Forge a path to success.

Chapter 157 My Uncontrollable Power
Chu Hengkong touched his "wound," still feeling lingering fear as he felt the tentacles detach from his body and fall to the ground. But only a second passed, and he could no longer recall the feeling of being struck. Half a second later, even the miraculous swordsmanship was almost gone.

When he looked up, the memory of being beheaded had almost disappeared, leaving only a faint impression of "having been beheaded".

"What's the principle?"

“Didn’t I tell you, Fog Man!” Chongming laughed. “I, and most of the members of the research institute, are people who participated in the great war. We are like the Heavenly Prison War, beings whose existence cannot be proven.”

“Many of us are already dead, awakened along with the resurgence of the evil god. Those who are still alive by chance are projections of 'ourselves' from the past,” the frog-faced man added with a grin. “How can a fog that both exists and doesn’t exist affect people who actually exist?”

“The damage will be erased…” Mohican flexed his biceps.

"The knowledge conveyed will be forgotten..." the hooded woman added ominously.

Standing behind Chongming, they said with their heads held high, "All we can do is cheer you on!"

"That's completely useless!" Vande couldn't help but exclaim.

“Young man, don’t be so blunt…” “We fought bravely on the battlefield back then…” “Although we never even touched Vansalar before we died…”

The researchers huddled in a corner, muttering dejectedly. Chongming kicked them out of the room and picked up his knife.

"That's how it is! We can't count on the old guard anymore. Whether we can defeat the evil god depends entirely on you newcomers." He tossed a bunch of keys over. "Go straight to the guest room and turn left. I'll tell you the arrangements tomorrow morning. Enjoy your sleep while you still have time."

Chu Hengkong remained standing there, dazedly touching his tentacles. He suddenly turned around and stared at Chongming, who was about to leave.

"The key is the timing of exerting force."

"Oh?" Chongming turned his head.

“Your slash was too fast, but you used very little force. At that speed, if you had used even a fraction of your strength, it wouldn’t just be my left arm that would have been severed,” Chu Hengkong said intently. “So you were powerless during the slash… The only time you could exert force was when you ‘draw your sword.’ That slash was your sword-drawing technique. Because the force you channeled was negligible, you could only swung it in a split second to kill, which is why you were able to close the distance to face me. If the distance between a person and a sword were even an inch greater, the power would vanish in an instant, and the killing blade would become a powerless swing.”

Chongming glanced at him sideways, while Chu Hengkong racked his brains, trying to dig out the erased memories: "But merely controlling the timing is not enough... You also need a point of force that exists for only a moment... your fingertips?"

"You're wrong," Chongming said lazily.

He hadn't heard or realized the content of the conversation, but he understood that it was taking place. The man in sunglasses tapped the scabbard, a hint of helplessness in his smile.

“I’ve already explained the key points of this strike. Can you hear me?” Chongming shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

"Kill me again!" Chu Hengkong said urgently, "If it happens again—"

“It’ll be the same every time. Don’t be so presumptuous as to challenge the rules of the world.” Chongming tapped his shoulder with the scabbard. “Before you delve into technology, think about yourself first. Your condition is so bad it’s laughable.”

"You're right, a person's life is in their own hands. If you don't want to die too soon, don't overestimate your abilities."

Chongming carried his katana out of the reception room, ignoring the newlyweds inside. Chu Hengkong stood still, still trying to imitate his previous strike. He stubbornly tried dozens of times before regretfully giving up.

"After following you for so long, I've finally seen you suffer a major setback, buddy," Vande said. "You lost miserably technically."

"His swordsmanship is terrifying." The assassin smiled bitterly. "It's the most terrifying sword I've ever seen in my life."

Ji Huaisu was puzzled: "Their attitude was actually quite good..."

"It's not about personality, it's about swordsmanship." Chu Hengkong shook his head. "Think about it, what would happen if you missed a strike even once with such extreme technique?"

“The ordinary ones won’t work.” Ji Huaisu thought for a moment, “Because the strength used when drawing the sword is exhausted, it will become a harmless sword.”

"To swing a useless blade on the battlefield means one's own death. He draws his sword on the premise that every strike 'must succeed,' and each strike will determine the outcome; it's either the enemy or me who dies," Chu Hengkong said. "Fighting with such swordsmanship means that every minute and every second is like the final moment when we are fighting a powerful enemy to the death. Besides being terrifying, I really don't know what word would be better to describe it."

The final moments of a death match... were like the last sword strike she and Olek made in their final exchange, like the final blow that decided the outcome between Chu Hengkong and Shax. If every move in every battle were to be fought with such intensity, if she were to maintain that incredible state at all times, it would be equivalent to struggling on the brink of death every single moment...

Ji Huaisu felt a chill run down his spine as he thought about it: "Wow, are the martial virtues of the Remnant Hearts so abundant during the war years?!" "After all, they are Remnant Hearts. They are a school of thought that is more ruthless to themselves than to their enemies. They are unique in the Shen Dong world." Fan De said listlessly, "Go to sleep, brothers. We can suffer tomorrow. I really need to rest today."

Vande huddled in his coat pocket, listless ever since arriving in the Desolate Wilderness, always looking like he was about to fall asleep. The other two were equally exhausted; the slumber they had endured during their journey had brought little relief, but instead made them even more lethargic.

