Bitter Realm: My Feet Step Through the Flames of War

The courtyard was secluded and lush with flowers and trees, and the furnishings were incredibly luxurious. However, what caught Yu Lianghuang's eye was a huge kite.

"A kite suddenly rises, its lightness unexpectedly aided by a favorable wind. Let it soar high into the clouds, its pull solely on a precious rope."

A person with their back to him was raising a kite into the night sky. The stars were twinkling, and soon it was impossible to tell whether it was a kite or a star.

There were three other people in the garden looking up. One of them seemed to be ill, coughing lightly every now and then. When he coughed, the young man standing next to him would gently pat his back with his palm.

The last person held a blue staff, had horns on his head, and pointed ears, and seemed to be of a different race.

At this moment, the kite flyer gently snapped the kite string in his hand, watched the kite disappear completely from sight, and then turned around.

"Very good, everyone is here. Please take a seat."

The servants hurriedly brought out several chairs and placed them among the night-blooming trees and flowers. Soon, dozens of palace lanterns were lit, illuminating the courtyard as bright as day.

Young Master Yuan waved his hand, summoning a group of servants.

"Huang Zhong, our distinguished guest is new to the country. You four should serve him well."

"Xuan Duan, prepare the zither and the wine."

"Zhu Lun, why are the dishes being prepared today?"

A pig-headed man replied, "Reporting to the young master, we have Five Marquis Mackerel, Camel Hoof with Silver Thread, Crimson Swallow Immortal Deer, Confucius First-Class Cauldron... and what else?"

"If even a single thread of your golden robe is missed, see how I punish you."

"Yes, Zhu Lun wouldn't dare."

Soon, servants brought up wine and dishes, placing them in front of the four guests. A handsome servant named Huang Zhong then brought up three women to serve wine, their flirtatious behavior undisguised.

Young Master Yuan raised his wine cup: "Come, Zhanlu Wufang, drink this first as a sign of respect."

Seeing his affected manner, Yu Lianghuang was secretly displeased, but he forced down the first cup of wine. The other three must have felt the same way.

After finishing his cup of wine, Young Master Yuan laughed again, "If it weren't for exceptional skill, I wouldn't dare show it; if it weren't for a rare beauty, I wouldn't dare offer my pleasure. Have any of you ever seen a magnificent fish and dragon dance where people are more beautiful than golden carp?"

Emperor Yu Liang couldn't hold back any longer: "Young Master Yuan, stop this pointless performance and get down to business."

"Hehe, as the person in charge of the peerless martial arts, entertaining the representatives is my main task."

"If that's the case, then it's a waste of my time."

"Don't rush. What good is countless riches if you don't know how to enjoy life? First, appreciate the Mermaid's unparalleled dance."

The lamp suddenly went out, leaving only a single, solitary light shining on a brocade screen deep in the courtyard.

Immediately, a graceful figure appeared, rising up with a dance that was sometimes swift and sometimes swift, sometimes like a startled swan skimming the snow, and sometimes like a spring breeze rustling willows.

Despite the beauty before him, Emperor Yu Liang was not interested in anything; his mind was elsewhere, focused on another graceful figure dancing with a sword.

After the dance, the palace lanterns were lit again.

Young Master Yuan ordered the banquet and music to be cleared away before introducing everyone:

"The spear represents Yu Lianghuang, the qi represents Huan Tianchang, and the wonder represents Huang Yang Gengri. With these three top masters present at the same time, Zhanlu Wufang is deeply honored."

Yu Lianghuang felt relieved. The visitors were indeed Huan Tianchang and Huang Yanggengri. The young man must be Huan Tianchang's nephew or disciple.

The group nodded to each other in greeting.

Huang Yang Geng Ri spoke first: "I only want one thing, and whoever can get it for me will be my token."

What item is it?

"The source of dawn".

