Chapter 76: Ten Years in a Dream, a Heart as Vast as the Yellow River
It seems people can overcome everything, yet time binds them. When reaching the end of life and looking back, one realizes that yesterday was like a dream.
Liu Yi opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was emptiness—black stones above, nothing in sight. He lay on a bed surrounded by white crystals. For some reason, warmth spread through his body. Liu Yi stood up gently but felt something heavy in his right hand—the “Sorrowful Dream” sword.
At that moment, Liu Yi was drawn to a figure within the white crystals. Upon closer inspection, the figure wore black combat leather armor, with a neatly tied belt. Wearing black gloves, they held a long black sword. Their facial features were sharply defined, as if carved by a knife—fierce eyebrows and cold eyes. It seemed familiar, and their eyes were filled with weariness and sorrow. Their silver-white hair was tied back with a bandana, with a few unruly strands floating across their face.
Liu Yi moved slightly… and the figure in the crystal moved too. It was—his own reflection. How could this be? Liu Yi seemed to no longer recognize himself. Could that dream be real? In the dream, he had learned everything about the Nirvana people, even reaching the twelfth level of the “Lanerfina Qing” cultivation technique, the Reverse Heaven level. He thought it was just a dream, but never imagined the Nirvana people would truly revive him—and he seemed much older now.
Suddenly remembering something, Liu Yi sheathed his sword and strode outside. At that moment, a sound of breaking air reached his ears—the sound of flying vehicles. Though still far away, Liu Yi knew clearly it was coming toward him.
He stopped. He wanted to see who had brought him out of his grave…
In about the time it takes to drink tea, an old man’s figure appeared before Liu Yi—it was the uncle from Fengmo Town. Yet another figure surfaced in Liu Yi’s mind. “The God of War?”
As soon as the uncle landed, he stepped back abruptly and asked, “You’re awake. Who are you? How do you know my identity?”
Liu Yi tilted his head, a red glow flashing in his eyes. “You are the God of War of the divine race, and I am me.”
The uncle stared at Liu Yi and asked, “Are you a Nirvana person? No… Wei Lingfeng? Or… Liu Yi?”
Liu Yi looked at the uncle and said, “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m still alive. I am me. From now on, I will defy fate. Anyone who tries to stop me will die! Though you’re from the divine race, I won’t kill you—because at least you saved me from the coffin.”
Hearing Liu Yi’s words, the uncle suddenly turned. A gust of wind blew, and the uncle before him transformed into another person—a middle-aged man in golden armor, wearing a golden crown and a sword at his waist. With black beard and a resolute face, he looked like a true god.
The God of War bowed to Liu Yi and said, “Congratulations on achieving great mastery in the magic of the Demon God. I merely did my part.”
Liu Yi turned his head aside and said, “Tell me, why help me? All of Liu Yi’s success today depends on ‘Uncle Wine’s’ Red Jade.”
The God of War shook his head and said, “I sneaked a peek at the Book Without Words and learned about the touching story of the Nirvana Being and the Heavenly Maiden. That made me fall prey to mortal desires, and I wanted to change your fate with my own strength. So I gave you one piece of the ‘Lanalfina Qing’ Jade. In the path I planned, you were only supposed to get two pieces, but unexpectedly, you obtained four, completing the path to becoming a demon.”
Liu Yi looked at the God of War and asked, “Aren’t you afraid that Pangu will find out?”
The God of War replied, “Pangu and Nüwa are both in slumber and won’t wake up for now.”
Liu Yi glanced around and asked, “Where is this place?”
The God of War said, “Tianshan.”
Liu Yi nodded and asked, “Do you know I’m not dead?”
The God of War answered, “As long as one possesses the ‘Lanalfina Qing’ Jade, they cannot die. And since you have all the jade pieces, you now have the Blood of Fury, which surely allows you to transcend the limits of life and achieve immortality. I too was moved by mortal desires and tried to save you, but I didn’t expect you to sleep for ten years. Now that you’ve awakened, your divine powers must be greatly enhanced.”
Liu Yi was shocked. He hadn’t realized he had spent ten years learning swordsmanship from the Nirvana Being in his dreams—it truly felt like times had changed drastically.
The God of War looked at Liu Yi and continued, “Seeing how anxious the Demon God is, he probably wants to send someone from the Demon Sect to seek revenge.”
Liu Yi said to the God of War, “Just call me Liu Yi. Don’t call me Demon God. You’re right—the first ones I’ll go after are those from the Demon Sect. I’ll make them pay for what they owe me. I’ll take back ten times what they owe Liu Yi.” Suddenly, Liu Yi gripped his sword even tighter with his left hand.
The God of War shook his head and said, “The Demon Sect… Young Master Liu may not know, but over these ten years, the world has split into two factions. In the west, there are the Three Major Sects— the Divine Sect, the Wuwei Sect, and the Flowing Light Sect—along with the Human Alliance of the Cold Sword Sect, the Buddhist Sect, and the Qingyin Elegant Pavilion, known as the righteous forces of the world. In the north, there are the Three Major Demon Sects— the Demon Sect, the Hidden Sect, and the Blood Sect—along with the newly risen Tianlong Divine Altar Alliance, known as the dark path of demons. Moreover, the Ghost Clan, which has a pact with the demons, has already begun to stir. If Young Master Liu goes after the Demon Sect now, he’ll likely suffer heavy losses.”
Liu Yi snorted coldly and said, “The ‘Four Sorrowful Styles’ can destroy heaven and earth, shatter stars and moons. Do I really have to fear them just because they’re more numerous?”
The God of War continued, “Thirty years ago, the leader of the demon clan, Wei Lingfeng, though his sword techniques weren’t as advanced as the ‘Four Sorrowful Styles,’ was still a figure among the three realms. He had mastered the ninth level of the ‘Lanalfina Qing’ cultivation method, making him virtually invincible in the three realms, aside from the Cold Sword Sect. I wonder how much stronger Young Master Liu’s sword skills are compared to Wei Lingfeng’s?”
Liu Yi remained silent. He knew the God of War hadn’t finished speaking, so he listened.
“The sword of Wei Lingfeng might be stronger than the current leader of the Demon Sect, Ao Tian, but if the three leaders of the demon race appear together, I think Wei Lingfeng has no chance of winning. Moreover, the newly risen Tianlong Altar was founded by the two guardian beasts of old—Tianlong and Huofeng—whose powers are even more terrifying. There’s also the ghost race, which often hides in the darkness. If it weren’t for fear, the immortal race and the human race wouldn’t have allied.” The War God continued analyzing and advising Liu Yi.
Liu Yi nodded. Though he wasn’t sure if the War God was exaggerating, if the four major sects of the demon race allied, even Pangu and Nüwa would find it hard to shake them.
The War God continued, “I can only give you one last piece of advice: slowly build up your forces and defeat them one by one. Ten years have already passed—what does it matter if you wait a few more years?”
Liu Yi suddenly nodded. “You’re right. Ten years have passed. What does it matter if I wait a few more? I won’t let them die so easily. I’ll take them down one by one. But… building up forces? How?”
The War God smiled mysteriously. “The current Wolf King is idle. Maybe you two are truly fated—perhaps he can help you.”
Liu Yi nodded. “Alright, then I’ll build a city and divide the world with them.” With that, he turned to leave.
The War God hurriedly said, “Wait.”
Liu Yi glanced at him and asked, “Is there anything else?”
The War God took out a silver, diamond-shaped scarf from his clothes. “Young Master Liu has achieved great mastery in his skills. I too want to give you a gift.”
Liu Yi asked, “What is it?”
The War God replied, “Dead souls…”