Forge a path to success

"Is that so?" Ji Huaisu raised an eyebrow. "Then you just stand there and don't move, let me smash you to pieces to avenge him."

"Hahaha, Miss Ji has such a good attitude."

"Not at all, Miss Lu Gui's performance was also excellent."

Hahaha. Hahaha. The two facing off let out laughter to ease the tension. No movement was made, only laughter continued. Then, the shadow needles suddenly exploded, the fire sword shattering them all!

"Shadow Spell - Shadow Continent".

Vaklo's head twisted 180 degrees, and thick shadows spread from beneath his robes, replacing the arena's ground with a purely negative shadow realm. Low-quality life forms would be corrupted and instantly die upon stepping into the shadow.

However, Ji Huaisu's ice armor defended against the external contamination. Countless shadow spears shot out from the omnipresent domain, instantly unleashing a thousand attacks. The knight, with an impenetrable defense, cut through all the shadow spears. She then raised her fire sword high above her head, slashing out with incomparably scorching flames.

"The Holy Flame of Purification!"

The purifying fire's strike incinerated the weapons that were about to be generated, carving a path of light through the Shadow Continent, heading straight for Vaclo in the center of the Shadow Domain. Vaclo raised its hand to meet the light and fire, and from its palm leaped hundreds of dark canine heads. Undeterred by the burning and gnawing flames, these beast heads relentlessly blocked Ji Huaisu's strike with a desperate, one-again-one momentum! The two sides were evenly matched!

"Oh, wow, that's quite a high output." Vaklo smiled. "Generally speaking, the offensive capabilities of Discipline Knights are weaker than those of us Scourge races. You're stronger than a knight would suggest."

"Likewise." Ji Huaisu bared his fangs. "This is the first time I've ever seen a demon like you!"

Both stopped simultaneously. Vaklo glided through the shadows, creating distance with movements as light as ice skating. Ji Huaisu carefully observed the enemy's actions, constantly checking if the paintbrush had been raised. She was wary of Vaklo's attack because the assassin acting as bait had already obtained valuable intelligence. How was it transmitted? The answer was the torch brought at the beginning.

The torch brought by Chu Hengkong remained planted in a corner of the arena, continuously emitting golden smoke that could be seen even from afar in the settlement. This torch was not only a provocative tool but also a reconnaissance device personally crafted by Ji Huaisu. The entire process of Chu Hengkong entering the scene was clearly observed, thus, while the knights appeared to be fighting aggressively, they were actually quite cautious.

—This enemy is not right.

Akong did indeed injure Vakuro before her attack, but the wound has now completely disappeared. Vakuro's power is also strangely strong; only Olek, as a split spirit of a Greater Demon and having contracted a top-tier body like the Blood of the Moon, could rival her in strength. Even in life, Vakuro couldn't possibly have reached a rank of 7—that's the level of the Nightmare King Vansalal—so how did it, suppressed to a lower quality, acquire such power?

She recalled Chongming's instructions before the battle. Since he said, "There's no way to defeat the opponent without falling for the trap," the secret likely lay in those paintings. Therefore, Akong's likely course of action would be…

Ji Huaisu had made up her mind. A transformation array appeared beneath her feet, switching her particles into velocity-biased, unpredictable dust. She charged towards Wakoro like a gust of wind, her high-frequency vibrating, boundless sword slashing directly at his right hand holding the pen. "How terrifying!" Wakoro used his left claw to block the attack; his hand and the sword shattered simultaneously… and then regenerated at the same time! This guy truly possessed immortality.

"My turn." Wacro launched a thrust with its blade-like five claws, but Ji Huaisu slashed off the shadow claws with a backhand, the sword's edge striking the ground and creating patterns for a sealing array. However, the viscous shadows writhed within the Shadow Continent, and Wacro, with beast-like reflexes, preemptively destroyed the array.

Wacro slammed its claws into the ground, causing waves of shadow to surge through the arena, lunging straight at Ji Huaisu. "Thousand Miles of Ice!" Ji Huaisu unleashed an extremely low chill, freezing the enemy's attack into black waves... But at that very moment, Wacro vanished from its spot, emerging stealthily from Ji Huaisu's side, its claws aimed straight for the knight's arm!

"—Please enter the painting."

