Chapter 1450: Yesterday Revisited

A wisp of flowing light emerged from the battlefield and took on a corporeal form.

Under the starry sky, Li walked alone in a distant realm. His face was etched with memories, recalling too many things from the past.

"My wish is unfulfilled, my obsession persists. All I really want is to return to the living world and take a look..." Li murmured softly, his emotions heavy and low.

"Master!" A man followed him, tears in his eyes, trembling uncontrollably and feeling immense pain. He knew his master was fading, his lingering obsession about to dissipate.

"Master, you... you won't die!" Another woman was weeping, looking at the radiant, glowing figure. Her face was streaked with tears, her expression dazed.

She remembered the past, when her master, Li, was as handsome as jade, unrivaled in valor under heaven. Who could contend with him? The living world revered him; no one dared to challenge him.

That was truly the demeanor of an unmatched, invincible hero!

But now, he was very weak, on the verge of vanishing from the world.

"Master, I'm willing to trade my life for yours, to keep you in this world forever!" the woman cried.

The male disciple's face showed signs of weariness and helplessness, filled with sorrow and filial devotion, feeling an urge to break down and weep. He asked, "Master, how can we save you? You mastered the supreme technique you spoke of back then, the one capable of suppressing them all, didn't you?"

"Master, you've been undefeated your entire life, eternally invincible! You can suppress all of them!" the woman sobbed.

"I am but a wisp of lingering obsession; how could I achieve that? Even I am not omnipotent. Defeating them was simply going with the flow. My true wish was merely to return and take a look."

As he spoke, Li's form became even more ethereal, almost transparent.

"Master!" Both cried out in alarm, their voices filled with boundless sorrow.

At that moment, Li stepped forward, entering the living world. Each step caused mountains and rivers to invert as he swiftly passed through one province after another, as if searching for something.

Finally, he stopped in a certain province, letting out a soft sigh as he gazed at a desolate, red land. He said, "Many old comrades died here back then. I've come to see you all."

He sat on a rock, and with a gentle wave of his hand, a jar of wine appeared. He took a sip, but the liquid merely passed through his transparent body.

He smiled helplessly and poured the entire jar of wine onto the red earth. He said, "Drink up, old comrades. So much time has passed that some of your faces have blurred in my memory; I can barely recall them. But I truly miss you all."

At this moment, Li felt low and melancholic. Even having cultivated to his level, he still retained all the emotions natural to mortals, never having severed them in pursuit of greater power.

Soon after, he rose, large showers of light particles falling from him. His form became increasingly transparent and unstable.

Li left the place, light particles continuing to dissipate along the way. His form swayed as he followed his memory, entering another province and arriving at a great mountain range known as the "Land of Despair."

"Back then, when I first emerged and began to rise, those who joined me on campaigns, my brothers who died in battle, were almost all buried here. My forces from those days, they all turned to dust and smoke, never to be seen again."

This place left a profound impression on him. The old soldiers, the generals, his band of old comrades who had risen and grown with him back then, most of them had perished in the end, and each burial was accompanied by earth-shattering cries of sorrow.

None of his former troops survived; they had all died!

At this point, Li spilled the wine and cast aside the jar. His body swayed, and he let out a low growl, like a cry, yet also like a desolate laugh.

Behind him, the man and woman were overwhelmed with grief, their hearts aching for their master. They couldn't bear to see him like this; he was the invincible Li, peerless under heaven. How could he shed tears? How could he be sad?!

"Master!" Both choked back sobs.

"Not a single one left... they're all gone. My troops, my brothers, they all left me, all died in battle, buried by the passage of time, beneath the yellow earth. I am sorry for failing you, for letting you down. I returned too late, and I can't see any of you..." Li swayed, whispering here, as if trying to summon those people back.

"In truth, I came back... asking for nothing. I simply hoped for yesterday to reappear, to see you all again, to see your familiar faces!"

Li murmured, deeply melancholic. Large showers of light particles flew from his body, and he became even more transparent.

With a wave of his hand, many mountain terrains cracked open, and rocks and earth rolled down. In a trance, one phantom after another emerged: some wearing tattered armor, some drinking from large bowls, some bandaging wounds.

Li reached out his hand, moving it forward, wanting to touch those faces, all familiar old comrades, his former troops and old friends.

However, the phantoms shattered, and everything turned to smoke.

"It's not truly you after all!" he sighed softly.

At this moment, both disciples were overcome with profound sorrow. They grieved for their master, their hearts aching for him. They rushed forward, trying to support his tottering form.

Yet, they grasped at nothing. His transparent body was shedding light particles and was on the verge of dissipating!

Just then, a sorrowful roar echoed through the Land of Despair.

"Brother, I'm still alive! I've come! I've come to see you. You still have an old comrade alive!"

A figure ran towards them, transforming from young to old, regaining his past appearance. It was none other than Old Gu!

"Brother, I knew you'd come here! I frantically searched for a teleportation array, running as if my life depended on it, and finally made it! Brother, I am your useless brother, Gu Chenhai!"

Old Gu, his face weathered and marked by age and hardship, stumbled over, crying loudly: "Brother, you're not alone! Your brother Old Gu is still alive! Even though I'm useless and have never been able to help you, I've been waiting for you to return. You still have me, your old comrade; you're not alone!"

Old Gu also lunged at empty space, falling to the ground and then scrambling back up. He had passed right through the transparent phantom; light particles were falling, and Li was barely holding his form together.

However, Li now smiled and said softly: "Still so reckless. I won't be here to support you anymore, so stir up less trouble, and try not to offend anyone. If things get too difficult, just withdraw completely from the world and hide, otherwise you'll be killed."

Old Gu's face was covered in tears, his heart filled with grief, as he cried out: "Brother, you won't die! If I cause trouble, you'll protect me! That Martial Madman is nothing; how dare he call himself an emperor? I even want to destroy him! Brother, you won't die, you'll still be here to support me!"

At this point, Old Gu was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to speak further. He knew it was futile; Li was going to die, to disappear.

Li patted his shoulder, but his hand dissipated.

"Brother!" Old Gu cried out in terror.

Both disciples wept heartbrokenly.

"Brother, let's go to the next place!" Old Gu called out. He feared time was running out and that Li's regrets would remain unfulfilled.

Soon after, Old Gu led the way, and they arrived in Yin Province. He believed Li must have wanted to come here, as Li's confidante had died in this place. Furthermore, it was here that something had happened to Li when he was preparing to attack Great Yin Province years ago.

"It's good to take a look here." Li gazed out at the area, his expression complex. The faces and voices of people from the past, their smiles and laughter, floated before his eyes, yet he shook his head and sighed once more.

"Mistress is buried in this province," Li's second disciple murmured softly.

"Ah, her." Li sighed and shook his head, finally gazing out across the entire land.

His expression, his profile, evoked a pang of heartache in everyone. Both disciples and Old Gu were overcome with profound grief.

They knew that he would disappear from the human world forever.

Finally, Li seemed to be crying and smiling at the same time. Then his body became ethereal, transforming into light particles and fine dust, scattering with the wind, leaving no trace or sign of his presence.