Chapter 217: Returning to Reality, the Monsters of the Barren Mountains Seek Aid

Sometimes, we can’t tell the difference between reality and dreams. Perhaps we find hope in illusions, but in this real world, we see despair. It’s hard to distinguish truth from falsehood—maybe we’re too persistent. Why not just go with the flow? Perhaps everything will be better that way…
…
Everything happened so suddenly that even Liu Yi couldn’t explain what happened in his dream, including the words of the prophet. They spent who knows how much time searching for the prophet, only to realize at the end that the process had been so long, yet the outcome passed in an instant.
Suddenly, Liu Yi’s mind grew clear, as if emerging from clouds. When he sat up, he found he could see again. This place was so familiar—surrounded by light blue ice, with star-like blue lights floating in the air. The cold atmosphere made him even more alert and clear-minded.
Liu Yi suddenly remembered: yes, this was the entrance to the real dream that Ye Luobaihua had taken him to before. So… if that’s the case, had they returned to this real world? And his eyes could see now, inexplicably. To confirm further that this wasn’t a dream, Liu Yi instinctively raised his right hand, intending to place it in front of his eyes to prove he wasn’t blind anymore.
As his right hand moved slightly, he suddenly felt something attached to it—soft and warm. Liu Yi naturally turned his head. The moment his eyes stopped moving, his right hand also stopped. It turned out his right hand was tied to Ye Luobaihua’s left hand. At that moment, Ye Luobaihua also woke up and sat up.
Although Liu Yi had seen Ye Luobaihua’s beautiful face and slender figure in his dream, nothing matched the reality now. His gaze became lost in admiration for such beauty. Just then, Ye Luobaihua hurriedly tried to untie the silk binding their hands. In her haste, she freed both of them. She casually asked, “Have we left the dream?”
Liu Yi pulled back his hand, stood up, and looked around. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “Just look around—won’t you know if this is the City Without Tears?”
Ye Luobaihua also stood up and looked around. Then, she smiled and said in her pleasant voice, “Yes, I think we’ve escaped that dream. Look, your eyes can see now, right?”
Liu Yi instinctively waved his right hand in front of his eyes and replied, “Mm, it seems the prophet is really powerful.”
Ye Luobaihua glanced at Liu Yi. At the moment of eye contact, she quickly turned her head away and said, “Mm, but… he seemed to say your eyes weren’t blind at all. I don’t understand what that means. I can’t figure it out.”

After hearing Ye Luo Baihua’s words, Liu Yi also remembered the sentence spoken by the Prophet when he woke up. After careful thought, he seemed to understand something, though not clearly. However, Liu Yi didn’t want Ye Luo Baihua to know about this, so he quickly changed the subject and said, “By the way, I’m not sure how long we’ve been in this dream. I remember that Wulei City was surrounded by Ye Luo Xiong. I wonder what’s going on outside now.”

As soon as Liu Yi said this, it drew Ye Luo Baihua’s attention away. Only then did she remember that she was the princess of Wulei City. The Ye Luo family was in great peril, with the enemy at the city’s gates, and the city could fall at any moment. After going through so much, Ye Luo Baihua had become even braver and stronger. Thinking of this, she nodded and said, “Let’s go out and take a look together.”

Liu Yi nodded gently. But before and after the dream, Ye Luo Baihua seemed like two different people. In her eyes, he saw more worry and responsibility—the responsibility of a princess toward her people. Perhaps, after experiencing life and death countless times, we all understand that being alive is better than anything else.

Ye Luo Baihua’s steps were light but quick. One stone door after another opened quickly as they walked through the labyrinthine ice caves. They didn’t know how many halls and stone paths they had passed. As a bright light appeared ahead, a warm feeling washed over Liu Yi’s heart. It felt familiar yet distant—it was sunlight.

