149: The ancestor was furious; the truth was hard to discern.

The Old Flame Spirit held high the flame heart crown, tears streaming down his face.

"How many years... how many years!"

"The Sacred Object... finally... finally returned to the hands of our tribe intact!"

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his agitated emotions.

Now was not the time for mere lament.

What he had to do was to bind this crown to his own Source Power as quickly as possible!

Only then could he truly unleash the power of the Sacred Object, and only then could he lead his people to restore their former glory!

To resist the oppression of these Card Masters!

The Old Flame Spirit sat cross-legged, solemnly placing the fake crown on the ground before him.

His hands began to form complex seals, and he chanted incantations.

The fire elements within the Fire Source Temple, following his movements, began to grow active, joyfully circling around him.

In the corner, Lu Yuan watched with a pounding heart.

He quietly nudged Bedrock beside him, lowering his voice, and asked urgently,

"Senior, the teleportation array... how much longer?"

"Soon, it'll be ready!"

"That old fellow is about to start fusing with the crown, we don't have much time!"

Lu Yuan was very nervous!

He could feel that Bedrock's speed in setting up the teleportation array seemed a bit slower than expected.

However, it was understandable.

A two-person teleportation, and across a secret realm at that, the difficulty was imaginable.

The Old Flame Spirit completed the preparation phase of the ritual, his eyes burning with scorching flames.

"King! Please accept your most loyal servant's final sacrifice!"

He roared, and from between his brows, a pure, incomparable ball of primal flame, bearing the imprint of his own life, slowly emerged.

The flame was crimson gold, the core of his life as a great high priest!

He intended to fuse this primal flame into the crown, becoming completely one with it!

"Go!"

The Old Flame Spirit pointed a finger.

That crimson-gold primal flame transformed into a streak of light, shooting directly towards the "flame heart crown" on the ground!

At the same time, Lu Yuan anxiously urged again,

"Senior! He's started!"

Bedrock's voice also carried a hint of urgency: "Give me twenty breaths! No! Ten breaths will do!"

"Zzz—!"

Just as the Old Elf's primal flame was about to touch the fake crown.

An anomaly suddenly occurred!

The fake crown, which had originally exuded a "magnificent" aura, suddenly flickered on its surface under the impact of the Old Elf's extremely pure primal flame!

It was just like... a light bulb with a bad connection!

"Hmm?!"

The Old Flame Spirit's brows furrowed sharply.

He felt something was amiss.

This crown... its reaction to absorbing his primal flame seemed... a bit sluggish?

Moreover, the power feedback seemed... a bit superficial?

It wasn't like a true Sacred Object, possessing the domineering power to embrace all rivers and devour everything.

Instead... it was like a filled empty shell, feeling somewhat lacking in sustained power.

"What's going on?"

A hint of doubt flashed in the Old Elf's mind.

Could it be that the Sacred Object had been dormant for too long, and its spirituality had not fully recovered?

He didn't think much of it; perhaps he was being too sensitive.

To ensure foolproof success, he decided to increase the injection of primal flame!

"King! Awaken!!!"

He roared, and more primal flame surged from between his brows, gathering into an even thicker pillar of fire, fiercely pouring into the fake crown!

"Crack—!"

A faint cracking sound suddenly rang out!

The Source Power that Bedrock had left in the fake crown to maintain the effect of Super Phantom Simulation finally reached its limit under the impact of this pure primal flame, which far exceeded expectations!

A fine crack appeared on the surface of the fake crown, the "shell" constructed by Super Phantom Simulation and exuding magnificent fire-elemental energy!

"Senior! Quick, quick, quick! He's noticed something is wrong! That thing is about to give out!" Lu Yuan's voice was almost a whimper, his heart pounding.

"Immediately! Truly immediately! Last step!" Bedrock's voice also carried a fierce determination, clearly putting his full effort into it.

The crack grew wider and wider, spreading rapidly!

The Old Flame Spirit's pupils suddenly contracted!

He abruptly lowered his head, staring intently at the "crown" before him!

He saw that the "flame heart crown," which had originally been radiant and imposing, had its golden-red light rapidly dimming like an ebbing tide!

That familiar, world-dominating pressure also quickly dissipated like a punctured balloon!

In just a few breaths, that "sacred" crown turned into... an inert, ancient-looking, yet lifeless... lump of metal!

A fake!

A complete and utter fake!!!

"—Fake!!!"

A roar filled with endless anger, humiliation, and disbelief exploded! It echoed throughout the entire Fire Source Temple!

Rumble—!!!

The Old Flame Spirit's hair stood on end, his eyes instantly turning blood red!

Terrifying rage, no longer an invisible aura, transformed into a tangible, destructive crimson firestorm, shooting out in all directions from him as its center!

The newly sculpted stone pillars and walls within the Fire Source Temple, under the impact of this furious storm, once again burst and collapsed!

It was as if the end of the world had arrived!

"Junior!!!"

Lu Yuan was prepared!

The moment the Old Elf discovered the truth, the instant the word "fake" left his mouth, he unhesitatingly activated the Source Power within his body, frantically deploying the Raging Waves Sea Soul defensive shield!

At the same time, he perfectly displayed "shock" and "bewilderment" on his face, shouting loudly,

"Senior! What's going on?! the crown... how could the crown..."

While channeling his power, he put on an Oscar-worthy performance.

