"Brat, how about joining our Mighty Roar Cathedral? Hand over one arm, and I'll spare your life. Your flames are decent, but nothing special."

Thick black smoke swirled around Elder Muhong, forming an impenetrable barrier like a fortress wall.

He had to be this cautious—the Stellar Flame's heat was simply too intense. Though he'd seemed to effortlessly suppress it earlier, his right hand was now covered in burns that refused to heal.

He wanted to appear as if he'd casually snuffed out the flames, hoping to scare Zhang Luan into surrendering.

But he miscalculated. Zhang Luan stared at the elder like he was an idiot. In his past life, he hadn't known this old man loved showing off so much—stubbornly enduring the Stellar Flame's burn while putting on a tough act.

Zhang Luan didn't care. If the Stellar Flame's burn wasn't treated, the damage would only escalate. Even a level 30 mini-boss like this old man couldn't withstand it.

Silence hung for a moment. Then the elder couldn't hold back. Black smoke billowed as he lunged forward, propelled by its force. His unburned left hand gripped a scythe raised high. The swirling smoke nearly choked Nan Fenghua.

His target wasn't Zhang Luan—it was Nan Fenghua.

No good!

Fear of Elder Muhong froze her in place. An evil grin spread across his wrinkled face, as if Nan Fenghua would be split in two any second, enjoying "double the fun."

Clang!

Just as the scythe was about to cleave her head, a bright red pot slammed into it, blocking it completely.

Meanwhile, Zhang Luan released his drawn bowstring. A spiraling arrow shot straight at the old man's face—astonishingly fast. Even with his Speed Arm, the elder couldn't intercept it at such close range.

In an instant, his pupils contracted sharply. A violent hurricane blasted him backward.

The arrow veered off and struck his right arm.

The Stellar Flame on his arm and hand overlapped, instantly engulfing his entire limb.

Elder Muhong gritted his teeth and severed his right arm with the scythe. He stared at the pot, his eyes filled not with anger, but with greed.

"A legendary item! I never expected the Akamana Temple to invest so heavily—to place a legendary item on you just to protect a little girl. Haha, good thing I came, or I'd have missed this chance! Hahaha, what luck!"

Beside them, Nan Fenghua stared blankly at the pot. The spot where it was hit didn't even have a speck of white—it looked exactly as before. But how had it gotten there?

She had taken it off while blessing Zhang Luan...

"Tch, he's got plenty of escape tricks."

Of course, Zhang Luan had thrown the pot. The system's backpack could autonomously place items within range. He knew this elder: faced with Zhang Luan, who could resist and even hurt him, and Nan Fenghua, who had zero combat ability, the elder would definitely target her first.

Capturing her would make dealing with Zhang Luan easier.

Zhang Luan exploited this. The moment the elder moved, he drew his bow, aiming at Nan Fenghua. Just as the scythe fell, he threw the Culinary God's Spicy Pot to block the damage.

Don't underestimate this pot—it was a legendary item, far too sturdy for a mere Mighty Roar Cathedral elder to break.

He hadn't expected the old man to be so ruthless—to use a storm on himself just as the arrow hit.

The wind's force hurled him far away.

His health bar plummeted by a tenth from his own storm. Blood flowed from the severed arm, his HP kept dropping.

But none of this mattered. Greed consumed him—he only wanted that oddly shaped legendary item.

With it, he could become the ruler of Acamana City! He would become a new god!!

As for losing?

Impossible. He was an elder of the Mighty Roar Cathedral—how could he lose to a mere brat? If he did, wouldn't it mean his hundred years were wasted?

"Hmph, living so long has addled your brain," Zhang Luan sneered at Elder Muhong's greedy expression. What did a century matter? No matter his level or strength, he couldn't resist the Stellar Flame's burn.

Normally, it would take over a hundred elite players above level 20, dying many times, to take down this elder. But for Zhang Luan, even with Nan Fenghua as a cute little burden, it was only a slight inconvenience.

Besides, what made him think he could win?

Battle experience? Zhang Luan had survived ten years in a chaotic past life—his experience far surpassed this guy's.

Stats? Afanyin's Choice Coin could easily close the gap. And if pushed, he could use the Chaos Roulette to boost his stats by 1000%—then who could suppress whom?

Madness? Oh ho? Who could be crazier than a man who'd died once?

So... what else was there to compare?

Speed? Food from the Culinary God's Spicy Pot made him lightning-fast.

Being older? Uglier? More hideous?

True, Zhang Luan couldn't match him there.

So he knew—he'd already won. He wouldn't lose. Never.

He drew his bow and fired. Multiple spiraling arrows shot into the sky, then rained down with Stellar Flame trails, dense as an arrow storm.

The elder licked his lips, manipulating black smoke to form arm shapes, combining with his Speed Arm to block.

Indeed, he blocked them.

But he was also hit.

This time, he couldn't suppress the Stellar Flame's heat. The spiraling arrow in his grasp exploded violently, its flames bursting forth. The smoke-formed arms turned into blooming fireworks, then burned to ashes.

Elder Muhong gasped and quickly severed the arm still burning toward him.

Just moments ago, he'd used all his strength to suppress it carefully. But this time's temperature was completely different!

"Why? Impossible! Why is this flame's temperature still rising?! There can't be flames this hot in this world!"

"A frog in a well dares to bark wildly here? Get lost!"

While he was stunned, a pure ball of Stellar Flame swelled from fist-sized to the size of a basketball court.

Its overwhelming pressure choked Elder Muhong. He gritted his teeth, fury burning within.

"Brat, I didn't want to use this move, but you forced me—Black Smoke Storm!!!"