As I walked forward, I surveyed my surroundings. Pushing through the boundless wave of heat, as I neared the circular platform at the heart of the sea of fire, I perceived a figure standing on the opposite bank, obscured by the swirling vapor.

The closer I got to the platform, the clearer the silhouette became: a very tall man, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, dressed entirely in white. From his posture, I sensed a distinct, chilling sha qi (killing intent), instantly bringing to mind the White Impermanence from Chinese legend.

"Damn it, I've run into another BOSS-level entity," I muttered to myself, feeling thoroughly unlucky. Upon reaching the platform in the center of the inferno, I finally got a clear view of the man's attire.

He was indeed wearing a white da gua (long outer coat), but instead of a cap, his hair was stark white and stood straight up. Furthermore, there was a line of Japanese script written on the back of his da gua.

I recognized the characters: “の” (Kaminari no Kage), and was instantly speechless. Clearly, this guy had watched too much Naruto and was now cosplaying as the Raikage.

I was about to mock him, but my smile froze when I saw several men in black emerging from the far side, escorting two heavily bound figures. The bound individuals were none other than Da Xiong and Nie Chuan.

They were bruised and battered; Nie Chuan was limping noticeably, seemingly stripped of any ability to resist. Though I could see resentment and hatred etched on their faces, what overwhelmed everything else was a profound sense of despair.

The man with his back to me spoke in English: "Throw them both into the sea of fire." The two were shoved forward by the black-clad men. They struggled a few times, but the sight of guns held to their heads made resistance futile—if they didn't jump to burn, they’d be shot dead eventually anyway.

Those on the far side had clearly not noticed my presence, including Nie Chuan and Da Xiong. As they were being pushed toward the edge of the flames, I leaped up on my spot and waved at them.

Nie Chuan saw me before the black-clad men did, but what I saw on his face was more confusion than relief. I instinctively touched my own face, realizing that I was no longer in the guise of X, but had reverted to Nie Chuan’s appearance.

At this revelation, I had no idea how to explain it to them, though it seemed I wouldn't have the chance anyway. Nie Chuan studied me for a moment, finally suppressing his doubt, and signaled to Da Xiong with his eyes.

Da Xiong looked up and saw me too. Then I watched his jaw nearly drop to the ground in an exaggerated expression.

I felt helpless, but made a shushing gesture first. Whether I was X or the other Nie Chuan, my appearance meant they still had hope, so Da Xiong immediately understood my intent, his expression returning to calm.

Their shifting expressions did draw the attention of the black-clad men, who looked up toward me. But I immediately crouched down.

There was a half-meter high railing surrounding the circular platform, behind which I hid. Coupled with the slight smoke and heat distortion, those few men failed to spot me.

Glancing around and finding nothing amiss, the black-clad men resumed pushing the two toward the inferno. At this point, Nie Chuan frowned, looking at me, and mouthed words.

I deciphered his silent speech: "The man in white is dangerous. Don't worry about us; run!" I mouthed back: "The one with all the white hair?

I was just planning on settling a score with him." Nie Chuan replied: "Don't waste your effort; you are no match for him. Go quickly.

Though I don't know who you are, tell my family my death, comfort them, and tell them not to grieve." Seeing his determined attitude, I could only shrug. After all, Nie Chuan didn't know what had happened to me recently, so his assessment was correct—no ordinary person could possibly defeat the White-Haired Elder.

To be honest, even now, facing the White-Haired Elder, I had no confidence, but I was determined to save them. If I couldn't save them, I would share their fate.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Nie Chuan’s expression turned slightly disappointed, and he let out a low sigh. The black-clad men still hadn't noticed me, having brought Nie Chuan and Da Xiong right to the edge of the flames.

Seeing them about to deliver the final, cruel kicks to send Da Xiong and Nie Chuan plunging into the fire, I urgently mobilized the Nian within me, shifting them both roughly a meter sideways. Since their feet were bound, they could only move in small shuffles; this sudden shift made it appear as if they had instantly teleported.

This maneuver clearly caught the black-clad men off guard. They instantly lost their balance and lunged forward.

However, the human instinct for survival is terrifying. Despite losing balance, they managed to quickly correct themselves, stopping right at the precipice before falling into the fire.

This sequence took only about three to four seconds, just enough time for my Nian to recover. I immediately seized the collars of their clothes and pulled them forward again.

