Forge a path to success.

Chapter 139 Heart Sword
In an instant, Chu Hengkong "saw" a colorless wind. It had no color, no form, only a powerful, condensed force forced forth from the martial artist's body. That force operated in a way he couldn't comprehend, forming a violent whirlwind ten or even a hundred times stronger than the original. The impact was beyond description as being attacked by wind; it felt as if the earth itself had stood behind him, a falling sensation assaulting him from behind. In a single move, the three of them were blown away in different directions!
His posture collapsed, his offensive became distorted, and any attempt to attack in this turbulent current was utterly futile; even maintaining his own balance required immense effort. Wu He charged forward, laughing loudly, using the inexplicable turbulence to increase his speed. He thrust his spear straight at Chu Hengkong's head, but Chu Hengkong dodged with a backbend, his tentacles flashing out to grab Wu He's wrist.

Just as he was about to exert his strength to dismantle Wu He's bones, the other party pointed to the left. In an instant, the wind direction changed, and the irresistible pulling force suddenly changed direction. Chu Heng had nowhere to grab hold and was blown away directly, his tentacles stretching extremely long in the air.

He decisively withdrew his arm, abandoning the entanglement, and suddenly tensed all his muscles, assuming an immobile stance. Almost at the same time as he reacted, an extremely thick wall emerged from the ground, blocking his way.

Chu Hengkong slammed heavily against the wall, the violent wind almost embedding him into it. Vande, standing in his pocket, warned, "The environment is changing! We can't get separated from the group!"

The ceiling was melting, the floor was tilting, and countless walls pierced out from all directions, dividing the strange space like a labyrinth. Wu He, armed with a gun, approached step by step, and a crimson array appeared beneath his feet, like an invisible web woven by a spider.

Ji Huaisu and Qingye hurriedly tried to rush to their aid, but the space within the talisman array shifted erratically. The battlefield between the two martial artists was severed by countless walls, and their location sank like mud. When they regained their senses, they found themselves in a long corridor with rows of guest room doors arranged in an orderly fashion, each door marked with a regular number.

The doors on both sides of the corridor opened simultaneously, and the guests stepped out, turning their heads with red lights in their eyes, like a swarm of bats grinning in the night.

A chill ran down Qingye's spine: "They..."

“They’re all corpse gu.” Ji Huaisu thought of the hideous creatures in the club. “They’re already dead, show no mercy!”

A corpse worm lunged forward, only to be severed by Ji Huaisu's sword, its foul-smelling blood splattering onto Qingye's face. For a moment, she wanted to close her eyes, but she forced herself to raise her weapon. She shielded Ji Huaisu's side, decapitating two more corpse worms. Their necks were easily severed, their fragility making her feel disgusted by her own act of wielding the sword.

Qingye shook off useless thoughts and muttered a curse under her breath. "Beast...!"

·
On another battlefield, Chu Hengkong retreated repeatedly, a bloody gash left on his cheek by the tip of his spear; he had nearly been pierced through the throat by the Qingkun Spear in the previous round. Wu He calmly compressed the battlefield, the Dragon Tree Stabilizing Talisman hanging behind him.

Chu Hengkong's sense of balance told him he was currently on the 12th floor, but the top floor they had broken into was the 30th. The hotel's space was manipulated freely by talismans, and the constantly shifting gunfire made his sense of direction as muddy as mud. He might be pressed against the ceiling, or perhaps the "ground" beneath Wu He's feet was the vertical side. In this chaotic space, only the martial artist wielding the gun remained stable. He was like an unchanging center point in the chaos; if he wanted, he could reach any point on the battlefield.

“You seem ill-suited to combat within formations; I’ve never even seen you use talismans.” Wu He blew on his fist. “Didn’t your master teach you? Was he also a master of concealment?”

"Not at all, Mr. Ji never holds back. He has always trusted me." Chu Hengkong laughed. "After all, I have a good mentality. I wouldn't become a heretic or evil person just because I've learned a little skill."

