Chapter 968: Taking You Home

Above the Realm of Karmic Flames lies a cracked, crimson land.

The ground is covered in a web of fissures, resembling a spider's net, as if it seeks to ensnare all life within its grasp.

From high above, even the dog and his companions felt suffocated just by looking at it.

Yet below, countless demons and cultivators traversed this fractured land.

Each of them wore a smile on their face.

Those with higher cultivation soared through the air, shifting positions in the blink of an eye.

Those with lower cultivation, suppressed by the spatial constraints of the Realm of Karmic Flames and unable to use their powers, could only move forward step by step.

However, even their steps were ten thousand times faster than those of ordinary mortals.

Scorching waves of heat swept over everyone in the Realm of Karmic Flames, making it unbearable.

Gradually, even breathing became a struggle.

The searing heat of the karmic flames in this forbidden land would roast the energy within their bodies. The longer they stayed in this forbidden land, the faster their energy would deplete.

In the Dual Forbidden Realm, where there was no distinction between day and night, people slowly lost track of time.

Step by step, ten feet, a hundred feet... The army, forgetting the passage of time, grew increasingly numb.

Now, there was only one thought in their minds: to move forward.

To go home.

This obsession kept them going, relentless and unyielding.

But the Realm of Karmic Flames was vast. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed—perhaps months, or maybe decades.

Gradually, the weaker demons and cultivators began to falter.

Their bodies and souls were roasted to the brink of collapse by the forbidden land.

The further they walked, the harder it became to take another step.

Eventually, their souls began to turn transparent.

A fully transparent soul meant their death.

Not an ordinary death, but complete annihilation, vanishing without a trace, never to enter the cycle of reincarnation.

The soul of a one-armed man was like this, gradually turning transparent.

Walking among the crowd, his legs bent more and more, his steps slower and slower. Finally, he collapsed.

Those around him looked on with sorrow, but there was nothing they could do.

By now, they couldn't even save their fallen comrades, let alone know when their own souls would dissipate in this Dual Forbidden Realm.

In the final moments before his soul turned completely transparent, the one-armed man used the last bit of his energy to extract the remaining fragment of his soul from his body.

"General, take me... home..."

As his faint, mosquito-like voice echoed, he waved his hand, and the nearly imperceptible, almost transparent wisp of soul flew toward the high sky ahead.

The moment the soul fragment left the one-armed man's body, his burly frame collapsed.

Then, gradually, it turned to nothingness.

In the end, not even ashes remained.

At the front of the army, high in the sky, the general, riding on a winged beast, watched as the wisp of soul flew into his palm.

He then looked back.

Behind him was a dense, endless army.

Breathless, exhausted, yearning, determined... the army.

The general turned his head again, glancing at the soul fragment in his hand, and let out a sorrowful sigh.

Then he clenched his fist.

"Continue forward," he commanded.

After an unknown amount of time, another weak voice rang out.

"General, take me home..." Another wisp of soul flew toward the general's palm.

"General, you must... take me home..."

"General... take me..."

"General..."

One after another.

As the white souls neared transparency, each wisp flew through the sky like a shooting star, or a glimmer of dawn.

Countless soul fragments flew toward the general, forming what looked like a river of stars from afar.

Vast and majestic, yet tragic and sorrowful.

The general lowered his head, opened his hands, and watched as the soul fragments continuously poured into his palms. His eyes turned red, and he pressed his lips together in silence.

If before he had been excited about going home, now his desire to return had become an unyielding obsession.

An obsession that would not rest until death.

They had finally won the war here.

After thousands of years.

He must, he absolutely must, bring his soldiers home!

With renewed determination, the general raised his head, clenched his fists, and his gaze became clear.

"Pick up the pace!"

The command was given, and the entire army quickened their steps.

After a long time, only half of the countless soldiers remained.

The other half had not died in battle, but on the journey home.

But when everyone saw the Mountain Fire Barrier at the edge of the Realm of Karmic Flames, they trembled.

No longer filled with excitement, they now stood in silent contemplation, biting their lips, some even covering their faces and weeping.

Only the general showed a long-lost sense of relief.

The Mountain Fire Barrier was a range of towering, fiery ridges. The ridges were filled with fire, but not every inch was ablaze. Only scattered flames dotted the landscape.

As long as they bypassed the flames and crossed the Mountain Fire Barrier, they would be free!

However... the entrance to the Mountain Fire Barrier could only be seen once they approached it.

The general scanned the area and his gaze fell on Piao Yun Chu, who was polishing his sword.

"Yun Chu."

Piao Yun Chu, suddenly called upon, was startled but immediately stood up and responded loudly, "Here!"

"Go to the edge of the Mountain Fire Barrier and scout the location of the entrance," the general ordered.

"Yes!" Piao Yun Chu grabbed his sword and vanished on the spot.

