So strong—really, astonishingly strong… Zhang Yuanqing glanced down at the Thunder God's armor and suddenly found it rather unimpressive. Seizing the opportunity, he summoned his Thunder Fury, sending a storm of lightning to envelop the High Priest. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Jagged, tree-like lightning cascaded down like a deluge, writhing and asserting themselves, with thick lightning columns the diameter of water jars, radiating an overwhelming sense of destruction. The High Priest's body was repeatedly struck by lightning and engulfed by the columns, his pristine robe consumed, his strong frame blackened and turned to ash. Zhang Yuanqing transformed into a streak of starlight, appearing above the High Priest's head, and swung his pumpkin mallet with force, delivering a decisive blow to the crown of his head. "Crack!" The High Priest, now paralyzed, had his skull shattered, blood spraying out, and fell helplessly into the sea. Zhang Yuanqing quickly turned to the young woman, hoping she would capitalize on the moment to strike the fallen foe, but found her expression blank and motionless, allowing the opportunity to slip away. How could she be so stunned, so strong yet so lacking in wisdom? Zhang Yuanqing furrowed "Whoosh!" A surge of white waves erupted, and a sea creature resembling a giant whale broke through the waves, opening its sharp-toothed maw to swallow the high priest whole. After having remained hidden in the depths for a long time, Cyntha finally seized the opportunity and successfully pulled the high priest into the ocean. The sea was the domain of the sea nymphs. As the sea creature swallowed the high priest, the sea surface settled back into calm, with only gentle ripples. Zhang Yuanqing and the two goddesses watched from above, silently awaiting the outcome. The young girl with black pupils, gazing at Sektia, spoke her first words since her birth: "My heart can only beat a thousand times..." Only a thousand heartbeats—roughly ten to fifteen minutes? Zhang Yuanqing found this neither surprising nor unexpected. It was already an imbalance to offer a Cupid as a sacrifice and summon a being of peak dominion. But if this extraordinary life came with a time limit, then it made perfect sense. Though strong, he was rather foolish, with evident intellectual shortcomings. Within fifteen minutes—no, ten minutes—I must assist her in defeating the High Priest, or else the raid will fail. If Cynthia could continue to press the High Priest in the sea, it would be ideal. As soon as Zhang Yuanqing thought this, the calm sea surface suddenly surged with violent waves, towering waves rising one after another, their crests foaming like snowy leopards and dragons. Moments later, crimson streaks of blood erupted from the deep blue sea, spreading rapidly and staining the surrounding waters. The bodies of sea creatures and scattered limbs and fragments of flesh floated to the surface. "Roar!" A golden glow surged forth from the ocean, and the High Priest emerged from the depths. His crown was gone, his white hair flowing freely, his bare body muscled and full of vitality, radiating a gentle golden glow. His vitality had significantly diminished, and his spiritual energy fluctuations were now much weaker than before. Zhang Yuanqing anxiously scanned the sea, yet saw no sign of Cynthia emerging. "She's dead!" the bare-bodied girl declared, "the sea told me." Hearing this news, Sektyra wept, losing yet another sister—after Cupid and Eriphya. Zhang Yuanqing was thunderstruck; blood surged to his head, and with his beloved's death, his reason completely collapsed. His eyes blazing with starlight, he vanished behind the high priest, delivering a powerful punch. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Crackle. Crackle. Amid the surging waves of impact, the lightning-clad Zhang Yuanqing managed only ten seconds before being battered into ruin by the high priest, who sent him flying like a sack of flour. Sektyra leapt into the air, wrapping her arms around her lover and rolling with him to absorb the force, then urgently asked, "Aminni, my dearest Aminni, are you well?" She scanned her lover’s broken form, her eyes glistening with tears. His bones were shattered, his organs severely burned, and much of his flesh had turned to charcoal—such extensive injuries, in her view, were fatal even for a second-tier deity. “We’ll just have to make do…” Zhang Yuanqing gasped, spitting blood. “What?” Sektia asked, puzzled. “The enemy is strong—let’s hold back, wait for the right moment!” Zhang Yuanqing replied with strong determination. All the fury and frustration from earlier dissipated completely, and reason reclaimed the upper