Chapter 205: Bloodish Nightmare, the Confused Sword Shadow of Sorrowful Style

That clear face sent ripples of shock through Liu Yi’s heart, driven by his longing for beauty. Liu Yi was momentarily stunned—beauty in a woman couldn’t be judged solely by her face, yet this nearly perfect face made him stop thinking instantly.
In Liu Yi’s eyes, the woman before him wore plain white clothes, with a layer of white gauze over them. Her long black hair was neatly tied down, falling to her slender waist. Beneath her willow-like arched brows were eyes as bright as stars, stunningly beautiful. Her small, high nose and fair skin contrasted with her thin, small red lips—all so natural yet dazzlingly beautiful.
Ye Luobaihua had slender, long fingers. In her right hand was a green flute, about two feet long, as green as ancient jade, extremely beautiful. Without any adornment or embellishment, yet with her white clothes, gauze, flute, and flying black hair, she exuded an otherworldly aura that made one believe she came from heaven. Even someone as experienced as Liu Yi was momentarily stunned before blurting out, “By the east wind, her smile is enchanting; with just a glance, all flowers blush and fall… What a beautiful person.”
Liu Yi spoke softly, impulsively, but only in praise. Hearing this, Ye Luobaihua’s face turned red, leaving her speechless. Liu Yi quickly explained, “Princess, please forgive me. I was merely amazed by your beauty, with no other intent.”
Ye Luobaihua’s expression gradually returned to normal. After pausing as if thinking about something, she asked, “Does Young Master Liu also think Baihua is beautiful?”
Liu Yi nodded. “Yes, very beautiful.”
She then asked, “So, compared to the woman in your painting, who is more beautiful?” The painting she referred to was the one of Liu Yi competing with Yu Chenxing in the arena. At that moment, Ye Luobaihua seemed to think of something, awkwardly lowering her head without saying anything else, seemingly waiting for Liu Yi’s answer.
Though he didn’t understand the meaning behind her question, Liu Yi felt a badpremonition. He couldn’t explain what it was. After considering her question, he replied, “Naturally, it’s the princess who is beautiful.” What Liu Yi said was true—Jili’s appearance couldn’t be considered beautiful; it was even plain.
Ye Luobaihua raised her head. “Is what the young master says true?”
Liu Yi carefully examined her eyes, seeming to see a glimmer of expectation. That look gave him an uneasy feeling. He then smiled to break the silence and replied, “Why would I lie to the princess? My wife’s appearance can’t compare to yours at all—it’s rather plain… But that doesn’t matter, right?”
Ye Luobaihua’s beautiful face was filled with doubt. Unable to hold back any longer, she asked, “Why?”

Liu Yi thought for a moment before continuing, “This world is not fair. Heaven has bestowed upon you a beautiful face, but not everyone can have that. We cannot choose between beauty and ugliness. Since even heaven is unfair, is it really necessary for us to care so much? When we grow old one day, when our black hair turns white and wrinkles appear, perhaps we will laugh at something… Why worry so much? Even if my wife is not beautiful, even if she is ordinary, she is the one I love. Love can make up for everything. In my eyes, she is the most beautiful.” As he spoke, Liu Yi seemed to remember something and fell into deep thought. Even Ye Luobaihua could tell that Liu Yi was missing his wife.

Hearing Liu Yi’s words, Ye Luobaihua seemed somewhat disappointed but quickly regained her usual expression and smiled, “I suppose you must be very happy.”

Liu Yi nodded with a bitter smile and said, “Perhaps. It’s difficult, but we are happy. Maybe this happiness comes from longing.”

Ye Luobaihua didn’t quite understand Liu Yi’s words, but she didn’t want to ask further. She quickly said, “Well, we need to get to work now. We need to find the Prophet and restore your eyes.”

Liu Yi nodded and looked around. His gaze was filled with sighs—the place they were in was entirely white, with snowflakes drifting down. There was nothing but emptiness; no mountains, no roads. The cold wind blew through the strange plants, bringing down snowflakes that provided the only sign of life in this world.

The surroundings were vast and endless, with no direction discernible in this white world. Liu Yi frowned and said, “This must be your dream.”

Ye Luobaihua also looked around and said, “I guess so… But it doesn’t matter. As long as we keep moving in one direction, we will surely escape this dream. If we’re lucky, we can find the Prophet before the dream changes.”

Liu Yi nodded and said, “Okay, let’s give it a try. I hope we can get out of here and find that Prophet before the dream changes.”

Ye Luobaihua nodded and then glanced at the direction of the sun in the sky. “Let’s head in the direction of the sun.”

Liu Yi nodded and smiled. “Hmm. I didn’t expect your state of mind to be completely influenced by the dream. All these years, you’ve really suffered.”

Ye Luobaihua walked while listening to Liu Yi’s words, then replied, “Young master, how did you know?”

Liu Yi replied while walking, “Your music told me.”

Ye Luobaihua nodded and said, “Young master is truly an understanding person.”

Liu Yi quickly shook his head. “Princess, you’re too kind. I only know a little about music.”

