Forge a path to success.

Chapter 222 Betting on the First Shot

“Almost all point mass 4 is proud of its speed. We have no room for guerrilla warfare in front of that banshee. If we try to split up and confuse her, she will surely defeat us one by one.”

"So, how do you suggest we play this round?"

“A defensive battle,” Shakes said. “We’ll defend the city.”

After Chu Hengkong entered the cave, an ice wall sealed the entrance. Ji Huaisu carved layers of array patterns on the rocks. Standing atop the mountain, she struck down with both hands, awakening the magic of light, water, and dust through the array. Magnificent ice pillars rose around the mountain, supporting a steel dome. Layers of light and spider silk wove a net, instantly creating hundreds and thousands of protective spells.

Bunkers and arrow towers were carved from rough ice blocks, and smooth walls were covered with iron thorns. In less than half a minute, the reddish-brown mountains had vanished without a trace, replaced by an ice fortress built on rock.

Ji Huaisu landed atop the arrow tower, clapping his hands smugly: "This is an improvement on the Guangwei Ice House—"

“Please, don’t mention the name of your move; I’m afraid it will dampen morale,” Van Der said.

Ji Huaisu pursed her lips: "Isn't it too flashy?"

“With the Heavenly Demon Furnace in place, that woman can sense the snake’s location, so it doesn’t matter where she hides.” Shaks was the first to enter the fortress, his face sickly pale. “We discussed the plan on the way here. Make sure to keep track of how many people are coming.”

"Oh, oh." Ji Huaisu rubbed his hands together. "Everyone should try to live as long as possible!"

"Relax, everyone. Chu Hengkong might come running out in a few seconds." Vande said, trembling. "I've seen his integrated blueprint for running with his spine. That thing is incredibly powerful; he's absolutely invincible..."

"Please don't tremble when you're trying to boost morale!" Qingye grabbed the Eye Demon and disappeared.

Shax is the most vulnerable member of the team; he would die instantly if Wenyao got close. Therefore, he hides in the fortress, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Qingye is responsible for leading Vande around; her direct combat ability is not as good as her teammates, so Shax assigned her the task of assisting her teammates or assassinating them when the opportunity arises.

Now only Ji Huaisu and Qingxia remain before the fortress. They are the two strongest fighters on the front lines, and how long they can hold out will directly determine the outcome of this battle. Ji Huaisu has already switched to her fastest steel armor, while Qingxia, holding the Qingkun Spear, quietly regulates her breathing.

"You seem to be adapting quite well?" Ji Huaisu broke the silence. "I was worried that A Kong's heart wouldn't be able to support you."

“To be honest, it’s very difficult.” Qingxia smiled. “Breathing is difficult, moving around is difficult… His heart is much more fragile than I imagined. I live like a paper doll, very cautiously.”

The thought of him fighting with such a strong heart makes me think he's amazing.

Ji Huaisu noticed that Qingxia's lips didn't move when she spoke, perhaps to conserve energy. Like Chu Hengkong at times, she relied on vibrating the air to make a sound. She patted Qingxia's fur: "The male chauvinist killer will be angry if he hears you say that."

"I'm sorry, I just can't seem to break my bad speaking habits." Qingxia paused, "and I apologize to you too."

Ji Huaisu raised an eyebrow: "Still being coy at a time like this?"

“It’s not about what happened before…” Qingxia lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry for always taking your place. You are the true Discipline Knight, and I’m just an amnesiac lust demon.”

Ji Huaisu tilted her head: "What is a true Discipline Knight like?"

"...You're like this?" Qingxia asked, puzzled.

“Then you’ve misunderstood. For the past 23 years, I’ve lived in Huilong City, spending most of my time catching thieves and villains, and serving as a captain.” Ji Huaisu shrugged. “It wasn’t until I was in Jinye City that I learned that my clan was called Discipline Knights, but I’ve never followed any rules or regulations. In my hometown, they call me the Disaster Knight and protest against my violent law enforcement.”

“But…” Qingxia hesitated, “you are indeed…”

"Do you think A-Kong is a martial arts practitioner?" Ji Huaisu suddenly asked.

"Of course he is," Qingxia replied without hesitation.

“But A-Kong has always been an ordinary Ascendant, without any bloodline or following the Dao path, and he has never been to Longquan Township in his entire life. He just practices martial arts like any other martial artist, and he also exorcises demons like any other martial artist, so everyone who sees him naturally assumes he is a martial artist from Longquan Township,” Ji Huaisu said. “Although bloodline is predetermined, identity is always earned. If a person’s fate is set from birth, then there would be no need for the Path of Unifying Destiny.”

“You’ve always dedicated yourself to protecting everyone, haven’t you?” She smiled brightly. “Then you are the knight of the desolate wilderness!”

A look of surprise flashed in Qingxia's eyes as she gripped the gun handle tightly. "Thank you," she said softly. "It's an honor to fight as a knight in the final moments."

"Don't be too happy yet. You'll have to carry this title for the rest of your life, even after you leave here," Ji Huaisu laughed. "Be prepared!"

A distant cluster of flames went out, signifying that the outsider had passed the first reconnaissance post; the wind pressure generated by her rapid movement had extinguished the flames. Qingxia's warning had arisen even earlier; the pull of her bloodline made her aware of her kin's actions. Before Ji Huaisu could speak, she stomped heavily on the ground, the shockwave reaching deep into the fortress, warning the snipers and the Remnant Hearts.

