Admittedly, Nan Fenghua truly lived up to her title as the Holy Maiden of Akamana. At such a young age, she had mastered all of Akamana’s blessing arts—a rarity throughout history.
The Mighty Roar Cathedral was right to target her. If she matured fully, they’d face utter ruin.
As Acamana City’s first major antagonist, the Mighty Roar Cathedral had indeed been wiped out by a mysterious woman. Now it seemed that woman was Nan Fenghua herself.
Most crucially, there was that revival coin.
Before the worlds merged, life-saving items were useless to players. They could respawn freely, and teammates retrieved dropped gear. Players chased fun without care. But after the merger, such items’ prices skyrocketed absurdly.
People worldwide desperately sought them. No one wanted to die.
Revival coins, though unranked, rivaled mythic-tier gear. Everyone craved them.
After seeing the "Self" attribute, he finally understood why Nan Fenghua’s past self had turned so cold.
"Self" triggered personality switches. Had he not rescued her in the cave, her persona would have flipped. All blessings would become debuffs. Those black-robed men would have died horribly.
Being tortured by debuffs was far worse than burning alive.
But none of that happened. Had he stopped a great villain’s birth?
Fate was truly unfathomable.
"Lord Zhang Luan... maybe you should hand me over. They only want me..."
Nan Fenghua saw Zhang Luan silent for so long. She thought he was troubled. Her heart ached deeply.
So many had died for her sake. She refused to burden him further.
"What nonsense? Buff me up. Hide in my arms. It’s almost time."
"Huh? What’s... ‘eight blessings’?"
Zhang Luan flicked her forehead lightly.
"I misspoke. Blessings."
"Oh..."
Nan Fenghua took a deep breath, calming herself. Hands clasped, she chanted sacred prayers from her cherry lips.
As the light flowed into him, Zhang Luan felt instant ease. The buffs didn’t boost his power tier. But seeing them flood his status panel felt deeply satisfying.
He glanced skyward. Dusk neared. The elders at Akamana Temple must be frantic by now.
He commanded Stellar Flame to soar up and unleash a massive firework.
Nan Fenghua watched blankly, confused by his move.
"Don’t worry. This firework will draw them all here."
Nan Fenghua’s eyes lit up. "To lure them so we can escape?"
A clever plan, she thought. But Zhang Luan’s reply shattered that.
"No. I’ll wipe them all out."
Nan Fenghua blinked slowly. The plan sounded insane... yet oddly thrilling.
This wild life, unlike temple safety, filled her with fresh joy. She’d never trusted a man to slay Mighty Roar Cultists and save her.
Zhang Luan’s towering frame made her heart race. She avoided his gaze, face burning crimson.
Suddenly, she recalled his question about the Holy Son.
In Akamana’s doctrine, the Holy Son equaled the Holy Maiden’s husband.
Which meant...
A rosy blush spread across her cheeks like a ripe apple, tempting a bite.
Just then, a lecherous voice cackled.
"Heh heh heh! The Holy Maiden of Akamana with a man? Amusing! That firework was a distress call? Foolish. Our elders blocked the Akamana Temple forces outside. Hahahaha!"
A repulsive black-robed man emerged from the forest. He dragged a man-tall scythe, leading Mighty Roar Cultists.
They were surrounded on all sides.
The lecherous leader licked his lips slowly. He pointed arrogantly at Zhang Luan.
"Brat, hand her over. Join our mighty Mighty Roar Cathedral. Spare your life."
His words ended. The cultists chanted in low unison.
"Join the Mighty Roar Cathedral... Join the Mighty Roar Cathedral..."
The chant oozed hypnotic power. Ordinary people would instantly convert.
But it slid off Zhang Luan like water.
[Strong mental interference detected. Luck stat too high. Effect nullified.]
Mighty Roar’s mental tricks relied on luck checks. For his EX-level luck, it was like an egg hitting Mars.
Nan Fenghua in his arms? Even safer.
She was Akamana’s Holy Maiden. Such trivial tricks wouldn’t touch her.
The lecherous man flushed under Zhang Luan’s idiotic stare.
"Damn you! Can’t hear our Mighty Roar God? Attack! Seize the girl!"
Cultists charged, weapons raised. Zhang Luan snapped his fingers. Stellar Flame blasted dozens flying.
The system chimed in his ear.
[D-rank quest triggered: "Counter-Encirclement." Objective: Eliminate surrounding Mighty Roar Cultists. Reward scales with kills. Accept?]
Zhang Luan smirked. A welcome surprise. He loved the name. Counter-Encirclement. Indeed, he’d already surrounded over a hundred cultists alone.
Cultists charged fearlessly. Stellar Flame burned their lives away. Under those robes weren’t humans—just painless, raving monsters.
True, Mighty Roar members were modified beasts. Killing them brought no guilt.
Only rare high-rankers kept independent thought. Like the cave-burned man. Like this lecherous leader.
They all wielded scythes.
As for strength?
Heh.
