Forge a path to success.

Chapter 239 Revitalizing the Demon City
The moment the water column struck the city gate, a thunderous sound reverberated across the battlefield. The tremors radiated from the point of impact, instantly cracking the ground beneath them, shattering along with the ancient black stone gate. The gates of the Nightmare City were flung open with a single blow, and Ji Huaisu, carrying the water column, prepared to charge in.

"Retreat!" But at that moment, Fan De screamed, and Ji Huaisu immediately dropped his weapon and retreated. Almost at the same time as Fan De's warning, two sharp, pale white blades attacked from above and below simultaneously, crushing the water column to dust. Ji Huaisu and Chu Hengkong drew their swords at the same time, but the pale white blades only trembled slightly and did not waver in the slightest.

The pale white "bricks" kept shifting, revealing tiny cracks from which a strong stench of corpses and blood wafted. The two stepped back slightly and immediately realized the truth.

Those were two rows of tightly clenched teeth, turning the city gate into a terrifying gaping maw!

“We’d need at least ten times the manpower to hold you off… That’s what I think too. After all, you’re too strong; a remnant force isn’t enough to resist. But we don’t have that many soldiers. The only low-cost units we can muster are a mere 150,000… That’s far too few, far too few…”

A nervous sigh came from the city wall, and the obese fallen one rubbed his hands together and smiled at the attackers.

“So I turned the remaining 100,000 troops into corpses to reinforce the city’s defenses,” the Spider said softly. “And their deaths will become sacrifices to the Dark Moon.”

"Animated Dead Bodies: The Demon City of Corpses"

The earlier impact caused the lime plaster on the city wall to crumble, revealing rotting flesh and the stark skeletons supporting it. These were the remains of numerous heretics, the hundred thousand soldiers lured away by the spiders and left to die within the city. Tens of thousands of skeletons built this hellish metropolis, and the hideous city gate bent, emitting a maniacal laugh.

A series of pustules erupted from the wall of flesh, and countless giant eyes and limbs tore through the pus and emerged. They each drew incantations, made hand seals, and cast spells, praying in unison with the Holy Son of the Full Moon.

"The darkest moon, the cradle of beginnings, the first abyss forgotten. We offer you the death of our believers, and call upon your profound gravity."

The moment the City of Corpses was revealed, the insidious trap was simultaneously triggered. The full moon shone brightly in the night sky, its dark light falling upon the Nightmare City, transforming into a massive, mountain-like gravity that pinned everyone to the vicinity of the city gates!
The Dark Moon pantheon's signature divine spell, "Gravity," drags life away, forcing its victims to succumb. Power from the First Abyss surged forth relentlessly, like an invisible embrace from the moon's surface, rendering Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu temporarily immobile. The overwhelming pressure caused the warriors' bones to tremble, and Vande cried out in agony, "Break through the city gates first! This spell lasts a long time; we can't outlast it—"

“Yes, yes, you understand perfectly. Having sacrificed so many lives, you deserve the Dark Moon’s reward.” The Spider clasped its hands together. “Curse Lightning, Ember… it’s your turn.”

Two beams of light rose behind the vanguard, and the burly and ferocious elemental giants appeared at that moment!

One is a towering hunter, as tall as a clock tower, clad in a white robe and carrying a longbow, his body ablaze with flames like a burning new star; the other is a purple-skinned giant, as majestic as a mountain, wielding a silver hammer and bearing a thunder array, destructive currents flowing with his roars, turning the surrounding area into scorched earth.

Those were the messengers of fear from the Nightmare City, Archmage's disciples, Cursed Thunder and Burning Ember. They were no longer the strangely shaped "humans"; under the Nightmare City's blessing, they were finally able to reveal their elemental forms. Silver hammers and fire bows clashed high in the sky, and flames merged with the earth, lightning seeped into the dark clouds. The long-completed spell was activated at this moment, merging under the control of these two perfectly in sync old friends, the elements dancing to their chanting.

"Heavenly Thunder Spell Induction." "Earthly Fire Brings Lotus."

"Concerto Magic: Twin Lightning and Fire!"

The colors of red and purple erupted, and the surging thunder and fire illuminated the heavens and the earth!

Lightning infused into every raindrop, forming a blinding net connecting the ground and the sky. Fiery flames erupted from the earth, melting the ground beneath everyone's feet and creating a scorching abyss in conjunction with gravity. The gravitational field was instantly engulfed by the raging elements, and the two envoys' attacks far surpassed their previous ones.

The warriors acted decisively and cooperated closely. Ji Huaisu used dust and ice to create floating soil to temporarily block the subterranean fire, while Chu Hengkong summoned a tide to resist the thunderstorm. However, under the pull of gravity, they could not unleash their full power for the time being, while the envoys' magic still retained its previous characteristics, continuously increasing in strength during its release.

After just one round, the envoys' offensive was comparable to Ji Huaisu's Meteor Dust Break. That was destructive power enough to annihilate a Level 4 Ascendant!
"You two heroes, stop holding back! Fight already!" Van Der cried out in despair. "If we keep holding back, we'll really die outside the city gates!"

That's it. The Spider thought to itself, relics and skills can be imbued with an essence superior to the present, but pure power is still determined by the point mass. The fact that the messengers, who had previously been routed, were now able to coerce these two was entirely due to their increased power, allowing them to utilize their past skills.

The Corpse Demon City, the Dark Moon Divine Art, and the combined spells of the two Rainbow Abominations—all of this far exceeded the capabilities of Point 3. To break through, one must employ methods that surpass the limits, using the Asura's swordsmanship.

