Chapter Seventy-Four: Intertwined Shadows and Light

Night had fallen, and through the opening at the summit of the mushroom-shaped mountain, one could glimpse the gray clouds drifting across the sky. Occasionally, the sound of dripping echoed through the cavern—a crimson mixture of blood and water seeping from the corpses, already corroded by the venom of spiders. Yet the few people within the cave seemed utterly oblivious.

Sinclair held Meng Qi tightly, gazing at his pale face and tightly shut eyes. His gaze wandered downward, lingering on Meng Qi’s severed right hand, and Sinclair’s heart clenched with pain.

Elisa sat in a corner, idly toying with her carving knife. Whether by luck or some other reason, she had sustained the lightest injuries of the group.

Ye Ran and Yun Meng leaned against the stone wall, their faces smeared with ash and streaked with blood.

The rabbitfolk siblings stood shrouded in darkness. The rabbitfolk youth calmly recounted the events leading to Meng Qi’s severed hand, and the entire nest fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

When he finished, the five remained mute with shock. Ye Ran’s fists clenched, and his eyes, shadowed by the fringe of his hair, glinted with a chilling coldness.

Sinclair’s hair seemed to stand on end, and his fists creaked as he squeezed them tighter.

“I know you’re angry, but stay calm. What you know about the underground nest is but a fraction of the truth,” the rabbitfolk youth said, hands tucked in his pockets as he stepped from the darkness.

Ye Ran had only just learned his name: Big Rabbit. His sister, the cold-eyed rabbitfolk girl, was called Second Rabbit. The two of them were among the very few of their kind, veritable Godhunters, with the potential to become Celestial Hunters in the future.

Big Rabbit waved his hand dismissively. “The underground nest—and even all of Torrent City—are relics from an ancient battlefield.

“This place,” he gestured to the ground, “was, a thousand years ago, the domain of the Insect Clan. Here, they slew the Serpent Tribe, battled the Northern Barbarians, fought the Twelve-Tribe Alliance, and waged a bloody thirty-year war against the Locust Clan. In the final battle, both the Insect Clan and the Ancient Martial Clan perished together, and thus the Insect Clan faded from Ramhorn Continent. Nearly every ancient weapon left here was once stained with the blood of the insects.

“Even after one war ended, another would begin. Day after day, year after year, rivers of blood flowed, but life always found a way to return. The Insect Clan was not as powerful as their nemesis, the Locusts, but their vitality was extraordinary. No one remembers when they revived, but the resurrection of five insect masters became common knowledge.

“Five masters?” Ye Ran interjected. “But there are clearly seven gatekeepers in this nest.”

Big Rabbit replied with certainty, “There were indeed five, but now there are six, counting the Zombie Ant. That monster was a mutant spawned by the Ant Queen. After a brief period of feeding and devouring, it matured rapidly. The Ant Queen, Zombie Ant, Spider, Millipede, Golden-Headed Centipede... and one other, an even more terrifying insect, whose identity remains a mystery to even us. It left the nest long ago.

“As for the Flame Mouse and the Green Giant Lizard, they aren’t true insects—just other species that later migrated here. Their strength is nowhere near that of the genuine Insect Clan.

“When the insects revived, humanity was at its peak. By happenstance, the insects merged with ancient weapons long lost on the battlefield, bringing disaster upon themselves. Thus, they acted swiftly, establishing the underground nest, choosing to bide their time and endure, even as their descendants were hunted. They chose patience.”

Big Rabbit sighed. “Yet even with such forbearance, there were still those who would not let them be. When news of the ancient weapons leaked again, disaster returned. This time, it was the covetous eyes of the Temples. To ensure victory in the coming war of gods and demons, all the great temples sent their champions to Torrent City, aiming to annihilate the insects and seize the seven divine weapons fused with the gatekeepers.

“And you,” Big Rabbit’s gaze turned sorrowful as he looked at Ye Ran and the others, “you, you, you, along with the fools from the great academies and the low-ranking god-chosen from the temples, are nothing but pawns in their game. If we hadn’t received word in advance and infiltrated the nest to join forces with the Insect Clan and deal with the temple’s agents, you would all be dead by now. If the standoff between the insects and the temples had erupted into open war, do you really think you could have escaped with your lives?”

No one answered.

Even the tremors from the insects breaking free had driven them to death’s door—if they’d been caught up in the battle, none of them would have survived.

A heavy silence returned to the nest, broken only by the sound of viscous liquid dripping onto the ground. Above, in the webs, Zhang Mu’s corpse had already been devoured by the spiders.

After a long time, Ye Ran rose to his feet, flexing his fists, feeling his strength returning.

He glanced at Sinclair. “Do you want vengeance? I’ll go with you.”

Sinclair lifted his head, saying nothing, but nodded.

“Elisa, could you take Meng Qi to the hospital?”

“Hey, boy!” Big Rabbit called after him. “Join our Godhunter Clan. You and we are so alike—why stay with those hypocrites?”

“Thanks,” Ye Ran replied, “but I think you should know—I’ve been treated with coldness and cruelty by the people of this city, never blessed or protected by the gods. Every step of my sixteen years has been lined with thorns and hardship. But that doesn’t mean I’ll repay the world with the same coldness.

“As long as there’s one person in this world willing to treat me with sincerity, to stand by me, to wait for me, I, Ye Ran, will never walk the path of demons.”

“Yun Meng, let’s go.” He took the girl’s hand, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from the entrance of the nest.

Thunderous explosions echoed from the direction of Lansher Avenue. Cries and pleas for help filled the air. From a distance, Du Yu and his companions saw columns of crimson smoke rising where the city’s prosperity had once stood, thick as chimneys, staining the sky a dreadful red.

Everywhere, monstrous beasts surged from the underground nest; everywhere, people fought and fled for their lives. No one could have imagined that the city’s proudest wealthy district would, in a single day, become a living hell.

Two massive barriers rapidly expanded outward—one enveloping Redleaf Academy, the other spreading ever further.

“We have to get inside the barrier!” Yu Bo urged.

But just then, the wind howled behind them. Turning, they saw three figures leaping swiftly toward them. In the blink of an eye, the gap between them was halved. The leader vaulted through the air and landed with a thud, raising a hand to block Yu Bo and Samobiqiu’s path.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said.

Turning around, Yu Bo was met with the intruder’s cold, chiseled face and a pair of merciless eyes.