Ye Luobaihua continued walking and said, “It’s you who’s being modest. From now on, just call me Baihua. ‘Princess’ sounds awkward.”

Liu Yi looked at Ye Luobaihua and said, “Okay.”

And so, the two continued walking, on and on…

The whole world was silent, devoid of any trace of life. White snowflakes drifted down gently, and the cold wind carried sorrow, freezing all emotions in this world. Even the only strange plant was surrounded by snow, devoid of any vitality. The world was vast and desolate, with an added sense of indifference and loneliness. In this white world, only two people were walking, searching for a dream—a dream they weren’t sure belonged to them.

Here, there was no sense of time. The sun in the sky had stopped its regular movement, and everything around was forever white. The cold wind mixed with snowflakes disrupted Liu Yi’s white hair. Suddenly, the two stopped moving. Ye Luobaihua asked Liu Yi beside her, “Young master, we must have been walking for a day, right?”

Liu Yi thought for a moment and replied, “Based on the time outside, we’ve been walking for four or five hours. But… it seems there’s no time limit here. Look, the sun in the sky hasn’t moved at all, and nothing around changes. It seems time has stopped here.”

Ye Luobaihua nodded and strained to look ahead. Strangely, what was once an endless expanse of emptiness now revealed, as the snowflakes fell, a majestic mountain range soaring into the clouds. She immediately said, “Look, what’s that?”

Hearing her words, Liu Yi also looked ahead. The blurry vision gradually cleared, and before them appeared a towering mountain range. Liu Yi wiped his eyes, confirming he wasn’t mistaken, and wondered, “Strange. Just now, it was just an endless, empty and desolate expanse. How did a mountain appear suddenly?”

Ye Luobaihua stared at the mountain range and replied, “This dream isn’t real. It could change at any time depending on our real-world consciousness… But this change seems strange. In dreams, things are either good or bad. Now, a mountain suddenly appears. I think we should be careful. I have a bad feeling.”

Liu Yi instinctively gripped the sword in his hand and nodded. “Mm, this mountain is indeed strange. It’s better to be cautious.”

Ye Luobaihua nodded, and then the two continued walking toward the mountain peak without stopping…

The snowflakes in the air fell more rapidly, and the wind howled violently, messing up their hair. They thought they were close to the mountain, but after another three hours, they still hadn’t approached it. However, the mountain range did change as they got closer—it grew larger and larger, eventually becoming like a wall embedded between heaven and earth. All they could see was snow and that gray mountain range.

Liu Yi and Ye Luobaihua felt no fatigue. To reach the mountain range faster and see it clearly, they channeled their inner energy, moving silently through the snow like lightning. Finally, it seemed they had reached the foot of the mountain. But there was no mountain before them—only a gray wall, a wall embedded between heaven and earth, separating another world.

Liu Yi murmured to himself, “What a strange dream. It seems trouble is coming.”

Ye Luo Baihua was, after all, a woman. In reality, she was a princess of her clan. Though delicate, she had gone through many things, and even killing might not seem terrifying to her. Yet now, she felt a sense of desolation. In her mind, a nightmare was far more terrifying than anything she had experienced, and now she was trapped within this nightmare, unable to wake up. Strange events kept happening one after another, especially this wall—towering into the clouds, seemingly right in front of her, yet unreachable…

Liu Yi seemed to sense Ye Luo Baihua’s mood and asked, “Are you scared?”

By now, Ye Luo Baihua was already quite panicked. Everything here was too bizarre, the changes too strange. Who knew what might happen below? But upon Liu Yi’s question, she turned to look at him. Seeing his gaze, she felt as if she had support, and her mood eased slightly. She smiled and said, “I’m not scared.”

Liu Yi also smiled faintly. He could clearly see the panic in Ye Luo Baihua’s heart, so he frowned and looked around. The sun still hung high in the sky, but as Liu Yi watched, it suddenly changed. The sunlight gradually shifted in color, turning red—no, blood red. A blood-like glow enveloped this snowy world.

Liu Yi pointed at the sun on the wall and said, “Look, what’s that?”

Ye Luo Baihua stared at the blood-red sunlight and instinctively stepped back. “I don’t know what that is, but… this must be a nightmare.”

Liu Yi looked up at the sky. Indeed, the sunlight no longer felt warm. On the contrary, that blood-like glow made people feel irritable and chilled. The white snowflakes turned into red “blood flowers,” falling in large quantities. The cold wind turned into the mournful wails of vengeful spirits, and a sense of fear gradually took hold.

The entire world changed in an instant—empty, desolate. All around was only the color of blood, along with those mournful wails. Occasionally, red shadows appeared in the blood-colored world but vanished instantly. With the sorrowful wind, those ghostly shadows appeared and disappeared again and again.

Ye Luo Baihua seemed to lose consciousness as she slowly stepped back, moving further away from Liu Yi. At that moment, Liu Yi seemed unaware of her actions. He was observing those red shadows and the wails around him. The world had instantly turned into a nightmare—strange and bizarre.

