Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

This move contains near-divine power, enhanced by a protective barrier, and imbued with the power of a thousand-year-old vow.

Luo Hou dared not be careless, and his three-colored extreme essence burst forth: "Three Extremes Return to Origin Slash!"

In an instant, divine might and holy energy suddenly appeared on the cleansing rhinoceros horn, piercing through heaven and earth with an irresistible force and an unquestionable might, splitting the opening scroll in the middle.

Bah!

The two swords clashed, their sharp edges flashing past, severing all cause and effect.

The Buddha's punishment meditation and the rhinoceros horn that cleansed sins broke in response, the chanting gradually ceased, the golden flowers faded, and the bright scroll vanished with the dust.

"Thank you, Lord Wu... uh~"

Emperor Tathagata vomited blood and retreated, but his face showed a solemn and dignified appearance.

Feeling the last trace of demonic energy dissipate from Yun Gu Lei Feng, Luo Hou said with relief, "Congratulations to Buddha Head on escaping danger."

The supreme enlightenment has been achieved, and today all merits have been fulfilled.

A thousand years of arduous cultivation, a single day to wash away all sins.

Chapter 144 Human Nature's Fluctuations Like a Raging Tide (Thanks for the donation)

The Heavenly Scroll shattered, the barrier disappeared, and the two still stood in the Hall of Sagely Calamity.

With a flick of his robe, Luo Hou swept up all the broken blades on the ground.

"Lord Wu, what does this mean?"

"There is a furnace in the heavens. Such evil things need to be put into the furnace to be completely refined."

Emperor Tathagata agreed wholeheartedly: "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wu."

"I also want to thank the Buddha."

"Oh?"

During the fierce battle just now, Luo Hou had a vague understanding of swordsmanship. Although it was ethereal, the lingering sword intent remained in his heart.

If I go back and study it, I will surely be able to create another superior knife technique.

"The sword energy of the Buddha's head, the holy energy of opening the book, the demonic energy of the rhinoceros horn that cleanses sins, plus the connection between the Buddha Emperor and the relic, caused the true essence in my body to surge like boiling water, and my sword technique seemed to be advancing."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Tathagata was both shocked and delighted: "It is truly a blessing that Lord Wu has made such a gain, excellent indeed!"

"I wonder what the Buddha gained from his battle with me?"

Once martial arts reach a near-divine level, advancing further becomes incredibly difficult.

Outwardly, there are few rivals in the world, and no breakthrough can be achieved through combat.

If one's inner resolve is firm and one's mindset is fixed, even if one cultivates for thousands of years to the point of water dripping through stone, one will only make a slight movement on the path to godhood.

The Three Extremes Returning to Origin Slash is a natural transformation of the ultimate energy, originating from a special cultivation method. It can be described as a miracle arising from great force, but the move itself is not particularly profound.

The subtle sword intent I sensed at that moment was utterly mysterious and profound.

Emperor Tathagata clasped his hands together and sighed, "I am ashamed. During the battle, I was moved by the Buddha Emperor's teachings and realized my own shortcomings. In a moment of enlightenment, I only felt that my state of mind was more stable and peaceful, but I gained nothing in the martial arts."

"Once the Heavenly Buddha's Homeland is born, please ask Buddha to forge sacred artifacts and divine weapons for you. At that time, Buddha's martial arts will naturally improve."

“The original home of Tianfo? I have searched for a long time, but have found no clues.”

"Now that the Heavenly Demon City has appeared in the world, how can the Heavenly Plain Buddhist Land sit idly by?"

Emperor Tathagata's face lit up with even more joy: "If it weren't for the holy monk from the original homeland of Heavenly Buddha, there would be no Emperor Tathagata today."

Long ago, it was the monk Zhaoti of Tianfo Yuanxiang who enlightened him and gave him an empty sword with abundant spiritual power, enough to withstand the cleansing rhinoceros horn, which enabled Ghost Tathagata to gradually cultivate into Emperor Tathagata.

The appearance used by the Buddha as the Sweeper Monk was the same as that of the monk Zhaoti who gave him the knife that day.

Throughout the long years, Emperor Tathagata sent monks from Yungu Leifeng more than once to search for the Heavenly Plains Buddha Land, but to no avail.

In fact, Rahu manifested the Buddha Emperor Jade Weaving Soaring Holy Image and mentioned the Heavenly Buddha's Original Homeland to him, all to strengthen the faith of Emperor Tathagata.

On the path of spiritual practice, Buddhist disciples accompany you, and comrades stand shoulder to shoulder.

My path is not lonely.

At this moment, Wu Huo Du Mi, along with the two monks of Shu Yin Ta, rushed into the Hall of Bhadra: "Buddha, what has happened?"

"With the help of Wu Jun, the Buddhist punishment meditation severed the horn of the cleansing rhinoceros."

"what!"

Emperor Rulai said calmly, "Both blades are broken."

Wu Huodu's eyes darted around, seemingly plotting something, but he didn't offer much criticism.

Luo Hou observed him coldly, and seeing that he remained silent, he made a new request: "Buddha, the Dao An has been corrupted by demons, and the Heavenly Dao Bright Flame of the Taiqing Realm is about to be extinguished. We need the Buddha Emperor's Relic to help us."

The momentum generated by Dengdao'an's demonization had long been noticed by those who were interested, not to mention the related Yun Gu Lei Feng.

However, relics of eminent monks are extremely rare.