"Then you've truly met a good teacher, congratulations!" Wu He smiled. "We're all family, no need for formalities. As a senior on the path of martial arts cultivation... I'll give you a free lesson!"

He wiped the smile from his face and threw a punch, the surface of his fist turning a charred black. The body-enhancing talisman activated during their conversation, making the punch feel like an iron spike aimed at his head. Without thinking, Chu Hengkong rolled to the side along the wall, the steel fist grazing his ear and embedding itself in the wall. Wu He withdrew his fist and struck again, using monotonous, sadistic punches, each strike stronger than the last. Chu Hengkong rolled repeatedly to dodge, leaving dozens of fist marks behind him, piercing through the wall.

In the blink of an eye, the two fought to the end of the wall. Seeing no way to avoid it, Chu Hengkong dodged and then spun around, leaping up and kicking out with his foot like a knife, aiming for Wu He's neck. Wu He grabbed his ankle with his other hand, his bronze-cast-iron muscles bulging, his strength like an iron clamp. He exerted a sudden burst of strength and threw Chu Hengkong away, the assassin smashing through five walls in succession.

Upon landing, Chu Hengkong rolled and sprang to his feet, using his waist to somersault backward. The Qingkun Spear, like an iron pillar supporting the sky, descended from the heavens, its violent force slamming into the earth and creating a crater-like depression, causing the ground to churn up like a tidal wave.

As Wu He swung his gun down, he used the butt of the gun to prop himself up, kicking Chu Hengkong in the face with both feet. Chu Hengkong parried the attack with both arms, and Wu He spun around and jumped down, continuing his assault. Their fists and feet clashed, leaving countless afterimages. However, Wu He grew stronger with each blow, while Chu Hengkong fought and retreated, his seemingly impenetrable defense showing signs of fatigue. Every move, every attack and defense, was fraught with danger. His tentacles were a beat too slow in their defense, his palm strikes a fraction too late, forcing him to retreat and dodge—a difference even a layman could see, a disparity in speed and power.

Chu Hengkong was in terrible condition. He could see the enemy's moves clearly and figure out how to counter them, but his body simply couldn't keep up with the pace of the battle. Instead of getting stronger as the fight went on, his condition only worsened. He was on the verge of death after his battle with Shaks, an injury so severe that it wouldn't be surprising if a higher-level expert died on the spot. He had only managed to hold on until now thanks to his extraordinary willpower.

However, Wu He, being a level 3 martial artist, already possessed a superior physical constitution compared to him. After obtaining the Dragon Tree Separation Talisman, he was even more divinely aided. The talisman floated behind him, providing him with power through its mysterious operation.

The Purification Talisman was designed to regulate life force, and its operating mechanism is "power transformation." It can only be used with external power that does not belong to oneself; otherwise, it is just a blank piece of paper with high specifications. The fact that Wu He received a significant boost after using the talisman indicates that he has hidden methods beyond martial arts power.

However, given the current situation, Chu Hengkong was unable to force out the enemy's trump card. He was already using all his strength just to deal with that heavy spear!
While he was pondering, his defensive stance was finally broken. Wu He jumped up, spun around, and kicked out with a roundhouse kick. His right arm, which was used for defense, was already seriously injured. This blow caused it to fracture on the spot. His broken forearm bent up unnaturally, and his other foot took advantage of the opening and stabbed into Chu Hengkong's heart.

He was kicked away with a thud, his feet leaving two long tracks in the ground. Chu Hengkong quickly brandished his spear, using the tip to pierce the ground and steady himself. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling to raise his spear again in an attempt to fight. But Wu He did not approach; instead, he disdainfully raised his hand. His five fingers clenched like claws.

“Come,” he said. The unpredictable “wind” reappeared, this time pulling the assassin closer from the front. The hard-won balance was easily broken, and Chu Hengkong was dragged forward, the scene almost like him actively meeting the enemy’s fist.

