Forge a path to success

In the fleeting passage of time, the dream came to an end.

·

He slowly opened his eyes and stared at the empty hall.

Reality is a little more desolate than dreams. Time is like dew on the veins of a leaf; no one knows when it will disappear. The past and life itself go with it, only the world before our eyes remains unchanged. Like a kaleidoscope, endlessly spinning, a single second in this dynamic world.

He was growing weary when, just then, the messengers entered one by one, kneeling before the Nightmare King's throne. Ember, Cursed Lightning, Limb Spider, Nightwalker. They were all there; there was nothing more to be concerned about in the city.

He sighed deeply, his consciousness returning to reality, but the memory lingered in his dream. On a whim, he asked, "Spider-Leg, who sent you to the capital back then?"

“I remember that,” the spider said tremblingly, “but… does it matter?”

"Yeah, it doesn't matter." He nodded, yawning. "What's wrong? Why did everyone come over?"

"Burning Ashes has detected the formation," Nightwalker said. "The 35th Hero is preparing to ascend."

Vansalal laughed, a laugh filled with anticipation and satisfaction. He rose from his throne, and four shadows shot out like arrows, piercing the bodies of the four messengers. It was the Demon King's command.

No backing down.

You are not allowed to run away.

Go all out.

"Let us wage this grand final battle!" Vansalal laughed. "Demon King's army, all forces, attack!"

Chapter 238 One Against a Thousand

“When I used to read martial arts novels, I really liked the plots where heroes clashed with armies,” Chu Hengkong said. “On one side, a large army was pressing in, heavily armored and well-equipped, with cavalrymen ready to charge and archers with their bows taut… On the other side, there was only one person, carrying his sword or knife, and perhaps a flask of wine. When arrows rained down, he drew his weapon and charged towards an enemy that outnumbered him by hundreds or thousands.”

"That sounds cool."

"He's incredibly handsome, which is why I've always liked him," Chu Hengkong chuckled. "People who don't understand romance might say the hero turned into a hedgehog in the end, that he died charging into battle before he could even touch the enemy's armor. Back then, I thought there would always be someone in the world who could take on a thousand men, that there were once invincible warriors, but we've never actually seen them..."

Later I became that kind of person, but I never encountered such an opportunity.

“Now you have your chance, don’t you?” Ji Huaisu laughed. “How romantic! Let’s drink to this romantic adventure.”

She actually took out a gourd and poured two sips of the remaining wine into a small ice glass. This was confiscated from Qingye that night at the banquet, to prevent the girl from drinking too much. They drank and toasted, laughing happily.

“I really admire you two heroes for still being able to laugh. I’ve cried until I have no tears left.” Vande said expressionlessly. “I don’t think we’ll turn into hedgehogs. We’ll be struck by lightning and turned into asphalt. Many years later, a new batch of brave warriors will dig us up and say, ‘Wow, this is the heroic 35th generation veteran…’ They’ll salute us and then continue on their way to their deaths.”

The deafening thunder completely drowned out Vande's lament. Lightning danced like snakes in the thick clouds, and the murky rain, falling in mid-air, became sharp knives. Looking around, all he could see was a dark mass—not the night, but the enemy army.

The demons growled in the shadows, and corpses paced within them. Further away, three demons roared, and giant corpse puppets raised their weapons. Rain blades slashed through their skin, and foul-smelling black blood mingled with their flesh, flowing down and merging into the earth. At a glance, the total number of the heretical army exceeded fifty thousand. They surrounded the settlement, as if darkness itself had become the hand of despair.

The army's opponents were merely three individuals, sitting in the rain drinking, like slightly larger raindrops. What seemed like a vast distance was but a step to the demons, yet they dared not advance. Not a single outsider dared to act.

The Divine Slash was stuck in the ground, rainwater slicing across its charred blade. Its ferocity was only partially revealed, a trace of malevolence like the half-closed eye of a ferocious beast, its mere presence enough to deter all heretics.

"This scene is even more magnificent than I imagined."

"You can still retreat now if you're scared."

