Chapter 171: The Heart of Murder – A World Turned Tragic

As the old saying goes, “One general’s victory comes at the cost of countless bones.” At this moment, the Eternal City of the Demon Realm and the Tianji Star Palace of the Netherworld were like gray wolves in the night, while the dark demonic paths and the righteous forces of the human world became their prey. With swords aimed at the three realms and blades poised across the six paths, a storm of blood and violence was about to descend under the dark skies.

Netherworld – Tianji Star Palace
This was the palace’s back garden. Lan Ying held Gillier’s hand as they walked among the flowers. Watching the fading glow of the sunset, Lan Ying said, “Gillier, these past few days I’ve been working with Brother Ling and haven’t been by your side. Are you upset?”
Gillier smiled and replied, “How could I be? You can’t stay by my side every day.”
Lan Ying smiled and continued, “Brother Ling and I still have something to do. We’ll likely be away for many days. I wonder if Gillier will allow the scholar to go…”
Gillier looked at Lan Ying and thought for a moment. “Hmm… He can go, but if you do, you must promise to think of me once a day. Twice would be even better—once during the day and once at night.”
Lan Ying gently straightened Gillier’s black hair and smiled. “Of course. If I’m away from you, I’ll think of you a thousand times a day.”
Gillier laughed happily. “Then go. Be back soon. I’ve sewed a set of clothes for you at home—wear them when you return.”
Lan Ying looked at Gillier, nodded with a smile, and the two walked deeper into the garden.

Meanwhile, Li Ling had been in the main hall of the Tianji Star Palace. The atmosphere in the hall that day made him uneasy. He sensed the approach of war. On either side of him stood eighteen elite guards dressed similarly, along with the eighteen warriors of the Netherworld. These people never appeared in the hall before, so it was unclear why they were all there today. Their long, curved swords hung neatly at their waists, seemingly signaling something.

As Li Ling paced anxiously back and forth, Lan Ying emerged from behind him. Now, Lan Ying was no longer dressed like a scholar. In Li Ling’s eyes, the person before him was completely different from Lan Ying before. He wore a blue-and-white robe with a black belt tied neatly at his waist. The scholar’s headband had been replaced with a warrior’s band. The once gentle scholar had now become a ruler of a realm. His eyes no longer held kindness but instead wildness, a desire for slaughter, and boundless greed.

Lan Ying flung his robe aside, sat down on his lofty seat, and looked at Li Ling with a sinister smile. “Brother Ling, it’s so late. What brings you to the hall? Do you need something from me?”
Li Ling stepped forward and said, “Brother Lan, today all the warriors are here in the hall. That’s exactly what puzzles me.”
Lan Ying smiled. “Now that the ‘Chapter of Heaven’ has reappeared before the world, both the righteous and the demonic forces of the three realms will surely fight over it. During this chaos, the elites of the righteous side will surely launch a full-scale attack to seize it. That will be the moment their defenses are weakest—our best chance to act. If we act quickly, we can completely subdue the righteous forces of the human world.”

Li Ling bowed once and said, “Please, Brother Lan, think carefully. If you resort to extreme measures just because another sister has been captured, isn’t that too selfish? You must realize how many lives a war takes and how many people’s lives it destroys.”

Hearing this, Lan Ying seemed angered and replied coldly, “Brother Ling, are you criticizing me? Fine, I admit I’m selfish. But have you ever thought that if the Righteous Path truly followed the right way, without coveting that ‘Heavenly Chapter’ and simply uniting together, what way would I have to shake them? If anyone is to be blamed… it’s their ignorance and greed. They caused all this themselves. When blaming others, let them see how filthy their own souls are.”

Li Ling thought his arguments made sense, but in the face of Lan Ying’s rebuttal, he was speechless. Yes, it couldn’t be blamed on Lan Ying—at least not entirely. It was humanity’s greed and ignorance that were the real causes of their downfall. Even if Lan Ying didn’t act now, the Nine Nether Demons wouldn’t easily spare the Righteous Path, and Lan Ying was merely an inevitable outcome.

Lan Ying looked at Li Ling and then smiled, saying, “Brother Ling, I don’t know which side you’ll stand on, but I hope we won’t become enemies.”

