Abducted?
Ever since the death of the [Nightmare Vengeful Mother], his [Celestial Human Form] no longer had negative effects.
However, for his own safety, he didnāt insist on rushing over.
Xu Ran certainly isnāt a brainless brute! Having a few more big shots for protection greatly enhances the safety factor, isnāt that appealing? Although he has many life-saving techniques, he doesnāt mind having extra layers of protection.
That way, even if accidentally targeted by a deity, thereās still a chance to leave safely.
Thinking of this.
Xu Ran nodded: "Letās charge the badge first, weāll wait there for the protector after charging."
Ye Ping breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, no problem."
The two walked along the street.
Suddenly.
Xu Ran froze, his expression bewildered.
At that very moment.
A little girl emitting a blue light from her entire body emerged from the thick wall in his sight!
She bounced and trotted along the street, yet didnāt attract anyoneās attention.
Xu Ran was surprised and turned to look at Uncle Ye.
Uncle Ye hadnāt noticed the existence of the blue-light girl at all.
Xu Ran: "...What is that presence? A ghost?"
He watched the little girl, and she didnāt notice his gaze, just played like a spirit, passed through another wall, and disappeared from Xu Ranās sight.
Xu Ran silently watched, not expecting the little girl to disappear so quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Whatās going on? How can there be a little girl in the Safe Zone that others canāt see? Is she a ghostly creature?"
"No, no, no, ghosts can be sensed, especially for Ye Uncle, who possesses a Spiritual Root Bone, his perception of ghosts would be sharper, but he didnāt notice the wall-passing little girl at all."
"Is it some special Root Bone?"
"Not that either, a special Root Bone would have flesh and blood, but that little girl seemed like an illusion? Like a thought?"
"Could it be that Iām the only one who can see this magical existence?"
Xu Ran raised an eyebrow.
Pointing to the direction where the little girl disappeared: "Uncle Ye, did you just sense a little girl emitting blue light from her entire body there? Emerging from the wall and going into that wall."
Ye Pingās mouth twitched: "Xu Ran, are you telling me ghost stories?"
"Iāve faced the Resentful God directly, would I be afraid of mere ghost stories?"
Xu Ran: "...No, Iām serious, has anyone ever encountered a fully blue little girl?"
Ye Ping carefully observed Xu Ran: "No. Did you see something strange? Was it dangerous?"
Xu Ran: "No dangerous feeling. Quite peaceful, actually."
Ye Ping: "Thatās odd. Iāve never known... seems like no one knows about this little girl."
Xu Ran pondered for a moment: "After I finish my training, I should be able to encounter her again in the Safe Zone."
Ye Ping: "Alright."
Saying this, the two arrived at the Service Bureau of the Sixth District.
Ye Ping: "Hello, charging the badge please."
The charging officer spoke in an official tone: "Bring the badge over."
Xu Ran removed his Special Commander Badge.
When the radiant light of the Special Commander Badge lit up before him, the officer was taken aback.
Sitting up straight, craning his neck, he looked at Xu Ran, such a young boy? Already has a Special Commander Badge?
The shock was evident on his face, and he quickly used his Innate Divine Techniques to charge the badge.
After charging, he handed the badge back to Xu Ran with both hands: "Please keep it safe."
Ye Ping: "Thank you, donāt spread what you saw just now."
Officer: "Alright. We are very discreet."
"By the way, if you need armor, you can collect a set over there."
Ye Ping looked at Xu Ran: "Do you need armor?"
Xu Ran shook his head: "No need. I have my own armor."
Ye Ping raised an eyebrow: "Good."
With that, the two left the Service Bureau.
Ye Ping: "Letās wait for the protector under the Tree of Resilience."
Ye Ping walked to an old tree adorned with red ribbons: "Itās called the Tree of Resilience, an antique of the Sixth Safe Zone, having endured one hundred and sixty city-razing battles yet still surviving, not easy indeed. Cultivators often come here to make wishes."
Xu Ran looked at the old camphor treeāits trunk thick enough for three to embrace had many scars carved out, even several millstone-sized hollow holes, yet the old tree was still lush, full of life.
