While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

A grove of lush bamboo stands tall, and a clear stream murmurs gently.

The woman stood in front of a bamboo grove, the hem of her silk nightgown fluttering slightly in the wind.

A chilling aura emanated from her body.

Frost was forming on the grass beneath my feet at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the frost flowers spread outwards along the blades of grass.

The bamboo within a ten-foot radius was frozen solid.

She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, her complexion no better than that of Kujo Takayuki during the day.

Because she saw who attacked her before being teleported to this unfamiliar place.

"Damn it, that guy retaliated so quickly!"

The woman gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and couldn't help but mutter a curse under her breath.

He deliberately remained silent in the magistrate's office, letting Kujo Takayuki take the lead and test his reaction, while he observed his true nature from the sidelines.

But she still underestimated his decisiveness.

He actually dared to do it inside Inazuma Castle.

Under General Thunder's very nose, they kidnapped the diplomatic envoy of the Winter Kingdom.

The woman took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and observed her surroundings.

Then, her gaze fell on something not far away.

On a clearing at the edge of the bamboo forest, a woman wearing a red celestial dog mask lay unconscious.

Nine stripes of silk.

The woman's gaze sharpened.

It seems I'm not the first one to be kidnapped.

But I didn't get to see that old guy, Kujo Takayuki.

A moment later, a voice suddenly came from above her head.

"I underestimated you; you're more composed than I expected."

The woman suddenly looked up.

Above the bamboo grove, Xu Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at her.

"Hmph, I just didn't expect you to go this far."

The woman gave a cold laugh, suppressing the shock in her heart, and put her arrogant mask back on.

She raised her chin, and even though she was wearing pajamas and in a completely passive position, she still craned her neck to meet his gaze.

"It seems your methods aren't much cleaner than ours, the Fools' Sect."

"Don't try to provoke me, ma'am."

Xu Chuan landed slowly from mid-air, his feet stepping on the grass covered with frost flowers, his gaze level with hers.

"This is not a good thing for you."

The woman gave a cold laugh, her words showing no sign of backing down.

"Trying to provoke you?"

"The moment you forcibly tied me up here, didn't that just prove that I had already enraged you?"

Her voice was laced with undisguised sarcasm, and a smug smile played on her lips.

Even though she was imprisoned and lost the initiative, she still wanted to win back some ground verbally.

Xu Chuan remained silent.

A golden light suddenly emanated from his body, and the green bamboos frozen into ice sculptures in the distance made a crisp cracking sound under the golden light.

The ice layer peeled off the surface, revealing the green bamboo leaves once again.

An invisible force, like a tangible hammer, slammed into the woman's shoulder.

Her body involuntarily took half a step back.

The woman gritted her teeth, bracing herself tightly, refusing to take another step back.

But her heart was in turmoil.

How did this guy become so strong?

The oppressive aura emanating from him now surpasses even the one she had seen in Mondstadt.

It's not just surpassing, it's like he's become a completely different person.

Scaramucci, you actually kept such an important thing from me!

The woman cursed inwardly.

No wonder that guy volunteered to go to Ba Yun Island to capture people.

He must have known that Xu Chuan's strength had increased to this extent, which is why he took the initiative to choose another direction.

Go and catch that blonde traveler and her little buddy.

Leave her in Inazuma City and let her face Xu Chuan alone.

That insidious doll had been plotting against her from the very beginning.

But she quickly suppressed her anger.

Now is not the time to think about these things; she needs to find a way to get out of here.

"Tell me about your secret plot with the Heavenly Commander."

Xu Chuan said calmly, "Perhaps I'll go a little easier."

“I am the executor of the Fools and the diplomatic envoy of the Winter Kingdom. I am not the kind of person who will easily submit.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she unleashed all her power without reservation.

Ice and fire, two elemental forces that should be incompatible, erupted simultaneously from her body.

Crimson flames engulfed her left half, licking at her robes, while her other half was shrouded in a pale white frost.

Two diametrically opposed forces coexisted within her in a highly unstable manner.

Each alternation was accompanied by a hissing crackling sound, and scorching and cold air currents formed a violent whirlwind around her.

The power of this force was far greater than what she had displayed in Mondstadt.

"It seems you've gotten quite a bit stronger since I last saw you."

