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

The red-skinned demon stopped talking and its body ignited with dark purple spiritual light.

A surge of powerful demonic energy swept across the area, and with a roar, he burst forth.

"ha!"

A punch, imbued with boundless demonic power, slammed down onto the giant octopus's head.

Sensing a deadly threat, the giant octopus immediately raised its two thick tentacles to cross and block.

Bang!

The fist slammed into the tentacle, and the domineering force instantly pierced through the tentacle's outer layer.

The flesh inside the tentacles burst open, spraying blood everywhere.

The remaining force of the punch diminished layer by layer, finally landing on the octopus's head and exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

The giant octopus trembled violently in pain, but did not suffer a fatal blow.

It instantly flew into a rage, and strange spiritual energy surged around it once again.

Click-clack!

The familiar sound of restraint rang out again, and an invisible force instantly enveloped the entire area.

All the martial artists and civilians in the vicinity were frozen in place, completely unable to move.

Even the red-skinned demon that had just launched a fierce attack suddenly stiffened, its offensive abruptly halting in mid-air.

The immobilization technique of an eighth-tier peak beast is extremely powerful, locking down the entire area.

The giant octopus seized the opportunity, unleashing a devastating, indiscriminate attack with its remaining tentacles.

Countless imprisoned martial artists were instantly crushed by the tentacles, their bodies shattered, and blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

The red-skinned monster endured several heavy blows, its body cracking open and blood gushing out.

In the critical moment, he opened his huge mouth and took a sudden breath.

He swallowed all the wounded and dying warriors' bodies and scattered blood essence around him.

In an instant, his depleted demonic power was rapidly restored, his wounds healed quickly, and his aura surged once more.

The moment it was freed, the red-skinned monster charged forward again, fearlessly engaging in a fierce battle with the giant octopus.

Miyamoto Kojiro also broke free from his restraints, seizing the opportunity when the giant beast was being held back by the demon, and unleashed the full power of his twin swords.

The human and the demon worked together, launching a pincer attack that layered upon each other, constantly tearing apart the octopus's defenses.

After a long and fierce battle, the giant octopus, which had been ravaging the coast, finally succumbed to its life force and collapsed onto the shore with a thud.

The deadly crisis facing this coastal city in the land of cherry blossoms has been temporarily averted.

On the other side, in the distant sea.

Lin Ran pursued at full speed and had completely caught up with the exhausted Chen Long.

Chenlong's spiritual energy was severely depleted. His body floated on the sea surface, his aura weak, and he had no strength left to escape.

He turned to face Lin Ran, who was approaching step by step, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.

Lin Ran stood in mid-air, his white clothes billowing in the wind, his tone calm and composed.

"I'll give you a chance to live. Do you want it?"

Chenlong's eyes were bloodshot as he roared angrily.

"Shameless scoundrel! We came all this way to save you, and instead of being grateful, you attacked us with a sneak attack! You are utterly shameless!"

Lin Ran's gaze turned slightly cold, his voice completely flat: "So you'd rather die than submit?"

"What is there to fear about death?" Chenlong said with a straight back and an arrogant expression.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes mocking: "Oh, right, you dared to join the secret realm protection organization and stand on the opposite side of humanity, so why would you be afraid of death?"

"We are here to save this world! To usher in a new era!" Chenlong said stubbornly, his tone unwavering.

"Yes, yes, you're right." Lin Ran chimed in, feigning doubt.

"I'm just a little curious, who told you these things? Your president?"

Chenlong remained silent, his attitude extremely firm: "You won't get any information from me!"

Upon hearing this, a mocking smile flashed across Lin Ran's eyes.

He never expected to pry any core information out of Chenlong.

Zhuo Yihang had already infiltrated the core of the Secret Realm Protection Organization and had full access to internal intelligence.

The question before me is just a casual probe, a shot in the dark.

Since the other party is stubborn and unyielding, there is no need to waste any more words.

"Alright, I'll see you off then!"

A flash of sword light, a chilling gleam instantly swept across the sea.

Without any unnecessary entanglement or delay, a single, precise sword strike ended Chenlong's life.

Chenlong, a Martial Venerable Realm cultivator, was utterly powerless to resist when his spiritual energy was exhausted and his mind was in a state of collapse.

Its body plummeted straight into the deep sea, completely disappearing into the waves.