"Could it be... could it be that the Sacred Object just revived, and its energy is still unstable, so... so that's why it became like this?"

The Old Flame Spirit's bloodshot eyes, burning with raging fury, suddenly locked onto Lu Yuan!

Killing intent!

Killing intent as tangible as substance!

"Junior!!!"

The Old Elf's voice was filled with rage.

"You're behind this!!!"

"Where is the real crown?!!!"

He wasn't a fool!

On the contrary, an old monster who had lived for countless years possessed wisdom as vast as the sea!

In a flash of lightning, he understood all the crucial points!

This outsider!

From the very beginning, his appearance was suspicious!

Why did only he among so many people have the stone tablet?

Why did only he have a little elf beside him among so many people?

It was all a deception!

From beginning to end, this was a shocking scam targeting the flame heart crown!

And this outsider before him was the mastermind behind it all, or rather, the key executor!

Lu Yuan's scalp tingled under the Old Elf's predatory gaze.

"Senior, please be discerning!"

He argued hoarsely,

"I have been here all this time, not moving an inch! You saw it with your own eyes!"

"How could a mere Third-Tier... Second-Tier Card Master like me have the incredible ability to switch the crown right under your nose?"

He pointed to the collapsing Fire Source Temple around them, trying to divert the blame.

"Could it be... could it be that the commotion from the Sacred Object's revival just now was too great, attracting other petty thieves lurking in the secret realm?"

"They took advantage of your communication with the crown, while your mind was stirred, secretly snuck in, and swapped the genuine article for a fake?"

"Yes! It must be! Senior, let's quickly search, maybe those thieves haven't run far!"

Lu Yuan spoke with such sincerity, as if he truly believed this clumsy excuse.

The Old Flame Spirit trembled with rage, smoke practically coming out of his orifices.

Petty thieves?

Thieves haven't run far?

Did he think he was a three-year-old child?!

"Smooth talker!!!"

"On the verge of death, and still dare to quibble!!!"

The Old Flame Spirit roared, no longer bothering to waste words with Lu Yuan!

His only thought now was to capture this damned little swindler and use the cruelest methods to force out the whereabouts of the true crown!

"Boom!"

The ground beneath the Old Elf's feet suddenly exploded!

He transformed into a crimson afterimage, rushing towards Lu Yuan at a terrifying speed far exceeding his previous pace, with full force and power!

The air shrieked with piercing explosions as he tore through it!

"Die!!!"

In his hand, a gigantic warhammer, burning with raging flames, had appeared at some point!

Now, this great hammer, carrying the wrath to burn all creation, smashed down towards Lu Yuan's head!

Space itself seemed to shatter under this one hammer blow!

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted sharply!

He absolutely could not block this hammer blow!

He would be smashed into a meat paste! Not even a speck left!

"Is it ready?!!!!"

Lu Yuan used all his strength to let out a heartbreaking cry!

Just as the fiery giant hammer was about to land on his head, and the scorching wind had already singed his hair—in that critical moment—

"Buzz—!"

A ripple of spatial fluctuation suddenly spread out beside Lu Yuan!

Bedrock's blurry figure finally became clear!

He grabbed Lu Yuan's arm, giving him no time to react whatsoever.

"Go!"

A low shout!

Bedrock abruptly pulled Lu Yuan to his side!

There, a teleportation array shimmering with a faint blue light had already been quietly constructed!

The two of them, as if pulled by an invisible hand, instantly vanished into the teleportation array!

A flash of light!

The teleportation array disappeared without a trace.

"Boom—!!!!!"

The Old Flame Spirit's unstoppable great hammer fiercely smashed into the exact spot where Lu Yuan and Bedrock had just disappeared!

The earth cracked!

The entire Fire Source Temple trembled violently!

A bottomless giant pit appeared in the spot, and at the edges of the pit, rocks melted, turning into scorching lava!

The power of a single strike was terrifying!

However, the target had vanished.

The Old Flame Spirit remained frozen in place, maintaining his hammer-swinging posture.

His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the empty ground, his chest heaving violently.

That monstrous rage, with nowhere to vent, almost consumed him entirely!

"Ah ah ah ah ah—!!!!!"

He let out a skyward roar of extreme unwillingness and fury!

Just now, at the moment he swung his hammer down, at the instant he brushed past those two damned thieves!

He saw it clearly!

He finally saw the face of the fellow who had been hidden behind the blurry light and shadow, pulling that human junior away to escape!

That face... "It's... it's him!!!"

"[Fire Seed]... Bedrock!!!"

The man who told him how to break the seal!

He uttered the name, one word at a time.

No wonder!

No wonder he could grasp the timing so precisely!

No wonder he could produce such a lifelike fake!

No wonder he could complete the switch right under his nose, without anyone knowing!

It was him after all!

That damned organization! Those persistent fugitives!

A great humiliation!

This was the greatest humiliation in the history of the Fire Source Elves!

"Bedrock... swindler..."

The Old Flame Spirit slowly raised his head, looking towards the Fire Source Temple's dome, his gaze piercing through endless space.

"No matter where you flee, to the ends of the earth..."

"I, the High Priest of the Fire Source Realm, will surely use your blood and souls..."

"To wash away today's disgrace!!!"

"And reclaim! Our tribe's Sacred Object!!!"

...