Forge a path to success

Talent is innate.

Talent is determined at birth.

The upper limit of relationships between people seems to have been set from the very beginning.

However, over the long course of time, there is a power that everyone can ultimately "inherit".

Those are the insights of the elders, the discoveries gained in practice, the truths that can only be known at a higher level, and the will passed down from generation to generation, engraved in the hearts of children through education.

The renowned Time Transformation Technique of the prestigious Guangshi Clan is a spiritual inheritance, a "worldview" depicted by the Martial Venerable.

Unchanging light records the past, ever-changing shadows give rise to the future, and countless lives, like dust, collectively observe the present. Therefore, to influence time, one must begin with light, using your life to affect its flow, and defining its trajectory with your swordsmanship—

Starting from this guiding principle, the members of the Koji family, those skilled in swordsmanship, explored the art of influencing time through swordsmanship. Each person's thinking differed, and each person's conclusions were different. This series of unpredictable techniques was given a well-known collective name by the people of Shura Island.

The flow of thought without intention, the art of time turning in vain.

In stark contrast to the Nightwalker's Time-Turning Technique, which stops time, the essence of the Nightwalker's Time-Turning Technique is to accelerate time.

I wish I could grow faster, fight faster. At such a young age, I can't yet reach the level of experience accumulated over many years, so I'll conquer it with even greater speed. However, in terms of physical ability alone, a person with a crippled heart cannot compare to a martial arts practitioner or a demon indulging in desires. Simply strengthening myself won't allow me to achieve my ideal of extreme speed.

Therefore, we need to use "technology" to bypass it.

Just like the almost unsolvable overflow of Vaklo's sword light, since one cannot achieve ultimate speed, one should become faster than the enemy. By using the sword light to locally accelerate the enemy's attack, one can use the time difference to deflect the originally guaranteed strike, stepping into the sword light that is accelerated dozens of times, thus achieving a teleportation that is impossible in the real timeline.

This is the "Time-Shifting Technique" of Light and Night, which uses slashing to accelerate the flow of photons and achieve a super photon acceleration zone that speeds up time!

--amazing.

Night Walker felt a surge of admiration in his heart.

Even in the era he fought so hard, few with broken hearts dared to challenge such an absurd technique. The more powerful the technique, the greater the corresponding risks; simply constructing such a technique within the heart could lead to organ failure due to temporal distortion. She must have used the historical mysteries within her bones to resolve part of the crisis, but even so, she still had to pay a price for using this technology.

The accelerated time within the sword light meant that those who stepped into it also had to bear the corresponding passage of time. Her features had subtly changed; her once youthful face had matured little by little during the battle. In reality, it was a doubled aging process; she gained the glory of the battlefield, but at the cost of her youth slipping away twice as fast.

There's nothing to criticize anymore.

The young man walked alone toward a dead end, knowing the consequences, but his original aspiration remained unwavering.

Then it can no longer be called foolishness, but deserves applause for its enlightenment.

Nightwalker held his short sword level and charged towards the sword path he had already seen through. At this moment, he had no more reservations; Nightwalker's strike would sever his throat in a second.

"Very good. Light shines through the night. Beautiful technique."

Keep moving forward. Don't look back.

Return to your hometown with your glorious achievements.

"Thank you, Mr. Nightwalker," Qingye said earnestly. "I will continue to improve."

"—Until I become as remarkable as you!"

Then, sincere words reached Ye Xing's ears.

Before thought even arises, emotion has already driven the body to act.

A jet-black dagger blocked Mian Sheng's path, and the gaze beneath the silver mask was as terrifying as a demon. The merciless black and white hues moved with rage, creating a still battlefield!

Chapter 246 Time Flies By (Part 2)

A frozen world, a silent killing intent. The memory of her previous defeat flashed through her mind, and Qingye froze, gripped by the pain of the past. Instinctively, she wanted to unleash Thousand Nights Instant Star, hoping to break through time with a burst of willpower, but her martial arts instincts prevented her from acting.

Not yet.

Startled by the sudden sword strike, he panicked. How could he be considered at his peak? Even with the Instant Star Technique, all he achieved was a dim light. Now, he was using…!

She stood frozen, letting the short blade sever her head. Just before the blow, her body transformed into an unyielding mist; the Mist-Transfer Technique ensured her safety for that moment. Simultaneously, the impact of the slash caused Mian Sheng to move, creating a short, curved arc. Qing Ye, relying on a sliver of light to accelerate time, gained the freedom to move.

She turned sideways in the light, shifting her position with the treacherous ease of walking on concrete. Then, time, which had seemed to stand still, began to flow again. A short blade grazed past Qingye's ear, the condensed killing intent creating the illusion of being pierced through. Qingye rolled away hastily to avoid the attack, but the night's slash came without mercy.

