148: They pulled off a daring stunt and obtained the crown!

As the prayers were chanted, the flame energy within the temple seemed to resonate and pulsate with them.

"Ah! Ya! Yi! Yi! Ya—"

"Doh! Doh! Zhi! Zhi! Ga—"

The flame heart crown, suspended in mid-air, had a subtle change in the pulsation frequency of the crimson gem at its peak.

The repulsive force it emitted seemed to have weakened slightly.

It's working!

The Old Elf's prayers were truly soothing and awakening the crown's spirituality!

Lu Yuan's heart was in his throat.

He could feel that the Old Elf's attention was now completely focused on communicating with the crown.

This was a perfect opportunity!

But Bedrock hadn't given the order yet.

What the hell was this guy doing?

Was he still kneeling?

"Senior?"

"Senior?"

Damn it! He couldn't be dead, could he?

He could only force himself to calm down and wait.

Time passed, minute by minute.

The Old Elf's chanting grew louder and more urgent.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead; clearly, this ancient prayer was extremely taxing on him.

And the flame heart crown's reaction became more and more obvious.

The light on its surface was no longer so violent and dazzling, but had become much softer, like warm red jade.

It floated quietly, as if listening to the call from the depths of its bloodline.

Just at this moment!

Bedrock's low voice once again sounded in Lu Yuan's ear!

"Now!"

"Move!"

Almost at the same instant Bedrock's voice rang out!

A sharp glint burst from Lu Yuan's eyes!

All the waiting, all the forbearance, erupted at this moment!

The Source Power in his body surged wildly into the Breath Concealment Transfer Card in his right hand!

A faint glow emanated from the card's surface!

At the same time, he thrust forward the transparent fake crown in his backpack!

The target—was precisely the true flame heart crown, suspended in mid-air, being soothed by the Old Elf's prayers!

A daring deception, happening now!

...Buzz!

Two energy threads, as fine as gossamer, shot out from the card!

One precisely wrapped around the fake crown in Lu Yuan's backpack.

The other, too fast for the naked eye to catch, shot directly towards the center of the great hall, towards the true flame heart crown suspended in mid-air!

Two energy threads, one end connected to the fake crown, the other end connected to the true crown!

The power of the Breath Concealment Transfer Card was pushed to its limit at this moment!

"Buzz—!"

Space, centered around the two crowns, experienced a momentary, extremely slight distortion!

No one noticed!

The immense fire-element energy aura provided by the Super Phantom Simulation on the fake crown, and the vast, ocean-like divine power of the true crown, under the mysterious effect of the Breath Concealment Transfer Card, perfectly synchronized and resonated almost at the same instant!

And then—

Swap!

Everything happened in a flash of lightning, in the instant the Old Elf closed his eyes and chanted devoutly!

Lu Yuan felt a sudden heavy weight in his hand!

An indescribable, terrifying high temperature, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure, suddenly appeared in his palm!

"Holy crap!"

That was not a temperature his combat suit could withstand!

Nor was it a pressure he could resist!

It felt as if he was holding the core of an exploding sun!

The flame heart crown!

It truly lived up to its name!

"Ah! Ya! Ya—"

Lu Yuan felt as if his arm was about to be instantly vaporized!

His skin instantly turned crimson, and the edges of his combat suit's sleeves were already starting to emit charred black smoke!

"Jigoo!"

The Raging Waves Sea Soul in the card slot seemed to sense its host's danger and suddenly erupted with a cool water-element Source Power, attempting to resist the scorching heat.

But all of this seemed like a drop in the bucket before the crown's supreme divine power!

"My King! Do you feel it?"

The Old Flame Spirit was completely unaware of the shocking change happening so close by!

He still had his eyes closed, his face full of piety, chanting the ancient prayer.

He could clearly "feel" that the repulsive force emanating from the "Crown" in front of him seemed to have weakened a bit more, becoming gentler and more approachable.

"It's my prayer! It's the prayer passed down by our clan for eons that has awakened the King's spirituality!"

The Old Elf was overjoyed and chanted even more vigorously.

Little did he know, this crown was no longer that crown!

Just as Lu Yuan felt like he was about to be roasted alive, and his consciousness began to blur—

"Clap!"

Bedrock's figure reappeared beside Lu Yuan.

He now held a strange card in his hand, though Lu Yuan hadn't noticed when he acquired it.