Listening to Lan Ying’s words, Li Ling seemed to finally understand something. Yes, the conflicts in the world couldn’t be resolved by one person alone; such heroes didn’t exist. Life’s ups and downs, gains and losses, were all part of an equal balance. Humanity no longer had any pure land left—why should he get involved?

Li Ling shook his head helplessly and suddenly laughed…

Lan Ying found Li Ling’s laughter strange, for he saw it was a genuine smile. At this moment, Li Ling shouldn’t have laughed like that. As a lay disciple of Buddhism, how could he be connected to the Righteous Path? He was about to launch an attack on them, yet he laughed so easily and naturally, as if he were a completely different person from before.

Li Ling stopped laughing and gave a slight smile—a sunny smile, the first he’d shown in days. Looking at Lan Ying, he said, “Seeing through everything leads to emptiness. Within emptiness lie three thousand worlds. We are but a grain of sand in the ocean; it’s impossible to turn the tide. Only now has Li Ling’s heart truly settled. I owe much thanks to the Emperor for his help. Having been disturbed here in thisthe underworld palace for so long, Li Ling must now pursue his own beliefs.”

Lan Ying looked at Li Ling in confusion and said, “Oh?”

Li Ling smiled and said, “A devoted heart follows the breeze. There is pure land in the world. Fame and fortune are but passing clouds. Live freely in the universe. Emperor, take care. One force replacing another is an inevitable outcome of time. Since Li Ling can’t change it, let his devoted heart follow the breeze and seek its own pure land among the worldly affairs. A thousand years from now, perhaps the Emperor will be replaced by someone else. Everything will become but clouds. Since it’s all inevitable, why strive in vain? Li Ling… takes his leave. Living freely in the universe—that is the true joy of life.”

With Li Ling’s four words, a yellow light rose with the wind and vanished into this netherworld. Li Ling’s belief was to find a pure land in the human world. Now, he had finally let go of his attachments. His past obsession with the sword and his perseverance had all faded away like mist. His heart had merged naturally with everything in this world, entering the path of immortals…

At that moment, Lan Ying seemed to be struck by Li Ling’s words, feeling a hint of loss. Li Ling’s four words were deeply engraved in Lan Ying’s heart. Why are people so greedy?

Having given up all attachments and realized the ways of heaven, breaking through the divine realm to enter the path of immortals, Li Ling no longer cared about strife or desires. He set off on a new journey, for he sought a pure land. The first thing he needed to do was meet a great sage…

While Lan Ying was pondering Li Ling’s words, a shadow flashed, and a Nether Warrior appeared in the hall. The dark figure knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, it is said that the ‘Chapter of Heaven’ has appeared in Fengdu Ghost City. At present, the leaders of the six major sects of the righteous path in the human world and the four major sects of the dark demonic path are all leading their elites to Fengdu Ghost City.”

Upon hearing this news, Lan Ying immediately stood up, a red glow flashing in his eyes. With a wave of his right hand, space split open instantly, and a huge long sword appeared in his hand. By now, he had long buried Li Ling’s words. He said to those below, “Warriors, our era is about to arrive. For thousands of years, the human race and the immortal race have lived on these lands of the three realms, while we have forced them to live in spaces of our own creation. Do you agree to that?”

All the guards and warriors shouted in unison, “We do not!” Their voices were loud, echoing throughout the hall.

Lan Ying then said passionately, “Then now is the time for us to overthrow them. We have waited a thousand years for this moment. I want to know, for the better life of our people, are you willing to shed blood?”

Even louder voices than before rang out from the hall, “We are willing!”

Lan Ying cried out even more excitedly, “Good! Then let our blood be shed on this land to secure a broader space for our people. Let us fight with our lives for their happiness. You are the guards of the netherworld, with the blood of the nether race flowing in your veins. I am proud of you…”

With Lan Ying’s further encouragement, all the guards and warriors of the netherworld became frenzied. Lan Ying knew that the most important thing was to arouse their fighting desire, so that they could perform at their best. Here, he implied to everyone that this was a bloody battle, a battle where lives would be lost. Giving them the worst possible scenario was the best choice.

