Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

Rahu pondered for a moment, then summoned Duanmie Chanti.

"I'm sorry, you're about to become a father, but I have to arrange for you to go to the demon realm."

"It's alright, it's just that Wu Huan is stubborn and insists on personally teaching Ling Zi Ling and Feng Dan. He said he would come to Tian Du again after some time."

"Dengdaoan is safe now, let her do as she pleases."

Duanmie mustered his courage and asked, "I heard that when Empress Wu was pregnant with two young princes, she had a detailed prenatal education plan. I wonder if Your Majesty could teach me?"

“…Manlu has a spirit record; I’ll have her make a copy for you. Also, I’ll give you something else; it might have a special use in the demon realm.”

"Thank you, Lord Wu."

After Duanmie Chanti finished copying the prenatal education plan, he sent it to Dengdao Shore and repeatedly instructed Jing Wuhuan before following the Holy Infant Master to the Hundred Demon Road of Qiushan.

The Hundred Demons Road of Qiushan, where hundreds of demons gather, is located between the Central Plains and the Yin Realm. It is said to have a history of 4,200 years and is divided into three forces: the Black Prison, the Beginningless Dark Realm, and the Strange Joy Land.

The Holy Infant Lord gave a brief introduction.

"Why does the Ghost King belong to the demon realm?"

“Deep within the Hundred Demon Path lies the Ghost Path and the Ghost Gate. Opening the Ghost Gate unleashes countless hungry ghosts. Perhaps the first Ghost King escaped from the Ghost Gate; in any case, he became a general under the Black Prison Demon Emperor.”

The Holy Infant Lord is merely the King of the Strange Paradise. The overall strength of the Strange Paradise is inferior to that of the Black Prison and the Dark Realm. Back then, it suffered a lot of bullying from the Demon Emperor and the Dark Lord.

After the battle with the Troll God, the Demon Emperor and the Dark Lord were captured by the Heavenly Buddha's Homeland, and their deputy took their place to keep the two lineages from collapsing.

In contrast, in Guailuodi, the most promising successor to the Holy Infant Lord, the Demon Celestial Master, died in battle, the Holy Infant Lord disappeared, and Guailuodi fell into a slump, with the position of Demon King falling to a foolish pig demon.

For centuries, whenever the demon Shasha led a few stupid little demons to capture humans from the Bitter Realm to cook and eat, the Holy Infant Lord would cry out loud, as if a demonic sound were piercing his mind.

This forced the lesser demons to release their prey.

This is also why he didn't recognize Yao Shasha and the other demons after he regained his original appearance. He despised these lowly fellows and naturally didn't want Yao Shasha and the others to know that the most powerful demon king was that crying baby.

"Since the Ghost King belongs to the demon realm, why didn't he participate in the war against the giant demon god?"

The Holy Infant Lord was displeased: "Before that, he left the Demon Realm to establish the Biao Clan and marry the Eagle Queen. If he were here back then, with his Ghost Eye power, combined with my Blade of Consciousness, he would have destroyed the Giant Demon God long ago!"

"Pity."

"Now that I'm back, I'll first unify the demon realm, then summon the Ghost King, and restore the glory of the Hundred Demon Path of Qiushan!"

The two walked into the three-way intersection of the Hundred Demons, turned right, and entered the strange and joyful area.

"Who dares to trespass? Seize him, you demon king!"

A green-furred demon named Shasha led a group of lesser demons, including Shaogu, Bacha, and Badu, rushing over, their mouths watering at the two of them.

"Demon King, how about we stir-fry the fair-skinned one and boil the golden-faced one?"

"Alright, you go move the pot, you fetch the water, you tend the fire, and this demon king will wait to eat meat."

Demon Shasha lay back on the throne with a smug look on her face, crossed her legs, and watched the demons busy themselves.

"presumptuous!"

Suddenly, a slap landed on Yao Shasha's face, throwing him off the throne.

"How dare you!"

Just as things were getting chaotic at Guai Le, two people suddenly rushed in, the first of whom was carrying a seriously injured person in his arms.

"Demon King, excuse me, excuse me! I must enter the Ghost Path!"

Yao Shasha was still seeing stars and hadn't answered when Duanmie Chanti asked in surprise, "Duan Junheng, how could it be you?"

The newcomer was none other than Duan Junheng. After his nineteen black ghost eyes were dug out, his ghostly energy rapidly dissipated, and he was on his deathbed.

Duan Junheng came to borrow the power of the ghost, but he had to pass through the Land of Joy.

He saw the Holy Infant Lord and the Annihilation Chanti, and although he was surprised, he had no time to speak. He carried the black Nineteen straight into the depths of the strange land.

"Ok?"

Duanmie Chanti and Zhixin behind Duan Junheng met each other, and both were taken aback.

The Holy Infant Master's attention was diverted by this matter. He couldn't bother to deal with the demon Shasha and hurriedly followed behind Duan Junheng to the gate of hell.

"Old Duan, why are you so familiar with my territory?"

Duan Junheng had naturally met the Holy Infant Master in Tiandu and knew his temperament well, so he explained with a smile: "I, Duan, am originally a spirit, from the Endless Edge. The Endless Edge split in two, one half in the Intermediate Yin Realm and the other half in the Hundred Demon Path of Qiushan."

"So the intermediate state has an endless edge."

Duan Junheng was unwilling to waste time and immediately cast a spell: "Annihilation Burial - Formless Curse of Desolation!"

The power of the incantation returned, and in an instant, the Gate of the Underworld appeared majestically, with a huge ghost head emerging from the thick fog.

"Who has disturbed my peace?"

