Chapter 86: A Moment of Life and Death, the Romantic Death of Dream Recall

July had never seen such a terrifying monster before—its entire body was made of fiery red magma; touching it would surely cause immediate melting. Its massive body was four or five zhang tall, with flames surrounding a three-zhang radius around it. Its pair of white, glowing eyes made it even more frightening. The moment it appeared, the giant monster fired a rocket straight at Liu Yi and the others.

Hearing Liu Yi’s words, July tightly hugged that strong body, floated into the air, and after dodging the rocket, they flew toward the open area across from them above the magma. Flying above those scorching flames would fill anyone with fear—what would happen if they fell? But July’s heart was surprisingly calm. The body she was holding now felt so familiar, so dear… like that moonlit night years ago when fireflies swarmed the sky…

Gently, Liu Yi landed on the ground. This place was much better than the narrow space before. Watching the giant monster slowly approaching, Liu Yi said, “Step back a bit.”

July stepped back but didn’t leave the slightly green-lit area. Liu Yi stared at the massive magma monster, thinking about how to deal with it. The monster was entirely composed of red magma. If he used the “Sorrowful Four Styles,” he would only have one chance; failure meant certain death—only a 50% chance of success.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in Liu Yi’s mind. Relying solely on a sword wouldn’t work—the opponent was a fire spirit. With his current level, he hadn’t mastered the thirteenth stage of “Lanelfina Qing,” so he might not be able to kill the spirit. But since its structure was fluid, there must be something that could kill it.

Liu Yi stretched his right hand back and said, “Give me a ‘God-Devouring Thunderbolt’.”

July was shocked. The “God-Devouring Thunderbolt” was a special item of the Demon Sect, crafted personally by her father for her. She rarely used it, and hadn’t used it at all in the past ten years. How could he know?

Just as July was stunned, the red monster swung its arms violently, firing two more red rockets. Seeing that July wasn’t moving and the rockets were approaching, Liu Yi moved swiftly, activating “Hidden Spin Nine Shadows.” He wrapped his arms around July’s waist and suddenly shifted to the other side, dodging the two rockets. As Liu Yi spun, nine shadows passed in front of July’s eyes, eventually merging back into the person before her…

July felt confused. The person before her was so familiar… so incredibly familiar…

Liu Yi didn’t stop moving. He stretched his left hand, took out a black cylindrical object from the black cloth bag at July’s waist. Yes, it was the “God-Devouring Thunderbolt.” Liu Yi straightened up abruptly and said, “Stand still.” Then, releasing his hold on July, he threw the black “God-Devouring Thunderbolt” at the fiery red magma. As it neared the monster, a red flash passed through Liu Yi’s eyes. His right hand, like a black shadow, unleashed the “Sorrowful Dream” sword, and a white crescent-shaped blade instantly sliced through the black “God-Devouring Thunderbolt.”

With a loud boom, the explosion of the “God-Devouring Thunder” caused the cave to shake slightly. The massive magma monster had been blown apart, and the fiery red magma produced black smoke within just four feet of Liu Yi before disappearing… It seemed Liu Yi was right—by separating this spirit from its core, it would merely become part of the magma. In this process, the “God-Devouring Thunder” was undoubtedly the best tool.

At that moment, Qi Yue still stood there, motionless, and suddenly asked, “Who exactly are you? How do you know I have the ‘God-Devouring Thunder’ and where I kept it?”

Liu Yi turned to look at her and replied, “I said I’m a fortune-teller. So, I know a lot about you.”

Qi Yue shook her head violently. “No, I don’t believe it. You’re lying to me. You’re hiding something. Why do you always wear a mask? Take it off.” It seemed she wanted to confirm something!

Just as Qi Yue was emotionally turbulent and agitated, the cave began to shake violently. Liu Yi looked around and said, “The cave is collapsing. It’s probably because of the ‘God-Devouring Thunder’ just now. We…”

Before he could finish, Liu Yi stepped back abruptly. The ground beneath his feet quickly cracked, and endless lava began to erode the rocks. In the space of just a sentence, Liu Yi and Qi Yue were separated by over ten zhang. Qi Yue immediately felt as if she were in a furnace, struggling to breathe, her entire body burning fiercely, as if she would be burned to death in an instant…

The distance between them kept increasing, and the area where Qi Yue stood was gradually being eroded by the lava, shrinking rapidly. She was about to sink into the fiery red magma. At that moment, a red glow flashed where the giant monster had exploded. Liu Yi turned and was pleased to see it: “It’s the ‘Eight Deserts Essence Mineral’.” But just then, the cave started to collapse…

His gaze shifted. He had no time. He faced a choice: either save Qi Yue or ignore her and try to obtain the “Eight Deserts Essence Mineral.” With it, he could build the “Eternal City.” But he had no time to think now. The lava was eroding everything around them, and huge rocks were falling from the cave. It would collapse in moments.

Qi Yue’s consciousness was somewhat blurred. The endless lava was approaching her. At that moment, she also saw the “Eight Deserts Essence Mineral.” She knew that the man in black and white hair had come here for it. So, her heart became calm, because those who are desperate fear nothing, not even death.

Suddenly, Qi Yue felt a coolness spread through her body. As a sense of relief filled her, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist. Opening her eyes and trying to regain consciousness, she saw the mysterious man holding her as he flew swiftly outside the cave on his sword…

She didn’t understand why he was saving her. He had the ability to obtain the “Eight Deserts Essence Mineral” and could easily ignore his own life, yet he gave up his pursuit to save her.

Liu Yi bent over, holding July in his arms, and flew swiftly outside the cave on his sword, saying, “Is this romance? If it is, it’s romance of death. Let’s see how lucky we are—before we break out of this cave, who will be killed first…”
July’s eyes blurred. She clung tightly to Liu Yi’s neck. It felt so familiar—those words were ones she had once said. Yes, she had once asked him, “Is this romance?”
It seemed this was also fate’s arrangement. Liu Yi claimed to want to defy fate, yet unknowingly he followed the path fate had laid for him. Could one really not control their own destiny?