Chapter 1: Li Ran’s Attitude (Part 1)

Li Ran did not summon any altar, but the invisible spiritual pressure he emitted made even Luo Jie and Qi Nan Shan feel uneasy. Luo Jie also knew Li Ran; back in the Secret Realm of Tongyou, Li Ran had already shown signs of being a master beyond ordinary mortals. Now it was clear—he truly was one.
Mi Zhong, the most powerful ancestor of the Gu Mi family, stood by his side, along with Mi Zhengji, the head of the family, along with many other professionals using fifth- or sixth-tier altars. This time, the Gu Mi family had mobilized almost all their elite altar users. They were willing to endure such heavy losses just to settle things in one battle.
At first glance, Li Ran spotted Guo Shier and was shocked. Of course, he recognized this young man, but he never expected that the boy from back then had now reached the level of a fourth-tier altar user. After examining him closely, he recognized Luo Jie as well, and his surprise grew even more—Luo Jie was part of the Black Symbol Clan and had reached the level of a seventh-tier altar user, yet his mind remained clear, with no signs of madness. This was truly strange.
Black Symbol Clan members could advance easily, but 99% of them ended up dying from madness. It was extremely rare for someone at the seventh-tier altar level to remain so calm and free from any signs of insanity. How was this possible?
Li Ran now realized that the so-called great enemy of the Gu Mi family was actually this group led by Guo Shier. He smiled lightly and said, “Interesting… really interesting, hehe.”
Mi Zhong was shocked and asked, “Elder, what do you think? Can we suppress those two?”
Li Ran replied indifferently, “Suppress them? Who said I want to suppress them?”
Mi Zhong was stunned, not expecting Li Ran to respond like that. He didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Suddenly, Li Ran disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of Guo Shier’s altar. Smiling, he said, “Shier, why are it you guys?”
Guo Shier replied, “Brother Li Ran, we came looking for you… but you left. Are you… here to chase us too?”
Li Ran chuckled, “I originally was… but now I’m not. After all, you’re my little brother, right? Hehe. It’s strange—how did the Gu Mi family end up involved with you guys?”
The Gu Mi family’s experts had already surrounded Guo Shier and his group, so they heard their conversation clearly. Mi Zhong, Mi Zhengji, and the others paled. They never expected Li Ran to know these enemies. Especially Mi Zhong’s expression turned extremely grim. Li Ran was a top expert he had hired at great cost, yet in the blink of an eye, it was unclear who was friend and who was enemy.

Guo Shier gritted his teeth and said, “Brother Li Ran, the Gu Mi family destroyed my hometown. My sect and family… everyone was killed or robbed by them.”
Li Ran was shocked and asked, “What?”
Guo Shier continued, “When I returned from the outer continent, I found my hometown gone. Everyone… including ordinary people, was taken away. It was a massive operation… Those people were sold as slaves. My North Talisman Sect was completely destroyed. The professionals were either killed or captured. We and the Gu Mi family… will never make peace!”
Li Ran turned his head and asked, “Mi Zhong, is this true?” He was already certain.
Mi Zhong’s heart turned icy. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said, “Elder, please don’t get involved. We’ll still pay you as agreed!”
Li Ran didn’t reply. He whistled, and more than thirty altar-level professionals flew out of the encirclement—mostly at the fourth or fifth altar level. They bowed to Li Ran. Li Ran said, “You can withdraw now…”
Chen Tianyao showed a hint of joy. Of course, he knew these were professionals from the Hiring Association.
Not only was Mi Zhong’s face pale, but the professionals from the Gu Mi family also looked terrified. Half of their elite professionals had disappeared, all of them high-level ones, weakening the Gu Mi family’s strength significantly.
Guo Shier was surprised. He hadn’t expected Li Ran to be able to command professionals from the Hiring Association. He was overjoyed, and Luo Jie and the others also showed slight smiles. Even if Li Ran remained neutral, the Gu Mi family’s strength had already been greatly reduced. Among the Gu Mi family’s professionals present, there was only one at the seventh altar level and one at the sixth altar level. Most were at the third or fourth altar level, with only two at the fifth altar level, including the clan leader Mi Zhengji.
As for those below the second altar level, Luo Jie didn’t even consider them.
Mi Zhong stared at Li Ran nervously. As long as Li Ran didn’t intervene, he still had a chance to let his family’s core forces escape. He no longer had any intention of surrounding and killing Guo Shier and the others.
Li Ran smiled coldly and said, “Since you’ve offended my little brother, then… as his elder brother, I have no choice but to step in a little.”
Suddenly, Li Ran activated his own altar.
Guo Shier was stunned. He exclaimed, “Beyond the ninth altar… Damn! How is this possible?”
Hearing this exclamation, Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh. It sounded quite familiar. He said, “Damn, why not?”

