Chapter 172: On the Edge of Death, the Demon of Six Desires Has Love

Human greed and desire have led to wars that arise time and again, only to be destroyed again. For thousands of years, how many have repeated this foolish act? It is said that fame and fortune are like passing clouds, but how many can truly withstand their trials? Though one may have no intention to fight, fate’s changes leave no choice.

Red clouds swept across the sky, and furious hurricanes let out mournful cries, as if announcing the start of war and the downfall of the world. The red clouds grew denser, seemingly pressing down on everyone’s heads. A fierce killing intent spread instantly throughout the demon sect’s palace. Under the glow of those red clouds, the black palace turned blood-red.

Qi and Lin drew their swords, and the six guards at the entrance were instantly killed. With their cultivation levels, Qi and Lin were on par with the Wolf King, any elder, or even a guardian figure—comparable even to the sect leader. How could those mere guards survive their swords?

In an instant, Qi and Lin led a hundred swordsmen inside. But as they entered the palace, they seemed to trigger some defensive formations, causing the entire palace to brighten instantly.

Although Aotian had taken away the sect’s elites, the demon sect was still the foremost faction in the path of darkness, and its strength should not be underestimated. The moment the palace lit up, a sea of people rushed out—at least a thousand swordsmen. The disparity in numbers put the hundred swordsmen of Eternal City under siege.

Fighting one-on-one was very different from battling in a crowd. No matter how high one’s cultivation was, how could they withstand thousands of flying swords? With each sword varying in speed, angle, and direction, it was hard to use techniques effectively in such chaos. Thus, Qi and Lin relied on their superior cultivation to move through the crowd.

But the other hundred swordsmen struggled greatly. The huge disparity in numbers put Eternal City at a severe disadvantage. In this chaos, they could only defend themselves, while more and more swordsmen from the demon sect rushed out to join the battle. It was entirely possible that there were now three thousand swordsmen on the demon sect’s side.

In the chaos, people fell one after another, screaming in pain. Rivers of red blood flowed, and corpses piled up. The swordsmen of Eternal City fought to defend themselves while being pushed back. Only Qi and Lin, relying on their higher cultivation, continued to fight fiercely.

Watching this scene, Liu Yi smiled. It seemed he was recalling the tragedy that had befallen his family twenty-five years ago—the cold wind, the blood rain, the corpses burning his heart like scorching flames. His eyes emitted red light, his white hair danced wildly. His sorrow and hatred were fully unleashed by his killing instinct.

“The Thirteenth Level of Lanerfina Qing” activated spontaneously, with a purplish-red glow emanating from his sword. As his mental technique improved, a blood-red light appeared around him once again. He drew the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, capable of melting anything, bearing the curse of the Dragon Emperor. With the “Weak Water No-Action” technique, he charged into the crowd. The Dragon’s Swing, symbolizing his belief, allowed him to see his own sky.

By this point, Liu Yi had completely immersed himself in the slaughter. His sword had no fixed style; it was entirely controlled by his mental techniques and the spirituality of “Sorrowful Dream.” A purplish-red glow radiated within ten feet of him, and the scorching heat caused those who got too close to melt into dust. Yet the members of the Demon Sect quickly realized the severity of that light, each retreating while firing swords at Liu Yi.

As violent energy was infused into the sword, the Four-Color Divine Dragons formed a protective aura with their dragon shadows. The scorching heat had now transformed into dragon flames, swirling around Liu Yi’s body alongside the other three divine dragons. Although there was no extreme heat within that ten-foot radius, the four divine dragons circling around him could shatter anything.

Liu Yi stepped forward one by one, drawing several swords with each step, ensuring that someone fell with every strike. His path was covered in blood, paved with corpses. Having embraced the path of darkness, his desire to kill gradually consumed him until he became a true demon.

As the red clouds thickened and white lightning flashed across the sky, Liu Yi’s eyes turned blood red. His body and sword were soaked in blood. He wanted to kill—everyone who resisted. Time slipped away as he danced with his sword, and screams echoed endlessly. Finally, stepping over corpses, he entered the main hall of the Demon Sect.

