Chapter 77: Visible Pain, Hidden Wounds—Ten Years of Separation

Liu Yi took it and examined carefully this mask called “Wang Hun.” It was silver-white and extremely soft—neither silk nor fabric. He had no idea what material it was made of. With the center as its axis, two coiling dragons were carved on each side of the mask. Liu Yi asked in confusion, “Isn’t this just a mask? Why give it to me? To turn me into a bandit? Besides, there’s no way to fasten it—how can I wear it on my face?”

The God of War shook his head and said, “There’s an ancient legend. Three thousand years ago, a very famous general led his troops to fight against foreign invaders at the border. But the invaders were fierce, and after several battles, the army suffered heavy losses.”

“So, the general summoned six blacksmiths to forge six different masks. He chose a white mask and named it ‘Wang Hun.’ He swore before his troops that if he failed to drive the invaders out, he would never show his true face again. Thus, the general wore ‘Wang Hun’ for twenty-six years. Finally, he drove the invaders out, and at that moment, the mask fell off. Over those twenty-six years, it had absorbed countless acts of violence, turning into an evil artifact. Anyone with a bloodthirsty nature would have it stick to their face.”

Liu Yi looked at the God of War and said, “Are you saying that because I have a bloodthirsty nature, it will stick to my face without any help?”

The God of War nodded silently.

In truth, Liu Yi knew himself well. He didn’t know how deep his hatred ran, but by the time he reached the twelfth level of “Lan Er Fei Na Qing,” the Heaven-Defying Level, his heart was filled with a desire for bloodshed. Moreover, the twelfth level of the Heaven-Defying Level had a weakness: on full moon nights, celestial fire would descend from the sky to punish those with such desires. Only blood could extinguish this celestial fire. To escape its torment, one had to surpass the twelfth level and reach the thirteenth level, the World-Destroying Level.

Liu Yi continued, “The God of War giving me such a precious gift is to remind me of my constant desire to kill, right? Hoping that one day I’ll take off the mask and show my true face.”

The God of War nodded. “Your ‘Lan Er Fei Na Qing’ technique has advanced enough. You can sustain yourself by absorbing chaos energy—no need to eat or drink. Wearing this mask won’t harm you at all.”

Liu Yi said, “But I still want to eat and drink. So what?”

The God of War replied, “Of course, you can take the mask off anytime. I just hope it falls off on its own. If not, that ancient general would have starved to death long ago.”

Liu Yi looked at the God of War and said, “You’ve really gone to great lengths to remind me constantly. But… fine. I don’t want to see those people from the past anymore. I’ll use this mask as a barrier.” With that, he placed it on his face. Surprisingly, the “Wang Hun” mask stuck to his face without any sense of weight, and it seemed to absorb chaos energy even faster.

The mask in the shape of a rhombus covered everything below Liu Yi’s eyes. With Liu Yi’s current physique and appearance, even Shi Jie Yi, who had grown up with him, would likely not recognize him.
Liu Yi looked at the God of War and said, “I guess you are that ancient general. As a god, you’re powerless to stop me, so you use this mask to remind me to be less bloodthirsty and violent, right?” With that “Wraith” mask on, Liu Yi’s voice also became rougher.
The God of War smiled at Liu Yi and said, “Since you understand my intentions, it means you’re still a sensible person. Perhaps the killings you commit might even avert a catastrophe for the three realms—who knows?”
Unable to see Liu Yi’s expression, but able to read his eyes, the God of War said coldly, “Avert? Heh, I only seek to vent the hatred in my heart. You overestimate me.” With that, he waved his right hand twice, using the supreme power of “Lanerfina Qing” to ride atop the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, rushing out of the cave and soaring into the sky.
The God of War watched as Liu Yi disappeared into the snow and shook his head, saying, “Can you truly defy fate?”
Riding atop the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, Liu Yi flew through the blizzard at the peak of the sky. Whether it was due to the “Lanerfina Qing” cultivation method or the strange materials of his clothes, he felt no cold at all. In his dreams, Liu Yi had flown like this countless times. Every time he flew, he would remember Jillian’s words: “The sky is still so vast.” But in Liu Yi’s eyes, the sky was no longer vast…
Time flowed like water—ten years passed in the blink of an eye. It was unknown where the Wolf King was now and what he was doing.
Liu Yi’s first thought was to head east to see that sea of falling snowflakes—this was what he wanted most at the moment. He mounted his sword and unconsciously sped up. In the high sky, a black shadow, like a meteor piercing through the blizzard, flew straight eastward.
Having gained power made a difference. Normally, it would take at least six or seven days to travel from Tianshan to Lianhua Town, even with fast horses. But now, Liu Yi reached the skies above Lianhua Town in just half an hour. Turning around, he sheathed the “Sorrowful Dream” sword and gently landed.
It was September, and the sea of flowers was still lush. Yet everything had changed; Jillian’s smile was no longer visible.
Liu Yi wandered through the endless sea of flowers, trying to find a trace of the love from ten years ago. But with every step he took, his heart hurt more and more. His left hand, holding the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, was filled with endless sorrow—it really hurt.
Just then, Liu Yi suddenly heard someone call, “Jillian!”
He tilted his head, trying to locate the direction. He couldn’t have heard wrong. With his cultivation at the twelfth level of “Lanerfina Qing,” even the slightest sound of wind or falling leaves from a hundred feet away couldn’t escape his perception.
Liu Yi moved swiftly, like a hurricane, instantly changing locations—this was where the voice came from.

The appearance of Liu Yi surprised everyone on both sides. Such fast speed—given their level of cultivation, they hadn’t even noticed someone had arrived so close. The people on both sides sized up the mysterious figure before them: dressed in a black suit that seemed to be made of leather but wasn’t quite, wearing black gloves on his left hand, which held a long sword at his waist, and black gloves on his right hand, hidden behind his back. His face was hidden by a silver mask. Most striking was that the man in black had silver hair, and his eyes revealed a sense of weariness and sorrow.

Liu Yi glanced at the person behind him and felt delighted. Life is full of unexpected encounters—this person was none other than the Wolf King he had been searching for. Behind the Wolf King were the graves of Liu Yi and Jili, adorned with fresh flowers, seemingly placed there by the Wolf King just now. In an instant, Liu Yi was filled with emotion. He never expected that after ten years, the Wolf King still remembered that naive young scholar.

Liu Yi gently turned his head again. Suddenly, his gaze stopped, his breathing seemed to halt, yet his heart raced. Was it… Jili?

Liu Yi couldn’t believe his eyes. He thought it might be an illusion caused by his longing. So he shook his head violently, but the figure before him didn’t disappear. She wore a white robe with a layer of white gauze over it, her long black hair flowing down her shoulders. Though her clothes and appearance had changed, she still looked like Jili—yes, and those expressive eyes as well.

The people on both sides seemed stunned by her actions. The woman in white had come here to admire the sea of flowers and was already surprised to meet a Wolf King who called her Jili. Now, another madman-like stranger had appeared.

Liu Yi began to move, stepping toward Jili one by one. The distance between them grew smaller, and Jili’s appearance became clearer. He wanted to get closer, to see her better. The longing from those ten years of dreams, the pain of separation over those ten years, seemed to erupt all at once. Liu Yi reached out, wanting to touch Jili’s face, to convince himself that this was real…

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out: “Dareful scoundrel! How dare you assault the princess!” Along with that shout, four long swords rushed at him…