Guo Shier said, “You… you’re pretending to be weak to trick others!”
Li Ran gave Guo Shier a meaningful look and said with a smile, “I’m not pretending to be weak! Haha, young man, let’s talk again after this is settled!”
Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan were sweating profusely. If they hadn’t known Li Ran, they would have been doomed this time. Professionals who surpassed the ninth-tier altar were far beyond their match.
Guo Shier was also terrified. He knew what kind of strength such professionals had. Back then, Qi Wu Zhen alone had easily eliminated countless altar-level professionals.
Seeing Li Ran unleash his altar, Mi Zhong and Mi Zhengji became utterly desperate. If Li Ran hadn’t intervened, they might have had a chance to fight, but now, the Gu Mi family was doomed.
Mi Zhong said despairingly, “Senior, you… you can’t do this!” Even with his seventh-tier altar, he was no match for Li Ran—the gap in strength was too huge.
Mi Zhengji said, “Senior, whatever you need… our Gu Mi family will do our utmost to fulfill it… just please don’t get involved!”
Li Ran replied, “You’ve bullied my friend—how could I not intervene?” He didn’t care about the conditions offered by the Gu Mi family nor their pleas.
Mi Zhengji called over a few clan elders and asked, “What should we do?”
Mi Zhong stared intently at Mi Peng and said, “Mi Peng… you’ve done great! Our Gu Mi family… is completely ruined because of you!”
Mi Peng trembled, not knowing what to do. It had been his insistence to invade the continent where the North Talisman Gate was located, and he was the main decision-maker and executor. He knew he was finished this time.
Mi Zhong said, “If you don’t want the family to be destroyed, then… surrender!” He spoke decisively. Li Ran’s sudden change in stance left them completely hopeless. They had originally planned to ask Li Ran to kill the other side; even if they wanted to surrender, they would never agree.
Mi Zhengji’s face was covered in sweat as he asked, “Will they agree?”
Mi Zhong replied grimly, “Whether they agree or not, we don’t have the right to negotiate!” Under such overwhelming strength, they had no choice.
Luo Jie and the others were stunned. Surrender? What was this? Could they surrender at this point? Both sides had resolved to fight to the death, yet one side suddenly wanted to give up. They exchanged glances, with only Nan You showing a hint of relief—he didn’t want to fight any longer.

Li Ran appeared indifferent and asked, “Guo Shier, will you accept their surrender?”
This wasn’t something Guo Shier could decide on. He said, “Brother Li Ran, let me discuss it with my master.”
Guo Shier turned to Luo Jie and asked, “Master, what should we do?” He couldn’t make this decision; it had to be up to Luo Jie. If Luo Jie said to continue fighting, they would fight on; if he said to accept surrender, Guo Shier wouldn’t oppose his master’s decision.
Luo Jie pondered for a moment before saying, “Surrender isn’t completely out of the question…” He glanced at Mi Zhengji and the others not far away, seeing a hint of expectation on their faces, and said coldly, “If you want to surrender, you must agree to our conditions. If you can meet them, then…”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, let’s see what conditions there are… that would make us give up revenge.” He also understood that even if they killed everyone in the Gu Mi family, they couldn’t bring back the dead. If the enemy surrendered, they could save those who were still alive.
Li Ran nodded. It would be best if this could resolve the issue. Killing was a means, not an end. If Guo Shier and the others insisted on revenge and wanted to kill everyone, he wouldn’t mind either, but that wasn’t the best solution.
Luo Jie said, “Since you want to surrender, then first accept one condition!”
Mi Zhengji suppressed his fear and said, “Please speak!” He knew he had no strength to resist, but at least he could save his family.