Forge a path to success.

Chapter 36 The Poison of a Corrupted Heart
Chu Hengkong took off his coat and leaped into the forest like a nimble black falcon. The noise of the crowd behind him faded away, and even the wind turned a vibrant green, the same color as the trees, as he raced at breakneck speed. He lightly gripped his perception pendant and felt a deep, malevolent gaze emanating from the depths of the faces of the pile of corpses, like a vulture pecking at a carcass.

Leaves flew in the forest, the pile of corpses swung its fists, and the rotten mud on its body exploded like bombs. Countless relics and weapons flew up and were thrown by the impact, turning into a rain of blades.

Chu Hengkong's steps never faltered. He raced through the flashing blades, like a sharp arrow piercing a rain of weapons! His arms moved with graceful arcs as he ran. Long weapons were deflected by the slaps of his tentacles, while short weapons were scattered by the force of his punches. Silently, an invisible circle appeared, formless and intangible yet insurmountable. No weapon could penetrate more than three inches from Chu Hengkong's perimeter.

Dragon Township Fist Technique - Circling Wind Hand. A defensive technique derived from continuous strikes, it can deflect stray arrows and swords like a whirlwind. Chu Hengkong waited for the attacks to subside before raising his hand and grabbing a long black staff amidst the rain of weapons. He swung the staff to clear his path, accelerated away from the rain, and plunged into the forest.

The weapons that were shot down sank into the swamp, their tips still covered in sludge, causing shimmering spots of light to float behind Chu Hengkong like duckweed. Forty seconds passed, and the distance between the two sides closed to a hundred meters. The pile of torch-like corpses seemed to have realized that long-range tactics were meaningless. It emitted a strange howl from its giant mouth, a sound that was heavy yet extremely penetrating, like striking a rusty bronze bell.

A glowing, withered hand burst forth from the mud, grabbing at Chu Hengkong's ankle!

The gleaming staff slammed into the palm, annihilating the withered hand with a vicious thrust. The force of the blow was astonishing, directly blasting out the firefly corpse lurking underground. Chu Hengkong spun the staff around and brought it down, stunning the firefly corpse with precise force. A burst of light shone behind him as he stepped forward to dodge the attack, retracting his arm and striking the firefly corpse with the staff handle straight back. The staff handle struck the firefly corpse like a battering ram, sending the second attacker flying backward, draped like a rag doll over a treetop.

Chu Hengkong withdrew his staff to protect himself, causing ripples to spread across the muddy swamp. The fireflies buried in the mud suddenly sprang up, launching suicidal attacks with a doom-or-die spirit. However, all the attacks grazed past Chu Hengkong. He swung his staff, transforming it into an arc even brighter than the Wind Ring Hand. The fireflies couldn't even get close to the circle, let alone break into it; they were all blown down by the strong wind.

Chu Hengkong easily broke through the encirclement, his agile figure heading straight for the pile of corpses. Adali could observe the battlefield and control numerous glowing corpses; considering the limited range of the relics, he was probably hiding inside the pile of corpses. This man was a "cornerstone" who fought using relics and the environment; the longer the fight went on, the easier it would be for him to fall into a trap. Now was the time to use strength against weakness, dig out his true form, and defeat him in one fell swoop!
Seeing that their encirclement tactic was ineffective, the pile of corpses raised its giant hand and slammed it down. Chu Hengkong lightly touched the ground with the tip of his staff to gain momentum and leaped up, dodging the giant's blow and landing on the back of its hand. He raced up the giant's arm, its tentacles contracting to gather power as he ran, then thrusting his silver spear at the hideous giant face!
The silver spear struck from the side, its concentrated force at the tip exploding and creating a massive hole through the pile of corpses. This strike nearly cleaved the pile of lit-up corpses in two, sending clumps of mud enveloping the glowing spot flying. However, at the same instant, a deep purple shadow swept past the side of the silver light. The shadow moved with incredible speed, almost like a fleeting illusion, appearing before Chu Hengkong in an instant, aimed straight for his heart!
It was a hand-blade formed by five fingers joined together, its deep purple flesh possessing a sharpness several times greater than metal. Its arrival was swift as the wind, yet it barely grazed the clothing. Because at the same moment, Chu Hengkong leaned backward, dodging with a single-handed backbend. His body rotated ninety degrees around his waist, his toes dangerously rising like a scorpion's tail… aiming to stab at the purple shadow's back! Evasion and counterattack were perfectly integrated; this was the kicking technique from the Three Thousand Sets, the Tail Needle Kick!
Zi Ying raised his forearm to defend, and when the kick struck, his arm rang out with a sharp clang, like metal clashing. Chu Hengkong felt a subtle pain in his leg. The enemy's physical strength was considerable, comparable to the outer armor of a tank based on the feel. A direct assault was not a wise move.

