When Linglong and Tantai Jin woke again, they were already at the Carefree Sect. Immortal Zhaoyou was watching them with a cheerful smile.
"Would you like to take me as your master?"
"Huh?" Tantai Jin and Linglong exchanged puzzled looks. What was going on? This man wasn't even as strong as they were! And he wanted to take them as disciples?
"Where's my master?" Linglong demanded fiercely.
"Your master? You already have a master?" Immortal Zhaoyou asked, somewhat bewildered.
Linglong could not be bothered with him and was about to look for Lin Ran, but Immortal Zhaoyou was not happy about that. A streak of light turned into a rope, attempting to bind Linglong, only for her to slap it apart.
Linglong's Tribulation Transcendence Stage aura emerged, frightening Immortal Zhaoyou so badly that he could barely stay seated!
"Wait! What's going on with you, little girl?" Immortal Zhaoyou hurried over and examined Linglong's body, only to discover that he could not probe her at all. That meant her cultivation realm was above his!
Linglong looked around and spotted Lin Ran sleeping soundly on a large rock. She hurried over and scooped him into her arms.
"Master! Stop sleeping! Hurry and take us to find Sister Susu!" Linglong shouted into Lin Ran's ear.
Startled awake, Lin Ran jumped to the ground, enlarged his body, and gave Linglong's little head a disgruntled pat.
"What's the rush? Even Little Jinjin isn't in a hurry. Let's go. Your Sister Susu is at another sect."
"Y-you! You're the strange beast that attacked the immortal sects five hundred years ago?" Immortal Zhaoyou pointed at Lin Ran, his voice trembling. Judging by his tone, he had already decided that Lin Ran was the vicious tiger that had swept through them and their cultivation arts.
"No, you've got the wrong tiger! That was my younger brother!"
"Like hell I believe you."
Tantai Jin fought back a laugh. He knew Lin Ran really had swept through every immortal sect in the past. The Ten Thousand Immortals Art practiced by Nian Baiyu, Chun Tao, and the others was something Lin Ran had created by combining the strengths of a hundred schools' immortal arts.
"You came here to find Susu?" Immortal Zhaoyou asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Yes, I've missed Sister Susu to death."
Although Tantai Jin said nothing, Lin Ran could sense how much he missed Li Susu.
At that moment, Li Susu was agonizing over things in the Hengyang Sect. Could all those earlier experiences have been a dream? Little White was a dream, Tantai Jin was a dream, and everyone in the Ye Family was a dream too? Li Susu refused to believe her father's words.
There was also Xiao Lin, who had joined the Hengyang Sect and had already worked his way up to eldest senior brother. Li Susu was puzzled and intended to ask him for answers.
When Immortal Zhaoyou brought Tantai Jin and Linglong to her door, Li Susu threw herself toward Tantai Jin in delighted surprise.
"Where's Little White? Didn't he come with you?" Li Susu looked around in confusion but saw no sign of Little White.
"Right here!" Lin Ran poked his head out from atop Linglong's head. Li Susu hurried over, but before she could touch Lin Ran, Linglong hugged her.
"Sister Susu! Do you still remember me?"
"You're Linglong?" Li Susu was a little uncertain. After all, Linglong had still been a little girl when she left.
"That's right!"
"Wow, little Linglong, you've grown so much!"
The two hugged each other excitedly. Lin Ran helplessly jumped onto Tantai Jin's shoulder and quietly watched the two women catch up. Now all he had to do was wait for the immortal sect competition and seize the chance to slip into the Shangqing Divine Realm to retrieve the Marrow-Cleansing Seal! Although he could already force his way through space and reach the Shangqing Divine Realm directly, why waste that effort when he could use a teleportation array for free?
Once Susu's ready-made father handed over the demonic artifact, the Heaven-Slaying Sword, his tasks in this world would be mostly complete.
For a while afterward, Lin Ran and the other two settled into life in an immortal sect, and the pets kept by the disciples entered the darkest period of their lives. Anything edible went missing every day, yet no one could find the thief. What a joke-with his Sacred Beast Body now at full mastery, Lin Ran could already clash head-on with immortals and gods. How could these little weaklings from the immortal sects possibly catch him?
Immortal Zhaoyou and Immortal Hengyang also learned Tantai Jin's identity. Both were quite open-minded and tolerant, and neither ostracized him because of it. Of course, the main reason was that they did not dare. Lin Ran had been able to sweep through every immortal sect five hundred years ago; they scarcely dared imagine his current strength. In any case, neither could discern his cultivation realm at all.
The three strongest fighters among the immortal sects were now Lin Ran, Immortal Hengyang, and Linglong, respectively. Immortal Zhaoyou and Tantai Jin were probably evenly matched. As for Li Susu, she was still a little weakling.