One point mass, one sword technique. The War Demon only has three points of mass; at most, its self can only unleash three strikes of the Radiant Heaven Flow. The Limb Spider doesn't expect to defeat the War Demon with a mere trap, but it's determined to force out one of its opponent's attacks here. Only in this way can it have a greater chance of survival.

"Choose, successor of Shura!" the spider shrieked. "Die here, or draw your sword!"

Chu Hengkong slowly raised his sword and sheathed the Divine Slayer. He gripped the hilt, then suddenly released it.

“You know, Fallen One. I’ve always had bad luck. When I charge into battle, I often step into traps, and when I recklessly rush in, I always run into the enemy’s trump card. I’ve gotten used to this, so I know very well what misfortune tastes like…”

The chains that had been unfastened on his silver prosthetic hand swayed in the wind. "On my own body alone, I know very well how to use it."

An unfortunate chain reaction unfolds, with misfortune now targeting the assassin himself. All the pre-defined, stringent conditions are met, and events are driven by the tide towards the predetermined outcome.

— [Just before his teammates successfully leveled up, Chu Hengkong stepped into a trap set by the enemy.]

"Using his own misfortune to subtly influence the 'conditions'...?" The spider stared at the silver chain, wringing his hands nervously. "Oh no. This is bad. Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

"Burn to Ashes, Sniper Settlement!!"

Burning Flame obeyed the command, drawing the bowstring taut. The burning arrow tore through the earth, its deadly intent aimed straight at the distant Tree of Light. However, the flaming arrow lost its luster midway, as a bullet collided with it, causing it to explode in mid-air, scattering into dust.

Burning Ember heard a chaotic din, like the trembling of bowstrings after an army unleashed a rain of arrows, but far more intense and grander. He saw "flowers" of smoke and dust blooming from the settlement, thousands of missiles trailing plumes of smoke as they soared into the sky. The missiles were a sun-kissed, golden color; they flew towards the thunderclouds, towards the flames, swallowing elements before exploding in a spectacular display. The light and fire of the explosions swept across the sky like wildfire, carving a dazzling path through the natural disaster!

"Get out of the way," the sniper said.

Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu were prepared, each moving to either side of the city gate. A tiny white dot, like a needlepoint, peeked out from the smoke, like a phantom created by the refraction of light. Then the phantom expanded, transforming into a scorching torrent, then into a shattering white light.

The light pierced through the enemy's forces, swept across the battlefield's mist, pierced the dark mountains, and ploughed a scorching line through the desolate wilderness. It hurtled towards the Nightmare City with the shortest distance, smashing through the demon city's gates with a deafening roar like divine wrath!
The colossal maw of the Corpse Demon City evaporated in the intense light, and the energy surged into the wall of flesh, triggering a chain of explosions around the city. The limb spider's gravity traps became ineffective, as the demon city, which served as the battleground, had been fatally breached by this attack.

Where the light rose, a magnificent platinum-gold machine took flight. A single, sharp, armed wheel served as the main body, while two obliquely positioned destructive wheels resembled ring-shaped wings. A mutated holy lance, like a cannon barrel, was positioned at the very front of the vehicle, white smoke billowing from its scorching muzzle.

Its design is reminiscent of a motorcycle and a fighter jet stitched together, but it lacks the safety and stability that modern technology prides itself on. There are no shields, no windows, no impregnable structure; only weapons assembled in the coldest of ways, like alien angels from mythology descending as machines.

The sniper sat in his armored wheel, lighting his last cigarette with the scorching metal, listening to the hymn rising from the gun barrel:
"David and Hibern are witnesses that the earth will be melted in fire."

This is the day of the Lord's wrath; the Judge will not come until it arrives!

The path of worldly vanity is one that relies on external things.

It begins as a material, is transformed into a walking stick, and designed into a sword to defeat powerful enemies. But after victory, the person wielding the tool must look forward.

What should we do after the victory?
To move forward, to explore, to leave this familiar land and challenge the new and unknown, to proclaim one's own path and way on unfamiliar soil. Therefore, what is needed is mobility, a vehicle capable of leaving a mere dusty island and forging new horizons. That is the future beyond weapons—

The fourth point of the path of floating light in the world, the "Boundary-Opening Wheel", is the "vehicle" that is opened up in the world of floating light.

However, there is a strange man here.

He doesn't demand speed or distance, nor does he care about the length of his journey.

What he yearned for was peril and carnage, an endless battle. He had no intention of changing his way of life because of a point mass; he wanted his tools to adapt to his life. Therefore, he assembled the Boundary-Breaking Wheel from various weapons, disregarding safety and abandoning stability, all for the sake of fighting to his heart's content in desperate situations.

This is a heavy-firepower specialized mobile sniper weapon—

"The Holy Lance of Blood - Wheel of Judgment!!"

The sniper tossed away his cigarette butt and laughed with delight. His soldiers roared with exhilaration behind him. He activated all the acceleration nozzles and sped off like a streak of light to the battlefield. A new batch of missiles automatically generated and raced out with the Wheel of Judgment, clashing with the flames in the sky.

"It's ridiculous that the world's number one assassin is being dragged around in a place like this," Shaks laughed. "Let's go to the Demon King's throne! We'll handle the guys outside!"

The Holy Lance sang its battle song, its blood boiling within its veins. Everything was as beautiful as heaven; he was a mercenary living in war, and this was the battlefield he had longed for!
(End of this chapter)