Lin Ran pondered for a moment, then smiled and made up his mind.
"Let's go first... We definitely won't get their rewards today anyway..."
"With so many unexpected situations popping up, the Sakura Country must be completely baffled. There's no point in pushing too hard."
"Besides, even without these issues, they would definitely prefer to postpone the reward rather than bring it forward."
"A good night's sleep, and everything will be fine."
Luo Qingyan, seemingly not thinking too much, immediately agreed.
Indeed, the situation in the Sakura Country was far from optimistic. With their nominal leaders, Qianhe Yinbai and Tanaka Kenji, thrown into chaos, the entire event had descended into pandemonium.
Therefore, the celebration for Lin Ran's arena championship was a simple affair; the trophy was handed over, and it was over.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Caesar and the others, Lin Ran left the resort grounds, holding the trophy that felt like scrap metal.
"It's only noon now, why don't we grab something to eat first?"
After exiting the resort, Luo Qingyan tilted her head and looked at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran surveyed their surroundings. First, he used his Eternal Kaleidoscope to set up a soundproof illusion array. Then, he whispered to Luo Qingyan,
"We'll eat, of course... But we need to deal with the tails behind us first..."
Luo Qingyan was taken aback. Although she hadn't sensed anyone lurking, she trusted Lin Ran's judgment.
So, Luo Qingyan quickly scanned the surroundings but found no anomalies. She could only sigh in resignation,
"You handle it then... Find a place?"
Lin Ran nodded. He gently deactivated his Eternal Kaleidoscope and led Luo Qingyan in another direction.
Although this was the most prosperous county, Fuhua, on Kyushu Island, it had largely retained its ancient architectural style.
Coupled with the high population density and limited land of the Sakura Country, the buildings were tightly packed.
Thus, Lin Ran led Luo Qingyan through a series of turns, eventually wandering into a relatively dark alley.
After walking seemingly aimlessly for a short while, nearing the alley's exit, Lin Ran finally made his move.
Tsukuyomi!
Lin Ran suddenly turned his head, his gaze instantly locking down seventeen areas behind him.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
In the next instant, accompanied by a series of shadowy movements, seventeen black figures twisted out of the void and tumbled onto the ground.
"And you guys too!"
Lin Ran didn't stop and looked upwards.
Under the intrusion of his spiritual power, five people were swept out from multiple areas in the air where there appeared to be no one.
However, these five people were cushioned by the seventeen below them, so they didn't fall too hard, appearing quite lucky.
But Lin Ran's gaze didn't linger on them for a moment. Instead, it focused on a shadow in a blind spot:
"Oh? I didn't expect... you guys to be here too!"
"Looks like you've been impatient for quite a while!"
"And you could withstand the first wave of my illusion's erosion. Alright, you've got some skill!"
Lin Ran narrowed his eyes at the shadow.
This familiar feeling was exactly like those eighteen gray stars, exuding an annoying aura of misfortune.
Swish!
Seeing that he had been discovered by Lin Ran, the person in the shadow came out without hesitation, leisurely spreading their hands.
Illusion Array: Seal!
Lin Ran didn't waste any time. He didn't let down his guard because of the person's harmless demeanor and cautiously deployed his domain-type illusion array.
The newcomer chuckled and said in a peculiar voice,
"Don't be nervous, I'm not going to run..."
"After all, this is just a mere projection of my consciousness, not my true self. I'm not here to fight you."
"If you wish to kill, please do so."
Lin Ran glanced at him:
"I didn't expect you to be a rare species..."
"The existence of Mirage Demons should have disappeared by now, two thousand years ago, shouldn't it?"
The being Lin Ran called a Mirage Demon burst into laughter:
"You know your stuff! Truly knowledgeable!"
"As expected of a chosen one favored by the Heavenly Dao, your vision is indeed extraordinary..."
"Alas... if not for our opposing stances, we might have had the potential to become close friends!"
"But now..."
Shinra Tensei!
Lin Ran didn't give the Mirage Demon a chance to speak further and immediately used Shinra Tensei to direct it towards him.
The Mirage Demon was completely caught off guard by Lin Ran's sudden attack.
Furthermore, being merely a projection of consciousness and not its true form, it was pathetically fragile and was instantly crushed by Lin Ran's Shinra Tensei.
Splash!
Watching the soul fragments scatter on the ground as the Mirage Demon's projection dissolved, Luo Qingyan was stunned:
"You didn't even try to interrogate him?"
Lin Ran snapped his fingers and flicked Luo Qingyan's forehead,
"Foolish!"
"Who do you think I am? Do I need to interrogate others?"
"When it comes to information, unless it's someone with exceptionally powerful spiritual energy, I always obtain it directly..."
"This overconfident fellow actually dared to approach us with a mere projection, serving himself up on a platter!"
"If it were his true body, I might have had trouble extracting information from his mind..."
"But now, he's completely at my mercy!"
Having said this, Lin Ran slightly raised his hand and, with an extremely subtle Universal Pull, drew all the soul fragments into his eyes.
After a moment of daze, Lin Ran suddenly let out a happy laugh:
"Well now... these Forgotten Ones are certainly daring enough to pull off a grand scheme!"
"If the likes of Kannaguji and the others knew about this, they would surely have a cerebral hemorrhage from anger!"
"Compared to them, the rest are just mediocre..."
As he spoke, Lin Ran kicked one of the seventeen people lying on the ground, then nudged one of the five lying on top of them.
"Those lying below are from the Shinkan organization, and those above are from the Yeyun organization..."
"These two are considered major organizations, yet they can't even compare to that lone individual with eighteen stars. Shameful!"
Luo Qingyan, listening to Lin Ran's rambling, was completely bewildered:
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about!"
"If you have information, share it! Don't hoard it!"
Lin Ran smiled playfully and pulled her into his embrace,
"Well, that's not impossible..."
"However, it all depends on your performance, okay?"