The gentle yet intense firelight seemed to flow softly through the air, spreading slowly along the wounds.

It was as if an invisible hand of a deity was brushing over the flesh torn by the blazing light.

The excruciating pain vanished instantly, the charred skin healed rapidly, and the puncture wounds closed and underwent Restoration at a speed visible to the naked eye, even erasing the bloodstains as if she had never been injured at all.

Even Ise couldn't help but slightly arch a brow at this sight, a flicker of surprise flashing in her golden eyes.

Jingo Rin's four-colored flames were truly a cheat-level power.

Many of the monsters and demons in this world, especially those at the level of Fierce Demon Great Devil, possessed abilities that were almost certain death upon first encounter.

Even top-tier exorcists could easily die to a "first-encounter kill" before they could unleash their full strength if they hadn't prepared in advance.

However, Jingo Rin's strength was practically a specific antidote for these monsters.

Even if one were lucky enough to kill her, she would burst into flames the very next moment and resurrect as if nothing happened, just like a phoenix.

If one had to name a weakness, it was that as a mortal, her mental energy remained finite.

Therefore, the white-haired shrine maiden's surprise lasted only for an instant.

She quickly regained her previous composed demeanor, gently clutching the bronze mirror to her chest, her tone steady and confident: "No power is perfect. As long as I repeatedly destroy your brain, you won't have time to do anything else besides regenerating."

With that, she waved at the Celestial Maiden Lingzhen, ordering her to quickly chop off Jingo Rin's head.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. Ise clearly had victory within her grasp.

Jingo Rin took a deep breath, looked up, and cast her gaze heavily upon Ise.

She did not roar, curse, or even reveal a shred of unnecessary emotion.

There was only a terrifyingly calm indifference, as if she were staring at a dead person.

"I am going to kill you."

Oh? Really?

Ise knew all of Jingo Rin's combat records; Jingo Rin had never killed a single human being.

No sooner had the words left her lips than she saw Jingo Rin's fingers reach downward, digging into the earth.

The earth shook violently.

At first, it was a slight tremor, like a sleeping giant turning over, but in an instant, the shaking became violent—it wasn't just the street; the entire Aomori City began to tremble.

And the ground beneath Jingo Rin's feet, where her fingers had dug in, had already split open into a long, narrow fissure.

Hellfire churned from within, exhaling the scent of sulfur.

Deep within that fissure, beneath the earth, something seemed to be rising rapidly, about to reach Jingo Rin's hand.

It appeared to be a sword.

Ise's golden pupils constricted sharply.

She was not foolish enough to stand there and watch Jingo Rin pull off some new trick!

Without hesitation, she flipped her hands, and the golden light from the bronze mirror in her grasp instantly surged.

Scorching divine power condensed into a beam on the mirror's surface; the solar flame was about to be unleashed immediately!

She could not let Jingo Rin complete this action!

However, just as the light was about to pour forth—

Ding.

Suddenly, they both heard a sound.

A light, airy noise, as crisp as a silver coin hitting the ground, and as illusory as a bubble bursting.

In the next instant, a fist had already smashed fiercely into Ise's face!

Boom!!!

The air exploded; a deafening sonic boom tore through the silence.

The golden divine light instantly collapsed, and the solar flame, which hadn't yet been fired, was forcibly shattered, scattering into countless broken motes of light in all directions.

The white-haired shrine maiden didn't even have time to scream before her entire body was sent flying backward like a cannonball!

Bang!!!

The next second, she crashed straight through the glass of the bus station, instantly exploding into a sky full of debris.

Broken billboards tumbled through the air, metal frames creaked and twisted, and the entire platform collapsed in an instant!

Bang, bang, bang!! Rumble!!!

Hitting the station wasn't enough; loud impacts erupted in succession.

Ise tumbled under the force of the impact, eventually slamming hard into a garbage truck by the roadside, causing the entire vehicle to shake violently, its piercing alarm wailing.

Qi Xing had arrived.

He had one hand in his pocket, while the other hand flicked casually, as if he had just tossed away a piece of trash.

"My apologies, my hand slipped."