The general turned back and looked at the exhausted army, his expression softening.

"The rest of you, set up camp and rest."

After marching for so long under immense pressure, the army had long since depleted their energy. Those who hadn't exhausted their energy were still drained from the scorching heat of the forbidden land.

Now, with the exit seemingly within reach and the order to rest, almost everyone collapsed.

It was time for a proper rest.

After resting, they could leave.

Thinking of leaving... many couldn't help but smile wearily as they looked toward the Mountain Fire Barrier.

They had finally arrived.

The order to rest allowed many to quickly sit down and meditate, some even falling into a deep sleep. Some recuperated, some dozed off, and others entered a state of hibernation.

Suddenly relaxed, everyone quickly entered a state of complete emptiness.

The general was no exception.

He, too, was exhausted.

Utterly exhausted.

Everyone had relaxed.

They had even forgotten that the Realm of Karmic Flames was a place of immense danger.

They hadn't encountered any danger during their long march, so they had forgotten.

So when the underground convection layer began to stir, no one noticed.

The slight radiation from the convection layer, accompanied by a wave of fire, burst through the surface in an instant, catching everyone off guard.

In the blink of an eye, a cataclysmic inferno, capable of destroying heaven and earth, engulfed everyone in the dog and his companions' horrified gaze.

All the soldiers waiting to go home.

In an instant, the land was filled with wails, like a hellish purgatory.

Even though they knew this wasn't their own space, just a scene from another dimension, the dog and his companions were so frightened that their jaws trembled.

The Spirit King even hid between the dog's legs, clutching its hind leg, his scalp tingling with fear.

Below, the human tragedy continued.

Those engulfed by the karmic flames turned to ash in an instant.

Those not directly in the flames but struck by the radiation wailed in agony, wishing for death.

When Piao Yun Chu returned, he saw this scene.

He stared in disbelief, his entire body trembling.

The general, too, was writhing in pain from the radiation.

Anyone touched by the karmic flames or the radiation would not survive.

Even if they somehow survived, they would be cursed by the flames of hell.

"General!!!" Piao Yun Chu shouted, his eyes red, as he rushed forward.

Hearing the commotion, the general struggled to open his eyes. Seeing Piao Yun Chu, he immediately struck out with his palm, sending him flying.

"Yun Chu..." the general said weakly, his voice trembling. He glanced at the Mountain Fire Barrier, filled with regret.

They were so close... so close...

"General!" Piao Yun Chu was stunned by the scene before him, tears in his eyes, unsure of what to do.

The general looked away from the Mountain Fire Barrier and back at Piao Yun Chu.

"Yun Chu, we can't make it out," he gasped, struggling to speak.

"Only you..." The general closed his eyes and opened his palm.

In an instant, the countless soul fragments in his palm merged into a river and flowed into Piao Yun Chu's body.

"Only you, Yun Chu," the general said, forcing his eyes open. "Take us home."

"Yun Chu, take me home too..." Those still burning but not yet dead extracted their soul fragments and sent them flying toward Piao Yun Chu.

One after another.

Suddenly, the ground began to stir again...

The air grew tense.

The general turned his head and immediately sat up cross-legged.

A roar tore through the sky: "Tear open the space and send him away!!!"

Another disaster, capable of swallowing them in an instant, was brewing underground. They wouldn't survive.

They wouldn't even be able to leave behind soul fragments to return home.

They were destined to rest eternally on this battlefield.

At this moment, they could only use their last ounce of strength to send their comrades who still had soul fragments on their way.

Even in death, even in soul annihilation, they would send their comrades away.

Tearing open the Dual Forbidden Realm and sending them away was the only way.

However, tearing open the Dual Forbidden Realm would send them to a random universe.

It could be the path home.

Or it could be a universe even more dangerous than the Dual Forbidden Realm.

Or they could be lost in the endless flow of space.

But at least there was a chance... even if it was one in a billion... there was still a chance to go home.

Those not yet dead, barely clinging to life from the radiation, struggled to sit up.

Those still burning from the heat also sat up.

Countless people, not yet dead but on the verge of death, all sat up.

They were only on the brink of death, having been roasted along the way, but their energy hadn't been completely depleted. After resting, they still retained about seventy to eighty percent of their cultivation.

Countless wills and energies converged into a massive, sky-rending force. In their final moments, they unleashed all their cultivation, and thousands upon thousands of energies poured into the general.

With another roar, the general used all his energy to tear open the tiniest crack in the Dual Forbidden Realm... just the tiniest crack...

"Yun Chu, take them home," the general said, his eyes blazing with determination and sorrow as he looked at Piao Yun Chu.

Piao Yun Chu shouted the general's name, tears streaming down his face, as he watched the general push him away with a palm.

In the next moment, another cataclysmic inferno erupted from the ground like a fiery serpent!

Everyone was consumed by the flames.

Vanished without a trace.

...