Chapter 203: Human Hearts Are Inherently Kind, But the World and Circumstances Are Ruthless Like a Demon Sword

If there truly is eternity in the world, it lies in memory. If there truly is happiness, it exists in longing. If there truly is something unique, it lies in true love.
……
Swords flashed with light, afterimages scattered as hundreds of people rushed forward only to end up crying out in pain, blood flowing like rivers, corpses flying everywhere. Liu Yi had already sheathed his long sword. He felt no emotion toward these people, and his sword strikes were merciless. A hundred lives were lost in the blink of an eye, silent and lifeless—their deaths seemed to tell the myth of the sword.
As for Ye Luo Baihua and Ye Luo Chou, they were now fully in battle. Ye Luo Chou’s long sword flashed with silver light, emitting a dragon-like roar as it appeared repeatedly in front of Ye Luo Baihua at blinding speeds. Ye Luo Baihua, holding a flute with green light resembling jade, defended herself with it, and one could see their silhouettes fighting and the rapid clashing of their weapons.
Ye Luo Chou flipped his right hand, and silver sword light created illusionary blades that scattered in all directions. In an instant, besides his own sword, eight more identical swords appeared around him. These eight swords seemed to revolve around the one in Ye Luo Chou’s hand, arranged perfectly at every angle and position, constantly attacking Ye Luo Baihua.
Ye Luo Baihua seemed to hold her own against that one sword, but then Ye Luo Chou changed his tactics, conjuring eight more identical swords out of thin air. This sudden onslaught left Ye Luo Baihua flustered—nine swords attacking rapidly, and her flute seemingly unable to cope.
Ye Luo Baihua moved lightly, retreating with a dance-like grace. Though not fast, her precise steps ensured she wasn’t hurt by the nine swords. After retreating a few steps, she suddenly moved swiftly, pulling back over ten feet. Unprepared, Ye Luo Chou realized too late that Ye Luo Baihua had already escaped the combat zone.
As green light illuminated her, Ye Luo Baihua quickly spun, and with a “clang,” a short sword appeared in her right hand. Upon closer inspection, it was a white short sword, its blade shimmering like a dragon swimming in water. Clearly, this sword had been hidden inside her green flute. Now unable to handle Ye Luo Chou, she resorted to using the sword.
Seeing this change, Ye Luo Chou exclaimed, “Furuo.” His eyes gleamed with greed.
The sword in Ye Luo Baihua’s hand was one of the Three Divine Swords of the Ye family. The other two had long been lost, and this remaining sword had been passed down to the clan leaders. The “Furuo” sword appeared as if floating on water, elusive and formless, yet extremely sharp. When powered by true energy, it could function like a six-foot-long sword or even as a whip. It had another special feature: the holder could master a unique sword technique, no less powerful than any magic or martial skill, and it required no time to master. Yet only Ye Luo Baihua’s father had ever mastered this skill—making it truly unparalleled.

At this moment, how could Ye Luoqiu remain unmoved upon seeing this divine sword? For a martial enthusiast, obtaining a peerless divine weapon was often more tempting than getting several carts full of treasures. Lost in his fantasies, Ye Luoqiu’s eyes sparkled as he smiled and said, “Niece Baihua, leave the sword in your hand. Perhaps… your uncle can spare your life.”

Ye Luo Baihua pointed her short sword downward, its ethereal blade constantly emitting white sword energy that scattered the dust in its direction. Seeing Ye Luoqiu’s greedy expression, her voice turned slightly cold yet still pleasant as she said, “You’re even more shameless than I imagined.”

Ye Luoqiu glared at the divine sword in Ye Luo Baihua’s hands and snapped, “You brat! You refuse my offer and now expect punishment? Let me see just how tough your bones are!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Luo Baihua’s “Furuo” moved swiftly. Though they were ten feet apart, with a single step, her cloud-like white sword struck instantly. With the divine sword in hand, the balance of power in their battle changed immediately. Her sword moved rapidly, sometimes long, sometimes short, handling nine swords at once without falling behind, while Ye Luoqiu sometimes had to dodge several attacks.

