Chapter 178: Ten Years of Memories, Simple Love for What’s Beloved

Liu Yi continued, “So… the division of the three realms and six paths we speak of was all established by Pangu in the human world?”
The Wolf King replied, “Yes. That was until the appearance of the Nirvana people seven thousand years ago. By then, the three realms and six paths had already taken shape, while the true fourth realm had been forgotten. Since then, the human world has seen the emergence of distinctions between the demon realm, the immortal realm, and the human realm. Yet these people don’t realize that they originally all belonged to the human world; it was only through Pangu’s manipulation that their fates changed.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “No wonder the Nine Nether Demonic God and Lan Ying possess such high cultivation.”
The Wolf King nodded as well. “Indeed. In this division, the power of the human realm is always the weakest, followed by the Asura and Ghost realms and the Netherworld. The Divine Realm is the strongest. But… the Nirvana people seven thousand years ago were an accident. Perhaps there truly is a fifth realm—namely, the demon realm.”
Liu Yi nodded again. “So, in terms of power, the human realm is the weakest?”
The Wolf King affirmed, “That’s right. But our demon realm truly shouldn’t belong to the human world. We fully have the ability to become the masters of the fifth realm.”
Liu Yi stopped speaking and sat back down, lost in thought about certain issues. If that was the case… what did the Divine Realm and the Netherworld look like? The Asura and Ghost realms had always existed in the human world, with the ghost race being one of its branches. It seemed the enemies in the Divine Realm and the Netherworld were the truly terrifying ones…
Just as the hall fell silent, a figure flashed by swiftly—a black silhouette. Liu Yi instinctively looked up. It was July. His thoughts returned from fantasy to reality, and he immediately stood up, saying, “You’re back.” He had many things to say, but when July appeared before him, he found himself at a loss for words, so he simply said a few words.
July was still dressed in her form-fitting combat attire, though her complexion was pale. Hearing Liu Yi’s words, she didn’t answer his question but instead said, “Scholar, I saw Jiliel being captured by them.”
Liu Yi’s expression changed. “What?” He heard July clearly, but he refused to believe it. He wanted to confirm once more to ensure he hadn’t misheard.
July continued, “When they released me, I saw Jiliel being taken away by those monsters.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi immediately turned around. “Teacher, I’ll leave this to you. I must go rescue Jiliel.”
The Wolf King quickly shook his head. “No, Demon Lord, think carefully. The Nine Nether Demonic God never acts so simply. There must be a purpose behind capturing Jiliel this time. Please don’t rush. Let’s discuss everything later.”
Liu Yi looked at the Wolf King and shook his head. “I’m sorry, teacher. Without Jiliel, I can’t think clearly. Even if this is another scheme by the Nine Nether Demonic God, I still have to go. Even if it’s a bottomless abyss, I’ll still leap in…”
Without waiting for the Wolf King’s reply, he summoned the ‘Sorrowful Dream’ in his hand. A black shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind, rushed outward and gradually disappeared into the snow.

The Wolf King glanced at Liu Yi’s figure, shook his head, and said, “Sigh… a fateful bond.”
July shook her head and asked, “Brother Wolf, don’t you think that scholar is quite foolish?”
The Wolf King looked at July’s dazed expression, shook his head again, and said, “Infatuated men and resentful women—none of them are sensible.”
Meanwhile, Liu Yi flew swiftly forward, but suddenly a question popped into his mind. His speed gradually slowed as he realized he had forgotten to ask July where that place was and where Gillier was locked up.
As Liu Yi pondered, a sound of something cutting through the air suddenly came from behind him. With his current level of cultivation, he saw a dark figure flying toward them. Liu Yi felt relieved—he recognized it as July.
When the figure reached him, Liu Yi confirmed it was July. She looked at him and said, “It seems your mind is really in chaos. You rushed out without even asking where Gillier is.” Her voice carried a hint of resentment, but also concern.
Liu Yi looked at her, not knowing what to say, and simply smiled faintly. July then sheathed her “Dancing Moon” sword and stepped onto Liu Yi’s “Sorrowful Dream” sword, placing her hands on his shoulders. “It’s by the Withered Snowflake Sea. I’ll tell you the direction once we get there; it’s hard to explain here.”
Liu Yi asked, “Are you coming too?”
July replied, “If I go, the risks will be lower. At least I know where Gillier is locked up. I think it’s best not to encounter those monsters—they all seem very powerful.”
Liu Yi nodded. Indeed, the Ghost Clan was a branch of the Asura Ghost Realm. As the Wolf King had said, one could imagine the strength of these Ghost Clan leaders. If they could rescue Gillier without alerting them, it would be best not to disturb them. Now that July knew where Gillier was, as long as the two of them were careful, there should be no problems.
Without further thought, Liu Yi used the powerful energy from his highest cultivation technique to propel his “Sorrowful Dream” sword, leaving a long trail of multicolored light in the air. Soon, the two flew out of the Tianshan region and headed rapidly toward the withered Snowflake Sea.
They didn’t calculate the flight time or speed. By the time the sun rose, they had already arrived above the withered Snowflake Sea. From there, Liu Yi could clearly see the palaces of the Tianji Star Palace. As he descended, he didn’t look around much and simply followed July in the direction she indicated.
July led the way quickly while saying, “That horrible place is not far from the Tianji Star Palace. I really don’t know how that fake Liu Yi takes care of Gillier. This time, when we rescue her, we must take good care of her and never let her return to that fake Liu Yi’s side. We must make things clear.”
Hearing July’s words, Liu Yi didn’t know what to say. He didn’t understand why this silly girl cared so much about Gillier’s safety. He simply blurted out, “Thank you.”
Hearing this, July paused, turned to look at Liu Yi, and smiled. “Thank me for what? If you really want to thank me, just smile more every day. That will make me happy.” With that, she stopped talking and continued on their way.

