Forge a path to success

It wasn't just because of my own anger.

Furthermore, it was the soaring will emanating from the opponent's weapons.

“It makes sense, Mr. Nightwalker.”

I know this better than anyone else. Therefore, I will absolutely not allow you to slander yourself like this!

The heel slammed violently into the ground, and the bones briefly came together as a single unit under the impact.

Using this powerful support, the sword, which had been moving through the night, was knocked away. A new black sword was instantly created, its black and white blades carving intricate patterns, no longer concerned with hitting its mark or achieving a flawless strike. It simply swung stubbornly, carving out unwavering strikes with its own will.

"Among the 543 people you saved, there were patriarchs who later became famous, teachers who educated and nurtured students, and soldiers who are still fighting on the front lines today, fighting for the lives of others."

And there were many more ordinary people, unrecorded in history. They returned to that small island, and their descendants formed the large family we know today. One of those ordinary people was my ancestor.

Take a step back while traveling at night.

There was no clear path to a perfect breakthrough; the only option was to retreat and seek the variables of the next round. However, Qingye seized the opportunity to press her advantage, and Gao Liang's Mian Sheng slashed down with incredible speed. He had never seen such swordsmanship before, nor had any of the guys he had encountered possessed such a sword. Was it her own self-developed style, or merely a chaotic flurry of blows thrown in a fit of intense emotion?

However, it was unstoppable.

Just like the last duel.

Even a master swordsman cannot withstand such a sword.

"Without your sacrifice, there would be no light and darkness today."

Those slain by the messenger of fear will surely curse your existence.

But because of this, I can never deny your actions!

Forehead, arms, chest, neck, waist, legs. Eight unconnected sword lights slashed out simultaneously. Qingye, walking amidst the eight beams of light, unleashed his sword, delivering simultaneous strikes in real time.

There was still no opening to dodge. He still couldn't break through her sword's momentum.

Therefore, those who travel at night retaliate with slashing blows.

All the "locks" within him were unlocked, and the concentrated energy was sealed within the blade, merging the short sword with the stillness of time. The moment the eight rays of light touched his clothes, he silently drew his sword. The essence of the Thousand Nights Instant Star technique was contained within this single strike, blurring the lines between consciousness and reality in the flash of the blade.

It was an irresistible thrust, just as death was inescapable. The profound skill that Hikari had cultivated throughout his life, even weakened to its current state, was still a sword technique that guaranteed death.

Wuxiang Nixinliu: Zhulu Sword.

The swirling blade of light was resolutely pierced by the thrust, like a spear piercing a shield, like a blade cutting through flesh. The prison of eight slashes was decisively destroyed; even the mist could not stop the fatal blow. Qingye stared at the blade's edge, slowly lowering her longsword and placing Miansheng to her side. The flying blade of light shattered into streams of light before her, and in the instant the last blade of light shattered, Qingye charged towards the demonic sword!

The crown emitted a blinding light, and the shattered blade fragments swirled and danced, returning to their original form. The superphoton acceleration belts superimposed, and the passage of time reached its limit in this single sword strike. She met the thrust with her own, unleashing a dazzling blade of light towards the line of death!

The Flow of No Thoughts and Reincarnation Blade.

The Martial Venerable's personally passed-down secret sword technique. A brand-new swordsmanship born in the post-Night Walker era.

Then, the light and shadow faded, leaving only the sound of the wind.

The two stood back to back.

Qingye clutched her stomach and knelt on the ground. She hadn't completely dodged the demonic sword; the Night Walker's blade had struck, albeit slightly off target. She gritted her teeth, struggled to her feet, and turned to face the man whose back was to her.

He sighed softly as he walked at night.

"Is swordsmanship more important, or technique?"

“Equally important,” Qingye said.

"Is life more important, or dignity?"

"Life is more important," Qingye said.

"What is the profound meaning of the 'No Thought Reversal Flow'?"

