Forge a path to success.

Chapter 217 The Mountain Where the Demon King's Bones Are Buried
When the third morning arrived, the flame in Wen Yao's hand went out.

She moved her fingers extremely slowly, letting the charred skin fall off and her fair skin regenerate. A miracle, like a withered tree coming back to life, spread from her fingertips to every part of her body. In just a few seconds, the dried-up, charred corpse disappeared without a trace, and a naked, white-haired woman emerged from the ashes, her skin as delicate as a newborn baby's.

She reached out, and the prepared Locust King knelt beside her, offering a black robe embroidered with red. The Blood Knights had sewn this cheongsam-like garment from the skin of exotic beasts as a gift to celebrate the master's resurrection.

"Congratulations, Lord Wenyao, on your improved strength," Huang Li said.

Wen Yao glanced at her: "So eager, are you in such a hurry to come to my bed to wait for me?"

Huang Li, being perceptive, quickly helped Wen Yao put on her clothes and used his bony claws to comb her long hair. "If I could please Lady Wen Yao, I would gladly do anything, not just in bed, but even in the wild forest, in the mud, under the watchful eyes of many. However, my main purpose in congratulating you today is to celebrate your great improvement in cultivation. After this ordeal, the Discipline Knights' pure fire will no longer be able to harm you."

“You’re quite clever; you can see through my intentions.” Wen Yao said with a half-smile. “But if you dare to neglect our business, I’ll skin you alive.”

She arrived at the edge of the barrier and saw Fu Huo and Jiao Du wielding bone hammers and whips, attacking and killing each other around the barrier. The steel bones used to make these weapons were the "eggshells" they had during their Hungry Shell form, and most Blood Knights choose this as their first weapon after their transformation.

Inside the barrier, there was no sign of the group, only layers of defensive fortifications erected overnight, and timid settlement warriors left behind to scout. Wen Yao was not surprised to smell the aura of the "heroes" near the sacred pillar; clearly, they were prepared to fight to the death, waiting for the barrier to break.

And the most crucial step is to remove the flaws...

Wen Yao did some quick calculations and laughed, "It seems you won't be able to wait for a second good master. You'll get a new useless subordinate."

“We’ve never needed such trash,” said Huang Li. “Why don’t you eat her? She’s still a descendant of our loving mother; it’s a waste for her to rot here.”

The Heavenly Demon Furnace's resistance reached a critical point last night, then subsided due to its dying state, but is now steadily rising again. That fool must have used the demonic trick of feigning death to resist for a while, but it hasn't evolved yet; it has likely deliberately destroyed its core. A Blood Knight without the Heart of the Rising Sun is naturally useless; the Myriad Transformations Immortal Clan doesn't need such trash.

"Let's talk when we've had our fun." Wen Yao walked away. "Break through the wall and massacre the city within half a day."

"Yes!"

Huang Li obeyed the order and rushed out to join the ranks of those besieging the barrier. Her weapon was a purple spear. "Lord Wen Yao has ordered that this sacred pillar be broken within half a day. Give it your all!"

The orange-haired Fu Huo swung her bone hammer and rolled her eyes: "Good sister, is Lord Wen Yao testing us?"

"Shut up, the master has her own arrangements!" Huang Li scolded.

The man wielding the bone whip gave a cunning, bitter smile: "But this sacred pillar barrier is exceptionally strong. Let alone half a day, it would probably take a whole day and night of relentless beating to even budge it..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Li hesitated to respond. She knew her compatriots were telling the truth, but she feared offending Wen Yao and being branded as incompetent. However, Wen Yao had already arrived. With a single glance, she made the three Blood Knights stop fighting, and she herself struck the Holy Pillar Barrier with a palm strike.

A new bloody handprint appeared on the barrier, and Wen Yao's expression changed slightly. The strength of the already riddled barrier had increased dramatically overnight, becoming almost the same as it had been two days ago.

"The core of the Holy Pillar has changed... Who are you?!"

The banshee's shouts traveled through the barrier to the center of the settlement. A calm and peaceful voice echoed from afar, as if it had been prepared all along.

“You seem to have forgotten that there is a sacred tree called Senluo in this settlement.”

At the heart of the sacred pillar, a tender green sprout swayed in the wind. This sprout was over a meter tall, with tiny hands woven from vines. Its lower half was a seed as hard as a rock—the very seed that had already sprouted.

