Chapter 115: A Dream of the Obsessed Sword, Sword Light Turning into Rainbow Stars

Before anyone could react, an orange-colored glow flashed by. With the gentle breeze carried by that light, a young man appearing to be in his twenties appeared before them.

The young man was dressed in gray robes typical of a knight, holding an orange-colored long sword in his right hand. His familiar face now looked even younger and more handsome, his eyes revealing a passionate fascination with the world. It was Li Ling, whom Liu Yi had met ten years ago. Unexpectedly, he had picked up a sword again—though he was no longer the obsessed swordman of before. Perhaps the dream of the obsessed sword had changed along with him.

Li Ling smiled confidently at A Jiu and Shui Er and said, “What, you don’t believe me?”

No one spoke. But then there was always someone who couldn’t stay silent. Lan Ren looked at Li Ling and said, “You brat, did you just wean? So many adults are having serious discussions here. Stop causing trouble, kid. It seems the Three Realms have truly declined.” It seemed she regarded herself as an outsider, someone not belonging to the Three Realms, criticizing this world.

A few leaders couldn’t help but laugh. They certainly knew Li Ling. Although he was a lay disciple of Buddhism, he hadn’t returned to Buddhism for a hundred years. Ever since he ranked among the top six in the martial arts competition thirty years ago, he had disappeared. Some said Li Ling had gone to the mountains with Leng Jian to study the essence of swordsmanship, while others claimed he had abandoned swords and retired. But legends were just legends—unrealistic. Now, Li Ling had appeared in person, and judging from his youthful appearance, his cultivation level must have surpassed that of a Heavenly Being. If he participated in this martial arts competition and fought to the end, the greatest swordmaster in the Three Realms might need to be reevaluated.

Everyone was laughing at Lan Ren. Compared to Li Ling, she was just a brat with yellow hair. But no one mentioned that her sword was also extremely powerful.

Li Ling wasn’t angry. He turned the orange “Scorching Sun” sword in his left hand, slinging it across his back, and smiled at the blue-eyed girl. “Young lady, be careful with your words. If you doubt my strength, you’re welcome to test me. But don’t be too harsh—I might not be able to handle it.”

Lan Ren was actually provoked by Li Ling’s words. She stood up and said, “Huh… You little brat! You get flustered just because I call you fat. What, do you want to test my sword too?”

Li Ling remained silent, his face still smiling. Perhaps that was the truth he had truly understood over the past ten years: “No matter how great the setbacks ahead, we must face them with a smile.”

Blue Blade seemed enraged by Li Ling’s smile and snapped, “Fine, I’ll show you just how powerful my ‘Heavenly Demon Tyrant Blade’ is.” Suddenly, she raised her right hand, and in an instant, a white glow gathered in her palm, flickering continuously. Then, Blue Blade moved—her right hand swung down swiftly. It was just a flash of lightning, just enough time for a thought. As her hand descended, a giant sword of light appeared, extending all the way to Li Ling’s head. Its speed and ferocity were rarely seen in these three realms. This strike was clearly far more powerful than the one she had used in the arena—perhaps she had been angered by Li Ling’s bold words.

Although everyone knew Li Ling’s strength, the leaders of the black and white factions still worried for him, as Li Ling remained smiling and motionless. Moreover, the opponent’s strike was extremely fierce. They feared that if Li Ling was careless, he might be split in two by that girl.

Just as the giant sword of light was about ten feet above Li Ling’s head, Li Ling moved. His mouth and hand moved together—his right hand swiftly executed a complex motion, reaching for the sword at his waist. At the same time, he said, “Originally, there is nothing; where could dust cling?” With those gentle words, an orange-yellow light formed a half-moon shape, drawing a beautiful rainbow above Li Ling’s head. Without any sound or sense of impact, the white sword of light was instantly shattered into powder, turning into countless glimmers that scattered around the beautiful rainbow…

A Jiu shouted loudly, “It’s so beautiful! Look, those white sparks look like stars, and that rainbow—so pretty!”

Li Ling turned his ‘Scorching Sun’ sword and slowly sheathed it behind his back. Then he continued, “A hundred years of dreaming with a foolish sword; now I return to the mortal world.” Looking at Blue Blade, he smiled and said, “Young girl, your swordsmanship is indeed formidable. If I hadn’t abandoned my sword ten years ago, I might not have been able to withstand it. But we are just ordinary people from the mortal realm. In these three realms, there are many who have seen through life and death, forgotten fame and fortune, and refused to become immortals—like Brother Cold Sword. If you met him, perhaps you’d understand what true swordsmanship is.”

His tone was filled with deep admiration, as if Li Ling had met this person named Cold Sword over the past ten years…

Blue Blade pouted and said, “These few sword moves were taught to me by my brother for self-defense. If my brother were in this world, anyone—like Cold Sword or some hermit—would be defeated by his sword.” Though her tone was arrogant, it still shocked everyone. Could there be even more mysterious people in this world? Who was her brother? If her swordsmanship was taught to her only for self-defense… that was terrifying.

The Wolf King was also pondering this…

But Li Ling continued, “Under this starry sky, there is no best—only better. You might think your brother is the strongest, but how do you know he has no enemies in his heart? A true enemy is someone who can stand equal to your brother.”

The Wolf King abruptly broke the silence and laughed loudly, “Haha, Brother Ling is right! It’s been ten years—your cultivation has truly advanced!”

Li Ling smiled and said, “Thank you, Wolf King, for your praise.” With that, she walked toward her master, Jue Gui… It had been ten years since they last met. Although both Li Ling and Jue Gui were over a hundred years old, the bond between master and disciple between them was indescribable. The Wolf King continued, “Since Li Ling will accompany the Great Sword King and the Ten Heroes, I’m relieved. But there’s one last thing needed—a feather from the Golden Peacock. This Golden Peacock lives in the desolate lands in the far northwest. It should have lived in places with lush water and grass, but due to the hunting by gods and demons, it fled to those barren lands. There, in a special oasis, lives the Golden Peacock. We just need to obtain the multicolored feather right in the middle of its back.” As soon as the Wolf King finished speaking, the Dragon God stepped forward with his granddaughter and said, “Let this task be handled by us, the old and the young. Although the Golden Peacock isn’t an animal, my granddaughter can communicate with spiritual creatures naturally, so it should be easy for us.” The Wolf King nodded with a smile. “It’s truly heaven’s help. Now that everything is arranged, let’s rest well tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll set off separately. Everyone must remember to return as quickly as possible, but also be careful—without success, we’ll have no way back.” Liu Yi, who had remained silent until then, spoke up after hearing the Wolf King’s words, “Master, we shouldn’t thank heaven, but rather these friends for their help. It was this damned heaven that brought about the Nine Nether Demons, causing all this disaster. What we should thank now is ourselves, as we’re using our own strength to save ourselves.” The Wolf King nodded. “Good. The Demon Lord is right. Let’s raise our cups and toast to saving ourselves…” “Okay…” Everyone was immersed in joy, forgetting about yesterday, forgetting hatred. All the fame and power struggles had weighed heavily on them, but now they could forget—what a relief… And on this intoxicating night, a pair of blue eyes kept staring at Li Ling’s smiling face… As they watched, they too began to smile.