Chapter 275: The Eerie Village, the Terror of the Sole Deity, and the Playful Women?!

Passing through the portal leading to the outside world, Li An and the women stepped into a completely unfamiliar otherworld.

Before them lay a vast, boundless grassland; a gentle breeze brushed past, making the green grass ripple like waves, while colorful strange flowers dotted the landscape, emitting faint, elegant scents.

Yet no one in the group was fooled by this seemingly peaceful scene; having endured many perilous situations, they knew well that hidden mysteries often lurked beneath the surface.

"Everyone be careful. Although we have left the Shadow Realm, this is still an unknown world, and danger could appear at any moment."

Li An held a long sword, his gaze alert as he scanned the surroundings, instructing the women.

"My lord, rest assured; we are all on high alert."

Hiratsuka Shizuka flexed her wrists, her capable and powerful aura becoming even more pronounced; after the series of battles before, her control over her own power had become more adept.

Yuigahama Yui cast a small Cursed Technique; the light of the Cursed Technique flickered a few times in her palm before spreading outward: "I haven't detected any abnormal mana fluctuations yet, but we still can't let our guard down."

Yukinoshita Hina closed her eyes slightly, then opened them after a moment and spoke: "My spiritual power has also temporarily detected no hidden threats, but this grassland is too vast; we must determine a direction to move forward."

Xiang Xiang Monan cast a protective Cursed Technique, enveloping the group in a faint halo of light, while adding: "Mm, let's pick a direction and walk first; perhaps we can meet the locals here and ask about the situation."

Li An pondered briefly, then pointed toward the direction at the end of the grassland where mountain contours were faintly visible: "Let's go that way; useful clues might be easier to find near the mountains."

The group moved forward along the direction Li An indicated; along the way, the women chatted and laughed, sharing their insights and gains from the previous battles.

Yuigahama Yui said excitedly: "I feel my Cursed Technique for summoning plants has become stronger; back in the Ghost Castle, those thorns could only serve as simple barriers, but now I feel I can make them into more powerful offensive means."

Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed and patted her shoulder: "Haha, of course; I also feel my physical strength and Cursed Power combine more skillfully. Next time we encounter close-quarters combat, I can unleash even greater power."

Yukinoshita Hina nodded slightly, her eyes filled with confidence: "The range and precision of my spiritual power attacks have improved significantly; from now on, I can better support everyone."

Xiang Xiang Monan smiled shyly: "As for me, not only has my healing Cursed Technique become more refined, but I've also figured out some small techniques to enhance everyone's defense during combat."

Hearing the women's words, Li An felt full of gratification: "You have all progressed rapidly, but do not become arrogant; even stronger enemies await us ahead."

Just then, a sudden gust of wind surged across the grassland, carrying low growls within it.

The group immediately grew alert; a pack of strange beasts resembling cheetahs but with wings emerged from the gale, their eyes fierce, fangs bared, lunging fiercely at the group.

"Come then!" Li An roared, rushing forward first; with a sweep of his long sword, several sharp sword qi blasts whistled out, striking directly at the leading strange beasts.

Sensing the power of the sword qi, the beasts flashed their bodies, agilely evading the attacks, then scattered, flanking the group from different directions.

"Sisters, act!" Li An shouted.

The women responded swiftly, each deploying their skills.

Hiratsuka Shizuka moved like lightning, instantly charging into the pack of strange beasts; her fists, wrapped in powerful Cursed Power, created a whistling sound with every strike; any strange beast struck by her was sent flying with a wail of agony.

Yuigahama Yui quickly formed hand seals, chanting words; countless thick vines instantly burst from the grassland, covered in sharp thorns, lashing at the strange beasts like flexible whips; many strange beasts were entangled by the vines, and in their struggles, were slashed by the thorns, bleeding profusely.

Yukinoshita Hina closed her eyes, concentrating her spiritual power to lock onto the consciousness of the strange beasts; waves of mental shock, like invisible blades, pierced into their minds, causing some of the strange beasts to move sluggishly, while others collapsed directly to the ground, writhing in pain.