Upon exiting the cave, they saw guards holding long swords standing on the stone paths on both sides of the entrance. At this moment, Ye Luo Baihua seemed unimpressed by this new world; she was more concerned about her people. She quickened her pace unconsciously, and Liu Yi followed closely behind. Soon, they reached the familiar corridor. Liu Yi hadn’t seen it before, but now it appeared splendidly decorated, with stone pillars three zhang tall, standing in rows of twelve—truly befitting a princess’s city.

As they quickly passed through the corridor, they arrived in the council hall. The hall was spacious and towering, with six chairs on each side and a high-backed cushioned chair at the front. Liu Yi could easily imagine that this was the council hall he had visited before. On the right side of the hall, there was an old man with furrowed brows, seemingly deep in thought about some difficult problem.

Liu Yi had never seen this man before, so he didn’t recognize him. Just then, Ye Luo Baihua spoke up, “Uncle Jian, what are you doing here?”

From her way of addressing him, Liu Yi naturally knew that this energetic old man was one of the elders of the Ye Luo family—Ye Luo Jianmu. When Ye Luo Jianmu saw Ye Luo Baihua suddenly appear before him, he quickly stood up, walked over to her, and said with evident excitement, “Princess, how did you return so quickly?”

Ye Luo Baihua asked curiously, “How long have we been away?”

Without even thinking, Ye Luo Jianmu replied, “Not even fifteen minutes.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi was surprised but showed no outward reaction. After all, in the dream, he had experienced ten years. Compared to that, this seemed similar as well. He simply said with a hint of sigh, “In dreams, it feels like another world. Looking back, time passes in an instant.”

Ye Luo Jianmu naturally knew that the person before him was Liu Yi, and he quickly asked, “Has Lord Liu’s eye been cured?”
Liu Yi nodded gently. Ye Luo Jianmu couldn’t help but look at Ye Luo Baihua. Although she still seemed like Ye Luo Baihua, she was completely different from the person she had been just fifteen minutes ago. It was hard to put into words exactly what had changed. Suddenly, Ye Luo Jianmu noticed a strip of black silk tied around her and asked, “What’s this…?”
Ye Luo Baihua glanced at Ye Luo Jianmu, thought for a moment, and replied, “The legend about that dream is true. It felt like we spent years inside, but only fifteen minutes passed outside. These are injuries I suffered accidentally in the dream.”
Hearing Ye Luo Baihua’s words, Ye Luo Jianmu understood that she didn’t want to explain everything in detail. Perhaps they really had gone through a lot in that dream.
At that moment, Ye Luo Baihua asked, “Uncle Jian, where has Uncle Ming gone?”
Ye Luo Jianmu replied, “Ye Luo Xiong has arrived at the city gates and just issued his final ultimatum. He gave us three days to decide. If we don’t surrender, he will kill everyone in the city. Brother Ming is worried that Ye Luo Xiong has some scheme, so he’s been watching from outside the city walls.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Luo Baihua said without hesitation, “No, it’s impossible. Ye Luo Xiong is cruel and heartless by nature. If we hand over the Ye Luo family to him, there will only be suffering and chaos. Even if he kills everyone in the city, we must not surrender.” Her voice was beautiful, yet it carried a firmness that left no room for doubt.
Seeing Ye Luo Baihua’s determination, Ye Luo Jianmu smiled and nodded, saying, “Princess, you’ve finally grown up. If your people heard what you’re saying now, I think they would be happy for you. Only you would think of them.”
Ye Luo Baihua shook her head gently, then turned and took a few steps away before saying in a desperate tone, “So what? I have the will but not the power. I can’t help them. What can I do when the rebels are at the city gates? Perhaps it’s all my fault—my fault for not understanding things before, my fault for not having the ability to protect them…” Her voice grew faint. The once emotionless princess now seemed sentimental, unable to help her people at such a critical moment.
Ye Luo Jianmu found Ye Luo Baihua’s words strange, but mostly relieved. He gently patted Princess Baihua’s shoulder and said, “Princess, having such a heart is enough. When fate isn’t on our side, why blame ourselves? We just need to do our best. As long as we’re alive, we won’t have any regrets.” At these words, Ye Luo Jianmu also seemed disheartened, seeing no hope, and they could only comfort each other like this.
The hall fell silent then, with no sound at all. Everything was so quiet, waiting quietly for death to come. Everyone knew that with such a huge disparity in strength, defeat was inevitable.
It was unclear how long this quiet time lasted, but Liu Yi stood up first, breaking the silence. He glanced at Ye Luo Jianmu, then at Ye Luo Baihua, before saying, “As long as we don’t give up, despair can turn into hope.”

