Forge a path to success

Ji Huaisu knew she couldn't waste any more time. She grabbed Vande and rushed towards the direction with the highest water element concentration. Vande's eyes were still darting around: "What class is it now?"

"You useless college student, wake up! You graduated a long time ago!"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh." Van der rubbed his eyes, still confused. "I saw so many students and thought it was me..."

Ji Huaisu slammed on the brakes and swerved. She saw the students too; across the street, an entire school of elementary school students were being guided by their teachers to the playground for refuge. This could prevent injury from falling debris, but in the face of the natural disaster caused by the stone demon, it was practically meaningless. The school building behind them was already teetering on the brink of collapse, and the next second it would crash down on the children.

Ji Huaisu leaped onto the playground and pressed a metal object resembling a token onto her light shield. The faint light instantly amplified, forming a large light barrier covering the playground. This was an enhancement device developed by Youyou; its range could be flexibly adjusted as long as it provided power. At the critical moment, the collapsing building was stopped by the light shield, and Ji Huaisu breathed a sigh of relief. But at that moment, she saw wriggling shadows, seemingly sentient, undulating behind the children.

A beast covered in sharp blades leaped from the shadows—it was the Cataclysmic Species of Point 2, the Slaughtering Demon! At point-blank range, the beast, who reveled in tearing flesh apart, pounced on the child. Ji Huaisu had made a mistake; her light shield created a large area of ​​shadow, which, while protecting against external attacks, also provided the Slaughtering Demon with a path to infiltrate.

A gleaming black blade blocked the beast's teeth; a masterful strike severed the fangs, forcing the demon to retreat. A girl in a yellow outfit descended from the sky, her scarf fluttering behind her.

Ji Huaisu was overjoyed: "You are Miss Retreat!"

"Hmm, let's just say that's how it is. It's quite a coincidence to meet here, Miss Light Shield." Qingye drew another longsword. "I think I understand the situation. The tentacle man on your side is fighting with the mayor, right?"

Van der was taken aback: "You know that?"

"Don't underestimate my reasoning skills!" Miss Qingye seized the opportunity to boast, unleashing a cross-shaped slash that forced back the demon. "We'll talk later, let's deal with this one first—"

A glint of twilight flashed in Vande's eyes, and the incredibly agile Demon Slayer, under the influence of hypnosis, froze in mid-air, taking a direct hit from Qingye's cross slash. Its body was cleaved in two by the blade's light, and Ji Huaisu seized the opportunity to transform into a shadow blade and strike out with her sword, completely slaying it with the enhanced power of her shadow blade.

"Deal with this Demon Slayer..." Qingye's jaw almost dislocated. "Seriously? The two of us killed the Demon Slayer in an instant?! And what kind of technique was that?! How can you use shadows like that?!"

"With Vande's help, killing a dog is a piece of cake." Ji Huaisu sheathed his Shadow Blade, and couldn't help but sigh that hypnosis was truly an incredibly powerful thing. If he had brought Vande into the arena back then, Kanin would never have had the chance to be so arrogant.

She patted Qingye, who was still in shock: "What were you trying to say?"

Qingye snapped out of her daze: "Come with me to rescue the Ice Man, or we'll be too late!"

"Kid, can you be realistic? We're barely able to protect ourselves in this situation. Does it, a mere point 3, need our help?" Vande pointed to the sky. "Look at that giant ice sheet; it's withstood several waves of bombing. Even if it covered us—holy crap!!"

The Eye Demon let out a piercing scream. Ji Huaisu looked up upon hearing this and gasped in shock after seeing what was happening.

Through the ice cap, she saw a giant "funnel," with immeasurable sand swirling high above the city, its cone-shaped lower end extending into a thin brown line. That line pierced deep into the igloo, and the brown color, representing the power of the stone demon, spread through the ice at a speed as fast as a drop of ink falling into clear water.