"How could that be?" Chu Hengkong laughed. "That's more like it!"

The ice cup shattered on the ground, and the assassin and the knight rose simultaneously. At that moment, command overcame fear, and the massive army was officially mobilized, water droplets and ocean waves charging towards each other!

The Divine Slash lifted from the ground, its blade slicing through the leaping demon's body, easily cleaving it in two. Shadows, like blood, seeped into the blade, and the Divine Slash emitted an excited creak. Chu Hengkong shed the enemy's corpses, his blade flowing smoothly like water. The arc of the blade traced a black circle in the rain, that arc piercing through the enemy ranks, slicing through thousands of bodies, the overflowing blood forming a murky fan shape amidst the army.

He sheathed his sword, and with a sudden burst of energy from his fan, the force of his strike erupted three times in a short instant, shattering nearly a tenth of the army's strength!

The method of controlling weapons by the mind of the people allows the master of the weapon and the weapon to be of one mind and body, and to perform all kinds of supernatural powers with just a little strength.

Ji Huaisu cheered and pointed her light shield at the sky. Rain swirled at her feet, transforming into towering waves. These waves surged through the gap Chu Hengkong had slashed, blowing away the outermost enemy soldiers and sending the two of them directly into the center of the enemy formation. A blinding light radiated as they landed; she drew her shadow blade and slashed around herself, shattering all the shadows cast by the intense light.

The puppet army at the rear of the battle line fell, their massive bodies easily severed as their shadows were cut. A mad demon, its body fragmented, launched a sneak attack from behind, but Chu Heng kicked away the sand-dust claws with his bare foot. A flash of blood-red energy incinerated the elemental body into ashes. An assassin puppet burst from the ground, attempting to restrain the killer with a bone cage, but the knight slashed down with his sword, cleaving the torture device and the puppet's body in two.

"Is that all?" the assassin chuckled. "Not quite enough."

"Don't be like that, staying in nightmares for too long will make you rusty~" Ji Huaisu said.

"How much more valuable is the rusty guy than before?"

"I'd guess one in ten?"

That's why I said it wasn't enough—

Weapons clashed in perfect unison as they slashed, the combined force of their intent and magic sending surrounding enemies flying. They stood back to back, simultaneously drawing their swords, the resulting gusts of wind shaking the earth and coalescing into a two-tone whirlwind. Nearly a fifth of the enemy vanished in that instant, and the assassin and knight pointed their weapons at the castle atop Black Mountain.

They laughed simultaneously: "Send me at least ten times the number of troops, Demon King!"

At this moment, the army had only just launched its first offensive, yet the enemy was already nearly breaching their battle lines. Indeed, there are heroes in this world who can single-handedly defeat a thousand men; even an army of fifty thousand could not stop their advance!

“What terrifying young people…” the spider muttered. “It’s always the same, like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, but instead of falling, they resolutely hang on the horizon. Your teachers were like that back then, so I feel fear whenever I see them.”

The Spider-Legs stood atop the city walls of the Nightmare Capital, its gaze fixed on the distant, misty wilderness, yet its vision was crystal clear. Just as the warriors would grow stronger within the city, the messengers could now rediscover some of their former glory. The enemy's choice was unexpected; he had assumed the vanguard would lead the rest of the warriors in a desperate fight, but it turned out there were only two of them.

No, it was two people standing on the shoulders of a hundred. Through his energy perspective, he saw a boundless life force descending from the Tree of Light, falling upon the two. All the warriors in the settlement, young and old, surrounded the sacred pillar, sending out their energy in a united formation. Among the hundred were Jie An wielding a pestle, and the people of the mist who should have been forgotten long ago; they were all contributing their power without regard for the cost, just to save the two vanguard soldiers a single ounce of their strength.

The heroes must use their power for the most crucial moment, so the battles before that will be fought by everyone else!

"All troops, leave those two and launch a full-scale assault on the settlement. We must at least force the War Demons to exhaust the Skyfall Stream once," the Spider Limb ordered. "Ember, can you still draw your bow?"