After one exchange, Chu Hengkong made a judgment. In a flash, his tentacles retracted. Chu Hengkong spun around and launched a tentacle lash, while Zi Ying countered with a seasoned high kick. His leg joints bent like an insect's, possessing immense explosive power. The two exchanged blows, evenly matched, the aftershocks sending mud flying everywhere.

After a brief exchange, both retreated simultaneously, their gazes fixed intently on each other. Zi Ying's demeanor was as composed as a swamp lord. "To think you could evade my deadly attack, you've got some good luck," she said. Chu Hengkong, meanwhile, aimed his staff at the alien enemy's brow. "Just as I expected," he murmured, narrowing his eyes.

The true form of the purple shadow was a bald man with a gloomy face, wearing a white robe resembling a cassock, but with deformed lower limbs and deep purple skin. This bizarre, demonic creature was none other than the great wizard Adari!
“You’re not very surprised,” Adari sneered. “It seems the Calamity Knight has noticed my abilities.”

Actually, she's always thought you're a weakling. Chu Hengkong swallowed the truth that was about to come out, after all, there was no point in saying anything more at this point.

In reality, relying solely on simplistic judgment based on experience is insufficient. In a place like the swamp, teeming with demons and monsters, a useless person who can only manipulate others has no chance of becoming the leader of a force. Even if Adari relies on external resources as his foundation, he is no easy opponent. To deal with a seasoned and cunning cult leader, comprehensive preparations are essential.

"Hah!" Chu Hengkong suddenly exhaled and swung his staff at Adali's head. The relic staff shattered on the bald head; his flesh was harder than steel. Adali's hand emerged from the debris, and he unleashed another piercing strike, sharp as a knife. Chu Hengkong used the force of the blow to leap high, launching a flurry of kicks at Adali's chest. Adali countered with a barrage of punches, the two seemingly evenly matched, but Chu Hengkong still possessed a tentacle.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the tentacles lashed out, wrapping around Adali's neck like ropes. Chu Hengkong landed with a powerful thud, flashing behind Adali in a flash. He discarded the broken club, tightened the muscles of his tentacles, and struck Adali's head with his right palm, unleashing a deadly strangulation technique with his tentacles.

Tentacles, inherently as tough as ropes and possessing an inescapable stickiness, are the perfect medium for strangulation. Direct attacks are unlikely to be effective against enemies with steel-like bodies; therefore, a change of strategy is needed—using softness to overcome hardness. Even the strongest enemy cannot survive once its head is twisted off.

Adali realized the danger. He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and countered with a hammer-like elbow strike. Once, twice, three times. After three consecutive elbow strikes, the ordinary skilled hand was already coughing up blood from broken bones, but Chu Hengkong remained unmoved. A vortex-like outline appeared in the mud beneath his feet, and the secret technique of vortex absorption transferred most of the power to the mud.

Chu Hengkong tightened the tentacles, and Adali gurgled in his throat. He would suffocate in a few more breaths... But then he suddenly released the tentacles and retreated with an acrobatic backflip. Almost simultaneously, Adali unleashed a vicious heel kick! He was just a hair's breadth away from being seriously injured.

"What's wrong, assassin?" Adali made a vomiting sound. "We were about to succeed, weren't we? Why are you backing out at this crucial moment?"

"Or perhaps..." he smiled sinisterly, "that even you, in your foolishness, have finally realized it?"

A subtle pain emanated from the tentacles. It appeared intermittently and irregularly, as irritating as being bitten by mosquitoes. As soon as this sensation appeared, Chu Hengkong immediately withdrew, because he had felt a similar pain when his initial kick hit the other's body the last time he touched it.

This time, however, he was very close to the enemy and thus discovered the true nature of the stinging sensation. Dark, protruding objects pierced beneath the skin of Adari's neck. They were insect pincers!
Adari let out a hideous laugh. Beneath his skin, taut to its limit from the strangling tentacles, countless tiny, writhing outlines emerged. Like ants building a nest in sand and gravel, like earthworms burrowing through damp mud, countless venomous insects crawled through his flesh. This man was a true madman; he had turned his own body into a nest of venomous insects, and any enemy who dared to touch him would be met with a vengeful attack.

The stinging sensation in his hands and toes intensified, and Chu Hengkong's vision suddenly blurred. He immediately swallowed the antidote he had prepared before the mission. The pill dissolved in his mouth, tasteless like water. Much better. He told himself repeatedly. Much better. But Adali's speed increased strangely. He stomped forward with the force of thunder, striking Chu Hengkong's chest with the sole of his palm.