Lin Ran declared that they were now the immortal sects' biggest gang of bullies, and they had to wreak havoc on the sects' spirit birds every day. Immortal Hengyang had guessed that Lin Ran's group was responsible, but he never exposed them. As for Immortal Zhaoyou, he ate with them-he was an accomplice!
"Ah, this immortal crane tastes good, but there's just too little meat!" Immortal Zhaoyou lamented helplessly as he gnawed on it.
"Uncle Zhaoyou, where did this immortal crane come from? It isn't one of the ones my father keeps, is it?" Li Susu asked as she ate.
"No idea. I didn't catch it. Ask him!" Immortal Zhaoyou pointed at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran spat out two crane bones and rolled his eyes at them.
"You've already eaten it. Why fuss over who raised it? Tomorrow, go ask around and see which sect has something else tasty. Failing that, we'll clean out their treasury and cook up a big pot of nourishing soup!"
Tantai Jin and the other three could not help breaking into embarrassed sweats. As expected of their senior-he was utterly unrestrained!
Leisurely days always flew by. In the blink of an eye, the immortal sect competition was almost upon them. When the sect leaders activated the teleportation array, Linglong carried Lin Ran and swaggered in after Li Susu. These days, every immortal sect disciple had to tuck their tail between their legs around Linglong. There was no helping it-she had spent this time giving the sects' elders a beating, one after another.
Except for Immortal Hengyang, even Immortal Zhaoyou had failed to escape Linglong's vicious hands. Linglong had earned the title of "violent little senior sister." With even the elders and sect leaders suffering, one could imagine how frightened the disciples below them were.
"Linglong, don't be so violent. Look at the immortal sect disciples now-they wish they could stay eight hundred meters away from you."
"Hmph! They deserved it! Who told them to falsely accuse my master?" Linglong said, pouting. Lin Ran also wore an expression that said they had indeed slandered him.
Tantai Jin and Li Susu's faces darkened. They really were master and disciple-both were so thick-skinned.
"Senior, do you know where the Marrow-Cleansing Seal is?"
"Yes, in the Heavenly Lake. There's no rush. Si Ying and Jing Mie should be coming too. As the Devil God's subordinates, they could certainly be called utterly loyal. They definitely won't pass up such a good opportunity."
The three humans and one tiger wandered through the Shangqing Divine Realm, stopping here and there as though out shopping.
"Oh? You two, please wait! You look rather familiar!"
The pair Tantai Jin stopped were, naturally, Si Ying and Jing Mie. Lin Ran had recognized them at a glance, and now they were naturally toying with the two demons.
Linglong and Tantai Jin unleashed their Tribulation Transcendence Stage auras, sweeping outward as they eyed the two demons with hostile expressions, as though they might attack at any moment.
"Mei Nu, come out and show yourself. I know you're there."
As Lin Ran's words fell, Mei Nu appeared beside Si Ying. Lin Ran met her eyes, which were filled with venomous hatred.
"Eldest Sister?" Li Susu cried out in shock. Tantai Jin also frowned, clearly not understanding why Ye Bingchang was mingling with the two demons. Moreover, the aura she gave off was no different from that of a demon.
"It seems you still refuse to repent," Lin Ran said lazily, signaling that Linglong could attack.
Linglong nodded her little head, and a divine sword appeared in her hand. This sword had cost Lin Ran one million Origin Points. It was a divine artifact, and paired with the Divine Phoenix Heaven Art Linglong cultivated, its power was not the least bit inferior to the Heaven-Slaying Sword.
Lin Ran jumped onto Li Susu's shoulder and quietly watched Tantai Jin and Linglong battle the two demons. With four great Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivators fighting, the scene resembled the end of the world. Blade light and sword radiance ravaged their surroundings. Without Lin Ran protecting her, a little weakling like Li Susu would not even have been able to watch.
Linglong fought two against one without falling behind in the slightest. Si Ying and Jing Mie also realized something was wrong and were preparing to flee.
Lin Ran abruptly unleashed boundless pressure upon the two demons. A colossal tiger a thousand zhang tall at the shoulder appeared, staring lazily at them. Lin Ran stretched his body. His true form really was more comfortable!
Li Susu, Tantai Jin, and Linglong moved farther away, staring blankly at Lin Ran's figure. The last time they had seen him, he had only been a little over two hundred meters tall. Now that had multiplied more than tenfold, so it was no wonder they were astonished.
"The Devil God no longer exists. You can follow him."
Lin Ran raised a paw and swatted at the two demons. A giant claw condensed from sacred beast power covered his paw, and the two demons closed their eyes in despair. Just then, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck at Lin Ran. Ignoring it, he took the force of the heavenly lightning head-on and slapped the two demons to death.
It seemed the power of karma on the two demons had not completely dissipated, but that did not matter. With his Sacred Beast Body now at full mastery, Lin Ran had no trouble taking heavenly lightning head-on.