Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

The man on the throne laughed indifferently, “My naive little brother, if you insist on your path, you will have to give up the life of Ling Zi Ling.”

"What do you mean?"

"Since her spirit and soul have been separated, even if the Heavenly Dao's Bright Fire were to recreate her, the damage caused during this period of unconsciousness would prevent her from ever waking up again."

"So all of this was part of your plan!"

The Demon Lord did not deny it. With a move in mid-air, the Soul-Hiding Bottle containing Murong Qing's soul flew over and hovered in front of Ren Yunzong.

"Want it? This soul can not only resonate with Ling Zi Ling, but the Soul-Hiding Bottle can also help you preserve Jing Wu Huan's remnant soul."

Everything was the result of the Demon Lord's calculations. Ren Yunzong knew that the other party still had demands: "State your conditions."

“It’s very simple. In the deepest part of the Mingjing Cave on the Dengdao Shore, there is a person imprisoned. You need to release him.”

"You're going to release him?"

"how?"

The Soul-Hiding Bottle slowly rotated before Ren Yunzong's eyes, round and round, like ripples on a lake, never calming down.

The person sealed deep within the shore of the Dao is cruel and bloodthirsty; if released, he would be a catastrophe for all living beings.

But Ling Ziling had done nothing wrong, and he couldn't let her become a victim of the battle between the saints and demons. And then there was Jing Wuhuan, the remnant soul he had painstakingly preserved; he was even more reluctant to let her go.

Luo Hou's words echoed in his mind once again: whether one is human or demon is only a matter of a single thought.

Only now do I realize how painful the choice between being human and being a demon truly is.

"make a deal."

Ren Yunzong grabbed the Soul-Hiding Bottle and quickly left.

Behind him came the Demon Lord's maniacal laughter: "Hahahaha, little brother, you will soon truly return to my side."

The laughter lasted for a long time before it finally stopped.

Afterwards, a pair of cold eyes calculated the current situation. In order to start a war between gods and demons and avenge past grievances, their generals must return as soon as possible:

Once we expose the identity of the righteous sage, we believe that the righteous people will push him back to the demon city.

Duanmu Xianlong, threatening his own life with his own, could break the seal in just a few days.

As time progresses, the Emperor Tathagata has already transformed into a ghost, but why is there no movement at Cloud Drum Thunder Peak?

Besides these, other figures who can be manipulated include: Hao Tianqiong, the Demon Queen, and Wuyi Shiyin...

The Demon Lord summoned Misi Tuo and the illusory demon official to learn about the progress of the "Tathagata becomes a ghost" operation.

"Reporting to the Demon Lord, the Purifying Rhinoceros Horn has been severed by Emperor Tathagata, and our plans may be subject to change."

"Ok?"

The illusory demon official resides in the Ghost Pool of the Underworld. He is nominally a confidant of the Demon Queen, but in reality, he is a spy for the Heavenly Yama Demon City. After traveling for some time, he has grasped the actions of various forces on the surface.

"Demon Lord, the fact that Emperor Tathagata severed the cleansing rhinoceros horn is likely related to Rahu."

"Tell me in detail."

"Rahu visited Yun Gu Lei Feng and fought with the Tathagata with the Purifying Rhinoceros Horn. It is said that the battle was evenly matched, but the Purifying Rhinoceros Horn and the Buddha's Punishment Meditation Broken at the same time."

"Where are the fragments of the cleansing rhinoceros horn?"

"She was taken away by Luo Hou. Furthermore, the Demon Queen needs the spiritual energy of the Killing King Tree to revive the Black-Clad Swordsman, so she went to Tian Du, but Luo Hou exposed her as a dead man. Details are as follows..."

"Luo Hou, an unexpected person."

The illusory demon official concluded, "Young Lord also had contact with Rahu. When Young Lord took the Heavenly Dao Flame, Rahu appeared on the Ascending Dao Shore."

"You mean that the identity of Duanmie Chanti has not been exposed and is related to Rahu?"

"This is just my guess."

The Demon Lord revealed a sinister smile: "Since that's the case, then let's play a game of chess with Luo Hou and see who is the pawn and who is the player in this world..."

Chapter 146 The Demon Queen Loses Her Mind, the Army Invades the Capital

Ren Yunzong left Tianyan Demon City, his steps somewhat heavy.

Knowing his brother as he did, he knew that once the Demon City reappeared in the world, it would not let go of the grudge of being ambushed by the Holy Fang during the ancient war between the Holy and the Demon.

The Bitter Realm has just quelled the calamities of the Twin Bodies of Buddha and the Burning Buddha Prison. The spiritual energy of the six major spiritual veins has not yet recovered. Can it withstand another holy war against demons?

Ren Yunzong sighed and returned to Tiandu to inform Wu Jun of the matter.

Wu Jun is waiting for him.

"Ren Yunzong, this is the Buddha Emperor's relic, take it."

