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

"Understood." Thomas nodded, gripping the gun barrel tightly with both hands.

He didn't offer any nice words like "I'll stay and help."

He had witnessed Ying's strength; she was far stronger than him, and keeping her around would only be a burden.

And only he could ask for help.

"Desolate Star!"

Ying clasped her hands together, and rock elemental power burst forth from her palms.

The earth suddenly trembled, and a huge rock formation burst forth from the ground, carrying rubble and soil as it charged toward the ambush formation ahead.

Wherever the rock star passed, it carved a deep trench in the ground, and the soldiers of the Heavenly Territory who blocked its path hurriedly rolled to the sides to avoid it.

The ambush zone was instantly torn open.

Without hesitation, Thomas shot out through the gap like an arrow released from a bow.

The stragglers did not give orders to pursue.

His gaze remained fixed on Ying.

To him, Thomas was insignificant.

Capturing this blonde girl would be tantamount to seizing Xu Chuan's weakness.

Once he catches her, Xu Chuan will be hesitant to act rashly and will be afraid to make any moves.

"Andrius, protect Paimon."

Ying's voice carried an unquestionable tone of command.

Andrius's icy blue wolf eyes burned with a chilling flame, and his body exuded a fierce aura.

"Take them all!"

The skirmisher waved his hand and gave the order, and the battle erupted in an instant.

The elite of the Fools were the first to charge.

The Thunderhammer Vanguard's warhammers slammed into the ground, shattering rocks into dust, and the resulting shockwaves rushed towards Andrius.

The debt collector emerged from the shadows like a ghost, his twin blades clashing as he thrust towards the man's ribs.

The Firefly Sorcerer's lantern emitted a blinding flash, and three missiles with flame patterns flew in from the side towards Paimon.

Andrius moved.

It didn't roar or howl; it simply opened its mouth and spat out a frosty white shockwave.

Wherever the shockwave passed, the air froze into visible ice crystal trails.

The flame missile was frozen into ice the instant it came into contact with the shockwave, and then crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The two vanguard soldiers at the very front of the Thunder Hammers were hit head-on by the shockwave, along with their hammers, and were sent flying backward, crashing into their comrades behind them.

At the same time, Ying made her move, her Corruption Sword covered with a layer of rock element crystals, and cleaved down from mid-air.

The sword slammed into the ground, and the rock elemental force spread outwards like waves, shaking all enemies within a ten-foot radius off their feet.

The stragglers watched the chaotic battle with increasingly serious expressions.

The original plan was simple: capture Ying and Paimon at the same time, take them hostage, and use them to blackmail Xu Chuan.

But after witnessing Andrius's strength, he had to cut the plan in half.

That wolf is too troublesome. To suppress Andrius and capture Luminos alive at the same time, the number of troops he brought is simply not enough.

Since that's the case, let's just focus on the most important one.

The stragglers disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already right in front of Ying.

Lightning elemental power enveloped his palm, his five fingers joined together to form a blade, slicing towards Ying's neck with a piercing crackle.

The attack was as fast as lightning, leaving five purple afterimages in the air.

The Queen stepped back, the Corruption Sword held horizontally in front of her.

The blade struck the sword, and lightning exploded.

Ying felt a tremendous force coming from the sword, which knocked her back five or six steps, and her hands went numb from the electric shock.

The skirmisher gave her no chance to catch her breath, and the second attack followed immediately, his right foot sweeping across with lightning.

Ying managed to dodge to the side, but the aftershock of the kick still struck her shoulder.

She lost her balance and staggered backward several steps before managing to regain her footing.

"Is that all you've got?"

The skirmisher looked down at her, a contemptuous smile on his lips.

"You talk more nonsense than the sea monsters." Ying re-adopted a fighting stance.

Lightning elemental power surged from his body, forming a purple lightning domain around him.

An electric arc pulsed wildly within it, and anyone who got too close would be electrocuted.

He shot towards Ying like a cannonball, his right hand outstretched, a rapidly spinning ball of lightning forming in his palm, which he then attacked.

He no longer held back in this attack.

Even if Ying is seriously injured as a result, it's better than letting her escape.

Ying leaped backward, simultaneously releasing a rock element barrier in front of her.

But when the lightning ball struck the barrier, it didn't explode on the spot; instead, it dissipated in a strange way.