The brown sand was the Stone Demon's own dust, which, like a swarm of indiscriminate locusts, dismembered, divided, and assimilated the ice, claiming it for itself with a higher level of power. Seeing that bombardment was ineffective, the Stone Demon changed tactics; it was now using its sand needles to pierce through the igloo. When that color penetrated the barrier and reached the ground, the entire igloo, along with Sethron's body, would be devoured by the Stone Demon!

"Damn it, what's the point of fighting now!" Ji Huaisu cursed. "How dare he, a mere Wudingchen, swallow the Turbid Tears? Is this the strength of a 3rd-level particle? It doesn't seem much weaker than a Demonic Gale!"

"Shut your crow's mouth! If it were Mobiao, we'd all be dead by now!" Vande's eyes turned pale. "You said those gray mosaics were your kind, right? Can't you ask your cute little elves to think of a solution? If this keeps up, this city is doomed!"

At that moment, a burst of light and fire shot out in the distance, followed by another violent earthquake. Chu Hengkong used his second Dragon Pattern Spear to stop the landslide, but everyone knew that this did not mean the crisis was over. The igloos in the sky could collapse at any moment, the initial earthquake was still ongoing, and buildings were collapsing every second.

Both Chu Hengkong and Shakes were assassins, specializing in one-on-one battles between powerful individuals. However, the Calamity Seed was a tyrant renowned for its wide-area attacks; the aftershocks of a single Stone Demon battle were enough to destroy a small town twice over. There was no safe place in Golden Leaf City now. The Calamity Seed's influence was becoming increasingly pronounced; the aura of the Demon Slayers was appearing repeatedly, and the Fireflies were spreading like wildfire through the streets. They wanted to rescue Sethlen, but they couldn't bear to leave the helpless child beside them.

Ji Huaisu realized this too, and in a fit of desperation, she clutched her chest and roared, "Ancestors, if you know this in the afterlife, please show yourselves! If you don't come out, everyone will die!"

The Shadow Knights rose from the ground, their heavy light shields linked together, forming a shimmering wall in front of the civilians!

The three elementary school students were stunned; none of them had expected their plea for help to come true. A slender knight stood before Ji Huaisu, his armor a deep brown, like the earth itself. His gaze swept over both Ji Huaisu and Qingye.

"Allied forces...?"

Upon hearing the voice of the yellow-armored knight, Ji Huaisu nodded vigorously without thinking, "Allied forces! I am an allied force!!"

The yellow-armored knight struck his breastplate with one hand as if in salute, while the other knights drew their swords and channeled their power into the yellow-armored knight's back with their shadow blades.

He plunged his heavy greatsword into the earth, momentarily halting the tremors that shook the city. Centered on the tip of the knight's sword, an earthen-yellow magic circle emerged from the ground, spreading throughout the city in the blink of an eye. Twelve stone prisms rose from the magic circle, stabilizing the trembling earth and supporting the collapsing houses.

Discipline Seal - Earth Lock.

The yellow-armored knight's figure vanished into dust after unleashing his attack. Another tall knight stepped forward, his armor as red as flames. He glided across the city using a shield of light, arriving beside Chu Hengkong, who was battling a landslide. The lingering flames of ambition seemed drawn to him, gathering around the knight's shield.

He raised his azure shield of light high and plunged into the fire along with his weapon. The flames instantly intensified tenfold, forming a wall of fire that surrounded the sand funnel in the air.

Discipline Seal - Flowing Fire Seal.

The remaining knights formed a tacit formation, using light shields to protect the civilians and shadow blades to fight off the natural disaster, which solved the immediate crisis. Ji Huaisu cheered and pulled Qingye along, rushing towards the location where the ice house had landed.

Qingye hadn't been able to speak since the beginning. After finally processing what was happening, she managed to ask with difficulty, "You are... a necromancer?"

"Mage my foot! I'm a knight!!"

Vande, with his sharp eyes, spotted a fluffy gray ball popping out of the ruins. Gulibo, carrying a large flowerpot, ran frantically, sweat beading on his nose: "Take me with you! Let's go get some too!!"

·

High in the air, at the top of a gravel funnel.

