Chapter Eighty-Nine: Another Formidable Character
No need for Qin Chuan to say more—the Sleepy Bug’s eyes were already sparkling, and with a swoosh, it carried Qin Chuan straight toward the distant volcanic crater.
“Hey, you two, wait for me!” Zi Zi, upon seeing the Fire Lotus suspended in midair, felt an excited tremor in her heart and hurriedly followed.
Meanwhile, at the mouth of the volcano, a group of Firefolk appeared, kneeling and worshipping ceaselessly.
“Whoosh!” Suddenly, a flame burst forth, revealing a larger-than-life Firefolk. His entire body was crimson, like a burning flame, his face blurred and indistinct, but two eyes shone like rubies, and on his forehead gleamed a green spirit pearl.
“Ha ha! Today is a grand day—the Fire Lotus, nurtured for years, is about to mature. The days when our Firefolk will dominate the world are not far off!”
“Congratulations, Lord, on obtaining the Fire Lotus—your strength will soar, your renown will spread far and wide!”
“Our power will ascend, our glory will spread!”
For a moment, all the Firefolk raised their hands and shouted, intoxicated by joy.
At that instant, the Fire Lotus gently spun in the air, its five seeds trembling on the verge of falling—the unmistakable sign of imminent maturity.
The Firefolk Lord gazed at the Fire Lotus seeds with fervor, opened his mouth wide, and inhaled deeply.
The Fire Lotus quivered, drifting slowly toward the Lord’s mouth.
Sleepy Bug cried out anxiously, “Big brother, look! That guy is about to swallow the Fire Lotus!”
Qin Chuan was still thirty meters from the volcano’s edge and said hurriedly, “Little brother, looks like you won’t get to eat it this time.”
“No worries, big brother! Hurry and make your move, or it’ll be too late!”
“Alright!” Knowing how urgent the situation was, Qin Chuan wasted no more words. He soared into the air, blinking forward, and launched an attack directly at the Fire Lotus.
“Stream Strike!”
“Chirp!”
Now, the Fire Lotus was only half a meter from the Firefolk Lord’s mouth. His eyes shone with uncontained excitement. Around him, the Firefolk’s cries grew ever more fervent.
“Our power will ascend, our glory will spread!”
Their frenzied shouts completely drowned out the sound of the Dragon Pattern Cold Jade Sword slicing through the air.
“Crack!” Qin Chuan’s sword shattered the Fire Lotus, and its five seeds began to fall.
The Fire Lotus itself, carried by a gentle breeze, drifted onto the nearby volcanic ash, instantly sinking into it and emitting a faint red glow.
“Devour the source!”
Qin Chuan immediately inhaled fiercely toward the five seeds.
“Ding! Successfully devoured a Tier Four Supreme Fire Lotus Seed, gained thirty million experience points and three million evolution points.”
...
“Ding! Congratulations, host, level up to twenty-four, new skill point acquired.”
“Damn, it’s actually a Tier Four Supreme Fire Lotus Seed! Ah, so fragrant—truly wonderful!” Returning to his starting point, Qin Chuan was so excited he nearly jumped for joy.
This sudden turn stunned all the Firefolk.
The Firefolk Lord dumbly smacked his lips, only to find his mouth empty, as if it could spit out nothing but air.
“What on earth happened?!”
The Firefolk Lord roared each word, his fury setting the volcanic magma boiling anew.
“Report, Lord—thirty meters below, we’ve spotted a man with a sword and a bug.”
“What?! It must be their doing! Go, kill them and reclaim the Fire Lotus seeds!”
“Yes, sir!”
Over two hundred Firefolk surged forward, wielding flaming blades, ready to roast the sword and the bug to cinders.
“Big brother, they’re coming!”
“Ha ha, nothing to worry about, little brother—go hide for now.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Sleepy Bug nodded quickly, sniffed with its lively nose, a flash of delight in its eyes, and burrowed underground.
Just then, the system’s notification sounded in Qin Chuan’s ear.
“Ding! Tier Three High Firefolk Lord detected, rare quality, level twenty-seven.”
