Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

"Turn back quickly, and you will be safe."

Time was of the essence, and Wu Yi Shi Yin did not want to delay. He apologized, saying, "I have my own reasons. I'm sorry, drink up!"

"Stubborn!"

The two sides immediately ignited the war, with Taoist mystical arts and the enemy's Tower of Compassion spells being used.

After several fierce exchanges, Wuyi Shi Yin Xiang Dou Piao Xiang unleashed boundless energy that blotted out the sky and sun, instantly obscuring his figure.

"Ok?"

When the incense and mist dissipated, the needle that had left the pivot had already penetrated straight into the center of the spiritual source.

As soon as he ascended the shore, he unleashed supreme demonic energy, black clouds surged into the sky, and evil energy tainted Qinghua.

As the demonic aura spread, the entire Taiqing Dao Realm, Zhengyi Heavenly Dao, and Dengdao Shore were completely overrun. The demonic energy shook the foundations of the Taiqing spiritual veins that had stood for generations, and even the towering Daoist temples began to crumble.

At the same time, in the distant Tianfo Original Land, the sacred realm trembled due to the evil power of the demonic source, causing the ground to collapse and sink.

"It still happened..."

The Buddha, meditating in stillness, clasped his hands together, slightly opened his Dharma eyes that had seen all beings, and sighed softly.

At the same time, the Heavenly Demon City broke through the last seal, and the entire city slowly rose, climbing thousands of feet higher, presenting an ancient and colossal appearance.

It is like a crouching tiger and a coiled dragon, vast and boundless, seemingly ready to devour the entire human world.

From the deepest part of the Demon City, a voice filled with hatred echoed: "Gods and demons have lost their way, plunging the world into chaos. The blood calamity begins, and the primordial world will be unified."

Wu Yi Shi Yin was shocked to see the drastic change on the path leading to the shore. He immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly retreated.

Just after Deng Daoan turned into a demon, Ling Ziling, who was playing with Xiao Mian, Xiao Hu, and Yan Pianpian, suddenly screamed and fainted.

"The spirit is the spirit~"

"Ling Ziling, how are you?"

"Ling Ziling fainted!"

Ren Yunzong saw the terrifying demonic aura in the distance and heard Ling Ziling faint, so he rushed over.

Seeing the worry of everyone in Tiandu, he suppressed his panic and said, "Junior Martial Aunt is only unconscious and is not seriously injured. I will take her back to her room to rest."

Ren Yunzong carried Lingzi back to her room, lost in thought.

The fact that the path to enlightenment has been corrupted by demons and the bright fire of the Heavenly Way is dimming and about to go out is likely the reason why the spirit is unconscious.

The Heavenly Flame is the ancestral flame of the Daoist sect in the Taiqing Realm. If it is extinguished, not only will the Daoist shore be reached, but the fate of the entire Taiqing Realm will be exhausted.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out: "To save those who have reached the shore, you must replace the old fire with a new one."

"Ok?"

In the room, a beautiful figure appeared out of nowhere, with exquisite features, just like the person she had longed for for countless years.

"It's you?"

It feels like a dream, yet I can't believe it, but I want to believe it.

"If you have doubts, why not open your eyes and see for yourself?"

Ren Yunzong activated his Daoist Dharma Eye, revealing that the person before him was merely a pure and illusory primordial spirit.

"Wu Huan, what are you doing here?"

"When I was dying, my senior brother used the Heavenly Dao Bright Fire to extend my life. In addition, I had practiced the Spirit Creation Technique, so before my primordial spirit dissipated, I was able to preserve a part of my soul and coexist with the Heavenly Dao Bright Fire."

"Is the Heavenly Fire related to the existence of a spirit?"

“Indeed. Ling Ziling was originally a stillborn infant with only two souls and seven spirits. Coincidentally, her fate was the same as mine, so my senior brother cast a spell on Ling Ziling to combine one of my souls with her.”

"Have you known anything about the outside world all these years?"

"I understand perfectly, but my soul is too weak to respond."

Ren Yunzong's heart was filled with emotion: "So...so you've always been by my side. So, the reason I feel an inexplicable closeness to Ling Ziling is simply because of the existence of your soul."

Jing Wuhuan said quickly, "My spirit was shaken by the bright fire, and my three souls were scattered. Only then could I appear and talk to you. But the crisis of reaching the shore of enlightenment must be resolved as soon as possible, otherwise my soul will be scattered and none of us will be spared."

Ren Yunzong forced himself to suppress his emotions: "What you just said about replacing the old fire with new fire, how do you plan to do that?"

"First, find the three fires of mortals, use the corpse of the Heavenly Song as the fuel, and then invite five Daoists—the Upper Immortal, the Mysterious Immortal, the Heavenly Immortal, the Spiritual Immortal, and the True Immortal—to, at the time of day and night's intersection, respectively in the five lands of Azure Heaven, Vast Heaven, Blazing Heaven, Mysterious Heaven, and Jun Heaven, use the Five True Bright Talismans to gather the five elements of water, wind, thunder, fire, and earth, and work together to recreate the bright fire."

"Three fires for mortals, a corpse praised by the heavens?"

"Yes, that's the detail..."

After Jing Wuhuan finished speaking, she was already in a daze. She took a deep look at Ren Yunzong, then entered Ling Ziling's body again and fell into a deep sleep.

