Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

Lin Ran hovered in mid-air, looking down at the two of them with an indifferent tone.

"I'll give you a chance to live. Now release your divine senses so I can plant my soul imprint on you, or I will kill you without mercy!"

Upon hearing this, another Foundation Establishment cultivator looked indignant: "Arrogant! You think you can control us?"

"If you don't know how to cherish opportunities, then you might as well die!"

Lin Ran was too lazy to waste words. He simply raised his fingertip and a wisp of pure sword energy condensed into shape.

laugh!

The sword energy pierced through the cultivator's brow in an instant. He didn't even have time to activate his protective spiritual power before his body suddenly stiffened and his life force dissipated.

Lin Ran raised his hand again, and the other Foundation Establishment cultivator's pupils shrank drastically: "Senior, spare my life!"

He witnessed his companion die instantly, and his mental defenses crumbled, leaving only fear.

Pfft!

As his companion's body fell to the ground, his legs buckled, and he knelt down, pleading, "Please spare my life, senior! I will obey your every command!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator dared not disobey, and immediately withdrew his spiritual power and released his divine sense barrier.

Lin Ran raised his hand and quickly formed a hand seal, a faint light condensing at his fingertips.

He pointed forward, and the eerie light precisely entered the other person's brow.

"Tell me, what's your name, and who are you? What's your purpose in blocking this way?"

He casually put the corpse into the Nine Heavens Pendant, his movements completely natural.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator remained kneeling on the ground, his posture respectful: "Reporting to the Master, my name is Yun Mo, and I am an outer disciple of the Qingxuan Sect."

"We were ordered to guard this place to prevent the sect's disciples from being unable to return if the entrance to the secret realm was destroyed."

Lin Ran scoffed lightly: "Hmph! You two think you can hold this off?"

Upon hearing this, Yunmo quickly explained, "This subordinate has a communication magic item that can instantly notify the Grandmaster."

Lin Ran smiled knowingly: "If you had a magic weapon, why didn't you use it just now?"

"Isn't it because our lord acted too quickly, and we didn't have time to react?" Yunmo said with a wry smile, his posture becoming even more respectful.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow, no longer dwelling on the matter, and went straight to the point: "How many Nascent Soul cultivators does the Qingxuan Sect have in total?"

"Reporting to the Lord, the Qingxuan Sect currently only has one Nascent Soul cultivator," Yun Mo replied truthfully.

Lin Ran was slightly puzzled: "Can a Nascent Soul cultivator really be considered a first-rate sect?"

He had previously heard Xuan Shuo say that the Qingxuan Sect was a first-class sect in Cangyan Prefecture.

Otherwise, with the two states separated by a million miles, Xuan Shuo would never have heard of such an obscure sect.

"Ahem... Your Majesty is unaware of this." Yun Mo explained earnestly, "Any sect with a Nascent Soul cultivator in charge has a place in the Cangxuan Realm."

"After all, Nascent Soul cultivators are the highest combat power in the Cangxuan Realm. Even the five major sects would not allow their disciples to provoke a sect with a Nascent Soul cultivator at will."

"Hmm, that makes sense." Lin Ran nodded, then pressed on, "And how many Nascent Soul cultivators are there?"

Yunmo replied without hesitation: "Including my grandmaster, there are a total of seven Nascent Soul cultivators."

"Hehe." Lin Ran chuckled lightly, "There are only six left now."

Yun Mo's body trembled, and he slowly raised his head: "My lord has killed a Nascent Soul cultivator?"

"How could I have gotten here if I hadn't killed him?" Lin Ran's face remained expressionless.

Yun Mo was deeply shocked and sincerely praised, "Our lord, with his Golden Core cultivation, defied the Nascent Soul stage. His methods are extraordinary, even the geniuses of the five major sects cannot compare to him."

"Cough cough..." Lin Ran coughed twice, feeling slightly embarrassed.

The Nascent Soul cultivator was suppressed by Li Zhu Wanwan throughout the entire process, and the Nascent Soul cultivator who finally managed to escape also perished under the Phoenix True Flame.

Strictly speaking, this doesn't even qualify as his record.

However, it's a good thing that it can make the guy in front of you wary.

"Enough with the nonsense. I'll ask you again: within the Qingxuan Sect, is there any way to detect the life or death of someone inside?"

"Reporting to the Lord, all disciples who have entered the inner sect have a life tablet left in the sect. Once someone dies, the life tablet will shatter immediately, and the sect will know immediately."