Xiang Xiang Monan calmly observed the situation from the rear, casting healing Cursed Techniques on injured teammates at the right moments, while also using her newly figured-out defensive techniques to reinforce the group's protection, blocking attacks from the strange beasts that occasionally broke through the lines.

Under the group's tacit cooperation, this pack of strange beasts gradually lost ground, beginning to show signs of retreat.

But would Li An give them a chance to escape? He infused mysterious power into his long sword; the entire sword blazed with light; he leaped into the air, tracing a brilliant arc, then struck down fiercely.

"Sword Shadow Flowing Light Slash!"

Li An roared; powerful power transformed into tangible sword shadows, sweeping over the remaining strange beasts like a violent storm.

The strange beasts had no time to dodge; instantly shrouded by the sword shadows, they fell dead one after another amidst a series of piercing wails.

"Is everyone alright?"

After landing, Li An looked at the women with concern.

"We're fine, my lord; these strange beasts aren't enough to fill our teeth."

Yuigahama Yui said playfully; the women all laughed, and the tense atmosphere of the battle immediately dissipated considerably.

Continuing forward, they finally reached the foot of the mountains.

The mountains soared into the clouds; mist and clouds swirled among the peaks, and faintly, some ancient buildings could be seen scattered throughout.

"There seem to be quite a few buildings on this mountain; perhaps we can find information about this world," Li An said, gazing up at the mountain.

"Then let's hurry up and go take a look."

Hiratsuka Shizuka was eager to try.

The group climbed up the winding mountain path; along the way, they encountered no obstacles and smoothly arrived at a place that looked like an ancient village.

The houses in the village were ancient, mostly built from stacked stones.

But at this moment, it was eerily silent; not a single person was in sight.

"Why is no one here? It feels strange," Yuigahama Yui muttered softly.

Li An frowned, signaled everyone to be careful, then walked toward the depths of the village.

Just as they reached the central square of the village, a group of mysterious figures in black robes with pale faces suddenly surged out from the surrounding houses; holding staves emitting eerie light, they surrounded the group completely.

"Outsiders, trespassing here; do you know your crime?"

One of the mysterious figures, appearing to be the leader, said coldly.

"We are merely passing through, with no ill intent; we only wish to inquire about the situation in this world."

Li An stepped forward and spoke.

"Hmph, regardless of your purpose, once you step into this place, do not expect to leave easily."

The leader of the mysterious figures snorted coldly, then waved his staff; the other mysterious figures began chanting spells, and beams of black mana shot toward the group.

"Be careful!"

Li An shouted, casting a defensive Cursed Technique once more to shield the group.

Then his eyes grew cold as he said to the women: "Looks like we have to fight again; follow our previous coordination and finish this quickly!"

The women answered in unison and immediately launched their actions.

Hiratsuka Shizuka once again displayed her brave and fearless side, charging at the mysterious figures; her physical strength and Cursed Power combined perfectly, and every attack made those black-robed mysterious figures struggle to defend.

Yuigahama Yui summoned a large patch of flowers carrying deadly poison; the pollen drifting from the flowers caused many mysterious figures to inhale it, instantly becoming paralyzed and collapsing to the ground.

Yukinoshita Hina's spiritual power attacks were even sharper, directly disrupting the mysterious figures' casting rhythm, causing their spells to repeatedly go wrong and their mana to backfire upon themselves.

Xiang Xiang Monan, meanwhile, steadily healed her teammates' injuries from the rear while simultaneously deploying Cursed Techniques to disrupt the enemies' vision, creating a better attack environment for the group.

Li An seized the moment, sword in hand, his figure darting between the mysterious figures like a phantom.

Every slash of his blade took the life of a mysterious figure; his swordsmanship was sharp and decisive, leaving no room for hesitation, and wherever he passed, the black-robed mysterious figures fell one after another.