That card had no rank or star rating displayed, not even Source Power fluctuations!

"Buzz—!"

The moment the mysterious card touched the crown.

The flame heart crown, which was almost incinerating Lu Yuan, actually quickly converged and calmed down!

Immediately after!

Bedrock then used his innate ability to caress the true Crown.

The flame heart crown quickly dimmed, becoming transparent, and finally, in Lu Yuan's hand, transformed into an almost invisible phantom!

At the same time, the fake crown in mid-air also revealed its true form!

Truth and falsehood, at this moment, were completely reversed!

"Go!" Bedrock whispered, grabbing Lu Yuan's arm.

"Don't let him see through the deception!"

Lu Yuan suppressed the feeling of exhaustion after escaping danger and quickly cooperated with Bedrock's movements.

Slowly retreating... Bedrock pulled him back towards the entrance of the temple, away from the "crime scene," while warily glancing at the Old Flame Spirit who was still devoutly praying.

The Old Elf seemed completely oblivious to all of this, still immersed in his own world.

"Jigoo?"

"Goojee? Jee?"

In the corner, the Flame Sprites seemed a bit more perceptive than the Old Elf.

They tilted their fluffy little heads, looking at the fake crown in mid-air whose aura had suddenly become "solid," and let out a few puzzled "jigoo" sounds.

A few bolder Sprites even twitched their noses, as if discerning a scent.

They felt that the "Crown" before them seemed a little different from before.

But that familiar attraction, stemming from the depths of their bloodline, could not be faked.

The effect of the Super Phantom Simulation card played a crucial role at this moment.

The Sprites were puzzled for a moment, but soon they were confused by the "familiar" powerful aura again, and prostrated themselves on the ground, letting out low, reverent whimpers.

Lu Yuan was pulled by Bedrock, retreating all the way to near the temple entrance before stopping.

He was gasping for air, partly acting, partly for real.

That moment just now had been too draining, and the impact of the flame heart crown in his hand had made his blood churn endlessly.

He secretly glanced at his palm.

Severe burns!

And the true flame heart crown, now in his hand, was completely invisible; without deliberately sensing it, it was impossible to detect.

Only Lu Yuan himself knew that he was now holding a "red" treasure capable of making the entire Card Continent go mad!

No, it was not a card, it could not be classified by color!

This was a treasure that transcended the card system, unconstrained by Source Power limitations!

His heart pounded violently, almost leaping out of his throat.

Exciting!

It was so damn exciting!

"Steady your mind," Bedrock's voice sounded in his ear, gravely, "It's not over yet."

"Wait for me to set up the teleportation array!"

"It's for two people, it'll take a little time!"

Lu Yuan nodded, his gaze fixed on the Old Elf.

Time, at this moment, seemed incredibly long.

Every minute, every second, was filled with torment.

The Old Flame Spirit's prayer also gradually came to an end.

Finally—

When the last ancient, difficult-to-pronounce syllable was chanted from the Old Elf's mouth.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the "flame heart crown" suspended in mid-air, and feeling the "gentle" and "approachable" aura emanating from it, his old face was filled with a relieved smile.

"My King... You have finally... fully awakened..."

His voice trembled, with a hint of a choked sob.

He slowly stood up, and once again extended his large, calloused hands, cautiously, with endless reverence, towards the fake crown.

This time, there was no repulsion.

No resistance.

The fake crown, forged by the Super Phantom Simulation card, under the subsequent influence of the Breath Concealment Transfer Card, seemed to truly possess spirituality, gently and slowly drifting down, finally settling steadily into the Old Flame Spirit's open, large palm.

It was warm to the touch, and its energy was immense.

The aura of the sacred object, as it was in his memory and his bloodline inheritance, was exactly the same!

"Woo..."

The Old Flame Spirit held the fake crown, gazing at it for a very long time.

The muscles on his wrinkled old face twitched uncontrollably.

Just like Lu Yuan's little heart!

Suddenly, two streams of hot, turbid tears gushed from his flame-burning eyes!

"It's back... Finally... Finally back!!!"

The Old Elf could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart, raising the fake crown high above his head, as if proclaiming to the whole world.

"The sacred object has returned! My King has descended!"

"My Fire Source Elf clan... has hope for revival! Haha... Hahahaha!!"

It's done!

At least, for now, it's done!

...