The vicious force erupted in a short distance, sending Chu Hengkong flying nearly ten meters. He barely managed to regain his footing in the mud, but a sudden burning sensation in his throat caused him to spit out a mouthful of purple blood. The wound from the impact sent excruciating pain through him, as if he had been stung by a thousand bees.

Poisonous insect stings suddenly emerged from Adali's palm; he was using the venom within his body for attack. But why could he see it so clearly? Wasn't he supposed to have been sent flying several meters? It was because Adali was already in front of him. Chu Hengkong raised his arm to defend. Another sharp pain shot through him.

The enemy shouldn't be this fast. It's because he's slowed down...!
"What color is the light in your eyes?" He heard the great wizard's sinister laugh.

The light was green. A vibrant green, like the green of leaves. But the leaves were a bright yellow, twisted like maggots in fire. The swamp swirled slowly, and the great wizard seemed to walk on the side of the world. Vision was blurry yet terrifyingly bright; limbs in his consciousness melted and twisted, and ice seemed to flow through his veins.

His senses were dulling, and his strength was rapidly draining away. The deadly poison had seeped into his bloodstream; he had been poisoned by Adari!
·
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Something's wrong!" Jie An jumped up in a panic. "Chu Hengkong's fighting skills don't make sense... He's been poisoned! We need reinforcements!"

Jie An couldn't help but be anxious. He was familiar with every medicinal herb and every creature in the swamp, which was why he understood how terrifying the plagues and poisons lurked in the mud and dense forests. The foremost of these could turn a wild beast into a maggot's nest within minutes, and even the most skilled hands couldn't withstand them. He pounded on the chair, signaling Ji Huaisu to attack, but she didn't move, looking around as if she hadn't heard him.

"Forget about plans and saving face, hurry up, girl. People will die if you're late!" Jie An was frantic.

"I know," Ji Huaisu said. "It's up to you!"

Suddenly, she kicked Jie An out of the car. Before the shock in Jie An's eyes could fade, it was covered by a scorching blue light. It was a pillar of fire erupting from the ground, like bluish-green lava. The vehicle in the flames was completely carbonized before it even had a chance to explode. Even from five meters away, Jie An felt as if he was about to be scorched by the flames.

He reached out blankly and touched a glowing "wall." It was Ji Huaisu's light shield; at the last moment, she had sent out her life-saving shield, placing herself in the flames. "Ji Huaisu!!" he screamed madly.

A black line emerged from the flames, and Jie An immediately held his breath. He saw the heavy, menacing greatsword cleave through the pillar of fire, and the knight wielding the sword stood amidst the ashes.

Ji Huaisu turned around and saw the panic and helplessness in the man's eyes. He was clearly over 30, yet he acted like a powerless child, a pathetic sight. There was nothing that could be done; Jie An was a man without fighting ability. He had no talent for combat; his greatest help was in preparing food and medicine. But Ji Huaisu still gazed at him intently, looking at a warrior, not a cook.

“Jie An, you’re an Ascended One too, right?” she said. “Then stand up and run forward! Go to your battlefield!”

Two team members rushed over and pulled Jie An up from the ground. Jie An was completely stunned, his mouth agape but no words came out. Ji Huaisu shouldered her greatsword and dashed out, no longer paying attention to anyone or anything behind her. She couldn't afford to be distracted any longer; even a moment's delay would mean death for everyone.

A distant, azure fireball flew towards the dense forest, about to land in the direction of Chu Hengkong's battle. She hurled her greatsword and extinguished it before continuing her advance, giving her opponent no more opportunities to strike.

Ji Huaisu's trajectory was a straight line, smashing away all obstacles in her path, even breaking through walls when she encountered houses. After several breaths, Ji Huaisu arrived at the edge of the Deep Roots settlement, where countless tree roots intertwined to form a brown "basin." She wielded her greatsword like an iron fan, the wind from the sword blowing up a white top hat.

"What a pity," the man said casually. "It was so close to success."

He grabbed his top hat and put it back on, his pure white tuxedo making him look like a gentleman attending a funeral. Ji Huaisu gripped her greatsword firmly, assuming a fighting stance, and warily watched the man before her. She had never seen this man before, just as she had never seen a tuxedo as white as paper. This in itself was unbelievable, because she was the person most familiar with the criminals of Huilong City.

"Who are you."

"I'm a businessman, here to provide some after-sales service." The man held up one finger. "My customer quite likes this product... Could you please not disturb him?"