Young Master Yuan nodded and said, "The Sixth Eight-Colored Key of the Sect Leader is a perfect match for Mr. Huangyang's Wind-Character Jade Pivot Token. You two have already put together a set of tokens to unlock the wonders of the mountains and seas."

The implication is that Emperor Yu Liang made no contribution.

"You two can hand over the tokens to me, and I will retrieve the treasure of the Mountain and Sea Wonders and then share it equally with everyone."

Huang Yang Geng Ri immediately refused: "Yu Liang Huang, you can't even beat Ren Pingsheng. If we hand over the token to you, wouldn't we be wasting our time?"

"Huang Yang Geng Ri, I hereby grant you permission to submit to my command now!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Young Master Yuan quickly calmed the anger of both sides: "Please don't be anxious, everyone. Even if we can enter the Mountain and Sea Wonders, it is still unknown whether we can come out alive."

"What does this mean?"

Young Master Yuan revealed a cold smile: "Because the Father of Fantasy is hiding in the Wonders of the Mountains and Seas. This is his treasure, how could he allow others to take it away? So entering the Wonders of the Mountains and Seas is tantamount to suicide."

Everyone was taken aback.

"There is only one way to truly obtain the treasure: let Ye Xiaochai and the others and the Father of Illusion both suffer heavy losses, and then we can reap the benefits."

"Su Huanzhen and Defeng Gudao must have thought of this."

"This is the value of my Zhanlu Wufang."

Young Master Yuan produced a map of the Mountain and Sea Wonders: "The Mountain and Sea Wonders is a small city. Although there's only one gate, there are four roads connecting it to the outside world. We just need to ambush along these four roads, and so on..."

Apart from Huan Tian, ​​who remained silent and Le Xunyuan, who expressed his opinions at crucial moments, the rest of them racked their brains to plan a flawless conspiracy.

The next day, the sky was clear and the spring breeze was fragrant.

The organizer, Luo Hou, arrived one by one with several assistants and five other representatives.

After verifying the tokens, Young Master Yuan led everyone through the eight-sided exquisite structure and arrived at a misty, empty place.

Next, the rules for entering the Mountain and Sea Wonders were read out:

First, any one of the eight contestants who arrives outside the Mountain and Sea Wonder, as long as they hold their Jade Pivot Token and the correctly matched Eight-Colored Key, will see only one gate and can immediately open the city gate.

Secondly, if someone other than a participant comes to the Mountain and Sea Wonders, they will see eight city gates. Even if they have the correct key, if they open the wrong gate, the key will not only disappear, but their life will also be in danger.

Third, there is no time limit for entering the city to search for treasure. As long as the city still exists and you have the key, you can enter at any time.

The King of Xian immediately asked, "What does it mean to have one city gate and eight city gates?"

"It means you can't have someone else replace you to enter."

"Understood. Can we begin now? But where are the wonders of the mountains and seas?"

The King of Xian was eager to seize the treasure and break through the barriers.

"Don't rush."

With a deep shout, Young Master Yuan leaped gracefully into the air, and then unleashed a whip that pierced the sky with his Purple Cloud Silk Ribbon.

Suddenly, the thunder changed, the sea of ​​clouds made way, and a city surrounded by mountains and sea appeared majestically in the space-time.

Chapter 329 Treasure Hunt Inside the City, Bloodshed Outside the City

In the void, the wondrous city appeared majestically.

White clouds billow, the red sun shines, and countless pavilions and towers, some resplendent in gold and green, others exquisitely crafted, are all breathtakingly beautiful.

Seeing the admiring expressions on everyone's faces, Young Master Yuan said proudly, "Seven palaces, twelve halls, twenty-four towers, and thirty-six pavilions, each of which houses different kinds of rare and precious treasures."

The treasures of the mountain and sea wonders are categorized into palaces, halls, towers, and pavilions:

The palace was filled with gold, silver, jewels, and jade; its vast collection was enough to buy an entire country.

