Forge a path to success

"I'll overcome this little thing with willpower! Besides, what are those eyeballs over there yelling about? You probably don't even have a stomach!"

As it turned out, willpower couldn't be converted into energy, and even eyeballs without stomachs needed to eat something. Fortunately, Chu Hengkong still had some sandworm meat in his sleeve, and they used a small fire to roast the sandworms to make do with breakfast (it tasted a lot like watermelon with sand in it). After saying goodbye to the monsters, they rode the ice deer carriage away from the valley and onto the slope leading to the settlement.

“We really need to get to the station before nightfall.” Chu Hengkong took out an eel head. “Because we’re running out of sandworm meat, if we don’t have anything to eat for the next meal, we’ll have to take turns being eels.”

Ji Huaisu tugged at his hood and said tactfully, "How about we stew Vande instead?"

"Eat sand, you!"

Vande angrily shrugged back into his coat pocket and waved his tentacle at Chongming in the opposite seat: "How long will this journey take?"

“Two days and one night.” Chongming carved a simple map on the ice. “You should be thankful that the journey today isn’t too dangerous…”

Heading east from the exit of the underwater valley, you'll see the "Shadow River," as black as silt. Traveling south along the riverbank, crossing the misty forest, and then northeast, you'll reach the "settlement" where the soldiers live.

"...There are some wandering spirits in the forest, but we have people to help you, so entering the forest is actually considered entering a safe zone. What you do after that is entirely up to you." Chongming sheathed his knife. "Any other questions?"

“Yes,” Chu Hengkong said. “This route is too roundabout. It would be faster to cross the Yinghe River and head east.”

“Oh, that’s true, you’ll die even faster that way,” Chongming said. “I don’t mind if you’re tired of living.”

"Can't you two talk properly..." Ji Huaisu sighed.

“I’ve already said, this is suicide.” Chongming sneered. “Beyond Shadow River lies the territory of the Fearbringers. If you go there now, you will surely die.”

"I don't think the envoy is very strong," Chu Hengkong began to argue.

"That's because you haven't seen enough. Most of the Fear Messengers are old subordinates of Vansalal. Although they're currently suppressed to low-level particles, they still possess high-level abilities to varying degrees. Under certain circumstances, they can even fight against a Particle 4." Chongming tapped his prosthetic body. "The Doom prosthetic arm can break through the fog of history, but that doesn't mean it can handle the abilities of all messengers. At least, it can't handle the one behind Shadow River! Do you still want to take a detour?"

"Commander Chongming, you keep talking about courage and counterattacks, but your strategy is dangerously cautious," Ji Huaisu said.

"Courage is something you only use in desperate situations. Going to your death for no reason is just being an idiot." Chongming closed his eyes. "Enough nonsense, let's go."

The journey continued in silence. The ice-deer carriage moved at a considerable speed, and after only half a day, they arrived at an ominous river filled with black water. The Shadow River flowed silently in the mist, with the faces of the unjustly killed floating in its waters. On one side of the riverbank was a ghostly forest, deep and desolate, seemingly a suitable place for suicide.

Ji Huaisu stopped the ice cart in front of the forest. The researchers felt much more relaxed in this strange place, whistling like birds.

“The forest is very long, and it’s easy to get lost even if we walk. We need the forest ranger to lead the way if we want to get out,” the frog-faced researcher said with a grin. “He’s a veteran of the wilderness! He wouldn’t necessarily lose even if he faced you.”

"The forest ranger is a master of both archery and swordsmanship; you martial arts fanatic will definitely have a great time talking to him." The mohawk-haired man cackled, whistling even louder, "Hey, forest ranger! A really impressive newcomer has arrived!"

The sounds of birds flying through the forest filled the air, but no birdsong could be heard. A figure emerged faintly from the mist, its steps faltering. Chu Hengkong became intrigued; he wanted to see what kind of person could live in such a forest for so long.

He saw a colorful face. Its eyes were a purplish-red, like physalis; its skin a vibrant, muddy blue; tender green blood flowed from the corners of its eyes, carrying melting skin and bone into the ground, turning the earth a nauseating color. Its lips were gone, mold grew on its bare gums, and the horrifying, eerie, indescribable man collapsed in the chilling atmosphere, reaching out his melting hands to the people.

"—"

He seemed to be saying something, but it was unclear. Just like when Chongming explained swordsmanship, unattainable knowledge was separated from the world itself. Only the face of the dying man was imprinted in everyone's eyes, its vibrant colors tinged with profound despair.

"------"

"Everyone retreat!" Chongming shouted. "Run!"

