Forge a path to success

“I must remind you, only those who are desperate about reality will pour their emotions into their dreams.” The boss turned another page of the newspaper. “Have you considered what’s behind the newspaper? Imagine a twisted nightmare mimicking your old boss’s tone behind the newspaper. It keeps turning the pages to cover its own voice because it’s gloating over having gained control of the dream. It’s just waiting for you to let your guard down so it can rip out your heart and brain.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll kill Vansalar,” Chu Hengkong said. “I mean what I say.”

"Are you only satisfied when you've made me furious?"

"No, what's there to be angry about?" Chu Hengkong tried to sit up. "Honestly, I don't understand, or rather, it's very unfair. I've taken care of you for nine years, why do you have the patience to negotiate with those mortal enemies for three months, but you always lose your temper with your assassins?"

“You got emotional in your dream,” the boss said. “You lost.”

Chu Hengkong struggled for a long time but couldn't get up. He gritted his teeth and said, "OK, I don't care anymore. This is my dream. Give me a cigarette, I want to smoke."

"No, you have to quit smoking."

The assassin shouted, "This is my dream!"

“You can break a promise even in a dream.” The shopkeeper shook his newspaper. “What a flexible standard.”

"..."

Chu Hengkong felt like he was about to wake up from his own anger, and he suddenly said, "Take the newspaper away."

"You can't wait to meet the Nightmare."

"Correct."

"It's time to wake up from the dream."

Chu Hengkong sighed loudly. He was once again trying to reason with his old boss, even though the latter never reasoned with him.

"Boss, listen to me. I'm fucking exhausted lately, I'm fucking dead tired. I inexplicably ended up in a place full of lunatics, I just fought a deadly battle, and after waking up, I have to deal with a bunch of difficult problems that I don't know how to solve. Any wrong decision could kill the people around me."

"It sounds just like our everyday life," the boss commented.

“Yes, that’s right,” the assassin said. “This dream is probably my only legal vacation in a while. I desperately need a break and really don’t want to argue with my old boss anymore. I’m waking up soon, just a few seconds. Can we go back to how things are before?”

"I think you're more vulnerable than you were when you were a child."

"I woke up."

"If you need nightmares' feigned affection so much."

"Goodbye."

The shopkeeper put down his newspaper. Her face was as beautiful as ever, and her eyes held a smile filled with his deep longing.

"You are invincible; you are my assassin."

Chu Hengkong closed his eyes with satisfaction, leaving the gradually fading dream.

Okay, I slept very well.

·

When Chu Hengkong woke up, he stared at the pale, low ceiling and it took him a moment to realize that he was still in the underwater valley. Ji Huaisu was sleeping on an ice bed beside him, the girl's sleeping face peaceful, seemingly fast asleep.

He sat on the bed in a daze for almost half a minute, then met the gaze of Vander on the bedside table. The Eye Demon spoke dryly: "It is said that those who defeat the Fearbringer will receive a reward from the Nightmare King, such as not having nightmares for a short period of time."

"Oh, like this."

Van Der maintained his gaze with an unsettling look: "Dude, you slept pretty well this time, didn't you?"

"what happened?"

“You were laughing like an idiot just now,” Van der said.

Chapter 169 If you're brothers, you'll share the blame.

Chu Hengkong lifted his clothes and found himself wrapped in layers of yellow bandages, which felt warm as if they had been warmed by the sun. While he was unconscious, Ji Huaisu had treated him with pure fire, and although his body was still weak, he should be able to move around normally without much trouble.

Without disturbing his sleeping partner, he carried Vande to the outside of the sand house. From the misty valley came faint howls, the murmurs of monsters trapped in nightmares.

Van der shook his head repeatedly: "You've escaped with your life!"

"In my prime, I could have taken him down in a single encounter," Chu Hengkong emphasized.

"Wow, buddy, you're incredibly naive. You think that Fallen Soul is some kind of weakling?" Vande exclaimed, his eyes wide. "He's a Bone-Praying cultivator! He died in a proper funeral procession, shrouded in historical mystery, and his defense is insanely strong. Low-level cultivators can forget about ever encountering him. His fist techniques aren't as good as yours because he doesn't need them. Even at your peak, you couldn't touch his skin!"

"That's terrifying." Chu Hengkong laughed. "Looks like my new arm is strong enough."

“Take a look for yourself…” Vande held up the manual, his tone strange, “I guarantee your eyes will pop out.”