Listening to her words, he suddenly froze in that moment. The passage of time had brought him so many such moments of emotion. What could he say or do? He had asked himself countless times— he didn’t know…

They continued following July toward the gathering place of the ghost clan, the House of Death. Soon, the two arrived at this vast area, dark and desolate, everything appearing eerily strange. Liu Yi and July hid behind a tree, communicating with each other through telepathy.

Looking at the dilapidated old house, Liu Yi asked, “Is Gilliel locked up in that broken house?”

July nodded, but her gaze was puzzled. “Something seems off here. When I was released, there were many ghosts guarding the entrance of that house. Why are they gone now?”

Liu Yi nodded and replied, “There indeed is something wrong. It’s just too quiet.” Saying this, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the open space in the middle. As the stone hit the ground, it made a series of noises, followed by silence once again.

Liu Yi continued, “It seems there’s no danger. Let’s go in.”

July nodded. Then, both of them channeled their true power and quickly moved toward the ghost house. If the outside was dim, then this ghost house was pitch black. The furnishings inside were broken, with no light at all. In the dark corridors, spider webs could be seen in the corners from time to time.

July led the way, saying, “This way.”

After a few turns, Liu Yi was quickly taken to the second floor by July. Once on the second floor, July stopped. The two hid in a corner. July said through telepathy, “Look, the room right at the front is where Gilliel is locked up.”

Following July’s explanation, Liu Yi looked at the room ahead. Two guards stood at the door, wearing tattered armor. It was impossible to see what was inside; it seemed as though those armor pieces were just haphazardly put together. But upon closer inspection, a nearly transparent hand holding a curved sword could be seen standing there.

With his energy surging, “Lanerfina Qing” instantly reached the thirteenth level. Then, with the infusion of his powerful true energy, Liu Yi waved his right hand, and the “Sorrowful Dream” sword immediately emitted a blue glow. As the light spread, a blue divine dragon appeared— it was Long Ze.

Considering that summoning Dragon Flame might set everything here on fire, the trouble at that time would surely be immense…

Suddenly, Long Ze’s body coiled tightly and shot straight at the two guards at the door. With a clanging sound as the sword fell, the guards’ armor dropped. Long Ze quickly swallowed the two ghost guards. Liu Yi turned his right hand, and Long Ze reverted to the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, returning into Liu Yi’s hand.

Liu Yi stood up and ran toward the prison cell, raising his sword to cut through the iron door. At that moment, July’s voice came through, saying, “Be careful. I feel something’s off— it seems too simple.”

Hearing July’s words, Liu Yi hesitated for a moment, but still raised his sword. With a red glow, the iron door of the prison cell was easily cut in half. Liu Yi kicked the door open and rushed in.

Before him was a small room three zhang wide and three zhang long, in disrepair all around. Then, it was Jillian’s figure that entered Liu Yi’s line of sight. On the wall right in front, Jillian’s hands were tied with chains made of some unknown material. Her face couldn’t be seen; it seemed she had fainted.

Liu Yi didn’t overthink it. He quickly drew his long sword and severed the two chains binding Jillian’s hands with precision. Then, he gently wrapped his right arm around her waist, sheathed his sword, and gazed at her face—delicate, cute, pale, and weak. Her eyes were tightly closed, as if she were in a dream.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. It seemed as though time no longer existed in this world—only the present, this eternal instant. He held Jillian, looking at that familiar face, the one that appeared in his dreams at night…

July watched the activities outside and urged, “Hey, idiot! What are you doing? Stop looking and leave here first. There’s plenty of time to look around in Eternal City.”

Prompted by July, Liu Yi quickly snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes, I forgot this is the territory of the ghost clan. Although I don’t know why saving Jillian was so easy, if we alert the ghost clan, things will definitely get complicated.”

Liu Yi picked up Jillian in his arms and said, “Let’s go.”

Strangely enough, the place truly resembled a haunted house, yet there wasn’t a single ghost in sight. Aside from the two spirits guarding Jillian’s cell, Liu Yi and July didn’t encounter a single ghost from the clan. Though the situation seemed simple enough to raise doubts, since Jillian had been rescued, Liu Yi stopped overthinking it.

And so, Liu Yi and July moved freely through the House of Death and rescued Jillian…

Watching Liu Yi walk away, a figure emerged from the shadows in the House of Death—It was the Nine Nether Demon God, who controlled Su Shao’s body. As they disappeared into the air, the Nine Nether Demon God burst into wild laughter.