Chu Hengkong sheathed his spear, suppressing his urge to catch his breath. The fierce battle with Shaks had already drained him of a great deal of energy, and the two consecutive Dragon Pattern Spear attacks at this moment were tantamount to cutting off his fuel supply. At the same time, the One Qi Thousand Autumns was still in operation, providing him with increasing pressure every moment.

At this moment, he actually missed Yingshi Town a little. Back then, if he lost the Immortal Machine battle, the worst that could happen was that everyone would die together, without any psychological pressure. Now, he could always save his own life, but the hundreds of thousands of civilians below him couldn't. It was precisely because his own life was not in danger that the burden on his shoulders was particularly heavy.

He declared with fervor: "You don't need to destroy your own city."

For the first time since the battle began, a man's voice echoed from the sand. A stone goblin with a hollow head emerged from the dust, shaking its withered fingers like a musician.

"Have you ever played with building blocks, martial cultivator?" The stone demon Jin Ye's voice drifted. "I really enjoy playing with building blocks, stacking small cubes to create beautiful buildings, and using those buildings to construct miniature cities. Once the city is complete, I kick it down, sending it crumbling into a pile of dust—"

That's so much fun! It relieves stress and relaxes the mind. Creating and destroying are equally pleasurable, and I'm enjoying my life right now!

It tapped its empty head and let out a harmless laugh: "Do you think I have no reason to target a worker? No reason to knock down and smash these little blocks? No reason to be your enemy? I certainly have no reason to do it, but I also have no reason not to. So why don't I make a move?"

"To do as one pleases, to be a god or a demon in the blink of an eye—this is the true meaning of the unchanging dust. To crush your reasons and meanings brings me...unparalleled joy from the bottom of my heart!"

The stone demon's torso was pierced by a spear, and hundreds of laughs rose from the dust. Hundreds of stone demon clones fell, clapping and laughing around Chu Hengkong.

Chu Hengkong decided to remain silent. He finally understood why these unorthodox paths were called "demons." Incomprehensible, without reason, lacking logic, they were like natural disasters given form, allowing primal emotions to run rampant in the destruction. The moment it touched the hidden depths of the earth, the magic scholar Jin Ye had already gone completely mad. Now it had lost its human form, merely a demon wielding its power.

"What incredible luck! It's like the heavens are helping me! My many brilliant ideas were just missing someone to test them out, and here comes you, this indestructible and indestructible thing. Don't die easily, make the most of this consumable!"

The stone goblins chattered like a flock of birds, emerging one after another amidst malicious laughter. Stone, soil, gravel, and air—substances affected by the calamity multiplied with the laughter, and the Golden Leaf began to unleash its true power. Nearly half of them focused on drilling through the funnel-shaped ice layer, while the majority gathered high in the sky, forming transparent spheres.

The sphere was large enough to easily cover several city blocks. It was completely transparent yet undeniably "visible" because every tiny particle within it was vibrating at an extremely high frequency, like a blurry, unstable space. The transparent sphere grazed the wall of fire at the edge of the funnel, and with a precision beyond visual perception, the flames were disintegrated and devoured, and a third of the fire vanished instantly.

"Overclocked vibration cutting sphere... Ah, that sounds awful, let's call it this instead." Jin Ye whistled, "Eraser."

The sphere that had swallowed everything paused in mid-air before falling with lightning speed. Chu Hengkong thrust his tentacles directly into the sky, causing the flames of ambition to coalesce into a towering pillar of fire.

Roasted!

Without hesitation, he made his judgment and unleashed his once-a-day burst of power. A pillar of azure fire roared up, like a burning beam that withstood the all-consuming attack of the golden leaf. However, the stone demon merely laughed triumphantly, as several more identical gusts of destructive wind blew in, ready to launch their attack as soon as the pillar of fire disappeared.

Beneath their feet, nearly a third of the igloos supporting the city had been assimilated by gravel. Golden Leaf City was in imminent danger.