【The Culprit's Wrist "Mingliu"】

[Rating: 3 (7)]

【Origin: Heavenly Prison Border - Despair Wilderness】

【Effect: 1. Regeneration (significantly lighter-colored text)】

This relic contains the flesh and blood of the fallen, and can change its shape to suit the user's wishes within certain limits. It can also regenerate itself when damaged.

Due to the elemental suppression of the Doom Demon, the related negative curses are ineffective, and the flesh and blood only exhibit basic characteristics.

2. Chain stores

Once every fifteen minutes, you can specify an "ending" and use an unfortunate chain.

The higher the difficulty of achieving the specified ending, the longer the chain reaction time. If the difficulty exceeds the probability limit, the attempt is considered a failure.

When used for evil, it will slightly deplete the user's destiny power. When used for good, it will slightly replenish the user's destiny power.

3. Rainstorm

Once a day, it can trigger a rain of misfortune, disrupting the hit probability of attacks within a designated area.

It can concentrate power in the palm and form rain bullets or vortexes depending on the level of emotion.

When using the Vortex, the user's location will be known by the true form of the Doom Demon.

4. Radiation

This relic contains the dark side of the current, and has the effect of disrupting order.

It can actively draw out the power of misfortune to entwine the left arm, temporarily projecting the radiance of the scythe of calamity.

When the projection begins, the user's location will be known by the true form of the Doom Demon.

5. Indestructible

It dwells at the bottom of the deep sea, where undercurrents surge.

The relic's level increases with the holder's point value; each crossing of the abyss will awaken new power.

[Curse:]

1. This relic is a product of the heretical and corrupt sects of the Void Sect, and cannot be used by pure humans.

2. This relic has been corrupted by heretics, and the holder's fate power will continue to weaken. When the relic's level is raised to 4, it will automatically become a contractor of Olek; when it is raised to 5, the holder will merge with Olek, becoming the new "face" of the Demon of Doom.

3. This relic contains fragments of the cursed demon Olek. Users with a particle level of 7 or lower will be cursed to death without permission.

Due to the karmic connection between the Doom Demon Olek and the Twilight Library, Curses 2 and 3 are ineffective.

[Longing: Twilight, you fool who indulges in fantasy]

Remember that the deep sea is the source of destiny and the progenitor of demons.

Those who betray their own kind will surely suffer the consequences.

"..."

Chu Hengkong rubbed his eyes, looked at it again, and then rubbed his eyes again.

"I am grass."

"Right, you understand? I think it's outrageous too!!" Vande shouted.

This is not just outrageous, it's downright absurd. The first effect, regeneration, is practically the epitome of usefulness; the ability to transform means tactical versatility, and self-repair saves the trouble of post-battle repairs. But the subsequent effects are increasingly insane. The second effect, the unfortunate chain, is undoubtedly the iron chain that caused them so much trouble in Golden Leaf City. This thing can be used every fifteen minutes, meaning it can basically trap the enemy at the start of every encounter… making every encounter feel like a death knell for the enemy!

The third effect, Calamity Rain, is the attack disruption + rain bullets he used when fighting Fallen Soul. Judging from the description, if the output is large enough, it can even form a vortex like the one used when chasing Huaisu... The fourth effect is the key to beating Fallen Soul. It seems that "disruption of order" is already a permanent feature, and when fighting desperately, he can actively use that scythe... It's basically an instant-kill thing...

Compared to these effects, being targeted by Olek is nothing! Besides, they're already at the border of the Heavenly Prison, so they're like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water—they've been targeted for a long time anyway!

“We’ve really hit the jackpot this time…” Chu Hengkong said.

Vande sneered and said, "Give it back to us! This is the captain's spoils of war! Tell me honestly, did you enjoy living off this woman?"

"Don't confuse the issue. The results of our teamwork should be shared as relics."

"Pah! They could take down this upgraded version in a one-on-one fight, why would they care about yours?" Vande said. "Seriously, don't be so reckless next time, you'll get yourself killed."

“I know that the Blazing Armor Army can heal wounds.”

"You know nothing. The healing power of Pure Fire is essentially an infusion of positive energy, focusing on replenishing blood. It's not very effective against poisons, mental pollution, or the corrosive effects of aging. The fact that you were directly hit by the decay of death and were able to recover is truly a stroke of luck!" Vande sighed. "Do you know how terrifying the decay attack of the Death Path is? Even a city lord wouldn't be able to withstand a blow from someone of the same level!"

