All the evil beasts in the world, I feed on demons and monsters

Chapter 415 Soaring into the Clouds to Explore Scales, Fighting Ghosts with Beasts!
Li Hanzhang had met the old Dragon King and guessed that Ji Ran was impersonating the Dragon King.

Li Hanzhang knew far more about the Old Dragon Lord than Ji Ran and Hu Yao. Its incense name was "Lord of the Huai River," a deity who controlled the Huai River and the underworld.

For thousands of years, the demon kings who dominated the Huai River have come and gone, but the Huai River Yin Lord has remained unchanged for eternity. Even in this world where Taoism is revered, the Tang Dynasty imperial family, in addition to their regular Taoist sacrifices, fasting ceremonies, and worship of Heaven, would organize a grand sacrificial ceremony to worship the Huai River Yin Lord every year during the Ghost Festival.

But at this moment, Li Hanzhang was completely baffled by this young hunter surnamed Xia.

He was calling for... the Dragon Lord?
Li Hanzhang looked at Ji Ran.

Under the pale light of the sky, countless talismans flowed and emerged from his body, the talismans written with incense smoke outlining a seven-colored halo, faintly emitting rosy light. Hundreds of talismans swirled around his body, making him appear as if he were sitting in the center of a galaxy, with a majestic and awe-inspiring aura.

The ashes of the paper fluttered like snowflakes, each one carrying a faint hint of purple, swirling and dancing around.

Li Hanzhang learned from the old official in green robes that the more complex the talisman, the more talismans needed to be drawn at the same time. However, he also knew that four or five talismans could create a powerful spell that could easily repel top-tier martial arts masters!
Hundreds of talismans were reflected in the water before me, resembling surging talisman dragons. Just how powerful were these talismans?!
Could it be... that this powerful celestial being is called "Dragon Lord"?
That's not impossible.

The Heavenly Thunder Department patrols the realms to inspect demons and evil spirits, controlling lightning tribulations and capable of subduing and killing any demon. Any spirit or demon above the fourth rank will tuck its tail between its legs and conceal its form. Fifth-rank celestial demons are even more fearful, often disguising themselves as humans, transforming into incense burners to accumulate merit.

The demons that once roamed the world were at most of the third rank. Some top-tier martial arts masters, if they gathered in groups of several, could also slay demons. Taoist masters, who often roamed the mortal world, could often defeat demons with their magic.

These second-tier great demons only appeared after the lightning tribulation had ended.

At this moment, Li Hanzhang stood quietly to the side. Xia Yannian knelt respectfully, muttering incantations, his expression one of intense emotion.

A genuine aura of incense smoke actually formed around Xia Yannian, and a faint, ethereal incense smoke trailed behind him. He was beginning to truly believe that what he had seen in his dream was not merely a dream, but that he had truly encountered the Dragon Lord!
As he believed, the power of Mars began to exert its influence.

This boy has already been bound by the fate of all living beings.

……

About half an hour later, the talismans around Ji Ran dissipated, and he opened his eyes to look ahead.

His eyes shimmered with a seven-colored light, reflecting the myriad causes and effects of the universe. With a thought, the incense instantly outlined a purple talisman! This talisman was obscure and complex, its structure ancient and simple, yet in one corner, there was a golden rune, like a patch on a complete talisman.

You have acquired the spell "Supreme Divine Travel".

[Supreme Divine Travel Technique]

Effect: Absorbs the soul of the deceased, placing it into a state of spiritual wandering. In this state, the soul's thoughts remain normal; the soul and body are immortal. Regardless of the physical state of death, the soul can be restored.

[Note: This technique is ineffective against those of the fourth rank or higher who have achieved a unity of spirit and body.]

What incredible power!
Ji Ran finally understood why Jiang Rao had been able to conceal the public killing of a senior martial arts master from the Mahayana Maitreya Sect! This technique involved killing the person first, then collecting their soul. Regardless of how the corpse was handled during this process, a new body could be created after the technique ended!
The only drawback is that the spell's rank is too low, and it can only be effective on first-tier spells.

but……

Ji Ran looked at a corner of the talisman.

In truth, he was unable to condense this talisman. However, although he couldn't fully depict certain parts of the talisman, he could see some similarities to the supernatural power "Upright and Shadowless".

The "Upright and Shadowless" technique is a shared talent, allowing one to draw it out like muscle memory. Therefore, by using a portion of the similar "Upright and Shadowless" runes, one filled the gaps and gained control of this spell!
However, Ji Ran frowned slightly. Even with the original Tai Xu Divine Travel Talisman, this technique was merely a common talisman, capable of only taking in a few people at most. Jiang Rao, on the other hand, had previously collected the knowledge of all the elders of the entire martial world!
It seems that Jiang Rao had other ways to hide his soul back then.

