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The high temperature and pressure from the erupting flames, along with the roaring of the fire, formed an invisible, echoing babbling in the corridor.
Turner felt his movements instantly stiffen, even coming to a halt.
Fortunately, this state did not last too long, only a second or two, before he returned to normal.
Turner lightly ran the Beast Tooth Dagger across his arm; no blood flowed out, only a layer of illusory scales hidden beneath his skin rapidly spread from the wound to his entire body, slightly isolating the high temperature from the surrounding flames.
Turner's bloodshot eyes stared intently at the Flame Demon, whose form was hidden within the flames, as the anger within him continuously transformed into his own strength.
The next moment, Turner, almost teleporting, crossed the fiery barrier and appeared beside the Flame Demon.
The Beast Tooth Dagger in his hand deftly sliced across the Flame Demon's neck, severing it. A "sizzle~" of evaporating water sounded, but no steam appeared; the water vapor completely evaporated the moment it formed.
A tremendous sense of crisis struck, and Turner only managed to take one step back. The next moment, the beheaded Flame Demon exploded like ignited dynamite.
Flames engulfed the entire corridor, and Turner's body was sent flying by the flames, crashing through the fragile, already flame-scorched wall and landing in a room already surrounded by flames.
"Cough! Cough!"
Turner struggled to roll twice on the ground before stopping himself and getting up. He felt that the illusory scales provided by the Beast Tooth Dagger had completely shattered, and the skin on his body was scorched by the high temperature.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
He muttered in a low, gritting voice.
In the corridor, a heart, wrapped in layers of flames, continuously pulsed, drawing in the surrounding flames.
Pale blue flames burst forth from the heart, rapidly devouring the surrounding flames and reforming into a new fiery body.
The pale blue flames, as if alive, retracted into the heart, and the humanoid body outlined by blazing red flames stepped into the room where Turner was.
The flames already burning in the room instantly grew more vigorous, the fire dancing constantly, as if welcoming their king.
Two water whips, like agile water snakes, danced in the air, continuously striking the Flame Demon's body.
The Flame Demon extended his arm, made of flames, swung it a few times in the air, and it rapidly stretched, transforming into a crimson long whip covered in a layer of orange-red flames.
The fiery long whip and the water whip activated by the Beast Tooth Dagger churned in the air, and the room was instantly filled with a burst of water vapor and smoke.
Standing on the opposite rooftop, Leyton, watching this scene through his Eyes of Mystery Prying, couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration:
"What powerful learning ability; its combat wisdom is already no less than that of an ordinary Beyonder."
Whether it was the Flame Demon's previous self-destruction or its current imitation of the opponent by forming a long whip with flames, both indicated that it possessed extraordinary intelligence and learning ability.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
"This is the Dock District. The Church of the Lord of Storms's cathedral is very close. Even if you can defeat me, can you defeat the Punishers who will arrive soon?"
The amethyst-inlaid ring on Turner's left index finger shimmered with an unusual, highly alluring glow under the surrounding firelight.
The Flame Demon's movements slowed slightly; its thoughts were affected.
The next moment, two chaotic water whips shattered one of the Flame Demon's arms.
The flames, which had already spread to the second and even first floors, began to roar, and the sound of the raging fire transformed into illusory babbling in the minds of the people around.
Everyone within the flame's range felt a dizzy spell and a stagnation of thought. Some people began to secrete a dark, viscous liquid, and their hearts felt as if they were being squeezed by a hand, making them very uncomfortable, almost unable to breathe.
"Clang!" Turner, the primary target of the influence, couldn't even hold the Beast Tooth Dagger in his hand.
The next moment, countless flames surged out, like solid chains, completely engulfing Turner.
The flames burned almost white-hot, continuing for nearly two minutes. Turner, tightly wrapped in the center, was already too weak to struggle.
Seeing this, Leyton, covered in heavy shadow, stepped forward and entered the room where Turner and the Flame Demon were fighting.
A slowly rotating ball of stardust rapidly formed in his right palm, scattering streaks of light that enveloped the area around the Flame Demon, forcibly transforming the Flame Demon, who wanted to continue committing arson, back into its figurine state.
Picking up the Flame Demon figurine from the ground, Leyton felt the heart within the figurine beating even more powerfully.