Its official name is "Vakro Dimensional Degradation Spell," a unique magic developed by Vakro when he was a Void Angel. Any life affected by the spell will perish instantly due to the reduction of its dimension. After death, Vakro, "resurrected" as a low-quality point, can only use this spell through murals; however, its malevolent nature remains unchanged, and once it hits an enemy, defeat is inevitable!

Ji Huaisu cautiously deployed her light shield for defense, but this time her measure failed. The light shield, touched by the shadow claw, crumbled into thin paper, and Vaklo chuckled as he reached for the knight's wrist. A fatal attack was about to strike... but at that moment, Ji Huaisu, propelled by inertia, took a half-step back, and her seemingly certain strike inexplicably missed!

"?"

It makes no sense, it's too strange. Even if her skills have declined, she shouldn't have missed such an attack. Ji Huaisu laughed as if she had expected this. She took the opportunity to bypass Wacro and rush towards the center of the arena, intending to attack the mural depicting the Demon King directly. Wacro turned to give chase, but just then, the frozen black waves shattered, and countless ice blocks avalancheed in, slowing its pace even further.

"what happened……"

This is too bizarre. It evokes a sense of familiarity. But now is not the time to think about that. Lord Vansalar's portrait must not be destroyed. Vaklo slipped into the shadows, using his body as a shield before the mural. He crossed his arms and slashed at the charging knight, but at that moment, Ji Huaisu defied logic and retreated! As if deliberately avoiding him, he created distance!

This is so strange. It's as if they were certain my attack would fail. I've definitely seen this before. This is... this premise is...!

Wacro suddenly turned its head to look at the painting, and the high-quality essence within its remaining body allowed it to see the truth. A colorless iron chain extending from the mural was tightly wrapped around its waist.

—A chain of misfortunes!

"This is…!" Wacro tried to jump up. "Dust Break!" Ji Huaisu, who was prepared, pushed out his hands, and crystals containing the power of light and shadow rapidly formed. The resulting explosions slammed Wacro backward, causing half of its body to disappear into the painting!

Inside the mural, Chu Hengkong tightly gripped the unlocked chains and recited the ending he had designated.

[Vaclo Roqueva, during a battle with Giovanni, suffered an accident and became trapped inside his own painting, unable to move.]

"Qingye, rush out now."

"Say it clearly!"

Inside the mural, the perpetually clumsy ape threw another punch. It felt deeply saddened, for this time its enemy had no intention of fighting, merely dodging and weaving within the small house, a situation that would anger even Lord Vansalal. Suddenly, two small figures, contrary to their usual behavior, huddled together and began to charge at it.

"Awooo!" the Frost Ape roared excitedly, its arms striking out with extreme cold power. However, Chu Hengkong and Qingye nimbly dodged, stepping over the ape's fists to run off the execution platform and leaping high into the air! Still no attack! The Frost Ape, deeply shocked, shed tears. "Awooo?!"

It turned around angrily, intending to reason with the trial participants. "Awooo?!" But the Frost Ape cried out in astonishment, for it saw a strange phenomenon occurring in the sky... Vaklo, who should have been dominating the battlefield outside, was actually entering the painting on his own! It was as if a giant had entered the world from beyond the heavens!

"Whoa, should we attack it now?" Qingye was completely bewildered by this series of changes.

“No, we’ll wait.” He tightened the chains on his prosthetic arm.

The chain reaction of misfortune continued; Vacklo's left side was now trapped inside the painting. He could clearly hear the conversation between the two figures within, but there was no time for further thought; the immediate priority was to escape the predicament. If he too were trapped inside, no one could stop the knight from destroying it. Hostage tactics were unlikely to work, and the enemy had its own plans…

Wacroo gripped its paintbrush tightly in the outside world, but before taking its next step, it met a pair of eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep! Those were the eyes of Vande, hidden in Ji Huaisu's armor pocket!

"Hand over the paintbrush," Van der said grimly.

"Oh no no no no no no no!" Vaklo screamed.

The hypnosis took effect instantly, and Vacklo released his paintbrush. Ji Huaisu snatched the brush, smashed it against Vacklo's waist with a hammer, and drew a simple "door" along the edge of the mural. "Quick!" But to the people in the painting, this door was like a giant black hole appearing in the sky, completely unreachable. "Can't reach it!" Chu Hengkong shouted. Ji Huaisu, still holding the brush, hardened his heart and directly reached his hand through the door into the painting. "Now?!"