Lan Ying nodded and said, “Where we are going now is the Kunlun Immortal Realm, the Gate of Gods. We must kill everyone, not leaving a single one behind…”

The warriors below responded, “Yes.”

……

The Demon Realm — Eternal City

At this moment, Liu Yi was leaning sideways on a stone bench, with the once-cursed sword “Sorrowful Dream” standing upright between his legs. His right hand, clad in black gloves, gently supported his face. His eyes were closed, seemingly resting or deep in thought. What he really needed to do now was wait—wait for the storm to come, wait for the thing he had always wanted to do.

Behind him stood a middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman, the guardian divine beasts—Qi and Lin. To his left was the Wolf King holding a folding fan, and to his right was a tall man in white, the White Tiger, the third among the guardian divine beasts of the three realms. Everyone’s expression was eerily calm, making it impossible to sense anything.

The lights in the hall were dim, and beneath twelve extremely thick pillars stood twelve Heavenly White Tigers along with their swordsmen. The atmosphere here was quiet, yet driving one mad; its stillness prevented people from thinking. Everything seemed so normal, yet it stirred up chaos in people’s hearts.

Amidst this silence, a gray wolf swordsman rushed into the hall. Upon seeing Liu Yi, the gray wolf knelt down lightly, but the swordsman did not dismount from it. Raising his hands, he said, “Your Majesty, the whereabouts of the ‘Heavenly Chapter’ have been discovered in Fengdu Ghost City. Ao Tian, a master of the demonic path, has led the leaders and guardians of the four demonic sects to seize it, while the six righteous sects of the human world are also rushing to Fengdu Ghost City under the leadership of Qiong Ba.”

Liu Yi did not move, but the Wolf King spoke up, “Has the exact location of the ‘Heavenly Chapter’ been determined?”

The gray wolf swordsman replied, “Sir, the exact location is unknown, but someone has seen the ‘Heavenly Chapter’ appear in Fengdu Ghost City, and it is described as a black sphere.”

The Wolf King nodded and said, “Continue investigating.”

The gray wolf swordsman replied, “Yes,” before leaving the hall.

Just as the Wolf King was about to say something, Liu Yi opened his eyes and sat up straight. He said, “Teacher, there’s no need to worry about the ‘Heavenly Chapter’. Since it’s also a demonic artifact, if we can’t get it, let it be. I don’t care who gets it. What matters to me is reunifying the demonic race.” As he spoke, a red glow flashed in his eyes, as if he saw Wei Lingfeng being forced to death by his own people on Yuecang, or as if he saw his entire family dying at the hands of the demonic race, with love also slipping away from him.

Now, filled with hatred, Liu Yi had forgotten everything. He wanted revenge. He didn’t care who got the ‘Heavenly Chapter’. He wanted those who had hurt him to pay a heavy price.

The Wolf King looked at Liu Yi and nodded. “Your Majesty is right. The demonic race has already sent all their elites to Fengdu Ghost City. But the distance between the demonic race and Fengdu Ghost City isn’t short. So we must act decisively. It’s best not to let the demonic race send messengers out. If Ao Tian and his group discover us, we must quickly deal with them first, then target the leaders of the various demonic sects.”

“Based on my assessment, since everyone wants the ‘Heavenly Chapter’, those sect leaders surely won’t be foolish enough to gather together. We just need to seize the opportunity and eliminate them one by one. Even if they stay together, once we destroy their forces, we will definitely have the ability to subdue the entire demonic race.”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “Mm, what the teacher said makes sense. The Demon Gate is closest to Fengdu Ghost City, so I’ll lead Qi, Lin, and the ordinary swordsmen from the Demon Realm here. The Secret Gate can be handled by the teacher with the twenty-four Earthly Fiend Grey Wolves, while the Blood Gate will be taken care of by the White Tiger with its twelve Heavenly Bright White Tigers. We all need to complete this as quickly as possible and then gather twenty li east of the Tianlong Altar.”

“Yes,” everyone replied after Liu Yi made the assignments. He had his own plan—he wouldn’t eliminate them one by one. Although concentrating forces might result in greater losses, it would significantly improve efficiency and timing, which would also help prevent the demon lords from returning early.

