Chapter Twenty-Four: When the Storm Rises, the Sword Strikes Down Evil

Taking a few steps to the left, she dodged the right fist of the demon general, only for the evil god to suddenly stab at her from behind. The Immortal Slayer Sword in her hand parried the evil god’s attack, but the demon general’s left fist came swinging again. Her feet barely touched the demon’s fist before she used the momentum to leap over the evil god’s head, thrusting her sword at the evil god’s nape. A massive right hand blocked her blade—this was the demon’s other right hand.

At that moment, beset by the attacks of both the evil god and the demon general’s four hands, Zhuang Xiaoyuan found herself locked in a bitter struggle. Despite possessing combat power a level higher than theirs, her lack of divine energy left her scrambling merely to survive.

In the midst of battle, Zhuang Xiaoyuan not only had to concentrate on the immediate fight but also kept an eye on the movements of the other demon. Watching helplessly as this second demon and the evil god on its back drew closer step by step, her anxiety grew ever deeper.

She had originally thought that the power of a deity descent would be more than enough to handle four demons and evil gods. Unexpectedly, she was now at a disadvantage. If it had been just these two in front of her, she might have disregarded her remaining divine power and used an ultimate move to finish them instantly. However, because she had to be wary of the other two, she was unable to unleash her full strength and found herself on the defensive.

After all, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was not truly at the deity descent level. She lingered at the level of belief, a small step below divine descent, separated by a single prayer tier. Even if she had the fighting power of a divine descent, she was far from matching their reserves of divine energy.

As she fended off the attacks of the evil god and demon, anxiously searching for another solution, the wind began to rise...

A fierce storm suddenly erupted out of nowhere at the entrance to South Street—a vivid green tempest unlike any ordinary gale, rising up from the ground. It encircled the demons advancing toward Zhuang Xiaoyuan, trapping them in its whirling embrace, and bit by bit, it shifted them away in the opposite direction.

“Zhuang Xiaoyuan, this time, I won’t let you outpace me again. I’ll catch up to you soon,” a crisp, familiar voice was carried to her ears by the gentle breeze.

Twisting in midair to evade the demon’s attack, her Immortal Slayer Sword left a thin wound on the demon’s arm. Before she could land, she changed direction again to block the evil god’s black blade. Taking advantage of the moment when sword and blade met, Zhuang Xiaoyuan glanced toward the source of the voice. A verdant silhouette entered her gaze.

It was a woman with a fiery figure and a familiar face. Her long green hair was tied into twin ponytails behind her head, swaying agilely in the storm, lending her an unusual vitality. Her emerald eyes reflected Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s form, as if imprinting it forever in her gaze. She wore a green-and-white tight-fitting half-armor, with white protective plates over her chest, hips, arms, and legs, while her abdomen, shoulders, and thighs were clad in green leather.

In her right hand, a finely crafted green spear engraved with strange patterns perfectly matched her attire, quietly asserting its presence.

Now, the green-haired girl was dancing in the wind, floating in midair, her back to the demons trapped by the storm, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

“Wen Hui... You’ve already reached the divine descent level?” Noticing the girl’s gaze and her familiar face, and recognizing the uniquely shaped spear in her grasp, Zhuang Xiaoyuan confirmed her identity.

“Zhuang Xiaoyuan, let’s compete again. This time, let’s see who can deal with their target first.” Before Zhuang Xiaoyuan could answer, Wen Hui, now transformed into her divine descent form, charged into the storm she had conjured, spear in hand.

“Tch, starting off on her own again, and now she’s learned to jump the gun. That girl...” Though she grumbled, a genuine smile tugged at Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s lips.

With a forceful push, taking advantage of the recoil from blade and sword, Zhuang Xiaoyuan retreated, deftly dodging the demon’s fist. This time, she withdrew a considerable distance—not merely to seek a chance to counter, but to create a safe space for her spellcasting.

“Hmph, jumping the gun won’t help you, Wen Hui. With the pressure from the other demon gone, I could finish this side in mere moments.” She muttered to herself, not expecting Wen Hui to hear.

Her hands formed the immortal’s seal with practiced ease, and endless yellow talismans flew from her empty sleeves, swiftly attaching themselves to the demon and evil god. “Talisman Formation: Immobilizing Talisman, Myriad Talisman Demon-Sealing Array.”

One after another, the immobilizing talismans formed ropes, binding the evil god and demon together.

“Hm? Something different from before. You think such things can hold us? Black Beast, hurry, break free!” Bound several times over, the evil god could barely move; it seemed the immobilizing talisman worked well on monsters inhabiting human bodies with ordinary strength.

Conversely, even a formation of tens of thousands of immobilizing talismans barely affected the demon, a creature that relied on brute force. As it struggled, talismans shattered and fell away in fragments.

“Black Beast? So that’s what you call demons among yourselves. It doesn’t matter if they can’t hold the demon—he was never my primary target.” Taking advantage of the brief moment the array held the demon, Zhuang Xiaoyuan raised her Immortal Slayer Sword in her right hand, her left hand forming a sword gesture. Gathering divine power at her fingertips, she drew them lightly along the blade.

As the divinely charged gesture traced the sword’s edge, a faint glow emanated from the Immortal Slayer Sword. “Prepare to die, fiend. Divine Sword Technique: Sword Energy Projection—Slay Evil.”

With a swing of her sword toward the demon trapped by the formation, a pale, glowing sword energy shot forth. A flash of white light—too swift for ordinary eyes to follow. As Zhuang Xiaoyuan slowly lowered her sword and exhaled a breath, a thin black line appeared on the evil god’s forehead, running from top to bottom, splitting him in two. In the next instant, with a sound like tearing silk, the evil god split along the black line and fell apart.

The sword energy released by Zhuang Xiaoyuan had cleaved the evil god in two, annihilating even his spiritual form before it could escape, utterly destroyed by the divine sword energy.

“Awroo~~~” The sudden death of the evil god sent the remaining demon into a frenzy. It seemed demons lacked reason altogether; freed from the evil god’s control, the demon plunged into unprecedented rage.