A wisp of dark energy was mixed in with the purple light.

The energy was extremely subtle and almost imperceptible under the cover of lightning.

The battle continued. With an overwhelming numerical advantage and ample preparation, Andrius was held back by the combined forces of the Fools and the Celestials.

Meanwhile, on the other side, they fought a long battle with the scattered soldiers.

Ying's expression suddenly changed.

She felt a strange sensation; her body seemed to have become much heavier.

That wasn't a physical attack or elemental damage.

"It seems that the demon god's resentment has taken effect."

The scattered soldiers used the resources of the Fools to collect a lot of demon god remnants.

These remnants contained the curses and resentments of the demon god before his death, which he stored within his body as a hidden killing move.

He harbored these grievances, intending to use them unexpectedly when facing a powerful enemy.

The demon's resentment pierced Ying's mind like thousands of fine needles.

Her vision began to blur, her steps became unsteady, and the arm holding the Corruption Sword trembled uncontrollably.

The stragglers had been waiting for this moment.

His figure flashed by in the lightning, instantly closing in on Ying.

His right hand, fingers together, condensed into a sharp purple spike at his fingertips, aimed straight at Ying's vital chest.

The force of this blow was controlled to the point that it was just enough to incapacitate the person without killing them.

He wanted to capture Ying alive, severely injure her, and then take her away.

A moment before the lightning spikes fell.

A dazzling golden light suddenly shone on Ying's body.

The stray soldiers' lightning bolts struck it, producing a piercing metallic clang and scattering lightning in all directions.

A gap was torn in the golden light, but taking advantage of this opening, Ying had ample time to launch a counterattack.

The stragglers stared wide-eyed, gritting their teeth.

He had only seen this kind of thing on one person.

Just as he was about to launch his third attack to forcefully break through the tortoise shell, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out from afar.

That was a warning signal from the Heavenly Command.

Soldiers clad in the armor of Haiji Island charged in from afar.

Following behind him was Thomas, and the archers beside Thomas had already begun to fire arrows.

Reinforcements for the rebels on Haiji Island have arrived.

The skirmisher struck down Ying, who was still struggling to hold on, and his gaze fell on the fading golden light on her body.

With golden light protecting her and her own considerable strength, she couldn't be defeated in a short time.

The giant white wolf had already torn his elite squad to pieces.

If they don't leave now, all the men he brought will perish here.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and resentment.

"retreat."

Two words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

The remaining troops of the Fools and the Heavenly Leader were granted a pardon and fled the battlefield as quickly as possible, retreating into the depths of Ba Yun Island.

The stragglers turned back at the last moment, their gazes piercing through the morning mist and meeting Ying's eyes.

That look in his eyes was complex; it contained anger, resentment, and a gnashing of hatred.

Andrius lowered its fighting stance, and Paimon peeked out from behind it.

After confirming that the stragglers had really left, he breathed a long sigh of relief and then flew to Ying's side as fast as he could.

"Ying! Let me see if you're injured anywhere?"

"It's nothing, just a minor scratch."

Ying plunged the Corruption Sword into the ground to support her somewhat limp body.

She looked down at herself; her skin had been burned by lightning, leaving a red mark, and a trace of blood lingered at the corner of her mouth.

The lingering resentment of the demons in her mind was still causing her some dizziness.

"Oh, right!" Paimon seemed to suddenly remember something, pointing his little finger at Ying's chest.

"I remember you needed Xu Chuan's help to use the Golden Light, didn't you?"

"You tried several times and failed last time, how come you suddenly got it working today?"

"Oh right, I don't know the Golden Light Mantra yet."

Ying blinked, her expression as innocent as someone with amnesia.

"I clearly saw it, you just now—"

Paimon was so anxious that he spun around in the air.

"Just now, when that stragglers were about to hit you, a golden light suddenly burst out from your body. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Paymont, please keep this secret for me. I'll treat you to something delicious."

Ying bent down, leaned close to Paimon's ear, and whispered, "Double the snack allowance."

“But Xu Chuan…” Thinking of Xu Chuan, Paimon’s little face showed a hint of struggle.

"Double the snack allowance." Ying added without changing her expression.

"Deal!" Paimon extended his little hand and gave Ying a high five.

After giving each other a high five, the two smiled at each other.

……

Inside the grotto.

"puff!"

The woman stood there trembling, and then couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood.