The Qilin behind and the crippled giants have already started to run away into the distance.

The Nameless King in the sky, the Sunshine Spear already held in his hand and raised over his head, seems poised to unleash at any moment.

And Lann, beneath this heavy and terrifying thundercloud, under the tempest that grinds countless tons of buildings into debris, approaches the devouring Lord of Cinder.

Earlier, Elderidge, who was still conceitedly proclaiming his philosophy of consumption, now looks like a terrified rat.

"We only have one strike’s worth of time."

The Demon Hunter says nonchalantly.

"Kill me, and maybe you can charge out of this path and survive. But as long as I’m blocking here, you’re definitely going to take this hit head-on."

While speaking, Lann points upward with his finger.

It is exactly where the Nameless King is.

"Choose now."

With no unnecessary words, Lann points a ’path of survival’ to the already frightened Elderidge.

Although the chances are slim, for Elderidge, who transformed himself into this form for the sake of surviving and living long.

It was completely sufficient.

Driven by his desire to live until that deep-sea era he foresaw, Elderidge’s survival instinct has led him to this grotesque form.

This intense and pathological urge to survive was evident.

Under the pressure from the Nameless King, Elderidge almost instinctively, without much thought, followed along Lann’s guided direction.

Yes! I still have a chance to live!

I can still survive!

As long as I’m not directly hit by the legendary Sunshine Spear, why can’t I live!?

The Divine Race’s lightning simply cannot restrain me, my body isn’t as fragile as humans or the Divine Race, it doesn’t die that easily!

Just as long as I’m not struck directly!

Shalivan must have deceived me! Betrayed me!

He lured me to Ilyushil to eliminate me, to obtain the Lord of Cinder’s ’kindling’! He’s an undercover for the Dark Moon Sect! A coward loyal to the Divine Race!

But none of that matters!

As long as I can live... any grudge or hatred can be repaid later!

I will live to see the deep-sea era, at that time, all the gods of the Fire Age will be a bunch of pitiful creatures!

As long as I can still live!

And to live, requires...

Lann’s body hair that was lying flat suddenly stood up in an instant.

Making his smooth silver hair look almost frizzed.

Yet, Lann’s smile remains unchanged.

He knows, Elderidge has set his sights on him.

But it doesn’t matter, this was his intention to shift Elderidge’s attention.

As Rong Buqiu understands about him: he is truly displeased about the fact he was defeated just by glimpsing the essence of this Lord of Cinder.

Although hurting Elderidge is already considered a heroic achievement.

But if Lann were so easily satisfied, he likely would not have made it this far.

The storm grinds the debris of the demolished buildings by the Nameless King into fragments, now starting to damage those foundational blocks not yet cut down.

The great doorframe where Elderidge resides begins crumbling down from above.

The mixed storm of debris grows more intense.

And the Profound Saint, desperate for survival, also curls his tar-like body together like a coiled snake ready to strike.

Lann’s hand reaches into the alchemy pouch at his back waist.

At the same time, his eyes, since jumping off the Qilin, have become unfathomably deep.

[Spiritual Vision] is activated, the deeper world’s appearance unfolds before the Demon Hunter.

And the Demon Hunter continuously watches that pool of dark mud.

The darkness within his body has never been so active, fear and pain subsequently emerge within.

Black tears flow unbidden from his eye sockets.

But this time, it seems like the [Holy Chant Gland] has somewhat adapted from the pressure faced in the last encounter, or perhaps Lann’s will forcibly resisted the pain of darkness.

In any case, Lann’s gaze and [Spiritual Vision] never waver in the slightest.

The Nameless King in the sky, his arm wielding the Sunshine Spear already begins to swing down.

Like a face of black steel, silent and hard from beginning to end.

Under the terrifying pressure, Elderidge cannot bear it, his curled-up body abruptly extends!

Amidst the rumbling thunder and storm, the tip of the dark mud transforms into jagged spines, piercing towards Lann down the steps!

As for the Demon Hunter, enduring the pain of insects gnawing within his body, and the abnormal flow of dark liquid from his eyes.

He draws out a huge and heavy Greatsword!

[Muddy Stream·Destruction]!

Ever since slaying the White Dragon Demon King Ausloes, events have unfolded one after the other, leaving Lann no time to maintain this Greatsword.

This Greatsword inherently requires no maintenance.

The sword, inheriting the Extinct Dragon’s devouring and regenerative capacity, though lifeless, is estimated to possess vitality stronger than most living beings.

Facing Elderidge again, Lann constantly hidden, indifferent heart finally reveals its resolve in battle.

Cold, angry...

Rong Buqiu is right, Lann actually always viewed the incident of ’injuring himself just by glancing at Elderidge’ as a blemish.