A hand emerged from the black hole, shrinking to its normal size as if by magic, appearing before the two. "Mr. Chu, you go first!" Chu Hengkong didn't waste any words, grasping his partner's hand. Ji Huaisu struggled to pull the person out; even with the help of the paintbrush, she wasn't the owner of the painting, and rescuing him required all her strength. "Almost...almost...!" Finally, half of Chu Hengkong's body was pulled out of the painting!

"Oh no no no no no!" The unfortunate chain of events continued, and Vakuro was almost completely absorbed in the painting. "This is cheating! I, I haven't even gone all out! I haven't even used half my strength! How could I lose so easily, how could I—!"

"--Well then, I'll have no choice but to cheat."

Vacklo's expression changed, and half of his face, both inside and outside the painting, smiled simultaneously. Then, his head split open along the central axis, becoming two identical faces… his body then split in sync, transforming into two completely identical individuals!

The half-body, caught in the chain of misfortune, as thin as paper, sank into the painting with a faint strength. It chuckled and reached out, grabbing Ji Huaisu, who had just been rescued. "Please enter the painting." The unexpected attack struck directly; this time, Ji Huaisu was truly caught.

Before entering the painting, she barely had a second to think. Qingye was inside the painting, Akong was outside; if Wacro held the paintbrush, he had no chance of winning. She shoved the paintbrush into Chu Hengkong's hand. "Akong, the outside is yours!"

"So I'm unlucky too, huh?" Vande said stupidly from inside the armor pocket.

"Good luck." Chu Hengkong put away his paintbrush. Then, as a substitute for his escape, Ji Huaisu and Fan De were dragged into the painting. At the same time, the half-body of Vakuro, retaining most of its power, leaped out of the painting, using the split as an opportunity. The two identical-looking people inside and outside the painting bowed simultaneously.

"Hello, I am Vacklo," said the voice from outside the painting.

“Nice to meet you, I am Roqueva,” says the outsider in the painting.

"The first messenger under the Nightmare King, the 'Twins,' has come to challenge you all." Vaklo Lockva raised a blade-like finger. "Give me back my paintbrush!"

Chapter 176 Chasing Shadows and Slaying Beasts (5)

"Ugh... I feel like I'm carsick..."

Inside the mural, Ji Huaisu, pulled into the painting, felt dizzy and disoriented. Van der, half-dead, clung to his armor, his complexion so wan that cremation was just one step away from sending him to heaven.

Roquevard was nowhere to be found; that bastard had vanished without a trace after giving his name, using some unknown technique. Ji Huaisu slapped his forehead and spotted the Heartless Girl running towards him.

"Sister Huaisu!"

"Xiao Ye, you're still alive!" Ji Huaisu waved in surprise, but her face flushed red after seeing the other person's condition. "What the hell is this outfit? Do you Heartbreakers have a technique that requires fake nudity to use?!"

"Please don't ask!" Miss Qingye blushed even more. "Besides, I'm wearing a scarf!"

Ji Huaisu gasped, "Your scarf is like the socks you haven't taken off in a pornographic book—it serves no purpose other than adding to the bad atmosphere!"

"Since you know this, then hurry up and make me a set of clothes, okay?" Qingye clasped her hands together.

Ji Huaisu nodded seriously: "Okay, you want it to be transparent, right?"

"Give me an opaque one!"

Ji Huaisu casually conjured a light armor made of a mixture of water and dust and put it on Qingye. The poor girl finally had some decent clothes. She covered her face with her hands, almost wanting to disappear into the ground: "It's so uncomfortable to wear..."

"You'll overcome this with your perseverance!"

Vande, having just overcome his nausea upon entering the painting, opened his eyes as if in a final burst of lucidity: "What are you talking about..."

"I'm talking about that Demon Slayer's immortality." Ji Huaisu began drawing a magic circle on the ground. "When you hit it, the feel is different from when it's elementalized, and the force required is also strangely great."

“A curse associated with the painting,” Vandal concluded. “I saw the connection between that guy and the painting before…most likely, this painting contains immortality granted by the gods. Vacklo has tied his life to that thing, and its power is endless unless that thing is destroyed.”

