Chapter 206: Red Ghost Shadows, the Lost World Under Protection

Everything happened so suddenly. The sword shadow of “Sorrow Style” was confused and instantly slashed down the red ghost shadows around it. Ye Luobaihua, on the other hand, was still in shock, her eyes vacant, as if the events that had taken place had left her without any thoughts. As Liu Yi approached, Ye Luobaihua gradually regained her senses and said in a panicked voice, “What a terrifying nightmare! What was that?”

Liu Yi looked around. Although everything seemed calm, the blood-red light was eerily strange. The entire world seemed filled with danger, as if invisible monsters lurked in every corner and every place. Red snowflakes continued to fall, and the cold wind was mixed with wails. The figures of the two of them appeared lonely, surrounded by high walls that reached the sky—like they were in a cage.

Liu Yi instinctively gripped his sword, “Sorrow Dream,” and shook his head. “I don’t know. But… this dream must be yours. Have you had similar dreams before?”

As soon as Liu Yi spoke, Ye Luobaihua’s body trembled slightly. Though it was just a slight tremor, Liu Yi noticed it. Ye Luobaihua replied, “Yes, I’ve had similar dreams before, but none as real as this. In those dreams, I was always trapped in this confined space, without freedom. There was only snow and cold around me. I always felt so lonely and scared, always waking up from the nightmares…”

Liu Yi nodded silently. Based on what Ye Luobaihua said, it wasn’t hard to understand why she had been so afraid earlier. After thinking for a moment, Liu Yi said, “It seems we’re trapped here. To get out, unless your dream changes, I think… it’s very difficult.”

Ye Luobaihua nodded upon hearing Liu Yi’s words. She naturally knew that they had no choice here. Everything happening in this “real dream” was simply too terrifying. As insignificant as they were, they had no chance of changing this dream except by fighting for their own lives.

Just as the two of them paused, a shrill voice came through—cold and emotionless, devoid of any human touch, like the chanting of vengeful spirits. The voice said, “Ye Luobaihua, you have no right to choose, nor any chance to leave. You should understand that it was you who gave up your freedom and bound your soul to this cage… Haha!”

The voice came from all directions, as if from the sky itself. Liu Yi couldn’t figure out where it was coming from and frowned slightly. He asked, “Who is that voice? Why is it saying this?”

Ye Luobaihua seemed even more uneasy. “I don’t know.”

Liu Yi did not press further but fell into thought—what exactly did that voice mean? Had Ye Luobaihua given up her freedom and trapped herself in this cage? Could it be… that this dream was related to Ye Luobaihua’s experiences over the years? Although Liu Yi didn’t know much about her, after their last competition in playing the zither, he realized there was another world in her heart, with everything being a disguise. If that was the case, did this cage signify that Ye Luobaihua’s true self had always been sealed away?

Unconsciously, Liu Yi blurted out, “Perhaps she’s right. The one who has trapped you is actually you yourself.” His voice was calm, and after speaking, he glanced at Ye Luobaihua.

Ye Luobaihua’s face was filled with confusion. Hearing Liu Yi’s words, she looked around. High walls reached into the clouds, enclosing her in all directions. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “Why do you say that?”

Liu Yi continued, “Do you remember the piece we played that day? The one you played was called ‘Falling Snow,’ while what I meant was ‘Sealing the Heart.’ I also said that the princess had sealed her true self in an icy world, and the surface version of you wasn’t your true self. After all these years of politics and strife, you’ve long disguised yourself as another Ye Luobaihua.”

Hearing Liu Yi’s words, Ye Luobaihua seemed to think of something and asked, “So… what does that mean? Could it be that this dream reflects two versions of me? That the current me is real, while I’ve been trapping this version of myself here in reality, right?”

Liu Yi nodded gently and said, “I don’t fully understand this either, but I think it means that. If we can break through these barriers and escape now, I believe you’ll be able to regain your freedom.”

Ye Luobaihua thought for a while, then looked around again. “These walls seem to be embedded in the air, with no gaps at all. How can we escape? It sounds easy, but it’s practically impossible.”

Liu Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly. “You misunderstood me. Perhaps you haven’t realized that true freedom must be fought for by yourself. You need to open your heart, stop disguising yourself, and be yourself again—stop trapping yourself in this snowy world. That’s what you need to do.”

Ye Luobaihua seemed to understand something and murmured to herself, “Be myself, stop disguising, open my heart?”

Just then, that shrill voice rang out again, even more unpleasant this time. “Haha, haha, naive Ye Luobaihua. For so many years, you’ve trapped yourself here. Now you want to be yourself? Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt? Keep disguising yourself, my lofty princess. This is your best refuge. In this cage, you won’t be harmed by anyone outside.”

Liu Yi listened carefully to the direction from which the voice came, but every direction seemed to be the source of the sound. He couldn’t determine its location at all. In frustration, he snapped, “Unharmed by outsiders? What about her? All that exists here is loneliness, desolation, coldness, and that ghostly presence. The harm she suffers is far greater than anything an outsider could cause. What exactly are you? Come out!”