The sniping position was located at the highest point of the fortress, fortified with 43 layers of defensive spells, leaving only a dark window for the sniper to observe. Behind the Holy Lance, Shax held his breath. He had anticipated several possible scenarios. One was that Wen Yao and the three Blood Knights would rush in together, or that the three Blood Knights would split up and attack the fortress. Adopting this tactic indicated that Wen Yao was becoming impatient; she was worried about the presence of weapons and decided to end the battle quickly. They would be under immense pressure, but it was also an opportunity, because the Death Shot could kill one or two Blood Knights before the battle even began—Shax was confident in his abilities.

The worst-case scenario is that Wen Yao arrives alone, indicating that the enemy is not only confident but also calm. She plans to force them to play all their cards alone before using the Blood Knight to finish them off. In this situation, they only have one chance, and the first strike at the start will be crucial to victory.

Shax activated all the searchlights, providing him with a 360-degree spherical field of vision, offering a comprehensive and unobstructed view. Vande. The fog concealing the night. His vision swept across the middle layer. Ji Huaisu and Qingxia floated into the sky from in front of the fortress. A flash of color appeared at the edge of his vision; that location, based on the previous speed calculations—

"Where are you looking?"

A woman's soft laughter rang out, echoing heavily against the ice wall. Shakes's clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat; Wen Yao was here! She was standing right next to the sniper rifle!

The two main fighters below were still on guard against the approaching enemy, unaware that the outsider had already appeared behind them. The chase on the ancient battlefield was merely a whim for her; now, Wen Yao was unleashing her true speed. The meticulously crafted fortress was no different from paper before the Plague Demon. She shattered all the spells with a single sword strike, slipping like a ghost through the thin, cicada-wing-like gaps to reach the sniper rifle. Even as the sound of her attack rang out, Wen Yao had already struck, a claw piercing the sniper's back!
Wen Yao's fingertips pierced through Shax's chest, his palm holding a still-beating heart. But the heart was purple, like a slippery leather bag, filled with fresh blood.

That was more than half of the blood in Shax's body, enough to deceive the lustful demon's senses into having an artificial heart!
—Point 4 of the path to the unity of destiny is known for its extreme speed.

What is extreme speed?
Speed ​​is an undetectable phantom, an undefendable ghost, a death that arrives without warning. In the world before death, speed is the bullet of a sniper rifle; in the hell after death, speed is the wings of a plague demon. Shax is not a sacrificial serpent; he cannot escape the death of speed. So he uses himself as bait, gambling that Wen Yao will kill the most vulnerable opponent first!

The corpse of "Shax" dissipated into mist, the purple blood bag exploded, and withered vines shot out, aiming straight for Wen Yao's eyes. Wen Yao didn't even glance at the vine trap; she flapped her wings and was about to fly out of the fortress. However, the killing move had already arrived; a crimson bullet flew into the dark window and shot straight into the trap tailor-made for her.

Wen Yao's movements suddenly slowed down. She felt gravity in the bullet, a familiar and hateful gravitational pull.

The roots of Masila vine, the ethereal sand of the Calamity Seed - Void Angel, half of hatred, and the Reverse Shadow Spell jointly created by Ji Huaisu and Qingye. This is the Binding Sin Bullet, which uses the ethereal sand to extremely enhance its binding power. Shax's first shot used up all the rare materials that everyone had on hand. In front of the 4th point outsider, they had no strength left to struggle, so he was going to gamble everything on this shot!
The binding bullet struck Wen Yao's forehead. Its properties had already been triggered; bound by gravity, Wen Yao couldn't escape the shot. But just as the bullet was about to hit, she suddenly dodged. Thin lines of blood flew from Wen Yao's wings, hooking onto the frozen wall for leverage, her incredibly precise control allowing her to evade the sniper's attack.

The binding bullet grazed Wen Yao's ear and embedded itself in the ground. Wen Yao shook off the roof and flew into the sky. At that moment, pale golden fragments flashed in her eyes, and the withered vines instantly exploded, revealing metal clusters hidden inside. Attracted by the metal clusters, they flew towards the binding bullet, forming a golden gun behind Wen Yao.

The hymns rang in Wenyao's ears, and golden rain flew backward from the ground into the sky. The Binding Sin Bullets melted and turned into raindrops, which were holy spear arrays transformed from bullets, creating instantaneous piercing attacks within a space of two hundred meters.

Blood Holy Lance - Piercing Crucifixion!

Each holy lance carried the force equivalent to a direct bullet strike; dozens of lances of bondage pierced the wings of the Warm Hawk, causing it to plummet from the sky to the earth. The power originating from the ethereal angels invaded its wings, rendering the Warm Hawk unable to take flight no matter how hard it flapped its wings.

Shax gambled the entire game on this one shot. If they couldn't defeat the speedy Banshee, then they would first strip the Banshee of her wings!

"Go!" the sniper roared.

Three beams of light simultaneously shot out from directly below, behind, and above. Hidden in the mist, Qingye drew her sword, the gleaming blade aimed at Wenyao's back. Qingxia, using the pull of Qingkun Spear, leaped into the air, the spear tip pointing directly at Wenyao's ribs. Ji Huaisu slammed down his massive club with tremendous force, the majestic dragon on the club roaring in unison.

A thousand fleeting stars in the night sky.

Qingxia's blood pierced the void.

Ji Huaisu's stabilizing force.

The fastest skills, the strongest attacks—at this moment, all three unleashed their full power. Their attacks struck at the perfect moment… and then all three were simultaneously sent flying!
A blinding burst of crimson light erupted, engulfing Wen Yao's exquisite body. She landed silently, unharmed, her entire body enveloped in light, transparent armor. The armor was as red as blood, showing no damage even after enduring the heavy blows of three people.

Shax's heart sank. He recognized the armor's origins; he had seen the exact same moves before. It was...!
A secret technique from Longquan Township that reflects all physical attacks!

"Immortal Fist Technique, True Profound Qi Armor!"

(End of this chapter)