Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 710 Blessing of Literary Fortune
"Yuzhang, the old prefecture, and Hongdu, the new capital?"

Blood splattered from Xiao Ran's fingertips, and eight ancient characters hung in mid-air. Shao Hongzhang's eyes widened at first, then he sighed inwardly and shook his head repeatedly.

"It's the same old story...it seems to be nothing special."

His expression darkened. The literary world of the dynasty was in decline; while his own poetry, though not masterpieces, was among the best of his time, it was truly hard to believe that Xiao Ran's pen could create something new.

Xiao Ran raised his wrist again, blood splattering, and the second sentence suddenly took shape:
"The stars are divided into Yi and Zhen, and the earth is connected to Heng and Lu."

Shao Hongzhang looked even more dejected: "It's just an old story... nothing worth mentioning."

The five brothers of Tan Shancai, their tense shoulders and backs, quietly relaxed, and their sneers were hard to hide.

"Oh, that's all!"

Although the Tan brothers were treasure hunters, they were also literate—otherwise, how could they identify the literary treasures and masterpieces left by the ancients? Based on these two opening sentences alone, they had already judged Xiao Ran to be a "mediocre talent".

However, Xiao Ran's fingertips flashed with crimson light once more, splashing ink in mid-air:

"Embracing the three rivers and girding the five lakes, controlling the barbarian lands of Jing and leading to the lands of Ou and Yue. Abundant in natural resources and treasures, the dragon's light shines upon the ruins of the Ox and the Dipper!"

Upon hearing this, the mocking smiles on the faces of the five Tan brothers instantly froze!

Shao Hongzhang suddenly looked up, staring incredulously at the still-bleeding fingertip.

"How perfectly crafted and powerful these words are!"

Before he could savor it properly, Xiao Ran wrote again:
"A land blessed with outstanding people and abundant resources, where Xu Ru once sat on Chen Fan's couch. The majestic prefecture stands like a row of clouds, and its talented individuals shine like stars..."

"boom--!!!"

The towering pillar of literature trembled violently, emitting a dragon's roar that pierced through the clouds and shattered rocks! The stream of talent that had been suppressed by the five giant bronze palms suddenly exploded, transforming into thousands of golden carp that surged against the sky!

"not good!!!"

The Tan brothers' expressions changed drastically! The five of them were of one mind, and the bronze discs in their palms shone brightly as they exerted all their strength to suppress the Wenzhu! At the same time, a fierce roar shook the heavens, and the lurking demonic shadows all around surged toward Xiao Ran like a tide!
Xiao Ran was even faster!
With a flick of the wrist, blood spurted out! The blood solidified into characters in mid-air, then exploded like thunder:
"Purple lightning and green frost, General Wang's arsenal. My father was serving as magistrate, passing through this renowned region; what did I, a mere child, know, yet I was fortunate enough to attend this grand banquet!"

"Boom--!"

The crimson characters burst forth with countless golden rays! From within the pillar of writing, thousands of golden koi carp surged forth! A boundless stream of talent converged, sweeping across the land, roaring and surging around Xiao Ran!
The moment the demonic shadow touched this vast flow of energy, it vanished into nothingness!

Xiao Ran rode the waves, blood flowing like a spring from her wrist, splashing out in writing:
"It was September, the beginning of autumn. The floodwaters had receded, leaving the cold pools clear. The smoke and light condensed, turning the evening mountains purple..."

Heaven and earth resonated! The talent and potential dormant for three hundred years were fully awakened! The pillar of literature burst forth with the blazing light of the sun piercing the sky!
"Chichichichi——!"

The five giant bronze hands were pierced through by the intense light in an instant! The bronze discs in the hands of the Tan brothers shattered with a teeth-grinding sound!
In the next instant, a divine phrase that seemed to seize the very essence of heaven and earth soared into the sky:
"The sunset glows and the lone wild goose flies together; the autumn waters blend seamlessly with the vast sky..."

"Pfft!"

Shao Hongzhang's knees buckled, and he knelt down, looking up at Xiao Ran splashing ink in mid-air, his mind blank! His words of mockery for Xiao Ran's "self-humiliation" now felt like a burning hot iron, searing his heart!

"Big Brother!!!"

