Forge a path to success.

Chapter 48 Indestructible Vajra (Third Update)
"Raise the bet!" "Open the cards!" "Place your bet!" "Grand Slam!"

Gravel rained down, the shattered gambling table emitting a grating mechanical hum. The catgirl dealer huddled under the table, trembling. She desperately prayed the big shots in the hall wouldn't notice her, but reality was far crueler than she imagined. An oil-black hand pierced through the gambling table and stood before her. The catgirl screamed hysterically. The hand yanked the entire table up and slammed it aside, taking away her only shield.

It was Visakhapus, the gentlemanly second son, who had completely descended into madness. He pressed hard on his shoulder, from which black blood gushed. The blood overflowed, gushed, and then boiled, tearing apart the refined exterior of his flesh and reassembling it into the true face of a succumbent.

The catwoman's scream turned into a ghostly howl as she saw "Second Young Master" enveloped in black blood, transformed into a grotesque monster with a waist as large as a gambling table. The monster had no lower body; its obese upper body was adorned with two withered, chicken-claw-like hands, and its small head was contorted with rage. Its claws were aimed straight for the catwoman's heart!
Catwoman's waist was slippery with sweat. At the last second, a silver tentacle lashed out from the side, throwing her towards the other side of the stairwell. "Detective! Monster!!" she cried out, a scream that was hard to tell if it was fear or gratitude. Chu Hengkong withdrew the tentacle, assuming a fighting stance with a knife in one hand. Three steps away from him, the eldest daughter, Carmel, also revealed her true form as a Fallen One. Her legs had become as thin as needles, her upper body was voluptuous, but her head had become an "empty shell" like half a broken egg.

The two fallen beings simultaneously launched a furious attack on Chu Heng: "Use your flesh and blood to pay tribute to your elder brother! You will regret being born into this world!"

"What a disgrace to the young master and young lady," Chu Hengkong said.

Visaph produced a strangely shaped deck of cards, each depicting a human figure adorned with gemstones that shimmered in the light. The cards flew into the air, expanding and transforming amidst phantom-like ripples, splitting into eight deformed monsters identical to Visaph himself.

The enormous, multiplied monster filled the hall to the brim, and Visap and his clones lunged forward simultaneously, claws outstretched. Chu Hengkong had already targeted the card-throwing monster's true form, and as the card changed, he thrust out with his tentacle blade. But his thrust stopped mid-air, a black halo emanating from deep within Visap's body, carrying immense force that pushed the thrusting blade back.

"Resist the halo!" Carmel shrieked.

The same black halo appeared within Vesapu's eight clones, expanding with lightning speed, relentlessly closing in on Chu Hengkong in the center of the hall. Chu Hengkong warily sheathed his sword and leaped up, intending to escape the encirclement before making further plans. However, two of Vesapu's clones leaped up with the agility of bouncy balls, causing the expanding halo to touch Chu Hengkong's arms, instantly slamming him from the center of the hall into the doorless stairwell!
The impact spread from his arm to his entire body, and the dizziness that struck his brain was even greater than the impact of a hundred palm strikes. This was Carmel's ability as a point mass "Glimmer," releasing a powerful repulsive aura through a living being. When this ability was combined with Visaph's clone, its threat level increased dramatically.

This time, the enemy is not only the Fallen but also the Ascended, who possess the ability of a single point mass in addition to their abnormal bodies!
Chu Hengkong thrust his sword into the ground with a backhand motion, bringing himself to a halt just before falling into the ladder shaft. Visaf's clone pursued closely, and seizing the opportunity, he leaped past the halo, slashing off the clone's head with a diagonal strike. However, as the head hit the ground, it sparked like fireflies, and from the fallen head, a new Visaf clone grew.

The new clone and the headless clone simultaneously swung their claws. Chu Hengkong raised his sword to defend, but was knocked back by the monster's claws. A newly formed resistance aura struck him, and a dull thud echoed deep within his body as his bones dislocated. This clone was actually a living being capable of multiplication, and each multiplied clone would generate a new resistance aura. Vesafu and his clones took advantage of the chaos to construct an encirclement, and ten resistance auras continuously surged and spread, slamming fiercely into Chu Hengkong with terrifying force!

"I told you! You'll die a horrible death!!" Vesafu laughed scathingly, his deformed, claw-like arms now an advantage, allowing him to maintain distance while relentlessly attacking with his long, claw-like nails. Chu Hengkong crossed his arms in defense, but the impacts, powerful enough to smash through walls, pounded into him continuously, tearing horrifying bloody gashes across his arms and face.

