Bitter Realm: A Happy Person Traveling Across China

Beyond the Western Miao region lies a desolate ancient road.

The wind whips up yellow sand, and the world stretches out in a vast expanse of desolation.

Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai parted ways to investigate the movements of Yiliu and Wanshengyan.

On the desolate road, Tan Wuyu suddenly noticed something amiss with the sky. Looking up, he saw that the once blazing sun was now being slowly eroded by a deep shadow, and the light was dimming at a visible speed, casting an eerie yellow hue over the world.

"Hmm?" Tan Wuyu stopped, his brows furrowing slightly. "A sudden solar eclipse has darkened the sky; this is an ominous sign."

He was not a superstitious person, but sudden changes in celestial phenomena often foreshadowed major changes in human affairs.

In the blink of an eye, Tan Wuyu made a series of hand gestures, silently using innate numerology to deduce his own vital energy.

For a moment, his expression hardened, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Hmm? Death is imminent..."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a powerful, ferocious, and terrifying demonic aura, seemingly from the primordial era, shot into the sky on the horizon ahead like a volcanic eruption!

The yellow sand swirled and the wind and clouds changed color. A majestic figure, towering like a mountain, with fiery red hair and carrying an exaggeratedly large blade on his shoulder, slowly emerged from the swirling sand and dust with steps that shook the earth.

"Hahaha—" A maniacal laugh echoed across the land, filled with boundless arrogance and murderous intent. "Do you have the guts to face it? Talk about nothing!"

The newcomer was none other than the master of the first palace in the Otherworld, the peerless demon lord who reigned supreme in martial arts—Yam, the Drought Demon!

Despite the sudden and deadly attack, Tan Wuyu remained remarkably calm. He knew that he alone would find it extremely difficult to escape the Yama Drought Demon Blade.

But what makes a wise person wise is their ability to find a glimmer of hope even in dire straits.

Just as the demonic power was overwhelming, and the situation was at its most critical moment—

"Oh dear, luckily I saw the eclipse and decided to change course on a whim. Demon Lord, your strength is too great. Don't you mind if we're two against one?" A lighthearted voice with a hint of mockery rang out.

In a flash, Mu Shaoai appeared beside Tan Wuyu, tapping his pipe lightly against his palm, a familiar smile on his face that seemed to suggest he was carefree and untroubled by anything.

The Yama Drought Demon's crimson demonic eyes swept over Mu Shaoai, erupting with even more intense fighting spirit and arrogance: "Ha! Killing two wise men pleases me more than slaughtering a bunch of trash!"

Just as the two sides were locked in a tense standoff, on the verge of exploding, a third voice calmly intervened, carrying a unique, seemingly detached composure:

"He doesn't care about two against one, Demon Lord, you truly have extraordinary magnanimity. Then... he probably won't mind three against one either, right?"

A ripple like water spread through the space, and a figure materialized from the ethereal, quietly appearing.

The newcomer was dressed in white, his robes embroidered with intricate and elegant patterns in gold thread. A lustrous jade pendant hung at his waist. He had a handsome face and a faint smile on his lips. It was none other than Ye Jinming.

When Tan Wuyu saw him, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, which then turned into a mixture of understanding and complexity: "It's you, young friend Ye."

Ye Jinming smiled at Tan Wuyu, his tone slightly teasing: "I already told you, senior, that your forehead has been dark lately, a sign of impending bloodshed. I advised you to stay home and drink more tea. See, it's come true!"

Upon hearing this, Tan Wuyu gave a helpless, bitter smile: "Young friend Ye's words are golden and precious, but I never expected them to come true so quickly, and so... dangerously."

Mu Shaoai, who was listening from the side, found it amusing. He pointed at Tan Wuyu with his pipe and nodded in agreement, "Tsk tsk, it seems that I'm just an innocent victim dragged down by you. I really made a bad choice of friends!"

Tan Wuyu glanced at him and said indifferently, "Since you feel you're being dragged down, Mu Shaoai, turn around and leave now. The Demon Lord's target is me, so he might not stop you."

Mu Shaoai smiled and said, "If I leave, I can offer incense to you next year."

Tan Wuyu glanced at Ye Jinming beside him, "Isn't young friend Ye here too?"

Ye Jinming was speechless. Tan Wuyu was really full of "bad ideas". He wanted to "trick" one of his teammates away before the battle even started.

What, are you trying to test someone?

Do you really think I can't tell?

