Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

The Boundless Emperor stared in disbelief and asked, "Martial Lord, is this the consequence of that single strike?"

"It should be so."

"The roads are all destroyed, which way do we go?"

Luo Hou first instructed Ti Wushang: "To find the spirit of Fengguang, you can go to Keyanqu Garden and seek help from Yipo Mashi."

"Yipo Ma clan?"

"Well, after you've finished your business, go back to the Bitter Realm first. You don't need to wait for us."

"I understand."

Ti Wushang left in a hurry; he couldn't afford to waste his time.

The Boundless Emperor asked again, "Where am I going?"

"Follow me to the Wall."

To travel from Liuyuan to the Great Wall of Despair, one must pass through the Royal City and the Filthy Pit. There are two routes: one is a waterway, but the Wanjie River is infested with ghostly insects; the other is a mountain path, which is long and fraught with countless evil spirits.

Luo Hou pondered for a moment and decided to stay away from things like insects and poisons. Although there were evil spirits on the mountain path, with Cang Er's knife in hand, what was there to fear?

The two walked on, and although the path was destroyed, traces could still be vaguely seen.

After traveling for dozens of miles, the road gradually returned to normal. Just then, a group of soldiers in military uniforms, numbering about a hundred, suddenly appeared ahead and were walking briskly toward them.

One of the soldiers, dressed as a leader, shouted: "Outsiders, our king invites you!"

It seems that Liu Yuan's unpredictable movements have caught the attention of the Zhou King.

The Boundless Sovereign immediately went on alert, and a powerful surge of true energy began to erupt.

Luo Hou stopped him: "Since you're here, make the best of it."

Escorted by the army, the two traveled to the royal city and arrived at the Hua Mi Temple.

Although both are monarchical palaces, the Heavenly Capital Palace appears much simpler compared to the magnificent Holy Palace. Here, lanterns and brocade curtains are adorned, pearls shimmer, amber gleams, gemstones are inlaid on the walls, and gold bricks are laid on the ground.

Upon seeing the two arrive, the King of the Universe, seated on his throne, rose to greet them: "So you are the Lord of Heaven, the Martial Lord Rahu?"

"Of course."

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. The eyes of the Zeus King before me shimmer with a complex light, possessing the sharpness of an eagle, the majesty of a leopard, and the cunning of a fox. However, what lies hidden deep within is the bloodthirsty cruelty of a wild dog.

At this moment, there were two other people standing on either side of the King of the Universe in the Hua Mi Temple: the beautiful Consort Mianfei Yu Jiao Nu and the general Liu Du Tian Que, who was skilled in swordsmanship.

Consort Mian covered her face with a fan, revealing a myriad of charms in the half-concealed state, her alluring eyes sweeping back and forth between the two guests from another world.

The Six Heavenly Defects remained unmoved, coldly observing everything.

The King of the Universe then looked at the Supreme Emperor of Boundless Realm. Perhaps it was the special aura emanating from the Supreme Emperor that made the King of the Universe somewhat cautious.

"Who is your Excellency?"

"I am the Boundless Sovereign, from the Land of the Dead."

"Dead country?"

As the ruler of a realm, and having long been in contact with the Bitter Realm, the King of the Universe was naturally not ignorant, and he was once again surprised to hear about the Kingdom of Death.

When the Lord of the Heavenly Capital and the people of the Dead Kingdom arrived at the same time, the King of the Universe, who had originally been eager to punish those responsible for the damage to the earth's veins, unconsciously restrained himself by a third.

"What brings you two to the Bardo?"

"I have come here because of the calamities caused by ghosts in the intermediate state. Could you please explain in detail, King of the Universe, why ghosts who should be entering the cycle of reincarnation remain in the intermediate state for so long?"

"Oh? Ghostly calamities are a matter of the intermediate state, why does the Martial Lord care?"

"Entrusted by others."

Zeus stopped asking questions. The ghostly calamity was his biggest headache. If someone was willing to help, he didn't care who asked him.

"The origin of the Bardo Realm is unknown. My ancestor was commanded in a dream to come to this place and become the master of the Bardo Realm. Since then, the royal lineage has been bound to the sacred dragon energy of the Bardo Realm and passed down from generation to generation."

"Did the king's ancestors ever explain whose orders he was given?"

"Even our ancestors didn't know. After the establishment of the Underworld, humans gradually migrated here. After a long period of reproduction, they formed five major spirit-controlling families. It is said that the spirit-controlling techniques of these families were also taught by extraordinary people."

"Ok?"

"Shortly after the establishment of the Bardo, the first batch of dead souls entered the Bardo. According to the regulations, the previous kings arranged for them to be reincarnated or sent to the hell of Nirvana to suffer torment."

"Nili Senyu?"

"Indeed, it is a treacherous place in the northernmost part of the intermediate realm, inhabited by enormous monsters, evil spirits, and insects. When the souls of the dead are thrown in, they are devoured by these creatures."

Luo Hou frowned. Was this the Eighteen Levels of Hell for ghosts?

Then I remembered that the underground of the Muddy Forest Prison was the Black Sea Forest Prison. The two realms were not only connected in terms of strata, but also had the same landforms. However, the creatures of the Black Sea Forest Prison were demons.

Whether the method of raising Gu with Yin spirits in Nili Forest Prison was a setting at the time of its creation or a later mutation is probably impossible to know.