Standing under the tree.
A cool breeze blew.
His mood felt cool and comfortable.
Xu Ran couldnāt help but think of the blue-light girl: "Uncle Ye, I have a question. How did the Safe Zone come to be? Who created the Safe Zone?"
Ye Ping shrugged: "I donāt know either. When humanity was about to collapse, the Safe Zone suddenly appeared."
"No one knows the secret behind it. Not even the top Godslaying Squads know who created the Safe Zone or where it came from."
Xu Ran focused: "Could it be the work of the gods? Do we have gods in Huaxia?"
Ye Ping shook his head: "Honestly, donāt know..."
"As far as I know, Huaxia doesnāt have gods, only some Godslaying Squads that can annihilate the physical body of lower Resentful Gods but canāt destroy their essence."
With that, Ye Ping gave Xu Ran a curious look.
"Can you create a divine technique to counter the Resentful Gods?"
Xu Ran was speechless: "..." Wishing here? Must have learned this from the principal...
No! Wait!
The wish seems to have already come true?
Yes, it came trueāthe Red Gold Achievement [Twilight of the Gods], thorough cleanup of divine corpses post-slaying.
Xu Ran smiled and shook his head: "Iāll try my best."
Ye Ping: "Go for it, Miracle Root Bone!"
The two chatted casually.
Half an hour later.
A muscle-bound man called out behind them, his voice booming like thunder: "Hey, Brother Ye Ping, howās your injury?"
Ye Ping shook his head: "Canāt be healed. Canāt fight on the front lines anymore, can only retreat to guard the homeland."
The brawny man sighed: "What a pity for the once spirited Jade Flute Immortal Tune..."
Ye Ping: "Stop wallowing in nostalgia! Being alive is the greatest fortune!"
"Let me introduce you, this is Xu Ran, a superstar genius from Jing Province Kindergarten, 49th batch of students."
After introducing Xu Ran, Ye Ping pointed to the two-meter-tall brawny man: "This is Li Wei, our superstar genius from the 25th batch, a Yue Realm Shield, we all call him Li Turtle."
Li Wei bent down slightly, grinning widely as he shook Xu Ranās hand: "I remember Brother Ye Ping went back to protect a little girl with the [Time Root Bone], how come youāve brought a little boy to the Alien Battlefield now?"
"And from the feel of his bones, seems heās just turned eight?"
Xu Ran: "..."
Ye Ping smiled confidently: "Donāt underestimate Xu Ran, he is sure to win this yearās Godslaying Squad Competition!"
Li Wei was dumbfounded: "Huh?"
He shook his head in disbelief, waving his hands: "Youāre talking about a champion on credit? That hasnāt been in touch with our Jing Province for thirty sessions."
Ye Ping patted Li Wei on the shoulder: "People should have dreams, without dreams..."
Caught mid-sentence.
A woman and a man, both Yue Realm cultivators, walked over.
The female cultivator was short, only about 1.4 meters, even shorter than Xu Ran by 20 centimeters; the male cultivator was 1.7 meters, somewhat handsome, with a multicolored crystal hanging from his chest.
The 1.4-meter-tall lady spoke softly: "Do you know what I just experienced? Brother Ye Ping vowed sincerelyāthis yearās Godslaying Squad Competition champion is this little guy!"
Ye Ping taunted: "Loan turtle! Look at you all cowardly with that big body!"
Then.
A smiling Ye Ping looked at the other two: "Let me introduce to youāthe ultimate champion of this yearās Godslaying Squad Competition, Xu Ran!"
"This auntie here is also from the 25th batch, named Cai Miao. You can call her Auntie Cai, and this is Li Wei, heās from the 25th batch too, and heās a little handsome. His root bone, to some extent, can purify the pollution of the Resentful Gods."
Xu Ran: "..." Greetings, Aunt Cai, hello, Handsome Uncle."
Speaking sweetly while out and about is quite necessary, especially with elders.
The two smiled and nodded, their relationship with Xu Ran considerably closer.
The one-meter-four aunt asked in a gentle voice: "Do you really think you can win the championship?"