*Boom!*
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky.
The thunderbolt struck directly onto Chen Ye's Thor's Hammer.
Countless arcs of lightning were absorbed by the hammer.
Chen Ye was now surrounded by electric arcs, appearing as if he were standing in the midst of a thunderstorm.
He looked like the God of Thunder!
The thick branches around him immediately recoiled, not daring to approach any closer.
Even the old tree demon and Nie Xiao Qian instinctively felt fear at the sight of such intense lightning.
Especially Nie Xiao Qian, who was so frightened that she kept retreating, like a startled kitten.
She could sense that if this lightning struck her, she would be utterly destroyed!
In the next moment, Chen Ye fiercely pointed Thor's Hammer at the thousand-year-old tree demon, and a thunder dragon as thick as a barrel shot out from the hammer, striking the tree demon in the distance directly.
*Zzzzzz!*
The spot where the lightning hit formed a massive ring of electricity, with lightning surging all around it.
Within a radius of nearly a hundred meters, not a single blade of grass remained!
"Roar!!!"
Because of the lightning's speed, the old tree demon had no time to dodge. It was struck directly by the thunderbolt, letting out a terrifying scream of agony.
In the blink of an eye, the old tree demon was reduced to a charred piece of wood.
The surrounding branches quickly retreated, vanishing without a trace.
In the distance, the figure of the old tree demon reappeared, looking pale as it stared at Chen Ye with fear in its eyes.
Just moments ago, one of its avatars had been instantly obliterated by Chen Ye's lightning!
The old tree demon never imagined that this human could actually control lightning.
Lightning, which descended from the heavens, was the ultimate nemesis of demons like them!
Fortunately, the old tree demon was cautious and never ventured out in its true form when hunting human essence.
Had it been its true form, it would have been utterly destroyed by that lightning strike!
There was no way it could have withstood it!
The old tree demon carefully observed Chen Ye, noting that he appeared to be just a human, albeit with exceptionally strong life force.
How could a mere human control lightning?
Could he be the reincarnation of the God of Thunder?
From afar, Chen Ye's voice rang out:
"Old hag, I know you're not dead! From now on, this beautiful ghost girl is mine! If you're not happy about it, feel free to come to Lan Ruo Temple and challenge me! Even if the Black Mountain Demon himself shows up, I won't be afraid!"
Chen Ye deliberately spoke loudly, especially emphasizing the name of the Black Mountain Demon.
His intention, of course, was to provoke the thousand-year-old tree demon into reporting this to the Black Mountain Demon.
Sure enough, the tree demon took the bait and decided to inform the Black Mountain Demon.
In truth, it wasn't entirely a trick. The tree demon had already promised Nie Xiao Qian to the Black Mountain Demon, so technically, Nie Xiao Qian was already the Black Mountain Demon's property. Having her taken away didn't concern the tree demon much.
It figured it would let the Black Mountain Demon handle this issue.
The tree demon would simply watch the battle from the sidelines!
With that thought, the old tree demon's form flickered, and it vanished from the scene.
It no longer dared to provoke that human.
This person was far more terrifying than the bearded guy at Lan Ruo Temple...
...
"Sir, my grandmother is gone!" Nie Xiao Qian couldn't help but whisper.
Hearing this, Chen Ye put away Thor's Hammer.
Immediately, the dark clouds that had covered the sky began to disperse rapidly.
Chen Ye was very pleased with the power of Thor's Hammer.
Using lightning to deal with demons was incredibly effective!
"Miss Xiao Qian, do you believe now that I can save you?" Chen Ye asked with a slight smile.
Nie Xiao Qian looked at Chen Ye with awe, then suddenly knelt down:
"I didn't realize I was in the presence of a true deity. Please forgive my ignorance!"
Chen Ye was stunned for a moment.
Did she really think he was a god?
"Stand up!" Chen Ye said, a bit helpless, as he explained, "I'm human, not a god!"
"Human?" Nie Xiao Qian couldn't believe it. "How could a human control the lightning from the heavens?"
Chen Ye didn't know how to explain it, so he simply said, "Just consider it as me having great magical powers!"
"In any case, I promised to save you, so I will. But next, I'll need your help to lure out the Black Mountain Demon!"
Having witnessed Chen Ye's incredible power, Nie Xiao Qian immediately nodded with confidence: "Thank you, sir, for your kindness. Rest assured, I will do my best to assist you!"
Chen Ye smiled and nodded.
Just then, a loud voice suddenly echoed from a distance: "Where is the demon?"
As soon as the voice fell, a figure flew toward them from afar.
It was Yan Chi Xia!!
Upon seeing the ghostly Nie Xiao Qian, Yan Chi Xia's eyes widened in anger, and he shouted, "Demon, how dare you come out to harm people? Prepare to die!"
With a clang, he drew his sword.
Yan Chi Xia slashed toward Nie Xiao Qian.
Nie Xiao Qian was so frightened that her face turned pale.
She couldn't evade Yan Chi Xia's sword...
Chen Ye sighed, using his mental power to push Yan Chi Xia away and save Nie Xiao Qian.
"Hey, big beard, can't you assess the situation before attacking?"
Yan Chi Xia demanded, "Kid, she's a ghost! Why are you stopping me?"
"I know she's a ghost, but not all ghosts are evil." Chen Ye shielded Nie Xiao Qian behind him and said, "Big beard, Miss Xiao Qian has a kind heart and isn't an evil spirit. Put your sword away!"
"Brat, don't be fooled by her appearance! Any ghost associated with that old demon hag is nothing but trouble!"
Nie Xiao Qian's face darkened upon hearing this.
"Enough, I don't want to argue with you!" Chen Ye said, growing impatient.
Yan Chi Xia wasn't a bad person, just too stubborn. Once he made up his mind, it was hard to convince him otherwise.
Chen Ye said, "Let's talk more when we get back to Lan Ruo Temple!"
"Wait!"
Yan Chi Xia suddenly asked, "I heard thunder just now. What happened?"
"Oh! I summoned the lightning and destroyed one of the old demon hag's avatars!" Chen Ye said casually.
"What?"
Yan Chi Xia was shocked. "You can summon lightning? That's impossible!!"
Chen Ye pointed to the charred wood in the distance and said to Yan Chi Xia, "That was the old demon hag's avatar. Go take a look!"
Following Chen Ye's direction, Yan Chi Xia immediately noticed the area devastated by the lightning.
When Yan Chi Xia saw the burnt remains of the wood, he was stunned.
He had dealt with the thousand-year-old tree demon for a long time and recognized that the charred wood was indeed one of the old demon hag's avatars.
"Kid, you..."
Chen Ye waved him off and said, "Whatever it is, let's discuss it back at the temple. I'll explain everything!"
"Alright, let's head back. What about this ghost?"
"She's Nie Xiao Qian. I'm going to save her from her suffering, so she'll come back with us!"
...
[This is "A Chinese Ghost Story" 2011 version]