Forge a path to success.

Chapter 346 The Serpent of Sacrifice (Part 2)

On the other side of the city, Lyrna, who had been knocked away, faced a second impact.

The force of the punch exploded in Lylena's abdomen, like a bomb activated at point-blank range, sending her flying into the distance. Everything in her vision blurred into patches of color due to the high speed, and the other self inside her screamed shrilly, expressing its desire to escape.

Lelna Barry ignored it all, steadying herself as she stepped forward, like a spear thrust into a cliff. Her footing was on the outer edge of a building, where people stared in astonishment at the woman seemingly parallel to the sky.

She bent her knees and leaned forward, assuming the perfect starting position like a sprinter. The starting gun fired in her mind, and Lylena sprinted off. The glass curtain wall of the building shattered the instant she took off, and she raced through the rain of shards.

The distance she had covered upon being struck receded with astonishing speed, the image of the sacrificial serpent magnified in her eyes. Her overly concentrated mind blurred the surroundings, leaving only herself, her enemy, and the pure black arc in the pure white. Lyrna unleashed a scythe-like kick, her black robes transforming into a thin line in the material world, like withered mountains and rivers flowing through a pure white landscape!
The Serpent of Sacrifice tilted its body sharply, unleashing a thousand years of primordial energy. Dark mountain streams flowed along the man's robes as he narrowly dodged Lylena's sudden attack. In this one-sided deathmatch, he finally made his first move of evasion. Lylena stopped before the Divine Guard's gate, spinning and unleashing a roundhouse kick. Chu Hengkong met it with a perfectly synchronized kick! Their kicks clashed in mid-air, like black and gray spears locked in combat!
"Looks like you're not planning to fall asleep." Chu Hengkong chuckled.

"Do you like fighting with trash?" Lylena asked.

She twisted her ankle, kicking towards Chu Hengkong's ankle with the back of her foot. Chu Hengkong pulled his leg back and stood up. Lylena's kicks came like a storm, like a thousand black bouquets blooming at the same time. Chu Hengkong thrust out with one hand, his palm technique like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, parrying all the kicks. Lylena leaned forward, pulling her hand out with the back of her hand pointing straight at her neck. Chu Hengkong preemptively struck her wrist, using his inner energy to paralyze her hand muscles.

He seized Lylena's right hand and yanked it sharply, his energy bursting forth in segments with the force of his fist, causing the female assassin's blood and qi to stagnate like ice. Just one more move and Lylena's right arm would be cruelly ripped off, but the extreme pain didn't even make her react. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she slid to the side, moved to her side, and bent her left arm, striking Chu Hengkong's temple with her elbow.

Chu Hengkong's left hand, which was behind his back, sprang up, catching the elbow strike with his palm. Taking advantage of the moment, Lylena broke free of her restraints and leaped backward, forcing out blood as she fired five blood-soaked throwing knives. Chu Hengkong retaliated with transparent energy-based throwing knives! The attacks collided and annihilated in mid-air!
"This guy is amazing!" Vande exclaimed.

Chu Hengkong's strengths lie in close combat and explosive attacks. While he possesses special techniques like the Calamity Arm and Death Wing, these are merely supplementary in battle. Ultimately, victory hinges on fundamental combat skills. The formidable opponents in the 5th dimension each possess unique and unparalleled abilities, making it unsurprising that Chu Hengkong would find himself in a difficult situation.

But this woman hadn't used any abilities before; she had only relied on her basic physical qualities and martial arts skills to fight Chu Hengkong until now without being injured!
"Hey, did you hear that? Someone's praising you." Chu Hengkong beckoned with his finger. "It's so boring to keep a straight face all day. You can be happier."

"Are you trying to provoke me?" Lylena remained unmoved. "I don't care. All I care about is whether I can defeat you!"

