady Guan Xiao was probably here for… Wait a second!

That's not right!

If Guan Xiao came after her sworn enemy, shouldn't she be fighting to the death like Wang Ling's uncle Wang Quan?

That would be the way to seek recognition.

But just now, Guan Xiao directly let Lu Ran go to kill Blood Skull.

This powerful disciple of Sword One, instead, chose to play the supporting role, blocking the Blood Skull clan's ultimate move for Rain Alley City.

This...?

Lu Ran pondered for a moment but didn't dwell on it, as the night was not yet over.

However, since Blood Skull's appearance, the latter half of the night in Rain Alley was relatively "calm."

And Lu Ran's earth-shattering battle with Blood Skull spread quickly online!

Before dawn broke, various reports had already flooded the official websites of major news media.

As usual, the scorecard for this period's "Heavenly Pride" would be announced on the 18th day of the lunar month.

But the people of Da Xia and various media had already acknowledged a fact.

This was evident in the comments from netizens and the headlines of the media:

"Dust Settles! The Youth of Rain Alley Ascends to the Summit of Heavenly Pride!"

"Nine ranks Immortal Goat Disciple, Da Xia's number one Heavenly Pride!"

"Evil Demon Leader? Slay!!"

"Amidst the world's banquets, only you dare attend the feast of Rain Alley City—Quoted from a live-stream chat user"

...

Unaware of these developments, Lu Ran continued to fight alongside the Beijing team, collecting Dead Souls.

From time to time, Lu Ran would leave for a while to patrol the city, harboring wandering lost souls.

As the sky gradually brightened, Lu Ran slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"It's finished, huh."

In the center of the square, Yuanxi stood beside Lu Ran, gazing up at the white expanse of the sky.

Rain Alley City

indeed suffered a cursed fate.

At least it wouldn't follow suit, learning to gild the lily.

The sky was filled with thick frost, the winter sun remained hidden, and beautiful dawn rosy clouds were nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go home," Lu Ran murmured, still thinking about the Silent Night Blade.

"Sure," Yuanxi nodded repeatedly, of course wanting to be alone with Lu Ran.

The poor sister had no idea that her brother's head was filled with thoughts of the blade...

"Congratulations, Brother Ran!" Wang Ling approached with a right fist clenched.

Lu Ran smiled back, bumping fists with Wang Ling.

He was not falsely modest.

If he scored less than 134 points tonight, the people of Da Xia would not stand for it!

"Haha, congratulations in advance, Brother Ran!" Niu Zhengzheng beamed, his fists as large as sandbags clenched tightly.

Lu Ran bumped fists with him in return.

"Yiren?" Wang Ling glanced at the woman standing alone to the side, gently prompting.

Guan Yiren did not step forward, just silently watching Lu Ran, lost in his gaze once again.

Lu Ran nodded and said, "Please thank Senior Guan for me."

What for,

you once saved my life, after all.

Guan Yiren did not speak but responded with a smile and nod.

"Shall we have hotpot the day after tomorrow to celebrate?" Yuanxi suddenly suggested.

"Sure!"

"Haha, it's settled then!"

The group of five chatted and laughed, feeling happy for Lu Ran.

However, the atmosphere in the live-stream was already changing.

One by one, the farewells scrolled across the screen, making everyone increasingly sentimental.

"Goodbye, this time it's a real goodbye [Crying.JPG]"

"Ran Dog, Ran Mei, Ran General, Emperor Ran, Ran Treasure, Ran Shen... Till we meet again."

"My heart feels empty."

"Is it really over? So warm, yet so sad."

"Will we meet again?"

"Thank you for keeping me company through those terrifying nights..."

Suddenly, the camera shifted.

Lu Ran's face appeared on the screen.

His hat, long lost in battle, to everyone's surprise, Lu Ran took off his black mask.

This wasn't the first time Lu Ran had shown his true face.

After all, in the past two months, Lu Ran had participated in two "Heavenly Pride" events.

But this time, Lu Ran was taking a selfie, the camera was real close.

The people of Da Xia had a rare opportunity to enjoy Little Yuanxi's special treatment.

Under the snowy sky, his smile was warm, his voice soft:

"Through mountains and waters, we shall meet again.

I wish you prosperity and a peaceful life."

Just a few seconds later, the once diverse barrage of comments gradually became uniform:

"I wish you prosperity and a peaceful life."

"I wish you prosperity and a peaceful life."

"I wish you prosperity and a peaceful life."

...

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