Chapter 17: Battle! The identity of the mysterious young man

Lin Ran was so immersed in cultivating in the cave that he had forgotten about the passage of time. If not for the sudden light of the communication talisman, he would have forgotten that it was time to reinforce the array formation tomorrow.

Every once in a while, Daoist Li would hold a ritual to reinforce the array formation to calm the people down. This was also what Sword God had instructed.

Now that the Sword God was no longer guarding the world, and even the demon had broken through the seal and escaped, Lin Ran still decided to continue the ritual.

After all, if this news were to spread, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, which had finally regained its peace, would probably be in turmoil again. The new emperor had just ascended the throne and many people were still eyeing his power covetously.

Although the world was peaceful on the surface, peace was hard to come by. Should anyone make use of the fact that Sword God was dead, War would break out across the dynasty.

“Sword God mentioned in his note that the evil demon has been suppressed for many years. Although it has advanced to the Half-Saint Realm, after breaking through the seal and fighting with Sword God, it must have suffered a huge blow and needs some time to recover.”

Therefore, for the time being, Lin Ran did not have to worry about the demon harming the human world. As long as others did not come to this cave, no one would know that Sword God had died.

What he had to do was to keep this matter a secret even if he knew that no secrets could be kept forever.

Lin Ran prepared what was needed for the ritual. He did not expect that the important guest from last time was also here. He was a little surprised to see Lin Ran presiding over the ritual.

“Why is it you? Where is Daoist Li?”

“Daoist Li died in peace.”

The young man was slightly stunned. With a solemn expression, he whispered something to the people around him. Then, he took the incense from Lin Ran and bowed to the Demon Subduing Tablet.

“I pray to the heavens to bless the Heavenly Saint Dynasty and ensure its prosperity.”

He had a pious expression and an upright attitude. His eyes were slightly closed, and his long eyelashes were like butterfly wings that gently covered the top of his eyelids.

A man with a feminine look. His eyelashes were actually so long. Lin Ran couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

Looking at the young man with his eyes closed, Lin Ran felt that the young man had delicate facial features. For a moment, he was so engrossed looking at him that he did not even notice it when the young man opened his eyes.

Only when the young man cleared his throat a few times did Lin Ran come back to his senses.

The Five Elements Spirit Stone emitted a warm light. He made a hand seal and followed Daoist Li’s instructions to form complicated patterns. At the same time, the Five Elements Sword Technique was activated.

With a wave of his hand, the Five Elements Spirit Stone was embedded into the Demon Subduing Tablet. A beam of light rose from the tablet and shot into the sky. A righteous aura descended, making the air seem especially fresh.

Unfortunately, that demon had already escaped, so the ritual was just a show.

After the ritual ended, the young man did not blame Lin Ran for staring rudely at him. He thought that it was his first time hosting a ritual, so he was a little nervous.

“You did well. Daoist Li was right in choosing you.”

The young man was lost in his memories as he said, “Last time, he told me that he felt that his time was up and chose you. I thought he was joking, but—”

The young man sighed. “I’ve been busy with worldly affairs recently and didn’t receive any news of his death. Where is he buried? Show me the way.”

“He said that he had guarded Mount Sword for his entire life and hoped to be buried here after he died, so I made the decision…”

Lin Ran was worried that the young man would blame him. Unexpectedly, the young man looked not surprised at all, as if he had expected it.

“It’s fine. It does seem like his style. WIth the contributions he made throughout his life, he deserved to be buried in Mount Sword. If anyone asks, just say that the emperor—”

Realizing that he had made a slip of the tongue, the young man quickly reorganized his sentence. “If anyone asks, just show them this token.”

The token was also carved with dragon patterns. Lin Ran didn’t know what material it was made of, but it looked small and exquisite.

In front of the tomb, the young man put down a bouquet of flowers and remained silent for a long time.

Lin Ran didn’t want to disturb him. He had a vague guess about the young man’s identity.

“It’s been a few years. I wonder if you’ve wasted your time on Mount Sword. Let me take this opportunity to test you.”

He did not expect the young man to suddenly have the whim to challenge him.

If the young man’s identity was really as he guessed, Lin Ran was afraid his head would be separated from his body.

He quickly rejected, “You exude the aura of a noble person. How can I possibly be your match? I think within a few moves, you can easily take me down. Let’s not waste the time.”

The young man didn’t give Lin Ran much time to think.

“Draw your sword.”

The moment he finished speaking, he drew the soft sword on his waist and came at Lin Ran like an agile snake.

Lin Ran had no choice but to dodge. His movements were so fast that the young man couldn’t even catch up with it.

“What a swift movement. It seems that you didn’t waste your time here. You definitely weren’t telling me the truth just now.”

The young man grew more interested. He released all his strength and attacked faster and faster.

The soft sword hummed softly and trembled. It swam back and forth in his hand as if it was given life. It was obvious that this was also a spiritual sword.

The young man could be considered talented at such a young age. Even though he was fast, in Lin Ran’s eyes, he was too slow.

As the young man attacked, the distance between the two of them became closer and closer. If Lin Ran struck back, he would easily hurt him. He could only retreat step by step.

Perhaps it was because the two of them were too close, Lin Ran could smell a faint fragrance coming from the young man. He smelt nice.

Lin Ran found it strange that such a nice fragrance came from a man.

He took a closer look and realized that the young man’s exposed skin was extremely fair, like white jade.

Wasn’t he a little too much like a delicate porcelain?