Chu Hengkong chuckled and leaped into the sky, dodging Lylena's jab and retaliating with a strike as hard as steel. Lylena's counterattack struck his side, and he grabbed her ankle, throwing the female assassin away. The afterimages of wings flashed behind both of them; neither fully deployed their Sky-Bearing Wings, for in this high-speed combat, excessively large wings would only create openings for their opponents. They only used their wings briefly when accelerating or changing direction, like meticulously calculated pilots consuming fuel in seconds.

Thin streaks of red and black flashed across the sky above the third pulse sequence. Their speed was so great that the citizens couldn't even see the fierce battle above, only sensing the bursts of wind erupting in the air. The battle escalated further as they flew into the air. Lylena drew her curved sword, while Chu Hengkong met her with unparalleled spearmanship. The clanging of weapons clashing rang out intermittently, transforming into the crisp sound of rain within the invisible storm.

He hadn't drawn his sword yet. Lylena's heart pounded. This man wasn't serious at all, so she couldn't rush to reveal her full power now. With his learning ability, he could learn how to counter an enemy's finishing move after just one encounter, so she had to gradually increase her strength, using pressure to pique his interest, and improving her combat power in sync with the Serpent of Sacrifice, until the moment he drew his sword…

That's the only chance of winning!
She pressed her heart out, increasing her exertion once more. She was prepared for harsh words, completely unconcerned about her enemy's thoughts. Stay calm, maintain her composure. The pressure was three times greater than in the simulation, but with her current strength, she was more than capable of handling it…

Her curved sword was pressed down by the spear tip, causing her wrist to tremble violently. The assassin's straight punch sent her flying, and Lylena landed on top of a tower, using the building as a springboard to leap backward.

But why is she at a disadvantage again this round?

Even though everything was going as planned, why did she feel a sense of powerlessness?

She slashed at the bewildered figure, but Chu Hengkong easily dodged her attack. In the instant their blades crossed, the man's laughter echoed in her ears.

"Do you feel like you're losing confidence as you play? Don't worry, it's not a strategy problem. You have good character and talent, and you're quite resilient. It's just a pity that you only have half the time to practice, so you're still like this even now..."

"Your skills are lacking!"

Chu Hengkong sheathed his spear, lowered his center of gravity, and kicked out. That kick struck Lylena squarely in the chin, sending the female assassin flying into the distant sky!

It wasn't a superior technique from Longquan Township, nor a secret skill passed down by the remnants of Shura Island. It was a kick commonplace on Earth, yet she couldn't see a single possibility of evasion. Before she could even formulate a countermeasure, the sensation of the blow had already reached her brain. It wasn't about speed or reflexes; it was a difference in the purest form of "skill."

We should give it our all.

We should go all out from the very beginning.

Worried about countermeasures, concerned about evolution, and fearing that the enemy will become stronger—the moment you step onto the battlefield with this mindset, the outcome is already decided invisibly!

A faint sense of regret crept into Lylena's heart. She gritted her teeth, rallied her spirits, and swooped down, ready to give it her all at all costs. But in mid-air, Lylena mysteriously "floated" away, and the shockwave that erupted without warning caused her to deviate greatly from her original trajectory.

For the first time, she showed an angry expression: "Don't interfere with my fight!"

"You're the one who should get out!" the man in the suit shouted. "He's my prey!!"

A cloud of dark smoke rose into the sky, revealing the figure of a man in a suit. The blood and smoke that Chu Hengkong had smashed into the ground had long since dissipated. He floated in the air and pulled off his tie, which bent and shaped with his movement, transforming into fierce and brutal "teeth".

Blood Smoke, wielding a strange weapon, leaped into the air. His figure split in two, then into four, then eight, instantly multiplying into countless humanoid figures. Tens of thousands of Blood Smoke figures simultaneously swung their arms, sending tens of thousands of sharp teeth piercing the air, biting with hatred towards Chu Hengkong in the sky!

"Shadowfang Waterfall!"

Thousands upon thousands of shadow fangs ripped through the sky; the power deep within those fangs was so terrifying that even space itself was bitten and scarred. The sounds of the material world collapsing intensified, like the roars of a cruel beast.

