An illusion?
For a moment, Yao Ziyan doubted her own eyes.
Did he really appear?
"Leave."
A calm, unshaken voice cut through the air.
Then—
A strange scene unfolded.
The Brahma Seal, an attack powerful enough to shatter the heavens, hovered less than a hundred meters above the ground.
And then—
It vanished.
No explosion.
No clash of spiritual energy.
Not even the faintest ripple in the fabric of reality.
One moment, it was there—burning, suffocating, unstoppable.
The next, it was gone.
The air still burned from its residual heat, but if not for that, the Monster Royal Clan would have questioned whether the impending catastrophe had been nothing but a nightmare.
Yao Ziyan stood in stunned silence.
Then, as if waking from a daze, a radiant light filled her eyes.
"Boss!" she called out, her voice carrying relief and joy.
The figure before her responded with a simple, indifferent,
"Yeah."
That flat, unconcerned tone—
It could only be him.
A smile bloomed on Yao Ziyan's face, so bright that for a moment, it seemed to outshine the world itself.
The Monster Royal Clan still hadn't grasped what had just happened.
Moments ago, they stood at the brink of annihilation.
Now, the battlefield was eerily calm.
The flames had vanished.
The crisis had ended.
And before them stood a human—one who had seemingly erased an attack beyond their comprehension without lifting a finger.
Was it truly his doing?
And if so—
Who was he?
Even more shocking, Yao Ziyan seemed to know him personally.
Boss?
What kind of title was that?
Questions filled their minds, but now was not the time for answers.
Because the enemy had yet to retreat.
Not far away, the Venerable Buddha still loomed, his presence heavy and oppressive.
The High Priest felt his breath hitch.
He had witnessed it firsthand—
The Brahma Seal, an attack he himself could not resist, had disappeared without even a trace of energy fluctuation.
A force beyond reason had erased it as if it had never existed.
Could this be the power of the laws?
Who… who was this man?
Meanwhile, Yao Ziyue's gaze fixated on the newcomer.
Her curiosity burned.
Was this the legendary boss her sister always spoke of?
He was indeed extraordinary.
Only someone like this would be worthy of her sister.
For the first time since the battle began, Yao Ziyue felt her fear fade.
She believed in Yao Ziyan.
And Yao Ziyan believed in him.
That was enough.
Her gaze drifted between the two of them, a sly glint flashing in her eyes—though in the heat of the moment, no one noticed.
To be honest—
Luo Chuan was annoyed.
Because this entire situation felt far too familiar.
Hadn't something like this happened not too long ago?
Only this time, things were even more dramatic.
The moment he appeared, an enormous flaming palm had been hurtling straight for him.
Of course, it wasn't a threat.
With the system's invincibility buff, nothing in this world posed a true danger to him.
Still, it irritated him.
More importantly, it confirmed his suspicions—
This was why Yao Ziyan had been in danger.
With that thought, Luo Chuan turned his attention to the one responsible.
Standing not far away was an old monk, clad in black robes, a Zen staff in his grasp.
Luo Chuan's gaze narrowed.
Eminence Seventh-Rank.
Among all the cultivators he had encountered in the Azure Continent, this was the strongest yet.
By comparison, the most powerful among the Monster Royal Clan was the three-eyed elder at Eminence Fourth-Rank.
It was no wonder they were losing.
But—
Something else caught Luo Chuan's interest.
He could sense it.
This valley—
It had a faint connection to the ancient ruins' shadow.
Hu Kuang mentioned something earlier…
Luo Chuan recalled that the tiger had been on the verge of telling him something.
But with the crisis unfolding so quickly, he never had the chance to listen.
Well, that could wait.
For now, his focus remained on the monk.
His brow furrowed slightly.
Another monk?
Honestly—
Luo Chuan's opinion of monks was steadily declining.
First, there had been the Demon Monk, Wuxiang.
Now, this black-robed elder, who didn't look any better.
Was all of Buddhism in this world like this?
His experiences so far certainly made it seem that way.
Whether it was coincidence or fate, Luo Chuan didn't know.
But one thing was certain—
He was sick of dealing with monks.
From across the battlefield, the Venerable Buddha remained silent.
His expression was calm—
But deep within his eyes, hidden beneath layers of composure—
Was a flicker of something rare.
Fear.
For a Seventh-Rank Eminence to show even the slightest hesitation—
It spoke volumes of the turmoil within his heart.