Once the encirclement of clones and halos was fully formed, the hunted were helpless; even desperate attacks would only increase their numbers. Carmel, filled with the satisfaction of revenge, clapped her hands and laughed loudly, "This is what happens when you oppose your family! Kneel before your elder brother and beg for mercy after you die!"

Victory was assured, and to be on the safe side, no unforeseen complications should be tolerated; the battle should be maintained to wear down the enemy. Yet, Vesap still felt a slight unease, for the enemy's cold gaze was like two sharp daggers, sending chills down his spine. He told himself there was no need to panic; the enemy was merely trying to lure him into revealing a weakness. The battle had been going on for nearly half a minute; even the toughest enemy would eventually succumb…

No! Vesap realized this. The enemy, no matter how skilled, was merely a master craftsman. His stamina as a mere point-one cultivator wouldn't have been enough to sustain him for so long; he should have been crushed to pieces in the encirclement long ago. Yet, beneath the torn clothing gleamed a black, iron-like light; Chu Hengkong was wearing a relic-grade light armor beneath his outer garment. If he deliberately took the attack…!
Vesap felt a chill run down his spine and leaped backward: "Carmel! Change your stance!" But at that moment, Chu Hengkong changed his attack position. His arms, crossed in front of him, separated, his right arm upright at his side, his left hand tightly locked at his waist. He faced the attack with an aggressive stance. The instant the halo struck his body, an incomparably powerful force erupted from within him. "Break!"

In an instant, the dark halo shattered, and Chu Hengkong stood amidst the flying light fragments. Carmel's halo had actually been shattered by the reverse impact! By the hardened flesh of a martial artist!

He retracted his right fist and leg, his body spinning at an exaggerated angle, his left arm tentacles lashing out with the force of wind and thunder, a white sonic boom exploding in the air. This was the Thunder Whip that shattered the pile of torch-bearing corpses; a long-awaited strike swept across the entire area, smashing Vesaph and his nine clones into a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

The injuries he had suffered were real, but the relic's light armor's regenerative abilities were sufficient to counteract them. What remained was a matter of willpower: enduring the pain of the aura's strikes, twisting his muscles with even greater agony, and using secret techniques to transform his body into an indestructible fortress. Then, in the instant of impact, he would reverse his muscles, retaliating with nearly double the force.

This is precisely the source of Chu Hengkong's confidence in withstanding attacks, and the result of his arduous training since returning from the swamp—

Dragon Township Boxing Techniques: Immovable!

"Impossible! How absurd!" The mangled Visap was gripped by terror, while Chu Hengkong decisively drew his sword and charged forward, aiming straight for Visap's exposed heart. At that moment, a barely formed aura of light repelled Visap, and Carmel focused the light of resistance into a short, spear-like beam, hurling it with a scream. "Die! Ah!" Without her command, she was utterly bewildered.

Chu Hengkong dodged the light guns with a swift movement, slithering through the hall like a nimble snake. In the blink of an eye, he was beside Carmel. In an instant, two gleaming blades slashed out in a cross shape. One blade severed Carmel's needle-like legs cleanly, while the other leaped upwards, carving a straight gash in the side of Carmel's monstrous body. The gash was so deep that it exposed her corrupted heart.

"You lowly human! Get out of my way!!!" Carmel completely lost control. Three halos simultaneously appeared on her body. Her survival instinct drained all her strength, making her determined to push Chu Hengkong away at all costs. But Chu Hengkong simply turned to the side and raised his arm. He was pushed five meters away by the halos, but he also completely withstood the blow with the secret technique of immobility.

Carmel regenerated her lower limbs and crawled away on the ground in a grotesque, centipede-like manner. Her body was regenerating rapidly, and this time she deliberately created snow-white bone armor in an attempt to save her life.

Chu Hengkong slowly exhaled and retracted his right arm. He twisted his waist and stepped forward, rotating his entire body along the central axis. The impact force gathered from his stillness coalesced with this simple movement, and then the tentacles that had been retracted at his waist burst forth.

The silver spear shattered the bone armor and pierced through Carmel's corrupt heart!

　(Oh my god, I'm so grateful to the Silver Alliance Leader, Chuan Song of Filth. I really didn't expect our book to have four Silver Alliance Leaders...)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)