Chapter 97: Blood Talismans and Swords – Sacrificing Life for Fame and Fortune

“Scholar, if one day Gilliel dies, please do not grieve… Look at this warm sunlight, this vast sky, these flowers covered in snow, and feel the wind and scent of flowers. The world remains just as wonderful. Gilliel’s departure does not take away your world. Please bury her deeply in your memories, shall we?”
“No…” Liu Yi, who had shut off his six senses and entered a state of self-forgetfulness, suddenly woke up in shock. Just moments ago, he had seen Gilliel, seen her smiling face, but that bright face grew farther and farther away, becoming increasingly blurred until it finally disappeared.
Liu Yi pounded on the bed and shouted loudly, “Why? Why such cruelty? Why must I be the one to survive?”
Watching the rising sun outside the window, his frozen heart seemed to warm slightly. Unconsciously, a tear fell from his blood-red eyes. Liu Yi said softly, “I can shut off my consciousness, I can forget myself, but I can’t forget you, do you know? For ten years, in my dreams, through countless nights, you have been the greatest pain in my heart. Are you well in that other world? Can you wait for me for a while? After I finish what I have to do, I’ll go find you…”
Liu Yi slowly stood up and headed toward the door.
As the sun rose, the Floating Glory Villa became even more bustling, as today marked the official start of the month-long Three Realms Martial Competition. Everyone was eager to try their luck and become a shining star.
The villa’s fighting arenas consisted of four stages: Abandoning the Sword, Retiring from the World, Sacrificing Oneself, and Forgetting Death. Six matches were held daily in each arena based on the number of participants, using a elimination system. Only those who stood victorious on the stage could advance to the next round, with the ultimate winner receiving the honor of a re-ranked position in the Floating Glory Villa.
Liu Yi slowly stepped into the area of the “Abandoning the Sword” arena, which was larger than any other fighting ground. Two people already stood on the arena, while those with influence chose their seats below, sipping tea and ready to enjoy the spectacle. Those without influence could only stand at the back. Although the four arenas accelerated the elimination process, the large number of participants meant crowds gathered around each arena, as if everyone had gathered in this villa at once.
Qi and Lin quickly cleared a path for Liu Yi down to the arena below. When the Wolf King saw Liu Yi arrive, he bowed and said, “Lord Demon, please take your seat. I’ve prepared a spot for you.”

Liu Yi and the Wolf King sat down, while Qi and Lin stood behind Liu Yi. Suddenly, this mysterious figure appeared in the arena, startling everyone. On either side of Liu Yi sat leaders from the righteous sects and the dark magic sects. Upon seeing Liu Yi, they all regarded him with curious eyes—his black leather coat, long cloak, silver hair fluttering in the wind, and a distinctive silver mask on his face. Searching their memories, they found no such person in the martial world, let alone in any well-known sect. His aura was comparable to that of any sect leader—who was he? No one knew.

Liu Yi glanced around the arena. In the center of the fighting platform sat an old man who seemed very aged; he must be the judge of the match. He didn’t recognize the people in the arena, as they had never appeared in his memories. But judging by their demeanor, they were certainly not ordinary ronin but belonged to some prestigious sect.

The old man with a white beard shouted with all his might, “The second match will be between Zhuge Qingfeng, the top disciple of the Immortal Sect’s Wuweidao School, and Sha Yueya, the protector of the Dark Sect. The match—begins now!” Although the old man shouted loudly, half of his body was already underground, so his voice couldn’t carry far. Yet the spectators didn’t care about that; they only wanted to know who would stand on that platform.

Liu Yi hadn’t paid much attention at first, just glancing casually around. But when he heard the name of the Dark Sect, his blood boiled with anger. That damned assassin organization was growing stronger by the day.

Liu Yi observed the two fighters carefully. Sha Yueya, the Dark Sect’s protector, wore black clothes, had a gaunt face as if malnourished, and appeared to be in his forties—though that was definitely not his true age. With his cultivation level, he must be over a hundred years old. He held a green long sword that emitted a foul smell, which Liu Yi could smell even from below the platform—clearly, something strange had been done to the sword.

On the other side was Zhuge Qingfeng from the Immortal Sect’s Wuweidao School. Though he was the top disciple, he was quite young. Dressed in simple robes, he held a wooden sword, upon which butterflies occasionally landed—suggesting it was no ordinary weapon. Liu Yi watched the two fighters; neither showed any signs of moving. Yet inwardly, he hoped Sha Yueya would win, as that would give him a better chance to stand before him and gain some satisfaction in revenge.

The arena was eerily quiet. Although Zhuge Qingfeng seemed young, he seemed to be a seasoned fighter too. He refused to attack first, wanting to see how much patience the Dark Sect’s protector had.

But he was wrong. Sha Yueya slowly closed his eyes and gently placed down his long sword…

Finally, under Sha Yueya’s contemptuous gaze, Zhuge Qingfeng took action. But he didn’t rush to draw his sword. Instead, he raised both hands, wielding his strange wooden sword. With a twist of his body, he produced a yellow talisman in his hand, formed a finger seal with his right hand, and recited some strange Taoist scriptures. Suddenly, he swung it sharply and shouted, “Boom.”

The middle finger and index finger held yellow talismans that resembled arrows shot from a bow. The yellow talismans emitted a faint yellow light, shooting straight at Sha Yueya, who had his eyes closed. At that moment, Sha Yueya moved as well—he suddenly opened his eyes, raised his hands high, and said, “Rise.” The green sword flew out immediately to meet the yellow talismans.

It seemed Zhuge Qingfeng was somewhat surprised by Sha Yueya’s reaction speed. With a “bang,” the green sword, trailing a long tail, actually passed through the yellow talismans. Yet it did not stop but continued to accelerate, heading toward Zhuge Qingfeng.

But Zhuge Qingfeng was no easy opponent. He was not willing to give up so easily. He took out a red spiritual talisman with his right hand, threw it violently into the air, and offered it up. The spiritual talisman floated above the wooden sword. As Zhuge Qingfeng chanted the Taoist scriptures, the red talisman began to burn. As it burned, the wooden sword spun rapidly in a spiral in the air, emitting a faint red light…

The Wolf King watched the scene and exclaimed, “‘Blood Talisman.’”

Liu Yi asked, “Teacher, what is a ‘Blood Talisman’?”

The Wolf King replied, “The biggest difference between a ‘Blood Talisman’ and ordinary talismans is that it is made from the blood of its owner. It can double one’s cultivation level for a period of time. It seems that Zhuge Qingfeng clearly knows that the person before him is more powerful than him, yet he still decides to fight desperately, determined to fight to the death.”

Meanwhile, the red and green lights in the arena grew brighter. The green sword spun rapidly around the red wooden sword, while the speed of the red wooden sword was clearly no match for that of the green sword, preventing it from escaping the combat zone.

Just then, something strange happened…