Without a word, Ji Huaisu pushed everyone onto the ice cart, turned the cart around, and sped away for his life. Chu Hengkong looked back from afar and saw the man's flesh and blood silently dissolving, a skeleton lying in a colorful puddle. Blood spread along the road, seeping deep into the soil, and beautiful velvet grew on the damp ground.

The route had to be changed because the forest ranger had died.

(I've been having trouble sleeping lately, so I'll be taking a break tomorrow (sad))

Chapter 172 Chasing Shadows and Slaying Beasts (1)

Long ago, there was a strange demon in the Spiral Tower.

It triumphed in the infighting among its own kind, in the struggle against its prey, and in the games with those of higher status—victory upon victory, and constant devouring. When it came to its senses, it had become an exceptionally powerful being. No one dared approach this demonic creature, so it grew two heads, which it used to torment itself when no prey was chasing it.

The demon derives its sense of reality from destruction, and can live happily even when it destroys itself. But how long has it been? One day, even the demon derives' simple mind grew weary. It stopped killing and came to the throne of the Demon King who rules over demons.

"Kill me," said the demon.

"why?"

I've been doing meaningless things. If I'm just passing the time without any satisfaction or joy, then I think I've reached the end of my life.

"What an idiot."

The demon king let out an extremely terrifying sound. It was the first time it had ever heard the demon king laugh.

"You've only just begun to 'live' now."

From that day on, the demon came to life.

·

Click. Click. The execution platform moved up one step. The stones below were pushed forward, their mangled knees violently ground flat, their hands raised high to lift the mountain-like, heavy steps. The dying man walked onto the platform, his bare feet stepping on thorns, tears streaming from his empty eyes.

His emotions seeped into the platform with each step, making every pebble experience the same fear. With each step, the fear doubled; with each inch closer, the heart became more vulnerable. When he first stepped onto the platform, he was a brave and fearless warrior; halfway up, he had become a pale-faced prisoner.

He silently walked to the platform and saw the instruments of torture upon which he would be executed: rows of sharp, shadowy needles. These needles would pierce his ghostly body, sew it up, leaving only a withered, empty shell. Then there would be no more of himself, only eternal hell…

He turned and ran. He sobbed, screamed in terror. Sometimes he cursed the madness, sometimes he confessed his offenses to the fearful king. Before the execution even began, he had already collapsed because of the terrible rumors, and the imagination that those rumors had given rise to, but nothing changed; he remained rooted to the spot. A long, pale hand descended from the sky, its fingertips pinching his head as if a normal person were picking up a thumbtack.

"The time for execution has come."

Then the man sat on the execution platform. Shadow needles pierced his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and a piercing howl seemed to be squeezed from his very marrow. Then suddenly, the sound disappeared, and the useless body walked down in a daze. The fear of the last moment seeped into the execution platform, making even the silent stones howl.

The messenger walked away as if dancing. "Who's next?"

I'm next.

Among the many stones beneath the execution platform, the newly arrived Qingye silently pondered.

—If things continue like this, there's only one way out: death.

·

"Good news everyone. We'll cross the river, kill that damned messenger, and then take the shortest route to the settlement," Chongming said.

"No, no, no!" "Calm down, Commander Chongming!" "Don't let the new recruits die!"

The researchers clutched their heads and wailed, looking utterly dejected, as if the sky were about to fall. The newcomers, on the other hand, didn't react much; in fact, they were all energetic and full of anticipation.

Only Xin Yanqiu, with a bit of cunning, cautiously asked, "Commander Chongming, I vaguely remember you saying that we would have died in the past, right?"

"What are you talking about? That happened half a day ago." Chongming pushed up his sunglasses. "There's a saying, 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation,' which means that a warrior becomes three times stronger after three days, so much so that people can't even open their eyes to see him. By that calculation, you are now half again as strong as you were half a day ago. The deadly situation you faced before is nothing to you now!"

"No, that's not what you meant." Chu Hengkong said expressionlessly. "Where did you hear that? Tell me honestly what that four-legged bastard said."

"Don't dwell on a single example." Chongming waved his hand. "The situation is clear! Entering the forest will lead to a miserable death like the forest rangers, while retreating to the valley will mean being driven to your death by nightmares day by day. There is only one path before you: fight, and survive!"

"Isn't ruling out the forest route a bit too hasty?" Ji Huaisu suggested. "The Azure Armor can block the erosion from the outer path; I can go in and explore..."

“No.” Chu Hengkong shook his head. “Commander Chongming said to retreat, which means that you can’t defend against that thing. It’s not time to burn our bridges yet. There’s no need to take such a big risk.”