ground. Sektia cradled her lover and flew them toward the distance. The High Priest’s gaze swept over the two fleeing figures. He reached back, drawing his bow to launch a ranged attack—then suddenly, he side-stepped. A massive gust of wind sliced past him, carving a deep furrow across the sea surface, several dozen feet long. “Ah… ah…” A relentless stream of wind blades surged forward, forming a rain of blades that covered every angle. It seemed the young woman still possessed the ability to wield wind blades. The high priest murmured a chant, forming a spherical aura of pale golden light that established an invulnerable domain. Immediately, a sharp, dense series of explosions erupted, wind blades striking the surface of the sphere like raindrops, generating dense ripples. The girl, her gaze vacant, extended her arms, gathering and compressing the airflow before her until a blade a hundred meters long took shape, its tip pressing directly against the spherical barrier. With a push of her palms outward, a spatial distortion emerged at the point where the blade met the sphere—a clash of opposing spiritual energies. The forces were evenly matched. The Lei Spear carries a 50% guaranteed piercing attribute and the power of ninth-tier lightning, striking the spherical barrier from the side and disrupting its equilibrium. Three forces converge, triggering a devastating explosion—lightning, gales, and golden radiance spreading out, colliding and detonating with one another, their shockwaves sweeping across dozens of miles. Zhang Yuanqing and Sektia remain far enough away that when the waves reach them, they have little impact. He removes his Lei God armor and says, "Sektia, join up with Menia. Do not engage in combat unless you have a chance to seriously injure the High Priestess." Then, he takes out his companion, the Ling Yue, and places it on his forehead, allowing the vine-like black patterns to spread across half his face, and vanishes from Sektia's sight. This way, he avoids the High Priestess's golden arrows while simultaneously benefiting from Ling Yue's amplification to rapidly heal his wounds. In the ensuing battle, he can only provide support, with the primary damage output entrusted to the girl created by the Primordial God. How could Sektia, who had no curiosity about the man she loved, have resorted to such elaborate measures of invisibility, while simultaneously observing the battle and flying toward Menia? The high priest, whose sacred domain had been shattered, acted decisively, shifting from defense to offense, transforming from passive to active. He drew a golden arrow and launched it toward the young woman. "Whoosh!" The golden arrow, swift enough that even observers at the highest level could not evade it, pierced the girl's lingering silhouette. Her true form materialized behind the priest, holding a bronze shield in one hand and a lightning spear in the other, wielding the spear with powerful, repeated strikes. The priest's long bow arced overhead, deflecting the spear's impact in the surge of plasma. He swiftly and subtly adjusted the bowstring, producing a sharp "crack," and a delicate golden glow coalesced into an arrow that pierced the girl's brow. Clearly, this technique—where the spell spontaneously formed the arrow—was one the girl had never witnessed before. Lacking such experience, she failed to evade it. The girl's head snapped back, a blackened hole appearing on her forehead, her pupils fading. The high priest had sensed that this young woman possessed powers from the domains of Wind, Thunder, War God, Void, and Sea Nymph—like a monstrous being forged from the forced amalgamation of multiple deities. Her drawback was that she still struggled to master these powers and had nearly no combat experience. As it stood now, even a simple maneuver caused her to lose consciousness momentarily. The high priest kicked her into the sky, drew his fifth arrow, nocked it, drew his bow, and released it with a flash of golden light. The girl screamed, golden flames erupting from all seven orifices, transforming her into a blazing golden torch. Her life force and spiritual energy evaporated swiftly in the flames. The high priest seized every opportunity to secure victory, drawing his final golden arrow from the quiver at his back. Suddenly, a figure clad in purple and golden armor materialized behind the high priest, extending a right fist with sharp, dagger-like knuckles, striking at his temple. The high priest gently raised his long bow, snapped his fist open with a crisp sound, and delivered a powerful headbutt to the enemy behind him. Close combat was the fastest way to drive off foes. "Crash!" The enemy's head instantly exploded, as if stuffed