Some people continued to run out, but upon seeing this blood-soaked figure, they all turned and fled in panic, like headless flies without a direction. Those unlucky enough to end up in Liu Yi’s path had only one option—the path to the netherworld.

At this moment, Qi and Lin, along with the remaining swordsmen, rushed in as well. Liu Yi glanced around and said, “Search them. Those who comply can go; those who resist must be killed, then burned to ashes.” He was no longer the gentle scholar—he spoke coldly and mercilessly, as if he were the death god of hell, controlling everyone’s fate.

“Yes, Demon Lord,” replied Qi and Lin. They quickly took the remaining swordsmen to the back hall to carry out the search. But Liu Yi remained still. He knew that the demon race and the ghost race had once made a pact— the ghost race would remain friends with the demons forever and come to their aid in times of crisis. This was one of the reasons why the Nine Nether Demons wanted to use Liu Yi to destroy the demon race. Naturally, the ghost race would not come to their aid now, as it was the outcome the Nine Nether Demons desired.

Yet Liu Yi knew that the pact still existed. Having once been the leader of the Demon Sect, he understood that it was a curse—a curse imposed by the demon race and the ghost race when they sealed a powerful monster within it. Perhaps they had anticipated such a day, fearing the ghost race might not arrive in time to rescue them. That’s why they sealed a powerful monster within the pact and cast a vicious curse using their life force to protect the palace.

When the palace was in danger, that monster would appear to destroy everything and protect it. So, Liu Yi waited. He knew that unless he killed that monster, he would never be able to destroy the palace. As for what that monster was, no one had ever known over thousands of years, because the demon race had never encountered such a thing…

As the smoke dissipated, the backyard of the grand hall was set alight, with flames shooting into the sky. Liu Yi continued to wait quietly. He knew that the monster from the contract would surely come to stop it, so he waited, determined to bring about the complete destruction of the demon race.

Time passed slowly during that long wait. As the flames spread, the entire palace began to shake. Right in front of Liu Yi, on the wall of the palace, a red light flashed by. Then, a dragon silhouette appeared on the black wall. A red glow flashed in Liu Yi’s eyes, but his heart was filled with turmoil. That dragon silhouette… was it the Dragon Emperor? How could that be? After thousands of years of the contract, it was the Dragon Emperor who was cursed? No, that wasn’t right.

Liu Yi quickly realized that the true Dragon Emperor had already been revived within his sword and became part of the “Sorrowful Dream.” So… that dragon silhouette on the wall was indeed the Dragon Emperor, but it was just an outer shell, a shell cursed with evil. The Dragon Emperor had abandoned his physical body when he fell, transforming his power, will, and soul into the “Sorrowful Dream” sword. And this outer shell was merely the Dragon Emperor’s physical body, a cursed form.

As the palace trembled again, the red dragon emitted a blinding light. The intense brightness made it impossible to see anything around. Despite his high level of cultivation, Liu Yi couldn’t pierce through that light to see what was happening, as if the light had covered the entire space.

As the light gradually faded, a long howl sounded, and the dragon silhouette on the wall soared into the sky. The first thing that came to Liu Yi’s mind was surprise. That figure clearly resembled the Dragon Emperor, yet the dragon circling in the grand hall was a skeleton dragon. Its entire body, four claws, and horns on its head were all made of pale white bones, while its eyes were blood-red. In that moment, Liu Yi suddenly felt that this dragon was filled with murderous intent.

Liu Yi stepped back a few steps, observing the movements of the skeleton dragon circling above the grand hall while trying to figure out why. Suddenly, he understood—it was that evil curse. Thousands of years ago, the ghost race had obtained the Dragon Emperor’s body and cast the worst curse upon it. This skeleton dragon must be controlled by the power of that curse; it itself had no life.

