Chapter 126: The Troll's Submission

“Mandy is here too, interesting, very interesting,” Andre clapped his hands and laughed. “It seems my little Andoru can’t tame this adorable little sprite. Then uncle will take over, no problem, hahaha.”

Andoru’s heart sank; he couldn’t quite fathom Andre’s intentions. Was he here to help him out of trouble, or was he aiming to seize the little sprite for himself?

“If you have the guts, then try me,” Ye Ran spun his Clive spear and stepped forward.

Andre applauded with a smile. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Before he could say more, a woman behind him snorted coldly and charged forward on horseback. She appeared to be around forty, wrinkles marking her forehead and the corners of her eyes, yet her movements were exceptionally agile. Before she even reached the sleeve, two shurikens flew from her hands.

Ye Ran disdainfully glanced at her and used his spear to deflect the shurikens.

“Boy, you’ll remember the name Jora of the Black Thorn Legion,” she declared.

The horse neighed sharply. As Ye Ran deflected the shurikens, Jora swung a short-handled axe down toward his head, accompanied by a fierce burst of qi energy, at least at the sixth level.

Such a force might have pressured Ye Ran in the past.

But now, it was insufficient—far from enough.

“Shh,” Ye Ran raised his hand to catch her axe, then thrust his spear forward. The sound of metal piercing flesh and the horse’s mournful whinny echoed sharply.

The two-meter-long spear punctured through the horse’s neck, entering on one side and exiting the back, the bloody tip pressing against Jora’s throat.

Her pupils dilated instantly. With a surge of strength, Ye Ran snorted coldly, yanked her off the horse, slammed her to the ground, and with a palm strike, snapped her short-handled axe in two.

“Remember you? With such skills?” Ye Ran sneered.

“Boy, there’s also Gregor of the Hungry Wolf Legion…” she warned.

“Shh,” Ye Ran spun his spear again, stabbing a man charging at him right in the chest. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the man flying off the horse. Turning, he pressed one hand on the horse’s head. The horse neighed once more and halted abruptly.

“I’m not interested in your hungry wolf legion… Just tell me your names,” Ye Ran said flatly.

Under Ye Ran’s palm, the horse calmed. He stepped forward and drove his spear into the man’s thigh, eliciting another agonized scream.

The mercenaries behind Andre turned pale. Jora of the Black Thorn Legion and Gregor of the Hungry Wolf Legion were top-tier warriors. Though not yet at the level of their respective commanders, they were on par with Barto. Yet, before this youth, neither could land a single blow.

Andre’s expression darkened; he hadn’t expected Ye Ran’s power to have surged so dramatically. Even with two legions backing him, Ye Ran was a serious threat.

Ye Ran turned, his cold gaze fixed on Andoru.

Andoru swallowed nervously. “Old Ye, I’ll return to Stormfall City tomorrow to deliver the Divine Envoy’s letter to Lord Tyrill.”

He then glanced venomously at Barto, the muscular bald man clutching twin blades nearby. “Barto, these bastards have invaded our territory—aren’t you going to act?”

“Yes,” Barto muttered reluctantly, gesturing to the remaining mercenaries, who all pointed their spears at Andre and his group.

Andre’s horse quietly withdrew, but his face was twisted in a sinister smile. “Your territory, you say? Fine, fine. I’ll be gone soon enough.”

Ye Ran sneered. “Gone? Did I say you could leave?”

With a palm press, the Clive spear flew from his hand straight toward Andre’s chest.

Andre chuckled wickedly, flicking his sleeve to catch a small box in his hand. Then, the sound of rushing wind followed, and a silver light flashed out in a dazzling display.

Ye Ran’s brow furrowed as he leapt back just in time to hear the piercing sounds of projectiles striking earth.

Looking down, he saw dozens of silver needles embedded in the ground before him. Touching his cheek, he found a thin streak of crimson on his finger.

Andre had already retreated behind his mercenaries. Nearly a hundred of them held torches and steadily pulled back.

An old fox indeed, Ye Ran sneered as he stepped forward to retrieve his spear from the ground. He approached a large tree and faced a towering troll.

The troll stood over three meters tall, its skin a dark mossy green, its body robust and muscular. Though shackled with iron chains as thick as a child’s arm, its fierce demeanor remained undiminished.

As Ye Ran approached, the troll roared defiantly, eyes blazing with resistance.

Ye Ran said nothing and thrust his spear into the chains, which snapped with a sharp sound.

A guttural roar erupted as the troll’s fury surged. It swung a massive palm toward Ye Ran’s head.

It clearly despised humans, viewing all of them with equal contempt.

Ye Ran raised an eyebrow and struck its wrist with his spear. The troll flinched in pain but grew even more ferocious.

Two more spear strikes followed. The force was so heavy even the troll could barely withstand it. Roaring, it retreated beneath the tree.

Ye Ran flipped his palm, shattering all the chains binding its limbs, and laid the spear horizontally, ready to counter any frenzied attack.

But this time, the troll did not charge. It seemed to recognize the disparity in their power.

Its murky eyes fixed on the Clive spear in Ye Ran’s hand. To everyone’s surprise, it slowly knelt, its massive body lowered, and its head pressed deeply into the earth.

“Grev, Grev…” it mumbled indistinctly, raising and bowing its head repeatedly, as if worshipping something.

“What’s it saying?” Ye Ran asked.

The little sprite, Mandy, scoffed. “Hmph, ‘Grev’ means ‘king’ in troll language.”

Ye Ran glanced at his Clive spear. “King, your Clive King has stood for nearly a century. All that remains is this spear and a few scattered deeds. Since fate has led me to this spear, I suppose we’re connected. Come, I can offer you nothing else but freedom.”

“Mandy, convey my words to him,” Ye Ran said.

Mandy reluctantly chattered away. The troll bowed twice more to the spear before rising and following Ye Ran out of the tent.

The group of mercenaries stood dumbfounded, watching them depart.

The Green Demon Forest at night was especially eerie and foreboding. Moonlight filtered through the mottled shadows of the trees, casting a chilling pall over the woods, as if deadly traps lurked in every corner. It felt as though a fierce beast could leap out at any moment to snatch its prey.

The pale moonlight painted the forest in cold tones.

The troll and the little sprite followed Ye Ran slowly.

At last, Ye Ran stopped.

“Beyond here lies your territory. I’ll leave you here,” he said.

The troll growled softly, lowering its great hand to clasp Ye Ran’s palm, its massive head pressing against his.

It was the troll’s way of expressing gratitude.

The proud little sprite crossed her arms, sulking. “Human, you’re different from the others. If I ever get the chance, I’ll repay you. I promise…”

Suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air—a feathered arrow sped toward Mandy in an instant.