Sheep!

"Fake."

Wei Hu muttered to himself.

What was happening before his eyes was truly hard for him to understand.

Lu Ran was, after all, a Mist Grade Believer. He should have been defeated quickly.

But the reality was—

Lu Ran was still showing off!

That ghostlike figure truly matched this image of human hell!

Such movement techniques and footwork, along with the natural bodily reactions visible to the naked eye, all showed that Lu Ran must have practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed an extremely solid foundation.

"Big Dragon!" Deng Yuxiang's eyes gleamed as she stared at Lu Ran weaving and dodging. "Raise the intensity a little more."

Deng Yuxiang, barely in her early twenties, actually addressed her twenty-eight- or twenty-nine-year-old teammate like that.

And Wei Long actually followed his colleague's suggestion!

Lu Ran nearly stomped his foot and cursed in the street.

Of course, within this Bloody Purgatory, he did not dare stomp carelessly.

One misstep, and he could be consigned to eternal damnation.

"Spicy Dragon Bro, leave me a way to live, meeh~"

At last, everyone witnessed Lu Ran cast his second divine technique.

Yet it was utterly useless.

How could a mere Mist Grade divine technique affect a River Realm Believer?

Let alone Compassionate Sound—if Lu Ran cast Sound of Lamentation right now, it would not have any effect either.

After all, Wei Long had no intention of killing Lu Ran.

Only when Wei Long's smoking cravings struck and Lu Ran handed him a lighter would it be useful.

Deng Yuxiang said, "Don't leave him a way to live!"

Lu Ran went numb.

I take back what I said. Your hair does not smell good at all.

Not! At! All!

"Clatter clatter."

The sound of chains striking one another suddenly rang out.

Lu Ran's heart jolted, and he desperately sensed the energy fluctuations around him.

Divine Technique: Blood Chain Barrier!

The crimson chains that had been hanging in the air every which way suddenly linked together, interweaving and joining.

In the blink of an eye, a huge net woven from Crimson Chains took shape!

The Blood Chain Net rapidly connected into a sphere and kept shrinking, compressing Lu Ran's space for survival.

Though there were gaps in the chain net, they were far too small for Lu Ran to escape alive.

If this continued, even if Lu Ran was not bound by the Blood Chains, he would sooner or later be crushed to death.

"Hiss—"

Lu Ran finally spotted an opening and fiercely slashed with his knife, but he failed to shake the great net in the slightest!

He hurriedly dodged again, but there was not much room left for him to survive.

Suddenly, Lu Ran retreated sharply and brought his knife down on the blood chain net once more.

Although Lu Ran had his back to Wei Long, Wei Long did not relax in the slightest.

Wei Long reacted with astonishing speed, swiftly raising an arm to shield his face.

Meanwhile, the wooden knife in Lu Ran's hand had already stabbed through a gap in the chain net. He suddenly released the knife handle, turned his hand upright, and shoved fiercely outward!

"Ding~"

The wooden knife shot forward, its tip striking Wei Long's arm before his face, only to be flung far away by the sleeve of his Blood Sha Robe.

"That's enough!" Sun Zhengfang shouted, his heart brimming with delight.

Deng Yuxiang immediately strode over on her long legs.

The chains filling the sky abruptly shattered, and the Blood Mist on the ground gradually faded.

"I couldn't tell." Deng Yuxiang put a hand on Lu Ran's head and gave it a hard rub. "You've got some fierceness in you, huh?"

Lu Ran said, "..."

"What, unhappy because you lost?" Seeing Lu Ran's grave expression, Deng Yuxiang looked strange. "Did you really want to win?"

"No, no." Lu Ran tidied his short hair, which had been rubbed into disarray. "I just couldn't figure out how to get out."

What he had just experienced was truly despairing.

There was no way up to heaven, no door down into the earth.

And the techniques of the Immortal Sheep Sect were not known for their offensive power, making it difficult to smash through shackles with brute force.

He could only take the sword down a dangerous path.

At the River Realm, Lu Ran could learn a bug-level divine technique—Sheep!

That was right, this technique's name had only one character: Sheep!

At that time, Lu Ran could turn an enemy into a little lamb for a short while.

You dared call me a lambkin, right?

Fine.

Now you are one too!

With the aid of such a divine technique, could he break through the heavenly net laid down by the Imprisoned Devil Believers?

Hmm... probably not.

After all, Wei Long's Divine Technique: Blood Sea Chaos had been active all along. How could he allow Lu Ran to cast his technique smoothly?

And for a bug-level spell like "Sheep," the price Lu Ran had to pay to cast it was enormous!

If such a powerful divine technique existed, why were Immortal Sheep Believers so rarely seen using it?

Why did people not flock to become Immortal Sheep Believers, fighting tooth and nail for the chance?

There was naturally a cold, realistic reason behind it.

Of course, that was all for later.

"Imprisoned Devil, Imprisoned Devil..." Lu Ran pondered in secret.

Those two words really were fitting!

It really had trapped me, this devil, inside.