This time, the two finally lost their footing and tumbled headfirst into the sea of fire. The inhuman screams lasted less than a second before they were reduced to plumes of black smoke, leaving no trace of bone.

The men who had stabilized themselves initially, only to be flung back into the fire, were stunned by the bizarre sequence of events. I figured they must think they saw a ghost, because only I could perceive that strange green energy; they saw nothing.

There were four men pushing Da Xiong and the others; two were now reduced to ash for attempting to kick the captives, so the remaining two exchanged glances and looked toward the man in the white robe behind them. Evidently, the White-Haired Elder had heard the brief screams and had turned around.

His remarkably distinctive upward-swept hairstyle, eyes narrowed to slits, an aquiline nose, and a mouth like a rat's—these features had left me with nightmarish memories. Now, those small eyes flashed with ruthless glints once more.

The two men standing by the fire edge had drawn their guns, trembling as they scanned their surroundings, muttering words in Japanese. I assumed they were reporting to the White-Haired Elder that they had encountered a ghost.

This place was essentially the Underworld, whether real or fabricated; many people had died unjustly here. For superstitious Japanese, running into a spirit here was a normal occurrence.

Since they thought I was a ghost, I decided to play the part to the end. So, I secretly directed the remaining two men toward the fire pit.

Those two were already terrified out of their wits; they lost control of their bodies, immediately wetting themselves in utter disgrace. Ever since seeing the previous two fall inexplicably into the fire and burn up, Da Xiong and Nie Chuan had worn expressions of utter disbelief.

Now, seeing the other two also being propelled toward the flames, they showed a subtle look of satisfaction. I guessed they must think I was some sort of sorcerer, or perhaps the savior of the world.

Da Xiong, overcome with excitement, shouted, "Kill them! Damn little Japanese devils!" This statement was clearly directed at me, allowing the White-Haired Elder to quickly deduce from his words that a third party was present.

I inwardly cursed Da Xiong for being such a foolish teammate and secretly increased the force dragging the two black-clad men into the pit. But just as I was about to succeed, I saw the White-Haired Elder leap into the air, covering more than three meters in a single bound.

He seized one man in each hand, dragging them back, neutralizing the force I was applying, and violently hurling both men backward. Although the two men landed hard, they had saved their lives.

Ignoring their soiled trousers, they immediately kowtowed to the White-Haired Elder. The Elder paid them no mind, shouting into the air in English: "Where are you?

Come out and face your death!" I thought to myself, Good grief, this guy is too arrogant, openly inviting others to their doom. I knew that exposing my position now might cost me the advantage.

Thus, I didn't immediately reveal myself to fight the White-Haired Elder. Instead, while he was turning to scan his surroundings, taking advantage of his distraction, I shot an arrow toward the sky.

I aimed upward because I didn't want him to know the origin of the projectile, but since I could control the arrow's trajectory, I could guide it to the target regardless of where it was fired from. The arrow whistled through the air before making a distinct, sharp turn, screaming toward the back of the White-Haired Elder's head.

At that exact moment, he turned back and saw the projectile flying toward him. He casually raised a large hand and snatched the arrow out of the air.

I hadn't expected the arrow to kill him, but catching my hidden attack so effortlessly made my heart sink. It seemed the White-Haired Elder truly possessed terrifying strength.

Swallowing hard, I frantically considered my next move. A direct confrontation with the White-Haired Elder was now unavoidable.

How to utilize my abilities to defeat him—that was the problem I needed to solve immediately. "You can bend the path of an arrow; you must also be an ability user.

Therefore, I must eliminate you," the White-Haired Elder said, his voice calm and devoid of emotion. I was shocked.

I thought my camouflage shot was flawless, yet he still saw through it. "Come out.

Besides the railings around that platform, there is nowhere else to hide here. If you don't want me to toss these two into the pit, you'd better meet me face-to-face," the White-Haired Elder continued.

Having said that, I had no choice but to stay hidden. I rose slowly, my face grim.

The White-Haired Elder looked at my face, then at Nie Chuan, and remarked, "It seems things have become interesting. But it doesn't matter; you will all die today anyway." I spat scornfully onto the ground and retorted, "We’ll see who lives and who dies today.

Let me show you my true power." With that, I urged the Xinnian (Heart-Thought) within my body and launched myself upward. I traversed the ten-plus meters of fire and landed steadily a short distance in front of the White-Haired Elder.

This move stunned Da Xiong and Nie Chuan, who were watching from the side.