"The Great Wall of Despair was built in the Underworld to prevent the evil spirits and monsters of the Netherworld from escaping?"

"What the Martial Lord saw was correct."

"Then how did the calamities of the ghosts within the intermediate state come about?"

At this moment, Consort Mian interjected. Although she was a woman, her spirit control skills were far superior to those of her younger brother, Yu Caihen, the successor of the Naraku Mian clan.

"When I was young, I followed my father into battle and participated in dozens of ghost-slaying campaigns. In my opinion, the reason why the evil spirits in the intermediate world are formed may be due to human manipulation."

The King of the Universe's face darkened, and he rebuked, "Consort Mian, who dares to manipulate ghosts under my very nose!"

"It was Jiao Nu who misspoke."

But this statement made Rahu realize that the power struggles in the Bardo had escalated to the point of raising demons as a threat.

Although the Ghost Calamity is the greatest threat to the intermediate realm, the calamities brought to the people of the intermediate realm by this cruel King of the Universe are not much less severe than those caused by the Ghost Calamity.

"Thank you for informing me, King Zhou and Consort Mian. I wish to explore the Nili Forest Prison. I hope King Zhou will grant me permission."

"Is the Martial Lord heading to the Nili Forest Prison?"

"Exactly."

The only way to reach Nili Forest Prison is through the Great Wall of Despair. You can complete the transaction with Duan Junheng without alerting many people.

"Hahahaha, I admire Wu Jun's courage. If Wu Jun can solve the problem of the Nili Forest Prison for me, I will no longer pursue the matter of the damage to the ley lines in the Yin Realm."

With a single strike, not only was the barrier between the Bitter Realm and the Bardo Realm severed, but the Bardo Realm's ley lines were also damaged for thousands of miles, causing the earth's strata to become unstable.

King Zhou originally intended to use this opportunity to blackmail and gain some benefits, but now that he saw that Wu Jun had voluntarily gone to the Nili Forest Prison to investigate, he could no longer ask for compensation.

He took out a pass token and handed it to Luo Hou.

"Wu Jun, if you need help, you can find the city lord Gu Cheng Bu Wei at the Great Wall of Despair. He is my younger brother."

"Thank you, King Zeus. Farewell."

"Please."

After leaving the Hua Mi Temple, the hundred-man army escorted Luo Hou and Wu Jie Zun Huang out of the royal city, watching them ascend the mountain path before returning to the royal city.

It was still early, and in order to observe the intermediate state, Rahu and the Venerable Emperor did not transform into light and fly, but instead walked slowly forward, sensing the waves of yin energy on both sides of the mountain path.

"how?"

"Is the Martial Lord asking about the King of the Universe? I noticed his eyes were darting around, and every word he spoke seemed reasonable, yet it was all calculated."

“What you have seen is not wrong; there are three calamities in the intermediate state.”

"One is the ghostly calamity; what are the other two?"

"The second is the red tide, and the third is the monarch, Zeus."

The monarch's misdeeds are a disaster for the people of this country, and the emperor couldn't help but think of his elder brother.

(Seeking monthly votes, baby!)

Chapter 174 Obtaining Primordial Qi

This path was extremely rugged and difficult to traverse, with cliffs on both sides and a bottomless abyss below.

Hidden within the mountain walls at both ends were numerous ghosts, who followed Rahu and the Boundless Emperor. Their numbers increased as they went on, and by sunset, the ghosts following them numbered in the tens of thousands.

No wonder it's a calamity caused by ghosts; there are just too many of them.

However, with the Cang Er Blade on his back, coupled with the oppressive aura of Luo Hou, the pinnacle of the human race, and the divine presence of the Venerable Emperor from the Celestial Clan, the myriad ghosts merely followed and whispered among themselves:

"You go!"

"No, you go first."

"Let's go together and devour them."

"If we wait any longer, the red tide will come, and we won't be able to get even a scrap."

"Then go!"

As time went on, the Boundless Sovereign became somewhat uneasy: "Martial Lord, they seem to be waiting for an opportunity. Could there be something unusual ahead?"

“There is a red tide in the intermediate state, which will fly there after nightfall.”

"Red Tide?"

"You'll see soon enough; let's find a cave to hide in first."

Red Tide is an insect formed from the filth and turbid energy of heaven and earth. It appeared in the intermediate state at some unknown time, feeding on the flesh and blood of living beings. It comes and goes without a trace, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

The terrifying aspect of the Red Tide is its sheer number; even a near-divine being would find it difficult to withstand the ravages of countless insects.

Just as the last glimmer of light fell upon the mountain wall, Luo Hou and Wujie Zunhuang reached the end of the mountain path and stepped into another, even dirtier and more chaotic landscape.

Before me were various dilapidated and collapsed buildings, which looked like they hadn't been maintained for hundreds of years and were covered with heavy rocks and weeds.

In the center of these ruins was a huge, deep pit, where swarms of white maggots wriggled. A nauseating stench rose from the bottom of the pit and drifted in the wind, making one want to vomit.

Just then, a buzzing sound came from afar. Turning my head, I saw a red cloud rapidly moving toward us on the horizon.

"go in."

Luo Hou found a cave first, and sat down cross-legged after entering.

The Emperor remained standing still, and Luo Hou, knowing that he intended to test the power of the Red Tide, did not stop him.