Without further ado, Ren Yunzong found Jun Manlu and said, "Miss Jun, please take care of Ling Ziling. I need to hurry back to Dengdao Shore."

"Well, don't worry."

Ren Yunzong rushed back.

They saw that the Immortal Elder, along with his fellow disciples, had already retreated from the Dengdao Shore and were now at the foot of the mountain, looking bewildered and helpless.

"Ren Yunzong, where did you go at this crucial moment?"

"Please, Immortal Elder and fellow disciples, go to Banfengxue to settle down first. I need to go up and observe the situation of Minghuo. Minghuo is related to everyone in the Taiqing Dao lineage."

He interrupted him, saying, "I know all that, but the Bright Flame is far above the Ninth Heaven, protected by three layers of formations. Only those who have cultivated the Taiqing Divine Technique to the ninth level can go up there."

"I am willing to give it a try."

Amidst the admiration of those who were not on the right path and the others in the sect, Ren Yunzong leaped up, sacrificing his entire foundation to challenge the protective formation.

The first challenge is the Wind-Scraping Punishment, where the wind in the formation is as sharp as needles and knives, becoming stronger with each encounter.

Sensing Ren Yunzong's foundation, the wind in the formation became even fiercer, and his protective aura was pierced through, instantly striking him with several wind blades.

"Wind like a blade, qi like a knife, encompassing emptiness and nothingness, drink!"

Ren Yunzong used his Taoist magic to break through the wind with the wind, turning defense into offense, and broke through the formation in one fell swoop.

The second trial is the tribulation of lightning, with thunderbolts striking like a raging torrent.

"Uh~"

Ren Yunzong was unable to dodge in time and was immediately injured.

In the midst of the crisis, Ren Yunzong cast another spell: "Transform Yin and Yang, Respond to Heaven and Earth, Refine Spirit and Transform Form!"

He conjured countless phantoms from his body, imbued them with his spirit, drew away the lightning tribulation, and instantly passed through the net of lightning.

The final challenge: the Calamity of Heavenly Fire.

Faced with being engulfed by heavenly fire, one can only rely on one's own foundation to withstand the test.

"Stabilizing the Profound Ultimate, Returning to the True Dao, Nine Yin Edict, Hah!"

Unexpectedly, this fire was different from ordinary fire. Even though Ren Yunzong had cultivated the Profound Extreme Heart Method to the eighth level and pushed his internal energy to the limit, he still could not support it.

Just as Ren Yunzong was feeling helpless, a towering figure suddenly rushed into the heavenly fire and grabbed his unsealed hand.

"No need to take risks, let me help you."

"Martial Lord, is that you?"

"Sun-Shattering Gale, go!"

Amidst the heavenly fire, a terrifying gale suddenly arose, its force overwhelming the universe, tearing apart the sky, and blowing all the heavenly fire to both sides.

With a powerful palm strike, Ren Yunzong passed through the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Array and landed atop the Nine Heavens.

On the platform stood a large, black cauldron, the Dao fire within it dim and unclear. Ren Yunzong dared not delay and took the cauldron and its fire down together.

Luo Hou unleashed another palm strike, clearing away all the wind, thunder, and fire, and landed on the ground with Ren Yunzong.

Chapter 143 The Martial Lord Battles the Buddha's Head, the Holy Blade Severs the Rhinoceros Horn

Luo Hou, accompanied by Ren Yunzong, landed on Dengdao Shore, and everyone retreated to the snow-covered half-peak of Xishan Mountain.

After greeting Bu Shangdao and his fellow disciples, Ren Yunzong asked, "What brings you here, Martial Lord?"

"I had just arrived at Yun Gu Lei Feng when I saw the demonic energy soaring into the sky, and I came here because of this feeling."

"Thank you, Lord Wu."

Luo Hou knew that he was about to exchange the old fire for the new fire, and the most difficult thing was the Buddha Emperor's relic, which was hidden in Yun Gu Lei Feng. If he forced the relic, the two sides would inevitably clash.

He then said, "Ren Yunzong, you will accompany me down the mountain."

"Please, Lord Wu."

The two walked slowly together, their heavy footsteps shattering the desolation of the mountain.

"Does Lord Wu have something to say to me?"

"Ren Yunzong, I know your background very well."

"Ok?"

"You are the son of the Demon Emperor, the young lord of the Heavenly Yama Demon City."

"I'm sorry, Lord Wu... I didn't mean to hide it."

Amidst his shock, Ren Yunzong felt a pang of shame. He had stayed in Tiandu for several days, and Luo Hou had treated him with great sincerity.

"Whether you are human or demon, your identity is not important."

"Does it really not matter whether someone is human or demon?"

Luo Hou stopped and stared at Ren Yunzong: "Whether you become a human or a demon is entirely up to you."

Ren Yunzong calmly looked back at Luo Hou, his eyes clear and resolute: "Many years ago, I made my choice."

"Your path has been arduous, how is your heart?"

"Though I die nine times, I will not regret it."

"If Tianyan Demon City and Dengdao Shore were to fight to the death, what would you do?"

"With this body I vow to stop the evil calamity."

This answer satisfied Luo Hou. He was torn between family ties and the gratitude he owed his teacher, and he was most afraid that Ren Yunzong would waver between the two.