Chapter 8: Li Ran’s Strength (Part 2)

Chou Mo shouted, “Li Ran… help me! It’s the soul of an Ancient Symbolist!”
Immediately, two thick hands emerged from the altar. With a roar, a fierce spiritual pressure arose. Guo Shier and Eagle Demon fell without saying a word.
Li Ran frowned, waved his robe sleeve, and a string of silver runes flew out, surrounding Guo Shier and Eagle Demon.
Guo Shier felt his soul relax. The Ancient Symbolist’s roar had nearly shattered their souls, but thanks to Li Ran’s rune protection, they managed to recover.
Li Ran stepped forward and appeared beside Chou Mo. He said, “If I intervene, there will be a price!”
Chou Mo roared, “Of course! You vampire! Whatever you say!”
Li Ran smiled. “I want this Ancient Symbolist’s soul. Hehe, my life altar just needs a powerful soul.”
Guo Shier sat on the ground, utterly terrified. He had never encountered anything like this—his soul had almost been shattered by a single roar. After all, his soul was his foundation; if it was destroyed, he could never be reborn.
Eagle Demon’s face turned pale as he said, “Is this what a high-level professional looks like? It’s terrifying.”
Guo Shier nodded in agreement, “It’s safer to return to the Chenxiao Sect or the Northern Symbolist Sect. This place is fucking scary!”
Chou Mo was also panicked. He said to Li Ran, “Enough! Act quickly! This guy is strong!”
A altar appeared above Li Ran’s head as well. It was extremely luxurious, with six layers in total, and three layers of ornate canopies on top, colorful and dazzling. Countless runes slid down from the canopies and drifted onto the altar below.
Guo Shier observed carefully and whispered, “There are six layers. Uncle Chou Mo only has two. Is this the difference in their strength?”
Eagle Demon shook his head with a bitter smile. “I don’t know either.”
The giant looked up at Chou Mo and Li Ran, his eyes filled with mad murderous intent. He opened his mouth wide and blasted a gust of air at them. As soon as it emerged, it turned into extremely cold frost, mixed with countless Ancient Symbols. The howling sound of the frost was deafening, and upon closer inspection, fine needle-like ice crystals could be seen within the airflow.
Li Ran’s expression turned serious as he cast a spell and shouted, “Protect!” The canopies on his life altar instantly glowed brightly, with countless ornaments hanging down to completely cover his body.

Chou Mo roared angrily, and the altar spinning above his head suddenly moved to his chest. He stretched out his hand and struck the ancient bronze bell on the altar, causing a buzzing sound to emerge. The sound was quite peculiar—weak at first, but in less than a breath, it boomed through the sky, with ripples spreading outward. His disciples and followers were also pushed back by this force. Even Guo Shier and Eagle Demon, protected by Li Ran’s runes, were flung several times. As the freezing air approached, Li Ran remained unfazed. The runes hanging from his ornaments emitted brilliant light. Under their protection, he moved his hands continuously, countless virtual runes forming as he recited long spells. The ice crystals mixed in the freezing air slid past with a screeching sound, heading straight for Chou Mo. The shockwaves emitted by Chou Mo collided with the freezing air, causing a violent tremor, with mist rising high into the sky. The giant showed a look of disbelief on his face before exploding in fury. He struggled desperately, revealing half of his body, with his shoulders and arms fully exposed. Guo Shier and Eagle Demon scrambled away, forgetting that they could still use teleportation in their panic. The giant did not attack Guo Shier and the others because he sensed a familiar presence. His gaze swept past, focusing immediately on Chou Mo’s disciples and followers. Suddenly, he swung his giant hand, producing a loud roaring sound as he sent more than a dozen people flying with a single slap. Seven or eight of the great masters began spewing blood mid-air. Chou Mo was furious. He tapped his life altar, sending out a series of virtual runes. Reaching out with his hand, he shouted, “Form a spear!” A two-meter-long virtual spear appeared in his hand. With a roar, he swung it downward. That wasn’t all—he then cast over seven hundred spells, all of which landed on the flying virtual spear. Soon, the virtual spear transformed into a giant silver spear as thick as a bucket and over ten meters long, shooting straight at the giant’s head. The giant didn’t have time to attack Chou Mo’s disciples and followers again. He quickly raised his two giant hands in front of his forehead. Boom! The silver spear pierced through one of his palms and then the other. The giant roared, “Get away!” He pulled his hands apart, causing both his hands and the silver spear to shatter simultaneously. In just a few breaths, the giant’s hands reformed. Chou Mo shouted, “Hurry!” Li Ran replied calmly, “Don’t rush… First, make your disciples back up and hold him off for me. I still need a few more minutes.”

