Forge a path to success.

Chapter 213 Goodbye
A tsunami of deadly poison surged in, making the fleeing knights seem like a tiny boat adrift on a colorful ocean. They could see no way back; their original marching path had been swallowed by the poison. There was no hope of escape; demons swirling in the air blocked all escape routes.

The repulsive force of the Qingkun Spear barely created a circular isolation zone, but in the face of the pervasive toxins, any sense of safety was wishful thinking. From the moment Wenyao appeared, the deadly poison seeped into the air and soil; even if one deliberately stopped breathing, it could only slow things down slightly, but there was no way to escape it.

"Antidote!" Shaks pulled out several vials of deep purple liquid and tossed them to the group. He was the first to inject one vial into his discolored skin, but the reaction within his body brought even worse omens. This was a universal antidote produced at the Dustless Land headquarters, capable of quickly eradicating even the erosion of Calamity species, and had saved his life more than once. But now, the reagent seemed to sink into the ocean, bringing no improvement whatsoever; instead, it made the dissolution of his flesh even more severe.

If Shax possessed the internal perception of a martial artist, he would have detected that the toxins began to mutate immediately after the antidote entered the body. In that brief instant, the deadly poison completed its targeted analysis, and the Plague Demon's characteristics granted them the ability to evolve autonomously. They mutated, grew, evolved, and then devoured the antidote as nourishment, intensifying their erosion of the poisoned person's body.

The Holy Lance transformed into a portable pistol, and Shax locked onto the demon in the air, firing a bullet. This time it was just ordinary mental energy ammunition; he didn't expect to kill with a single shot using the Death Will Bullet, only wanting to force out the enemy's methods. But the locked-on Wind Hawk mysteriously vanished, leaving only a silver expanse in his vision.

Shakes realized that it was the hair of a demon, and the moment before he fired, Wen Yao was beside him.

"What snipers value most is their eyes, right?" Wen Yao lightly touched her lips. "Then I'll just confiscate your eyeballs."

Strands of hair brushed against Shax's eyes; the invading toxins robbed him of his sight and dissolved his eyeballs. His lens overflowed like water. Shax gritted his teeth and fired three shots, but failed to graz the hawk's wing. The demon laughed and raised her hand, grasping the gleaming blade that slashed down from the sky. She looked at Qingye; the eyes of the Heartless One were blood red.

"Your eyes are quite pretty... but for those with crippled hearts, the most important thing is always their hands. Without hands, you can't do anything, can you?"

She gently grasped Qingye's hand holding the knife. The moment her skin touched Wenyao, it began to fester, the muscles beneath withered like rotten wood, yet the nerves were deliberately preserved to transmit pain to her brain. Qingye couldn't break free from her grasp; the difference in their life essence was too great. Wenyao, with a mass of 4, could easily crush her entire body with the slightest force.

Qingye gritted her teeth and forced out a wisp of historical mist, using it as a barrier to pull out her mangled hand. Qingxia seized the opportunity to grab Qingye and retreat, her eyes filled with despair. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't distance herself from Wenyao; the enemy possessed the ability to kill them all. She hadn't yet put that ability into practice, only to savor the despair of her prey a little longer.

"You volunteered to replace her? How gentle you are, Little Qingxia!" Wen Yao laughed and reached out. "Then let's confiscate your beauty. Let's turn your face into a horse's, no, into a pig's. For a piece of trash like you, the beauty of an immortal is such a waste!"

"Qingxia, don't be afraid! Hold on a little longer!!" Silar threw a leaf-shaped throwing knife, but the leaf was corroded and turned to ash by the poison as it approached Wenyao. The banshee's claws approached Qingxia's face, her nails stabbing into her helpless golden pupils.

A drop of clear rain fell before Qingxia's eyes. The raindrop was crystal clear, like a perfectly round jewel.

"—Fate has forsaken us, and a torrential downpour of misfortune has befallen us!!"

The torrential rain poured down, raindrops began to roll, and Wen Yao's fingertips brushed against Qing Xia's. The massive amount of rainwater formed a repulsive vortex, which rose from Qing Xia and her group, transforming into a towering waterspout. It swept them away with a roar, using the power of fate to break through the poisonous tide.

