Chapter 81: The Underworld Boss and the Little Garlic Peeler

“Hiss!”
The enormous lizard emerged from the water, planting its four limbs firmly on the ground. Its fierce, indifferent eyes fixed gloomily on Wang Ran and his companion.

The young junior sister furrowed her delicate brows, stepping back gravely, spiritual energy gathering in her palm.

“This is a peak Foundation Establishment demon beast—the Six-Winged Water Lizard. It can not only survive in water, but also soar through the skies. The barbs along its body are laced with deadly poison. Even cultivators at the same peak Foundation Establishment level struggle to contend with it. Yet within its body lies a single spine—an exceptional material for crafting artifacts, exceedingly rare and worth tens of thousands of spirit jades.”

As she explained, she retreated cautiously, introducing the beast to Wang Ran. He listened intently, marveling at her breadth of knowledge and growing increasingly interested in the monstrous lizard before them.

Just then, the giant lizard let out a roar, its body trembling. A moment later, the spikes along its back began to writhe, unfurling into a set of wings.

Wang Ran was endlessly astonished—this was a flying lizard, a rarity indeed.

His junior sister, however, wore a look of concern. “Senior brother, don’t be careless. The most troublesome aspect of this creature isn’t its cultivation, but its venom. Its poison is potent enough to fell even a Core Formation cultivator.”

“No matter,” Wang Ran replied calmly, hands clasped behind his back. Facing the cold, predatory gaze of the giant lizard, he remained composed and even seemed amused, scrutinizing it with unabashed curiosity.

“A mere insect, easily crushed,” he declared.

Perhaps it understood his words, or maybe it was provoked by his brazen gaze, but the lizard immediately reared back and roared, baring its fangs as it lunged at Wang Ran.

Its maw was wide enough to swallow him whole, exuding a terrifying aura. Droplets of green saliva flew from its jaws, sizzling as they hit the earth and burning pits into the ground—testament to the strength of its venom.

“Still daring to act up?” Wang Ran snorted. Faced with the looming threat, he showed not a hint of fear. Suddenly, he pushed off with both feet, rocketing into the sky like a cannonball.

The lizard froze, its sinister pupils darting wildly as it tried to locate Wang Ran overhead.

Even the junior sister was stunned, lifting her gaze to the heavens, unsure where her senior brother had gone.

While the ground was still gripped by astonishment, a thunderous sonic boom echoed from above. Countless visible shockwaves rippled through the clouds, and then—a blazing fireball plummeted from the sky, its speed and heat beyond description, hurtling toward the lizard.

“Hiss! Hiss!”
For the first time, fear flickered in the icy gaze of the Six-Winged Lizard. Its entire body grew restless, primal instinct warning of an unprecedented danger drawing near.

The wings on its back trembled and spread, as if it meant to flee. But the fireball descended too swiftly, giving it no chance to take flight. In desperation, it crossed its wings over its head in a protective gesture.

In the next instant, before the junior sister’s stunned eyes, the fireball, wreathed in scorching waves, crashed down upon the lizard’s skull. The sheer force drove the beast straight into the ground.

With a deafening boom, dust billowed into the air and wild winds howled in all directions. The spectacle was reminiscent of the sun itself falling from the sky.

The junior sister’s wide, innocent eyes grew even larger as she stared in amazement.

From within the haze, a figure strode forth, flames cloaking his form, waves of fire rising skyward. Everywhere he walked, even the void seemed to warp and burn.

“Senior brother?”
She called out hesitantly, only for the man of fire to reveal his face fully.

He was handsome as a jade, a smile playing at his lips. He wore a set of blazing armor, a cloak of fire billowing three feet behind him.

It was Wang Ran, donned in the Voidflame Heaven-Scorching Armor.

Ever since redeeming this armor from the system, he’d rarely used it for fear of drawing too much attention. Besides, in previous battles—whether with Xu Ke, Beiming Lie, or Chu Yichen—he had always relied on his cultivation to easily overpower his foes, never needing such a divine artifact.

This suit was legendary—the battle armor of the Fire Immortal Clan of Central State. Central State, the heart of the Nine Provinces, was home to countless factions and mighty cultivators, far surpassing Cloud State in strength. Even Nascent Soul cultivators would be unremarkable there.

The Fire Immortal Clan was among Central State’s most elite powers. One could well imagine the terror their clan’s signature divine arts could unleash.

Thus, the Six-Winged Water Lizard—no matter how troublesome—never posed a threat in Wang Ran’s eyes; rather, it became a whetstone for him to indulge in the thrill of using the Voidflame Armor.

With a mere thought, the flames around him vanished, and he once again appeared as his former self.

For the armor was not merely equipment, but a divine art—although purchased as an item, it transformed into a magical ability in his hands, controlled effortlessly by thought, with no need to don it physically.

He’d always been cautious about using this power; as the Fire Immortal Clan’s signature technique, flaunting it might attract unwelcome attention if recognized and word reached the clan’s ears. After all, their influence dwarfed that of the Bei Ze Chu family, and even the Weiwo Sect would be forced to bow before them.

Now, satisfied with the armor’s might, Wang Ran dismissed it from his mind.

“Eh? Senior brother, where’s the giant lizard?” The junior sister, seeing Wang Ran unharmed, ran over with a delighted smile. She poked her head around, puzzled.

“There,” Wang Ran replied, pointing with a grin to the massive crater behind him.

Within the pit, the Six-Winged Lizard’s corpse still steamed, its head nearly roasted, lying lifeless—dead beyond all doubt.

“Wow!”

The junior sister’s eyes grew even wider. Even with her usual muddle-headedness, she was deeply shaken. That was a peak Foundation Establishment demon beast, yet it hadn’t survived even a single move from her senior brother. And that fiery aura—what on earth was that technique? It was simply too impressive!

Her heart pounded, cheeks flushing. She looked up suddenly, “Senior brother! Eh?”

She was about to speak, only to find Wang Ran gone from where he’d been standing. Puzzled, she spotted him at the edge of the pit, busy with something.

Remembering her words about the precious spine within the giant lizard—worth tens of thousands of spirit jades—Wang Ran was now skinning the beast.

With a ripping sound, he yanked out a gleaming golden spine, barely glancing at it before wrapping it in spiritual energy and slinging it over his shoulder.

He then turned his gaze to the lizard’s carcass, kicking it straight to the lakeshore.

“Come, junior sister, give me a hand. Today your senior brother will treat you to roast meat!”

Wang Ran chuckled, and before long, he had sliced the lizard into strips and set them over a fire to cook.

He was barbecuing the most tender parts, collecting the creature’s venom and storing it in the system’s inventory.

As for the unfortunate beast’s head, he hacked it off and tossed it aside. Strangely, its gaping maw almost looked as though it were grinning.

If the lizard had known its fate was to be roasted and eaten, no doubt its outward smile would have hidden a world of curses within.

Wang Ran busied himself with the barbecue, buying various seasonings from the system shop, smoking the meat to a glistening, fragrant red.

After a while, he felt something was missing. Glancing around, he noticed a clump of blue-glowing plants at the lake bottom that resembled cilantro from his previous life.

He picked some and sprinkled it over the grilling meat.

His junior sister was not idle either, cheerfully peeling garlic behind him.

Thus, deep in this perilous forest, a peculiar scene unfolded:

A young man, a gleaming giant lizard spine slung over his shoulder, feasting heartily on roast meat, while a delicate maiden sat behind him, handing him cloves of garlic from time to time...