Tan Shanye trembled violently, his eyes filled with dazzling, multicolored light that pressed down on him as if his bones were about to crack! He roared hoarsely, "Retreat! I can't hold on any longer!!!"

Tan Shancai's eyes were bloodshot with rage. Despite his immense resentment, he knew that all was lost! He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Go!!!" Before he finished speaking, he had already risen from the ground, hastily grabbing the copper plate and trying to escape.

"Want to leave? Did you ask me first?"

Xiao Ran let out a cold shout, and blood splattered across the sky! His handwriting flowed like a rainbow, his immense talent instantly gathering in his palm! He swung his hand back—

A dazzling rainbow of talent tore through the air, directly piercing through the nearest altar of good deeds! It was purely a matter of distance!
"Fifth brother, watch out!!!" Tan Shancai was terrified!

Tan Shanye turned around in horror, only to find the Rainbow Bridge already upon him! He roared and raised the bronze disc with both hands! The patterns on the disc flashed wildly, and a ferocious demonic hand tore through the void, its giant fist smashing towards the Rainbow Bridge!

“Bang—Crack!!!”

The demonic fist shattered instantly! The bronze disc turned into dust that filled the sky!

Tan Shanye's spirit was greatly frightened, and he instinctively raised his arms to block! The skin and flesh on his arms hardened instantly, and the bluish-gray bones grew and solidified wildly, turning into a stark white bone shield!
Rainbow Bridge connects!

The bone shield was pierced through as easily as paper! The sound of shattering was accompanied by Tan Shanye's shrill scream! His arms exploded, and the burning and tearing pain swept through his entire body!

Rainbow Bridge continued its momentum, instantly piercing through his abdomen!

Blood and gore sprayed everywhere! Tan Shanye had been cut in half!

His demonic body, forged from the blood and essence of dozens of people, possessed an indomitable life force. Even after being severed at the waist, he was not dead; a glimmer of hope even flashed in his eyes—if only he could devour a few more...

A chill! A bone-chilling cold suddenly descended!

All that remained before Tan Shanye's eyes was a dazzling expanse of silvery white! He instinctively closed his eyes.

In the silver light, Xiao Ran's figure flashed like a ghost. Brilliant poems flowed around him, shimmering with silver light. He threw a punch, simple and unadorned. Tan Shanye's pupils shrank to pinpoints! He saw countless brilliant words, immortal chapters, condensed on the fist's edge, each word like a star, radiating eternal brilliance!
"boom!!!"

A fist slammed into his chest! A series of cracking sounds, like firecrackers, exploded around him! Tan Shanye flew backward like a bursting bag! A transparent hole was pierced through his chest cavity, and silver flames erupted from within, instantly engulfing him!
"Fifth Brother—!!!"

Tan Shancai's eyes widened in fury, black energy surged in his hand, and a pitch-black spear, wreathed in ominous aura, appeared out of thin air! The spear tip swept across, leaving a scorched and twisted mark in the void!

Xiao Ran neither dodged nor evaded; his right leg, like a steel whip, tore through the air, creating a dull bang!
"Clang—creak!"

The spear was bent into a right angle by this kick!
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lao San Tan Shan Cai launched a sneak attack, his palms glowing with a foul-smelling, highly poisonous green light! Xiao Ran didn't even turn his head, his left hand reaching out like a dragon claw! Silver light flowed from his fingertips, transforming into star-moon chains, instantly imprisoning the space around Lao San!

Immediately following, a fierce spinning kick landed hard on the third brother's face!

"boom!!!"

The third brother transformed into a shooting star, embedding himself deeply into the mountainside! The rocks collapsed with a deafening roar, burying him alive within!

"You little bastard! You've gone too far!!!" Tan Shancai's emerald green eyes burned with boundless hatred!

"This is outrageous!" Xiao Ran sneered, her words as cold as ice. "These words coming from the mouth of a fiend like you are an insult to my ears!"

Tan Shancai's face contorted as he shoved his ten fingers into his mouth! "Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!" A horrifying chewing sound rang out! His ten fingers were severed, a bloody mess!
His skin suddenly cracked, revealing ancient and ferocious battle patterns! Each pattern seemed to be flowing with magma, radiating a terrifying and suffocating demonic power! At this moment, his aura was comparable to that of the greatest evil spirit of the world!