Liu Yi tightly gripped the hilt of the “Sorrowful Dream” sword with his left hand, while his right hand hung loosely. Although this sword-drawing posture seemed very unnatural, Liu Yi knew it was the best and fastest angle to draw the sword.

As the pale white skeleton dragon howled again, it launched an attack on Liu Yi, diving down at incredible speed, seemingly trying to ram him with its head.

With a clang, it was just one sound—the moment when the sword was drawn, raised, and sheathed. Everything happened in an instant, incredibly fast. As the sword returned to its sheath, a red glow flashed in the shape of a cross on those bone-white bones. In that instant, Liu Yi launched two swords in quick succession.

Liu Yi was well acquainted with the unstoppable power of “Sorrowful Dream.” Coupled with the powerful energy from “Lanalfina Qing,” he intended to end this battle in one round…

Yet, he found that the two sword beams had no effect at all on those bone-white bones. In other words, the bone dragon’s attacks did not stop due to Liu Yi’s swords, and his once-confident blades failed to harm the bone dragon before him. For a moment, Liu Yi hesitated. What was this? This sword that could destroy souls and shatter the heavens—why couldn’t it even cut through these bones now?

While Liu Yi was thinking, the bone-white dragon slammed its enormous head into his body. The dragon’s speed increased, and its immense force left Liu Yi unable to react. The entire body of the giant dragon generated purple lightning due to the collision of these two forces.

The force knocked Liu Yi against a thick pillar. The dragon circled back into the air, while Liu Yi’s body was in chaos, as if shattered inside. He collapsed softly. Due to the loss of concentrated energy, the protective aura around his body disappeared. With its disappearance, Liu Yi suddenly realized something—the bone dragon must have been altered by the ghost race; otherwise, it wouldn’t be so hard.

The sharpness of “Sorrowful Dream” couldn’t harm it, nor could the protective aura of the Four Divine Dragons. It was simply too hard. Enduring the turmoil inside his body, just as he stood up again, the white dragon suddenly spiraled upward. As its claws moved, three white blades shot toward him at a 45-degree angle from the air.

Qi follows the heart, and the heart follows the will. In that instant, Liu Yi’s body rose straight from the ground, leaving a afterimage, and dodged the blades at a speed three-tenths faster than them. Liu Yi gasped for breath. He had to admit he had encountered a formidable enemy. Though he hadn’t experienced much in these three realms, he had met many skilled opponents and strange beings. Although the power of the Dragon Glow was strong, it couldn’t withstand Liu Yi’s sword strike. And the bone dragon before him, though not very fast or strong, seemed indestructible.

While Liu Yi was thinking, the white dragon launched its second attack. While firing several blades, it dived at him once more. This time, Liu Yi didn’t dare be careless, nor did he intend to fight relying solely on his cultivation. As the white dragon approached, he quickly infused “Lanalfina Qing” into “Sorrowful Dream” and then shouted, “Transform!” As the sound faded, a purplish-red glow flashed. The dragon flame transformed from “Sorrowful Dream” circled around Liu Yi, and with a roar, it charged straight at the white dragon.

Liu Yi didn’t overthink it. He knew that with his current level of cultivation, the sharpness of the “Sorrowful Dream” sword wasn’t enough to harm him. Now, he could only rely on Dragon Flame—its power could melt anything, even cracking the earth. So, Liu Yi placed his last hope on Dragon Flame, hoping its strength could eliminate this white bone dragon.

Watching the moment the two dragons touched, a red-white light erupted, warping and distorting the entire space. Everything turned red and white, leaving nothing visible. Liu Yi suddenly realized his carelessness. Aotian wasn’t a foolish person; if he could leave calmly, there must be a reason. That reason was the pact between the Ghost Clan and the Demon Clan thousands of years ago. Amidst this sea of red and white, Liu Yi realized there were still many unknowns in these three realms—like this white bone dragon, which he had never seen or heard of before. In his seven thousand years of memory, he had never encountered such an evil creature.