Of course he knew. The horrific state Ji Qiufeng was in when he fell ill years ago was still vivid in his mind; even such a powerful man had been held back by time for a full twenty years. Fan De was still muttering, "I even suspect that the city lord secretly fed you some kind of magic pill to give you resistance, otherwise it's a fucking miracle you're still alive..."

Chu Hengkong's heart stirred, recalling the Chang Le Dan he had taken but failed to complete.

"I have eaten it, although it was a semi-finished product."

"Really? Is Huilong City really going to such lengths to cultivate Point 1?"

“The circumstances were special at the time…” Chu Hengkong shook his head, “I’m afraid I wouldn’t dare take that medicine now.”

Now, there's hardly anything on his body that isn't poisonous; taking Chang Le Dan would be tantamount to suicide. The decaying attack from Luo Hun wasn't very effective against him, perhaps because its ingredients were too mixed, causing them to cancel each other out. When your entire body is covered in potent poison, you probably won't be afraid of carcinogens anymore.

They wandered around the sand hut and spotted a faint fire. A few pieces of rotten wood were piled up to make a makeshift fire, and Vovka sat by the fire, gazing at the smoke in a daze.

“The soul has died. I think we can try to light a fire…” he said softly. “I’ve been sitting here for a while, but no one has come yet. Perhaps the new messenger hasn’t been sent yet. We still have some time.”

“You can keep this fire,” Chu Hengkong said. “I’ll stay here a few more days, and I’ll kill every messenger that comes.”

“You’re very brave,” Wolfka laughed. “But don’t do that. You don’t understand the Nightmare King. He’s happy to give you a moment’s respite, but he won’t give you long-term indulgence. Tomorrow, you’ll have nightmares again. Tomorrow, those floating ghosts and spirits will emerge from the fog, seeking light. The next time, it might be a serious night walk, or it might be the Nightmare King himself.”

He added a piece of firewood to the campfire: "You must hurry to the settlement. Leave the valley, cross the forest, and trust Chongming. Though he has a strange temper... he won't harm you."

"Thank you," Chu Hengkong said.

Vovka nodded and said nothing more. The firelight flickered in the fog, warming people's cold hands and feet with its meager heat.

Vande felt suffocated in the atmosphere. He hesitated, then whispered, "My condolences."

“Yes.” Wolfka nodded, tears streaming down his face, flowing over dried blood like a crimson river. “I actually… understand. We all understand. Too much time has passed; time changes too many things. In those times, a peaceful death was a luxury.”

"But when I actually hear it, my heart still breaks."

“I understand,” Chu Hengkong said.

Wofka looked at him in surprise, then realized what was happening and returned a sorrowful smile.

“How I wish you didn’t understand,” Vovka said. “I admire you so much…so much. In the desolate wilderness of despair, people like you are a beacon of light, bringing hope to those around you.”

"You should go and rest," Chu Hengkong reminded him. "You'll have a good night's sleep."

“I’m not in a hurry to use it. I feel that not sleeping won’t necessarily cause any problems,” Wofka said. “I think I can stay a little longer… wait a little longer… maybe one day in the future I will see the night end. I want to close my eyes at that time and go to see my family in my dreams.”

He was in a daze for a while, and only after burning his hand on the campfire did he come back to reality and say, "I wish you all the best in escaping the wilderness."

The two quietly left and returned to the entrance of the sand house. Chu Hengkong remained silent for a long time, then began to carefully tend to his new arm.

Vande sat on the cold sand, feeling extremely uncomfortable. He held the manual for a while, hesitated several times before stopping, unable to concentrate, and finally threw the large book to the ground.

“Speak!” it roared.

"I want to kill Vansalar," Chu Hengkong said calmly.

Vande let out a pitiful wail: "Ahhh, I knew it! I knew you murderous bastard! You kept saying safety first and responsibility is important, but in the end you still couldn't stand it!!"

“There must have been new people before, but without high-quality power, no one could do anything to Luo Hun. I think they would humbly ask the old man for gifts, swallow their anger and wait for the tax collection to end, and then plan a counterattack later…” Chu Hengkong said, “How many breaths did they swallow? Once they swallowed them, they were stuck in their stomachs and could never spit them out for the rest of their lives. They would remember their past selves until they died.”

A person lives to fight for their pride!

"You're just asking for trouble, you idiot!" Van der lay down on the ground. "You'll get yourself killed sooner or later!"

"I've dragged you into this," Chu Heng said with a forced smile.

"It's hard to say who will implicate whom."

With his eyes half-open, Vande suddenly said, "I now think that traveling with me might actually harm you."

Chapter 170 A Proactive Team Atmosphere

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"