Xiao Ran's eyes narrowed, and he recited the incantation:

"Though old, one should be vigorous; how can one change one's aspirations even in old age? Though poor, one should be steadfast; one should never abandon one's lofty ambitions!"

Countless golden characters surrounded him! He reached out, and a beam of golden light shot out from the pillar of writing, condensing in his palm—it was a long staff covered with dazzling characters the size of grains of rice! This was the very pillar of writing, which had gathered the literary fortune and talent of three hundred years!

With the staff in hand, the literary talent and fortune of three hundred years are all within your grasp!
Xiao Ran stood holding a staff, his body surrounded by a misty blue aura, exuding an air of refined elegance and righteousness, like a great Confucian scholar descending to earth!
"die--!!!"

Tan Shancai's battle runes suddenly exploded! Thick, foul-smelling black blood gushed out from countless cracks! Eighteen serrated, ferocious blood blades instantly solidified! Forming a blood-red blade array that could shred everything, tearing the earth and carving deep furrows, carrying a storm of wood chips, it came to strangle Xiao Ran!

Xiao Ran gathered his strength and, using his staff as a pen, unleashed the final masterpiece of his writing in the void:
"A humble scholar, with only a three-foot life, has no way to volunteer, waiting for the day when Zhong Jun comes of age..."

Each word carried immense weight! The void trembled! Each word exploded, transforming into a towering wall of light!

Eighteen ferocious, blood-red blades crashed into the light barrier—

Silently! Like a clay ox entering the sea, instantly crushed into the finest dust! Before the literary talent and fortune of three hundred years, Tan Shancai's demonic secret method was nothing more than a firefly compared to the bright moon!
"Boom——!!!"

Endless white light engulfed the area within a ten-mile radius! The battle patterns around Tan Shancai's body crumbled inch by inch! The blood arrows that spurted from his seven orifices were vaporized into scarlet blood mist while still in mid-air!
The bright light dispersed.

The surrounding demonic shadows had long since retreated, and the second and fourth brothers of the Tan family, Shanyuan and Shanming, had also disappeared without a trace, fleeing in panic. They were probably far away by now.

Xiao Ran looked at the long stick that had landed in her hand and breathed a sigh of relief.

"you!!"

Upon seeing this, Shao Hongzhang hurriedly ran over, staring intently at Xiao Ran, his admiration for her beyond measure.

"You, really... really... that... article... you wrote?"

He was now incoherent; the shock Xiao Ran had given him was so intense that it left him stunned.

Xiao Ran rolled her eyes at him, then quickly took out the energy bar that Wu Man had made earlier from her spatial storage and stuffed it into her mouth.

It was only then that Shao Hongzhang noticed that Xiao Ran's face was extremely pale and her whole body was terribly cold.

Fortunately, although Wu Man's energy bars were a bit hard and didn't taste very good, they were still quite effective at replenishing energy.

It took him a while to catch his breath after he finished the energy bar and sat on the ground. He said irritably, "If it weren't for something in my stomach, we would both be dead here today. Your method is unreliable."

Xiao Ran wore her dissatisfaction on her face. Shao Hongzhang's plan sounded good, but when it was implemented, she realized that he simply didn't have the ability to control Wen Zhu.

How dare he show off his few lousy poems?
Hearing Xiao Ran's complaints, Shao Hongzhang was immediately embarrassed. He scratched his head and said, "If you're all just average, then my poems are no good. Who knew that the Tan family would try to steal them?"

"Cut the nonsense!"

Xiao Ran tossed the stick in her hand to Shao Hongzhang, then got up and went to the place where the third son of the Tan family had been buried.

After digging around for a while, he found the body of the third brother of the Tan family. Although he had only kicked the guy once, that kick had turned his head into mush, and his entire skull had gone limp.

This was clearly beyond repair, but that didn't stump Xiao Ran. He turned around and found the head of the fifth brother of the Tan family.

"One has no head, the other has no body, hehe, isn't that a coincidence?"

Xiao Ran looked at the corpses in front of her with a smile on her face. However, she couldn't use cursed items or her professional skills in the examination room. She could only find some vines to wrap the two corpses up and wait for a chance to leave before trying to find the secret of the Tan family's secret technique from them...

(End of this chapter)