In the distance, Guo Shier also couldn’t help but roll his eyes at these words. Chou Mo shouted, “Everyone, back up!” His two disciples led everyone to fly back quickly. Chou Mo no longer had time to collect the Ancient Soul Altar; he had to deal with this Ancient Symbolist first before he could do anything. The problem was that he couldn’t use lethal force, as he feared damaging the altar beneath the giant. He could only resort to ordinary attacks, which frustrated him greatly. “Stabilize!” Another massive virtual symbol was pressed down, slowing the giant by over ten seconds. Frustrated, he yelled, “Damn it… Old Li, I can’t take this anymore… I’m about to lose control!” Li Ran said calmly, “You need to control your temper a bit. If you can’t even handle such a minor provocation, no wonder you can’t even build the third-tier altar!” Chou Mo was infuriated but dared not retort, as everything now depended on Li Ran’s actions. If he stepped back, the Ancient Soul Altar would surely be destroyed. His own attacks were powerful, and using them could easily ruin everything. Chou Mo’s two disciples also stepped in to help, each possessing a virtual life altar that could be useful—though still far inferior to Chou Mo’s two physical life altars. It was only through the combined efforts of the three that the Ancient Symbolist couldn’t attack recklessly. After waiting three full minutes, Li Ran was finally ready. Even for him, this was a powerful move he wouldn’t use lightly. The canopy on Li Ran’s life altar suddenly rose and expanded, resembling a giant umbrella covering the sky. The hanging chains instantly turned into countless chains that stretched downward rapidly. Li Ran shouted, “You can back up now. Leave it to me. Haha, bind!” With just one word, the chains swiftly wrapped around the giant. Guo Shier stared in shock, saying, “What the hell is that technique… I don’t even understand it!” Eagle Demon’s mouth was wide open, drool dripping down, but he wasn’t aware of anything else, completely stunned by the battle before him. This was beyond what professionals at their level could comprehend—the combat scene was far too unfamiliar. The giant roared and struggled desperately, but the chains were terrifying, tightly wrapping around him, binding his massive arms, with several chains even covering his mouth. Li Ran shouted, “Lift!” Another word.

That giant was slowly pulled out of the Ancient Soul Altar by chains. With each part of its body emerging, the chains extended further downward, until eventually, the giant’s feet were also pulled out.
Chou Mo showed an envious expression. Li Ran didn’t know this technique either—it was incredibly powerful. If it were him who was entangled by those chains, he would likely be unable to resist.
As the chains wrapped around the giant, countless runes were attached to its body. Once the entire giant was forcibly pulled out of the altar, Li Ran suddenly teleported to its forehead. He produced a solid talisman and slammed it hard on the giant’s forehead.
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “It’s a solid talisman! I really don’t understand!”
The solid talisman stuck to the giant’s forehead and immediately emitted a blood-red glow. Moments later, the giant began to shrink, and the chains tightened accordingly. Ten minutes later, the giant had shrunk to the size of a fist and was forcibly dragged into Li Ran’s life altar.
Li Ran cast several spells in succession, and the Ancient Rune Man immediately fell into a deep sleep, lying on the third layer of the altar and snoring loudly—so loudly that Guo Shier could even hear it. Then, the life altar transformed into a faint beam of light, flowed into Li Ran’s forehead, and disappeared.
Li Ran said to Chou Mo, “Alright, this Ancient Soul Altar is yours now.” Satisfied, he went over to Guo Shier and waved his hand to remove the protective runes.
Guo Shier stared at Li Ran, his eyes sparkling with excitement. This man was a treasure, a vast wealth—he must seek his advice more often from now on.
Li Ran glanced at him and said in a chilling tone, “Hey, what’s with that look? It’s giving me chills!”
Guo Shier asked with a grin, “Brother Li… what level is your life altar? And what’s that canopy on it for?”
Li Ran shook his head. “You don’t need to know these things now. Knowing too much will only be detrimental to you.”
Guo Shier thought for a moment and asked, “Did you see the person who left earlier? It’s Zhu Jiamao, the chief inspector here. What’s his strength like?”
Li Ran smiled. “He’s only slightly stronger than the Great Sage. He doesn’t even have a life altar in a virtual form—nothing special.”
Guo Shier’s face fell into a bitter smile. Zhu Jiamao’s strength already made him feel inferior, yet in Li Ran’s words, he wasn’t even notable. That was disheartening. If Zhu Jiamao wasn’t anything special, then what was he? He couldn’t help but sigh.
Li Ran asked, “What’s wrong?”
Guo Shier replied, “I’m disappointed!”

Li Ran shook his head slightly and said, “You’re only fourteen years old and have already reached the level of a Saint Master. What’s there to be sad about? I also reached that level around this time, so… your career prospects are very good.”
Eagle Demon was amazed—so there was someone as extreme as Guo Shier.
Li Ran continued, “You were born on the Lower Spellcraft Continent, while I was born on the Higher Spellcraft Continent. That means you’re even stronger than me. Haha, doesn’t that sound great?”
Guo Shier said, “The gap between us might widen in the future.”
Li Ran replied, “You’ve inherited the legacy of the Ancient Soul Altar, so there’s no way you’ll fall behind. It will only get better from here.” He turned his head and added, “Alright, Uncle Choumo is almost done. He’ll be able to claim the Ancient Soul Altar soon. You can watch carefully—it might give you some inspiration.”
Guo Shier quickly turned to look. Choumo and his disciple had reached the final step. The soulless Ancient Soul Altar was about to be claimed.