Forge a path to success.

Chapter 145 Demon
The city center of Jinye before the rain.

The shadow blade grazed the wall, sending sparks flying. A slug-like moon beast was pinned to the wall, whimpering and lifeless. Above its head, moths with human skin fluttered, their veins crisscrossing and forming blue patterns on their wings, their two forked legs swaying behind them like tails.

It descended silently, stretching out its withered hands to abduct the swordsman. But a stone spike burst from the ground and pierced it, followed by a meteor hammer made of ice balls that smashed the monster to pieces.

Ji Huaisu sheathed her weapon, regulated her breathing, and sweat dripped from her matted hair, falling into her own blood. Her right arm was injured, the wound inflicted by the attack of six moon beasts five minutes earlier. Using the light, she drew a simple talisman on the thin ice and applied it to the wound. The toxins were forced out by the cold air, merging into the ice and turning it black.

After all, she was raised by martial arts practitioners and ancient dragons. Through years of exposure, her theoretical knowledge far surpassed that of Chu Hengkong, a self-taught cultivator. However, different fields are like different worlds. Only now, having slightly touched the power of point 3, can she use the most basic "Heart-Cleansing Talisman." Ji Qiufeng would probably only be able to smile wryly if he saw this.

"So unlucky..."

It was incredibly unlucky. All the supplies were with Chu Hengkong, and the backup supplies were entrusted to Sethlen for safekeeping. To make matters worse, shortly after storming the hotel, they were separated by Wu He's self-destruction attack, and when they came to their senses, moon beasts had inexplicably appeared. She fought and ran, not knowing where she was, and couldn't contact her partner. Although she was in a modern city, she felt like she was stranded in the wilderness.

His wound was almost healed. Ji Huaisu drew his Shadow Blade and advanced cautiously. This street seemed far from the center of the conflict; the buildings were still intact, and the citizens kept their doors and windows tightly shut, not a single person venturing out.

She followed the signs across the intersection, and on her right was a small coffee shop with wind chimes swaying at the entrance, making a crisp sound.

The coffee shop door opened.

Without hesitation, she threw out the Shadow Blade, and the greatsword transformed into a flying knife, piercing towards the figure who walked out of the door!
The shadow blade pierced diagonally into the threshold, the air currents ruffling her black, tousled hair. Her ambush had failed, for the person leaving was far shorter than she had anticipated. He was just a little boy, dressed in a well-fitting suit and bow tie, like a serious little nerd posing as an office worker. He glanced back at the vanishing weapon, then shrank back as he stepped out.

“You would wield a knife against a child? I thought you were more principled,” he said.

"I've lost count of how many times I've been assassinated by children, and you're not even a child," Ji Huaisu said coldly. "Children wouldn't be this calm in the face of attack, and children wouldn't dare speak to me like that. Who are you?"

“What do you think?” Olek looked back at her with interest. He was clearly looking up, but his expression was as if he were looking down on an ant.

“Your aura is too calm. You are not a Calamity Species.” Ji Huaisu pursed her lips tightly. “You are not a Fallen One either. Your existence is too illusory. You are hiding behind the scenes, controlling us without revealing a trace. You are very good at hiding yourself, like something that does not exist.”

“You are the Demon of Imagination.” She clutched the only clue in her hand. “You are Olek Seton Tantal.”

Quietly and slowly, as if a colossal creature were moving its limbs, Olek smiled.

·
"Go to the least affected area! That thing will only hide in the safest place!!" Van der was frantic with anxiety. "Hurry! We've been dragging this out for too long, we really can't make it in time!"

What exactly is the chain of misfortune?

“It’s luck! Misfortune! Incomprehensible bad luck! You can’t fight luck, you can only avoid it, because it’s inextricably linked to the tide of fate!” Vand screamed. “Olek Seton Tantal, the name means ‘the forsaken torrent,’ it is the evil god who wields the power of misfortune, the primordial being that has never been replaced…”

It is one of the oldest demons in the Fallen Realm, existing long before the Candlelight Era!

·
"Where did you learn my name? Even a casual contractor wouldn't know my real name. Behind you stands an ancient and learned being; such beings are few and far between." Olek smiled. "I must commend you, for you had the courage to call out my name despite knowing your fate was uncertain. As my old friend often says, it has nothing to do with position or strength; this deserves our respect."

He actually bowed respectfully, his every gesture exuding gentlemanly grace. Ji Huaisu gripped her weapon tightly; the more he did this, the more nervous she became.

“I imagine you have a lot of questions, and we’ll answer them one by one,” Olek said slowly, leaning against the threshold. “You’ve experienced the first two rounds firsthand, so tell me about the third round, which you couldn’t see clearly.”

First, there's the duel between Chu Hengkong and Shax. Actually, there's a possibility they could put aside their differences and temporarily cooperate, since Wu He was considering abandoning this uncooperative mercenary. But I think it's better to let the duel begin first. Shax's Death Will Bullet is almost unstoppable in low-quality ranges, and Chu Hengkong is too adept at creating miracles. At least one of them needs to be eliminated first, otherwise it's too dangerous for me.”

"Danger? You care about our strength?"

Ji Huaisu found it absurd; it was like a lion solemnly pointing at ants on the ground, saying that this one was big and strong, while this one was small and fast. Yet it spoke earnestly and intently, genuinely considering the possibility of being bitten to death by ants, and sparing no effort to prevent such a crisis.

