Chapter Forty-One: Legendary Blades of Antiquity

"Ye, hurry!" Wang Li abandoned his bicycle, his feet drawing swift circles as his hands curled, channeling the surging force within. His robes fluttered, and a dragon’s roar erupted from deep inside him. With a flurry of palm strikes, he unleashed three consecutive blows, dragon-shaped energy soaring skyward. Two fierce gusts swept the ground, halting the momentum of the God-Hunter Clan for a brief moment.

Ye Ran dared not miss the chance. With one arm cradling Freya and the other gripping the small tricycle, he summoned all his strength. A powerful current surged around him, creating an unstoppable force as he shot down the Wraith Path like an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bow.

Wang Li attacked as he retreated, unleashing several more palms before finally withdrawing alongside Ye Ran.

A bestial roar, a thunderous crash—the mountain path of Wraith Ridge, a place even the gods feared, offered little hope for their escape, no matter how fiercely they fought. The sound of wings, hurried footsteps, and furious howls filled the air behind them. A dense mass of God-Hunters blotted out the already gloomy sky, plunging everything into pitch black, a terrifying atmosphere pressing in on both men. Ye Ran, running desperately, could feel the earth trembling beneath his feet.

Danger closed in from all sides, hell itself seemed to open beneath them. Simultaneously, more enraged roars echoed from the gathering place. Three towering demonic shadows unfurled their wings with thunderous force, oppressive as mountains, their presence crashing down like a tidal wave. Before the three shadows had even descended, pain lanced through Ye Ran’s chest, causing him to spit blood, his legs turning leaden.

Wang Li fared no better. After only a few steps, he felt as if his body was filled with molten lead, struggling for breath, his chest heaving. Looking up at the three shadowy demons, he felt utterly powerless to resist.

"This is bad..." Despair seized both Wang Li and Ye Ran simultaneously. The demon race was the natural enemy of both humans and gods; the crushing presence of these three high-ranking demons brought a suffocating sense of hierarchy. Even a moment’s pause under their demonic pressure was enough to drive them to the edge of death.

A cold, commanding snort echoed above. The central demon spread its wings and dived, gale-force winds whipping the air into a frenzy. Though it was at least two thousand meters from the God-Hunters, with a single beat of its wings, it tore through the host and lunged for Ye Ran.

Its speed was blinding, like a black meteor falling from the heavens. Ye Ran had no time to see it clearly—he could only shield Freya with instinctive haste, then—

A shrill sound sliced through the air. A blinding violet light streaked down from the sky, illuminating the night, flooding the entire Wraith Path.

Ye Ran and Wang Li stared in astonishment. Less than three meters above them, the two-meter-tall demon, its head bristling with vicious fangs, was obliterated by that violet light.

Yes, obliterated—nothing remained of the demon but a headless corpse, its skull erased by the annihilating violet radiance.

With a thunderous crash, the massive body landed before them. Black blood streamed from the severed neck, the wound seared and charred. Ye Ran turned, stunned, and saw a violet figure standing atop the peak of Kunlun Ridge like a goddess descended from the heavens.

Her robes fluttered gently, violet hair streaming behind her, the purple blade in her hand gleaming with dazzling brilliance.

The instant she appeared, the demonic storm ceased. All of Trapped Dragon Ridge fell silent.

God-Hunter corpses, like heaps of rotten flesh, rained from the sky, blood splattering in every direction. The remaining God-Hunters recoiled in terror, some hiding above the path, others fleeing into the valley below.

Ye Ran and Wang Li stared, dumbfounded. They had not even seen how she struck.

The two remaining demonic shadows in the air roared in fury—never before had they suffered such a humiliating setback in Trapped Dragon Ridge.

"Wretched woman, name yourself—"

Before he could finish, the violet-haired woman’s sword swept out again. A vast wave of purple energy rippled from the blade, the very air twisting into a storm as it spread. Blood fountained from one demon’s neck, his head soaring skyward before bursting apart in midair.

In a low voice, the woman spoke, "Demons, have you forgotten the terror of the ancient days?"