This showed the difference between a divine sword and an ordinary weapon. Although Ye Luoqiu’s sword wasn’t divine, it wasn’t ordinary either. After several exchanges, sparks flew, and his sword developed a crack from “Furuo’s” strikes. Filled with anger, Ye Luoqiu wasn’t foolish—decades of experience in the martial world told him he could only lose if he continued fighting this way.

But being a seasoned veteran, he quickly came up with a plan. Though Ye Luo Baihua had the upper hand in weapons, when it came to true energy, given her shorter training time, she couldn’t compare to Ye Luoqiu. Since he had his strengths, why fight on equal terms? He needed to make use of his advantages.

Ye Luoqiu narrowed his eyes and smirked. What he needed to do was simple—force Ye Luo Baihua to attack first so he could confront her with full strength, surely injuring her then.

Although Ye Luo Baihua didn’t pay much attention to his expression, she sensed his smile and felt uneasy, as if some trick was waiting for her.

Clearly, spurred by his slight reaction, she accelerated her attacks. Her long sword flashed faster, and the other eight swords also rushed at her. At this point, Ye Luo Baihua grew puzzled. Though his sword wasn’t ordinary, such rapid attacks would cut through his weapon in no time. But seeing his confident demeanor, she thought to herself, “Could he plan to win through speed?”

Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed constantly. “Furuo” resembled a serpentine spirit, yet it was also ethereal, sometimes long, sometimes short. With each collision, Ye Luoqiu quickly retracted his sword and launched another attack. The other eight swords, like shadows of his own, also retracted before striking again.

Faster and faster. Ye Luobaihua’s eyes were filled with doubt. Ye Luochou’s sword light flashed as nine swords continuously attacked her. At that moment, Ye Luochou’s other hand also moved, and the nine swords swiftly slashed toward her. Ye Luobaihua could only rely on the sharpness of her divine sword to defend herself. But just as she tried to block, she realized Ye Luochou was also attacking her with his left palm. Now completely surrounded by sword light, she struggled to defend. Unexpectedly, Ye Luochou launched another attack. If she tried to block, she knew she couldn’t withstand it, but if she didn’t, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without giving Ye Luobaihua time to think further, Ye Luochou’s left palm, carrying the force of wind and thunder, generated a gust of wind mixed with the nine swords, all aimed at her. Ye Luobaihua quickly parried with her right-hand sword while using her left hand to block. She had no other choice—she must block Ye Luochou’s palm strike.

With several sounds of weapons clashing, followed by a loud “clang,” Ye Luochou’s long sword was cut in two by her sword. Then came the sound of their palms meeting—“bang”—and the vital energy radiating from them caused sand and stones to fly, filling the air with yellow dust.

As the dust dispersed, a white figure flew outward like a kite with its string cut. Ye Luochou stared at that figure and then at his broken sword, smiling coldly with a sinister look.

Ye Luochou had long known that with his sword against Ye Luobaihua’s divine sword, he would surely break his sword and defeat her in just a few rounds. So he focused on his strength—his cultivation level was far superior to hers. By attacking quickly, he could force her to stay within fighting range, then strike with his palm at the right moment, and that would be the time for victory.

Of course, Ye Luobaihua also thought of this the moment their palms met. But she had no other choice. The nine swords prevented her from retreating, and she had to block that palm strike. The moment she did, she felt an overwhelming pressure surge from her palm into her body. The fierce vital energy expanded her meridians and instantly attacked her inner abdomen. With such intense force, she felt unbearable pain all over her body and was flung backward.

The force was great, but Ye Luobaihua’s own vital energy also played a role, blocking much of Ye Luochou’s energy. Although her inner abdomen was injured, it wasn’t serious. Yet the inertia of the vital energy made it impossible for her to control her body, causing her to keep flying backward.

Just as Ye Luobaihua flailed her arms to find balance, a hand reached out and wrapped tightly around her slender waist. Caught off guard, she turned to look at the person—it was the blind Liu Yi. With his sword in his right hand and his left hand supporting her, he used momentum to shift slightly and lift Ye Luobaihua from the air.

Whether it was the dizziness from Liu Yi’s movement or the spinning sky, Ye Luobaihua seemed to have forgotten the pain from her injuries. A strange feeling arose in her heart—a sense of loneliness fading away, an indescribable emotion.