Duan Junheng bowed and said, "It has been many years since we last met. I never expected that I, Duan, would still be able to spare my life to pay homage to Your Excellency."

Upon hearing this, Gui Tou immediately flew into a rage: "It's you, Duan Junheng!"

“Your Excellency, please calm your anger. I have come here to apologize for what happened back then.”

"Back then, you used a transaction as a pretext to not only steal my ghostly power but also trick me into using your spirit-controlling techniques to send the ghost realm away from the intermediate state. You got what you wanted, but you caused me to suffer divine punishment, forcing me to guard the gates of the underworld for thousands of years! How will you repay this debt?"

The Holy Infant interrupted, "Tsk tsk tsk, Old Duan, you're so ruthless."

Those who had followed, Duanmie Chanti and Zhixin, remained silent upon hearing this.

Duan Junheng said helplessly, "Since this has already happened, why don't we make another deal to let the Venerable One vent his anger?"

"What deal?"

“My son is in critical condition and needs to enter the ghost realm to borrow ghost power to heal him. If Your Excellency agrees, Duan Junheng will be at Your Excellency’s disposal.”

"Hehehehehe, do as you please, good! As long as you pass my three tests, I will open the gates of hell for you."

"May I ask, Venerable One, is this a pact you made with me as a ghost spirit?"

"Don't be mistaken, the covenant with Changling will never be broken."

"Please begin, Your Excellency."

"Hmph, since you did this to save someone, the first test will be to make you suffer the backlash from the person you saved. I will have your son personally destroy your meridians and shatter all the spiritual acupoints in your body!"

The moment the Ghost Gate Spirit uttered these words, everyone present was shocked.

The Holy Infant Lord was astonished: "How is this condition any different from killing Old Duan?"

Zhi Xin shouted angrily, "Godfather, no!"

He pointed at the ghost's head, his body radiating demonic energy, exuding an aura that seemed poised to annihilate the evil spirit.

Duan Junheng pressed down on his arm, shook his head, and said to Changling, "Since it's a transaction, I, Duan, will accept it."

"Hehehe, Duan Junheng, I know your spirit control is superb. To stop you from deceiving ghosts, I will use my ghost blade."

Immediately, a short blade gleaming with a pale, ghostly aura was thrown at Duan Junheng's feet.

Duan Junheng sighed softly and was about to control Black Nineteen to pick up the Ghost Blade.

In that critical moment, a purple light flashed before everyone's eyes, and a large sword, shrouded in holy light, was plunged into the gate of hell.

The mighty force of the annihilation of the Chanti (a Buddhist sect) surges forward.

"This is the Cang'er Blade that Wu Jun lent me. This blade can break through the Ghost Gate and slay ghosts. Do you dare to give it a try?"

Seeing that things were not going well, the Ghost Gate Spirit tried to escape: "Hmph! Then let's cancel the deal."

"Want to leave? Not so easy! This is my territory, drink!"

With a deep shout, flames surged skyward, the raging fire swallowed the ghostly aura, dispelled the thick fog, and instantly revealed the ancient ghost gate behind the ghost's head.

It turns out that this spirit lives by attaching itself to the gate of hell; once the gate of hell is breached, the spirit will surely die.

Duanmie raised the Cang'er Blade. After being reforged by Su Huanzhen, the Cang'er Blade could be used by anyone. However, Duanmie's magic power was not compatible with this blade, so its effectiveness was limited.

Even if it's limited, it's enough to deal with this vengeful spirit.

Everything in the world is mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining; the sword and the dragon are both the nemesis of the ghost.

As true energy flowed, a joyful holy light shone forth, and purple clouds gathered. A majestic dragon shadow gradually solidified in the air, with blood-red fangs and sharp claws, ready to pounce fiercely.

Just as Cang Er's blade came down, the madman screamed, "Duan Junheng, sheathe your blade!"

Duanmie quickly withdrew his hand, the Cang'er Blade barely stopping between the ghost head and the ghost gate, but the dragon shadow leaped and continued its momentum, crashing headfirst into the ghost gate.

The impact shook the earth and mountains, affecting both the strange and the ghostly realms. The aftershocks roared and the echoes reverberated.

The ghost, having narrowly escaped death, swiftly opened the gates of hell: "You can only let him in. Come back to fetch him after forty-nine days."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Duan Junheng carried the black-clad Nineteen into the Ghost Path and reluctantly withdrew.

"You despicable humans!"

Amidst low curses, the ghost head vanished, the gates of hell closed, and soon a thick fog filled the sky again, obscuring everything.

"I never expected Luo Hou to bring you the Cang Er Blade. Thank you, Duanmie Chanti."

The golden totem on Duanmie's face had long aroused Zhixin's suspicion, and upon hearing the name Duanmie Chanti, he couldn't help but tremble.

He walked to the point of annihilation and whispered, "My son..."

"You are!"

"The kings and tyrants rise and fall, I walk my own path, the Mara awakens in the sea, only the mind can create."

"Are you the Demon Father?"

Duanmie Chanti couldn't believe it, but the face from the very beginning of his memory, the pulse of their intertwined blood, told him that it was all true.

"My son, alas!"

Meeting again is a joy, meeting again is a sorrow; we are happy that family ties still exist, and sad that family ties are incomplete.

Duan Junheng pulled the dumbfounded Holy Infant Master away: "Do you want to unify the demon realm? Let me, Duan, assist you."

“But you are a minister of the intermediate state.”

"From now on, the Underworld and the Demon Realm will be one family. We can open up the Boundless Edge, making it easier to travel between them."

“That makes sense. Old Duan, you should help me find the Ghost King first.”