Following Chongming's instructions, they found the guest room, which was actually just a small room with several quilts scattered haphazardly on the floor. Sweat and blood seeped into it, giving it a stench that was somewhere between damp and rotten.

"Would you mind sleeping on a waterbed?" Ji Huaisu asked.

"up to you."

Ji Huaisu pushed the dirty bedding aside and made two beds out of sand. She shaped warm water into blue, jelly-like mattresses and blankets.

"You are now a living elemental mage."

"If I weren't worried about causing trouble, I would have already decorated this place brightly lit." Ji Huaisu made a face. "Can you still hold up?"

"I'll stay up all night, you go to sleep first."

Ji Huaisu darted into the water blanket, closed her eyes, and fell asleep instantly. In the short time it took to exchange just a few words, Fan De had already fallen asleep. Chu Hengkong tucked him into his small sleeping bag and then sat down on the waterbed himself. Ji Huaisu's elemental magic was indeed impressive; she had encased the water in a gelatinous "shell," making it as warm as a hot water bottle when you lay inside. But Chu Hengkong sat alone on the bed, exhausted both physically and mentally, yet wide awake.

His heart had been uneasy; a heavy, oppressive feeling weighed on his chest like a boulder, an indescribable discomfort, exacerbated by the terrible environment. The place was chillingly cold, the pervasive chill seeping into the earth, making every step feel like walking through a frozen wasteland. More than blankets, they needed light and fire to dispel the cold, but in this desolate wilderness, whoever ignites the light will inevitably face a test; he couldn't gamble his safety with the warmth of a single night.

I wonder where the other creatures who came to the Despair Wilderness have gone; when we meet again, some of them may already be corpses...

The situation was currently chaotic. Chongming said that to leave, they had to defeat Fansalal, but it was hard to say there weren't other ways to escape. Chu Hengkong knew very well that his main goal was to return to Huilong City, not to come to the ancient battlefield to act like a hero. If he could run away, there was really no need to fight against the evil god. After all, this unexpected journey was caused by him, and he had to bring Ji Huaisu back safely...

Thinking this, the assassin chuckled silently. Instinctively, he again placed his partner in a position requiring protection, but Ji Huaisu was now far stronger than him. The problem that had plagued his partner for years was finally resolved, but his own predicament remained unresolved. He still couldn't control the Immortal Machine; he still faced the risk of going berserk.

Silently, the Steel Bug appeared in the center of his vision, infusing him with chilling killing intent. After his previous rampage, the effects of the Immortal Machine had become even more intense. His earlier provocation of Chongming was not only due to the impulse to compete with a strong opponent, but also because his killing intent was almost out of control.

It's only a matter of time before the next rampage occurs, and then there won't be any more kind-hearted centaur girls passing by to save him.

"..."

Chu Hengkong suppressed his inexplicable thoughts, preparing to spend the first half of his night watch pondering his swordsmanship. But then, he suddenly shuddered, his right hand involuntarily clutching his chest. The tightness in his chest intensified, a strange tremor emanating from deep within his body, like a raging fire igniting his blood and bones. His heart pounded wildly, so hard it felt like it would shatter his chest!

It was that blood! The blood Qingxia used to save him! The outsider's blood dominated his heart, making him frantic as if he were fighting a powerful enemy. A distant battle intent was sent into his body by an invisible thread, and Chu Hengkong instinctively guessed what was happening. At this very moment, Qingxia was fighting someone, and her blood, like an invisible thread, synchronized the battle intent of his body with hers.

His vision jolted violently, his heart pounded like thunder, and blood rushed to his head, plunging the world into darkness. He wanted to roar. But he couldn't utter a sound. He wanted to fight. But he couldn't make a move. Opposing forces clashed within his mind, and Chu Hengkong felt as if he were being torn in two.

He leaned against the metal wall, trying to calm himself down. But then the knight's blond hair came into view, and an inexplicable impulse surged several times over. Kill her. Eat her. Possess her. Humiliate her. An inexplicable hostility, an inexplicable malice, and vile desires were amplified many times over, the woman's shrill laughter clamoring like the flapping of insect wings.

Chu Hengkong involuntarily reached forward. He tightly wrapped his wrist with his still-movable tentacles. He bit down hard on his arm, his teeth digging into the muscle and tearing open the bloody lines. But his body wouldn't obey him. When he came to his senses, he was standing beside her bed. His hand reached out. He couldn't control it. He was about to—

"It's alright, A-Kong."

Suddenly, he was enveloped in a warm embrace. The blonde girl hugged him tightly without a word, a thin layer of ice imprinted on his back, an exorcising array etched upon it, its coolness seeping into his heart.

"I……"

He tried to move with difficulty, but couldn't utter a word. The sounds that came out were like the roars of wild beasts. Ji Huaisu remained unmoved, only holding him tighter, and shrank into the blankets with him.

"It won't be cold if we sleep together," the girl said softly.

His heartbeats gradually calmed, and his consciousness began to drift. Memories sank into darkness, and he slowly closed his eyes, falling asleep in a soft, gentle embrace.

(End of this chapter)