His pride was utterly disgusted by it!

The flesh beneath the armor tensed inch by inch!

Large and shapely muscles began to fill with blood and swell.

The powerful blood-pumping ability of the [Second Heart] allowed the body’s capabilities to fully unleash.

The hormones from the [Holy Chant Gland] also activated the immense strength of this biochemically modified body.

The flow of strength between the muscles was guided by precise and appropriate techniques, finally gathering in the hands.

The leather on the gloves and the Extinct Dragon skin wrapped around the hilt of [Muddy Stream·Destruction] emitted a tooth-grinding ’creak’ sound from the squeezing and friction.

Powerful grip strength and techniques full of determination and will... ultimately triggered a transformation.

The original [Muddy Stream·Destruction] had inherited the traits of the Extinct Dragon, automatically emitting a cruel, brutal aura upon unsheathing.

Enough even to drive weaker creatures insane.

However, under Lann’s swing, this Greatsword underwent a change.

The sound of "cracking" faintly emanated from the hilt held by Lann, extending upwards!

This was not because Lann’s grip strength was enough to crush a hilt forged from solid Valerian steel and Extinct Dragon material.

Instead, it was more like...

A dragon hatching!

Heat erupting.

Even the air around the sword was baked to the point where light distorted!

The originally black sword body and white blade, simple in appearance, began to spread with lightning-patterned cracks from the hilt, covering the entire sword body!

And it wasn’t just simple cracking; intense red light was bursting out from those lightning-patterned cracks!

As if shattering a whole block of freshly solidified basalt, revealing inside the flowing, dazzling, scorching magma!

Initially, Lann was perplexed by the change in his Greatsword.

But then, he instinctively understood...

Back then, when he placed the remnants of the Spiral Sword into the Alchemy Pouch, it made a sound of hard objects clashing. And this is the result after the Spiral Sword’s tip was devoured by [Muddy Stream·Destruction].

The Spiral Sword is a token of Fire, a ceremonial artifact closely connected to the original flame.

And now, on this Greatsword, the fire ignited is none other than the slight embers left after the Lords of Fire through generations, who inherited the original flame, burned out.

[Embers].

Elderidge, despite using all his strength to pierce, could no longer withhold his power.

But after Lann’s Greatsword’s flames ignited, Elderidge seemed more terrified than if he had seen the Nameless King in the sky.

Even that pool of black sludge, in extreme fear, emitted a physical scream rather than a soul’s whisper.

He was truly terrified.

"Ah!!!"

The sharp noise did not affect Lann’s steady swordsmanship one bit.

[Spiritual Vision] brought pain, yet in constant observation yielded more information.

Elderidge’s innermost was deep and terrifying, but Lann continued to observe and watch within, then... swung this blow!

Like thrusting a red-hot branding iron into a sticky, muddy oil barrel.

Extreme insight and logical planning, allowed Lann during the momentary clash not to be pierced by Elderidge’s extended Spines.

On the contrary, through the gaps in the dense Spines, the flame-engulfed Greatsword slashed down!

"Boom!!!"

The sound echoed like that of a cathedral bell, starkly different from the ’splash’ of mucus hitting during Gwendolin’s previous battle with Elderidge!

It was still that crumbling skull, hidden in the black sludge, crookedly wearing a bishop’s white crown.

Lann once again accurately found him!

At the moment [Muddy Stream·Destruction] struck, the black sludge overflowing from Elderidge almost froze.

Immediately, like playing in reverse a thousandfold, the black sludge rapidly retracted, surged into that massive breach cleaved into the skull, the edges still burning with tiny flames!

That was the skull from when Elderidge was still humanoid, his ’firewood’ as a Lord of Fire.

And after the momentary clash passed, Lann’s movements did not cease in the slightest.

Taking advantage of the instant the black sludge gathered into the skull, he lifted his foot and kicked the skull back into the already ruined sleeping palace.

A strike is a strike.

Immediately after... "Boom!!!"

Golden thundering spears of lightning, accompanied by deafening thunder, descended from the sky!

In that instant, the Sunshine Spear seemed to pierce the pedestal of Yanorlund higher than the mountains without obstruction! Straight to the core!

A half-second after the Sunshine Spear was cast, a field of white light filled Lann’s vision.

Followed by a strong shockwave blast.

Like a tiny bug in a gale, Lann was tossed into the air.

The entire pedestal of the Yanorlund city where the sleeping palace was located, along with the mountain mass beneath the pedestal... all blasted into fragments by a Sunshine Spear from the Nameless King!

But Lann, swept up by the blast, didn’t fly far.

A precisely controlled small whirlwind lifted him and protected him.

So beneath this Sunshine Spear that nearly shattered a mountain range, he had a safe and visually clear vantage point.