But my Immortal Sheep had built an Evil Sculpture Garden for me!

In the future, with ten thousand evil techniques at my side, could I not deal with one tiny Imprisoned Devil?

"The profession of Believer is not about one-on-one combat." Deng Yuxiang rarely comforted others. "This was only a spar.

"When you battle evil demons, you will have your teammates' help, as well as all kinds of comrades, each performing their own duties."

"Mm." Lu Ran nodded.

"Your performance was already good enough." Sun Zhengfang stepped forward. "Your Brother Wei was dumbfounded watching you, hahaha!"

Before the railing, Wei Hu cooperatively raised a thumbs-up. "Not bad!"

Those two brief words suited the cold, stern aura Wei Hu gave off.

But inwardly, Wei Hu grumbled: What the fuck... what exactly is this thing?

Are young people these days all this fierce?

"Luck, just luck." Lu Ran said repeatedly as he looked at Wei Long. "Thank you for showing mercy."

Wei Long shook his head without replying.

Showing mercy had been inevitable, but the battle's intensity had risen bit by bit. He had not gone easy on Lu Ran.

"On the Night of the Fifteenth, our work will be much easier to carry out." Sun Zhengfang patted Lu Ran's shoulder.

This sparring match had put Sun Zhengfang's mind at ease.

"Does this spar count as part of the assessment?" Lu Ran seized the chance and hurriedly asked, "There are extra points, right?"

"We can consider it." Sun Zhengfang nodded with a smile.

Can consider it?

Lu Ran's thoughts stirred. Taking advantage of Captain Sun's good mood, he immediately said, "For this additional test, the Gods Bureau will give me a reward too, right?

"Uncle Sun, before summer vacation, I got a Banjushi Saber from my school. I only completed the task yesterday, so it counted as a successful update.

"Can the Gods Bureau raise my knife another grade?"

Sun Zhengfang's smile froze.

What did that have to do with anything?

How had the conversation turned to his knife the moment he let his guard down?

"Gurgle~"

Lu Ran's stomach growled, terribly out of place.

"Take him to eat first." Sun Zhengfang immediately told Deng Yuxiang.

"Yes." Deng Yuxiang casually hooked an arm around Lu Ran's shoulders and strode toward the rooftop railing.

"My knife..." Before Lu Ran could finish, they were already close to the edge of the rooftop.

His heart lurched. "Sister! Sister, you can't—don't, ahhhhhhh!"

A man and woman plunged straight down from the rooftop.

Lu Ran's face went white as he endured the violent weightlessness, felt the gale howl past his ears, and nearly had his heart leap from his chest!

"Whoosh~~"

As the two drew close to the ground, wind rose beneath Deng Yuxiang's feet, and their rate of descent abruptly slowed.

Lu Ran clung tightly to Deng Yuxiang. He had no awareness whatsoever of soft fragrance and warm jade in his arms; he was more like a sloth.

On the rooftop, Sun Zhengfang picked up the wooden knife from the ground. "What do you think of this new teammate?"

Wei Long said, "Very calm, not afraid of the stage, and his fundamentals are excellent."

Wei Hu nodded in deep agreement.

"This youngster's true abilities have not had the chance to show themselves yet." Sun Zhengfang weighed the wooden knife in his hand. "His understanding of Divine Technique: Compassionate Sound is quite unique.

"Other Immortal Sheep Believers all take on the posture of the weak, pleading for the compassion of all living beings.

"But Lu Ran can make the target develop murderous, cruel intent."

Sun Zhengfang paused, then continued, "For this Night of the Fifteenth, you brothers will guard his sides.

"With Lu Ran's unique skill, when we slaughter evil demons, we may achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

"Yes!"

"Yes, Captain Sun!" On the rooftop, the Wei Brothers answered loudly.

Below the residential building, Deng Yuxiang looked at Lu Ran with great interest.

"How long are you planning to hold me?"

Lu Ran shakily stepped back, still frightened out of his wits.

Seeing the mischievous smile on Deng Yuxiang's face, anger immediately surged within him. "That was the seventh floor! The seventh floor!"

Deng Yuxiang said unconcernedly, "You were so brave just now. What's a little bungee jump?"

Lu Ran's expression turned serious. "Even if you're my brother's sister, I really will call the police!"

With considerable disdain, Deng Yuxiang reached out and brushed at her shoulder as though flicking dust from her clothes.

"Didn't you already hug me?"

Lu Ran: ???

I said call the police, not hug the police!

"Fine, fine, report it. I'm listening." Deng Yuxiang's lips curled as she watched Lu Ran's indignant look. "Who stands before the court, accusing this official?"

Lu Ran said, "..."

Deng Yuxiang said, "Hahahaha~"

Her laughter was so unrestrained that Lu Ran wanted to give her a slash!

Eh?

Where was my knife?

Lu Ran looked around, then raised his head toward the rooftop. It had probably landed up there.

Forget it. I'll spare your life today.

I'll say it again: thirty years from now, don't regret this!

"If you're not reporting me, shall I take you to breakfast first?"

"Mm... sure."