"Ha, I think we shouldn't rush off," Ye Jinming chuckled, looking at the imposing demonic shadow that loomed like a mountain. "After all, there's strength in numbers. Against Yama Hanba, having more people isn't necessarily a bad thing."

The three of them started chatting, one after another, at this critical moment of life and death. Although their words were full of hidden wit, they also revealed a peculiar understanding and composure.

But this attitude was undoubtedly the greatest contempt in the eyes of the all-powerful Yama Drought Demon!

"Hmph!" A cold snort, like a muffled thunderclap, erupted from the Demon Lord's body, unleashing a torrent of murderous aura. "Very well! You're about to die, and you still have the leisure to joke around! Have you decided who will go first?"

Ye Jinming stepped forward, forming a triangle with Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai. Facing the Demon Lord's overwhelming ferocity, his face remained inscrutable: "Demon Lord, you are mistaken. Why can't it be that you die while the three of us remain safe and sound?"

"Hahaha—" Yama, the Drought Demon, laughed in fury, his voice shaking the heavens. "Facing this Demon Lord, you still dare to speak so arrogantly! Interesting, very interesting! Come! All three of you, attack together!"

Encountering the Desolate God in the Desert, a Wicked Star Brings Misfortune!

Under the eclipse, in the dim light of the world, three clear figures faced off against a single demonic figure, the atmosphere tense to the extreme!

Ye Jinming took the lead, his hands forming a hand seal, his fingers moving like butterflies flitting among flowers, chanting incantations, and his body radiating a pure white light.

He took a series of mysterious steps, and with each step he took, a complex rune lit up on the ground, quickly connecting to form an array.

"Binding demons and locking spirits, establishing order in the universe—the formation begins!"

"Buzz—"

A massive white light array suddenly rose from beneath Yama Hanba's feet, and countless chains of light shot out from the array, wrapping around the demon lord's limbs and torso!

The power of the formation was not intended to kill, but to greatly restrict their movement and the circulation of demonic energy, creating an opportunity for Tan and Mu!

"Now!" Tan Wuyu's eyes sharpened, and then he swept his whisk, drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to transform into thousands of sword energies as clear and cold as moonlight!

"Moonlight Shadow Across a Thousand Peaks!"

At the same time, Mu Shaoai put away his joking expression, gathered wind and clouds in his palm, and moved as swiftly as a wild goose soaring through the sky. He pushed out a palm, which seemed to be done lightly, but contained the wonderful principle of deflecting force and striking first after the opponent has moved.

"Soaring high into the distance!"

The Moonlit Sword Flow poured down like rain, while the ethereal palm strikes seemed both real and illusory. One was hard, the other soft; one was bright, the other dark, and they worked together seamlessly, aiming directly at the Demon Lord trapped in the formation!

"A mere trick!" Although Yama Hanba felt a sudden heaviness around her and her demonic energy became sluggish, her ferocity only increased!

He roared, his arm muscles bulging, and he forcefully broke free, causing the light chains to rattle loudly!

With the exaggerated power to split mountains and shatter peaks, he swung out the Yama Desolate God Slash in his hand!

"Enma Shinra!"

Simple, brutal, and direct!

A terrifying, blazing sword stream, several meters wide and as intense as lava, tore through the air and collided violently with the Moonlight Sword Rain and the ethereal palm strikes!

"Boom..."

After a deafening roar, the sword energy dissipated and the palm force vanished. Tan Wuyu and Mu Shaoai both groaned, their bodies being shoved back more than ten steps by the unparalleled force, carving deep furrows in the ground, their blood and qi churning violently.

Inside the trapping formation, the array's light flickered intensely.

"What incredible strength!" Mu Shaoai shook his numb arm, a bitter smile on his face. "Oh dear, what a hassle..."

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Tan Wuyu's mouth, but his eyes became even sharper.

He and Mu Shaoai exchanged a glance, needing no words, their years of tacit understanding already conveyed a deep connection.

As Tan Wuyu condensed and circulated his true energy, he channeled it into his palm once more. Mu Shaoai, on the other hand, focused his energy into his dantian and, with the help of Tan Wuyu's palm force, swirled up, his entire body's energy subtly connected with Tan Wuyu's.

With the combined power of plucking clouds and plucking stars, and the ability to calm the plains and stabilize the seas, the palm energy, which complements the real and the illusory, converges and flows together. The energy intertwines to form a net, striking the Yama Drought Demon's chest solidly!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the Demon Lord's body swayed slightly, and ripples appeared on his brown pectoral muscles, but the result was—

Unharmed...