Hey!
Putting away the talisman, Ji Ran stepped out onto the bridge.

"squeak!"

Ji Ran swept his hand over the fire demon, which immediately twisted and melted, turning into droplets of blood that fell into his fingertips. The Zashiki-warashi also obediently flew into his earring.

These acquired skills, learned later in life, are so natural and effortless to use that they far surpass skills acquired directly!
Ji Ran understood that this was just the beginning.

He had already seen the possibility of breaking out of the professional system, not to mention that his current gains were comparable to a journey. Simply being able to deconstruct spells and cultivate his own magic had already set him on a powerful path different from all other travelers.

"Senior Dragon Lord."

Li Hanzhang stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I have brought the person."

"it is good."

Ji Ran's gaze fell upon the young man in front of him.

"Xia Yannian." "Do you...recognize me?"

"I recognize it!"

Xia Yannian saw Ji Ran's face clearly, and excitedly kowtowed, saying, "Lord Dragon Lord!"

“I have been serving you in my dreams since I was a child, but no one believes me when I tell them! I… I even thought it was just a figment of my imagination when I was a child.”

Xia Yannian looked up, his eyes trembling, as if the most devout believer had seen the true God he worshipped.

"Only today do I realize that the dream was not a dream!"

Ji Ran walked gently to his side and said, "Then do you know why I came to see you today?"

"I don't know, please enlighten me, Lord Dragon!"

"Because you are dead."

"!"

Xia Yannian suddenly looked up, his excited eyes instantly turning cold, and his face turned deathly pale!
"how come!?"

"I...I just started earning money, and I haven't even bought Father a pipe or Mother a new coat yet! I..."

"So, here I am."

Ji Ran looked at Xia Yannian, who was suddenly incoherent, and pointed to the black scales in the clouds above that he could not see.

"I have come here today to take you to the future and rewrite your fate."

Xia Yannian trembled slightly upon hearing this, but his gaze toward Ji Ran held a faint glimmer of light.

"Rewritten as...alive?"

"That depends on you."

Ji Ran opened her eyes wide, stirring up the anger within the boy! Three mouths spoke at the same time, their voices clear and deep!
Xia Yannian was still filled with fear; after all, he was just a country boy: "I..."

Click~!

Amidst the cracking sound of bones exploding, Ji Ran's body swelled violently, his tendons and bones stretched, and his flesh and blood were reshaped—in the blink of an eye, he transformed into his original form, which was ten feet tall!

The shadow cast by that towering figure completely engulfed the boy.

From the moment he decided to call himself "Dragon Lord," Ji Ran had considered his image. A name plus appearance was necessary to establish his identity. This image absolutely could not be something easily imitated.

At this moment, the ring on his finger melted away, and the blood-scale armor transformed into a crimson necklace that swirled around his body! The fire-resistant cloth on his wrist flickered, golden sun flames danced, and blazing fire flowed behind him!
His eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his three eyes concealed his divine presence.

Three voices rang out in unison, a blood-red ribbon of gold!
At this moment, amidst the billowing black robes, even the well-informed Li Hanzhang was completely blank in his mind!
At this moment, even if the real Dragon King were to descend, Li Hanzhang would still believe that Ji Ran was the true one! The terrifying power of the Turbid Immortal Body, coupled with Ji Ran's current aura—

The divine signs are fully revealed!

hum!
Seeing Ji Ran's imposing presence, Xia Yannian was completely convinced! His inner faith even suppressed his fear!

boom!
He bowed deeply and said, "I... made the arrangements, Lord Zunlong!"

Just as he completely believed in the dream, the illusory image of incense behind him solidified completely under the influence of Mars!
A false memory transformed into a young believer who had truly believed in himself for over a decade!
"Come with me!"

Ji Ran no longer hesitated, but instead his spiritual power surged, lifting Xia Yannian and soaring straight into the sky!

How to increase the success rate?
What one can influence most is a person's anger! Whether it's evil spirits or wasted time, if you crush them all, kill them all... the dragon scales will shatter on their own!
Changing a village boy by forcing him to confront evil spirits seems unlikely. But if a vengeful beast is unleashed to fight the demon, who knows what might happen!
Whoosh-!
Paper ash turns into clouds, black scales form the universe.

A line of crimson gold rainbow pierces the sky!

(End of this chapter)