After the Buddha Emperor's sacrifice, Lu Yuan Yi Cheng was possessed by the Buddha's Twin Bodies. Po Xia Qiu Chan and others, unwilling for the Buddha Emperor's remains to be contaminated by evil spirits, sent them to Yun Gu Lei Feng.

Emperor Tathagata led a thousand monks to perform a 49-day rite for the Buddha, refining three crystal-clear relics.

Upon hearing Luo Hou's request for the Buddha Emperor's relics, Wu Huo Du Mi immediately refused: "The Buddha Emperor's relics are the most precious treasures of Yun Gu Lei Feng; how can they be allowed to flow outside the Buddhist community?"

Emperor Tathagata said gently, "Although the Buddha's relics are sacred objects, Buddhism and Taoism are originally one family. Now that Taoism is in trouble, Yun Gu Lei Feng should lend a helping hand."

"Easier said than done, it'll be gone once you use it!"

"There are three relics in total. One has been lent out, and the remaining two can also be used to express the grief of Buddhist disciples."

Seeing that Emperor Tathagata had revealed the truth, Wu Huo Du Mi said angrily, "Deng Dao An couldn't even protect his own mountain gate, causing the Demon City to be born. They should bear this responsibility!"

“Venerable Monk, back then, the sect leader Jing Wuhuan of Dengdaoan helped seal Haotianqiong at your request to Yu Shenfeng. The sect leader sacrificed himself for this. Now is the time for us to repay the kindness of Dengdaoan.”

These words left Wu Huo Du Mi speechless. Back then, the five people sealed the Heavenly Poor, but the only one who sacrificed himself was a woman.

This also caused the Taiqing Realm to become estranged from the righteous path for many years.

Seeing that Wu Huo Du Mi had no further objections, Emperor Tathagata personally went to retrieve the Buddha Emperor's relics: "Wu Jun, please wait a moment."

After Emperor Rulai left, Wu Huo Du Mi spoke again: "Martial Lord, when do you plan to kill Hao Tianqiong?"

Hao Tianqiong broke free of his seal, and his first priority was to take revenge on the five people who had sealed him away. Of these five, only Wu Huo Du Mi was out in the open, making him Hao Tianqiong's first target.

During this period, Wu Huo Du Mi was restless and unable to eat or sleep. He tried to deal with Hao Tian Qiong's schemes repeatedly, but all to no avail.

Luo Hou understood his feelings, but disapproved of his actions. He coldly replied, "I will kill him for you when you find something that can restrain his power."

"This...Does Lord Wu know what can counter the power of Hao Tianqiong?"

"You should ask Su Huanzhen about this."

"Hmph! Su Huanzhen stopped pushing Song Yan and handed over the leadership of the group to Wuyi Shiyin. However, Wuyi Shiyin colluded with the Demon City and corrupted Deng Dao'an. Let's see how Su Huanzhen explains himself when he returns!"

"Now that the righteous path in the Central Plains is leaderless, why don't you, old monk, raise your arms and call for the capture of Master Yin without clothes?"

Wu Huodu's eyes flashed, but he tentatively asked, "With Wu Jun's prestige, he is perfectly capable of shouldering leadership responsibilities."

“I have no interest, but if the monk needs it, he may send a message to Tiandu.”

Wu Huo Du Mi was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Thank you, Lord Wu. This humble monk will arrange for men to capture Wu Yi Shi Yin immediately and find out the inside story of his collusion with the Demon City."

Luo Hou nodded.

At this moment, Emperor Tathagata returned and handed a relic the size of a thumb, like a jade bead, to Rahu.

"When the Buddha's remains were brought here in the past, they were already severely damaged... Amitabha."

"Thank you, Buddha. I will proceed to the shore. Please take your leave."

"I will escort you down the mountain."

Emperor Tathagata insisted on escorting Rahu down the mountain. The two did not turn into light, but instead walked slowly along the mountain path.

"Does the Buddha seem to have something to say to me?"

After considering for a moment, Emperor Tathagata said, "Please forgive my impertinence, but I have heard that the Martial Lord is a human who cultivated demonic energy. Is this true?"

"Of course."

"And now it has also merged with the Buddha Emperor's Buddha Essence?"

“You just witnessed it with your own eyes.”

"Humans can cultivate demonic energy and also fuse with Buddhist energy. Could they be related to a Martial Lord?"

Beneath the mask, Luo Hou was also somewhat confused. In his previous dream, he only remembered things after he became an adult. What was his true origin?

“I am indeed a human, raised by my parents, but I don’t remember much about my childhood.”

"The Martial Lord possesses unparalleled skills; whose disciple is he?"

“I was once a wandering knight-errant, drifting through the world, and I learned everything without a teacher.”

"this?"

Luo Hou's clues are all very clear, but within this clarity, there are also many things that defy common sense.

“Buddha, regardless of my bloodline and background, and regardless of the opinions of the world, to Rahu, they are all things of the past and I do not care about them.”

"I, Emperor Tathagata, have learned a lot."

"Please."

"please."

Luo Hou left.

For a very long time, Emperor Tathagata remained in a bowing farewell posture until a fallen leaf drifted by.

Originally there was nothing, so where could dust settle?

"Emperor Tathagata thanks Martial Lord."

A gentle breeze stirred before the mountain gate, and another figure appeared in the woods, this time sweeping the ground. This time, however, the sweeping monk's face was that of the Buddha himself.

At this time, Luo Hou had reached the snow-covered half-peak of the western mountain.

Halfway up the snow-covered peak, the crowd of people climbing the path to the gate had disappeared, leaving only the young boy offering alms.