Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

"Watch out, you drunkard!"

The Raven Soul Short Sword was drawn and swiftly advanced.

Seeing the wolf's strangeness, Wan Gu Chang Kong unfurled his longsword, a sharp blade surpassing even the crow's soul, piercing towards the white wolf's throat.

Unexpectedly, the white wolf nimbly dodged and turned to flee into the depths of the desert.

"Chase."

Wolf blood can be drunk, wolf skin can be worn, and wolf meat can be fed to crows, so the two of them naturally wouldn't let go of this prey that had come to their doorstep.

A moment later, the white wolf ran behind a huge sand dune.

The two chased to the sand dune, where they saw a white-robed, white-haired man emerge from behind it, accompanied by a servant wearing glasses and holding a notebook.

"Life is fleeting, like a dream; how much joy can one have before it ends? Do not lament the ignorance of heaven and earth; steal a few feet of light."

"Hmm? And who are you, sir?"

The crow spirit looked at the strange master and servant, and the knife hanging at the man's waist. A strange knife aura swirled around the man, which was enough to prove that he was a master of the knife.

"My name is Xiao Liuguang. You two don't seem to be locals?"

"My name is Crow Soul, and this is my friend Eternal Sky. We come from the Central Plains."

Xiao Liuguang looked curious: "The Central Plains? That's such a faraway place. What brings you to the Western Regions?"

Raven Soul replied, "A sword duel is about to take place in the Central Plains. Our lord intends to invite swordsmen from the Kingdom of Revelation to attend, not only to discuss martial arts and prove their Dao, but also to make friends."

"Due to the civil war, the capital of the Kingdom of Revelation was destroyed. The people carried their own yurts and lived a nomadic life, following the water and grass. It was extremely difficult for non-locals to find them."

"this?"

Crow Soul and Eternal Sky never expected this outcome.

"Thank you for informing us. May we ask how far this place is from the ocean? We wish to cross the sea to the Butterfly Kingdom."

"Butterfly Kingdom? You Central Plains people are really strange! Could it be that the Butterfly Kingdom has masters of swordsmanship?"

"In the Northern Region there once lived a ruthless assassin named Butterfly Lord. It is said that his swordsmanship was undefeated. For this sword duel, my lord would like to invite Butterfly Lord to be the judge."

Xiao Liuguang's eyes flashed: "A swordsman who has never been defeated? Send reporters to tell them about the record of Xiao Liuguang, the swordsman of the Floating Life of Dreams!"

"Yes."

A servant carrying a notebook came out, turned to the last page and read: "Xiao Liuguang learned the Wolf Star Blade Technique from a dream, and has fought a total of 578 battles, both large and small. Except for the draw with the Holy Hero Henwu Peak of the Kingdom of Revelation, he won all the other battles."

Xiao Liuguang said smugly, "Did you hear that clearly? The Holy Hero of the Kingdom of Revelation only fought me to a draw, and you still regard his disciples and grand-disciples as top-notch swordsmen. You can imagine how mediocre your sword duel is."

They could accept being insulted, but they would never accept being insulted in Tiandu.

Eternal Sky slowly raised his sword: "Eternal Sky, please strike. If I win, please show me the path to the Kingdom of Revelation and the Kingdom of Butterflies."

Xiao Liuguang said arrogantly, "If you can withstand three moves from my blade, I will not only show you the way, but also take you there. How about it?"

"A gentleman's word."

Time flies and cannot be caught up with.

Chapter 234 The Unbearable Truth

This night is destined to be sleepless; four people, four different thoughts.

Ji Wuxia was invited into Wu Jun's study. This was the first time she had entered this room, and also the first time she had faced Wu Jun alone.

A nameless unease filled Ji Wuxia's heart.

There weren't many books in the house, but there was a large library every day, and people would go to the library to borrow books when they needed them.

Inside the room was a long table covered with a half-foot-thick layer of fine sand, and some wooden blocks were piled in the corner.

"This is?"

Ji Wuxia used this issue to divert her tension.

"This is called a sand table, a model that can be repeatedly dismantled and rebuilt."

"Ok?"

Luo Hou walked to the table and gently traced a line with his finger. A semi-circular lake appeared in the center of the sand table, followed by a tall building and a palace embedded in the lake's shore.

"This is Tiandu."

"Tiandu is surrounded by water on three sides. If the enemy launches a strong attack, what should he do?"