Senluo Divine Tree, Point 2, Fenya. Skilled at healing injuries and gathering the power of many, it has always served as the core of many magical arrays within the allied forces. The upgraded Divine Tree is now able to unleash even greater power, replacing Ji Huaisu as the core of the Sacred Pillar.

"Where is that knight?" Wen Yao grabbed Huang Li by the neck. "Where did she go?!"

Huang Li hurriedly replied, "She's been inside the settlement the whole time! Our subordinates have been monitoring the surrounding area since the escalation, and we haven't seen anyone escape..."

Wen Yao slapped her across the face: "A bunch of blind fools! What are you all standing there for? Go after them!"

"Whom are we going to chase?" Huang Li asked instinctively.

"That Discipline Knight has already run away, and there's no need for the others to stay here! What do you think they went to do?" Wen Yao laughed angrily. "Where else could they go now?!"

The locusts' expression changed drastically, and they hurriedly rushed out. They were all lustful demons who had come to the wilderness on a mission, and of course they knew the legend of slaying the demon king.

Fenya laughed heartily, while Gulibo beside her blew a small leaf horn. The warriors of the settlement, who had always believed in Qingxia and their leader, endured their intense pain and stepped forward. They lined up at the settlement's exit and played ancient instruments.

It was a ritual passed down through generations in the settlement, a battle song to bless those going into battle. The powerful music soared into the sky, carrying the warriors' resounding roars to far, far away places.

"—Commander, valiant warriors, I wish you all good fortune in battle and resounding victory!!"

In the western settlement, memories of the ancient battlefield linger. A snow cart suddenly appears from the misty fog, hurtling through the black, box-like camp at an astonishing speed. This is Camp No. 3 on the ancient battlefield, almost nestled against the deep mountains. The snow cart has already reached a depth far exceeding that of the day of the rescue operation, yet it continues to accelerate, never stopping. Driving it is a red-haired rider on horseback, the reins strapped to her back, running at the furthest speed she can muster.

"Great, Qingxia, hang in there!" Ji Huaisu shouted. "We're almost there, keep running!"

"Hoo... I... will!" Qingxia spoke haltingly, "Is Qingye... awake?"

"She just woke up and saw her grandparents again."

The car window rolled up, and Qingye left half her body hanging out, looking like a pitiful hunting dog suffering from severe motion sickness. She had endured an excessively demanding and demanding workload the previous night, which was why she had only just woken up.

The idea of ​​three Blood Knights surrounding the settlement and sneaking away unnoticed was absurd. However, one member of the group could turn this impossible dream into reality. Nightfall's Mist-Transfer Technique would ensure her own undetected presence, while her Mist Concealment Technique could temporarily conceal the movements of others. Therefore, the first step of the plan was for Nightfall to make several solo infiltrations, ensuring that everyone was led out of the settlement undetected.

"Honestly, I was completely out of it by the end. When I was invisible, I saw a lot of Qi Gu cultivators waving at me and asking when I joined." Qing Ye said weakly. "And Qing Xia is really heavy... even heavier than Sister Huai Su..." "Hey! Is this a comparable level?! Can I compare Qing Xia to you?!" Ji Huai Su was furious.

“It’s just… to put it…” Qingxia nodded reluctantly, “I… still need to be a little gentler…”

"Shut up, you centaur weighing tons!"

"Oh, jealousy~"

Shakes wanted to plug his ears to block out the noise, but he didn't have any earplugs.

“One woman is equal to a hundred ducks,” he said. “We have three hundred ducks here now.”

"Stop talking. The duck's driving the car. If she flaps her wing, you'll fall off." Vande rolled his eyes. "Dude, are you alright? Still breathing?"

Chu Hengkong lay flat in the carriage with his arms crossed over his chest, looking exactly like a body laid to rest. It took him nearly ten seconds to open his eyes and try to speak.

A deafening explosion rang out, and blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain, staining the entire carriage red. The excessive force propelled Chu Hengkong upwards, slamming him against the roof. Ji Huaisu reacted quickly, grabbing her partner to prevent the ice carriage from suffering a third hole.

"Vander, let me confirm again, did you transplant a heart into him, and not a ton of magical bombs?" Ji Huaisu asked.

“These two things are essentially the same,” Vande said. “The difference is that the former is tens or hundreds of times more powerful than the latter.”

"I'm sorry..." Qingxia's voice was soft.

