Chapter Sixty: The Loquacious Nun

“Rain of Holy Light!” With a cry, Vivienne finally unleashed the spell she had been preparing for so long.

Above the house where Zhou Tian and his companions were, a dense layer of magical energy suddenly gathered. As Vivienne’s magic fully unfolded, those elements swiftly coalesced into droplets of holy light, shimmering like water, which Vivienne directed down onto both the demon and the corpulent Lord of Piggy Town.

When the holy light rained upon the Lord of Piggy Town, his few wounds began to heal before their eyes, the flesh knitting together rapidly. Were it not for his pampered, weak constitution, the healing effects of the holy magic would surely have roused him from unconsciousness; he ought to have awakened already.

In stark contrast, holy magic proved itself the nemesis of demons. The same magic that healed the Lord of Piggy Town inflicted harm upon the demon; as the droplets touched him, the visible layer of black magical energy enveloping him evaporated like frost before fire, dissipating by more than half. Though outwardly little changed, the demon’s aura was noticeably diminished, weakened considerably after Vivienne’s spell struck him.

Vivienne’s intervention caused the demon, who had previously been bent on a desperate fight with Zhou Tian and his group, to reconsider. He glared fiercely at Zhou Tian and Vivienne, then, unexpectedly, hoisted the Lord of Piggy Town and charged out, bearing the heavy bulk as he fled.

Seeing this, Zhou Tian and Vivienne grew anxious.

The holy magic was indeed a grave threat to the demon. Had the Lord of Piggy Town not been present, the demon would surely have perished beneath Vivienne’s radiant spell. But with the Lord of Piggy Town absorbing the brunt of the magic, the demon managed to evade most of its effects; aside from the initial injuries, Vivienne’s spell could no longer threaten him.

If the demon managed to escape their grasp today, he would learn from this encounter. In future battles, Vivienne would find it far more difficult to prepare her holy magic so freely. Considering the enemy’s abilities, Zhou Tian, now holding the advantage, would not allow him to flee so easily. Thus, as the demon burst from the prison with the Lord of Piggy Town, Zhou Tian and Vivienne gave chase.

Yet—

As they ran out of the prison, they were shocked to discover that the jail of Yellowstone City was already surrounded by the Lord of Piggy Town’s soldiers.

The Lord of Piggy Town, previously unconscious, had now awakened. Leading the demon, he lingered triumphantly at the rear of the army, pointing at Zhou Tian and his companions as he shouted, “You never expected I would escape! Hmph! You impersonated divine envoys and dared attempt murder against an imperial official. If you know what’s good for you, surrender now. Perhaps, if I am in a benevolent mood, I might spare your lives.”

“You fool! The mage beside you is a demon. Earlier he—” Vivienne, angered by the lord’s smugness, pointed at the demon, trying to explain.

But the Lord of Piggy Town had already convinced himself that Zhou Tian and his companions were his enemies. He had no intention of listening. Before Vivienne could finish, he brusquely interrupted, “How dare you argue? Do you take me for a fool? You tried to kill me in the prison, but Master Bit saved me—otherwise, I’d have fallen victim to your schemes long ago. Not only do you show no remorse, you now attempt to slander Master Bit. Truly—truly despicable.” Fuming, he pointed at Zhou Tian’s group and ordered his soldiers, “Attack! Kill these impostors and you’ll be handsomely rewarded!”

“It’s not like that, you misunderstand, we—” Vivienne tried to explain, but the soldiers gave her no chance. Before she could finish her sentence, they had already rushed forward and launched their attack.

Zhou Tian, who could do little against the demon, was a formidable force against ordinary soldiers—his power rivaled hundreds of fighters of their caliber. Ignoring Vivienne’s feeble resistance, Zhou Tian grabbed her by the collar and dragged her back. Releasing his swarm of snakes, he directed them to charge at the advancing soldiers.

Man and serpent clashed.

For a moment, the soldiers were stunned by the sudden appearance of the snake horde, but as soon as the battle was joined, they quickly adapted and fought back.

But the soldiers under the Lord of Piggy Town were mostly commoners. Even the rare elite, who had barely touched the threshold of battle energy, were powerless against Zhou Tian’s serpents. Their standard issue armor, designed to defend against blades, proved useless against venomous fangs. In short order, Zhou Tian’s serpents slaughtered all those who dared approach.

“Stop this senseless killing!” Zhou Tian easily repelled the army from Yellowstone City, but Vivienne immediately leapt forward to chastise him. “With your strength, you could have driven them back without taking their lives. God says, ‘All beings are equal.’ Though these soldiers are misled by the demon, they remain children of God. You could have simply repelled them; why annihilate them? They also…” (a thousand words omitted)

Faced with Vivienne’s incessant admonishments, Zhou Tian found himself missing the elves with whom he had once faced life and death. Though those elves had betrayed him more than once, at least in matters like this, Zhou Tian—whose perspective had changed—felt more aligned with them. He no longer knew how to ‘hold back’ against his enemies. Now, with Vivienne’s rebuke, Zhou Tian was both annoyed and helpless.

“I can endure, I can endure, I… can’t endure this at all!” At first, Zhou Tian tried to play deaf under Vivienne’s endless nagging. But he had underestimated her; though not quite a ‘monk,’ she was no less persistent. For nearly an hour, as Zhou Tian’s serpents battled the army, Vivienne lectured him without repeating herself once. Judging by her tireless manner, Zhou Tian suspected she could keep going for hours more. Driven to the edge, he finally snapped.

“If you keep this up, I’ll throw you out—let’s see what fate awaits you in their hands!” Either break out in silence or perish in it; Zhou Tian, unable to bear it any longer, wasted no words. He ordered a python to hoist Vivienne into the air, threatening to toss her out.

Though incensed by Zhou Tian’s actions, Vivienne was not about to risk her life for the enemy soldiers. Seeing Zhou Tian’s serious expression, she dared not say another word. While secretly plotting how to deal with him once they rejoined the others, she tightly shut her lips.

With Vivienne finally silenced, Zhou Tian breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to survey Yellowstone City’s army, his expression grew grave.