"Listen to unpleasant advice to hone yourself." Qingye blinked hard. "Stay true to your heart's desires and move forward fearlessly and without ambition."

Nightwalker released his weapon, and the short sword "Longyu" rolled down the eaves to Qingye's feet. He still had his back to Qingye, so it was impossible to see the man's expression at that moment. Only the mask symbolizing fear shattered and fell to the ground.

His figure vanished in the light, leaving only a final, gentle word.

You are on your own path...

Keep moving forward.

Qingye picked up the dagger and wiped away her tears. Shadows flickered on the blade, carrying the lingering thoughts of those who had once been wounded. She clearly sensed that the fighting throughout the City of Nightmares had subsided, and her comrades, some severely wounded and others exhausted, were heading towards the only remaining building.

She pierced the roof, revealing a bottomless abyss beneath the black stone. She leaped into the castle at night, rushing towards the final battlefield.

Operation Dawn, fourth battle: Night against Night.

The victor will reign supreme through the night.

Chapter 247 Despair Overflows, Endless Shadows

At this moment, the last four messengers met their end. The unruly army of heretics wandered aimlessly across the desolate battlefield.

The desolate wilderness, ravaged by numerous battles, is unrecognizable. Beasts have perished, the landscape has crumbled, and even the Demon City of Corpses has been burned to ashes. Only the settlements protected by the holy pillars and the Demon King's castle in the deepest darkness remain.

In the forgotten desert, two bystanders still stand quietly.

The once-deep underwater valley was shattered in the aftermath of the great battle, and most of the people in the fog had received help from the monks before the final battle began. Only the dog-bodied man, Vofka, stubbornly remained, gazing at the battlefield alongside the monks.

“Eternal time bears witness that the four messengers have met their end, and only the Nightmare King remains in the city.” Bernfar closed the Book of Revelation. “Whether it is life or death, only God knows.”

“They will survive,” Wolfka murmured. “They will defeat the Demon King and come out alive.”

Why are you so certain?

"No reason..."

The man in the mist tilted his head back and smiled bitterly: "But I hope I can believe that."

I believe they can win.

I believe hope will eventually come...

"We have to win, and come back alive..."

Beneath the core of the sacred pillar, Silar clenched his claws in prayer. The settlement was almost silent; no one had the strength to speak. They were channeling their energy through the sacred pillar, conserving as much power as possible for the warriors.

Hopefully, that remaining strength will come in handy during the final battle.

I hope the heroes can hold on for just one more second...

"Lord Divine Tree, is there anything else we can do?" Gulibo asked anxiously.

“It’s all gone, child,” Finya sighed. “If sacrificing my life could make a difference, I would gladly burn my remaining body. But Vansalal is, after all, the ruler of this place, and neither Chongming nor I can interfere…”

"Hey, what are you worried about?" Jie An said. "We don't need to worry about those guys; they'll handle it!"

"That's right. They've long been capable of standing on their own."

Chongming stood at the edge of the settlement, gazing at the castle that trembled as if it were alive. His gaze pierced through all obstacles, reaching the deepest part of the battlefield.

"Trust them," he said. "Trust them, and they will surely win!"

·

I can't count how many distances I've traversed.

Countless doors were smashed down.

The castle's interior was like the stomach of a giant beast, a dead land devoid of fire and light, filled only with endless shadows.

Chu Hengkong moved forward in the darkness, guided by his intuition. It seemed like only a few seconds, yet also like an eternity, before he smashed through the decaying gate and stepped into the empty, cold audience hall.

The Demon King is there.

He sat on the cold throne, half asleep, supporting his head with one hand.

He seemed startled and slowly raised his head. His dim gaze pierced the hall, meeting the assassin's eyes.

"Oh...you've come..."

He shook his neck, a harsh grinding sound emanating from his body. The assassin gripped his knife tightly and strode forward.

"Welcome, young man. It's quite an achievement that you've come this far. However..."

"Aren't you going to do more preparation? Aren't you going to squeeze in some time to train? Are you really sure you want to challenge the Demon King at this time?"