He squinted and grinned, revealing stark white teeth.

"Am I early, Miss Jingo?"

080: The Amazing Thunder-█-Man (Part 1)

The roaring sound had not yet dissipated, and the lingering echoes of twisted metal continued to tremble in the air.

The side of the garbage truck had been smashed into a shocking indentation.

Garbage, mixed with rotting fruit peels, broken packaging, and unidentified liquids, spilled out everywhere, creating a wretched mess.

However, that pile of foul-smelling waste soon began to stir—

"Ugh… ugh ah…"

The white-haired shrine maiden Ise slowly crawled out halfway, her hands gripping the edge of the truck bed tightly, her fingertips white from the exertion.

Her face was covered in stains and debris, her luxurious shrine maiden robes were soaked in filth, and her usual dignified demeanor had completely collapsed.

But nothing compared to her miserable face.

Qi Xing's punch had already collapsed her nose bridge.

Blood streamed directly from her nostrils, making her appearance tragic in the extreme.

After lifting the [Phantom] power, Qi Xing's identity could be recognized by others.

Therefore, the white-haired shrine maiden's reaction at this moment was only natural.

"[Master Leipu]?!"

Her golden pupils were filled with shock, anger, and uncontrollable humiliation.

"Why is [Master Leipu] in Japan right now?!"

When had she ever received such treatment?!

Even when battling high-ranking spiritual ability users, or even the heads of those centuries-old exorcist families, she had never been like this—smashed into a pile of garbage by someone with a single punch, without even a chance to resist!

That said, Qi Xing was actually a little surprised himself.

He hadn't used his full strength in that punch—as mentioned before, rushing to unleash full power at the start of a magical battle was a mistake only novices made.

Most of Qi Xing's opening punches only used about fifty to seventy percent of his strength.

This didn't even include the silver coin.

But Qi Xing hadn't intentionally held back either.

Yet this white-haired shrine maiden Ise, having taken a punch at sixty percent of Qi Xing's conventional strength, had only suffered a fracture and not had her head directly exploded… which meant her level was indeed not bad.

(She's actually a bit stronger than Father Amos, stronger than most Magical Girls, and even [harder] than I originally thought.)

Qi Xing mused, gauging the sensation in his hand, and couldn't help but grin.

This white-haired shrine maiden looked only to be in her teens or twenties; at the very least, her body should be of that age.

And in this world, any young person who could be stronger than Father Amos was ninety-nine percent likely to have something fishy going on.

Because the Holy See's chief exorcist was practically the [ceiling for normal, talented mortal cultivation].

Those who could break through the mortal ceiling were almost never normal people.

(What is her background? Where did she get this kind of power?)

However, one thing at a time.

"A pleasure, I am [Master Leipu]."

In the supernatural world, [Etiquette] was a fairly important ritual.

Even on a battlefield where blood flowed like a river and heads rolled, everyone still had to observe some basic courtesy.

So, Qi Xing said very politely: "My apologies, for knocking you into a garbage truck… but seeing as you seem quite comfortable in there, I assume you're used to it, right?"

He was a man who hit hard and had a vicious tongue, so it was no wonder his reputation among the righteous heroes was polarized.

The shrine maiden Ise's head was still spinning, and the excruciating pain spread from her face throughout her entire body like an electric current, every bone screaming.

But compared to the physical pain, she was currently occupied by two other feelings—anger and fear.

[Master Leipu] had actually appeared suddenly, and she had just been blasted into a garbage truck by him with a single punch—this reality was more suffocating than the pain.

To be left lying in such a wretched state in a foul-smelling garbage truck, covered in filth, like trash discarded at will.

This was anger, a profound humiliation, unforgivable.

But at the same time, more and more fear sprouted from the depths of her heart.

Was this [Master Leipu]?

One of the world's top powerhouses, a peerless expert who could absolutely be ranked among the five strongest in the world.

If one were to use Jin Yong's wuxia novels as an analogy, [Master Leipu] was the damn Five Greats of the Condor Heroes, while she, Ise, was merely at the level of [Thousand-Handed Slaughterer Peng Lianhu].

