The battle downstairs quickly escalated into a fierce, white-hot stage.
Ji Ling stood behind Lu Cheng, her small face full of concentration.
"Linger, do you understand?"
"That Fat Man…his ability is just right."
Ji Ling nodded and analyzed, "Wei Guoan's power originates from mobilizing the National Luck of Longguo, essentially a macroscopic aggregation and manifestation of energy."
"And Chi Baobao's devouring is more like…directly gnawing on National Luck itself."
...Wei Guoan was indeed in extreme pain.
Ren Shitou's fists were incredibly violent, each strike forcing him to condense the National Luck Golden Dragon to block.
But as soon as he formed the Golden Dragon, before he could even counterattack, Chi Baobao ghost-like appeared beside him and took a "crunch" out of the Golden Dragon.
A piece of the Golden Dragon's body was missing; there was no flesh and blood splattering, but instead, it vanished into thin air, transforming into the purest energy absorbed by Chi Baobao.
"Burp..."
The Fat Man let out another satisfied burp...Wei Guoan's National Luck energy, his "mana bar," was rapidly depleting at a visible rate!
His recovery speed was gradually failing to keep up with his consumption speed!
Ren Shitou was responsible for breaking through defenses and controlling, forcing him to reveal his trump cards.
Chi Baobao was responsible for stealing resources and weakening, cutting off all his escape routes.
One was responsible for cracking the walnut shell, and the other focused on eating the walnut kernel inside.
Wei Guoan glanced at his subordinates standing by in the distance; their once reverent gazes now only held numbness and detachment.
A monstrous hatred surged in his heart.
He couldn't drag this out any longer!
If he delayed further, he would truly be exhausted to death by these two monsters!
"You all forced me to do this!"
Wei Guoan let out a frenzied roar, raising his hands, his eyes bloodshot, and his aura suddenly changed!
The National Destiny Guardian System began to operate at overload!
Buzz!
An invisible wave spread out from him as its center, instantly crossing the distance of space, connecting countless ordinary people on this land who were busy with their lives.
The next second.
He began to forcibly extract!
He began to extract the most insignificant, yet most fundamental, "life essence" and "personal destiny" from those ordinary people!
Countless invisible crimson threads converged from all directions, frantically pouring into Wei Guoan's body!
"I originally intended to protect you all..."
"It was your betrayal that forced me to do this!"
"After I kill these two monsters, I will slowly make up for the deficit in National Luck! I will still be the guardian god of Longguo!"
He found the perfect excuse for his actions, and all guilt in his heart vanished.
Crimson energy gathered behind him, rapidly forming a blood-red giant, tens of meters tall, with a ferocious face, exuding an ominous and destructive aura!
The power of this giant far surpassed the previous National Luck Golden Dragon!
This was power gained by sacrificing the foundation of the populace!
Everyone looked at the blood-red giant, feeling a shiver from their very souls; many people's legs went soft, and they collapsed directly to the ground.
They finally understood what kind of devil the "god" they worshipped truly was.
However, just as the blood-red giant was about to swing its destructive iron fist.
Chi Baobao, who had been drooling on the side, his eyes lit up to an unprecedented degree!
It was the kind of ecstasy a chef feels when seeing divine ingredients about to be served!
"Hahahahahahaha!"
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"Top-grade ingredients need to be simmered to release their ultimate deliciousness!"
"You used the National Luck of the populace as a guide, and blood-sacrificed National Luck as fire..."
"You...are finally cooked!"
"Kill!!!"
Wei Guoan was completely insane; he manipulated the blood-red giant, smashing a punch towards Chi Baobao.
And Ren Shitou, this irrational fighting machine, also followed his instincts, launching his most ferocious attack!
An extremely brutal struggle erupted.
Finally.
Under the extreme collision of the three forces.
"Boom—!!!"
The blood-red giant let out an unwilling wail, its energy depleted, and it exploded with a crash!
"Pfft—"
Wei Guoan suffered an incredibly terrifying backlash; his heart meridians were severed, all his body's meridians were destroyed, and he fell straight down, with only his last breath remaining.
On the other side, Chi Baobao, in order to "cook" the blood-sacrificed giant, this "grand dish," had also exhausted all his strength.
His obese body rapidly shrank by a size, and he collapsed to the ground, panting, without even the strength to move a finger.
As for Ren Shitou, he was hit head-on by the final explosive energy torrent of the blood-sacrificed giant; he didn't even grunt, directly being knocked unconscious.
The whole world fell silent.
On the field, only three dying "victors" remained, and a group of terrified Tianming Pavilion members.
Just then.
Clap, clap, clap.
Crisp footsteps broke the deadly silence.
Lu Cheng, with Ji Ling, appeared silently in the center of the battlefield, as if taking a leisurely stroll after a meal.
He glanced at the three immobile "powerhouses" on the ground, a satisfied smile of harvest appearing on his face.
His gaze first fell upon Chi Baobao.
Chi Baobao struggled to turn his head, looking at Wei Guoan, who was breathing more out than in nearby, his eyes filled only with primal madness and obsession.
"I...I caught...the ingredients..."
Before he finished speaking.
A palm had already lightly pressed down on his head.
Lu Cheng looked down at him, his tone flat.
"Your devouring ability is very interesting, so, now, it's mine."
Chi Baobao's pupils suddenly constricted, his face filled with shock and incomprehension.
He couldn't understand, who was this man?
The [System Furnace] activated!
An irresistible force instantly enveloped Chi Baobao!
His body, his consciousness, along with the system he was so proud of, were instantly decomposed, refined, and absorbed in the face of this power!
Without even being able to let out a scream, Chi Baobao completely disappeared from this world.
After doing all this, Lu Cheng leisurely walked to Wei Guoan.
He squatted down, looking down at the face twisted by pain and unwillingness.
"Now, it's your turn."
Wei Guoan used his last ounce of strength to squeeze out a few words from his throat.
"You...who...are you..."
Lu Cheng smiled.
He reached out and pressed his hand to Wei Guoan's forehead, his voice lighthearted.
"A passing gourmet, and director."
"Oh, and you originally wanted to come to my house!"
The National Destiny Guardian System, give it to me!
Wei Guoan's body twitched once, then became lifeless.
Lu Cheng stood up, feeling satisfied as he sensed the two newly added powerful system origins within his body.
Ji Ling walked to the unconscious Ren Shitou and asked softly, "Master, should this one be dealt with too?"
Lu Cheng glanced at Ren Shitou.
"No."
"A mad dog that is strong enough and has no brains is the best watchdog."
"Leave him for them; he'll still be useful later."
His gaze slowly swept over the surrounding Tianming Pavilion members, who were silent as cicadas in winter, and finally landed on Dongfang Yue.
All expressions on his face receded, and his voice returned to calm, as if he was just giving instructions for a trivial matter.
"Yue'er, clean up."
"It's too messy here."