Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

Boom.

The palm strike pierced through the clouds, raising dust for miles around. The surrounding mountains of Cloud Drum Thunder Peak were completely obscured, and the dust lingered for a long time.

The two engaged in close combat in mid-air, their attacks coming like rain, and in the blink of an eye, they were both wounded.

Just as the clouds and dust dissipated, Emperor Tathagata suddenly plummeted down from the mountain gate like a shooting star, his body shrouded in black mist, staining the Saochan Mountain gate with a demonic and sinful aura.

Hao Tianqiong landed and coldly shouted, "What? Has this stirred up some unpleasant memories for you?"

Emperor Tathagata closed his eyes and remained silent, using his Buddhist power to suppress the surging black energy. Cold sweat dripped down his face, wetting the fallen leaves at his feet.

Hao Tianqiong continued, "How much blood was shed to create the Buddha-Emperor Tathagata, and how much blood was shed to create me as I am today! In this city of sin, a thousand sins are sacrificed in blood—what a grand and dignified massacre!"

Just as the Buddha closed his eyes to suppress the demonic energy, Hao Tianqiong raised his palm and shouted, "Be free!"

At that moment, the Buddha opened his eyes.

Suddenly, a mark of sin appeared on the forehead of Emperor Tathagata, his golden relics on his head turned into a demonic skull, his whole body was shrouded in demonic energy, and his eyes shot out a crazy killing intent.

"Six Severances of Ghost Zen - Unpredictable Dharma Formation, Kill!"

The unexpected turn of events left Wu Huo Du Mi and hundreds of monks, who had just returned victorious after slaying the demon queen, in a state of shock.

"What is this Buddha head?"

"How could the Buddha's head be like that!"

As their hands clashed, Hao Tianqiong laughed wildly and staggered backward: "The Buddha has become a ghost, what an ironic sight! Wu Huo, you bald monk, enjoy the spectacle yourselves, hahahahaha!"

In a short while, the missionaries of the Last Days Holy Missionaries disappeared completely, along with Hao Tianqiong.

As the monks swept the temple gates, only Wu Huo, the one who had lost his way, kept asking, "Buddha, what is going on here?"

With the formidable enemy gone, Emperor Tathagata, filled with Buddhist aura, slowly regained his solemn and dignified appearance.

"This is a long-ago story, and it's time to announce it to the world..."

A mountain breeze rustles, and clouds drift and gather.

Emperor Tathagata faced the monks of Yungu Leifeng with composure and recounted that unbearable past in detail.

Before the three major lineages of Buddha Venerable, Buddha Emperor, and Buddha Head appeared, a monk inexplicably obtained a rhinoceros horn divine weapon. In the darkness, a voice conveyed to his ears, telling him that this weapon could cleanse the sins of the world and even prove his own path to enlightenment.

From then on, the monks wielded knives to prove their path.

During the process, the monks became increasingly extreme, eventually storming the infamous City of Sin and carrying out the "Thousand Sins Blood Sacrifice Massacre Ceremony," which turned the City of Sin into a river of blood within seven days.

The obsession with eradicating sins backfired on the root of Buddhism. When the monk was on the verge of extinction, he was fortunate to sacrifice his life with the blood of a virtuous person, thus breaking through the demonic obstacle.

The monk awoke from his nightmare and suddenly realized his mistake.

"I am the Buddha of the past, the Ghost Tathagata, also known as Tianqiong, and the last surviving orphan of the City of Sin."

After hearing the long story, the monks were filled with fear and trepidation.

Wu Huo Du Mi shouted angrily, "Ghost Tathagata, you have deceived us!"

“Amitabha Buddha, this is the past that I cannot escape, but I have transformed from a demon Buddha into an emperor Buddha. This is because the Buddhist path is broad and can deliver all suffering; it is also because the Buddha is compassionate and can save those who are in the deepest hell.”

"Nonsense! You just revealed the evil form of the Demon Tathagata. You are no longer worthy of the title of Buddha!"

The monks witnessed the Buddha transform into a ghost, and in their shock, they all felt that Wu Huo's words to guide the lost were reasonable, for how could an evil person be worthy of being the head of the Buddha?

The deeper the monks' faith, the more they upheld it. When the monks realized that for hundreds of years they had been worshipping an evil and sinner, their emotions erupted.

The angry man shouted: "Sinners, get out of Yungu Leifeng!"

The frustrated man sighed, "Demon Buddha, relinquish your position as head Buddha, and do not tarnish the pure reputation of Yun Gu Lei Feng."

The grieving wept, "It's over, Yun Gu Lei Feng is finished."

Upon hearing the monks' vicious words, Emperor Tathagata's heart surged with emotion, and the demonic image once again eroded his soul.

But in an instant, he became alert, his Buddhist energy flowed, and the ghostly appearance vanished.

He looked calmly at the monks and said gently:

“I am the Emperor Tathagata, not the Ghost Tathagata. You slander me, deceive me, insult me, despise me, hate me, I will only tolerate you, yield to you, let you do as you please, avoid you, and respect you.”

Wu Huo Du Mi roared angrily: "Emperor Tathagata, I never imagined that besides doing evil, you would also be so shameless. Do you still intend to continue to linger at Yun Gu Lei Feng?"

Suddenly, Emperor Tathagata struck the dragon wall deep within the main hall. The power of the Buddha stirred the earth's veins, causing it to shine brightly. The Dharani Seal, symbolizing the Buddha's authority, burst forth from the wall.

"Now, the Tathagata, bearing witness to all the Dharma, voluntarily relinquishes his position as the head of the Buddha, and through the Shuyin Pagoda, he is free from doubt and delusion, succeeding as the supreme monk of the Cloud Drum Thunder Peak."