A faint golden line rose in the east, crossing the horizon and shining straight between the two of them, where it intersected to form a point and converged into light. The gold seemed to be embedded between them. Liu Yi’s face became even clearer at this moment as he slowly descended, and Liu Yi along with Ye Luo Baihua landed back on the ground.

Liu Yi released his hand from holding Ye Luo Baihua’s waist and asked, “Is the princess alright?”

Ye Luo Baihua’s gaze seemed somewhat panicked, but Liu Yi couldn’t see any of this. She simply replied, “No, I’m fine.”

Hearing her words, Liu Yi nodded and turned his head toward Ye Luo Chou, sensing his intense murderous intent. Clearly, by helping Ye Luo Baihua, he had angered Ye Luo Chou greatly.

Ye Luo Chou glanced at Ye Luo Baihua across from him before immediately focusing his attention on Liu Yi. After sizing him up, he looked behind him and saw that the hundred swordsmen had already fallen into Hell, with blood flowing like rivers and corpses piling up like mountains. Shocked, Ye Luo Chou thought to himself, “Who is this man? Not to mention his cultivation level, his ruthless and cruel tactics show he’s definitely not a kind-hearted person. Even if he had to kill a hundred people himself, he wouldn’t do it as efficiently as this man.”

Ye Luo Chou then asked, “Who are you?”

Liu Yi didn’t answer his question; he was thinking about other things. If the rebels were led by Ye Luo Xiong, why hadn’t he shown up? Upon careful consideration, there were two possibilities. First, Ye Luo Xiong might be occupied with other matters and had sent Ye Luo Chou ahead as a vanguard, planning to follow later. If that was the case… then a quick resolution was needed, otherwise, more problems would arise. Second, Ye Luo Xiong might have already arrived but hadn’t shown himself—what could be more important than killing Princess Baihua? Wu Lei City… The second possibility was that Ye Luo Xiong had given up on this place and launched an attack on Wu Lei City.

Although Liu Yi couldn’t see, his mind was clear. Years of suffering had taught him to stay calm and analyze all possible outcomes. At this moment, Liu Yi instead asked, “Where is Ye Luo Xiong?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Luo Baihua was shocked, and Ye Luo Chou was even more surprised. But he quickly regained his composure and replied, “Why ask about my brother? I’m enough to take care of you, blind man.”

Liu Yi instinctively tightened his grip on his long sword and said coldly, word by word, “If I’m not mistaken, Ye Luo Xiong is probably on his way to Wu Lei City now. How could a man with ambition and desires focus on personal goals? I think Ye Luo Xiong is more concerned about the entire Wu Lei City.”

Ye Luo Baihua was even more astonished. If that was the case, Ye Luo Xiong must have gone to attack Wu Lei City, and Ye Luo Chou was merely someone to buy time. After careful analysis, she looked at Liu Yi again, another question arising in her mind—was he just a swordsman?

Ye Luo Chou’s expression changed, and he replied, “Who exactly are you?”

Liu Yi gripped the hilt of his sword with his left hand and said coldly, “Go ahead and attack. Even the dead want to know so much.” His words weren’t long, but they were as cold as December air, arrogant enough to drive people mad.

Ye Luoqiu’s expression grew increasingly ugly, showing that he was now extremely angry. Liu Yi had already sensed this from his aura. Having roamed the martial world for decades, even under the leadership of the Ye family clan head, he had never encountered such an arrogant person. Filled with rage, he sneered, “Fine, fine. A hero emerges from youth. Let me see how powerful your sword is.”

As soon as Ye Luoqiu finished speaking, his broken sword moved, creating a swirl of sword energy that cut toward his own finger. A drop of red blood fell onto the blade. Then, something even stranger happened—the blade absorbed the blood, emitting a red glow. The entire broken sword turned red and transformed into a brand-new long sword.

As Ye Luoqiu spun, the red sword light formed a circular halo that surrounded him. His long sword floated vertically above his head, with his hands forming a gesture to control the blade using his spiritual energy.

Seeing this, Ye Luo Baihua exclaimed, “It’s a magic-martial technique!”

