Forge a path to success.

Chapter 232 Breakthrough on the battlefield
The map drawn by the warriors was simple. To the north of the center was a dark mountain range, and on the highest peak in the northwest sat the Nightmare City. The settlement where everyone lived was located in the southeast corner, echoing the black Demon King's city, like two extremes of gold and black.

"Starting from the settlement, crossing the ancient battlefield and mountains, charging into the Nightmare Capital, and finally slaying Vansalal, this is the marching route for the final battle." Chongming pointed to the Nightmare Capital. "The small fry along the way pose no threat to you. The key is what happens after you arrive at the Nightmare Capital. This place is the enemy's home turf, and the four messengers—Nightwalker, Limb Spider, Ember, and Curse Lightning—will definitely all be mobilized."

"No problem, we figured out their strength during the last battle. Nobody other than Mr. Nightwalker poses a threat!" Qingye said confidently.

“Very good, that’s spirited. Don’t come looking for me to collect your body when you die, I’ve never led such stupid soldiers,” Chongming said.

"You're talking like that again! Did I say something wrong?"

Chongming gave Chu Hengkong a look, and Chu Hengkong continued, "First of all, the Limb Spider was incredibly powerful in life. It was a Fallen One who could raise black rats in its belly, and it was probably a very high-ranking creature even in the First Abyss."

"Was it this fat in its prime?" Qingye exclaimed in surprise. "How many cuts would it take to make this...?"

"Please pay attention to your strength instead of your weight!" Vande shouted. "The one who can raise black rats is the Holy Son of the Moon, damn it! Why would the God Child of the Forgotten Cradle associate with Vansalal?!"

“Maybe it was defeated by Vansalal,” Chu Hengkong said. “The other two envoys were at least Rainbow Demons in their previous lives, and at their peak, they could crush Wen Yao with a single finger. Considering that Nightmare City is the enemy’s home ground, I guess their strength will increase when they fight in the city.”

Everyone looked at Qingxia, who was the most experienced, and the centaur girl thought for a while.

"During the last counterattack, there were instances where the messengers were strengthened. Judging from the time gained by the decoy troops... the messengers could probably be raised to an output close to that of a mass 4."

"How much?" Gulibo trembled. "Approximately how much?!"

"Particle 4~"

“Seriously, don’t you consider spending a few more months waiting for the messengers to come and investigate before defeating them one by one?” Vande said. “They’re all Ascended beings; eating some dirt isn’t a big deal for them.”

Chongming ignored it completely and looked at the crowd: "Can you handle four enhanced envoys and one Vansalal?"

"It's difficult," Chu Hengkong said.

"So you must ascend!" Chongming waved his hand. "The Wilderness of Despair only allows life forms below particle level 3 to exist. Once you ascend to particle level 4, you will be taken to the deeper Heavenly Prison. But there is one exception to this rule, and that is inside the City of Nightmares."

Nightmare City is at the heart of this terrible dream; it is the immortal essence of the evil god. Once you enter the city, the immortal essence you observe will disrupt the rules of the Heavenly Prison. At that time, Ascended Beings of Point 4 can temporarily fight in the wilderness—that will be the best opportunity to become stronger.

"Anyone with potential should be promoted to a higher level. In the final battle, we'll risk everything to crush them. That's the battle plan!"

“That sounds familiar, ‘The whole nation is destroyed, long live the emperor, charge!’” Shakes said. “I’m going with him.”

"I'm not saying this outright, but your plan is a bit unrealistic," Vande questioned. "If we ascend ahead of time and go to the next level of the Heavenly Prison, then we'll have to ascend after the war starts, and then we'll have to enter the city immediately after we succeed... Don't those envoys know that? What if they block the gates and won't let us in?"

"Everyone should complete the settlement upgrade first, and then attack in one fell swoop after we succeed..." Ji Huaisu suggested.

“The enemy isn’t stupid, okay? The upgrade from 3 to 4 is such a big commotion, with several envoys leading a team to block the settlement.” Vand drew a circle around the settlement on the map. “What can we do if they just keep fighting at our doorstep? Even if our 4-point divine weapon descends from the sky and defeats the envoys, they will have no choice but to go to the deeper layers and will be gone before they can even fight Vandalar.”

"Therefore, we need to divide the army into two groups, the front and the rear. The enemy is defending the city and will inevitably mobilize a large army to fight against them. You, Ji Huaisu, and Chu Hengkong will go first as the front army, break through their army and dismantle their formations, and smash through the city gate in the shortest possible time."

Chongming drew an arrow pointing to the Demon King's Castle on the map: "Saxos and Qingxia will remain as the rear guard settlements and will be upgraded after the battle begins. Guangshi Qingye will join the front guard if he can make it in time for the start of the battle, and if he can't, he will join the rear guard as well. Whoever completes the upgrade first will enter the city to provide support. The front and rear guards will cooperate to defeat the envoys one by one, and finally preserve all combat power to fight the final battle against Vansalal."

