Chapter 123: The Dance of Death – Returning to the Sword Without Form

Gradually, Liu Yi cautiously approached the interior. The temperature in this cave was clearly much higher than when he entered last time. The rocks around the cave emitted a red glow, a result of the intense heat.
After walking for what felt like a long time, Liu Yi’s eyes lit up…
He was stunned by what he saw ahead—there was no path forward; below was an abyss, surrounded by a circular structure. The abyss below resembled a huge lake, but instead of water, it was filled with magma bubbling with red flames.
Liu Yi looked around in confusion. How could there be no path here? Could the ore be inside the magma? Without further thought, he drew his “Sorrowful Dream” sword and flew straight down. As he got closer, he noticed that there was actually a path around the outer edge of this massive magma lake. He flew toward that edge and slowly descended, putting away his “Sorrowful Dream” sword.
The temperature here was terrifyingly high. Although Liu Yi was temporarily protected by his protective energy field, he still felt the pressure of the intense heat, as if his protective field might shatter at any moment.
Looking up, he saw a gap in the huge mountain—it was exposed to the sky. Looking around, everything was empty; all he could see were the walls, already scorched red.
Liu Yi thought to himself, “Perhaps there’s no ore here. Judging from its simple structure, it seems nothing special about it. The only thing unseen is what’s beneath the magma, but the ore shouldn’t be under it either.”
As Liu Yi pondered, the magma began to surge violently, with red lava shooting out in all directions from the center. He quickly retreated, trying to stay as far away as possible.
The magma lake now formed a vortex, spinning rapidly. At the same time, a loud roar echoed throughout the cave, coming from beneath the magma. Liu Yi seemed to have heard this sound somewhere before, yet it also didn’t quite ring a bell. Suddenly, he felt something terrifying approaching—definitely not the fire spirit he encountered last time. Given its strength, this monster was far more powerful than that fire spirit.
Without hesitation, Liu Yi gripped the hilt of his main sword with his left hand, his right hand hanging loosely, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the incoming monster…
Just then, huge waves rose on the surface of the lake, with magma splashing everywhere. As the waves subsided, another eerie cry was heard. A long, fiery red dragon rushed straight at Liu Yi, splashing magma everywhere.
The temperature around him seemed capable of melting anything. Liu Yi’s vision began to blur; he could no longer see the dragon clearly. A silhouette slowly formed in his mind—a long dragon, its claws invisible, only its body stretching into the magma and its huge head with red eyes glowing like fire seemed to flood his mind instantly. The temperature kept rising, the surrounding rocks began to melt, and the red light gradually enveloped Liu Yi…

He could no longer sense the sorrow of the “Sorrowful Dream” Sword, nor could he feel the sword intent of those four techniques. This was a situation he had never encountered before—meaning that the scorching heat had already deprived him of his most sensitive sense, rendering him unable to use the “Four Sorrowful Techniques.” So… what would that mean?

You must know that the fire dragons here were born alongside Pangu’s creation and originally belonged to the elves. After thousands of years of evolution, they absorbed the heat from this place and completely transformed their original forms—these were the evolved beings of the fire elves: fire dragons. Such evolved beasts generally possess special abilities. For example, what Liu Yi was experiencing now was precisely this scorching heat, which prevented him from thinking, as if he were being burned by flames. All he could do was wait, waiting for the fire dragon to approach and slowly devour him…

Liu Yi’s sword was essentially the soul of swords, not something he had mastered through practice. It relied entirely on his senses, using his powerful vital energy to sense the sword intent of that soul and thus wield the “Four Sorrowful Techniques.” Yet, as one thing overcomes another, this scorching heat was the perfect counter to Liu Yi’s sword intent. It completely suppressed him, preventing him from thinking or sensing anything. Even the protective energy surrounding his body began to melt under this terrifying heat. In that instant, two words appeared in Liu Yi’s mind—“It’s over.”

The unbearable high temperature gradually drove Liu Yi into a coma. The approaching fire dragon intensified the heat around him and forcefully shattered Liu Yi’s protective energy.

Was thirty years of life really the end for him? What had he done? It seemed he had failed—he hadn’t been filial to his father, and he seemed incompetent, failing to protect the woman he cared about. He was a weakling in life. Even if he changed, even if he became a demon, the hand of fate would continue to push his enemies right in front of him. Was this really his end?

“No…” A cry of regret—within that single word lay thirty years of bitter romance and sorrowful hardships. He refused to submit to fate. He still had things unfinished. The safety of everyone in the world was still in his hands. He didn’t want to die like this. He wanted to change, to change his fate. From now on, he would fight for everything he wanted…

Without those sensations, relying solely on his consciousness, in an instant, Liu Yi felt no longer burdened by heavy pressure or heartbreak. All he felt was relief, pure relief. His breath followed his will, his heart moved as he wished, and his intent guided his sword. The sword techniques he used were nothing more than simple movements—focused on speed rather than destruction, prioritizing intent over fixed forms, with “no form” being the highest form. As the saying goes, the soul of the sword is the will of the human heart—this “no form” was precisely that.

As Liu Yi drew out the “Sorrowful Dream” Sword, the blade once again appeared, stained blood-red in the red light. Black mist began to flow violently, and red lights flashed in Liu Yi’s eyes. He gripped the long hilt of the sword and raised it high above his head. As the powerful “Lanerfina Qing” meditation technique activated automatically, green light appeared on the sword, while the black mist transformed into red entities. Gradually, slowly, a red dragon with outstretched claws circled above Liu Yi’s body and merged with him.

With Liu Yi’s loud shout, “‘Formless’…” a red glow appeared around him. At that moment, a red dragon shadow flashed by the head of the fire dragon. As the dragon shadow disappeared, a red light appeared on the head of the fire dragon, forcefully cutting through the surrounding heat. Another strange cry was heard, but it was one of weakness and fear… With that cry, the fire dragon, which had been circling above the magma, slowly sank downward.

Watching everything happen before his eyes, he felt nothing, for it was all just an illusion. The red light in his eyes gradually faded, and with a clatter, the “Sorrowful Dream” sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He felt tired, or perhaps devoid of strength. Gradually, he collapsed, carrying his loneliness and his white hair, falling beneath the stone wall beside the magma…