"This is a bit troublesome." Lin Ran frowned slightly, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

With one of the seven Nascent Soul cultivators of the Qingxuan Sect already fallen and a large number of its disciples wiped out, the sect's life tablets must be shattering one after another. The news should have already spread.

If he rashly enters the Cangxuan Realm and encounters that Nascent Soul Elder head-on, he will be absolutely powerless to resist him.

If the other party is ruthless, I might not even have a chance to escape.

Before going in, you must first understand what's inside.

He looked at Yunmo and gave instructions: "Go back and investigate to see if there is anyone else near the entrance."

"If there's no one inside for now, come back and report as soon as possible. If there are people inside, well, good luck to you."

Yunmo's expression changed several times, but in the end he could only respectfully reply, "Your subordinate obeys."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the spatial rift, his figure disappearing instantly.

Lin Ran raised his hand and made a hand seal, opening the entrance to the Nine Heavens Cave.

A streak of crimson-gold light shot through the air and landed in front of him.

Li Zhu Wanwan still maintained the size of a baby bird, circling once in front of Lin Ran.

"This is the entrance to the Cangxuan Realm, where Nascent Soul cultivators and ninth-order demonic beasts exist."

Lin Ran pointed to the spatial rift ahead and slowly said, "You can go in and take a look first. If it's safe around here, then I'll go in."

"You want me to scout the way for you?" Zhu Wanwan raised her phoenix eyes slightly, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure.

Lin Ran shrugged casually, "I'm not in a hurry to break through. Why don't you come back with me first, and I'll come back when I reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

"How can that be?" Zhu Wanwan exclaimed, her wings fluttering. "Fine, I'll go take a look!"

"Then be careful not to get caught," Lin Ran earnestly advised.

Zhu Wanwan replied arrogantly, "A mere Nascent Soul cultivator can't possibly trap me!"

Having said that, she transformed into a streak of fire and rushed straight into the spatial rift.

The spatial rift surged for a moment, then quickly returned to calm.

Lin Ran stood outside the entrance, quietly waiting for news, remaining on guard at all times.

After all, cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage are beings between the eighth and ninth ranks, and Lin Ran had never seen one before, so he naturally dared not be careless in the slightest.

In just a few breaths, the spatial rift began to tremble again.

As Zhu Wanwan turned back, her phoenix beak carrying a figure, she landed steadily in front of Lin Ran.

She let go, and Yunmo fell directly to the ground, rolling around awkwardly.

Li Zhu Wanwan said coldly, "We didn't find any Nascent Soul cultivators around, only this Foundation Establishment cultivator. He's acting suspiciously; he doesn't seem like a good person."

Yunmo quickly propped himself up and shouted loudly to Lin Ran, "My lord, save me!"

Seeing this, Lin Ran's lips twitched slightly, and he coughed twice, looking a little embarrassed.

"Ahem, I forgot to mention, this is the scout I put in earlier."

A hint of displeasure flashed in Zhu Wanwan's eyes: "Since you've already let the scouts in, why should I go in?"

"It's always better to be cautious than to make a mistake," Lin Ran replied frankly.

"Hmph!" Li Zhu Wanwan flapped her wings again, turned around, and rushed into the spatial rift once more.

Lin Ran watched her retreating figure, chuckled, and shook his head: "She's got quite a temper."

After saying that, he stepped into the spatial rift.

Upon seeing this, Yunmo quickly got up and followed.

Although the Qingxuan Mountains are on the edge of the Cangxuan Realm, their spiritual energy concentration far exceeds that of Blue Star.

A gentle breeze sweeps through the mountains and forests, filling the air with the vitality of plants and trees, bringing comfort and tranquility.

Li Zhu Wanwan circled once in mid-air, scanning the surrounding mountains and terrain.

A moment later, she landed atop a solitary peak nestled against a mountain range.

Her phoenix eyes turned back, and she transmitted her voice to Lin Ran at the foot of the mountain: "Build me a stone house here, I need to prepare to transform into human form."

Lin Ran looked up at the mountain peak and casually asked, "How long will it take you to break through to the Human Transformation stage?"

"Uncertain, it could take three to five days, or one to two months at the latest," Li Zhu Wanwan replied perfunctorily, preening her feathers.

Lin Ran looked surprised: "It's been that long?"

He hesitated for a moment, then asked again, "Will there be a lightning tribulation?"