Ji Wuxia immediately replied, "In the air, as long as we can break through the aerial barrier of Tiandu, we can storm the plaza and then take the elderly and weak hostage."

“That’s right. If they attack from the West Sea, we can fight them on the lake; if they attack from this only land route, we can set up checkpoints and formations.”

"The Martial Lord has summoned Wuxia here because he has something important to discuss. Please speak frankly, Martial Lord."

After chatting for a while, Ji Wuxia's anxiety lessened considerably.

“Ji Wuxia, I have to tell you the truth, the truth about your identity.”

"My true identity?"

Ji Wuxia's heart, which had just settled, jumped again. She looked at Wu Jun with an even more serious expression than usual, indicating that his next words would be quite astonishing.

"I believe that the choice made after knowing the truth is the only true choice."

For some reason, Ji Wuxia no longer wanted to hear this so-called truth.

She was silent.

Luo Hou waited.

……

Who am I, really?

"Nüya, one of the three bodies of Mara."

"I don't believe it!"

Luo Hou took out a golden pill: "There are three of these golden pills in total. One for Yi Ye Shu, one for you, and one for Yan Da. If you take them, you will regain all your memories."

Ji Wuxia looked at the pill—no, it was the most terrifying poison.

"Wu Jun, why are you telling me the truth? Is it because you want to kill me?"

"I want to kill Nüya, not Ji Wuxia."

“You said that I am Nüya.”

Luo Hou's expression was solemn, but his words were gentle: "After you regain your memories, you can choose to be Nüya or Ji Wuxia. I will give you time to think about it."

"Fine! If you really want to kill me, I will not sit idly by and wait to die!"

"I will not hold back either."

It turns out that my time in Tiandu was nothing but an illusion.

Ji Wuxia snatched the golden pill and swallowed it. Instantly, the lost memories surged back like a tidal wave, creating wave after wave of turbulent waves.

Desire Realm, Yama, Madhyamika...

Tianfo Hometown, Jade Bodhi, One-Page Book...

Nebula River, the Key to Fiery Warfare, the Troll God...

How desolate... how desolate!

Ji Wuxia was heartbroken. The truth was so unbearable. Her long-cherished ideal of chivalry was nothing more than a subconscious attempt to atone for her ruthless killings.

"Luo Hou, please give me that golden pill. I need to restore Yan Da's memories."

"Is this your choice?"

"How can I bear to let him live in a dream, given our comradeship spanning thousands of years? The dignity of Mara, the Buddha of Demons, cannot be desecrated."

The indifferent expression and icy words symbolized that Ji Wuxia was dead and Nuya was reborn.

Luo Hou took out the last golden pill and handed it to Ji Wuxia.

"If you turn back, the heavens will be your eternal home."

"Hahahahaha..."

Ji Wuxia walked out of Wu Jun's study and headed towards the outside of Tiandu Palace. She walked resolutely, yet slowly.

Snow fell throughout the long night.

Standing in the snow was Liao Tian.

“Sister Ji, I will go with you, and with the Giant Demon God.”

Ji Wuxia looked up at the clouds, and sure enough, the giant demon god that she and Liao Tian had tamed was lying obediently.

"You already knew?"

"I'm sorry, I don't want you to recall the past."

“I am very grateful to your father, you don’t need to blame him.”

"Father is father, and I am me. Let us leave together, and from now on, amidst the snow-covered mountains, let us soar freely."

Ji Wuxia was so amused by his words that she burst into tears: "Silly boy, I want to go back to the Desire Realm."

"I'll be waiting for you outside the Desire Realm."

"From now on, I will be irreconcilably opposed to the righteous path of the Central Plains, the original home of the Heavenly Buddha, the demon realm, and the Heavenly Capital."

“Sister Ji, the Desire Realm is the Desire Realm, and you are you. I will stop you from killing someone, and I will also stop others from killing you.”

"Hahaha, what a naive idea!"

"Then let's talk about it after tonight. Tonight we'll go see the snow, the snow in the Western Martial World, the snow in the Eastern Martial World, and the snow in the Northern and Southern Regions."

Liao Tian grabbed Ji Wuxia's hand, and the two leaped into the sky, mounting the giant demon god.

In the blink of an eye, the wind and clouds parted, and the two people and the beast flew away in the vast snow.

Luo Hou grabbed Yu Cixin: "Let Liao Tian go with her."

"She's going back to the Desire Realm! She'll ruin my son!"