Meanwhile, Jiang Ruyi plummeted down at high speed, her Cold Night Sword at her waist fiercely driving downward as well, helping its master evade Elder Peng's attack trajectory.

In that instant, her vision blurred!

A towering, mysterious figure appeared before her.

He wore a bamboo hat and bamboo clothes, his body ablaze with roaring flames, and wielded a Fiery Fire Hammer while hovering in the air in front of her.

Jiang Ruyi: !!!

Everyone's expressions turned to shock as they stared at the sudden figure.

Who… who is this?

Elder Peng gripped the Shattered Wilderness Axe, shattering one Jade Talisman after another.

"Boom!!"

At the exact moment the last Jade Talisman crumbled, the hammer's shadow smashed heavily against Elder Peng's axe blade.

A direct hit!

Elder Peng's momentum of rushing upward was abruptly slowed!

Fierce Heavenly Divine Skill·Bursting Sky Vault!

This definitely wasn't River Grade output.

It was the kind of output capable of slaying across realms under the state of Divine Technique·Fiery Fire Sky Leader!

"Ahhh!" Elder Peng's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

Another person stepping in my way?

Another...? Wait, what?!

Just as Elder Peng's face emerged from the surging sea of flames, a massive white-scaled python shot directly toward him!

"Roar!!"

This wasn't a typical River Grade Immortal Sky Python either—it was one capable of killing across realms!

The mysterious bamboo clothes figure summoned an illusory python that roared downwards, piercing through Elder Peng's body and launched a frenzied assault on his advance.

Elder Peng… stiffened upright!

First struck by a hammer blow, then rocked by the monstrous python's charge.

Elder Peng, who had surged upward against the tide, was forcibly held upright!

Frozen for a brief moment in the skies.

The Water Flow Armor on his body shattered completely; heavily injured, he finally regained clarity.

Shocked and furious, Elder Peng gazed up at the mysterious figure, only to meet a pair of eerie crimson eyes.

Evil Technique·Silk Pupil!

"Urgh..."

This time, Elder Peng didn't shout in anger but instead let out a muffled groan.

He fell into a deep crimson world, greeted by the terrifying punishment of countless red threads piercing through his heart and soul.

But Elder Peng was a Sea Realm Great Power, after all.

And the amplified output of Fiery Fire Sky Leader did not include psychic attacks.

The Yangyang Sea possessed immensely terrifying spiritual resilience, so Elder Peng's injuries weren't as severe as one might expect.

Not severe?

No problem; it'll be severe in a moment!

"Boom!!"

The fiercely burning hammer's shadow once again slammed downward at an angle.

Elder Peng, suspended mid-air and beginning to fall, was brutally struck again by the fiery hammer shadow.

"Whoosh~"

The mysterious bamboo clothes figure flashed through the air, appearing several hundred meters below at an angle.

Blocking Elder Peng's flight path!

With a low growl, the figure flung the Lie Tian Hammer hard, sending another flaming hammer shadow flying out.

"Wait, wait!" Elder Peng finally regained full clarity.

No longer angrily glaring, his tone turned polite and panicked as he exclaimed, "Esteemed Daoist… Ahhh!"

"Boom!!"

The exploding hammer shadow and surging flames turned Elder Peng's plea into a scream of misery.

Like a kite with a snapped string, he was sent flying skyward.

The bamboo clothes figure flashed again, launching another fiery hammer shadow!

"Daoist, there may have been a misunderstan—Ahhh!!"

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!"

Song Yu, Gao Yunyan, An Xian, and the others stared, dumbfounded, at the aerial scene unfolding above.

Amid layers of rain.

Silhouettes flickered, fire hammers flew!

Each time, the mysterious bamboo clothes figure appeared along Elder Peng's flight path, relentlessly landing hammer strikes.

The once-prideful Elder Peng now showed no trace of arrogance.

He shouted in desperation, resembling nothing more than a punching bag as he was repeatedly hammered through the skies!

"Daoist! Dao... spare—!"

"Stop... misunderstanding! I was blin—"

"I was wrong! I was wrong!! Please… Ahhh!"

The once-ground-stomping, domineering king was now completely subdued in the air.

Though Sea Realm·Water Flow Armor had exceptional self-healing capabilities, and despite the unmatched sturdiness of Divine Technique·Western Wilderness Body, everyone could see that at this rate…

This mighty Yangyang Sea figure,

was going to be controlled to death by the mysterious bamboo clothes figure!

"Gulp."

Buried in the muddy earth, Xiong Xiong cautiously raised his head, staring at the flickering, furiously hammering figure above.

What… what the hell is this?!

"Pavilion Master!" Song Yu dragged Gao Yunyan along, rushing toward her and speaking in a hushed tone, "Quickly, let's leave!"