Raising her crown, she barely managed to block the attack, but the irresistible force sent her flying backward. Qingye used her shadow threads to pull the castle's protrusions back onto the battlefield, but Yexing severed them before she could even begin. She swung her sword, speeding through the accelerating time to a safe position, but Yexing, as if prescient, turned and slashed down. Qingye hastily countered with her own sword; in the instant her long and short blades crossed, her wrist involuntarily trembled.

Nightwalker's spirit flowed along the blade, like an invisible rage. That rage solidified the scattered swordplay, making Nightwalker as terrifying as a demon!

"As expected of Mr. Nightwalker...!"

"Shut up!" Nightwalker roared. "Why are you still saying such things now! Didn't your defeat last time make you understand the truth?!"

"I completely understand now." Qingye struggled to maintain her composure. "That's precisely why I—"

"I thought you had grown up, but you are still so foolish..." Nightwalker's voice trembled with anger. "You have gone down the wrong path. What's the use of achieving great things if you have not done so?"

"Light and Night, you have truly disappointed me!!!"

The strike fell like a meteor. Mian Sheng tilted helplessly.

Faced with the all-out night's advance, Qingye's defenses were easily shattered. The blade slashed towards the girl's brow, carrying the wielder's regret, sorrow, and rage. The girl's gaze was reflected in the blade, which flowed like water.

Then, the passing gazes were severed by the shadows, and a second short sword slashed down from mid-air, striking the night traveler's weapon squarely!

"—Mr. Nightwalker, you're the one who's in the wrong! Get your act together!"

The Shadow Blade, held in Qingye's hand, shattered instantly upon impact. The Black Blade Technique of the Sinful Souls was no match for the Shadow Blade of the Disciplined Knight; at best, it was a disposable weapon for emergencies. Qingye gripped a new Black Blade, her long and short blades clashing in a diagonal cross. She faced the Nightwalker's rage head-on, unyielding, confronting him with her own emotions.

"Isn't that enough? Hundreds of years have passed! The Nightmare King is long dead, and you're a figure from history books now. Even Lord Mingwu is a respected patriarch!" Qingye exclaimed excitedly. "You could have... forgiven yourself long ago!"

"You don't understand anything!"

"I see!"

With an air of superiority, Qingye shouted.

“I saw it during the ascension. Crown Ascension is… your sword!”

The black blade shattered once more, and Nightwalker cleaved through frozen time. There was still no way to break the spell, but Nightwalker refused to yield.

So she used all her strength to slash out an accelerating arc. In the almost frozen spacetime, the stagnant black and the vibrant white collided with opposing wills.

Intense emotions raced across the blade. Long-dormant longing was awakened by the shared passion of both parties.

And so, in the instant their own timelines collided, memories of the past surfaced in their minds.

—That was a horrific sight of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

The mysterious souls, seen as the hope for the future, die the moment they come into contact with it.

The core of the force, which prided itself on its endurance and mental fortitude, cried out and begged for mercy amidst its maniacal laughter.

The spirit was shattered. Courage was crushed. Faced with irrational power and overwhelming madness, the mere existence of an individual is a luxury.

A hymn played in the Land of Despair, and the Demon King stood atop Mount Corpse, laughing at those who had been deliberately left behind.

"It's something to look forward to, everyone. It was worth the long journey I took to get here. You've persevered to this point; you truly are promising newcomers of the Zanshin clan!"

"Can you unleash even more power? Can you stand up again? Can you challenge me again?"

That's how it should be, so why are so many people crying?

This won't do, this won't do!

It, that thing, magnified in everyone's eyes, was like a terrifying beast crawling out from the bottom of an abyss.

"I have no choice but to be the bad guy this once."

That's settled then. If no one challenges me in three seconds, I'll kill half of you.

If not everyone stands up after six seconds, then your beloved family members will also be put to the test.

Spread nightmares, unleash demons, conduct amusing experiments—imagine it however you like, you'll witness it all. Don't doubt it, I am the Lord of Demons, I am omnipresent.

"So, are you scared?"

"Then stand up."

"stand up."

"Fight me with all your might!"

He knelt on the ground, staring at the crazed shadow and listening to its smug laughter. A surge of anger welled up from the depths of his being, but it was crushed by the overwhelming terror. His spirit stood pale and lifeless, while his body wailed in a pool of blood.

Can't do it.

No way.

That was absolutely not an opponent they could defeat. Reason told him he had to act, but his heart trembled and hesitated. 1, 2, 3, time was up. He couldn't make a sound.