“But the enemy in the forest has even killed the forest ranger, what reason does it have to let us go?” Vande said irritably. “I’m not saying I’m going against everyone, but what if we work so hard to kill the messenger on the other side of the Shadow River, only to turn around and find that something from the forest has come and taken us all? Wouldn’t that be even worse?”

“Impossible, because Vansalal would never allow such a development,” Chongming said with certainty. “This situation has reached its limit of tolerance for it. If it goes any further, the Nightmare King himself will stop these idiot messengers.”

“You sound like you know it very well…” Ji Huaisu said.

Chongming said smugly, "Of course! I'm the most senior member of this desolate wilderness!"

"Is 34 failed counterattacks really something to be proud of?" Vande said. "Besides, there are other routes we can take. The settlement isn't far from here; we can ask for help from there—"

Chu Hengkong shook his head: "Fan De, you need to rest."

Vande stared at him blankly for a long time before realizing that even if the settlement needed reinforcements, there were only two paths: across the river and through the forest. Entering the forest would mean being killed by unknown enemies, while going across the river would mean facing the messenger—the same predicament they were in.

"Ah..." Vande rubbed his head with his tentacles, "My...my...is fighting the only option...?"

Ji Huaisu shrugged: "Commander Chongming knows so much about the enemy, how much intelligence can he reveal this time?"

Chongming smiled proudly: "——"

"So annoying! I know it's not your fault, but it's still so annoying. At least give me some useful hints!" Ji Huaisu was exasperated.

“No need to worry, I already prepared a battle plan while we were in the car.” Chongming looked back and forth at the newlyweds. “I need to confirm two things first. Ji Huaisu, how long can your Pure Fire last after leaving your body?”

“Burning for a day is no problem,” Ji Huaisu said confidently. “We can also sense the situation around the flames.”

"Then you make a big torch, the kind that puffs out smoke like a volcano. It doesn't really mean anything, but it can provide important momentum for the battle!"

"Oh, oh!" Ji Huaisu nodded.

"Oh my god! This plan was illegitimate from the very beginning!" Van der covered his eyes.

"You're next, you idiot." Chongming looked at Chu Hengkong, "How much of Olek's power can you use?"

Chu Hengkong directly flipped to the identification page of the calamity wrist in the manual and opened it to show it.

"Not bad, use its power at the right moment." Chongming clapped his hands. "Listen carefully! This enemy has extremely outrageous methods; if you go over there, you will definitely fall for them. But if you don't fall for them, you will absolutely have no way to defeat it!"

"So this operation needs a fast guy as bait, and another guy with heavy firepower as the main force..."

Chongming squatted on the ice sled, explaining his meticulously prepared battle plan to everyone. After listening, the researchers began to lie dead beside the sled. Vande, with a blank stare, asked, "Have you even assessed the success rate of this lousy plan yourself?"

"If we only consider the win rate, it's probably no more than 1%. But with your potential and adaptability, you can turn 1% into 10%!" Chongming raised his arm. "And in this border of the Heavenly Prison, a 10% win rate is worth betting everything on, which means that for the participants, the success rate is absolutely 100%!"

"Forget computing power, even basic logic has become a pile of shit!" Vande shouted.

Ji Huaisu glanced sideways: "What do you mean?"

Chu Hengkong was still recalling the horrific scene of the forest ranger's death; the unprecedented manner of his demise sent a strange chill down his spine. He turned and looked across the Shadow River. In the thin mist, the outline of a massive building emerged, resembling the back of a colossal beast lying prone on the ground.

“I’ll be the bait.” The assassin cracked his knuckles. “When do we start?”

"Delay will only make things worse. Get ready and get going!" Chongming raised his sunglasses high. "Operation name: 'Shadow Chasing.' Begin now!"

·

The sky was dark and there was no light. After walking a few steps from the ice cart, one could no longer tell which way was which. Fortunately, the torches made by the Blazing Armor Army were always lit. As the flames rose, thick golden smoke shot straight into the sky, like a pillar of light moving in the dark night.

The golden column of smoke was extremely conspicuous; it was clearly visible not only to the researchers waiting behind but also to those far away in the settlement. The various ghostly creatures roaming the wilderness were naturally drawn to it immediately. In the quietly flowing River of Shadows, faces took shape with the water's flow, dragging their muddy bodies ashore to follow. In the omnipresent mist, balloon-like ghostly faces quietly appeared, chuckling and gathering around the pillar of fire.

"A brave one has been found! A brave one has been found!" "Give the brave one a trial..."

"Get out," the assassin said.