The assassin stared at him coldly, and he smiled in response.

"So……"

He braced himself against the armrest and rose from the throne. The assassins began to run, their blades flashing with blood.

"Be prepared. Muster your courage."

"Do not be afraid. Do not back down."

He opened his eyes wide, like a beast opening its jaws. The assassin leaped up, his blade slicing through the air with a blood-red arc. He drew a staff from his robes, from which skeletal claws sprouted!

"Unleash your full power and confront the King of Nightmas!!"

The Shadow Claw lashed out at the Divine Slash, the first strike a full-force attack. Vansalar roared with laughter, his dejection vanishing completely. He was now invigorated, his eyes gleaming with divine light, more excited and exuberant than ever before. The dark Demon King's castle instantly lit up, six thousand six hundred blue lights flickering, illuminating the battlefield in a magnificent display!

The Demon King's terrifying nature was thus revealed; his shadow twisted, like a restless nightmare from the depths of the soul. Farnsalaar was now far more frenzied than when he first appeared on the battlefield, like a tyrant. Yet the assassin stood before him, showing no sign of yielding.

The divine slash grazed the gap in the shadow claw, its blade aimed at one of the fingers. Vansalal countered with his wand, deflecting the blade, and laughed at the assassin: "Final exams have begun, assassin!!"

"I originally thought it would be Xiao Qingxia who would see me off in my final moments. I had high hopes for Ji Huaisu when I was in Jinye City, but in the end, it was you who stood before the throne. An outsider with no connection, no karmic ties, and no entanglements, became the first hero to challenge the Nightmare King!"

"Does it have to be some deep-seated grudge to kill you?" Chu Hengkong said coldly. "Unfortunately, I have no interest in you. I have no desire to investigate where you came from or to understand your morbid thoughts."

I loathe your behavior, I'm going to smash the desolate wilderness, so I'm going to kill you!

"Excellent! That's how it should be!" Vansalal trembled with excitement. "Then unleash your full power and kill me, hero!!"

Shadow Claw and God's Slash collided at extremely close range, sparks flying from their combined intent and magic. The Nightmare King had surprisingly begun with close combat; his attacks lacked technique, yet possessed a cruel and bloodthirsty savagery, like a hunting dog tearing apart, a falcon swooping down. His magic-constructed claws precisely struck vital points, the most efficient attacks generated from countless killings.

He is the Lord of the Demon Slayers, possessing the memories of all the Demon Slayers, which also means thousands of years of endlessly accumulating experience "every second." Before this unprecedented ferocious beast, even the most exquisite swordsmanship is doomed to failure.

However, experience is by no means the only path; geniuses who transcend the ordinary also exist in this world. For a man who could fight ferocious beasts as a child, the fighting methods of wild animals were merely techniques he had long since surpassed. His blade intercepted claw strikes, and his slashes shattered sharp claws.

A thrust, a slash, a downward chop—three strikes in an instant, blood-red light erupting, shattering Vansalar's shadow claws. As the attack ended, the Divine Slash swept behind him, crimson flames spreading across its blade. Chu Hengkong gripped the blade in a backhand grip and slashed again, the surging flames tearing through the hall, the burning, malevolent blade slashing towards the Demon King.

Burn the night!

A swift and decisive slash cleaved Vansalar in two; his lower body turned to ash and dissipated, while his upper body floated in the air, clapping. The hall, which should have collapsed, was magnified many times over, transforming into a desolate plain shrouded in night. The Nightmare King's mind distorted reality, causing the battlefield to change according to his will.

He vanished with laughter, rising from the shadows. Demons swarmed from the shadows, devouring and piling up to form twenty Vansal. They simultaneously raised their staffs, and the shadows fell, severing the sky!

"Execution by fear."

