I can receive unlimited protection; my parents handed me over to the state.

"mortal……"

The enormous head that emerged from the crimson magic circle emitted a roar like a volcanic eruption.

"You smell like my sister."

These words seemed to possess a powerful, authoritative force, instantly suppressing all the noise in the room. The global live stream signal became extremely unstable under this interference, with static and jarring noise filling the screen.

But those terrifying images and sounds still stubbornly reached every corner of the world.

Humans, who had just been relieved and even started to celebrate after Lu Yuan displayed his divine power, were once again dragged into a cold abyss.

"My God... what is that?"

"A demon! The legendary demon lord!"

"Damn it... Has this world gone mad? We just lost a sea god, and now a demon has appeared?"

"This oppressive force... is a hundred times more terrifying than those 'Wings of Freedom' and 'Black Tortoise' combined! This is not even in the same dimension!"

The global internet fell into a deathly silence, followed by an overwhelming sense of despair.

Offshore platform.

Oppenheimer, who had just sworn allegiance, was now deathly pale and trembling like a leaf. Smith, standing beside him, was so terrified that he fainted.

As a top scientist, Oppenheimer was able to analyze the terrifying nature of this force more clearly.

"Data...data analysis failed! Rules...the rules are being rewritten! Our space is being eroded from a higher dimension! This...this is a true 'god'! A being that holds complete authority over the world!"

He screamed incoherently, completely losing his composure as a scientist.

The top of the world, the command center.

Su Lie and Qian Sen suddenly stood up from their chairs, staring intently at the overwhelming demonic head on the screen.

"This power... is definitely not a star beast! Nor is it Atlantis!" Su Lie's voice was extremely solemn.

"It's the Abyss!" Qian Sen's eyes flashed with horror and fanaticism. "It's an abyss that's deeper and more ancient than the 'Gaia' we encountered before, and even more so than Atlantis! I never imagined... it really exists!"

They knew very well that this level of enemy was beyond the current capabilities of humanity. Even Lu Yuan... could he handle it?

And in the spotlight of everyone's attention was the "Xuanwu," a ship that resembled a moving continent.

Lu Yuan remained atop the giant beast's head, looking up at the enormous demonic head in the sky. Instead of showing any fear, he frowned, as if pondering some difficult problem.

"My sister's taste?"

Lu Yuan muttered to himself.

What nonsense is this guy spouting? I'm a blacksmith, all I smell like is machine oil and metal, where would I get that "sister smell" from?

However, the power of this flame...

Lu Yuan's "divine seed" trembled slightly as it began to rapidly analyze the oppressive power of the rules descending from the sky.

"Such pure fire elemental power... almost without any impurities. It's much purer than that half-baked Flame Princess, and even more so than the heart of that so-called 'Ancient Lava Dragon' that I refined."

"Moreover, the way these rules are woven is full of destruction and aggression, and is extremely domineering. It's simply... a natural weapon of war."

Lu Yuan smacked his lips, his eyes starting to light up.

"If we took this guy's head off, extracted the core of its rules, and used it as the new sword spirit for Yan Ji's 'Phoenix Cry,' the effect would be..."

His thinking had instantly shifted from "how to deal with the enemy" to "how to turn the enemy into material".

"Hey, you big-headed idiot," Lu Yuan said impatiently, picking at his ear and pointing at the sky. "Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? I don't remember having a fire-breathing sister. And besides, you're blocking the sun, you know that?"

Lu Yuan's words, though spoken lightly, were clearly transmitted throughout the entire sea area through the "Xuanwu" ship's loudspeaker system.

People all over the world watching the live stream were stunned.

Crazy? !

Faced with such a terrifying, godlike being, this Chinese man named Lu Yuan was not afraid at all; in fact, he even... complained that the other party was blocking the sun?

This is absolutely insane!

The demon lord in the sky, its eyes like molten lava lakes, suddenly narrowed. Endless rage erupted from its eyes.

"You insignificant mortal! How dare you... show such disrespect to me!"

"I am Baal, the seventh lord of Hell, the Balrog King who wields the 'Flame of Original Sin'!"

"My sister is the embodiment of flame, the 'Primordial Phoenix' who once burned through countless worlds alongside me! Her soul aura is unique! I would never mistake her!"

"It's within you!"

Baal, the Balrog King, roared like a billion tons of explosives detonating between heaven and earth. The mere fury contained in his voice caused the sea below to boil instantly! Tens of thousands of tons of seawater evaporated, turning into thick white mist that enveloped the entire battlefield.