Blood-red slashes appeared in his eyes, and an intense, tangible killing intent emanated from him, silencing the ghosts in the mist who immediately fled. The masked ghost behind him didn't even utter a sound before diving back into the river. These lackeys and accomplices had seen too many battles; they knew best who they could manipulate at will and who they absolutely could not provoke. This man was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying types of people; getting close to him would truly mean death.

In the deathly silence, the smoke from the pillar of fire subsided. Chu Hengkong looked up and realized he was stepping through a towering archway, its black stone dome absorbing the smoke. The archway was extremely wide and high, large enough for ten people to pass side by side, seemingly built for giants. Behind it lay a circular arena, covered in dust, surrounded by layers of stands filled with spectators. These spectators were exquisite stone sculptures, each one lifelike, their faces bearing a fear more realistic than that of the living.

Chu Hengkong walked through the archway and looked around, noticing that the arena seemed to be structured like concentric circles. Most of the arena was occupied by long white stone walls, engraved with ancient paintings: the outer ring depicted various races united in heroic struggle, while the inner ring showed all sorts of demons laughing wildly and dancing madly beneath a black throne. The scenes were clearly defined; anyone would immediately see the laughing black monster on the throne, while the allied forces besieging it were merely background elements.

Suddenly, an androgynous voice appeared.

Do you like my painting?

Chapter 173 Chasing Shadows and Slaying Beasts (2)

A strange figure in a painted robe silently appeared behind Chu Hengkong, its two beast ears twitching. He or she, completely unsuspecting, had their backs to the assassin, seemingly admiring the mural as well.

"To be honest, I'm very satisfied with this work. Lord Vansalar's self-righteous, seemingly cool but actually somewhat foolish demeanor has been perfectly captured. It makes me very happy just looking at it!"

“You like your job,” Chu Hengkong said.

"As you can see, I am a painter. If I were tired of brushes and paints, I would have asked you to let me change my attire long ago." The strange man turned around with a smile and bowed. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Vacklo Lockva, the Fear Messenger. I have no gender. You can call me Mr. or Ms.."

"I am Chu Hengkong, an assassin, male," Chu Hengkong answered in a measured tone.

"Nice to meet you! There's something I need to remind you of first..."

Wakolo grew taller and taller, exceeding ten meters in the blink of an eye. He smiled and bent down, his excessively tall body like an arch bridge bypassing Chu Hengkong in front of him, his smiling face falling backward, the firelight reflected in his pupil-less eyes.

“Lighting a fire here requires considerable courage. You must pass a trial before you can proceed.” Vaklo blinked. “I am very confident in my speed. You can race me; if you can outrun me, you can get out.”

"It's such a hassle to make such a fuss just by passing by."

Wacro sighed softly, "That's just how it is. You have to do your job. Or do you have a better idea?"

Chu Heng slammed the torch into the ground and stretched his arms and legs.

"I'll kill you first, then I'll cross the road."

“That’s fine too—” Vacklo said with a smile, “Mr. Little Snake!”

The tall, thin painter leaned back and drew a paintbrush from his body. He flicked the brush in the air, and a dark, shadowy stroke crossed between the two men, transforming into a lifelike black snake. The painter then placed his brush in the air, but the black snake appeared on the assassin's left arm. The snake coiled around the arm and shot upwards, its gaping maw snapping at the assassin's head!

The clashing fangs snapped and cracked, the poised strike swallowing only air. The black snake remained on his arm, but it was moving further and further away from Chu Hengkong. The chains on the silver arm disengaged, the nested outer armor separating segment by segment, the black blood limbs inside elongating with the force, resembling another thick, ferocious silver snake lunging forward.

Chu Hengkong swung his left arm to the ground, smashing the painted black snake flat. With a flick of his right hand, a pure white spearhead emerged from his sleeve, aiming straight for Vaklo's eye. His thrust was blocked by the blade; the painter's five fingers twisted and extended, becoming five sharp razors. Vaklo parried with both swords, his deformed claws scraping the spear shaft as he slashed towards Chu Hengkong's wrist. Instead of retreating, Chu Hengkong advanced, using the spear's advantage to thrust forward, the spear tip piercing Vaklo's right eye first.

"Hit!" Vacklo shouted.

It hit a vital spot. This person lacked the unconventional defensive methods of someone like Luo Hun; the spear, imbued with killing intent, struck his flesh precisely. The feel of the attack was fine. He could dodge the spear-claw attack. But an uneasy feeling churned within him. Chu Hengkong withdrew his left hand, shattering Vaklo's upper body. A scream emanated from the messenger's mangled frame. "I'm going to die!" But something still felt wrong; the sense of crisis deepened!