A "whoosh~" of wind sounded, bringing with it a sweeping rain.
Leyton glanced outside; Punishers from the Church of the Lord of Storms were arriving, riding the gale.
"Wind-Blessed? Has this attracted the attention of a high-ranking deacon?"
Leyton muttered, then walked to Turner's charred corpse, picked up an amethyst-inlaid ring and the two Beast Tooth Daggers from the ground, then stepped into the spirit world, disappearing from the room.
Less than half a minute after Leyton left, a gale carrying seawater blew into the room, extinguishing most of the fire.
A high-ranking deacon of the Punishers, dressed in a Church of the Lord of Storms priest's robe, stood beside Turner's charred corpse, his face so gloomy it could drip ink.
"Pyromaniac? And a similar yet different demonic aura!"
"Hmph! The rats of Backlund are getting more and more arrogant! I'll throw all these guys into the sea to feed the fish sooner or later!"
The high-ranking deacon of the Punishers, with his seaweed-like dark green hair, spoke in a low voice to the charred corpse before him, his tone filled with a rage that seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
He then manipulated the surrounding wind and water to extinguish the flames in the building and departed, riding the gale.
Leyton, who had entered the spirit world and departed, did not go far but found a dark corner to exit the spirit world and blend into the crowd of onlookers.
Seeing that the fire was quickly extinguished by the gale carrying water vapor, Leyton turned and left. He went to a less crowded pub nearby, planning to have a drink and see what further effects this incident would have.
As soon as he entered the pub, Leyton's spiritual perception was triggered; this pub seemed to be covered by an inharmonious influence.
Leyton's forward step paused, and a subtle purple glow flashed in his eyes, hidden by his glasses.
His usually effective Eyes of Mystery Prying didn't detect any abnormalities, but the subtle feeling in Leyton's heart did not dissipate.
Withdrawing his foot, Leyton prepared to leave the pub.
An anomaly that could even conceal itself from the Eyes of Mystery Prying would not be a simple matter.
"Since you're here, why not have a drink before you leave?"
The Sailor-dressed man who entered the pub behind Leyton casually said, then walked past Leyton toward the pub counter.
This unconscious remark from the Sailor who entered behind Leyton gave Leyton a feeling that his fate had been touched.
Leyton had a feeling that if he didn't have a drink before leaving, misfortune would befall him.
After a moment of hesitation, Leyton walked back to the pub counter, asked the waiter for a rum, and found a corner seat with fewer people.
The only person nearby was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a dark grey robe, who was savoring a freshly roasted lamb chop.
"I thought you'd be scared and leave this pub!"
"If that were the case, I would have had to leave a mark on you, to make it easier to find you later."
The old man said to himself while eating the lamb chop on his plate, without looking up.
Leyton's drinking motion paused. He just randomly picked a seat and hit the jackpot? He felt his luck today was a bit strange.
Leyton politely greeted the old man beside him, whose depth he couldn't gauge:
"Old sir, do you wish to see me?"
"I don't know who I'm looking for, but you're sitting here, so that means you're the person I'm looking for."
The old man said, without raising his head, words of unclear meaning.
Leyton was slightly stunned. The old man's tone made him suspect that the other party was a Beyonder of the Fate pathway; only those who acted according to orders all day would be so mystical.
Having roughly guessed the other party's identity, Leyton asked with considerable curiosity:
"Old sir, what do you want with me? Or what are you pursuing?"
"An opportunity, an opportunity to advance to Sequence 3."
"I've waited seventy years for this opportunity, seventy whole years! I even thought I'd never be able to advance again in this lifetime, but not long ago, I finally felt the call of fate again!"
The old man put down the lamb chop in his hand, turned to look at Leyton, his eyes filled with hope and longing, like a child seeing a beloved toy.
"Uh."
Leyton was taken aback. A Beyonder of the Fate pathway was looking for him for an opportunity to advance to Sequence 3? That meant the white-haired old man in front of him was a Sequence 4 Misfortune Mage.
"I don't understand the Fate pathway."
Leyton wanted to politely refuse the other party but didn't dare to be too blunt. A demigod of the Fate pathway was better handled cautiously. Leyton didn't want to inexplicably become an unlucky person who might choke to death just by drinking water.
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