Chapter 125 Chain Reaction

Outside, the wind howled, and streaks of light illuminated the wooden table like a disco ball. The few customers huddled under the table, each aftershock eliciting cries and screams of despair. Incredibly, this small café hadn't collapsed during the violent earthquake. The manager repeatedly emphasized that it was all thanks to the good condition of his rented premises, but the waitress felt it was more than that.

She glanced furtively at the center of the shop; in this apocalyptic scene, only the small table remained steadfast. Three strange customers sat around it, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened. Unseen by her, several thorny shadows pierced the earth, fixing the ground beneath their feet firmly, preventing it from trembling even slightly.

“Look at the board in the second round,” Vansalar said with great interest. “The two legends decided to defeat the mad demon, the capricious mad demon set its sights on the whining, pitiful wretch, and the remaining little guys wanted to give him a hand—how many endings will this story have in the chain of misfortune?”

“Unfortunately, Golden Leaf is exceptionally talented on the path to supremacy, and tormenting Sethlen, whom he despises, allows him to achieve his desired state of mind. If the Ascended do not rescue Sethlen, then driven by extreme emotions, Golden Leaf, who has devoured Sethlen, will ascend into Demon Storm.” Olek drew a vortex on the table. “Bad ending. Golden Leaf City sinks, everyone perishes, game over.”

Bernfar agrees with this view: "The stone goblins that can gather and disperse at will have a strong vitality. If they want to stay away from the fate of death, they need to cut off the source before the tragedy occurs and kill the turbid tear that guards the city."

"Equally unfortunate is that the knights' strength stems from their adherence to the precepts, the most fundamental of which is to protect the weak. If Ji Huaisu disregards the deaths of those who once protected the city, then she has forever betrayed her own path." Olek pushed over a toy soldier. "Ordinary ending. Life remains, the knight is dead, and there is no more trouble; peace and tranquility prevail."

He took a sip of his chocolate milkshake: "I can't believe I could come up with such a tender story. I've really given you a lot of face."

“You’re really too afraid that the Discipline Emperor will come out of Heavenly Prison and chop you into a cold appetizer,” Vansalar sneered.

"The karma of the extermination of our clan is too heavy. I have no obligation to take responsibility for the Sea of ​​Illusions." Olek wiped his mouth with a napkin, looking every bit the well-mannered and adorable little boy. "Young man, you still lack experience in this area. The higher the level, the more you need to control your actions properly. You died young because you were too flamboyant."

“But it seems the little ones aren’t appreciating your efforts,” Vansalal laughed, his smile as wide as a crater. “The little knight and her friends are going to rescue the Iceman. Isn’t that a very wise decision?”

Olek laughed too, a meaningful laugh, his red lips and white teeth making him look like a puppet being led astray and laughing.

"Misfortune is misfortune because no matter what choices you make, the outcome will be worse."

·

"Miss Retreat, could you please expand the range of your spell a bit? It's so crowded right now," Ji Huaisu said in a low voice.

"The Shadow Robe Technique has already reached its maximum. Shouldn't you first look for the problem within yourself?" Qingye said softly. "With every step you take, you're pounding my back with your chest!"

"Damn, with the space so tight, how could we not bump into each other? If I were in front, you would still bump into me."

Qingye simulated the collision volume of his temporary teammate and gave a rigorous academic deduction: "No thanks, I'm worried your butt will hurt me."

"Hey schoolgirl, I'm going to hurt your butt right now."

The stone in mid-air wanted to clear its throat to remind the two ladies, but it had no voice, so it wrote a line of grayish words on the ground: "Ladies, please be mindful of the occasion... We need to speed things up..."

The two fell silent simultaneously. Three meters away, a demonic creature, its triangular head twitching, was instinctively searching for prey. It searched around but found nothing. Behind it, an exceptionally tall, bucket-shaped shadow silently brushed past the wall. The two in the midst of the spell breathed a sigh of relief.