"Your final battle plan is for us to storm the city gates and withstand the pressure first?" Ji Huaisu's lips twitched.

"Do you feel pressured?" Chu Hengkong said. "Actually, I can manage with Fan De. You can stay in the settlement to protect the Dharma."

"Go to hell, I'm following you."

"I'm under pressure!" Vande cried out. "Why was I included so naturally?! I think the second batch would have been a better fit for me!"

"You are our secret weapon, our decisive weapon. If we encounter any hellish creatures, we'll have to figure out a solution," Chu Hengkong comforted him. "Let's simulate the battle. Assuming the entire rear guard successfully upgrades, we successfully storm into the Nightmare City, defeat the four envoys, and arrive before Vansalal..."

"No offense intended, but this battle scenario simulation seems a bit like wishful thinking," Jie An interjected.

“Since we’ve already done the deductions, let’s just think positively!” Qingxia said. “We’ve come all this way to Vansalal, and what are we going to do then? Once the Kingdom of Despair opens, we’ll be instantly killed.”

“There is hope that a force of high quality can contend with it,” Shakes pointed out. “Ji Huaisu’s Holy Pillar Core, and the knife that the snake obtained.”

“Those two things can only save their lives for a short time; in the long run, they still can’t escape being torn to pieces.” Chongming yawned. “Therefore, there need to be three people in the vanguard. The third person is the key to breaking the deadlock.”

Everyone turned their heads to look at Chu Hengkong... and the Fan De in his pocket.

Van der's eyes were as bewildered as everyone else's.

"Me, I'm fighting Despair Kingdom?" It pointed at itself with its tentacles. "Really?"

"Don't you have a pretty powerful secret weapon? Most people here have seen it with their own eyes!" Chongming laughed gleefully.

"Huh?" Van Der looked bewildered, then realized, "You mean... Oh! Oh! It really is!!"

"The rest is just a matter of adapting to the situation and responding to each move as it comes." Chongming snapped his fingers. "This is the final battle, so get your spirits up."

Operation codename 'Dawn'—Let this dark wilderness see the light of day again, heroes!

·
After the meeting, Chu Hengkong tossed a blueprint to Shakes.

“It was found among Wu He’s belongings,” he said. “I guess it was your original payment.”

Shakes took the blueprints for the Boundary-Breaking Wheel. The designer's signature in the lower right corner resembled two Vs. His thoughts drifted back to that afternoon when Wu He came to his door. The calculating talisman master wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but little did he know that his initial hesitation would cost him his life.

"If I had this blueprint earlier, many things would have been different."

"Is that so? Will you kill me in Golden Leaf City?" Chu Hengkong laughed.

“That’s not necessarily true.” Shakespeare examined the blueprints. “If I had been a point mass 4 at that time, the duel would have been meaningless.”

"That's very much your style."

“If you were in my shoes, you would be the same.” Shaks put away the blueprints. “From now on, don’t bother me, whether Vansalar comes or not.”

He randomly found an empty house and was about to lock the door when Gulibo darted in through the crack, carrying a small basket of fruit.

"You forgot to bring supplies." Gulibo held up his small basket. "Keep it up, Gulibo!"

Sachs took the fruit and smiled at it.

"Thank you." Gulibo was shocked: "Have you gone mad with qi?"

"Then go out."

He tossed the gulibo out the window, closed it, locked the door, and installed soundproofing and light-blocking devices. Automatic firearms surrounded the hut, creating a makeshift fortress. He needed to ensure absolute silence around him while he worked. After doing all this, he extracted a portion of his own essence and pieced together the half-finished blueprint from his memory with the one he had just acquired.

The avant-garde design of the dust-free platform was on full display. This Boundary Wheel was an unimaginable versatility, incorporating hundreds of functional modules yet possessing an extremely small, cube-shaped volume—truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Shakes admired it for a while before pinning the design drawings to the wall.

He took out the second drawing.

The internal design of the Shura Island Cold Intent Sect emphasizes speed and stealth, its exterior resembling an elongated spindle. This was a reward given by a certain remnant of the Heart after he helped complete a task.

The third drawing.

The Qimen sect of Zhengxuan Palace in Longquan Township offers a special wooden sword that can summon lightning to pierce the sky. Disciples who cannot cultivate the path of unity but are devoted to martial arts will be recruited into the Qimen sect. As they travel the martial world, they will naturally have grudges, and where there are grudges, there is a need for assassins.

The fourth one, the fifth one...

Shax pinned the blueprints to the wall, reviewing his mission rewards from the past year. There's one advantage to being a renowned legend: everyone assumes you're desperate for a breakthrough, so everyone uses clues to the next key as bait to lure you into perilous situations. He always manages to reach the most dangerous places, so there's always a certain fun to be had in his hellish existence.