The outer armor of the combined fleet's warships began to sizzle under the intense heat, turning red and melting visibly!

"I'll say it again," Baal's voice was icy cold and devoid of any emotion, "What have you done to my sister? If you don't tell me, I'll burn this tiny planet, along with you, to ashes!"

The terrifying pressure intensified once again! This time, it was no longer just a simple pressure of aura, but a substantial attack based on the rules!

Then, the enormous magic circle in the sky began to slowly rotate. A crimson beam of light, composed of the purest "Original Sin Fire," shot down from the center of the magic circle!

Its target is not Lu Yuan, nor the "Xuanwu", but... the distant joint fleet and maritime platforms!

Baal was clearly trying to force Lu Yuan to submit in this way. It wanted to torture and kill these creatures, whom it considered like ants, bit by bit right in front of Lu Yuan!

"No!" Oppenheimer screamed in despair. He knew that once that beam of light struck, not only their platform, but everything within a hundred miles would be completely wiped out!

However, faced with this devastating attack, Lu Yuan remained standing still, not moving an inch. He merely pursed his lips.

"What a hassle."

He raised his right hand and gently snapped his fingers at the world-destroying pillar of light that descended from the sky.

"Smack."

A crisp sound.

The next second, a blue barrier, even deeper and colder than the crimson pillar of light, appeared out of thin air!

The barrier wasn't thick; in fact, it was as thin as a cicada's wing. However, when the pillar of fire, powerful enough to destroy a city, struck it, it didn't even cause a ripple. It was silently and completely swallowed up and dissolved, as if it had never existed.

"The rules of the sea... so they can be used in this way."

Lu Yuan looked at his hands and nodded thoughtfully.

Just now, with a thought, he mobilized the part of the power of rules belonging to Poseidon within his "divine seed" to slightly modify the definition of "water" in this sea area—making water no longer restrained by fire, but capable of devouring fire.

Simple, crude, and unreasonable.

"Um?!"

Baal, the Balrog King in the sky, uttered a sound of surprise and doubt for the first time. His "Original Sin Fire," powerful enough to incinerate the world, had been so easily neutralized by a mortal? And by using only the most basic water element?

How is this possible?!

"The Primordial Phoenix... the embodiment of flames..."

Lu Yuan ignored its shock, repeating what Baal had just said, his brows furrowing more and more.

A figure he had long overlooked suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory.

That woman with fiery red hair, a hot-tempered personality, and always ready to fight him; that woman wielding the Phoenix Cry divine sword he personally forged; that woman who kissed him on Purgatory Island and asked if he was giving her a buff…

Flame Princess!

Lu Yuan's mind went blank. He finally understood why the Flame Demon King had said he smelled like his sister—it wasn't his scent, but rather the lingering aura of the Flame Princess on the Phoenix Cry Divine Sword!

Holy crap!

Lu Yuan couldn't help but swear.

So after all this time, it turns out this is some kind of maternal relative that crazy woman Yan Ji caused trouble for?!

"Flame Princess... the Primordial Phoenix..."

Lu Yuan understood perfectly and instantly connected all the clues.

No wonder Yan Ji's talent is so strange. She is only S-rank, but her affinity for fire is ridiculously high, almost like fire itself. No wonder she can achieve such a near-perfect resonance with the [Phoenix Cry] divine sword she forged, because one of the core materials of that sword is the "Seven-Colored Luan Bird Feather", which is also a top-level fire-type divine bird bloodline.

So that's where the root of the problem lies!

She is not an ordinary human awakener at all, but a reincarnation of some bullshit "Primordial Phoenix" soul fragment!

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this...?"

Lu Yuan felt a headache coming on. His top henchman actually had such a powerful background. Now, the person in question's own family, a demon lord who looked like a force to be reckoned with, had come knocking on his door.

This isn't some family reunion; they're clearly here for revenge.

"Mortal! Who are you, really?!"

After a brief moment of shock, Baal, the Balrog King in the sky, became more solemn than ever before. He had abandoned his contempt for Lu Yuan—the ability to rewrite the rules of water and fire out of thin air had exceeded his understanding of this lower material world.

Even within its own hellish divine realm, it couldn't easily employ such methods. This mortal before it is definitely not as simple as it appears on the surface!

"Who am I?" Lu Yuan raised his head, looked into Baal's huge eyes, and grinned. "I'm your sister's... creditor."

"ha?"

A bewildered expression, almost human-like, appeared on Barna's enormous head.

Creditor? What the hell is that?

