Bitter Realm: Otherworldly Gods and Demons

11. Swallow Returns

"Um."

Yama Hanba nodded and then asked, "Do you think Beichen Yuanhuang will agree?"

Before Teng Xie could speak, the Ghostly Prophet said, "Demon Lord, Bei Chen Yuan Huang is a cunning and treacherous man; we must be wary of him."

Teng Xie glanced at Gui Zhi and thought to himself, "Is this old guy starting to feel threatened by my identity as his strategist?"

"Um."

Yama Hanba remained noncommittal, then looked at Tengxie, signaling him to speak.

Teng Xie then said, "I agree with the prophet's opinion, but I think Bei Chen Yuan Huang will refuse this time."

"What's the reason?"

"Bei Chen Yuan Huang is ambitious and only wants to sit back and watch the tigers slither away. How could he possibly get too involved with the righteous path and give the Demon Lord an opportunity to cause him trouble when he sees the righteous path and the demon realm both weakened?"

Yama Hanba nodded; Teng Xie's words aligned with his own thoughts. He then asked, "What other actions do you think Tan Wuyu might take?"

Teng Xie replied, "Demon Lord, this is one of the reasons why I approached Bo Hanbo. I believe that everyone at the Cauldron Peak is extraordinary, especially Huangfu Xiaochan, who is unfathomable. Gui Liang's influence is immense, and he will undoubtedly be a key factor in the future situation."

Then Guizhi asked, "Then why didn't you just approach those two people directly?"

Teng Xie smiled slightly, "Huangfu Xiaochan's Remnant Forest only accepts disabled people, the threshold is too high. Gui Liang has three thousand followers, and his persona as a young swordsman makes it difficult for him to stand out. Moreover, he is deep in thought and difficult to deal with."

Bo Hanbo, being generous, public-spirited, and enthusiastic about participating in major events in the martial arts world, is clearly easier and more worthy of approaching. Furthermore, the matter he is currently undertaking is also worth paying attention to.

Upon hearing this, Yama Hanba's heart stirred slightly. "You mean, the Yan Guiren who has seized Crystal Lake?"

Yan Guiren, a character who left a deep impression on Teng Xie, was once a wandering knight who accidentally met a princess from a remote country. The two fell in love with each other, but were robbed by bandits, and Princess Zhu Yi lost her life as a result. Yan Guiren was so infatuated with love that he refused to admit that Zhu Yi was dead and kept her frozen in ice. Now he has placed Zhu Yi in Crystal Lake, trying to use Crystal Lake to heal her injuries.

Crystal Lake belongs to Huangfu Xiaochan, the master of the Remnant Forest, and Bo Hanbo went there to help Huangfu Xiaochan deal with this matter.

Teng Xie recalled many memories and said, "That's right. As soon as Yan Guiren appeared, he attracted a lot of attention. I heard that Kuanglong Yishengxiao sent his right protector to investigate, but Yan Guiren strangled him to death."

"Um……"

After pondering for a moment, Yama Hanba said, "Tengxie, go and test the mettle of that Yan Guiren. However, if the righteous path invades the demon realm first, then you should put this matter aside for now."

"Me, fight Yan Guiren?" Teng Xie wanted to send another meme to the Demon Lord. That was Dali Guiren, who was exceptionally talented and unparalleled in bravery. The more he was injured, the more potential he could unleash. He was not only an unkillable cockroach, but he also became stronger the more he was beaten.

Teng Xie then said, "Then shall I, as a young swordsman from the Purple Dragon Star, test him a bit?"

"Can."

Just as Yama Hanba was about to adjourn the meeting, Ren Chenfu came forward, presenting a letter with both hands, "Demon Lord, there is more news from Jin Bazhen."

Upon hearing this, Teng Xie's heart stirred. After Lian Emei's battle with Yanmo Hanba, she would surely seek a solution to her mana deficiency, and this problem would fall on the shoulders of the righteous healer, the pharmacist Mu Shaoai.

Sure enough, after reading the letter, Yama Hanba burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Lian Emei, what you think is your way out will become your dead end! Who knows! Go and contact Beichen Yuanhuang, I want to meet him!"

Teng Xie thought to himself, "Just as I thought. Jin Bazhen must have said that Lian Emei asked her to find Mu Shaoai and refine a miraculous elixir that could quickly replenish Lian Emei's true essence."

