Chapter 135: Illusion as Reality, Calm Before the Storm

In the east, a glimmer of dawn marked the beginning of a new day. Those from the righteous path and the demonic path, after a night of celebration, were drunk and in a daze. It seemed few had opened their eyes; drunkards lay scattered across the ground.

Yet one person was awake—the Wolf King. Though he had drunk heavily during last night’s celebration, he wasn’t intoxicated because he had something on his mind. Liu Yi hadn’t returned all night, and it happened to be a full moon night. The Wolf King kept reminding himself, “Nothing bad can have happened. Nothing bad can have happened.”

But after searching the area thoroughly, he found no trace of Liu Yi, and a badpremonition arose in his heart. Could something really have happened yesterday?

As the sun rose higher, those who had survived the calamity began to disperse. Qiong Ba, leading the righteous path, and Ao Tian, leader of the demonic path, went their separate ways. It seemed that with the calamity gone, the war between the righteous and demonic paths had begun.

The White Tiger approached the Wolf King and asked anxiously, “Elder Wolf, the Demon Lord hasn’t returned all night. I’m worried something might have happened to him.”

The Wolf King shook his fan and nodded. “I’m worried about the same thing. The Demon Lord’s cultivation method has flaws. I’m afraid something happened to him yesterday, but there’s still no news.”

Qi and Lin stood beside the Wolf King, silent, though their eyes also showed concern…

At that moment, Li Ling came over and said, “Brother Wolf King, the calamity has passed. I must take my leave now.”

The Wolf King glanced at Li Ling and nodded. “Good. May we meet again if fate allows.”

Li Ling smiled slightly and turned toward Fengdu Ghost City…

The Wolf King watched Li Ling disappear, then sighed and said to the White Tiger, “Go and scatter the Twelve Heavenly White Tigers and the Twenty-Four Earthly Fiend Wolves to search the area. Qi and Lin and I will search for the Demon Lord’s whereabouts. I think… something must have happened to him; otherwise, there would be news by now. In three days, regardless of whether there’s news or not, we’ll meet here again.”

The White Tiger nodded and left.

As for Li Ling, he had just walked a short distance, about to use his sword to fly, when a voice called from behind, “You brat, where are you going?”

Li Ling turned and saw the arrogant blue-eyed girl, Lan Bian, along with another graceful woman—Tian Jiao, whom he had heard people call by name last time.

Li Ling smiled and said, “Miss Lan, what’s the matter? I don’t recall any grudges between us.”

Lan Bian laughed awkwardly. “How could there be any grudges? I’m just curious—curious where you’re going. Haven’t you heard that the master of Eternal City has gone missing?”

Li Ling smiled. “So what if I’ve heard? What does he have to do with me? If he’s missing, his subordinates will find him. I have my own matters to attend to.”

Lan Bian stared at Li Ling and stepped forward, saying mysteriously, “You… this rogue, what’s your hurry?”

Li Ling looked at Lan Bian’s ridiculous appearance and said, “I suspect… the Nine Nether Demon God isn’t sealed.”

In one sentence, it stunned Blue Blade, who was joking, and Tianjiao, who was deep in thought—how could Fengdu Ghost City become so peaceful if the Nine Nether Demon God hadn’t been sealed?
Blue Blade looked at Li Ling and smiled, saying, “Kid, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t speak carelessly. If that Nine Nether Demon God hadn’t been sealed, why is it so quiet here?”
Li Ling shook his head and said, “Don’t you think this is too simple? The Nine Nether Demon God is a demon god that has existed since the creation of the world. If he knew someone would try to seal him again, would he make the same mistake twice? That’s why I want to go to Fengdu Ghost City to find out for myself.”
Blue Blade glanced at Li Ling’s smile and suddenly said, “Sure, it’s just right that Tianjiao and I have nothing to do. Let’s go together and see what that ghost city is like.”
Li Ling looked at Tianjiao, then back at Blue Blade’s face, and said, “Girl, this isn’t a game. If what I guess turns out to be true, then… we’re in trouble.”
Blue Blade laughed, “I’m not afraid at all. If that Nine Nether Demon God dares to bother me even a little, I’ll ask my brother to chop him into pieces.”
Hearing Blue Blade constantly mention his brother, Li Ling felt curious, but his hundred years of cultivation had given him a certain mindset toward the mysterious things in this world, so he didn’t press further.
Li Ling continued, “Alright, I really want to see how powerful your brother’s swordsmanship is when I have time. But I have to leave now. If you want to follow, come along—but I don’t have time to take care of you.”
Blue Blade took Tianjiao’s hand and laughed, “What are you joking about? We don’t need your care.”
Amidst laughter, the three raised their swords and flew toward Fengdu Ghost City at the same time…
In the sky, Blue Blade asked Li Ling, “Hey, do you really not know who the master of that Eternal City is?”
Li Ling shook his head and said, “How could I know someone from the demon realm? You overestimate me.”
Blue Blade smiled and said, “Things are unpredictable. How do you know you don’t know him? I guarantee you’ve met him before. Really, you must have some memory of him.”
Li Ling thought for a moment and said, “Alright, girl, stop teasing me. Tell me who he is.”
Blue Blade thought for a while before answering, “Liu Yi.”
Hearing the name Liu Yi, Li Ling was indeed shocked. Not only had he met Liu Yi before, but he had also saved him once ten years ago and encountered the Great Sword King and several of the Top Ten Heroes. Yet, the last time he saw the Great Sword King, they said Liu Yi was already dead.
Seeing Li Ling deep in thought, Blue Blade continued, “Surprised? But you don’t need to be. He isn’t dead—he’s become a demon. And his disappearance might once again cause chaos in the martial world. Although he’s not as terrifying as the Nine Nether Demon God, he can still stir up the same storms and shake the three realms.”
Li Ling didn’t understand Blue Blade’s words and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Blue Blade explained, “In today’s world, the three realms are divided into three parts: in the north lies the righteous path of humanity, in the south the dark path of demons, and in the west lies the Eternal City. Now that its ruler has disappeared, what impact will this have on the previously peaceful paths of demons and righteousness? The two major forces have been restraining themselves from attacking the suddenly rising demon realm, but now that a third force has vanished, chaos will surely reign once again among the righteous and demons.”
Li Ling glanced at Blue Blade and began to see her blue-eyed girl in a new light. He continued, “You’re very clever, with such thorough analysis. I admire you, Li Ling.”
Blue Blade smiled and said, “There’s even more surprising news. You don’t need to worry about the three realms. My brother promised to meet me soon in a place called Lotus Town. If he’s in the mood, he might even get involved in this struggle for power.”
For a moment, it seemed that the end of this calamity marked the beginning of a new one, prompting deep reflection. But who could be sure that the apocalypse had truly ended?
Perhaps Li Ling was right—it’s hard to make the same mistake twice, especially considering the Nine Nether Demon God’s thousands of years of cultivation. But if he hadn’t been sealed, why is Fengdu Ghost City so quiet now? Could it be that the Nine Nether Demon God knew about this calamity and deliberately pretended to be sealed by Liu Yi? But what was his goal?
Part Three, Volume Nine: Flowers Fall, the Long Blade Leaves No Trace