Regardless of who the mysterious figure was or why they intervened, running was the safest choice.

"Not leaving." Jiang Ruyi spoke calmly.

"What?" Song Yu panicked, "Pavilion Master! Even if they helped us, we still…"

"Never leaving again." Jiang Ruyi's lips parted lightly.

Her eternally cool gaze softened at this moment to an extraordinary degree.

The oversized bamboo hat and bamboo clothes indeed rendered the figure mysterious.

Several Tang Blades, accompanied by a Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd, were concealed under the cloak, revealing no clues.

But Jiang Ruyi's Cold Night Sword at her waist, combined with her deep familiarity with this person, told her exactly who he was!

It all felt like a dream.

He had appeared just like that, without warning.

And the sheer strength of his techniques…

At this moment, Jiang Ruyi couldn't bring herself to care about anything else.

Her gentle gaze meticulously observed him, as if her invisible hands repeatedly traced his silhouette.

"I can't die… I don't want to die, I… I was wrong… I'll serve you as a slave—Ahhh…" Elder Peng muttered incoherently, battered into a daze.

Only his lingering will to survive kept him begging, sobbing uncontrollably.

With all defensive measures exhausted, his Water Flow Armor shattered with a loud crack.

His clothes torn, his flesh mangled, copious amounts of fresh blood spilled everywhere...

"Squelch!"

The blade pierced flesh.

This time, there was no hammer shadow, no explosion.

Amid the torrential rain, the mysterious bamboo clothes figure appeared behind Elder Peng, the Eight Desolate Blade driving into the back of his head.

The bloodied blade tip emerged from between Elder Peng's brows, right before his eyes.

"Crack!" A bolt of lightning illuminated the bamboo clothes figure.

Under the brim of his hat, those eyes were chillingly cold.

"Don't worry. Even after your death, you'll leave behind a Dead Soul—we're not done." The bamboo clothes figure murmured, his tone devilish.

With a hand pressed against Elder Peng's head,

he pushed it forward bit by bit.

The corpse grew lifeless, sliding off the blade and plummeting hundreds of meters below.

"Buzz!!"

The Eight Desolates Annihilation Blade vibrated fiercely.

The bamboo clothes figure paid it no mind.

"Plop~"

Far to the West Desolation's Ten Thousand Blade Mountain region, the sound of a fish blowing bubbles suddenly echoed strangely.

A faint golden giant fish materialized, ramming through a terrifying sandstorm and diving furiously underground.

The bamboo clothes figure remained indifferent, merely turning slowly to meet a pair of familiar, beautiful eyes.

No heartbreak, no tears.

Simply the joy of reunion in those gorgeous eyes.

"Whoosh~"

Once again, Jiang Ruyi's vision blurred.

This time, she didn't panic. Instead, she quietly surveyed the young man's face before her.

Her gaze gradually changed.

From joy to longing.

Even though Lu Ran stood right in front of her, she couldn't help but feel as though her yearning only deepened.

Her surging emotions seemed to ripple through the very heavens and earth.

"Crack!"

Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky as the crowd gazed foolishly at the scene before them.

Some even began to speculate who the mysterious bamboo clothes figure could be.

After all, in this world, there was likely only one person qualified to stand so close to Lady Luo Xian...

"How long have you been at Holy Spirit Mountain?" Lu Ran lifted his hand, cupping her cheek.

Jiang Ruyi closed her beautiful eyes, her face subtly brushing left and right.

That adorable look of indulgence reminded Lu Ran of Little Li Hua.

Seeing her silent, Lu Ran asked, "Was that old scoundrel Golden Jade Talisman who sent you here?"

"Mhm." Jiang Ruyi replied softly, holding onto Lu Ran's hand as though confirming he was truly there.

As for Lu Ran's disrespectful comment about the God, she seemed unaffected.

After a long pause, she finally reopened her eyes: "Immortal Sheep Lord gave me a hint: the sea.

Are you resting near the sea?"

Lu Ran frowned slightly: "Immortal Sheep Lord didn't stop you but encouraged you to enter instead?"

Jiang Ruyi raised her hand, gently smoothing out his frown with her fingertips, her eyes still filled with longing, her voice soft and tender:

"I… missed you."

Lu Ran's heart trembled heavily!

Unable to hold back any longer, he leaned in to press his lips against hers.

"Mmph…" Jiang Ruyi instinctively clenched his clothes.

The rain poured heavily.

But Lu Ran's bamboo hat was wide enough to shelter her.

Gradually, Jiang Ruyi closed her eyes.

Oh, Divine Lord,

I didn't ascend to the Sea Realm; nor did the ocean find me.

But that ocean...

came to me.

...

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