Xu Chuan stood still, watching the indomitable fighting spirit ignite in her eyes, his tone even carrying a hint of admiration.

On the other side, there's Ba Yun Island.

Thomas, with Ying and Paimon, was traversing the rugged mountain paths of Bayun Island, heading towards Haiqi Island.

The sea breeze blew in from the west, carrying a strong, salty smell.

Since setting foot on Hachiyun Island, they have already encountered three waves of sea monster warriors.

Ying always charged ahead first, and wherever her sword flashed, the sea monsters fell to the ground.

That crisp and clean combat rhythm, and the amazing ability to use elemental power without the Eye of God.

If placed in Inazuma, she would definitely be a top-tier expert.

Thomas secretly admired his young lady's discerning eye, which allowed her to win over such a powerful figure.

"If we go a little further ahead, we'll be outside the patrol area of ​​the Heavenly Territory Enforcers."

Thomas pointed ahead, his tone becoming more relaxed.

"Once you cross that ridge, you'll reach the outer perimeter of Haiqi Island. I know Haiqi Island very well; I'll introduce you to some new friends there."

Paimon happily twirled in the air, clapping his little hands and saying, "Finally, I can get some rest. I'm exhausted from traveling these past few days."

Thomas was about to make a joke when he noticed that Ying suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Wait, something's not right."

Ying stopped in her tracks, placed her right hand on the hilt of the Corruption Sword, and scanned her surroundings with lightning speed.

The area is flanked by dense bushes and jagged rocks.

The terrain is extremely complex, and the limited visibility at night makes it a natural ambush location.

The mountain wind rustled through the bushes, and the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks could be faintly heard.

Paimon looked around, then lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "Are you seeing things? It's very quiet around here, not even a bird chirping..."

Ying remained silent, only gripping the hilt of her sword even tighter.

Just now, she sensed a malice.

"Indeed, your intuition is quite sharp."

A voice rang out from the shadows, unhurried and with a hint of amusement.

Accompanied by the clanging of metal armor, figures emerged from all directions, completely blocking the mountain path ahead.

The stragglers emerged from the shadows.

He was wearing his signature conical hat today, which revealed his handsome face.

Purple lightning elemental energy coursed around him, occasionally bursting into a small spark in the air.

Behind him was the elite force of the Fools.

The debt collector, carrying two swords, remained hidden in the shadows. The lanterns of the Firefly Sorcerer emitted a ghostly green light in the morning mist. Several Thunderhammer Vanguard soldiers formed a wedge formation, their massive warhammers dragging on the ground with a harsh metallic scraping sound.

On the other side, the soldiers of the Heavenly Command were dressed in uniform armor, their swords and spears forming a dense forest, completely blocking the mountain path.

"The Fools, and... those who obey the Heavenly Decree!"

Thomas gripped his spear tightly, a fine layer of sweat seeping from his palms.

An ambush of this scale, just to take down a few people, seems like going to too much trouble.

With such a grand display, the target was certainly not Thomas.

That can only mean that they want to capture Miss Ying and Paimon.

Chapter 202 Paimon: You clearly know the Golden Light Spell (Bonus Chapter 8)

"Hey, aren't you Xu Chuan's puppet cannon?"

Paimon was taken aback when he saw the soldier's face, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Could it be that Xu Chuan said he couldn't leave because of his research, but he still secretly followed us?"

"Where is he hiding? Let him out!"

She happily looked around, as if Xu Chuan might pop out from behind some rock at any moment.

Upon hearing this, the soldier's smile froze.

A vein throbbed suddenly on his forehead.

"Shut up!"

With that roar, the lightning elemental power within the stragglers suddenly went berserk.

Purple lightning surged wildly from his body like out-of-control tentacles, crackling and blasting the ground beneath his feet into flying fragments.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of burning ozone, and the few Fool soldiers closest to him involuntarily took two steps back, afraid of being hit by the violent lightning.

That extremely casual name, and the humiliating past.

It was poured out of Paimon's unfiltered mouth like garbage.

The moment he regained consciousness at Narukami Shrine, he vowed to bury all of these things.

And now, this little thing has actually dug these things out again.

The moment Ying saw the ambush formation, she had already assessed the situation.

"Thoma, I will help you find a way out. Go to Haiqi Island for help immediately."