Wu Huo Du Mi was taken aback.

Emperor Tathagata handed the Turo Brahma Seal to Wuhuo Dumi: "From now on, you are the master of Yungu Leifeng, and the responsibility of protecting Leifeng will fall on your shoulders."

Wu Huo Du Mi's wish was fulfilled, and he was overjoyed. However, he said, "I was forced by circumstances. It was not that Wu Huo Du Mi was deliberately making things difficult for me. Emperor Tathagata, I deeply regret this."

Emperor Tathagata clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to the main hall on the mountain and the monks in front of it, and then turned and left.

"The fruits of the three bodies originate from the roots of mortals, and the causes and conditions of the six realms leave no trace. The Sugata has never been the true form, and the cycle of birth and death is the gate of emptiness."

Just as Emperor Rulai stepped down from Cloud Drum Thunder Peak, a figure suddenly appeared before him.

"Martial Lord, it's you."

"You are welcome to Tiandu."

"Thank you, Lord Wu... I'm sure you felt the same way many years ago."

"We are used to seeing demons and monsters attacking people, but we always lose to them, with their ability to turn the world upside down. They are like ice and snow, and we have been fighting for a long time."

"I never imagined that Lord Wu also possessed such literary talent."

"Ah, the poems of our predecessors are just right for the present scene."

"Fortunately, the cleansing rhinoceros horn has been destroyed, and Emperor Tathagata is grateful for the help and support he received along the way."

Perhaps because he was surrounded by people who had similar experiences, or perhaps because he had long been prepared for being abandoned by everyone, Emperor Rulai was more composed and at ease than one might imagine.

Two golden figures strolled across mountains and rivers.

Don't ask about the road ahead, don't ask about the way home.

Luo Hou knew that the most dangerous moment had passed.

As long as he is in Tiandu and there is no external interference, Emperor Tathagata can suppress the ghost with his Buddhist energy and wait for Su Huanzhen to return.

However, Su Huanzhen is slower than expected. Could it be that his journey on the Hundred Demon Road is not going well?

Chapter 151 Two pairs of rivals, one pair of lovers

Haotianqiong led the missionaries of the Last Days Holy Missionaries to withdraw from Yungu Leifeng.

Su Xianqing asked, "Your Majesty, Emperor Tathagata has already manifested his demonic form. We should have taken this opportunity to defeat him in one fell swoop. Why did Your Majesty give up?"

"Emperor Tathagata slaughtered my entire city in the past. I must make him utterly disgraced to quell the hatred in my heart!"

"Su Xianqing understands. Immediately mobilize your forces to spread the news of Tathagata's transformation into a ghost throughout the martial arts world."

“My son, you have won my heart.”

Just as the father and son were pondering, a clear and melodious poetic voice drifted from afar:

"With a flick of his sleeve, he sweeps away the evil clouds; with a smile, he mends the sky and bathes the sun; he rides the autumn waters and divine winds."

Then, an invisible sword aura accompanied a swordsman with flowing silver hair, a free-spirited and unrestrained demeanor, who gracefully arrived.

"Huh? It's you!"

The person who appeared before Hao Tianqiong was his lifelong rival, and also the one who sealed him away back then, Xia Xie Yu Shen Feng.

"This sword strike is the principal that is hundreds of years overdue. As for the interest, how do you expect me to repay it?"

Although he didn't know how the dead could be resurrected, Hao Tianqiong could confirm the newcomer's identity based on his enigmatic and chivalrous demeanor: "It really is you, Yu Shenfeng!"

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Hao Tianqiong unleashed a palm strike at Yu Shenfeng: "Destroying God's Might - Divine Power Heavenly Wind, drink!"

With a flick of his finger, Yu Shenfeng unleashed boundless energy: "Reading under the eaves, ha!"

Their palms clashed, and Hao Tianqiong managed to withdraw.

Yu Shenfeng said, “This is the original and authentic Extreme Emotion Heart Sutra. Now you believe me, my old friend.”

Staring at the person in front of him, Hao Tianqiong suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed loudly.

This person was also his salvation. When the City of Sin was slaughtered by the Demon Tathagata, it was Yushinka who came upon hearing the news and saved the last orphan, Haotianqiong.

This person later became his nemesis, painstakingly creating the Demonic Heavenly Coffin, which was designed to counter his own cultivation technique. He even launched a so-called holy war, joining forces with four other experts to seal himself inside the coffin for hundreds of years.

He hates!

The demon Buddha who hated the massacre of his own capital could transform himself into a high and revered Buddha.

He hates!

He hates that the Mikamikaze who saved him from death has given up on pursuing the crime.

"Hahaha, very good! The martial arts world is dull and tasteless without you, Yu Shenfeng!"

"Why do you need to say that? Without the wind that defies the heavens, even if you destroy the whole world, you will not feel any pleasure."

"Well said! Once you get your sword back, that will be the moment of our final battle."

Without his sword, Yu Shenfeng, even with his Extreme Emotional Heart Technique, was no match for Hao Tianqiong, who was at the peak of his power. He would grant Yu Shenfeng a fair fight.

"I'd love to."

Hao Tianqiong led the army of the Last Holy Legion to continue their journey, leaving Yu Shenfeng behind.

Su Xianqing was puzzled again: "Your Majesty, since they are sworn enemies, why not take this opportunity to eliminate them?"

"Humph!"

Hao Tianqiong recalled his childhood, the days when he followed Yu Shenfeng. Back then, Yu Shenfeng was his hope and his light.

Until that day, when Yushinkaze told him that he should give Oni Tathagata a chance to start over.

"What about those he killed? Who will give my people a second chance?"

Hope was shattered, light vanished, and the boy plunged back into darkness.