…

On the summit of Tian Shan, in Eternal City.

Liu Yi was sitting in a plainly furnished room. On the bed beside him lay Jillian, still unconscious. He waited, waiting for her to wake up. He wanted her first sight upon waking to be him…

Outside the room, the Wolf King and July were discussing their mission to the House of Death at the entrance.

At that moment, the Wolf King looked thoughtful, his expression solemn. Looking at July, he pressed further, “You mean you went to that House of Death this time without any obstacles and easily rescued Jillian?”

July nodded and replied, “Yes. I find it strange. When I was captured by them, there were countless terrifying spirits outside that house, and inside, there were powerful ghosts and even the leader of the ghost clan. But this time, it was completely different—like an empty house, with only two guards and Jillian.”

The Wolf King nodded and said, “It’s indeed strange. The Nine Nether Demon God wouldn’t be so careless. Although this seems simple, I think… there must be some scheme by the Nine Nether Demon God. But what exactly is that scheme?”

July also nodded and said, “Yes, I think it’s too simple. There must be a conspiracy behind it.”
At that moment, a voice came from inside the room—it was Liu Yi’s voice. July and the Wolf King naturally knew it was Jili’er who had woken up; otherwise, Liu Yi wouldn’t have spoken. But the two didn’t dare go in, so they could only stay outside…
Liu Yi looked at Jili’er and smiled, saying, “Jili, you’re awake.”
Jili’er shook her head, still somewhat dazed. Looking at the white-haired man before her, she asked, “Where is this?”
Liu Yi replied, “This is the City of Eternity, our home.”
Jili’er stared at him and shook her head. “Our home?” Hearing Liu Yi’s words, doubt appeared in her eyes. Yet this doubt was a pain in Liu Yi’s heart. He didn’t know how to explain it, because he wasn’t the scholar in her heart.
Liu Yi continued, “I don’t know how to explain this. Can you give me some time to make it clear? I just want to prove that I am the real Liu Yi. The person by your side has been deceiving you—he’s not Liu Yi.” Liu Yi knew no matter what he said, she wouldn’t believe him. But he just wanted a chance to explain himself.
Jili’er’s eyes seemed to pierce through him. Then she asked, “What do you want to say?”
Asked like this, Liu Yi truly hesitated. Yes, he didn’t know what to say or where to start. Looking into Jili’er’s eyes, he shook his head, stood up, and said, “Yes, there’s too much. I don’t know where to begin or where to end. Where should I even start?”
“Ten years ago, we met on that green grassland, listened to the wind and the moon beneath Mount Yuecang, made solemn vows in Jili’er’s world, promising to be together forever. We watched the world’s scenery amidst the snow in the sea of flowers. Once, we wandered on the edge of life and were separated by fate. It was all fate’s play. That night, Liu Fu’s entire family perished. In that rainy pavilion, I watched the person I loved die right before my eyes. That night, I lost all hope in the world. My longing for Jili’er turned my hair white overnight. Beside my father’s body, I held Jili’er, and we got married…”
“Ten years later, out of hatred and for Jili’er’s sake, I embraced the path of darkness, seeking justice. But I realized that in this life, fate was mocking me. Jili’er wasn’t dead—she was in the arms of another man. That man had my appearance from ten years ago, while I had changed—become a murderer. Helpless, it was just another lifetime of suffering…”
Liu Yi couldn’t speak anymore. He didn’t know what to say, because no matter what he said, Jili’er wouldn’t believe him. He was merely recounting memories. Jili’er had once asked him to bury them, but… he couldn’t do it.
The room fell silent. He didn’t know what to say or what else he could say. Memories weren’t that simple, but out of helplessness, he had simplified them.
Then Jili’er’s voice rang out, continuing, “Do you still remember the soup I made for you the first time?”

With a simple sentence, Liu Yi casually replied, “I remember. It was mushroom soup, and there was also Ji Er’s ‘Love Poison’ in that soup. But fate is unpredictable—we’ve both died once already, and that ‘Love Poison’ is no longer there.”
Liu Yi said it casually, but suddenly he thought of something. Didn’t Ji Er never believe he was Liu Yi? Why was she asking him this now? Liu Yi turned around and looked at Ji Er.
Ji Er’s eyes were filled with tears, but it was unclear whether it was from memories or something else.
Liu Yi looked at her face and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Er shook her head, remained silent, slowly got out of bed, and walked over to Liu Yi. With a gaze fixed on him, she gently reached out with her right hand, her delicate fingers touching Liu Yi’s sharply defined face. Trembling slightly, as tears streamed down her face, she asked in a shaky voice, “Are you really him? The scholar?”
Liu Yi froze for a moment. Was she… admitting it? Had she recognized him?
Love is so simple, yet love missed out on is filled with regret. What did Liu Yi’s resurrection and Ji Er’s reappearance mean? Ji Er had clearly died ten years ago—so why was she alive now? Would the person before him recognize Liu Yi again? Could their love… continue?