Forge a path to success.

Chapter 347 I Will Win

Xueyan felt his body flip over, his fragile ghostly form exposed on the "outer" side, his torso dismantled and shattered into instruments of self-execution. His senses were turned upside down, as if he were spinning in an endless, narrow cylinder. That cylinder was covered with countless sharp curved blades, each inch of the blade being his own body.

"—"

He crashed into a wall of blades, sliced ​​and torn to pieces, yet the blades would not leave; they were his own power. Then the roller began to spin, ripping out his brain, shredding his nerves, and slicing his very existence into countless intertwined fragments. And so the world changed, echoing in a cacophony of agonizing screams.

"—"

In the depths of darkness where even thought has vanished, only pain remains.

There is only pain.

"——————Ahhh, ahh ...

That unparalleled agony brought forth a howl that existed only in hell, and real-life blood and smoke fell from the great tree, screeching as it rolled along the edge of the cliff. Only the calamity of long ago could understand his feelings at this moment, for he was a villain who had been executed by the hand of the former Chongming, dying in the most cruel way in the world for his unforgivable sins.

The Yin Skeleton is a sword technique specifically developed for the path of the Supreme. Those elemental beings that can freely transform and do as they please, fearless in battle and indifferent to injury, will suffer inescapable torment because of this sword. This strike has now landed on Blood Smoke, causing him to instantly lose control of himself.

Blood-red smoke rolled across the lawn, making not a single meaningful sound. He thought he was shouting at Chu Hengkong, but in reality, he was just kneeling on the ground wailing. He reached out his hand—was he really reaching out? Did he still have a body?

He reached out to the sky, only to be met with emptiness. A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over him, but the man in agony could no longer comprehend his surroundings.

He fell off the cliff like an ugly worm, plunging into the boundless sea of ​​illusions. Countless mouths opened like flowers on the surface of the sea, and demons cheered with joy at the arrival of their new sustenance.

Chu Hengkong followed closely behind him, unusually refraining from drawing his sword to end the suffering. Just as the blood mist began to fall, he raised his sword as if to kill his opponent, but suddenly turned and slashed out with his prosthetic arm like a blade!
The blades clashed in mid-air, meeting less than an inch apart. Both were hand-blade strikes, with perfectly synchronized movements, identical killing intent, and even the same power. It was a ruthless attack capable of forcefully shattering a single point; if Chu Hengkong had wasted even a moment, the attack from behind would have struck him directly!
"It really was you," Chu Hengkong said.

"You're still as sharp as ever," the attacker chuckled.

It was draped in a tattered burlap cloak, like a poor vagrant fleeing from war. The cloak covered most of its body, making it impossible for others to guess its appearance. The only clue was a pair of unnaturally pale hands exposed during the attack.

Chu Hengkong's gaze swept over the other's fingertips. He slowly moved to the side of the attacker, while the other moved in the opposite direction with the same steps, as if grandmasters were observing each other and maintaining distance before a duel.

Suddenly, both attacked simultaneously, fist to fist, palm to palm, the movements identical, as if fighting against their own reflections in a mirror. Chu Hengkong activated his Qi Thousand Autumns technique three times, the secret enhancement suppressed to one time, then rose to three times, and then climbed to nearly eight times in just five moves. The sudden, unpredictable changes in speed made his movements as elusive as a phantom, yet the attacker seemed to anticipate his movements and adjust his speed accordingly. Kicks met kicks, palm strikes met palm strikes; they simultaneously created distance, gathered their energy, and unleashed their palms—

The assassin's palm shimmered with silver light like a surging ocean, and he unleashed a shot with unstoppable force!
The harmonious synchronization was thus shattered. The attacker changed tactics and retreated again. The Dragon Spear grazed its palm, and black blood seeped from beneath its pale skin. It stood still, raised its hand, and the bloody wound was revealed, like a bloody smile.

"You won again this time, it was only right that you won," it said with a smile. "See you next time."

The space behind it shattered, as if something inside had destroyed the world on the surface. Above and below the wide-open wound were square and sharp white patches, like two rows of white teeth. Deep within the wound, a greasy, long tongue hung down, like a crimson carpet welcoming it.

"Oh right, I almost forgot the usual thing..."

The enormous mouth snapped open and gently swallowed the attacker, the killer's laughter escaping between its closed teeth.

"The Dark Kingdom sends its greetings."

Chu Hengkong sheathed his spear and raised his sword, the crimson blade severing the gigantic maw in two. However, Wang Quan's figure was no longer among the flying blood. He activated the Remnant Heart Resurrection Technique, burning away the filthy blood of the fallen, and gazed at the empty space, saying:
"Pretentious and incorrigible."

Xueyan's figure had long since disappeared into the vast sea, and he had no interest in swimming so early in the morning. He sheathed his sword, stretched, spread his wings, and flew back to the entrance of the third team, waving to Ji Huaisu: "That's it!"

Ji Huaisu ran over excitedly: "Did you kill him or not?!"

"He was crippled and taken away by the royal family; it's practically the same as being dead."

Ji Huaisu was greatly disappointed: "They're not even going to pursue us!"