A small blue flame ignited at his fingertips, transforming into an eagle-like claw that lunged at Ji Huaisu's face. Ji Huaisu extinguished the fiery claw with a single sword strike, and the man in the top hat elegantly waved his hand, sending a series of fireballs the size of his head flying at his command. Behind him, a towering pillar of fire erupted, the blue flames rising from the roots of the giant tree and burning towards the settlement beside it.

Deep within the flames, unseen by anyone, those who wield the elements begin their battle!

In an instant, the fire raged, turning the southern part of the deep-rooted settlement into a sea of ​​flames. Even Chu Hengkong, trapped by the poison, could feel the heat in the air. The situation had changed; reinforcements were not coming, and they had to find a way out on their own. The pile of corpses in the torches was recovering from its previous injuries; they had to kill Adari before the poison could kill them, or they would die.

Chu Hengkong barely managed to parry the next heavy punch; the shock aggravated his wounds, bringing excruciating pain. But he didn't fall; a defiant smile appeared on his pale face. Adari swung his blade-like hand downwards, but Chu Hengkong retreated with minimal movement. The two barely created some distance, the assassin still smiling.

"A troublesome kid." Adali frowned. The technique he used was the "Heart-Corroding Poison Hand," inherited from Shura Island, further enhanced by the venomous insects within his body. It was a unique skill that could be effective even in cross-particle combat. A minute had passed since he was poisoned. Based on experience, even the most skillful hand should have succumbed to the poison by now. But this assassin still had the ability to fight…

Is it a secret medicine? No, after the Great Master Jingzang, the inexperienced members of the resurrection troops had no way to detoxify. Therefore, it must be a method other than medicine…

Martial arts?

Chu Hengkong desperately suppressed his breathing, controlling his heartbeat in an almost self-destructive manner, contracting specific muscles to slow blood flow and thus reduce the spread of toxins. The Turtle Breathing Technique, one of the Three Thousand Sets of Techniques, is a secret method for suppressing life activities to a minimum, a way to survive even in the face of death.

But merely clinging to life is useless; the spread of the toxin means the countdown to death has begun. To defeat the enemy before death arrives, a way to turn defeat into victory must be devised…

Adari appeared as thin as a noodle in my field of vision; sight was no longer reliable, and I had to rely on intuition. A heavy punch came, and unable to judge its speed, I foolishly crossed my arms to defend. Barely not knocked down, I used my tentacles to grab onto the opponent's arm. Forcing myself forward, I threw a punch aimed at my heart with reckless ferocity.

Chu Hengkong's punch landed, but it failed to cause any damage. Adali's chest was churning like mud, and black pincers protruded from beneath his skin, biting Chu Hengkong's fist like centipedes lurking within flesh! Chu Hengkong only managed to hit the pincers; his desperate counterattack only poisoned him again. Meanwhile, Aguda seized the opportunity, delivering an upward palm strike, his palm unleashing a poisonous bee's sting!

A palm strike and a poisoned needle landed simultaneously, causing Chu Hengkong's vision to blur violently. However, he spun in mid-air, seizing the opportunity presented by his enemy's attack to counterattack with a kick. Adali was knocked back a step, and Chu Hengkong landed and continued throwing punches, unleashing attacks as unpredictable as a drunkard's. Fragments of movements flashed through his chaotic mind; he was still analyzing the weaknesses in his enemy's fighting style. The assassin could still fight; he hadn't lost all hope of victory.

But his next attack was blocked by slippery flesh—a glowing corpse, separated from the pile of torch-bearing corpses. The luminous body, like a biased referee, stepped between the two, declaring the "battle" over with the utmost irony.

Yes, not a fight. The insidious high wizard had no intention of fighting the assassin. Adari only responded with a cold laugh, a sculpted, emotionless smile. He took the staff from his other glowing hand, and as the pile of torch-like corpses disintegrated, dozens of glowing corpses surrounded Chu Hengkong.

The warrior's tenacity was overwhelmed by sheer numbers; no matter how strong his willpower, he had no chance of winning in such a situation where he was outnumbered.

"Afraid to fight the patients?" Chu Heng laughed weakly, unable to stop spitting out blood. "What a weak man."

“Don’t be so arrogant, kid,” Adari said contemptuously. “Your wretched life is not worthy of my attention. Your worthy enemy is this filthy and foolish corpse.”

The high wizard raised his staff high, the bell at its tip jingling. A sharp, clear sound rang out. Chu Hengkong felt another sharp pain in his brain; the mental attack instantly halted his movements. Meanwhile, the mud-covered corpses rapidly approached Chu Hengkong, the light emanating from their bodies growing brighter and brighter…

"Corpse explosion." Adari sneered.

Then, the fireflies that were close to Chu Hengkong all swelled up and exploded, stirring up a mushroom cloud of golden light in the dense forest!

(End of this chapter)