Just then, the ground began to shake. Liu Yi instinctively stepped back. Suddenly, there was a loud roar, and gray high walls shot up from the ground, reaching into the sky. Then, similar noises came from both sides, and the same thing happened. As those sounds arose, the earth trembled, and gray high walls rose from all three sides, reaching into the sky.

An event that happened in an instant made Liu Yi sense danger. High walls rose all around, and now they were trapped within them. Then a word appeared in Liu Yi’s mind: when a person is surrounded by walls on all sides, it’s exactly the character for “prisoner.” Liu Yi was shocked and instinctively reached out toward the wall in front of him. Yet, though the wall was just an inch away, it was unreachable. In panic, he exclaimed, “Bad! We’re trapped here!”
But Liu Yi didn’t hear Ye Luobaihua’s reply. He thought to himself, “Bad.” Turning around, he saw that Ye Luobaihua had already retreated ten zhang away. Yet that ten zhang distance was strange and eerie—the entire red space became distorted, and Ye Luobaihua’s figure grew blurry. The moment Liu Yi turned around, a mournful cry arose. Blood-red sunlight turned the ground into blood-colored snowflakes that rose suddenly, tangible like sandstorms. Soon, a vague red figure formed. Though the figure couldn’t be seen clearly, the reflection of a weapon allowed Liu Yi to see something else.
A red curved sword appeared at Ye Luobaihua’s pale throat. The blood-red sunlight reflected off its metallic surface, making Liu Yi realize the danger Ye Luobaihua was in. But Liu Yi hesitated for a moment because he knew he couldn’t save her. His sword could no longer use the “Four Sorrow Styles,” and although he had the ultimate technique, “Styleless,” its power was too fierce. If used, Ye Luobaihua would die too.
Seeing Ye Luobaihua’s figure become increasingly hazy and blurred, Liu Yi was suddenly filled with sorrow. She should have been a noble princess, free from worries after suppressing the rebels. She was young, her life had just begun, yet now, because she helped him regain his sight, she had fallen into this damned nightmare. Watching Ye Luobaihua about to die, Liu Yi felt helpless once again. Even if his sword could split heaven and earth, what good was it if he couldn’t save her?
The helplessness of the world led to too much cruelty. Even a sage could feel helpless at times. Regret filled his heart, and the sorrow made him grip his sword tightly. Looking at the red curved sword, Liu Yi shook his head and said, “No.”
As that voice was uttered, everything became vivid. The space ceased to be ethereal, and the world became clear. Countless shadows appeared around them. A metallic curved sword silently rested against Ye Luobaihua’s throat from behind. Endless regret and guilt brought endless sorrow, a feeling that filled Liu Yi’s body and flowed into his “Sorrowful Dream” sword. Four-colored light burst forth instantly, and four dragon shadows covered everything, swirling above the black sword scabbard.

The furious sky instantly gathered Liu Yi’s demonic aura. Hurricanes swirling around devoured screams, his white hair became disheveled, and his black leather jacket flapped wildly. As his right hand, clad in black gloves, moved swiftly, there was a clanging sound as “Sorrowful Dream” was drawn from its sheath. Liu Yi roared, “‘Sorrowful Style’—Return Sword to Sheath!” With that cry, the black sword spun through the air, and as the last word was spoken, the familiar sound of the sword returning to its sheath echoed once again.

At the same time Liu Yi sheathed his sword, eighteen beams of white light instantly formed around his body. As these white lights appeared, eighteen swords shot forth. Following the flash of the leading light, they instantly pierced through Ye Luo Baihua’s body. The red shadow behind her disintegrated like scattered snowflakes the moment it was struck by the sword light, becoming intangible.

The remaining seventeen swords targeted the red ghost shadows on both sides, with the same result—wherever the sword light struck, those red shadows turned into blood-red snowflakes, merging back into the snowfield without any signs of bloodshed or injury.

Liu Yi gripped “Sorrowful Dream” in his left hand even tighter. To his astonishment, he had managed to use “Sorrowful Style.” Though not as fierce or brutal as “Style Without Form,” it was highly precise—just as seen in dealing with the enemy behind Ye Luo Baihua. Without “Sorrowful Style,” Liu Yi could imagine the outcome.

Looking at “Sorrowful Dream” in his hand with a hint of emotion, he thought to himself, “Being able to turn my sorrow into power—seems we’re one step closer. I guess I need to quickly gather the Eight Deserts Divine Dragon. Otherwise, with just a Level 12 demonic technique, how can I face the King of the Underworld or the divine realm?” Shaking off these thoughts, Liu Yi quickly regained his focus and glanced at Ye Luo Baihua.

At that moment, Ye Luo Baihua’s eyes were filled with fear. Though they were ten zhang apart, Liu Yi could clearly sense her body trembling. Shocked, he seemed to realize something—could Ye Luo Baihua often have such nightmares in her sleep? If so, it explained why she was so terrified.

Without further thought, Liu Yi moved swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, he was beside Ye Luo Baihua. Then he said softly, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid…”