It grew increasingly agitated as it spoke: "The best way would have been to destroy the painting outside, but we ended up getting tricked by the Twin Souls... Damn it, I remember this guy! 'Twin' Vaklo Lockva is one of the few 'Void Angels' in the Spiral Tower!"

Boom! The storm drowned out Vandal's words, and the enraged Frost Gorilla leaped off the execution platform. Behind it was a chaotic army of numerous demons, with Glow Corpses, Moon Beasts, and many demon-possessed individuals serving as its soldiers. Two exceptionally monstrous beings were the leaders of the army. One was "False Light," a giant as tall as a mountain, radiating a cold light like a beacon; the other was "Rotten Dust," whose form was ever-changing, composed of numerous bee-shaped dust particles.

The messengers who were supposed to die in battle have reappeared, and Roqueva has painted their figures in his paintings, thus completing their resurrection in this unconventional way.

"Enjoy the epic 'United and Loving Demon Army'!" Lockvar shouted through the army. "Though we Demon Army may not be born in the same place, we will die together. Even if our bodies are reduced to ashes, we will continue to fight under Lord Vansalal's command!"

“I think the real me wants to be laid to rest peacefully,” Fu Chen said.

"I've already died in the line of duty, can I quit?" Pseudo-Light asked.

"No, please fight seriously."

“Alright then…” Pseudo-Light stretched his enormous body. “I love killing knights the most.”

It straightened its amorphous chest, and under the light, its mechanical structure unfolded and assembled, forming a massive steel cannon. This giant messenger was actually a cyborg; the light elemental power within the cannon barrel was rapidly compressed, transforming into a burst of destructive white light that shot out!

"Triple Dragon Seal of the Mountain".

Three icebergs rose abruptly from the ground, their defensive formations, etched with dragon patterns, blocking the beam of light. The first iceberg melted, the second pierced through, but the beam was blocked by the third, a dragon-sealed mountain. Ji Huaisu leaped from the mountaintop, the icebergs melting into water, which coalesced in her hand into a giant staff longer than the pseudo-light. A golden dragon coiled around the staff, the very same staff that stabilized the seas.

Ji Huaisu raised his staff with both hands and slammed it down. The giant staff spun rapidly and struck the fake bald head twice in succession, and then struck the giant's back with another blow, causing him to stagger and kneel on the spot.

"Where did this scoundrel of a martial arts practitioner come from?" Pseudo-Light cried out in pain.

"The Azure Armor Army, having mastered fist techniques, has faced its share of trouble before." Rotten Dust lunged forward, "The Rotten Bees' march!"

Numerous sand bees burst forth from that cloud-like body, their surfaces marked with deep yellow, crack-like patterns. This was the signature technique of the Corrupting Dust, a swarm of sand bees that disintegrated the enemy into the smallest units of matter.

"Radiant Light and Flowing Fire." Ji Huaisu tossed a blazing ball of light with one hand, the mixed light and fire exploding high in the sky above the battlefield, destroying the swarm of bees one by one with precise control.

The two sides engaged in a wide-range stalemate in the high sky. At this moment, the Frost Ape roared and leaped high into the air. It brought its fists together and punched out, taking advantage of the opportunity to smash into Ji Huaisu with brute force. Its attack combined powerful physical destructive force with freezing power; a single punch was enough to destroy a city.

Ji Huaisu withdrew his divine needle and swung his staff, striking directly at Han Xing's massive fists. "Aaaaaah!" Han Xing roared, increasing his strength, preparing for a fair and square fight with his opponent.

But then, in a flash, dozens of diamond-like fragments embedded at the top of the magic needle were all emitting a familiar light—

"Dust breaks."

A beam of light shot into the sky from where fists and sticks clashed. The high-explosive dust blast hit at close range, and Han Xing was blasted directly to the back of the battle formation!

Ji Huaisu dispersed the divine needles that had exerted all their power, and instead summoned the Purifying Fire Greatsword, which he carried on his shoulder.

"Come on, you scum!" Ji Huaisu sneered. "None of you will leave here alive!"

As Qingye was running away from the battlefield, she glanced back and asked, "...Um, does Sister Huaisu really need our help?"

“I don’t think she needs it much,” Van der said fairly. “But someone outside needs it! If we don’t hurry, Mr. Chu will be killed. If he dies, we’re all finished!”