But a brave man stood up. He took his twin swords and once again stood on the opposite side of the Demon King.

"—Mingwu, do you still remember your idea?"

He heard his brother's calm voice.

"Lead everyone together, and use your skills."

Of course he remembered it, his casual conversation with his brother not long ago. The accelerating light and the still shadow, if their contradictions were merged by a circle of willpower, could unleash a power beyond limits. It was, as always, a whimsical thought, something he himself hadn't taken seriously, but his brother remembered it; he had genuinely been contemplating it.

"Victory or defeat is a matter of life and death; let's gamble one last time!"

Mingwu stood up. His companions wanted to join the battle, but they had lost their strength. His sword shattered, so his brother tossed him a new one. The Demon King laughed excitedly, as if expressing his expectations. He didn't listen; he gripped his brother's sword, determined that even in death, he would not betray those expectations.

He unleashed a bright arc of light, sweeping across the battlefield. Time seemed to flow a thousandfold, and the overactivated photons swept everyone back. He slashed out with all his might, creating a crooked circle. He ran towards the Demon King amidst the fleeting light.

But he couldn't reach the Demon King. He encountered a pitch-black line. His brother's final strike was aimed behind him, forming a barrier of time. Time outside the barrier flowed a thousandfold, while time inside the barrier moved slowly, almost stagnant.

That infinitely magnified time makes a fleeting moment become eternal.

"Brother..." he murmured to himself, "Brother!! Night travel!!!"

Beyond the unreachable reaches of time, Yagyou smiled silently at him. Only then did he notice Yagyou carrying a short sword. How could he not have noticed? Long swords were for killing enemies; carrying a short sword was for seppuku. He heard the Demon King's roar, feeling the rage of being fooled even beyond the reach of time.

He looked back at Ye Xing, then raised his sword and slashed at the Demon King.

This was the last time he heard his brother's voice in his life.

"—Come, King of Nightmares."

I'll be your opponent!

Regret, failure, sacrifice, bravery—all have been diluted by time, becoming stories from long ago. Only the blade remains as bright as ever, sealing away the regretful cries of men from hundreds of years ago.

Thus, the two swords separated.

Crystalline tears fell, dissipating and blurring in the hazy passage of time.

"Lord Mingwu once said that Lord Yexing, as a general, did not achieve victory in the war, and as a man with a broken heart, did not die a death without shame."

He gave everything to save everyone's lives. He is my forever beloved and best brother!

Qingye gripped her long sword tightly, not even wiping away her tears. Yexing gripped his short sword, seemingly still wanting to rebuke him, but ultimately swallowed his words silently. He covered his mask, his pale hand trembling slightly.

“You saw it,” Nightwalker sighed. “You felt moved. You admired the general’s sacrifice back then. But you only saw that scene, but you don’t know what happened afterward.”

"The man with a broken heart saved 543 people on that day when he walked at night."

"And the lives slaughtered by the Nightbringer of Fear are simply countless!"

He gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, roaring at Qingye and at himself.

How could you possibly aspire to such a foolish decision!

That's the opposite you must learn from, Qingye!!

His response was a flurry of sword flashes.

Without another word, the weeping girl simply swung her sword. Nightwalker slid past the strike, dodging to the side, the hilt of his blade aimed at Qingye's side. Qingye dodged, but Nightwalker gained the upper hand. A regretful dagger slashed down, and Qingye braced herself against the blade with her palm, desperately withstanding the force of the blow.

"Yes, life is more important than dignity. As long as you're alive, you can find a way. That's certainly the right idea. But have you ever thought about why the older generation teaches you about meaningless 'dignity' and why they admire the idea of ​​dying on the battlefield?!"

"Because in this cruel world, even surviving doesn't mean there's hope! If you want to live, you'll sacrifice the lives of others. You think sacrificing yourself will save more lives, but you're just becoming a new butcher out of malice!!"

"A choice made out of arrogance, a sacrifice made out of arrogance, has led to a mistake that a thousand deaths cannot undo!"

Night Walker's voice was hoarse, filled with anger tinged with deep sorrow. He understood Qingye's personality all too well, knowing the kind of heart that lay beneath this girl's immature exterior.

They value life, but they also value the safety of their companions.

They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of others' survival.

This is correct. Even noble. Yet, it is also the last thing one should be on the battlefield. To win, one must be ruthless; if one is heartless, one must fight to the bitter end. One cannot have empathy, one cannot be blinded by sacrifice; the one who can defeat heretics is the madman who dares to lead the masses to hell.

"With such wishful thinking, even if you become stronger, it will be meaningless!"

"--some."

The blade trembled violently.