"Your sister's name is Yan Ji, right?" Lu Yuan counted on his fingers, starting to do the math. "She's currently the number one fighter in our 'God's Legion,' under my command. The [Phoenix Cry] divine sword she has was forged for her by me. From the initial design to the sharpening, it used only legendary-grade materials. The 'Heart of Molten Fire' and 'Star Essence' alone are enough to buy this small country under your feet. She hasn't paid for those materials yet."

"A while ago, to upgrade her weapon, I even accompanied her to Purgatory Island to kill an 80-level 'Ancient Lava Dragon' and take its heart. She still owes me for the travel expenses, training fees, and compensation for emotional distress."

"When you think about it... she owes me a lot."

Lu Yuan shrugged and said matter-of-factly, "So, until you, as her older brother, settle all these accounts, you can't take her away."

"..."

The whole world fell silent.

Everyone watching the live stream felt like their brains couldn't keep up.

What... what kind of divine development is this?

The mighty ruler of Hell, the King of Flames, descends to Earth in search of his long-lost sister. However, he's stopped by an Earthling. The reason?… his sister is drowning in debt, and he's not allowed to leave until it's paid off?

This art style is way too distorted!

Zenith World Command Center.

The two old men, Su Lie and Qian Sen, looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This kid... he's really not afraid at all," Su Lie said, both amused and exasperated.

"Afraid?" Qian Sen pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a fanatical light. "In his world, there are probably only two distinctions: 'usable materials' and 'materials that are temporarily unusable.' In his eyes, this Flame Demon King is probably just a walking, top-grade fire-elemental divine material."

Upon hearing this, Su Lie nodded in deep agreement. Only this explanation could explain why Lu Yuan could remain so calm while... collecting debts, even when facing an enemy of this caliber.

"You...you're...asking for death!"

Baal, the Balrog King, finally snapped out of his daze. Overwhelming humiliation and rage instantly consumed his reason!

As the seventh ruler of Hell, he was worshipped by all demons and bowed down to all living beings wherever he went. Yet today, he descended to such a desolate and lowly plane, only to be pointed at and asked for a debt by a mere mortal?!

This is an utter disgrace!

"boom--!!!"

A divine power ten times more terrifying than before erupted! The entire Pacific Ocean sank dozens of meters under this pressure! The crimson magic circle in the sky spun wildly.

This time, it wasn't just a beam of light descending; the entire magic circle began to press downwards! It intended to crush this entire sea area, along with Lu Yuan and the giant turtle beneath his feet, into cosmic dust!

Despite the apocalyptic scene that seemed to be collapsing from the sky, Lu Yuan remained calm. He even had the composure to shake his head and sigh.

"Sigh, it's no use reasoning with you. It seems there's no way to reason with a guy like you whose brain is all muscle. I guess I'll just have to beat you into submission first, and then we can talk."

After saying that, he slowly raised his right hand and then made a fist towards the huge magic circle that was slowly pressing down in the sky.

"I said, 'Let there be light.'"

He said softly.

As soon as he finished speaking, an extremely dazzling golden light suddenly burst forth from his palm! The light was not dazzling, but rather filled with an aura of holiness, majesty, and creation!

Golden light shot into the sky, instantly piercing through the thick clouds, and then, high in the heavens, it transformed into a golden sun even more dazzling than the sun itself!

Divine light shines upon the world!

Under the golden sunlight, the crimson magic circle burning with raging flames seemed to have encountered its nemesis, and began to emit a piercing "sizzling" sound! Black smoke continued to rise from the magic circle, and its downward trend was actually forcibly stopped!

"What...what kind of power is this?!"

Baal roared in disbelief. Its "Original Sin Fire" was the primordial fire of hell, capable of burning and corrupting everything; even the holy light of heaven could not withstand it! Yet now, this eerie golden sunlight was purifying its power?!

What on earth is this?!

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself."

Bathed in golden sunlight, Lu Yuan seemed to be draped in a sacred cloak. He looked at Baal in the sky and smiled.

"Besides being a blacksmith, I occasionally also do... god work."

Just then, on the eastern horizon, a fiery red streak of light streaked across the sky at a terrifying speed exceeding several times the speed of sound, hurtling towards the battlefield!

The streak of light drew closer, and everyone could see it clearly—it was a woman dressed in a crimson, tight-fitting combat suit, with long, fiery hair flying wildly! In her hand, she held a magnificently designed longsword, its blade ablaze with crimson-gold flames!

It was from the East China Sea base that Flame Princess sensed that familiar call and rushed over at full speed!