Ye Luo Baihua had naturally heard these words before, but at this moment, they held no meaning in her heart. How could inevitable despair turn into hope? Looking into Liu Yi’s eyes, she was once again confused. Meanwhile, Ye Luo Jianmu seemed to sense something hidden in Liu Yi’s words, as if he had a solution.

Ye Luo Jianmu hurried over and asked, “Young Master Liu, do you have any way to help us avoid this disaster? If so, the Ye Luo family will be grateful for generations.”

Liu Yi smiled and shook his head. “It makes me feel guilty for Senior Jian to say such things. If there’s anyone to be grateful to, it should be Princess Baihua. At least she has taught me many things. We’re not gods—how can we expect heaven to fulfill our wishes? So, everything depends on us. I don’t believe in absolutes. Since this has happened, we must face it and solve it, rather than waiting here.”

Ye Luo Jianmu naturally didn’t know what Ye Luo Baihua had taught Liu Yi, but hearing his words, he stopped thinking about failure. Now, he had only one thought: to use his last strength to solve the problem, because some things must be faced—this was responsibility.

Liu Yi continued, “Everyone has overlooked one issue.”

Ye Luo Jianmu quickly asked, “What issue?”

Liu Yi replied, “It’s still that issue—the huge disparity in strength between us and our enemies. Relying on ourselves alone won’t work, so we need to borrow troops.”

Without hesitation, Ye Luo Jianmu said, “Has Young Master Liu forgotten that the Ye Luo family and the Lan family only have resentment, no goodwill? Besides, the Mingyue family won’t get involved in any matters. I think… borrowing troops is even harder than reaching the heavens.”

Liu Yi wasn’t surprised by Ye Luo Jianmu’s objection. He simply smiled lightly and said, “That’s exactly the issue we’ve overlooked. Perhaps… the Netherworld isn’t limited to just these people.”

Ye Luo Baihua seemed to sense that Liu Yi was implying something else and quickly asked, “So what do you mean?”

Liu Yi looked at Ye Luo Baihua and continued, “Just now, as I entered the corridor of this council hall, I noticed a small mystery. That corridor was very imposing, with twelve pillars each carved with different beasts that looked terrifying. What I want to know is—do these beasts really exist?”

Hearing Liu Yi’s words, Ye Luo Jianmu didn’t immediately understand how this related to borrowing troops. He nodded and said, “Those are monsters seen by the ancestors of the Ye Luo family in the Great Desolation Mountains. Among them are demon beasts, spiritual beasts, and divine beasts. The clan elders thought those monsters were impressive, so they used them as decorations.”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “So, in the Netherworld, there are not only people but also beasts?”

Ye Luo Baihua seemed to understand what Liu Yi meant and said, “You mean… you want to bring those beasts back to fight against Ye Luo Xiong?”

Upon hearing this, Ye Luo Jianmu happily slapped his leg and said, “That’s right! There are far more beasts than people.” But soon, he became disappointed and said, “No, it’s impossible. It’s already hard to tame just one of those monsters, let alone bringing back many.”

Hearing Ye Luo Jianmu’s concern, Ye Luo Baihua also nodded in agreement. “Yes.”

