The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Zhenhuan was startled. He rolled away, creating a ten-foot distance between himself and the woman, and stood up, leaning against a tree trunk. Through the misty rain, he asked in a low voice.

"Are you here to kill me?"

The woman neither answered him nor made a move. She simply held her umbrella and watched him silently. Receiving no reply, Wang Zhenhuan's heart sank further.

Although he was in the pouring rain, he felt an unparalleled silence around him. The mudra he was gripping in his hands felt as hot as a branding iron. But he did not loosen his grip.

Time passed slowly, and the heavy rain gradually drained Wang Zhenhuan's body heat. After about half an incense stick's time, in a moment when Wang Zhenhuan was in a daze...

The woman slowly lowered the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, obscuring her stunningly beautiful face. Seeing the woman's sudden movement, Wang Zhenhuan subconsciously took half a step back and lowered his body.

He opened his eyes wide, staring intently at the oil-paper umbrella, bracing himself for the impending attack. Unexpectedly, a familiar low murmur came from behind him: "Sir..."

Just as Wang Zhenhuan was drawn by Xiao Liuzi's voice, the oil-paper umbrella in front of him was suddenly tossed into the air. Before Wang Zhenhuan could react, the woman had vanished from under the umbrella.

He hurriedly rolled to the right to dodge, but to his surprise, the woman didn't appear where he had just been. Wang Zhen's heart tightened, and he suddenly realized something.

He turned around and shouted to Xiao Liuzi under the tree, "Liuzi, run!!!"

But it was too late; the white figure had already appeared beside Xiao Liuzi. Wang Zhenhuan was terrified and scrambled towards the tree.

But all of this was in vain; he was now nearly three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away from the tree. If he hadn't rolled over earlier, perhaps he would have made it in time. Now, he could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded.

The woman channeled her spiritual energy, a pale blue light flashing around her. Then, she struck down with her palm at Xiao Liu's crown. Her expression was solemn, and her movements were decisive; this strike undoubtedly used all her strength.

Wang Zhen couldn't believe that such a beautiful woman could be so cruel to a defenseless mortal boy. He stopped in despair halfway down the road, reaching out his hand as if to grab her.

Snapped--

A sharp cracking sound rang out. Something unexpected happened: Xiao Liu, lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed the woman's wrist. Then, he leaped up and rammed his head into the woman's face.

In her haste, the woman could only use her free left hand to defend herself. Unexpectedly, a tremendous force came from Xiao Liu's head, sending her flying. Her right hand was grabbed, and she was swayed from side to side with her body.

The woman gathered her strength and lightly twisted her body to land. Clutching her right arm, she looked at Xiao Liuzi with a grave expression. Wang Zhenhuan observed that her right arm was clearly broken, hanging motionless beside the woman.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye; Wang Zhenhuan hadn't even had time to react. He watched incredulously as Xiao Liuzi got up from the ground, a ferocious expression on his face, and looked at the woman.

"Foolish! You little fox, your cultivation is not high and you like to meddle in other people's business. Since you are so ungrateful, I don't mind having another physical body! Although aliens are incomplete in their seven orifices, it is not unacceptable for them to take human form."

The woman didn't speak. With her only remaining left hand, she took out a yellow talisman from her bosom. She placed it to her lips and bit it, then began to make hand seals with her left hand. Upon seeing this, a fierce glint flashed in Xiao Liu's eyes.

He then took a step forward and suddenly shot towards the woman's location. The woman looked anxious. Seeing Xiao Liu's movement, she instinctively shifted to dodge, but her hand gestures continued.

What the king really didn't expect was that when Xiao Liuzi used the force, his body revealed a faint purple color! He was surprised, but a flash of inspiration came to his mind, and he immediately used the force to rush forward.

He stood between Xiao Liuzi and the woman. The woman was taken aback, but her eyes softened. Xiao Liuzi, on the other hand, showed no mercy when Wang Zhenhuan came to stop him.

"Since you're so eager to die, then I'll grant your wish!" With that, he threw a punch at Wang Huanzhen.

Before arriving, Wang Zhen had already devised a plan. Although he didn't know what this Xiao Liu Zi was, he was a genuine cultivator with the Purple Qi cultivation level, and trying to fight him head-on was nothing short of a pipe dream.

So he decided to stall for time. He pretended to meet the punch head-on, but actually rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging Xiao Liu's punch. But what he didn't expect was...

After missing his punch, Xiao Liuzi, finding himself with nowhere to brace himself in mid-air, defied common sense and kicked Wang Zhenhuan squarely in the chest. Caught off guard, Wang Zhenhuan was struck hard by the kick.

Wang Zhenhuan felt as if a thousand-pound hammer had struck his chest. The sound of his bones cracking was clearly audible. He was kicked backward and flew straight into a tree trunk.

After landing, he struggled to his feet and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. After expelling the blood from his chest, he felt a little better, wiped his mouth, and shakily stood up, leaning against a tree trunk.

This was his first time fighting against someone with purple-level cultivation, and he hadn't expected to be unable to withstand even a single move. Fortunately, he achieved his goal; Xiao Liuzi's advance was immediately slowed down by Wang Zhenhuan's intervention.

Just as he was about to rush forward again, the woman threw out the yellow talisman in her hand and chanted the mantra: "Cloud script, pure and clear, heaven and earth stabilize the mind, drive away evil and eliminate wickedness, true fire purifies the sky, Supreme Dao Lord, hasten as the law commands!"

"I respectfully invite the Fire God of the South! Appear! Subdue the demon!" With that, he flung out the yellow talisman in his hand. In the midst of the swirling rain and mist, the talisman spontaneously combusted upon contact with the wind, and then burned ever brighter.

It transformed into a giant ball of fire, the intense heat evaporating all the surrounding rainwater into mist. Then it turned back into raindrops and fell, quickly turning the surroundings into a hazy fog.

As the fireball disappeared, the surrounding temperature suddenly rose. The fog dissipated, and a celestial being, wielding a long mace, clad in golden armor, and standing on a fireball, appeared in the arena.

After the deity appeared, he addressed those present, asking, "Who summoned me to appear?"

"May you have boundless blessings! I am Lingzhizi from the Shangqing Thunder Academy, and I greet the Fire God. There are demons here, disturbing the celestial phenomena and bewitching people. I beg the Fire God to use his magic to subdue these demons!" the woman in white said respectfully to the golden-armored deity.

"Understood!" the golden-armored deity said, turning to look at Xiao Liuzi. He raised his golden mace and swung it at him. A huge firebird, about ten feet wide, appeared in mid-air.

The firebird let out a long cry and charged towards Xiao Liuzi. Its speed was so great that it even vaporized the surrounding rain! Just as Wang Huanzhen was staring in disbelief at all this...

Suddenly, a soft hand grabbed him. He turned around and saw the stunningly beautiful woman who had inspired the gods. She nodded to Wang Huanzhen, then pulled him away...