As the light gradually faded, Liu Yi felt something in his hand—it was the sword, “Sorrowful Dream.” But it no longer had that warm feeling. Shocked, Liu Yi thought to himself, “Could it be that even Dragon Flame can’t melt that white bone dragon?” Just as his vision began to clear, a dragon roar sounded, followed by a massive force spreading throughout his body. The white bone dragon struck him again, but this time Liu Yi wasn’t so lucky.

The horn on the dragon’s left side pierced through Liu Yi’s right shoulder like a sharp sword. Severe pain instantly surged to his brain. With a loud crash, Liu Yi was thrown violently against a stone pillar. Another thud echoed as he fell heavily. It hurt so much—his entire body ached, but the pain from the pierced shoulder overwhelmed everything else. Normally, his body could heal quickly, but since the wound was a hole, it would take some time.

Black blood flowed down Liu Yi’s arm. In that moment, a sense of despair arose in his heart. What kind of vicious curse was this? What kind of monster? Why did it appear? Was he going to die at the hands of this monster before even avenging himself? But he quickly regained his composure. If he couldn’t even deal with this monster before him, how could he unify the demonic realm, confront the Nine Nether Demons, or even qualify to challenge the heavens? Yet, to Liu Yi’s surprise, even a mere mortal monster was so powerful. So, what was the state of the divine realm now?

At the moment Liu Yi was distracted, the white bone dragon roared again, its eyes glowing red, seemingly preparing to deliver the final blow. Liu Yi tried to stand up, but he found his entire right side numb. Although it was recovering quickly, it still needed time. At this point, Liu Yi truly despaired. The turmoil inside him, the numbness, and the intense pain all indicated he could no longer resist…

The white bone dragon’s body leaped once more, its front claws reaching out from thin air as three white blades of light shot toward him in an instant. Human instinct is to resist, especially in life-or-death situations—no one would accept fate willingly, and Liu Yi was no exception. Though he was in severe pain and unable to move his right side, he still had his legs.

As the white blades closed in rapidly, Liu Yi endured the pain and kicked hard at the ground with both feet, using the rebound force to slash backward swiftly. He was lucky—by a narrow margin, he avoided having his legs severed by the bone dragon. Just then, he heard the dragon’s loud roar, and his heart sank. He hadn’t expected the dragon’s fourth attack to come so quickly in succession.

The pale bone dragon twisted in the air, then suddenly turned and flew toward Liu Yi with full force, seemingly determined to end this battle in this round. All Liu Yi could think of at that moment was one word: “It’s over.” The dragon’s claw strikes were fixed beams of light, which he could still dodge, but if it used its body to charge, how could he avoid it?

Watching the white bone dragon approach slowly, Liu Yi suddenly felt he was about to die. In that instant, he thought of Jiliel—the incarnation of the Heavenly Maiden through three lifetimes, a sorrowful woman with a fate just as tragic as his own yet beyond change. Her face seemed to reappear before his eyes, so clear, so real. She was smiling at him. Yes, it was his longing for her. She was telling him that love must be steadfast and required courage to protect…

Everything real became blurred in an instant, while the imaginary figure turned real. All of it made Liu Yi see his longing, his love. In that moment, he only wanted to hold Jiliel tightly, to promise her eternal love. But once again, the dragon’s roar pulled him back to reality. He knew he was dying, and those powerless promises would be taken away with him. He knew he would never see her smile again. He knew he was about to leave this world…

Liu Yi’s eyes were blurred as he shook his head gently and said, “I’m sorry.”

Tears of the True Demon—born from his longing for her—fell once more. They were tears of helplessness, despair, and prayer for her.

Faced with this helplessness, faced with these changes, what could he say? Everything seemed predestined. Who could change it? Even demons have love amidst the desires of the world.

PS: I don’t know how to express it. For the ending of this chapter, I wanted to add so much, but I can’t put it into words. I poured my heart into that character, pondering what a person should say to the one they love before dying. There are countless answers—too many to express in words…

If it were you… what would you say?