Furthermore, if he were merely the strongest in the world, then no matter how fast his speed was, it would be impossible for him to appear beside her without detection, smash her with a punch, and not even give her a chance to react.

She had, of course, reviewed [Master Leipu]'s past combat records.

Qi Xing had never displayed space-time abilities before.

Then, considering the events of the last few months, the reason he could do this was likely…

"That someone favored by the Peacock King would actually ally with the Shrine Maiden of the Black God truly fills me with regret."

The white-haired shrine maiden said through gritted teeth.

Facing a powerhouse, she could use wisdom and strategy; she believed she had the protection of Mahamayuri.

However, facing the [Silver Coin Messenger], the situation was far too troublesome…

The light in her golden pupils flickered, anger, hatred, humiliation, and fear all mixed together, twisting her face.

But she would never admit that she was afraid.

Because she was the leader of [True Buddhism], the head of the Three Noble Children, [Amaterasu], and the shrine maiden of Mahamayuri!

However, as things stood, the white-haired shrine maiden had to quickly drive these chaotic thoughts from her mind.

After all, the situation before her was dire.

That there would be a [Silver Coin Messenger] who chose to side with the remnants of the Black God—such a thing hadn't happened in nearly two thousand years!

She had to report this to the main sect immediately!

"It seems I must take my leave first."

Probing half of her body out of the garbage truck, she pressed her hands together, her fingertips about to form a mysterious esoteric mudra.

In truth, Qi Xing was also somewhat surprised.

Someone favored by the Peacock King?

What Peacock King?

Mahamayuri?

But Qi Xing had no relationship with Mahamayuri… it couldn't be that [Peacock Angel] that Elaine had introduced before, could it?

Elaine had previously mentioned that the Peacock Angel was from Yazidi mythology.

It was the angel who was defeated by its brother, Raphael, for attempting to challenge the authority of the Heavenly Father—the one known as Satan in apocalyptic religions.

Could it be… don't tell me these guys… are Sasa's followers?

"Namo Buddha, Namo Dharma, Namo Sangha, homage to the Peacock Buddha Mother Mahamayuri."

No sooner said than done!

The white-haired shrine maiden had already begun to chant.

A cyan wheel of light emerged from behind her, as brilliant as a peacock spreading its tail, and as radiant as a garment of flowing light.

"Homage to the Peacock Mahamayuri! Perfect achievement!"

Her tone was low, sounding as if it were filled with compassion, yet also like a pronouncement of judgment.

Her hands flipped again, the mudra formed, and her spiritual power fluctuated violently!

The cyan wheel of light instantly bloomed with a dazzling radiance, and between her palms, a deep blue divine fire emerged, like the guardian flame of the Buddha Mother Mahamayuri, burning fiercely, bright and scorching!

"—Assist me in destroying demons with the Dharma!"

As the words fell, the white-haired shrine maiden actually lunged out from the garbage truck and pounced toward Qi Xing!

Instantly, her spiritual power surged, her speed so fast that she was almost nothing but an afterimage, and her momentum was even more formidable than it had been during the previous battle!

Qi Xing couldn't help but blink.

Oh? Quite determined, are we?

Knowing she couldn't win, yet still wanting to make a desperate last stand?

No.

That didn't seem right.

Qi Xing's combat consciousness, his state of perfection, let him know that this white-haired shrine maiden's speed, strength, and momentum—none of it felt like she was making a "desperate last stand," but rather that she was deliberately seeking death.

In an instant, Qi Xing even felt like seeing what kind of trick she was trying to pull.

But then he thought—forget it.

If she wanted to die, he would gladly take her life.

Raising a fist, Qi Xing struck directly toward her head.

There was no flair, just a simple straight punch—violent, direct, and crisp.

But this very punch caused the air to collapse, creating a momentary vacuum!

The force of the punch roared like a thunderclap!

The wheel of light, the divine fire—all were punched through.

The sound of breaking bones was clearly audible.

A punch with eighty percent of his strength finally smashed the shrine maiden's face in completely.

Her facial bones were thoroughly pulverized, her skull exploded, and her body slammed heavily onto the ground.