"What's the point of chasing after them? If you chase them for ages and find that your own hometown hasn't been destroyed, what's the point of killing so many people?"

Chu Hengkong sat down on the long steps in front of his department: "Besides, Captain, please have some compassion for me. The battle just now was so dangerous that my life was hanging by a thread. If we chase after them again, something bad might happen."

"Do you mean by 'hanging by a thread' that you're referring to tying the enemy's lives together with a single thread?" Vande stared blankly with one eye.

"When did you start learning idioms from Qingxia?"

"If I don't break down the words like this, I really can't understand what exactly was dangerous about what you just did."

Chu Hengkong stretched his arms and explained to the two, "The first 45 assassins were actually quite strong. When they got really fierce, they could at least hold their own against me for a couple of moves. I didn't have time to slowly wear them down, so I used Deathwing Instant Kill. But Deathwing in Absolute Sky consumes a lot of energy. After killing the first batch, I couldn't use any strong moves for a while. If the three of them had attacked me at that time, I would have had a hard time dealing with them."

Ji Huaisu realized what was going on: "So you only started provoking me after you finished fighting?"

“Everyone cares about their pride, especially assassins. If I announce I'm going to find the next one, who would dare come at me all at once?” Chu Heng laughed. “After that, we’ll deal with Guo Yutu first. His puppets aren’t a threat, but I don’t quite understand that last thing. If it hits, it’ll be disastrous.” Ji Huaisu was still shaken: “That was truly terrifying…getting hit will turn you into an idiot…”

"That's why I specifically used my gun to break that thing. Guo Yutu probably thought I casually shot down his ultimate move and was slamming his fist on the table." Chu Hengkong smiled slyly. "And if Lylena gets really fierce, I definitely won't be able to break free. So after a few moves to kill her momentum, Xueyan will probably lose her temper by then. She won't be able to fight me for long."

"Oh, psychological warfare too!" Vande was filled with awe, feeling that his friend's IQ had reached an unprecedented level at this moment.

"And Blood Smoke's ultimate move completely trapped me. I moved very slowly because I had to focus on healing and couldn't move quickly." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "Winning this game actually had a bit of luck involved."

"I thought you were just showing off..." Ji Huaisu shook his head, "So you're saying that your seemingly arrogant and effortless demeanor is actually a thrilling psychological battle with your powerful enemies?"

"Otherwise, do you really expect me to display my divine power and take down three legendary particles at the same time?" Chu Hengkong retorted.

Ji Huaisu gasped: "After reviewing the whole thing, A-Kong, you fought so narrowly... But I'm still curious and want to ask a small question: what would happen if they didn't take this and ganged up on you?"

"It will be a very bad fight."

Chu Hengkong emphasized, "It will be a very fierce battle."

Ji Huaisu leaned closer, hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "And then?"

The assassin raised an eyebrow, his smile radiating confidence.

"And yet, I still won!"

Ji Huaisu reached out and pinched his cheek: "Waaah, here we go again! You really don't know what restraint is!"

"I'm sorry, I've never been one to hold back from this since I was a child, and I'm really not familiar with this process..."

"This person is getting worse as they get older!"

Van der glanced at him sideways and reminded him, "I was saying that brooch is still pinned to your clothes, shouldn't you be a little more careful, kid..."

"This?" Akong picked up the brooch. "The boss won't use it anymore."

"Why?"

“A device is easy to hack if you use it for a long time,” Chu Hengkong said matter-of-factly. “Once she knows where I am, she won’t need to do any more ineffective communication. Then one day I will suddenly see a signal that only I can recognize, which may be a painting, a song, or a line from a play. At that time, I will know that she has come to Jing Sha in person. And when that day comes, I just need to wait.”

“The way you two interact is so bizarre that I can’t even begin to describe it,” Van der said.

"Since you guys are so free, can you come and help out?!" came an annoyed voice from nearby. "I'm exhausted!"

Lico limped over, carrying her father on her back. Trek looked dazed, as if he had just been resuscitated. He mumbled, "Hey, be gentle, my arm hurts."

Lico glanced at the empty sleeve: "Dad, the arm is on the ground."

"I was wondering why I felt so uncomfortable... Could someone help me pry off my arm?"

Ji Huaisu ran over and said, "Wait a minute, I'll use my pure fire to help you stick it on!"

Fortunately, Trek's severed arm was well preserved, and the Tree People are naturally good at self-healing, so Ji Huaisu was able to put his arm back together with a little care.

Trek plopped down next to Chu Hengkong, took off his blood-stained coat, and exclaimed, "He's half dead!"

“You withstood the entire third meridian sequence with only half your life left,” Chu Hengkong told him.

“Even if you don’t come out, it’s still no use.” Trek shook his head. “Your condition… seems fine. You’re brimming with energy. Did something good happen?”

"Having seen your old boss and old rival, you can't wait to get back to your old ways," Chu Hengkong said with a bright smile. "I'll help you with the rest."

Trek raised an eyebrow: "The mastermind behind this is very powerful, is that alright?"

Chu Hengkong stood up, his gaze drifting across the distant distance to the crowded streets of the city.

“No problem,” he said. “This time, I’m sure I’ll win!”

(End of this chapter)