Liu Yi stood up, a red glow flashing in his eyes, and continued, “One more thing—be ruthless with your swords. Those who surrender can be spared, but anyone who resists must be killed.”

“Yes,” everyone agreed with Liu Yi, except for the Wolf King, who remained silent. Someone asked, “Lord Demon, isn’t this… a bit too cruel?”

Liu Yi looked at the Wolf King and said calmly, “Being kind to enemies only leads to self-destruction. Those who obey prosper, while those who resist perish. Since we’ve embarked on this path, there’s no need to look back. We must fight to the death—failure means extinction. We’re facing the four major sects. If we give them a chance to breathe, I fear we’ll never have another chance.”

The Wolf King nodded. Yes, Liu Yi was right. Once on this path of conquest and revenge, there was no need for kindness. A ruler who stands high must have bones piled at their feet. However, Liu Yi’s mindset had changed so drastically that the Wolf King found it hard to accept. The gentle scholar of ten years ago had now become the master of the Demon Realm, leading the demons and becoming a powerful figure.

Liu Yi raised his voice again and said, “This time, it depends on all of you.”

Voices responded below, “Thank you, Lord Demon, for your concern.”

Liu Yi gripped his sword in his left hand and walked downward. When he reached the entrance of the grand hall, he turned back and glanced inside once more, saying, “I hope you all return safely. You are all Liu Yi’s brothers.” With that, he turned and left the hall.

This time, Liu Yi’s words went unresponded, but everyone knew it was out of concern. True concern isn’t expressed through empty flattery; a single word can prove a person’s heart.

Liu Yi then mobilized a hundred ordinary swordsmen from the Demon Realm, invoked ‘Sorrowful Dream,’ and headed straight toward the Demon Gate with Qi and Lin.

The black long sword carried its master, cutting through the night sky and weaving through the clouds. Liu Yi’s heart was extremely agitated; his hatred seemed ready to be unleashed. After mastering the thirteenth level of the Demon Art, the World-Destroying Level, he had acquired a heart of slaughter—this was the heart a demon should have. At this moment, all he desired was revenge, blood, and killing. Only by ending others’ lives could he find pleasure.

The wind blew swiftly past his body. The sun rose and the moon set—everything seemed so natural. The clouds continued to drift in the wind as before, but the world was changing, at least the worlds of humans, demons, and immortals. A long rain of blood and wind was beginning to brew.

Time passed little by little—who could know exactly? As they flew swiftly on their swords, a black palace appeared before Liu Yi and his companions. Six swordsmen stood at the palace’s entrance, moving around in defensive positions.

Liu Yi knew this was the location of the Demon Gate. The palace seemed eerily familiar—after all, in his past life, he had been its master, while Aotian was the one who overthrew him. Under Aotian’s cruel ambitions, he and his lover had died on the cliffs of Lengyue Mountain. Once indifferent, the memories of those past events now made him even more irritable. As they approached the Demon Gate, a faint white light flashed. Liu Yi realized it was an ancient formation—one he was all too familiar with.

Liu Yi and his group gently landed at the entrance. Due to the barrier of the ancient formation, Liu Yi didn’t rush in. The six men at the entrance seemed to sense something amiss. The leader stepped to the edge of the formation and shouted loudly, “Who are you? What brings you here?”

Liu Yi stared at the man, gripping ‘Sorrowful Dream’ in his left hand and lowering his right hand vertically. A red glow flashed in his eyes as he roared, “Wushi!” Along with his cry, a beam of light—driven by speed, fueled by the power of the Four Divine Dragons, and imbued with the sword intent of the 13th-level ‘Lanelfina Qing’—flashed across the ancient formation.

In that instant, the sky turned blood red; in that instant, the wind howled in sorrow; in that instant, the demon sword sliced through heaven and earth. The world was no longer peaceful—there was no pure land. Everything would be dyed red with blood and piled high with bones. His desire for slaughter truly began to grow. With a metallic clang as the sword was sheathed, Liu Yi waved his right hand and shouted, “Kill them all…”