The third ability of the "Misty Flow" weapon is the Rain of Calamity. Once a day, it can unleash a rain of misfortune, disrupting the hit rate of attacks within a designated area. When the user is emotionally charged, the Rain of Calamity can form a vortex. This vortex, which once drove Ji Huaisu to the brink of destruction, has now become a swirling protective barrier, isolating Wen Yao's attacks while simultaneously protecting everyone as they return to their hopeful settlement.

Wen Yao sheathed his sword, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Only a patch of withered flesh remained at the sword tip; the man who should have been nailed to death in the poisonous tide had vanished silently. The man stood at the bottom of the vortex, his muscles long since corroded by the deadly poison, leaving behind only silvery-white bones. The Immortal Machine's kinetic energy reflection armor operated at overload, repelling all the approaching toxins. The perfect alloy of the True Machine seeped into his human bones, allowing him to retain his human form.

Upon discovering Wen Yao's true identity, Chu Hengkong took countermeasures. He preemptively granted access to modify his body, and the alloyed steel bones helped him escape a certain death!

Chu Hengkong flicked out his calamity wrist, using the vortex to reach the group. His Undying and Indestructible Technique operated at full power during this time, causing his skin and muscles to regenerate rapidly. At this moment, his face was incredibly grotesque, with less than half of it covered in flesh; when he spoke, he looked like a zombie. "Fire the signal flare!"

Shax fired a rapid-fire shot, bullets exploding in mid-air like bombs. After firing the last shot, he passed out; the poison had seeped into his body, causing his organs to begin dissolving. Qingye gripped the longsword with her mangled hand. "I can still strike one more time..."

Chu Hengkong stopped her. "It's pointless." The assassin barely managed to move his mouth. "You can't buy yourself time; you can only rely on the Holy Pillar. Qingxia, are you awake yet?! It's too slow now, run!!"

Qingxia's hands fell limply to her sides, her spear still embedded in her abdomen; the gravity of the Qingkun Spear was their only source of power. Even with the aid of the Evil Vortex, returning to the settlement at their current speed would take at least three minutes, which felt like an eternity to them.

“I can’t do it,” she groaned in despair. “Wen Yao won’t let me move, I…”

"Run!" Chu Hengkong roared, "If we don't hurry, we're all going to die!!"

"I can't do it!!" Qingxia screamed.

"It's alright, child," the old man said softly. "It's okay if you can't do it."

It was Silar, its legs long since broken and useless in the escape, so it had been sitting on Qingxia's back. It struggled to its feet, wanting to stroke its granddaughter's long hair, but its claws had melted away, leaving only discolored bone. It smiled helplessly and jumped off the horse. It had no wings, yet it floated in the air.

"Grandpa?" Qingxia asked unconsciously.

“The current speed is sufficient,” Silar said calmly. “I will stop her and let Ji Huaisu find the right opportunity to make his move.”

"Okay." Chu Hengkong nodded silently, while Qingxia was on the verge of collapse. "Grandpa, what are you saying? Are you confused? Your foot is injured!"

Under immense pressure, Qingxia didn't know what to say. She couldn't place any expectations on the old man, because Silar had long since retired. That valiant Allied soldier was now old, his body short and his muscles atrophied, even his once-proud hearing was intermittent. What could the old man do now besides guide everyone?

He had long been the one who needed to be protected. Slar smiled and turned back, his pale fur fluttering in the wind, a sly smile playing on his lips. Qingxia was speechless for a moment, because the old man's eyes were still the same as they had been years ago, unchanged in the slightest.

Over the years, his feet have become injured, his hands have lost their dexterity, and his hearing has deteriorated, yet his gaze towards his granddaughter remains caring and loving. She has grown up, become stronger, and more powerful; she is now a new warrior leader. But in Silar's eyes, she is still that little pink worm from before, needing his help to find food and needing his care, unchanged.

"Don't underestimate Grandpa!" the old man laughed loudly. "Grandpa carries a very powerful 'gift' with him!"

A blinding light tore through the swirling water curtain, cruelly shattering the last hope. The woman with wings stood in the air, letting the torrential rain wash over her. Wen Yao cleaved the vortex of calamity with a single sword strike. Chu Hengkong, after all, was only a level 2 mass; his Calamity Arm, though high in level, lacked sufficient power to withstand the Plague Demon's might.

