Chapter 81 Forbidden Love

He believed Ye Mei's melancholy was due to boredom, but in truth, she was worried about Pan, who was far away. He had already sensed the aura of the hunter; both sides were aware of each other.

"Go."

The group dispersed, each approaching Pan's location from a different direction. Wu Qiwei, young and full of vigor, took the matter extremely seriously, determined to kill this vampire descendant himself and impress Ye Mei's parents.

Ye Yongjian and Ye Mengyao unleashed their coordinated abilities, sending balls of fire rushing forward, igniting the trees blocking their path. Pan dodged swiftly.

He glared at their actions, including Ye Lan and Ye Qian, while Ye Mei hesitated, unable to act.

"Prepare to die!" Wu Qiwei gathered his energy and unleashed a volley of icy spikes. Pan leapt back several steps to evade the attack, just as another fireball shot in from the right.

Several people surrounded Pan, attacking him at close range. Whenever he had a chance, distant abilities came to his aid. His wounds were healing, but to counter the Crimson Blade, he transformed a sword of violet flame from his hand and charged straight at Ye Yongjian.

Ye Yongjian raised his sword to meet the attack. Two beams of light resonated, clashing and pushing against each other. "Today is the day you die. Your vampire kind will vanish from this world."

"Keep dreaming, old man."

Their powers were evenly matched, and they were both thrown apart. As Pan retreated, he slashed several times with his violet blade. Ye Yongjian's wife, Bai Yujie, immediately used her ability to tilt the earth, raising it to block all the attacks.

Ye Mengyao deployed the Eight Sword Formation in tandem with Ye Yongjian. Though Pan saw the flaws, he could not prevent it. Forced to dodge the sword assault and attacks from all directions, he defended and countered, realizing that if this continued, he would be utterly exhausted.

Ye Mei, witnessing the scene, was lost and hesitant, unsure what to do.

When Pan was struck by Ye Yongjian's sword, Wu Qiwei seized the opportunity and attacked with his blade, determined not to let the chance for a kill slip away. Pan sensed the threat behind him and was shocked. Wu Qiwei attacked with all his might, and Pan prepared to counter.

Suddenly, a petite figure appeared between them. Sword clashed with sword. Wu Qiwei was stunned, hurriedly stepped back, and stared at her.

Ye Mei stood in front of Pan, astonishing everyone, including her father. "Get out of the way! What are you doing? He’s a vampire!"

"What’s wrong with Sister? She’s acting so strange." Ye Qian and Ye Lan felt their sister had become odd since her return.

"Mei, move aside, don’t stand in his way." Ye Yongjian halted his attack.

Pan was equally surprised and deeply moved to see her stand before him. Unlike the other hunters, she was kind-hearted, a special presence. Many hunters flew the flag of justice, hunting vampires everywhere, yet they were more bloodthirsty than the vampires themselves.

"Why do we kill vampires? Is it for justice, for honor, or simply because they possess wings and powers greater than humans? And what about ourselves? Every race has its value. Should we continue to use the excuse of justice to hunt them, to wipe them from existence? Is this what we call justice?"

The group fell silent. Ye Yongjian, angry, said, "Are you crazy? You don’t understand them at all. Their greatest skill is lying. They are a race born to consume blood, and humans are their preferred food; this is the nature of vampires. They have no humanity, living only for slaughter. Since the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You three thousand years ago, this fate was set. No one can change it."

Ye Mei was bewildered; she hadn’t realized that the feud between the two races had lasted for thousands of years. Yet over time, even once brutal vampires, living in the human world to survive, had shown friendly and gentle sides.

"Our genes are stronger than humans’, immune even to viruses, making us more suited to exist on Earth. So they fear our strength, which threatens their status and power in the human world. Greedy rulers will stop at nothing to eradicate us."

"Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to confuse us. Vampires are despicable and will do anything to survive. Don’t fall for his tricks." Ye Yongjian refused to believe these words, and with good reason; his parents had died because they trusted a vampire’s lies. He loathed vampires.

"Why are you blocking him? As a hunter, why don’t you fulfill your duty and kill him?" Wu Qiwei was worried she would soon be killed by this cunning vampire.

Ye Mei remained in front of Pan, tears streaming down her face. "Because... because I love him. I can’t let you kill him."

Wu Qiwei felt as if struck by lightning on a clear day. He never imagined Ye Mei would fall in love with a vampire. So what was he to her—just a senior? How ridiculous. His heart ached unbearably.

"You are shameless, falling in love with your enemy as a hunter." Ye Yongjian erupted in fury, nearly ready to smash his head against the wall. His daughter loving a vampire was something he could never accept.

"Humans and vampires can never love each other. Especially you, a hunter, must not let such a thing happen. If you truly choose this path, then we will have no choice but to... kill you as well."

The words stunned everyone. The thing Ye Mei dreaded most had finally happened: she did not want to fight her father or hurt him.

Pan remained silent. For the first time, he felt the sensation of love. He would not let anything happen to her. He remembered how she used to fear death and loneliness, but now she had changed, strengthened by her resolve to protect love.

"Everyone, prepare to attack."

Ye Yongjian waved his hand, and eight swords shot toward Ye Mei, aimed at her heart. Though he couldn’t bear to kill his own daughter, he felt compelled to act in order to fulfill his duties as a hunter.

Ye Lan and Ye Qian were at a loss, both crying. Wu Qiwei remained dazed, unable to understand why she had fallen for a vampire. When had it started? Was he only a backup to her?

As the swords neared her, Ye Mei, terrified, shut her eyes tightly. Pan was enraged. He would not let Ye Mei be harmed. Fangs bared, he pulled Ye Mei into his embrace, his wings folding around her, forming a glowing red shield.

The swords struck the pair, and in an instant, light exploded everywhere. The barrier outside Pan’s wings deflected the blades. "I won’t let you get hurt. You are the most important person to me."

With that, Pan unfurled his wings, the shield burst forth with a surge of energy, and Pan, holding Ye Mei, soared into the sky, fleeing toward a distant place.