Purifying Evil, the Divine Sword Awakens

After Lei Chen's words fell, Ye Gu Yi's azure eyes were instantly filled with shock and disbelief, which quickly turned into deep vigilance and anger.

She stared fixedly at the man who had suddenly appeared before her, whose aura was unfathomable, as thoughts raced through her mind.

"You can't let me kill them?" Ye Gu Yi's voice was somewhat strained from having her soul power suppressed, yet the chill within it was like the wind of the far north. "Are you their accomplice? Or are you someone of higher standing in the Holy Spirit Cult—their elder?"

In her eyes, she had been about to execute these two Evil Soul Masters who had committed countless atrocities, yet this person had stepped in to stop her. The only explanation was that he was on the same side as the Evil Soul Masters!

Moreover, the terrifying strength he had displayed by freezing space in an instant was far beyond that of an ordinary Titled Douluo. He was very likely some hidden old monster from the Holy Spirit Cult!

Hearing Ye Gu Yi's hostile questioning, Lei Chen was briefly taken aback before shaking his head with a laugh.

"Little girl, you may have misunderstood." Lei Chen's voice remained calm, yet it carried a reassuringly penetrating quality. "What I meant was that I can't let you kill them barehanded like this."

He deliberately stressed the words "barehanded," while casually waving his right hand forward.

With his motion, faint ripples spread through space once more. A long sword, slender in form and ancient yet magnificent in design, though dull and without luster, appeared out of thin air. Then, with a sharp clang, it plunged straight into the ground before Ye Gu Yi, its blade trembling slightly as it emitted a low hum.

"You need to use this sword instead." Lei Chen looked at Ye Gu Yi with a hint of guidance in his gaze.

Ye Gu Yi's fury and hostility were thrown into confusion by this sudden turn of events.

She looked at Lei Chen in puzzlement, then at the ancient sword that had appeared on the ground, unable to understand what this mysterious expert was plotting.

Yet the instant her gaze touched that longsword, an indescribable sense of familiarity from deep within her bloodline surged into her heart like a tide.

Though the sword was dim, it felt like a relative she had been separated from for years, calling to her in the unseen.

At that moment, Ye Gu Yi felt the invisible restraint around her suddenly vanish. She regained control over her body and soul power.

Almost instinctively, driven by that intense sense of familiarity, Ye Gu Yi stepped forward involuntarily and reached out with a slightly trembling hand toward the sword's hilt.

The instant her fingertips touched the cold hilt—

"Hum!"

The Angel Holy Sword let out a sword cry far clearer and more resonant than before!

The ancient runes that had once been dull and lightless seemed to be infused with life, flickering ever so faintly. A dormant will that had lain silent for ten thousand years seemed to have been quietly stirred at that moment.

After ten thousand years, this Divine Artifact symbolizing holiness and justice had finally returned to the hands of a descendant of the God of Angels' bloodline!

Ye Gu Yi only felt a warm current flow from the hilt into her body, blending seamlessly with her own sacred soul power. A sense of bloodline connection and effortless control arose within her.

She subconsciously pulled with force, and the Angel Holy Sword came free from the ground as lightly as if it weighed nothing.

"Clang!"

Although the blade remained dim, when the surging sacred power within Ye Gu Yi flowed into it, a faint yet pure layer of pale golden light finally began to run along its edge.

Seeing this, Lei Chen nodded in satisfaction. This was the outcome he had wanted.

He raised a hand and pointed at the two Evil Soul Masters, who remained imprisoned by the power of space with terrified expressions frozen on their faces. "Now, use this sword to finish the act of purging Evil that you left unfinished."

Ye Gu Yi's heart surged with emotion. Though she still had countless questions, her hostility toward Lei Chen had already dissipated, replaced by an inexplicable trust. She nodded forcefully, and fierce killing intent and sacred radiance ignited once more in her azure eyes.

Gripping the Angel Holy Sword with both hands, she gave a sharp cry and transformed into a streak of golden light, charging straight toward the two Evil Soul Masters.

"No... don't!"

The skeletal Evil Soul Master's eyes were filled with desperate terror. He could feel that the aura emanating from that sword was purer than Ye Gu Yi's own sacred soul power—and even more suppressive toward them!

Yet his wail could change nothing.

With a swing of her hand and a falling blade, Ye Gu Yi drove the Angel Holy Sword, gleaming faintly with golden light, through the chests of both Evil Soul Masters as easily as cutting through tofu.

There was no spray of blood, nor were there any agonized screams.

The instant the Angel Holy Sword touched their bodies, the sacred power of purification contained within the blade erupted!

The two Evil Soul Masters' bodies were like ice and snow cast beneath a blazing sun. Starting from the wounds where they had been pierced, they rapidly turned to ash.

All the filth, darkness, and venomous resentful energy within them were utterly powerless before that sacred force. They were completely purified and refined into two streams of incomparably pure golden light, which flowed into the Angel Holy Sword like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The entire process lasted only an instant. The two Evil Soul Masters, who had committed countless atrocities, vanished completely from the world as though they had never existed.

After absorbing those two streams of pure purifying power, the Angel Holy Sword in Ye Gu Yi's hand was visibly brighter than before, no longer as lifelessly dim as it had been.

Though it was still far from shining with divine radiance, it at least no longer looked like ordinary iron.

Ye Gu Yi stood there in a daze, feeling the faint pulse coming from the holy sword in her hand, resonating with her heartbeat, as well as the ancient will within the blade that seemed to have awakened slightly. For a moment, countless thoughts filled her mind.

Everything that had happened today—from tracking the Evil Soul Masters, to being stopped by a mysterious expert, to this divine sword that filled her with familiarity recognizing her as its master, to purging Evil... all of it had struck her deeply.

She had far too many questions.

Who was this senior? Why did he possess such terrifying strength? Why did he have this sword that made her feel connected to it by blood? And why had he specifically wanted her to use this sword to kill the Evil Soul Masters?

Countless thoughts churned through Ye Gu Yi's mind. She took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, then turned to face Lei Chen, who stood with his hands behind his back and a calm expression on his face. She respectfully bowed, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremor as she asked:

"Senior... who exactly are you? And this sword, it is...?"

"You will learn my identity in time." Lei Chen looked at her, a deep light flashing in his eyes as he smiled. "As for this sword, it is called the Angel Holy Sword. It belonged to your ancestors."