One of the Void Shadow Techniques that Vaklo once used was to sharpen his blade by drawing upon the fear that had materialized into a slaughtering force. In that battle, Vaklo only summoned one slaughtering blade, but now Vansalal released twenty times that number. Twenty slaughtering blades slashed down in succession, nearly half of which blocked Chu Hengkong's path, and nearly half formed a ring-shaped prison.

Without a second thought, Chu Heng unleashed his Divine Slash, cleaving the nearest blade in two. He leaped from the broken blade, soaring like an eagle to cleave one of the Vansar. The shattered "corpse" vanished as shadows, and a new Demon King rose from the shadows, deflecting the ensuing attacks with his blade.

"Vande!" "I'm thinking about it!"

Vande blinked nervously in his pocket: "The Nightmare King is famous for his Demon-Slaying Divine Splitting Spell. He hates the method of splitting himself after becoming elemental. The effect of splitting into millions is actually achieved by entrusting his thoughts to shadow bodies..."

"Is there any difference between this and the Golden Leaf one?"

“The difference is that Vansalar is faster, stronger, and more powerful, and… it’s a continuously activated spell!” Vand’s eyes lit up. “He has a physical form! Let’s go!”

Chu Hengkong's eyes lit up. Vandal used hypnosis to mark the location of the real Vandal. The real Vandal was behind him, waving his wand and casting a new spell. The moment he realized this, the Demon King smiled slightly, and a tsunami of shadows rose from the ground. Nearly 90% of the matter was swallowed by the shadows, and the battlefield became a semi-circle barely wide enough for one person to stand in. He and the Demon King stood at opposite ends of the circular track, while numerous clones flew up laughing, unleashing countless killing blows.

Chu Hengkong ducked to avoid the attack; the enormous blade made him feel as if he were dodging the sky itself. He rolled on the spot, gliding along the circular track, unleashing ten fiery beams of divine slash that precisely severed the surrounding fragments. Just as he reached the middle, the fragments suddenly clapped their hands in unison. The six blades combined to form an insurmountable cross-section, severing the remaining half of the track.

The battlefield separated, and Chu Hengkong plummeted into the bottomless abyss, flinging his Calamity Wrist upwards. Even the maximum extension of his prosthetic body wasn't enough to cross the wall of blades, yet the Calamity Wrist's sword and shield transformed into a scythe, driving its intent deep into the wall of blades. The Calamity Wrist retracted, and Chu Hengkong rose using inertia. At his highest point, he stopped, spun around, and leaped up, stepping on the head of his clone.

Chu Hengkong traversed the wall of blades, arriving above the latter half of the track. His clones wove a new spell, and he thrust his wrist forward mid-air. The Heavenly Spear, empowered by the Scythe of Calamity, pierced through layers of magic and struck Vansalal's main body!

“Very good…” Vansalar clutched his chest. “Not being blinded by appearances, a brilliant decision!”

The Disruption of Order effect of the Scythe of Calamity activated, causing the Demon Slayer's Divine Intervention spell to collapse in an instant. Vansalal's clone vanished, and Chu Heng fell back onto the lower half of the circular track. In just a moment, he could be beside the Demon King, but the terrain changed once again. The curved track was distorted into a straight line by the shadows, and the distance that was once so close was stretched to nearly a thousand miles.

He possessed combat power far exceeding his current level, yet lacked the essence of a 4th-order particle. Those who haven't crossed the First Abyss are ultimately bound by the constraints of terrain and environment. Meanwhile, the Demon King manipulates the world, chanting leisurely in the shadows.

"A colossal, screeching, disintegrating entity, a turbid malice rising against the heavens, a gathering of tearing, frenzy, self-destructive despair—"

Group fear.

"Illusory Sky Shadow Technique - Nightfall Mass".

Vansarar raises his arms out, like a keeper summoning birds.

A corner of the night sky transformed into a bat and landed on the back of his hand.

The beast was only the size of a palm, with smooth fur and jet-black eyes, devoid of any other color, only pure black. No other color could exist, for it was a beast born of the night, a concept brought to life by magic.