“Ding! Tier Three Mid Firefolk Elite detected, excellent quality, level twenty-five.”
...
As the Firefolk drew closer, Qin Chuan unleashed his ultimate move—Falling Sky Stream Strike.
Orange light flickered in the air as a hundred sword shadows rained down.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
“Ding! Killed a level twenty-five Tier Three Mid Firefolk Elite, gained sixty-five thousand experience, bonus for over-level kill: one hundred percent extra, total one hundred thirty thousand experience.”
“Ding! Gained Fire Source +1.”
...
With a single ultimate move, Qin Chuan took out eight or nine Firefolk, frightening the Firefolk Lord into shouting, “Stop! This guy is strong—surround him first!”
“Yes, sir!”
Despite his rage, the Firefolk Lord remained calm—a sign of a ruthless character.
He strode forward and shouted angrily, “Why did you steal my Fire Lotus seeds?”
Qin Chuan nearly laughed at this, replying coolly, “What do you mean, your Fire Lotus seeds? Heaven’s treasures belong to whoever gets them first.”
The Firefolk Lord was so furious that flames shot from his eyes. He growled, “Hmph! The Fire Lotus seeds matured today because of my countless efforts—how can you say they’re not mine?!”
“You’d better hand them over, or I’ll turn you into ashes!”
Such threats were utterly meaningless to Qin Chuan.
In this spirit realm, if your strength isn’t great, you’ll be killed—snatching treasures is nothing unusual.
“If you want to kill me, you’re neither the first nor the last. Bring it on. If you win, the Fire Lotus seeds are yours. If you lose, it only proves you’re unworthy.”
Qin Chuan spoke calmly, yet his tone brimmed with confidence.
The Firefolk Lord’s gaze grew suddenly dark. He barked, “Fine! Then let me show you my true power!”
Firefolk are born of earth-fire, inherently superior to other spirit creatures, and their skills are dazzling.
Thus, the Firefolk Lord had ample reason for pride.
Flame Heaven Slash (active): Stage one, level three—unleashes three consecutive strikes, adding thirty percent extra damage, nine-meter attack range. Stage two, level two—each level adds one meter to attack range.
Fire Spirit Body (passive): Within twenty meters, each level adds five percent of sharpness value as scorching damage, immune to fire damage and adds five percent to resilience, currently level nine.
Fire Dragon Spray (active): Shoots a fire dragon, each level adds three percent damage, five-meter range, currently level eight.
Rebirth by Fire (active): On activation, refreshes Flame Heaven Slash and Fire Dragon Spray, each level increases all attributes by five percent, lasts twenty seconds. If killed in this state, each level adds five percent chance of revival, currently level five.
The Firefolk Lord was a pure offense type, with excellent stats.
Basic sharpness 600+, resilience 760+ (including passive), speed 450+.
Though his basic sharpness may not seem impressive, his skill bonuses were formidable.
Most frightening was his ultimate, which was nearly game-breaking. Once activated, it not only refreshed skills and boosted attributes, but also gave a twenty-five percent chance of revival.
Never underestimate that twenty-five percent chance—if luck is on his side, he could revive several times in a row, bringing unexpected “surprises” to his enemies.
At this moment, the two-meter-tall Firefolk Lord was enveloped in a faint purple glow.
He looked like a mass of purple fire, imposing and majestic.
Qin Chuan smiled faintly, his sword let out a resonant hum, its sharp aura rippling outward.
The gentle orange glow was dazzling.
Hiss!
“It’s an orange spirit weapon—no wonder he’s so arrogant!”
“I never imagined a weapon of such power would emerge from the Four-Star Zone.”
“Are you stupid? With the Lord here, he won’t get far!”
“That’s right! Once the Lord refines his spirit core, our glory will spread far and wide!”
...
Amidst the chatter, the Firefolk Lord’s expression changed from gloom to shock, then from shock to wild delight.
“Ha ha! Even if I lost the Fire Lotus seeds, refining you would be an enormous gain!”
“So, prepare to die!”