Silar reached out with his back to Wenyao, and the gravitational pull of the Qingkun Spear instantly increased several times over. The black moon properties within the spear were activated, pushing everyone away, leaving only the old man and the demon in the vortex.

"The connection between the fallen. Do you think such bluffing will work on me?" Wen Yao looked down at the old man, seeing through the key to his being at a glance. "The gift the old man bestowed upon you is a 'second life.' Unfortunately, it's of no use to you in your current state!"

This was the gift that Slar had wished for long ago. Back then, he was timid and cowardly, and he prayed to the kind old man for a chance to be resurrected. In doing so, he would have the courage to step onto the battlefield, and he would have the courage to charge into desperate situations.

“You’re wrong, little girl,” Slar said with a smile. “This is a gift that gives people ‘courage’!”

He ripped open his chest and pulled out the still-beating, decaying heart. Dark moonlight streamed through the vortex, illuminating the roaring old man.

"The darkest moon, the cradle of beginnings, the first abyss that was once forgotten!"

I offer you my life; please, with your mercy, save my blood relatives!

Wen Yao's expression finally changed, from mocking indignation at being fooled to furious anger. Her longsword pierced the old man's chest, but failed to reverse the already made prayer. Silar sacrificed her second life, using it only as a medium for her prayer. Thus, the heart vanished, merging into the dark moonlight, forgetting the projection of the cradle becoming a tangible force. The gravity from the First Abyss suddenly intensified, pinning both the old man and the demon to the ground.

His prayers were answered. No matter when or where, Black Moon will never betray his love for his family!

"Old man, do you think losing this worthless life will change anything?!" Wen Yao whispered viciously. "You can delay for a while, but not forever. Everything you cherish and love will eventually be destroyed. I will let your warriors smash your settlement, and let your beloved granddaughter devour your bones!!"

What an arrogant expression! It reminds me of Qingxia when I was a child.

She speaks without thinking, often uttering vicious words; just teaching her to communicate has taken a lot of effort. "Old thing." "You old codger." A tap, then a piece of jerky. If she wants something nice, she has to change her approach. "Grandpa." It took him ages to get a kind word; Chongming even advised him to give up.

"Grandpa, one day I'll take your position." Tell her that to do that, she'll have to learn martial arts little by little. "Grandpa, I'm going to take your title as commander of the soldiers." Tell her that if she wants to take it, she'll have to gain everyone's trust little by little.

"Grandpa, I'm going to kill all those who don't obey me." Tell her that doing so is heretical, and everyone hates heretics. Tell her to restrain herself. Tell her that she can only become stronger by cultivating the Heart-Binding Secret Technique, and if she masters it, no one will think she's a heretic.

"Grandpa, am I...am I really a knight?"

Of course you're a knight, Qingxia! You look exactly like the knight in the painting!

When did that malicious smile turn into a cheerful one? When did that old man, waiting to be schemed against, become a grandfather? I can't remember, I really can't remember. I can't recall her past actions at all. I can only remember her smug look when she helped everyone hunt, her satisfied expression after being recognized by everyone, her pride when she said she would inherit your legacy, and her care when she said she would take care of you...

In the blink of an eye, the child has grown up. But there are still so many things it hasn't had time to teach. So many things it hasn't had time to explain. If things continue like this, one day Qingxia will find out the truth. What should it do then? What should it do…?

Skin and hair, long gone. Bones, too, turned to white dust in the raging, poisonous winds. Is Silal already dead? Is this being pondering something here, a ghostly entity that hasn't yet had time to leave?

It turned back one last time and saw, beneath the distant tree of light, a golden flame forming a sword that tore the heavens and earth apart. The red-haired girl reached out in his direction, crying like a child despite being so old, her heart-wrenching scream carried on the wind.

"--grandfather!!"

I'm sorry, Qingxia.

The old man tried to smile.

You must live well.

As Silar departed, the warriors were sent into the protection of the holy pillar. The united formation gathered everyone's strength, and the paladin unleashed a full-force attack, causing the light and fire that purified evil to burn into the distance.

Isolate the howling demons, and bid farewell to the warrior's soul.

(End of this chapter)