The hall contains divine weapons and magical artifacts, many of which were used by powerful figures in ancient times. In addition to swords, spears, and halberds, there are also countless high-quality materials and rare ores.

The Pavilion: It gathers all the rare and extraordinary scriptures and secret manuals lost to time, from the "Record of Ascension to Immortality" for those who cultivate immortality to the "Book of Death" for those who have fallen into the underworld, all are treasured here. Even the "Fragments of the Netherworld," which was rumored to have been destroyed in the war, has three pages of its original copy preserved here.

Lou: It houses a treasure trove of rare and precious stones and medicines, such as the Pulse-Continuing Stone, the Heart-Shifting Six-Leaf, the Soul-Infused Lingzhi, the Reversal Reincarnation Pill, and the Sulfur-Inflammatory Lingzhi, making it a repository of traditional Chinese medicine techniques.

The sheer size of the collection captivated everyone present.

However, the real person in charge of this Ancient Plains Battle was Luo Hou. After Young Master Yuan finished his introduction, both the participating representatives and their relatives and friends turned their attention to Luo Hou.

Luo Hou came here today with only three people: a wet nurse and two children.

The wet nurse listened to the narcissus, her hand on the hilt of the knife, glaring menacingly.

Xianling and Xiaoyue opened their eyes wide, glancing between the people present and the city not far away, appearing extremely excited.

The tokens of the eight representatives have been verified; now we need to determine who entered.

Luo Hou walked to the city gate, stood with his hands behind his back, and coldly swept his eyes over the crowd.

Behind Ye Xiaochai was Yin Yangpo Rong Bai Nian. Su Zhen Huan would not have been unprepared. Since the people from Mo Tun Bu Dong Cheng did not appear here, they must have been lying in ambush on the outside to provide support.

Feng Ru Wuqing was only accompanied by Yu Junheng, indicating that the Defeng Ancient Path forces were also providing support from the outside.

There was only one person beside Xuanzhenjun, Zhaoshimingdeng, who was carrying a lantern.

Huan Tian often stood with Huang Yang Geng Ri, but Yue Xun Yuan was nowhere to be seen.

Ren Pingsheng lived a solitary life, far removed from crowds.

Emperor Yu Liang, who always valued grandeur, was surprisingly accompanied by only two attendants, suggesting that there were other arrangements in mind.

Luo Hou spoke:

"I can guarantee that there will be no robbery of property within a radius of 100 miles. Whoever obtains the treasure can safely retreat to a place 100 miles away."

Rahu's meaning was clear: do not rob others of their treasures in front of me; if you want to rob someone, go a hundred miles away.

This is the organizer's way of protecting the interests of the participants. If they can still be robbed even after traveling a hundred miles, then there's nothing we can do to help.

"May I ask, Lord Wu, are there any dangers within the wonders of the mountains and seas?"

The one who asked the question was Feng Ru Wuqing, who was still wearing a veil, so her expression was not visible.

Behind her, Yu Junheng looked uneasy, his hands gripping the sword hilt tightly.

"Have."

Hidden within the wonders of the mountains and seas is a large, fat man. Although he is in a spirit form, the Father of Illusion can use the special barrier of the wonders of the mountains and seas to unleash extremely terrifying destructive power.

This was one of the purposes of the Ancient Plains Conquest designed by the Extraordinary Lord: to use the Father of Illusion to directly eliminate a group of powerful individuals and solidify the greatest sins of mankind.

If all eight contestants perish at the Mountain and Sea Wonderland, their organizations and friends will be locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Father of Fantasy. At that time, there will be no human champions left, only a demon hunted down by the entire martial arts world.

Feng Ru ruthlessly continued, "Could you tell me what dangers lurk in the city?"

"It could be a person, a beast, or a formation or mechanism."

Upon receiving this information, the representatives dared not underestimate it. They discussed it amongst themselves and then went around looking for potential partners.

After a stick of incense had burned, the list of those to enter the city was finally finalized.