Liu Yi was confident and shook his head, saying, “You misunderstand. I’m not going to tame them; I’m going to provoke them. I want many, many angry monsters to follow me.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Luo Jianmu’s eyes lit up suddenly, and he said, “That’s right! How could I have thought of that? Taming them would take a long time, but provoking them is much easier.”
Liu Yi nodded in agreement and said, “Senior Jian is right. Besides, I have the Blood of Fury—no monster can resist it. Once I lure them here, it will only take an instant to crush Ye Luo Xiong.”
Ye Luo Baihua seemed to think of something and said urgently, “No, those monsters have all kinds of supernatural abilities—they’re a thousand times more dangerous than humans. Moreover, bringing them in large numbers is too risky.”
Liu Yi looked at Ye Luo Baihua. Of course, he understood that this foolish princess was worried about him. But there was no other choice. He paused for a moment and said, “You must trust me. I’ll return safely.”
Ye Luo Baihua still shook her head, insisting, “No, no… It’s still not possible. How about I go with you?”
Liu Yi quickly shook his head and said, “Absolutely not. Right now, Wu Lei City needs you the most. If you leave like this, Wu Lei City will surely fall without a fight. So, you must stay here and wait for good news from me.”
Ye Luo Baihua seemed determined to insist, but at that moment, Ye Luo Jianmu also came over and said, “Princess, Young Master Liu is right. An army needs a general, and a city needs a ruler. If you leave like this, Wu Lei City will be in danger. Please think of its millions of people.”
Liu Yi smiled lightly and said, “I’m not trying to scare you—it’s true. Wait for my good news. While I’m away, both you and Senior Jian have important tasks: keep an eye on Ye Luo Xiong’s movements every day. If I haven’t returned in three days, delay things as long as you can. Do you understand? The fate of Wu Lei City depends on us—nothing else matters.”
Liu Yi clearly explained the urgency of the situation. Ye Luo Baihua still seemed worried, but after thinking for a while, she finally nodded and said, “Alright, as you say. You’ll return safely.”
Liu Yi nodded. He didn’t know if this promise could be fulfilled. Even if everything else worked in his favor, what about himself? What about his demonic powers? With few words, he simply nodded gently.
Ye Luo Baihua stretched out her hand, and somehow, a jade flute appeared in it. The flute was two feet and four inches long, with white glowing light within the jade. Liu Yi remembered that this flute hid a peerless divine sword—he had seen it when killing Ye Luo Chou. Now, Ye Luo Baihua held the jade flute in front of Liu Yi and said, “Take this.”
Looking at Ye Luo Baihua’s serious expression, Liu Yi asked, “Why? My sword isn’t any worse than yours.”
Ye Luo Baihua seemed stuck by Liu Yi’s question and didn’t know what to say. After thinking for a while, she replied, “Since I can’t go with you, take this sword. It’s been with me since I was young. If you have it, I’ll feel more at ease.”

Liu Yi was certainly not a fool. How could the concern between friends be so warm? Some things happened without even one realizing it. At that moment, Ye Luo Jianmu also came over and said, “Young Master Liu, the ‘Furuo’ Sword is one of the sacred weapons of the Ye Luo family. Although it may not be sharper than your sword, it is still a treasure. Since the princess is willing to give it to you, take it. It might be useful to you.”

Liu Yi glanced at Ye Luo Jianmu, then at Ye Luo Baihua. Without further refusal, he picked up the jade-colored flute, nodded, and said, “If that’s the case, I’ll accept it. I will return it in three days.”

Then Liu Yi added, “Elder Jian, please prepare a sketch of the Great Desolation Mountains for me. Also, get me a ‘Scorpion Bird’—I want to reach the Great Desolation Mountains as soon as possible.”

Ye Luo Jianmu nodded and said, “Alright, young master, please wait a moment.” With that, he turned and walked out of the hall…

Now, only Liu Yi and Ye Luo Baihua were left in the hall. Seeing Ye Luo Baihua’s worried expression, Liu Yi wanted to say something but couldn’t. He knew that saying anything now would be an admission, causing her even more pain in the future. But what else could he do? Sometimes, great grudges seemed easier to resolve.

Finally, Ye Luo Baihua spoke first. “Remember what you said. You must return safely.”

Liu Yi smiled bitterly, nodded, and said, “You too must remember to defend Wulue City. Wait for me to return…”