with cow manure under the power of a demon's cannon—the helmet and mask surrounding it shattered into vibrant purple and golden liquid at the same moment. The lifeless body plunged into the sea. The high priest paused, startled. The enemy was weaker than he had anticipated. Within the powerful armor lay not a sturdy warrior, but a frail creature—no, a lifeless being from the Underworld. He realized he had been outwitted. Had the enemy been such a weak, insignificant creature, he would surely have missed the chance to strike down the young girl. At that moment, however, the high priest felt his vital energy beginning to wane, his spiritual power dimmed and clouded as though polluted, and a foul odor emanated from his armpits. Simultaneously, ten meters away, a figure emerged—its posture strangely distorted, as if performing an elaborate and impressive dance, completing its final gesture precisely as it appeared. Then, bowing to the floating yellow-skinned gourd before him, he said, "Please, turn around." At once, a beam of white light surged from the gourd's mouth, sharp and vivid, with distinct eyes and a piercing intensity. It moved with irresistible, unyielding speed, "popping" into the high priest's brow, the white light swirling vigorously. The high priest's eyes dimmed, his expression stunned and motionless. Though the white light surged and roared, it did not sever his head. Even at the peak of his mastery, having expended immense spiritual and physical energy and sustained serious injuries, he could not be instantly killed. Seizing this moment, the young girl transformed into a streak of lightning, flashing to the high priest's side, and drawing a blade of thunder from the void. Lightning flashed in rapid succession, "popping" with each strike—first the high priest's head lifted, then his arms and legs detached from his body, and finally his torso severed at the waist. At last mastering the art of surprise attack, the girl recited a solemn, formal decree: "Prohibit self-healing!" A flash of bronze light passed through, The corpse fragments meant to be reanimated instantly lost their vitality and sank helplessly into the ocean. Zhang Yuanqing broke his invisibility and roared at the young woman, "Watch your back!" A streak of golden light pierced her chest, sharp as a spear. Golden flames erupted from her eyes, nostrils, mouth, and earholes. She stiffened, turning her neck, and saw the golden-clad high priest standing behind her. This high priest, now devoid of a physical body, had his spirit manifest as a tangible form, holding the final golden spear in his hands. Struck three times in succession, the girl's body could no longer bear the strain, rapidly carbonizing and dissolving within the golden light. She gazed at the high priest, her youthful face reflecting a moment of bewildered confusion: "Why... me... I still can't overcome you..." Though the high priest's vitality had grown exceedingly frail, his soul radiated a powerful aura, and he spoke with steady resolve: "Of course you cannot overcome me. Your strength stems from sacrifice—those who offered their vital blood to the Primordial God gave rise to you. Yet, do you understand the true essence of the divine powers? Have you, step by step, cultivated and refined your own abilities? You are merely a counterfeit, a mere product of circumstantial means. "How can you possibly defeat me? Before true strength, you are nothing but a clown..." With great difficulty, the girl raised her hand, gathering the last of her strength into a ball of lightning and pressing it firmly against the high priest's chest. Boom! The ball of lightning, purest in rigidity and yang energy, exploded, thinning the golden glow on the high priest's body and nearly causing his spiritual essence to collapse. The delicate body of the maiden crumbled inch by inch, turning to ash and vanishing into smoke. Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing appeared silently behind the High Priest, a miniature sun rising behind his head, a blazing solar seal appearing at his brow, his body radiating powerful, pure divine solar energy. He raised his right hand high and plunged the golden divine sword into the High Priest's crown. The solar energy surged within the High Priest, igniting his immortal spirit. Already frail as a candle in the wind, the High Priest turned to gaze at Zhang Yuanqing, his eyes filled with astonishment: "You—you are a descendant of the Sun?! No, the Sun cannot have descendants. You must be a demon priest who has stolen the Sun's power..." As the final echoes of his words lingered, the High Priest dissolved into golden flames. A divine realm notification resonated in Zhang Yuanqing's ears: 【Ping!