The voice stopped for a moment, then a gust of wind arose. The snow ten feet away from Liu Yi and Ye Luobaihua was suddenly swept up. As the cold wind blew, the red snowflakes flashed, forming a red ghostly figure—entirely red in color, human in shape but without any face. With the appearance of this ghostly figure, that shrill and unpleasant voice reached their ears once again: “You may call me the Guardian.”

Liu Yi and Ye Luobaihua both turned to look at the ghostly figure. Strangely, no matter how hard they tried to see clearly, they couldn’t make out its face. They could only vaguely sense a red figure before them. Liu Yi thought to himself, “Guardian? Who is this person? Could it be…?” Judging from the name, “Guardian,” it must be the one preventing Ye Luobaihua from leaving this dream. In just that brief flash of light, Liu Yi seemed to have an idea.

As his thoughts fully formed, Liu Yi instinctively gripped his black long sword. At that moment, the Guardian spoke again, “You guessed right. I appear here because of my fate.”

Ye Luobaihua, however, seemed unaware of what was about to happen and asked, “What fate?”

The Guardian replied, “I am the one who prevents you from leaving this dream. If you stay here peacefully, I won’t appear. But since you now want to leave, I must come out and kill you.”

Liu Yi was shocked and asked, “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

The Guardian didn’t hesitate and replied directly, “It’s simple. This is Ye Luobaihua’s dream, and you have entered the same dream as her. Naturally, I know what you’re thinking.”

After hearing this, Ye Luobaihua said, “If we stay here peacefully, we will never be able to wake up in reality. Are you trying to trap our souls?”

The Guardian replied, “Something like that. But if you leave, it means Ye Luobaihua will return to her true self. By then, the Guardian will no longer be necessary and will disappear. Even for my own life, I must keep you here. My ultimate goal is to kill you.”

Liu Yi seemed to understand everything and snapped, “You’re just Ye Luobaihua’s consciousness. You have no right to demand anything from your master.”

The Guardian remained expressionless and replied calmly, “Yes, I have no right to demand anything from my master. But once consciousness gains life, it develops its own thoughts. So, I won’t demand anything from you now. I will act entirely based on my own thoughts.”

Liu Yi didn’t say much more. He knew that the sentient being before him was entirely created by Ye Luo Baihua to disguise herself. But now, when interests were at stake, it would also act to protect its own interests. Even a life in a virtual dream was like this, let alone people in the real world. Everything was tied to interests.

Seeing the person before her seem somewhat panicked, Ye Luo Baihua asked, “What should we do?”

Liu Yi gripped his sword even tighter and said, “There’s no way out. Either we die here or we kill your guardian and leave this place to enter the next dream.”

The guardian’s shrill voice rang out again, “You will be killed.”

Then, its right hand was raised abruptly. As the guardian raised its hand, the snowflakes on the ground scattered, and a hurricane arose once more. Countless snowflakes condensed into something tangible in an instant. With a flash of red light, a blood-red long sword appeared in the guardian’s right hand, wrapped in white light with a layer of frosty aura, giving off an extremely eerie feeling.

But here, Liu Yi and Ye Luo Baihua seemed accustomed to it by now—anything could happen in a dream, even the most bizarre things.

But it wasn’t over yet. The guardian raised its sword high, then swung it diagonally downward in a wide arc. A cold wind howled instantly, and red snowflakes were swept up again. As they rose, the red light flashed once more. When the light disappeared, the hurricane stopped. Ten red figures identical to the guardian appeared in front of him, each holding a strange long sword.

Ye Luo Baihua couldn’t help but exclaim, “Is it an illusion?”

Liu Yi gently drew his sword with his right hand and said, “Whatever it is, if we can’t kill those things, they’ll kill us.”

Ye Luo Baihua nodded. She spun her green flute lightly before saying to Liu Yi, “Be careful.”

Liu Yi turned to look at her and said, “Yeah, you too.”

As the two were talking, the red guardian pointed with its sword and said, “Kill them.” Along with its ghostly shrill voice, the ten red figures, holding their swords, floated toward Liu Yi and Ye Luo Baihua. Although they didn’t seem fast, in reality, they were incredibly swift. By the time the guardian finished speaking, the ten figures had already reached them.

Liu Yi didn’t waste time. “Hidden Nine Shadows” appeared instantly, and the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, like a streak of light, swiftly slashed at the ten red figures. Ye Luo Baihua also didn’t lag behind, using her green flute to attack those red figures.

Yet, this was after all a dream, and real-world principles couldn’t explain it. Especially those ten red figures—upon Liu Yi’s first few slashes, they immediately realized something was wrong. Instead of dodging, they charged forward, willing to be cut by Liu Yi rather than fail to strike him. Such a reckless fighting style clearly showed they were determined to perish together.

Those who can’t fight fear those who can, those who can fight fear those who fight without a plan, and those who fight without a plan fear those who are reckless. That’s exactly the situation with Liu Yi now—seven out of ten shadows surrounded him, charging forward without fear of being cut off by Liu Yi, so he dared not engage in close combat and tried to keep his distance, using his sword light to cut through the ghostly shadows.

