At a speed imperceptible to ordinary people, Brian Cooper streaked rapidly through the air. To him, the distance of over ten kilometers was no different than the distance from a back room to the front door for a normal person. Under the control of the Lihuo Chongtong, as soon as he soared into the sky, Brian Cooper immediately located William Brooks's exact position.

There were about twenty or thirty people besieging two individuals, with both sides moving rapidly across the rooftops of the buildings. Needless to say, one of those being attacked was the recently departed William Brooks. Brian Cooper hovered above the battlefield, not rushing down to help, because he could already tell that although the side with more people had the advantage in numbers, the side with fewer people was much stronger individually, making it hard to determine the outcome for the moment.

Accompanying William Brooks was a beautiful blonde woman. She was tall, athletic, and of European descent, with a voluptuous figure and long, beautiful legs. Her looks were stunning, and though she appeared to be nearly thirty, her skin was still radiant and flawless. Judging by her skills, she was even stronger than William Brooks, who had trained in Daoist secret arts.

The holy radiance emanating from the woman made Brian Cooper feel quite uncomfortable, and the pure martial arts techniques she used—bold and open—gave him a strange sense of unfamiliarity mixed with a hint of recognition.

The blonde beauty infused her punches and kicks with that strange holy light, always managing to severely injure any close-combat opponents. Clearly, that power also had the ability to dispel evil, perfectly countering the demonic aura of her enemies.

While observing the battle from the sky, Brian Cooper suddenly recalled a long-buried memory: “Isn’t this the holy power of the Western gods? The level is much lower, but the essence of the power is the same. This isn’t from any Chinese Daoist sect, or Buddhist school, or any other cultivation path, but a force from a distant Western land.”

The Western gods and the native Chinese gods were fundamentally different. To be honest, gods were not the same as any known life forms; like demons, they were innately powerful beings, always lofty and disdainful of other races. If not for the ancient war between gods and demons, which resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, perhaps they would still be ruling the world today.

Only other beings like Brian Cooper, who had cultivated to the highest level as demons or immortals, were qualified to stand alongside them, and could even surpass some of the weaker gods and demons. Unfamiliar with the current situation, Brian Cooper calculated in the sky how he should handle this matter.

Meanwhile, down below, William Brooks was secretly cursing his luck. He had only intended to take a stroll, but when he saw someone being chased, he stepped in to help, not expecting these attackers to be so formidable. He hadn’t gained any advantage at all. His Qingni Sword was lost beneath West Lake, and although the Juying Sword in his hand was superior in essence, it wasn’t like the Qingni Sword, which he had refined and merged with himself. He could only use it as a weapon, not as a flying sword, so its power was much less.

Fortunately, the Juying Sword was extremely sharp and was an immortal artifact, naturally possessing demon-subduing power, which allowed him to hold out until now.

Normally, monsters rarely appeared in human society, and even if they did, they kept their activities hidden and avoided showing themselves. But for some reason, in recent days, more and more monsters had been stirring.

Unlike the old-fashioned Brian Cooper, William Brooks was well aware of the backgrounds of both his ally and his enemies. The blonde beauty was a paladin sent by the European church; as for why she was in China, he had no idea. The ones attacking them were orcs and vampires created by an international monster syndicate—originally humans, but genetically engineered by the syndicate into tools of evil. It was clear these artificial monsters were targeting the paladin.

At first, driven by a sense of justice, William Brooks had unhesitatingly chosen to play the hero and save the beauty. But now, finding himself in dire straits, he couldn’t help but regret getting involved in this mess.

Floating in the air, Brian Cooper saw his friend struggling and finally decided to intervene. His body turned into a streak of light as he descended.

Just as a tall orc was about to rake five bloody gashes into William Brooks, he saw his previously desperate enemy suddenly flash a reassuring smile. The orc couldn’t help but wonder, “Has this guy already accepted death and is ready to return peacefully to heaven?” While lost in thought, he suddenly felt his body tighten, and a hand appeared before him—clutching...

His own heart...

No matter what, this tall orc at least understood how he was killed in his final moments—he didn’t die in confusion.

With Brian Cooper’s intervention, the battle immediately shifted. Because of his doubts, Brian Cooper didn’t want anyone to recognize his demonic identity. Instead of using his own martial arts or magic, he employed the immortal Daoist technique he had just learned from “Tianfu Zijie”—the Seven Annihilations of Purple Flame.

Although Brian Cooper had only practiced it for a few days, it was more than enough to deal with these rabble.

A scorching wave of fire swept down, and at Brian Cooper’s level, he didn’t even give these unlucky artificial monsters a chance to fight back. Dozens of purple flames struck the twenty or thirty low-level monsters with precision, instantly reducing them to ashes—vaporized on the spot, not even a trace left behind. With one clean strike, the battle was over.