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Join the Server“Boy, how about joining our Demonic Roar Papacy? Just hand over an arm, and I’ll spare your life. Your flame is decent, but nothing more than that.”
Dark smoke billowed, swirling around the Demonic Roar Elder, enveloping him and forming a formidable defense akin to an impenetrable fortress.
His caution stemmed from the incredibly high temperature of the All-Star Flame. Though he had seemingly suppressed it with ease moments ago, seizing it in his grip, his right hand was now in dire straits. It was covered in unhealing burn marks.
He intended to feign effortlessly extinguishing the flame, hoping to instill fear in Zhang Luan and prompt his immediate surrender.
However, he had miscalculated. Zhang Luan gazed at the elder as if he were an idiot. He hadn’t known in his previous life that this old man was so fond of feigning strength, stubbornly enduring even while already engulfed by the All-Star Flame.
Zhang Luan, for his part, was unconcerned. If the All-Star Flame’s burning effect wasn’t dealt with promptly, the damage would only escalate. Even if this old man was a Level 30 mini-boss, it wouldn’t matter.
A moment of silence settled over the scene. The old man, unable to restrain himself any longer, lunged forward, propelled by the force of the swirling dark smoke. His unburnt left hand gripped a scythe, raising it high. The black smoke coiling around him nearly suffocated Nan Fenghua.
His target was not Zhang Luan, but Nan Fenghua.
‘No!’
A surge of fear tightened her chest, paralyzing her. The elder’s wrinkled face bore a wicked grin, as if in the next instant, Nan Fenghua would be cleaved in two, enjoying double the pleasure.
Clang!
Just as the scythe was about to descend upon Nan Fenghua’s head, a vibrant red pot slammed into it, blocking it firmly and preventing it from advancing even an inch.
On the other side, Zhang Luan, who had already prepared, released the fully drawn bowstring. A spiral arrow shot straight towards the old man’s face. The arrow was incredibly fast; even with his Swift Arm, the old man couldn’t possibly catch such a rapid projectile at such a short distance.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply. A violent hurricane erupted, blasting him backward.
The arrow, deflected by the blast, struck his right arm instead.
The All-Star Flame on his arm and palm intensified, instantly engulfing his entire limb.
The Demonic Roar Elder steeled himself, severing his right arm with the scythe. He then looked at the pot, his eyes devoid of anger, filled instead with profound greed.
“A legendary artifact! I never imagined the Akamana Temple would go to such lengths, placing a legendary artifact on you just to protect a little girl. Haha, it’s a good thing I came, otherwise wouldn’t I have missed the chance to obtain a legendary artifact? Hahaha, what incredible luck!”
Nan Fenghua stared blankly at the pot that had blocked the attack for her. Not even a tiny white mark was left on the impact point; it looked exactly as it had before. But how had it gotten there?
She had clearly taken off this pot when she was blessing Zhang Luan…
“Hmph, he certainly has plenty of escape methods.”
The pot, of course, had been thrown by Zhang Luan. The system’s inventory allowed him to freely choose where to place items within a certain range. He understood this old man: there was Zhang Luan, who possessed some resistance and could even harm him, and then there was Nan Fenghua, who had no combat ability and required protection. This guy would definitely target Nan Fenghua first.
Capturing her would make dealing with Zhang Luan much easier.
Zhang Luan had exploited this very point. The moment the elder moved, Zhang Luan drew his bowstring, aiming towards Nan Fenghua. Just as the scythe was about to descend, he tossed out the Spicy Pot to block the damage.
Despite being a mere pot, the durability of a legendary artifact was something a mere elder of the Demonic Roar Papacy absolutely could not break.
He just hadn’t expected the old man to be so ruthless, using a storm to hit himself just as the arrow was about to strike.
Under the force of the wind, he was thrown a considerable distance away.
His health bar plummeted by a tenth due to his own storm, and with the continuous bleeding from his severed arm, his HP continued to drop.
Yet, none of this mattered in the old man’s eyes. His heart was consumed by greed; he only desired that strangely shaped legendary artifact.
Once he obtained it, he could become the master of Akamana City’s domain! He would become the new god!
As for losing?
How could that be possible? He was an elder of the Demonic Roar Papacy; how could he lose to a mere brat? If he lost to him, wouldn’t that mean he had lived for over a hundred years in vain?
“Heh, living this long, and his mind has gone soft,” Zhang Luan sneered, observing the Demonic Roar Elder’s greedy expression. What good was living for over a hundred years? No matter how high his level or strong his power, he wasn’t immune to the All-Star Flame’s burning effect.
Under normal circumstances, dealing with this old man would require at least a hundred elite players above Level 20, cooperating and dying numerous times to eliminate him. But for Zhang Luan, even with the adorable burden of Nan Fenghua, it was merely a slight inconvenience.
Moreover, why did he think he could win?
In terms of combat experience? Zhang Luan had survived ten years in the chaotic era of his previous life; his combat experience far surpassed this guy’s.
In terms of attributes? My apologies, Avanyin’s Coin of Choice could completely bridge the attribute gap. If he were truly pushed, using the Wheel of Chaos to boost his attributes by another 1000%, who would be able to suppress whom then?
In terms of madness? Oh ho? Is there anyone crazier than a man who has died once?
So… what else was there to compare?
Speed? The food created by the God of Cookery’s Spicy Pot made him incredibly fast.
Being older? Uglier? More unsightly?
Indeed, Zhang Luan couldn’t compare in those aspects.
Therefore, he knew very well that he had already won. He would not lose, never.
Drawing his bow, he fired multiple spiral arrows into the sky. A rain of arrows, trailing starlight, descended from above, as dense as a shower of projectiles.
The elder licked his lips, manipulating the black smoke to form arm-like appendages, intending to block them with his Swift Arm. He did block them.
But he was also hit.
This time, he couldn’t suppress the searing heat of the All-Star Flame. The spiral arrow, caught in his hand, exploded with a roar. The contained flames blazed brilliantly, turning the smoke-formed arms into blossoming fireworks before they were utterly consumed.
The Demonic Roar Elder was startled, quickly severing the arm that was still burning towards him.
He had been extremely careful just now, using his maximum strength to suppress it. But this time, the temperature was completely different from before!
“Why? Impossible! Why is the temperature of this flame still rising?! There can’t be a flame this hot in this world!”
“Does a frog at the bottom of a well dare to bark here so wantonly? Get lost!”
While he was still in shock, a pure mass of All-Star Flame in the air abruptly grew from the size of a fist to that of a basketball court.
The immense oppressive force made the Demonic Roar Elder gasp for breath. He gritted his teeth, his heart seething with fury.
“Boy, I didn’t want to use this move, but you forced my hand! Black Smoke Storm!!!”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, Moon and Back is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : Moon and Back
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