"It's alright," Chu Hengkong managed to say. "I'll get used to it soon. I'll be able to move again soon."

"If you can't move before the Banshee catches up, I'll throw you out like a grenade." Shax threw out several scopes, which transformed and flew into the air. "First team, wait for my signal! Be ready to disembark and cover the rear!"

They began their stealth advance in the first half of the night, and it's now morning. Based on Wen Yao's routine over the past three days, she should have already noticed something amiss. The defining characteristic of the Path of Life's Return to One Element 4 is speed; she must be able to catch up even faster than those three Blood Knights. Perhaps Wen Yao is already atop the ice chariot, waiting to smash these laughing idiots to death with a poison ball.

Therefore, the second half of the plan involved risking their lives to buy time, with two groups of people taking turns to hold off Wen Yao, sending hope into the mountains, and then gambling on the weapon's miraculous effect.

Shakes remained silent for a long time before saying, "...The first team doesn't need to get off the bus."

Van der felt a death wish: "No way? They caught up with them all so quickly?!"

“See for yourself.” Shax tossed it the scope. Vand looked through the scope and saw a swirling gray fog in the distance, thick like a gaseous ocean. Without them noticing, the density of the historical fog had increased dozens of times, resembling a barrier enveloping Yingshi Town. In such a thick fog, it was impossible to discern directions; it could practically imagine the banshee cursing and raving within it.

Vande raised his tentacles high: "Hooray! The tide of fate has turned! We've had a lifetime of bad luck, and finally, for once, we're on a roll!!"

Chu Hengkong refused to believe that his bad luck would disappear at this crucial moment. He strained to look out the window and saw a figure in black priest's robes disappearing into the mist on a mountain peak deep in the mountains.

The assassin laughed. For the first time since they met, he felt that the skeletons weren't entirely without merit.

“Go to that mountain!” he pointed to the spot where Bernfar had disappeared. “Right there!”

The ice sled sped straight ahead, leaving the mist behind and entering the eerie, ancient mountains. Behind these mountains lay the nightmare city of Vansalal, originally the last line of defense before the Demon King's castle, guarded by Cursed Lightning and Limb Spiders. But with the outbreak of the Kingdom of Despair, the old messengers, practically dead, had not yet recovered, creating an opportunity for the group.

The surrounding rocks were an eerie ochre red, and bursts of shrill laughter echoed from the mist, reminding them of the mad demon king. The deeper they ventured into the mountains, the more intense the inexplicable chill became. It was as if an invisible assassin held a sharp knife to their forehead, threatening death with the slightest misstep.

Finally, the ice cart stopped, and they arrived at the foot of the mountain. A dark, lightless cave led deep into the mountainside; apart from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They sensed no magic, nor any danger. Had Chu Hengkong not insisted on coming here, they would have surely overlooked this mountain range.

Vande stared intently at the cave, as if it had discovered something, its silver tentacles trembling slightly.

“This is it,” Van der murmured. “Only one person can go in.”

"Let's do it together..."

“No,” the Eye Demon said blankly, seeing something inaccessible to others. “There was only one person. Because he stormed in alone. Such is the power of longing; you cannot defy it!”

"Then let the person most skilled at creating miracles go," Ji Huaisu shrugged. "Akong, do you need me to help you?"

Trust me.

Chu Hengkong smiled and forced himself to walk. He stopped in front of the cave and looked at his comrades who had shared life and death with him. Qingxia waved weakly to him.

“I believe you!” she said loudly.

"Wait for me to come back and save the world."

He entered the cave. Everything around him was perfectly normal, and his human nature remained unmoved. Yet, the Heavenly Demon Furnace vibrated within his chest, his bones trembled, his blood froze, and even the tentacles within his Calamity Wrist taut uncontrollably. It seemed that all the heretics sensed the unease, every part of their bodies screaming for escape. He concentrated, closed his eyes, and walked, not knowing how long he had walked, until even the sound of rolling pebbles became an empty echo.

Chu Hengkong opened his eyes. Deep within the mountains, a long black sword was embedded in the ground. The sword was stuck among the rubble, its blade a dark black, the hilt wrapped in dirty bandages, and dust that had accumulated for who knows how long obscured its inscription. It seemed to have been asleep for a very, very long time, so long that even its surroundings had forgotten it, so long that it itself had forgotten its own name.

He stepped forward, silently reached out, and grasped the ancient longsword.

The longsword came to life.

(End of this chapter)