Lin Ran raised his hand, tapped his wristband, quickly typed a message, and sent it to Zhuo Yihang.

"Spread the news that Chen Changsheng and members of the Secret Realm Protection Organization were killed by Wang Qingfeng and Miyamoto Kojiro."

On the other end of the bracelet, Zhuo Yihang replied instantly: "Understood!"

Lin Ran immediately deactivated the bracelet, his fingertips circulating spiritual energy, rapidly changing his appearance, figure, and aura.

Completely erase all external characteristics of Chen Changsheng's identity and transform him into an ordinary passerby.

After finishing everything, he turned around and calmly headed back towards the Chinese mainland.

Back in Xinhai, he blended into the crowd.

He walked a short distance, found a corner, restored everything to its original state, and returned to the Lin family home as if nothing had happened.

A night passes in the blink of an eye.

The next morning, the trending topics on major online platforms exploded instantly, with several major news stories dominating the charts and flooding the screens.

"A giant octopus appeared on the coast of the Sakura Kingdom. Miyamoto Kojiro led the Sakura Kingdom's samurai in a fierce battle against the giant beast and finally won. Almost all the samurai in the city were wiped out."

"Chen Changsheng led members of the Secret Realm Protection Organization to intercept and kill Tanaka Yusuke, but was later killed by Wang Qingfeng and Miyamoto Kojiro."

"Miyamoto Kojiro: Wang Qingfeng and the members of the Secret Realm Protection Organization all died at the hands of Chen Changsheng."

"The Wang family has lost another Martial Venerable, and may be heading towards decline."

Lin Ran leaned back on the sofa in the Lin family villa, flipping through the news on his bracelet, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Although Miyamoto Kojiro denies that he killed the members of the Secret Realm Protection Organization, the blame will still fall on him.

Because Chen Changsheng no longer exists.

From today onwards, Lin Ran will no longer use this identity.

The Secret Realm Protection Organization will continue its investigation, but it will not trace back to him.

"Xiao Ran, what are you looking at?" Song Yishu came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit.

"Nothing, just checking the news." Lin Ran casually turned off his bracelet and took the fruit plate.

Song Yishu sat down beside him, her gentle gaze sweeping over Lin Ran's thin clothes.

Are you free today?

"Hmm? Nothing much today, what's up?" Lin Ran replied casually.

Having just gone through a fierce battle, he planned to rest for a day before heading to the Cangxuan Realm the next day.

With the hidden dangers of the interdimensional passage still unresolved, cultivators from the Cangxuan Realm could potentially peer into this world through the rift at any time, so there is no time to delay.

"Let me go shopping with you for some clothes; the weather is getting colder," Song Yishu said gently, but her tone left no room for argument.

Lin Ran's lips twitched slightly, and he quickly declined.

"No need, I'm already at the Profound Realm, I'm not afraid of the cold."

When one cultivates to the profound realm, the physical body is no longer affected by heat or cold, and the changing seasons cannot shake the body in the slightest.

Ordinary wind, snow, and frost will be dispelled by the surrounding spiritual energy as soon as they get close, so thick clothes are really unnecessary.

"Then you should buy a few warm clothes, otherwise it's not appropriate to wear so little in the dead of winter."

Song Yishu's attitude was firm.

In her eyes, even though her son is a strong and upright person, he is still a child who needs to be taken care of.

Lin Ran felt helpless and sighed inwardly, realizing that neither the Martial Saint's encirclement nor the beast rampage could trap him.

But they just can't escape the gentle onslaught of shopping for clothes every day.

After several unsuccessful attempts to refuse, and unable to resist Song Yishu's repeated persuasion, he had no choice but to give in and get up.

"Alright, I'll do as you say."

The two changed into their outdoor clothes, walked out of the villa side by side, and drove to the downtown business district.

Lin Ran originally thought it would be a simple matter of picking out two or three pieces of clothing and finishing quickly.

He soon realized that he was completely wrong.

This shopping spree was an ultimate battle, even more brutal than a life-or-death struggle at sea.

Song Yishu is efficient and decisive when shopping, with a keen eye for quality, generous spending, and amazing efficiency.

Winter coats, warm shoes and socks, scarves and gloves—pack up everything that's suitable.

After visiting one store, they immediately move on to the next, without stopping.

In just a few hours, dozens of pieces of clothing and shoes were put into Lin Ran's Nine Heavens Pendant.