Forge a path to success

In two seconds, the Eye-Provoking Stone Demon would see him. He had to come up with a way to kill the enemy within a second.

Chu Hengkong would die even if he took a deep breath now.

How is he going to kill him?

Chapter 219 The Trap of the War Demon (2)

Chu Heng took a step back, using the protruding rocks to conceal himself. Perhaps the interference left behind by the Demon King's death was too severe, as the Eye-Proof Stone Demon hadn't yet noticed his subtle movement. The strange beast floated forward unhurriedly; in two more seconds, the beast would see him… in 1.7 seconds…

The intense tension dulled his sense of time, and Chu Hengkong slowly gripped the hilt of the sword. Having experienced death twice before, he was well aware of Chongming's physical condition. Swinging the sword was wishful thinking; he would be lucky to even manage to slowly pull it out alive. He wasn't a genius enough to grasp Chongming's fighting style in 1.7 seconds; he had to find another way.

Communication? High quality doesn't equate to high intelligence. It's hard to imagine that thing having a brain. Besides, the alien beast doesn't close its eyes; it would probably be petrified before it even opens its mouth.

An effortless ranged attack... Chongming doesn't have any shuriken, and the Spirit Throwing Knife is unlikely to be a one-hit kill. Besides, Chongming is so weak now, the knife probably wouldn't even be able to pierce his skin.

Should we try to trick that beast? Should we draw a section of our sword and use our ferocity to scare it away? That's one idea. Beasts always know how to seek advantage and avoid harm. Even if they have no strength left, their ferocity in killing the demon king is undeniable.

0.7 seconds. Half of the Eye-Provoking Stone Demon's body was already close to the rock. Chu Hengkong made a decision; he gripped the hilt of his sword and drew it, the blade making a soft, ringing sound. The Eye-Provoking Stone Demon shifted its gaze at the sound, but Chu Hengkong's hand froze.

He couldn't pull out his knife!

The brief half-minute of walking and thinking had exhausted Chongming's strength. Now, the murderous blade felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hand, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift it an inch. This misjudgment wasted his last bit of time; the Eye-Provoking Stone Demon's gaze had already pierced through the stone, and eerie green petrifying rays shot towards him.

The dark blade light leaped up like a snake, slicing through rocks and cutting through rays, cleaving the strange beast in two!

The Stone Demon of Forbidden Eyes split open from the center, like a walnut that had been chopped in two. The corrupt heart of the Fallen was precisely destroyed by that cut, and black blood writhed grotesquely like maggots, while various deformed organs emitted cries like those of an infant.

Chu Hengkong gripped the hilt of his sword, breaking out in a cold sweat. He couldn't draw the sword at the last moment; he let the blade in the sheath unleash its slash on its own.

The Broken Heart Sword Path, drawing the sword with a reverse blade, is a practical skill that Qingye learned while traveling at night. He had seen Qingye use it a few times, so he secretly learned it himself with the intention of learning by analogy, but unexpectedly it came in handy at this moment.

...Perhaps this move was designed specifically for such extreme situations?

Thinking about it carefully, the design logic of reverse-blade drawing is quite strange. If the sole purpose is to disrupt attacks, using shuriken or other mind-altering techniques would be more convenient. This technique is quick to activate and doesn't require much effort, making it very useful for saving lives in such desperate situations.

Those heartless bastards back then probably fought so badly they couldn't even pull out their knives...

Chu Hengkong instinctively found it absurd, yet given the intensity of the battlefield at the time, such a conjecture was highly plausible. He carefully stepped over the corpses of the strange beasts, fearing that a collision with some piece of flesh would cause him another accidental death. Once he was far enough away from the beasts, Chu Hengkong breathed a sigh of relief. He maintained his breathing rhythm and continued forward…

He suddenly knelt down on the ground.

A new sensation emerged from the pain he had gradually grown accustomed to: a weakness that felt almost ripped from his very bones. The weakness he experienced when he failed to draw his sword intensified, suddenly reminding him of his experience of starving to death in Yingshi Town. He could no longer hold the sword; his fingers loosened due to weakness. His face was pressed against the foul-smelling blood in the earth, and the deafening pounding of his heart felt like an earthquake.

His heart, as strong as a bomb, was still beating, but he himself was dying from weakness!