Strangely enough, although these shadows were fierce, they didn’t have any special moves; they were just faster and more troublesome. But with Liu Yi’s careful handling, the seven red shadows were easily dealt with. Liu Yi couldn’t help but look at Ye Luobaihua. Her cultivation level was already high, and with only three ghost shadows attacking her, she also dealt with them effortlessly.

Yet Liu Yi sensed something was wrong. He glanced at the guardian, who showed no expression and said nothing. Was it all too simple? In this dream, the guardian definitely possessed great power, yet the ten ghost shadows he summoned were easily defeated, which made Liu Yi feel uneasy.

Just then, Ye Luobaihua’s pleasant voice came through, saying, “It’s so simple! Let’s kill that guardian, and these walls should disappear.”

As Ye Luobaihua spoke, the long sword in the guardian’s hand moved. A red sword light flashed by. Liu Yi suddenly sensed something and quickly turned to look at Ye Luobaihua, shouting, “Be careful!”

But Liu Yi was a moment too late, and that sword strike was extremely strange. The several ghost shadows that had already been killed by Ye Luobaihua reformed into shapes. Before one of them could get up, the sword had already cut through Ye Luobaihua’s calf. With a sharp pain, bright red blood flowed down her white boots, causing her to lose balance and fall backward.

At this moment, Liu Yi ignored the reformed ghost shadows around him. The power of his 12th-level demonic cultivation rushed through his body. As his energy concentrated rapidly, he moved slightly, creating a flurry of red snowflakes. He quickly appeared behind Ye Luobaihua, wrapped his arms around her waist, and helped her back away.

As they retreated, her white hair was instantly disrupted by the cold wind. The moment Liu Yi turned to ask her, her eyes were covered by her hair. In panic, he asked, “How are you? Does it hurt?”

Ye Luobaihua seemed to pause for a moment, perhaps thinking about something, but soon regained her composure and said, “No, it doesn’t hurt.” Though she said it didn’t hurt, Liu Yi knew from her pale face that the wound must be deep.

After putting some distance between himself and the ten reformed ghost shadows, Liu Yi stopped and gently released his arms from around Ye Luobaihua’s waist, saying, “Hold on a bit longer.” Then, he drew his long sword, but this time he didn’t strike at the ghost shadows. Instead, the sword remained grounded. As a red sword light appeared on the black blade, Liu Yi shouted, “Rise!” Instantly, the snowflakes around them scattered wildly, and land appeared beneath their feet.

Liu Yi sheathed his long sword and walked over to gently support Ye Luo Baihua, saying, “Sit down first. It’s snow everywhere around here, and those ghostly figures are made of snow. I think there’s no safer place than this.” Then, Liu Yi took out the black silk. With the ghostly figures right behind him, he quickly sealed the acupoints on Ye Luo Baihua’s legs and bandaged her wounds before standing up immediately.

Watching the ten ghostly figures floating slowly before him, he thought that if Master Jue Gui found out he had used his precious treasure, the “Black Curtain,” to bandage a woman’s wounds, he would surely achieve enlightenment on the spot. After some thought, Liu Yi even smiled.

Everything happened suddenly and strangely, yet quickly. To Liu Yi, there was no particular feeling at all. Ye Luo Baihua was injured because he had entered this dream world, so he had to protect her. But in the eyes of others, things might not be as Liu Yi saw them—like Ye Luo Baihua’s perspective.

Liu Yi no longer wasted time thinking. The immediate problem was to leave this dream world. However, those stubborn ghostly figures were intangible and completely indestructible. Even if they were shattered, they would rise again with just a swing of the guardian’s sword. At this thought, Liu Yi felt a headache coming on.

After careful consideration, an idea flashed through Liu Yi’s mind. Right… the problem lay with that guardian. If he could kill that guardian, then…

With that thought, Liu Yi tightly gripped the sword hilt with his left hand and did as he thought. As his cultivation of the 12th level of the “Lanerfina Qing” mental technique rapidly improved, his body began to emit a green glow. His vital energy surged throughout his body. Although he couldn’t use the “Four Sorrow Forms,” he could still use the “Formless Style.” With only those ghostly figures ahead, the Formless Style was the best choice.

As Liu Yi channeled the vital energy of the 12th level of “Lanerfina Qing” into the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, at the moment when sword and will merged, he summoned four divine dragons. The four colorful dragons transformed into dragon shadows, circling around his sword. At the moment when the vital energy condensed to its peak, Liu Yi pulled out his sword with a swift motion and shouted, “Formless Style!”

Just as its name suggested, the Formless Style had no fixed moves—it relied entirely on his powerful vital energy and the special “Sorrowful Dream” sword. It was used casually yet could transform into any move. With a roar that shook the heavens, a four-colored sword light turned into four dragon shadows, shooting out instantly. That boundless power, carrying a scorching aura, rushed forward at incredible speed, instantly engulfing everything…