Though her voice was soft, it carried clearly across the entire mountain range.

"You... that legendary ancient blade—"

The last demonic shadow finally recognized the violet divine sword in her hand. He spread his wings to flee, but before he could beat them, the purple sword-light pierced his body, erasing his entire upper half.

The mountains fell into even deeper silence, so still that even a falling needle could be heard. After a long while, a monstrous roar rolled in with a tide of force, shaking the ridge to its core. More furious howls followed, the shockwaves alone making the mountains tremble and the earth quake.

With a flicker, the violet-haired woman appeared before Ye Ran, raising a vast violet barrier to shield them from the deafening sonic blasts.

The fearsome shockwaves were enough to shatter gold and split stone. Outside the barrier, cracks tore through the earth, the mountain walls groaned and split, stones raining down in chaos.

It was the monstrous demon deep within the ridge—both men knew an apocalyptic battle was about to erupt. They retreated further, unwilling to burden the woman before them.

Yet the terrifying sound did not continue to spread.

In the distance, at the Sixth Divine Temple, a blinding golden light shot skyward from the floating palace, turning night into day. Athena, armored and resplendent, stood atop the temple, her gaze fixed on the depths of Trapped Dragon Ridge. Divine power radiated from her, the holy sword in her hand shining with celestial brilliance.

On the summit of Fire-Encircled Mountain, the Scarlet Fire Palace flared with a blazing sun, its rays illuminating the entire Iron Mountain, turning it crystal clear.

Below, the Bosh Sea boiled with towering waves and raging winds—a terrifying vision of the apocalypse.

Three divine temples and a demonic mountain erupted in terrifying omens. The colossal presence deep within Kunlun Ridge halted, its lantern-like eyes casting a baleful glance toward the Scarlet Fire Palace, a gaze as oppressive as a descending shroud.

The three powers faced off for a long, tense moment before the colossal beast in Kunlun Ridge, roaring in rage, smashed a mountain peak with one blow and retreated into the depths.

The golden light, blazing sun, and roaring sea all quieted.

Moonlight poured down, and Ye Ran finally let out a breath of relief. He looked down at Freya in his arms. She gazed up at him, her big eyes brimming with tears, her dirty little face making his heart ache.

"Freya, it’s all right now, it’s all right..." he whispered gently.

The violet-haired woman turned. In the moonlight, her face glowed with a beauty that stole Wang Li’s breath.

"Miss, I owe you once more—Ye Ran will be sure to repay you someday," Ye Ran said gratefully, glancing at her.

He remembered her well—she had saved his life in the ant nest of the underground burrows. Now he owed her twice over.

The violet-haired woman looked at him, regal as a queen.

"Would you repay me with your life, if I demanded it?" she asked.

Ye Ran hesitated, but then replied, "Though I would regret it, if one day that is the only way to repay you, I would not hesitate."

A faint smile curved her lips. "You are not yet strong enough. You cannot repay me." She crouched and touched Freya’s forehead with a slender finger.

From the Scarlet Fire Palace came a furious shout.

"Stop! This is our family’s business—no matter who you are, do not interfere!"

Apollo’s voice rang with threat and warning.

The violet-haired woman was utterly unmoved.

"Gods—are they really so remarkable?" A stream of purple light flowed from her finger into Freya’s brow. It was as if something within Freya was unlocked, yet her body underwent no visible change. Freya gazed back at her, bewildered.

"I’ve only opened the lock for you. You must push open the door yourself, if you wish to use the power within. If you want to change his fate, strive to change yourself," she said.

Rising, she took a single step, vanishing a hundred meters away, paying no heed to Apollo’s wrath.

Ye Ran looked down at Freya, gently wiping away her tears.

"Freya, how did you end up on the Wraith Path?" he asked softly.

Freya shook her head desperately, gesturing with her small hands to say she was lost.

Ye Ran sighed inwardly, gently carrying her on his back. He was no master schemer, but even he could see the truth behind these events.

"Freya, I will never forgive the scoundrel who tried to harm you..."

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