Chapter 278: The Absolute Power of the Divine

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom—

Li An let out a roar, and light blazed along his sword as a massive sword shadow slashed toward the monster.

The monster sensed the power of that strike and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The sword shadow struck the monster hard, cleaving it in two.

The monster let out a piercing scream, then collapsed to the ground and dissolved into a cloud of black smoke.

"Phew, finally dealt with it," Li An said, exhaling in relief.

The women all smiled with relief.

Yui Hirasawa exclaimed excitedly: "Li An my lord is amazing! That sword strike was so majestic!"

Haruka Hirakawa laughed and said: "Haha, yes, Li An my lord's sword art is growing stronger by the day."

Yukinoshita Yuno nodded slightly and said: "We owe this smooth victory to everyone's coordination."

Xiang Xiang Monan said: "We should leave this place quickly—this village is too eerie."

Li An agreed with Xiang Xiang Monan's suggestion and said: "Alright, let's go."

The group left the shrine, preparing to depart the village.

Just as they reached the village entrance, they suddenly heard a faint cry for help.

"Someone's calling for help!" Yui Hirasawa said.

Li An and the others followed the sound and found several villagers locked inside a dilapidated house.

They hurriedly opened the door and rescued the villagers.

The villagers, seeing Li An and the others, looked at them with deep gratitude.

"Thank you for saving us," an elderly villager said.

"What happened? Why has this village become like this?" Li An asked.

The villager sighed and said: "Our village has always worshipped a deity that protects us."

"But recently, a group of black-robed strangers came to our village, claiming our deity is evil and demanding we abandon our faith."

"We refused, so they locked us up and summoned that monster."

Li An frowned and said: "That monster is the deity you worship?"

The villager shook his head and said: "No, that monster was summoned by the black-robed strangers—they wanted to frighten us into abandoning our faith."

"But we know our deity is benevolent—it will surely protect us."

Li An and the others exchanged glances, their minds filled with confusion.

This village's matter was growing more complex.

"Where is your deity?"

Yukinoshita Yuno asked.

The villager pointed toward the shrine and said: "The deity is inside the shrine, but we haven't felt its presence in a long time."

Li An decided to return to the shrine and investigate further.

Back at the shrine, they carefully searched every corner.

Finally, in the shrine's basement, they discovered a mysterious altar.

The altar was carved with runes, and at its center rested a glowing crystal ball.

"What is this?" Yui Hirasawa asked curiously.

Li An stepped forward and examined the crystal ball closely.

Suddenly, a blurred figure appeared inside the crystal ball.