"My flame will not be extinguished until death."

Burning Ember stood at the highest point of Nightmare City, drawing back the burning bowstring. His posture was perfect, meticulous; he had once been a hunter in the mountains, where a misfire meant the loss of food and tomorrow. Flames surged from his glowing arm into the bow, forming a semi-fluid arrow.

The magic fire arrow of point 3, the most standard apprentice spell.

The burning embers spun the longbow, the bowstring coiling around the arrow. The bow's movement was frozen in light, each degree of shift creating a new bow. Flames spread like petals, nocking identical arrows onto the newly formed bows. Three thousand six hundred flaming arrows retreated with the fiery fingertips, the bowstring, twisted to its limit, infused with power. He released, and three thousand six hundred beams of light shot into the thick clouds, refracting into a rain of burning arrows!

"The rain that never ceases to burn."

The battlefield was illuminated by raging flames, and countless fire rains fell from the sky, like divine punishment from mythology. The rain of arrows encompassed the entire battlefield, not only the battle formation between the two, but also the settlements within its range. Every flaming arrow relentlessly pursued the heat, chasing the hero from all directions, unwilling to give up unless blocked or annihilated.

Without a second thought, Ji Huaisu slammed her hand on the ground, and the Triple Dragon Seal Mountain rose up from the earth. Her power continuously poured into the mountain, making the seal temporarily contend with the rain of arrows.

"Can we hold out?" Vande asked, his heart pounding with fear.

"No big deal, just a little numbness in my hand!" Ji Huaisu shouted. "I'll hold the settlement, let's rush to the city gate first!"

Chu Hengkong grabbed her arm and charged forward, ignoring the rain of arrows, carving a bloody path through the army. Burning arrows, drawn by the heat, followed, but could not keep up with the assassin's unparalleled speed. In just three seconds, they had entered the middle of the ancient battlefield, where thunder rumbled amidst the fiery clouds, and purple lightning bolts were unleashed at the messenger's call.

"Zhou Lei, it's your turn to go on stage."

"Anger, hatred, resentment, and sorrow—the lightning punishment gathers..."

A purple giant reappeared from the clouds, holding in his hand a bolt of lightning as thick as a building. The lightning, twisted with malice, refracted in the air into a forest of lightning that tore the sky apart. A long, mournful roar of cursed thunder, like a thunder god driven mad by a curse, unleashed a severe divine punishment upon the earth.

"Curse! Curse! Curse!!"

Each call caused the lightning to surge, and each curse doubled the number of lightning trees. The destructive power of the lightning punishment became three times... nine times... twenty-seven times!

"Can it really hold up?!" Van der screamed amidst the thunder. "I don't think it will work!"

Zhou Lei swung his fist into the air, and tens of thousands of bolts of lightning struck the center of the battlefield simultaneously. The iceberg, worn down by the rain of fire arrows, could not withstand this violent blow, and Ji Huaisu created a transparent staircase in the air.

Chu Heng leaped onto the icy steps, raising his blade to meet the descending lightning. The raging thunder struck the charred blade, the lightning gleaming it, yet the blade was held back by his inner energy, unable to penetrate the martial artist's body. He swung his blade in mid-air, with twice the power as before. The purplish-black blade light danced like a bird, piercing straight through the giant's chest.

Steel Edge Flow - Returning Strike. Take the hit, and receive double the return!

The cursed lightning in the clouds collapsed upon impact, and Ji Huaisu seized the opportunity to change her armor, switching to the speed-focused Steel Armor Army. She caught her partner and stealthily rode the wind, like a sword flash cutting through thorns. Raindrops rushed backward at breakneck speed, and the scenery blurred as they sped along. They crossed the mountains that had crumbled during the Battle of Wenyao and arrived at the highest point of the royal city gate.

"Get up, you old fools!" Ji Huaisu roared. "Come out and fight!"

She unleashed a water jet like a battering ram, slamming it into the city gate of Nightmare City!

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.

"I know exactly how to use it, especially in my own case."

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!