“Don’t overestimate me. I’m just a low-quality split spirit. I have more methods and a slightly higher rank, but in terms of power, there’s no fundamental difference between me and you. I have to be careful, especially since this isn’t a game,” Olek said. “That’s why I let Wu He find Gulibo’s manual. This extra information gave him the confidence to reap the benefits. That’s why he’ll try to keep Shakes as his bodyguard for a couple more days, so that Qingxia will choose to remain inactive.”

Ji Huaisu recalled the invincible red-haired banshee: "I don't think she cares about bodyguards..." "You were intimidated by her aura. She's confident and powerful, but like you, she's a child, and she needs time to grow." Olek's tone was like commenting on an outstanding junior. "Look at what Qingxia did. She arrived on the island early, but didn't rush to make a move. She contacted each of you one by one to find out everyone's background, patiently holding back even when her enemies were right in front of her."

It wasn't until Shax left the arena after the duel, and you helped gather information about Wuhe, that she truly began her revenge—starting with a sneak attack, she swept through like a whirlwind, seizing weapons and crushing her opponent, who was as easy as a fingertip. If I hadn't intervened in time, Wuhe wouldn't have even had a chance to summon the Black Moon before turning into a pile of minced meat. Vansalal taught her well; she knows how to respect her opponent. It's a pity she's still too emotional; later, when such a good opportunity was presented to her, she didn't seize it but instead tried to rescue her.”

"You call this...respect?" Ji Huaisu was getting goosebumps.

"What do you think respect is? A fair and honorable one-on-one duel like Chu Hengkong and Shakes?" Olek asked rhetorically. "Excuse me for being blunt, but they are more like knights-errant than assassins. They have a complex temperament that contains both a self-destructive impulse and a desire for challenge. They are too focused on the present and neglect the future."

But you're a knight, you should understand. If you want to survive, and those around you to live…

"You should use every means to weaken the enemy's strength and annihilate him with the least cost and the fastest speed," Ji Huaisu said without hesitation. These words suddenly popped into her mind, as naturally as reciting a dogma that she had long memorized.

“This is what I once advised the Discipline Emperor, and I’m glad that these words have been passed on to you.” Olek nodded. “Let’s get back to the present, to the duel that happened not long ago.”

“I really didn’t want to see Shax and Chu Hengkong come together to kill me, not even for a one in a thousand chance. So I didn’t interfere with their duel. After the duel, I don’t need to worry about the Death Will Bullet, but Chu Hengkong is still alive. Severely injured martial artists love to transform themselves in the heat of battle, and I want to plug that loophole. I tried my best to protect Wu He so that he could make an attack at this time, successfully seize the Dragon Tree Stabilizing Talisman, and plant a deadly poison in the talisman for Chu Hengkong.”

He conjured a cup and took a sip of his cold drink: "Now I don't have to worry about Point 3 anymore, but there's still his Steel Bones. I don't want to see the Eternal Calamity descend upon Golden Leaf City, and I don't want to see the old man either... He meant no harm, but he's worse."

Therefore, I triggered the underground disturbances, and Qingxia abandoned her observation and chose to attack Wu He. The Xiaolong Qingkun Spear would fall into her hands, preventing Chu Hengkong's combat power from increasing.

Desperate, Wu He would naturally choose to summon the Black Moon. The arrival of the Fallen would disrupt communication, preventing contact with Huilong City and halting the Empire's signal transmission. However, Wu He died at Qing Xia's hands, preventing the complete summoning ritual and the old man's arrival.

He sighed maturely, "Alright! After all that effort, we've finally driven out the external factors. The market's direction hasn't been entirely satisfactory either; Chu Hengkong still hasn't died, and you've held on until now. Have you felt a lot of negative emotions lately? That was intentional; I wanted you to be a bit dejected so you'd become weak, but your fighting spirit makes things difficult for me."

Ji Huaisu's lips were dry. She watched the demon speak eloquently, describing the merits and demerits of every single ant, a seemingly absurd yet chilling discourse. It was hard to find anything more terrifying than this: a being so far more powerful than you, yet painstakingly devising the safest way to kill you.

"So you're secretly manipulating everything, aren't you?" she said. "Manipulating us like chess pieces."

Olek stared at her in surprise.

“How could that be?” the demon said. “I am misfortune, just bad luck. Luck cannot control people’s thoughts; it merely brings together small things by chance. You are not pawns; you will not act on my orders. You listen to my long-winded explanations as if I were secretly arranging everything, but you do not know how many times I have revised the plan in units of time that you cannot perceive to guide the current situation. I am not omnipotent; no one is omnipotent, not even the king of the deep sea.”

"Now, I will answer your last question."

"Why did I continue this long-winded conversation with you even though I knew you were stalling for time while waiting for your teammates to arrive?" he said. "Because I was also stalling for time so I could kill you in the safest way."

Glug. Glug. The sound of flowing liquid came from the horizon. During Olek's incessant chatter, the speck of black blood on the crescent moon finally made its decision and rolled down from the sky. It traveled an immeasurable distance, falling from the lunar surface onto this small dust island.

It fell right where the two were, the black raindrops growing larger and larger, turning into mountains of flesh and blood that could practically engulf the entire city.

Olek reached out to the mountain.

"Forced contract".

Completely disproportionate, the mountain-like black blood surged into his palm, forcibly assimilated and possessed by the demon's will at an astonishing speed. Olek's body solidified, transforming from an illusion into a contracted demon with a physical form, thus unleashing the true power of this split spirit.

He raised a finger to the sky.

"When fate turns against you, heaven forsaken you; misfortune and torrential rains follow."

The rain started to fall.

(End of this chapter)