As for alchemy, Yi Liu is very skilled at both making real medicine and counterfeit medicine that is indistinguishable from the real thing.

Afterwards, Crystal Lake.

"Brother Zi."

Bo Hanbo looked into the distance at the burly man guarding the shore of Crystal Lake, who was said to be extremely mad and even more ferocious.

Looking at the young swordsman before him, who had flattered him all the way for some deer antlers and blood, he asked somewhat uncertainly, "Are you sure you want to challenge Yan Guiren?"

"When a son becomes famous, he must drink to his heart's content."

The young hero, Purple Dragon Star, laughed heartily, "Isn't the purpose of practicing martial arts to make a name for oneself in the martial world and show off one's skills in front of others?"

If you're not famous, saying a lot of nice things will only be seen as flattery. But if you practice Emei, a simple "I've heard so much about you" will make people incredibly happy.

"but……"

"No buts."

Bo Hanbo wanted to persuade him further, but he had ignored Zi Shaoxia's Broken Goose and West Wind the whole way. Suddenly he said, "Brother, they are in high spirits, why do you have to spoil their fun? If you are worried, you can just keep an eye on them from the side."

"Okay, then."

Bo Hanbo was quite confident in his own abilities, but he still gave a word of advice, "Brother Zi, be careful."

"Absolutely."

Young Master Zi gave a hearty thumbs-up, took a deep breath, and strode toward the burly man.

He appeared relaxed, but inwardly he was on high alert and focused all his mental energy on his target.

"His foundation is not strong, and his vital energy and blood are not particularly abundant."

Zi Shaoxia sensed the burly man's presence; his cloak and generous, heroic image were all too familiar to him.

To his slight surprise, he sensed that the other party's foundation was similar to that of Yu Renfeijing and Shesheng Tongzi, and their vitality was only slightly stronger than his own at present.

He thought about it again, recalling the other party's countless bloody battles and incredibly fierce achievements, and wondered where the other party's seemingly endless potential came from.

Then I thought, he's not the only one in this world with this problem.

Practicing the Emei Sect's celestial body and its earth-shattering power, wouldn't that mean certain death?

With its abnormal physique and regenerative abilities, Yama Hanba (the Drought Demon) didn't die, did it?

Su Huanzhen and Yi Ye Shu, who could be resurrected after dying, and more than once, weren't they just resurrected and killed?

Why can't the person in front of me have an infinitely potential cheat code?

Become stronger, keep becoming stronger! This harsh environment is too dangerous. Becoming stronger is not something to pursue, but a basic necessity for survival.

call!

As Zi Shaoxia's mind raced, he had already arrived ten feet away from his opponent. The opponent remained motionless, but suddenly unleashed a burst of energy, along with a strong killing intent.

"Any further ahead, and you'll die."

"Such a powerful mental fortitude!"

The air currents made the young master's long hair flutter, but he was more concerned about the mental will that the other party was unleashing, which was so powerful... However, this powerful will was chaotic and distorted, just like the person himself, who seemed as clear-headed as an ordinary person, but was living in a distorted dream.

He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said in a deep voice, "Yan Guiren, I am Zilongxing, and I have come to challenge you."

Yan Guiren did not answer, or rather, ignored Young Master Zi. He had made his stance clear: any further, and he would die.

Young Master Zi didn't care about Yan Guiren's attitude; he was there to fight.

"I'm sorry."

call!

As Zi Shaoxia took a step forward, Yan Guiren suddenly stood up, his bright red cloak billowing high. The violent airflow that erupted from his body slammed the large rock he was sitting on towards Zi Shaoxia.

Hey, that sounds like a fart coming from here!

The boulder came hurtling towards him like a cannonball, but Young Master Zi neither dodged nor avoided it. Bo Hanbo, not wanting to see Young Master Zi get blown to pieces by a fart, was about to step in to help when...

Just as the boulder was about to hit him, the young hero suddenly ducked down and, like a nimble cat, slipped under the boulder!

Clang!

Zi Shaoxia drew his broadsword and charged toward Yan Guiren, only to see Yan Guiren draw his gleaming silver halberd handle and cold-looking halberd head. He clasped his hands together, halberd in hand, and charged toward Zi Shaoxia!

Zi Shaoxia's heart stirred, and he sighed, "The Sacred Halberd is gone, but the man who ordered it will not return!"