What exactly happened? A sudden gust of wind. A special ability triggered by a weapon. Its direction can change at will. Its true nature is…

Vande realized the key point and screamed nervously, "It's using its gun as the 'origin'! It can create fluctuations at will just by moving the gun... That's... the ability to control gravity and repulsion!"

"Very clever, you got it right." Wu He smiled. "And then?"

"What good will it do to know?"

Vande's gaze was fixed; he had much to say but couldn't utter a word. Knowing the mechanism meant there was a way to crack it; understanding the principles meant there were ways to deal with it, but those were all theoretical discussions detached from reality. Reality, as Wu He said, was such that even if you knew the principles, how could you actually deal with it?

This isn't a matter of skill level, but rather a matter of rank. Just as a skilled hand possesses a touch more dexterity than an ordinary person, a strong bone possesses a touch more resilience. Wu He possesses abilities a level above Chu Hengkong. That's the difference between weapon and tool, but also the difference between heart and bone. A single rank difference is like the difference between clouds and mud, something that even the most profound techniques cannot bridge.

The third essence of the martial arts path, the Heart Sword, is a product of the fusion of the "heart" of the Path of Unity and the "weapon" of the Path of Floating Light. Cultivators forge their swords with their blood and sweat, imbuing them with their will, thus creating a unique Heart Sword that belongs only to them. They possess both the unpredictability of weapons and the explosive power of their blood and sweat, making them recognized as the strongest on the battlefield by all forces.

However, such power comes at a price. During the first and second stages of the transformation, martial cultivators cannot differentiate themselves fundamentally from ordinary ascendants. Like the ascendants on the Path of Floating Light, they must reach stage 3 before they can experience their first qualitative change. Wu He has already completed his qualitative change, but Chu Hengkong is far from reaching the stage of sword forging. He is still busy controlling his bones.

How can he win?
Vande was unaware that it couldn't even keep up with the movements of the two combatants. Unlike the Immortal Machine, Wu He couldn't withstand attacks head-on, nor could it use hypnosis; in this rapid-fire battle, it had no chance to intervene. It eagerly peered out, only hearing the clashing of weapons and the enemy's disdainful laughter. Then, Chu Hengkong was once again sent flying, the white spear slipping from his grasp spinning in the air before piercing into the distance.

"Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to make a comeback. After all, you're too extraordinary; even that strange gunman was defeated by you."

Wu He cautiously maintained his distance, extending his right hand far out, blood flowing from his palm. Once outside the range of the Ligou Talisman, the blood turned a deep, oil-like black. The Longshu Ligou Talisman was working powerfully, transforming the tainted blood into fresh blood, converting the heretical pollution into his own power. The filthy abyssal power was finally disappearing; the feeling was so wonderful, it almost made him want to burst into song.

He only needs the cleansing of his heart area to return to being a pure human. Before that, he must use the power of the unorthodox path to gain one last bit of benefit.

"I will take over your memories, martial arts skills, and body perfectly." He laughed cheerfully. "Don't be upset. Although things will be different in the dueling arena... isn't that what the battlefield is all about?"

There was no time to react, no time to stop it; what was destined to happen would happen. In Vande's dazed gaze, a sharp weapon pierced the martial artist's heart, and blood slowly drifted through the air.

It was black blood. Blood plasma as murky as oil. A bone-white dagger was bathed in the blood, churning it with a cold, ruthless touch.

— It pierced through Wu He's heart.

Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Wu He stiffly turned his head, his body shrouded in a massive shadow. A four-meter-tall giant egg appeared behind him without warning, delivering a fatal blow!

"Hmm, hmm. Well said. Anything can happen on the battlefield. When you're plundering and indulging in your own pleasures, do you ever think that the same thing could happen to you?"

I've been eagerly anticipating your reaction, anticipating that look of disbelief on your face, which is why I deliberately waited until now to take action. Okay, so tell me, what are you thinking now?

The blood-red writing faded, and a clear human voice emerged from the eggshell, filled with deep-seated hatred, a sound as if it came from hell.

"I've come to kill you, you who are destined to die."

(End of this chapter)