The Shura Island, the stronghold of the Heartbreakers, regards the Calamity Species as their mortal enemies. The various "Heartbreaker Techniques" they have developed are exceptionally effective against Calamity Species of the same rank. The Shadow Robe Technique is specifically designed to counter the Demon Slayers. It uses incredibly realistic shadows to deceive the Demon Slayers' senses, preventing them from detecting the person within the technique. If a Demon Slayer tries to use the fake shadow to travel, it will be instantly killed by the blade of the person within the shadow.

There are currently many demons in Jinye City, and if they are ambushed, even with Vande, they will have a hard time surviving. Therefore, Qingye took on the responsibility of covert operations without hesitation. However, the Shadow Robe Technique is designed for solo operations, and even if Miss Qingye is a genius, she can't widen her body much. The two larger teammates had to squeeze together with a distance comparable to that of a subway during rush hour. Qingye held the stone seed and its flowerpot high with both hands, while Ji Huaisu held Vande in one hand and Gulibo in the other. Both of them felt like they were secretly advancing sky-supporting warriors.

"This is the Divine Tree, and I am Gulibobo from the Seafood Bookstore," Gulibobo greeted softly.

"Hello Gulibobo, I am the Eye Demon Vander." Vander shook hands with it using his tentacles. "It's quite a coincidence to meet you in this setting. I've always thought your bookstore has excellent taste in publications."

"Actually, the taste is just average. The fruit flavor is better than the book."

"The operation has begun, little animals, we'll chat another time!"

Ji Huaisu shook his arm, and the two small animals immediately fell silent. Unbeknownst to them, the demons ceased to appear, replaced by a layer of ice covering the buildings and the ground. The surroundings had become a frigid polar region, with thick ice pillars supporting the ice ceiling not far ahead; they were very close to Sethlen's true form.

“Now, let me explain the action plan.” Qingye licked his lips. “This city hasn’t collapsed yet only because of the Ice Man, but the Ice Man has been captured by the Stone Demon. If we just rely on brute force to collide head-on, he can at least hold out for a while, so the Stone Demon has switched to using sand and dust as tentacles to invade the ice layer. According to classic cases in textbooks, in this situation, the Turbid Tears, which also belongs to the Supreme Path, will be completely devoured. At that time, we may have to deal with earthquakes, floods, ice storms, or something even worse. So we have to rescue the Ice Man as soon as possible, or at least sever the connection between the two.”

"Simply blast away the ice pillar?"

“Then the igloo on the roof will most likely shatter, and the citizens will be crushed to death by the ice.” Qingye calmly analyzed, “We will use micro-operation to perform cutting surgery. First, we will use hypnosis to give him strong anesthesia to prevent the ice man from subconsciously freezing us to death. Then I will find an opportunity to ‘sever’ the power connection and remove him from the small ice block. Shizhong will be responsible for protecting his ghost body during this process to prevent him from being shocked to death.”

"And me?" Ji Huaisu asked.

“Your mission is the most important,” Qingye said. “When the link is severed, the Ice Man will be greatly stimulated, and he may subconsciously unleash his power. If another great ice seal occurs, our entire operation will be in vain. Therefore, we still need an Ascended from the Supreme Path to seal off any potential large amounts of water elementals…”

At this point, Qingye paused, realizing that unleashing the power of a point-2 Reverse Shadow Seal on Turbid Tears was too much to ask. She had a better way, but…

“Sure, I happen to have the spell.” Ji Huaisu readily agreed.

The young man with a broken heart was stunned: "But this is too..."

"Little sister, you've never taken on a rescue mission before, have you?" Captain Ji smiled. "When lives are at stake, you can't say 'no.' You have to find a way to make it happen!"

She activated her Shadow Robe spell and rushed out first, with Qingye following quickly without thinking. Through the ice, they saw Sethlen lying on his back on the ground, his pupils unfocused and his consciousness completely gone. He was practically a living dead, the uncontrolled ice elements like a runaway horse, transforming into ice spikes as Ji Huaisu charged towards him.

Ji Huaisu cast a light shield around the Eye Demon and slammed it forward: "Vander, use hypnosis!"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh!" Vande felt immense pressure, pulled out his leopard-gazing tube, and glared fiercely. "Stop! Go back to sleep!"