The forty-first sheet. Sachs nailed down the last piece of stock. He surveyed the walls and floors covered in drawings and began to conceive his own design.

He's a mercenary, not a designer. He doesn't care about artistry or originality. His job is to modify and improve, like altering firearms on the market, taking the best designs he's seen…

Install it on your own gun.

·
"Mr. Chu, may I spar with you?" Qingye asked. "I'd like to hone my swordsmanship a bit more before I advance to the next level."

"A gentle approach is fine."

"Gentle".

Chu Hengkong transformed his calamity wrist into a single-handed sword, while Qingye gripped the longsword overhead with both hands, assuming an upper stance. The blades traced mysterious trajectories, colliding, exchanging blows, retreating, and then clashing once more. Both moved slowly, as if in a martial arts demonstration.

The exchange lasted for ten rounds before the two distanced themselves, and Qingye closed her eyes.

“Compared to swordsmanship, I am indeed no match for Mr. Chu,” she said. “That gives me direction. Swordsmanship requires training, but the most suitable technique for me is the Remnant Heart Technique.”

"What kind of technique have you come up with?"

"A very powerful technique," Qingye said with a smile. "A technique that can help everyone and also bring victory to myself!"

She returned to the small building at night and locked herself in her room. She placed the long sword "Mian Sheng" on her lap; the blade, which had fought alongside her ancestors, gleamed faintly.

This sword contains the longing of the Hikari family's ancestors, but aside from her battle with Yagami, she has never successfully activated it. Her resolve is sufficient; her conviction will not falter. What she lacks is power…

No, it's speed.

Speed ​​sufficient to dodge attacks, speed sufficient to reach the battlefield, the ability to fight against Asura-like warriors, speed that flashes across the battlefield like a meteor...

The speed of light.

As Qingye closed her eyes and meditated, amidst her gradually weakening breaths, she saw the past buried within the long sword.

·
I was originally going to give her some advice, but it seems I don't need it now.

Chu Hengkong transformed the wrathful wrist back into a prosthetic arm, feeling a complex mix of relief and melancholy. Everyone had changed after all they'd been through, with Qingye's progress being particularly remarkable. That impetuous newcomer seemed like a distant memory, and after this battle, he probably wouldn't have the chance to teach the little girl a lesson anymore.

On the contrary, the other one that has changed so much is more worrying.

"Don't worry about me~" Qingxia said with a smile.

Chu Hengkong shrank back; this guy still maintained his habit of appearing and disappearing unpredictably, always managing to startle people out of the blue. He looked directly into Qingxia's eyes: "You don't need to—"

"I've always trusted Chu Hengkong." Qingxi blinked. "Please trust me this once, okay?"

Chu Heng was speechless and could only nod, watching her leave. Qingxia returned home and took out the Qingkun Spear. Part of the spear tip turned from white to red, and a drop of blood was forced out of the bone spear.

This was her achievement in the battle against Wen Yao. Before Chu Hengkong could successfully draw his sword, she pierced Wen Yao's heart, causing him to bleed a drop of blood. This drop of blood was swallowed by the Qingkun Spear and has remained there to this day without her even realizing it.

The life essence of the lustful demon is contained within this drop of blood, a powerful source of strength. If she swallows this drop, she might gain the abilities of the Warm Hawk... but at the same time, there is also the risk of her body being possessed by a demon.

A perfectly round drop of blood, like a gemstone, landed on Qingxia's fingertip. A rustling sound came from the window; Silar, perched on the windowsill, watched her silently.

"Qingxia, have you thought it through?" the old man said slowly. "What kind of person do you want to become?"

"Yes, Grandpa, I've thought it through." Qingxia nodded. "Whether it's the righteous path or the heretical path, whether it's a knight or a demon, it doesn't matter."

"The wings of a demon can also become an umbrella to shield you from the wind and rain, and the poison of a monster can also become a sharp blade to defeat your enemies. The way I use my power is up to me."

She swallowed the demon's blood and smiled broadly.

"I will not become a plague demon. I will become a warrior to protect everyone!"

·
The most intense battle is about to begin.

This is not merely the final struggle between the lost and the nightmare.

This is a continuation of the Heavenly Prison War hundreds of years ago, the first "end" of that great war that never truly ended, which will come in the year 3000 of the Candlelight Calendar.

The warriors were unaware that their choices would influence the course of the Heavenly Prison War... and the fate of the entire world.

They only knew that this was closely related to their own fate.

So the soldiers did their best.

Meanwhile, in the Demon King's city atop the Black Mountain, far beyond the wilderness, the Nightmare King no longer observes the settlement's movements.

It closed its eyes and fell into an ancient nightmare.

(End of this chapter)