If Chu Hengkong were on the ground at this moment, a third of the Poetry Umbrellas would have disappeared, simply because they blocked the path of the bloody smoke. But now, only the assassin stood silently in the sky, which meant that he had to face the violence that was devouring the city alone! Chu Hengkong did not move. His arrogant speed seemed to have disappeared from his body. Facing the howling of the Shadow Fangs, he only had time to raise one finger, the tip of which was covered with bright red armor.

Zhengxuan Gangqi Armor.

He flicked his finger, sending the first attacking shadow fang flying, and with a flourish, he shattered the surprise attack into a gray mist. He blew a breath onto his fingertip and said:
Five times.

With the full activation of the Qi of a Thousand Autumns, the martial artist's state instantly soared. Chu Hengkong pointed again, using both hands. In his eyes at this moment, everything was incredibly slow. Shadow Fang moved as slowly as slow motion in a movie. He comfortably pointed at it one by one, defeating it, and even had the energy to adjust the shape of his Qi Armor.

To the onlookers, the battle in the sky was bizarre and unbelievable. The assassins' lightning speed transformed into a myriad of phantom hands, forming an insurmountable "circle." The Shadow Fangs had no chance to maneuver and were shattered at the edge of that circle. Their numbers were enough to destroy a city, yet they were all defeated before the speed could be achieved. Tens of thousands of Shadow Fangs were wiped out, yet they could not shake Chu Hengkong in the slightest!
"What a monster! Stronger and more outrageous than before..."

Blood Smoke's attack failed, but instead he laughed maniacally, uttering words that others could not understand: "When I saw you in the Fifth Meridian Sequence, I was truly disappointed, so disappointed that I didn't even have the will to attack. I don't understand how the Serpent of Sacrifice has become such a boring person, hesitant and timid, like a defeated person bound by setbacks."

But now you've returned! That crystallization of will and power! Nothing can stop you, no one can withstand your blade!

Blood Smoke covered his head, letting out a sound that was hard to tell whether it was a roar of anger or a wild laugh. He reached out to Chu Hengkong in the air, as if a mortal without wings was trying to grasp a bird in flight.

Chu Hengkong stood silently in the smoke, offering no response, his gaze indifferently fixed on the ground. Xueyan was all too familiar with that look; it was utter contempt. Every time Chu Hengkong saw him, he wore the same expression. Even in the final battle when he blew up the Verus building, Chu Hengkong hadn't shown any hatred or anger when he came to kill him. He indifferently drew his blade, indifferently beheaded, indifferently stepped over his corpse, showing no emotion even when severely wounded, as if he were dealing with a piece of trash.

Everyone has weaknesses, but this man's weakness was not his own. He was strong because of the weakness called "others," and invincible because of that weakness. Therefore, the blood smoke could not shake this man at all, nor could it even make him cast a glance.

The Serpent of Sacrifice cannot be defeated by trickery, the Serpent of Sacrifice is not afraid of mere threats, the Serpent of Sacrifice will always uphold its ideals, will always uphold its will. Therefore, he is the strongest person on Earth!
Blood Smoke laughed wildly: "No one else can do it, not even the Dark Kingdom. Only you, Chu Hengkong! Only you are the one and only number one in the world!"

That's why I want to defeat him.

That is why I wish to be his enemy.

I wanted to destroy and shatter that will, to crush that power with even greater violence, to make that invincible strongman fall from the throne of a god among mortals—

"Shatter your power and become stronger than you!"

His laughter stirred the smoke around Chu Hengkong, and his hysterical emotions instantly activated the smoke, turning it into countless destructive bombs existing in a gaseous state. A point of rainbow light shot from Xueyan's palm, the light penetrating deep into the smoke, turning the smoke into a dazzling rainbow color.