·

In the real world, in the arena.

If one observes closely from outside the painting, one can see the knight's valiant figure in battle and the silhouette of the heartless one chasing something. However, neither of the two outside the scene has the leisure to continue looking at the painting. Chu Hengkong brandishes his white spear, ready for battle, while Wacro stands beside the mural, rubbing his razor-sharp fingers together.

“What a blunder,” Vaklo sighed. “Using the murals to kill you was the safest way. But I never expected you to have Lord Olek’s power. Even we Fearbringers can be defeated by a newcomer when it comes to cheating.”

"So you're going to show your true skills?" Chu Hengkong reinforced his Qi Armor.

“Excuse my rudeness,” Vacklo bowed, “we’ll have to be a little rougher.”

Like removing a mask, the smile on Vaklo's face vanished. Its eyes bulged, its lips gaped open, its pale and thin face stretched outwards, its torso twisted, its limbs swelled, and pure black fur grew from them. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a ten-meter-long behemoth, its claws and teeth were shadow blades, its eyes were murky spirals, and its body had no soft parts; it was a spear, a sword, an axe, and a gun.

It was riddled with tens of thousands of weapons, its wounds resembling bloodshot eyes spread across its entire body. That was the posture of Vaklo Lockva before its death, the lingering image of its final moments. From between the beast's teeth, came the same androgynous sound as before:

"To become darkness, to transform into demons, to form obstacles, to give birth to monsters."

Fear is a constant shadow.

The roar of a beast devouring flesh filled the air, and deep darkness surged from its body, engulfing reality. The light vanished, the mist dissipated, and even the stone walls at the edge of the arena disappeared. In the bottomless darkness, only man and beast stood facing each other.

Chu Hengkong experienced a strange sense of weightlessness; the lack of any reference points in the space gave him the illusion of falling. A non-existent "fear" arose from this, taking root and growing in the cracks of his mind. The sound of chewing was omnipresent, growing increasingly intense, as if a giant beast was tearing reality apart, the world's blood flowing as shadows. The pupil-less eyes of the beast stared at him, its sharp teeth slowly closing.

"My heart overflows, shadows chase and kill."

The impact is coming.

Muscles contracted, bones shattered, the body contorted under pressure, blood gushing from the mouth. Faster than thought, quicker than instinct, Chu Hengkong was already high in the sky when he realized what was happening. His body spun wildly out of control, the protective aura armor on his skin dissipating like dust. In his dizzying vision, he saw the giant beast's tail; he had been struck head-on, and Vaklo was now behind him.

The enemy was far too powerful; their beast-like body possessed a strength he couldn't comprehend, and even his fully armored body was no match for them. Chu Hengkong rolled in the darkness, his back suddenly slamming into a dusty spot, the sound of shattering stones echoing around him. He realized it was the edge of the arena; a single impact had sent him flying to the very edge of the battlefield.

He barely managed to lift his head and see the colossal beast's dark eyes in the shadows. The next attack was imminent, and he had no time to consider the enemy's methods. A one-time burst of magic? Pure physical enhancement after beast transformation?

No. The Immortal Machine issued a fierce alarm. This line of thinking was absolutely wrong. Defending was pointless given the power imbalance; he had to attack, at least to buy himself time to think.

Chu Hengkong fell from the crater, and shadows rose around him like tentacles, launching an immediate pursuit. His spear tip struck the ground, igniting a string of blue sparks. The flames intensified, instantly engulfing the entire arena and becoming a raging inferno.

The flames of ambition ignite. The chosen tinder: Shadow!

A raging fire instantly ignited, illuminating the dark battlefield and burning towards Vaklo's colossal body. Its entire form was shrouded in shadow, its fur and flesh fueling the flames of ambition. The terrifying beast was instantly engulfed in flames, blue fire spewing from its numerous wounds like a house collapsing in a fire.

Kovaklo grinned as it burned. The immortality emanating from the painting continuously repaired its body, allowing it to remain at its peak. It cared nothing for its wounds, nor feared the pain; compared to the bloody battles it had endured in its previous life, the burning at this moment was insignificant.

"Shadow Claw." It swung its giant claw, and the claw marks transformed into five dark blades that slashed down with incredible speed.