Ye Luoqiu’s face turned terrifying as he sneered coldly, “You little brat, I’ll see how capable you really are. I want both of you to die under my sword.”

Liu Yi casually unleashed his spiritual energy from his left hand, causing the entire blade of ‘Sorrowful Dream’ to emit a purplish-red glow. Wherever the light reached, it created an unbearably hot and suffocating atmosphere—this was the power of Dragon Flame. Ye Luo Baihua seemed unable to withstand this suffocating sensation and slowly retreated out of the range of the light.

Liu Yi spoke calmly, yet his words were astonishing, “Among all the magic-martial techniques I’ve seen so far, Thunder Lord’s ‘Mystic Star Net Thunder Technique’ is absolutely powerful. Yours is at best just a showpiece—pretty but useless.”

Ye Luoqiu’s face turned even redder, becoming terrifyingly fierce. “You’ll soon find out whether mine is useful or not.”

Liu Yi slowly placed his right hand on the hilt, a warm sensation spreading throughout his body. He said coldly, “You have no chance anymore.” Then, with a slight movement, there was a clang as the sword returned to its sheath. Liu Yi’s figure gradually disappeared from that spot, and in the direction from which the sound came, a black figure appeared.

Ye Luo Baihua couldn’t help but look. Liu Yi’s figure before her gradually blurred and faded like a bubble, eventually disappearing. Along with the sound of the sword returning to its sheath, she glanced behind Ye Luoqiu. That black figure, with white long hair and a sword still emitting purplish-red light, had instantly appeared behind Ye Luoqiu.

Ye Luoqiu still had his hands raised high, but his expression was now extremely complex—his eyes filled with fear and disbelief. Looking in Liu Yi’s direction, though he couldn’t see how Liu Yi had drawn his sword earlier, given Liu Yi’s current position… Could it be that he had passed through Ye Luoqiu’s body?

Ye Luoqiu’s voice trembled, laced with disbelief, as he asked, “How… How is that possible? You actually passed through my ‘Blood Shield’?”

Liu Yi didn’t turn around and replied coldly, “The demonic martial art you practice can only be used against those with lower cultivation levels. If someone with higher cultivation has a weapon, they can break through your ‘Blood Shield’ just by using their true energy. There are too many flaws in this move.”

Ye Luoqiu’s gaze turned distant. Suddenly, a drop of fresh blood slid down from his forehead. As the blood trickled down, with a loud “whoosh,” Ye Luoqiu’s body split into four pieces. Driven by the remaining true energy in his body, his four halves flew in four different directions. In an instant, blood rained from the sky, and his severed limbs scattered everywhere—a truly desolate sight.

Although Ye Luoqiu was an enemy of Ye Luo Baihua, such a death was far too cruel. Ye Luo Baihua blurted out, “Your sword is ruthless.”

Liu Yi slowly turned around and said, “The sword is my friend.”

Ye Luo Baihua glanced at Ye Luoqiu and said, “It’s retribution. Back then, when he practiced this demonic martial art, he harmed living beings, using them as practice for his sword. Who would have thought that after over a decade of practice, he couldn’t even use his most proud martial art before dying?” Her words sounded gentle, tinged with sadness.

Liu Yi stepped closer to Ye Luo Baihua and said, “You’re too kind. In this world, kind people never end up well. Even if you have to disguise yourself, you must pretend to be evil. Only then can you protect yourself.”

Ye Luo Baihua looked at Liu Yi, not understanding what he meant, but she had a clear feeling that everything he said was something he had experienced himself, as if it were real.

Suddenly, Liu Yi sheathed his long sword at his waist, his right hand covered in black gloves reaching quickly toward Ye Luo Baihua’s hand. Then, with a light movement of his feet, he used the ‘Hidden Spin Nine Shadows’ technique to soar away swiftly, appearing as if he were intangible. He landed and returned in the original direction.

As he ran quickly, Liu Yi said, “Point out the direction. We need to return to the city quickly. Ye Luo Xiong must be taking action.”

Ye Luo Baihua felt as if she were in a dream, unable to move freely. Dust rose, the scenery blurred, and that sense of panic struck her once again. She replied, “Mm, okay, fine…”