Based on the corpses of Shadowfang Falls, the most vicious trap took shape. It was the power of the anti-law rainbow, a sign of destruction, whose very existence was an enemy of law and order. Blood Smoke, with its inherent malice, pushed this trait to its extreme, creating the most heinous spell that made him a legend.

"—The Rainbow Smoke Funeral!!"

The smoke converged and solidified towards the humanoid figure at its center, then exploded with a deafening roar. The rainbow burst forth without noise or vibration, only the frenzied, trembling plume of smoke like a swarm of bees. The destructive power of the anti-rainbow was forcibly compressed into a space of less than 10 square meters; the inescapable discomfort amplified the smoke's agitation. It hit the walls, became enraged, and thus unleashed this emotion, resulting in explosion after explosion. The rainbow smoke would erupt endlessly within this cramped prison until the target in the death row was buried in despair!

People could no longer observe Chu Hengkong; even the vision of the Secret Heavenly Eye was obscured by the smoke. Only that frenzied, restless, and murky rainbow remained above the third meridian sequence. Blood Smoke panted like an addict, the excessive burst of power leaving him temporarily weakened.

He vanished into the mist, disappearing into the distance, leaving his reconstituted clone to observe the situation. The rainbow smoke persisted for 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, still flowing without change. He could almost picture the man within the smoke, battered and beyond saving, and he wanted to shout a victory cheer.

Then, the rainbow smoke moved.

It was a slow, almost "normal" pace, practically motionless in combat at their level. The plume of smoke drifted gently to the ground, as if mimicking a human's leisurely stroll. Suddenly, it doubled in size, then tripled again.

And so people finally saw the truth within the smoke, finally understood the source of that slowness. It was indeed a walk; the person in the smoke was indeed taking a walk. Chu Hengkong walked forward unhurriedly, hands in his pockets. The explosions of the rainbow smoke were generated in microseconds, leaving crisscrossing wounds on his body.

The explosion couldn't shake his presence at all; his internal energy remained perfectly unified and invincible. His Undying and Indestructible Technique moved with a mere thought, healing his wounds at a speed far exceeding destruction. He moved leisurely through the perilous situation, as if entering an empty land!

“The sound of the sword in the narrow passage,” he said, emphasizing each word.

"—!"

Blood Smoke had long since stopped sweating, but the moment he heard that call, his back felt as if it were soaked in cold sweat. Chu Hengkong clenched his metal left fist and slammed it against the side. The Tomb of Rainbow Smoke suddenly exploded, and a burst of blood-red energy burned away all the smoke.

A silver chain shot out from the tip of his prosthetic body, piercing through Blood Smoke's clone and extending straight forward along the unseen connection. In a single second, the chain traversed the entire third meridian sequence, wrapping around the neck of Blood Smoke's true form!
The new ability that the calamity arm awakens after ascending to point 4 is the causal lock that seeks the cause from the effect.

Chu Hengkong gripped the chains tightly and hurled himself upwards like a hammer thrower. A plume of blood-red smoke rose in the distance, whipped towards the city's center by the assassin's brute force. He crashed through countless trees and walls, slamming into the earth and hurling off cliffs. The irresistible force tossed him like a rag doll, sending him tumbling down to the edge of the city, finally slamming him against an old tree as thick as a city wall!
He vomited foul-smelling blood, the excruciating pain reaching his very bones making him feel as if every bone in his body had shattered. He was utterly powerless and unable to move. Chu Hengkong walked towards him step by step, his eyes still holding that familiar indifferent gaze, devoid of even emotion when he drew his sword.

"You... say it...!" Blood Smoke screamed, "You called my name! Then say it! Say something!!"

“You’re still disgustingly cowardly,” the assassin said.

In that instant, Xueyan's consciousness went blank. Chu Hengkong thrust his blade straight out, the deadly blade piercing his heart. It was the most cruel sword technique in history, a deadly sword that even the Lord of the Broken Heart considered taboo and never used.

Shadow Appears in the Sky: Yin Corpse!
(End of this chapter)