As dusk shimmered, the ice spikes ceased their movement. The reliable hypnosis worked once again; Qingye clenched her fist, knowing this time it was halfway there. She tossed the stone seed across the ice, her precise calculations ensuring it landed precisely beside the ice pillar. The stone seed extended its mental tendrils and began its work.

Sleep... sleep... there's no need to be afraid...

Ji Huaisu tossed out four spare flags and hastily set up a reinforced array using her relics. Her light shield stood poised in the center of the array. Now it all depended on the Heartbreaker's swordsmanship. Qingye took a deep breath, bent down, and drew her sword. Her longsword was enveloped in white light, and when it struck, it was like thunder exploding in ice.

"Musou Reversal Style, Light Blade!"

One of the foundations of his family's swordsmanship is the draw-and-slash technique, which uses the power of glimmering light to enhance the intensity of a strike. It is particularly effective against yin energy. This strike was unstoppable, cleaving through the solid ice and revealing the amber-like Sethlen.

The man screamed in agony as the ice crystals melted and floated upside down, forming a river that surged into the sky. Qingye's fingers moved rapidly, manipulating the blade light into a semi-circular cross-section, using surgical precision to sever elemental connections. Ji Huaisu seized the opportunity and slammed down her light shield; her shimmering power, formed by an array, carved a shimmering emblem with a ten-meter radius into the ground.

Discipline Seal - Proof of Protection. A superior sealing technique that contains one's own power and isolates oneself from enemy attacks. Ji Huaisu was already exceptionally talented, and with the amplification of her relics, this technique was enough to temporarily contain the power of a point 3.

Under the warm glow, the ice surrounding Sethron melted and flowed into the sealing array. Their plan succeeded; without disturbing the igloo above, the Ice Man was freed. Qingye clenched her fist excitedly, preparing to strike again, and instructed Vande, "Maintain the hypnosis; I'll sever the link completely—"

"No!" Vande suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Suddenly, a ray of blue light shot out from Sethlen's body, which remained frozen in place. The light entered the array, causing Ji Huaisu to let out a muffled groan of pain. The energy density within the array suddenly increased tenfold, far exceeding the limit that a particle 2 could withstand, causing blood to flow from the corner of her eye!

Qingye's body froze as if encased in ice. She saw the true form of that blue light: countless fine, transparent particles—sand mixed into the frozen body!

Chapter 126 The Awakening of Geniuses

Snow-like sand swirled in the air, forming a vast, continuous blue chain leading straight to the igloo. At the bottom of that chain stood the Ice Man, Sethlen, his expression ferocious, his body stiff, his limbs transforming into ice crystals, within which malicious dust trembled. Sethlen's power was surging wildly; he had been struck by an overwhelmingly malevolent force.

The stone goblin's sand has already seeped into its body!

Qingye froze completely, unable to comprehend how the situation had suddenly deteriorated to this point. The brown covering in the igloo was only about half-covered; a rescue operation should have been possible in time. At that moment, Sethlen let out a howl that was not human, and ice crystals gathered, surged, and transformed into icy waves that swept in all directions.

A ring of light surged forth, forcefully sealing the ice crystals within the formation. Ji Huaisu slammed her shield into the ground, urgently adjusting the formation. Her face was ashen from the chill: "Move! There's no time for you to stand around!"

"Yes!" Qingye answered reflexively. She hurriedly swung her sword to try to sever the blue chains, but the ice dust chains, like the stone demon's body, could gather and disperse freely. No matter how the blade cut them, they would only break and reconnect, like the stone demon's silent mockery.

The young, heartbroken individual was in utter confusion; she truly didn't know what to do. Heartbroken individuals were naturally skilled in killing, not rescue, and the stone demon's abilities far exceeded her expectations. Even using her most powerful techniques might not solve the problem. All the knowledge she had been taught pointed to only one answer…

"It's time to make a move, you heartless one."