"Thank you, Lord Wu, but..."

"Ok?"

Ren Yunzong told him about going to Tianyan Demon City to question him, and learned that Ling Ziling and Deng Daoan were both part of the Demon Lord's conspiracy, as well as his own deal with the Demon Lord. He explained in detail.

"Martial Lord, if it were you, what would you choose?"

"Save people, release people, kill people."

"this?"

"Since you released the person yourself, you should naturally deal with him yourself."

"Ugh."

Luo Hou asked, "Could it be that you can't defeat the person imprisoned deep within the Dengdao Shore?"

After much deliberation, Ren Yunzong finally answered the question: "Unless I unseal the power of the demon race, based on the foundation of the Daoist sect, the chances should be fifty-fifty."

"Then untie it."

"I hope he will cherish the opportunity to be free."

Luo Hou stared at him: "Don't pin your hopes on others to change, thereby shirking your own responsibilities."

"I understand, thank you, Lord Wu."

Upon entering the spirit room, Jun Manlu and Yu Qinghuan were both present, while Yan Pianpian, accompanied by a little rabbit and a little fox, peered out from the doorway.

Upon seeing Ren Yunzong, the little fox exclaimed, "Taoist priest, have you found the medicine to save the spirit from its own demise?"

"Ah."

"great!"

Ren Yunzong first expressed his gratitude to Jun Manlu and Yu Qinghuan: "Thank you very much, Miss Jun and Miss Yu."

"polite."

The two stepped aside, and Ren Yunzong took out the Soul-Hiding Bottle given to him by the Demon Lord. A beam of five-colored light rushed into Ling Ziling's heart.

Then, another transparent soul entered the Soul-Storing Bottle. That familiar feeling was Jing Wuhuan's.

"Oh dear, how did I sleep for so long?"

Ling Ziling held her head and sat up in bed.

Upon seeing Ren Yunzong, she threw herself into his arms again: "Azhen, I had a terrible dream. I dreamt that you turned into a monster with horns on your head."

Before Ren Yunzong could speak, Jun Manlu laughed and said, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. It must be that the little fox told you a scary story."

"Yes, yes, Little Fox tells the story of the Demon Prince and Red Eyes every day."

"Lingziling, get up quickly, I've saved the freshest carrots for you."

"There are also pastries from the Four Realms. Huang Quan has returned from the Tower of Compassion and brought back a lot of delicious food."

When the three children saw that Ling Zi was awake, they all crowded around her and started talking all at once.

"Really? Let's go eat now!"

Ling jumped off the bed, instantly dispelling the heavy atmosphere.

Jun Manlu and Yu Qinghuan took their leave: "Daoist Ren, the joyous occasion in Tiandu is approaching, we must go and attend to our business now, please make yourself at home."

"happy event?"

Jun Manlu smiled and said, "Yes, it was originally a happy occasion for Wu Jun, but now it seems that there will be another one."

After everyone had left, Ren Yunzong's Soul-Hiding Bottle flashed, and Jing Wuhuan's figure reappeared.

"Did you hear everything?"

"Thanks a lot."

Ren Yunzong reached out, wanting to embrace the person in front of him, but his hands passed right through Jing Wuhuan's illusory image.

"Wu Huan, it's time for a happy occasion in the heavens."

"Congratulations to them."

"...Tiandu is truly a peaceful place. Perhaps by staying here, we can benefit from its festive atmosphere."

"At present, the priority is to reignite the Heavenly Flame. I believe you can accomplish this task."

"Wu Huan, I'm terrified that one day we'll become adversaries."

"Whether it's a holy or a demonic thing, it's just a name. It doesn't represent good or bad. What determines good or bad is the human heart."

A warm feeling welled up in Ren Yunzong's heart. Even if he transformed into a demon, so what? The people he loved most, as well as the Martial Lord and the people of Tiandu, would not look down on him because of this.

"Wu Huan, I will definitely revive you! Perhaps soon, Tian Du will have another joyous occasion."

Upon hearing this, a trace of sorrow appeared on Jing Wuhuan's beautiful face.

After a moment, he said, "During the polar night, the Heavenly Flame is about to enter the calamity of the Seven Darknesses and the Extinction. Now that we have obtained the Heavenly Song Corpse, we still need the Qi of the Five Heavens and the Three Flames of Mortals. Time is limited, so you should get started quickly."

"Thanks to Jing Canglang's assistance, he has been put in charge of the Three Fires of Mortals. I will go and check on the situation in the Five Heavens Land first."

"be careful."

Jing Wuhuan entered the Soul-Hiding Bottle again, and Ren Yunzong reluctantly put the bottle down.

Immediately, a map appeared in his hand. To find the spiritual energy of the Five Heavens, he needed to use the spiritual pearl to detect the location of the earth's veins.

Ren Yunzong took out a Five Elements Spirit Pearl, placed it on the map, activated his Taoist Dharma Eye, and softly chanted an incantation: