Forge a path to success.

Chapter 144 The Accumulation of Small Misfortunes

Chu Hengkong slid down the wall, clinging to it. A deluge of information surged through his brain like an electric current; he was nearly overwhelmed by his own memories. Berserk. Modification. The battle with Qingxia. And then…

An attack he couldn't dodge, artillery fire that pierced through him, a gun piercing his arm...

Defeat...!
"Get up...don't sleep!" He suddenly grabbed Qingxia's shoulder. "Let's fight again! Let's fight again!!"

No matter how hard he tried, Qingxia remained unmoved. The difference in their physical strength was too great; he had to stand on tiptoe to barely reach Qingxia's shoulder as she lay resting on the ground. The female demon's sleeping face was sweet, her breath carrying a flower-like fragrance. Such a beautiful face on such a powerful monster's body—he felt that despite his best efforts, Qingxia didn't even tremble.

Chu Hengkong's legs went weak, and he realized that his strength had waned to an extreme degree, to the point that he could barely stand. He slumped to the ground, forcing himself to accept reality.

He failed; he started the battle against his own will, was manipulated by power and fell into an out-of-control vortex, and was ultimately saved by a merciful enemy.

He lost to himself before he lost to his enemy. For a martial artist, there is no defeat more shameful than this.

Long, drawn-out breaths filled the air, as if he were deliberately suppressing his rage. Chu Hengkong closed his eyes, forcing himself to take deep breaths, etching the feeling of humiliation into his heart in the most intense way possible, thus awakening rationality beyond his fighting spirit. He regained some strength, barely managing to stand up, and bowed respectfully to the sleeping demoness… to his savior.

"...Thank you."

The fragments of his memory finally pieced together, and Chu Hengkong became aware of the rescue process he had deliberately ignored. He subconsciously touched his lips, which still seemed to retain a pleasant warmth.

"..."

For a moment, he didn't know what to say; his mind went blank and stopped working. He almost felt like he was back on his first night in New York, back to that panicked little boy caught up in the chaos of bars and nightclubs.

Chu Heng took two steps back and sat down against the wall. His brain kept telling him that this was no place of peace, and there were still too many urgent matters to be resolved, but his exhausted body banished all thoughts. He felt that he would fall asleep the moment he closed his eyes. Perhaps he wouldn't even wake up when the succubus awoke.

"Mr. Chu, are you alright? Mr. Chu!"

Qingye ran out of the ruins and pulled him up without a word. The black-haired girl was covered in dirt and reeked of blood, clearly having just been in a fight. She looked at him with concern.

"I was saved." Chu Hengkong mustered his strength. "Your true weapon..." "It got beaten back." "Huh?"

He took a moment to explain his experience, omitting the unnecessary kiss. Qingye listened quietly, supporting him as they walked forward. "You've had a hard time. But it's not over yet." "I know. I know."

The filthy crescent moon still hung high in the sky, its blackness surging like blood, pausing several times before its pointed tip, as if hesitating whether to fall upon this small, dusty island.

We must sever communication before the Moon Beast falls. We can perform a reverse exorcism ritual based on the Runemaster's array. If you have the Dragon's Rune Bead...

Transparent characters emerged from the dust, and the stone seed, like a package, rested on Qingye's back beside them. "Let's do it this way," Chu Hengkong said. "No," Qingye shook her head. "The talisman master's last attack destroyed the entire formation."

It was that amazing move that turned the entire hotel into a gravity ball... and it just so happened to be such a coincidence...

[If you have a foundation in talismanic arts, you can rebuild it.]

“I don’t know how to draw talismans,” Chu Hengkong said with a wry smile. “Ji Huaisu knows more about this than I do… but she’s not here right now.”

The stone remained silent for a while, seemingly speechless due to its bad luck. "Let's find something usable first," it said.

They had no choice but to leave Qingxia behind; even with Chu Hengkong and Qingye working together, they couldn't move her. It seemed such a fierce and powerful female demon wouldn't be afraid of any external corruption; those moon beasts couldn't even poke her skin. Qingye tried to contact Ji Huaisu and Fan De, but failed. The Dark Moon's magic rendered their communication artifacts completely ineffective, and they were lost in this small town.

Fortunately, they were still able to determine their direction; the hotel that Wu He had personally destroyed served as a clear landmark. The two walked back to the vicinity of the hotel ruins and discovered a glittering golden light amidst a pool of blood.

The talisman coiled around the dragon tree was intact, floating in the bloodstains yet completely untouched by the environment. Qingye exclaimed in delight, retrieving the talisman. "If we use this…!"

"Wait a minute," Chu Hengkong calmly stopped him. "Let me take a look at the book."

His luck had been terrible ever since he arrived in Golden Leaf City, and he couldn't believe he'd encounter such a stroke of good fortune in this critical moment. He shook off the bloodstains on the talisman, pressed it onto the page of the book, and the flickering words revealed the same shock in both of their eyes.

"...Are you kidding me?" Qingye muttered to herself, "What exactly...did that talisman master steal?"

【Nagarjuna's Talisman for Defilement】

[Rating: 3 (7)]

【Origin: ■■Fortress■Er■La】

【Effect: A talisman that gathers the power of the Dragon Village martial arts practitioners, the Ancient Dragon God, and the ■■■ riders.】

Harmonize Qi and blood balance, absorb external forces. Maintain self-preservation amidst the erosion of power. [Warning: This relic contains power that should not exist in the present. The holder has a very high probability of traversing the mists of history and encountering the "battlefield."]

The artifact contains [■■■■■■■■■].

[Longing: I will fulfill my duty until my very last moment.]

...A relic of the 7th level in essence?

How can it be?

Chu Hengkong knew the origin of this talisman all too well. Ji Qiufeng and Youyou had worked together to lay the foundation, and the stone seed had helped to outline its shape. The two people in the city were Legendary Point 5 before he set off. Even if he thought about it in the most absurd way, it was still impossible for them to have broken through to Point 6 and created this thing.

During his cultivation, he heard Ji Qiufeng say that there are two crucial "qualitative changes" on the path of advancement. The transition from level 3 to 4 is crossing the first abyss, from which one is no longer an ordinary being, while the transition from level 6 to 7 is crossing the second abyss, evolving from life into a "god" comparable to the concept of the divine.

A being of the 7th rank is a "god" in the Realm of Submerged Earth. How could the talisman he personally brought contain divine power? Could the Ancient Dragon God be Youyou's trump card? And that smeared name... is it that starlight-like thing? The one Wu He attempted to refine?
The same power as Ji Huaisu's pendant?
Chu Hengkong's heart pounded violently. The life-saving blood that Qingxia had given him activated his body, causing his skin to flush unnaturally. Under the influence of that blood, the blackened writing suddenly became clear, and for the first time, he saw the true name of this Dust Island.

—The frontline fortress of Halvira.

The next two lines of writing became clearer.

—A talisman that gathers the power of the martial arts practitioners of Dragon Village, the Ancient Dragon God, and the Radiant Star King.

—The artifact contains extreme hostility toward heretics.

Chu Heng silently placed the talisman in Qing Ye's hand. The girl, unable to see the truth, stared at him blankly. Something was wrong. This island had a true name unknown to others. Those powerful-sounding names were ones they shouldn't have encountered. Unwittingly, they seemed to have been drawn into a vortex of madness, into taboos far beyond their capabilities, things they shouldn't and shouldn't have touched.

A sense of unease pierced his spine like needles; the invisible, colorless malice that had always lurked gently beneath the surface was now peeking out with a low laugh. This was the danger hidden beside him, an undetectable trap. He had used the demonic power for so long, even his steel bones were genuine machinery. If he hadn't had Vandal's manual, if he hadn't been saved by Qingxia, if he hadn't seen through the concealed writing…

His body had just been modified by the Immortal Machine. What would happen if he used this talisman directly?
"Qingye, take this safe," Chu Hengkong said. "Don't put it away. Treat it as a talisman. Throw it at any heretics you encounter!"

"Okay!"

Qingye didn't understand what Chu Hengkong was saying, but she did as he said. Chu Hengkong's tone reminded her of her elders before she went into battle; it was the expression of someone whose life was hanging by a thread. This made her uneasy, and she quickened her pace.

They found Wu He's stored relics, a black jade pendant, but couldn't find a way to open it. At that moment, a brick moved, and a grayish-brown little mouse poked its head out, trembling uncontrollably.

"I almost got buried alive!" Gulibo said pitifully. "Sethlen and I were just trying to communicate..."

"Is there a signal?!"

"Absolutely not... The influence of the Black Moon is too great..."

Gulibo told them that Sethlen had used the ice wall to protect the civilians around the battlefield, but no one knew what to do about the things in the sky. This was completely beyond their capabilities; even on Shura Island, this would require several Secret Soul Remnant cultivators to lead a team to handle.

Yet, in this terrible moment, an unsettling silence reigned amidst the ruins. No one saw the newly summoned moon beast, nor did the mastermind come looking for them; it was as if the matter was over. The events behind the scenes were no longer their concern.

Drip, drip. Water droplets seeped into the ground, turning the sand gray. A light rain began to fall, and the chill in the air seeped into his bones, causing Qingye to shiver slightly. Chu Hengkong felt a throbbing pain in his head; he pressed his temples.

"Have you seen Ji Huaisu?" he pressed repeatedly. "What about Fan De?"

He heard the sound of tentacles slapping against the rain, and the little creature trudged and skipped towards him. It was Vande; it hopped and skipped over, never seeming so anxious. Chu Hengkong felt a slight sense of relief. "Thank goodness you're alright—"

"Hurry!" Van der shouted, "Go as soon as you've recovered!!"

What did you say? What are you going to do? A moment of confusion crossed everyone's eyes, while a few seemed to awaken from a nightmare. The rain suddenly intensified, the large drops stinging their skin. Van der's shouts sounded hollow in the rain.

"I remember now! It was an unfortunate chain reaction!! I saw it! The reflection in the chains was..."

"Ji Huaisu's face!!"

·
Inside the small café, Vansalal put down his teacup. The child-like demon left the small table and walked towards the door.

"The final round begins now."

(End of this chapter)