Chu Hengkong desperately tried to stimulate his heart to generate power, but he no longer had the strength to control his muscles. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes lifeless.

he died.

-

This time, the period of unconsciousness was exceptionally long. It felt like an eternity before Chu Hengkong heard the rustling sound again. He opened his eyes and stared at the hilt of the knife, which was wrapped in bandages.

Chu Hengkong no longer cared about crying out in pain, because he realized a terrible truth. This resurrection within the clutches of the murderous blade came at a price. The first resurrection took only an instant, the second a minute and a half, and this time, he felt over fifteen minutes had passed.

How much time has passed in reality? Is it faster... or slower than here? Even if only ten minutes have passed in reality, Qingxia has already been fighting Wen Yao. How much time does he have left to waste?

We can't afford to fail again!

Chu Hengkong forced himself to calm down. He breathed rhythmically, bandaged his wounds, and sheathed his sword before moving forward. Every movement had to be perfect; he couldn't afford even a single pointless exertion. He advanced the shortest distance, stepping directly over the filthy pool of blood, using his spiritual energy to sense the living creatures around him. His heart's power was unavailable; he desperately needed food, even poisonous herbs could serve as fuel for his body.

But there was nothing in the cave, and he couldn't find the rats he had heard. The desperate breathing of the strange beast echoed once more. Chu Hengkong quickened his pace, and before the Eye-Provoking Stone Demon could open its eyes, a dark blade flashed out, killing it instantly. The beast landed, its rotting heart shattered, and maggot-like blood flowed over its hideous organs.

Think about what Chongming would do. How did that wounded warrior survive? What did he say at the time?

—To survive, we must even resort to unorthodox methods!

Of course. The first lesson for all newcomers. The newcomer's gift pack in the desolate wilderness. Chu Hengkong loosened his grip on the hilt of his sword and knelt on the ground to conserve his strength. He grasped the decaying heart with trembling hands.

He stuffed the heart of the fallen into his mouth.

Chewing and swallowing, the movements must be gentle, like that of a lover, as he devoured the flesh and blood of the heretic. The black blood, like a clump of maggot-infested snot, throbbed restlessly in his throat. Chu Hengkong tightened his muscles, forcing himself to swallow. An incredible response came from within his body, as if this body was delighted by the arrival of the heretic.

The pain intensified; the Black Moon's flesh melted within him, attempting to burst forth, only to be drawn into his bone marrow by a sinister pull. He tore apart the beast's organs. He bit through its foul-smelling eyeballs. He devoured them. Devoured them all. He consumed everything he could use…!

"Huh...huh..."

Chu Hengkong let out a terrifying gasp. His face was covered in blood, and black blood still lingered in his mouth, making him look like a ferocious beast that had just finished hunting. But he felt much better. His fragile bones were now strong and powerful. The sinful bones of the Remnant Heart had absorbed the heretical qualities from the flesh and blood, using them as "fuel" to fill this body.

Chu Hengkong let the blood and grime flow down his face. He had no energy to waste on such a pointless thing as cleaning. He propped himself up with his sword, preparing to move forward, when at that moment the murderous blade vibrated slightly, as if it were yearning for something.

He recalled how, when he held the knife in reality, the blade seemed to flash with a sliver of blood. Looking at the half-eaten remains of the strange beast, a bold conjecture arose in his mind.

Chu Hengkong drew his murderous blade and threw it at the beast's carcass. Instantly, a dense aura of malevolence erupted, and the remaining blood from the corpse flowed onto the blade, even the blood that had seeped into the soil turned into droplets and rolled out. The longsword, like a ferocious beast, thirsted for blood and life, just like Chongming.

In the blink of an eye, the beast's remains had vanished, leaving only a shriveled, drained shell. The murderous blade lay silently on the ground, its ash-covered surface now stained with a streak of blood.

Chu Hengkong sheathed his sword, feeling much lighter this time. He tapped the hilt and whispered, "Want my blood?"

The murderous blade remained motionless. He thought that this blade might only want the lives of its enemies, and disdain to cut the flesh and blood of its own people.

"You are quite the proud blade."

After walking a hundred or two hundred meters, the rocks supporting him gradually changed, their texture shifting from rough to sticky and hot, as if covered by an invisible film. A faint tremor came from afar, suggesting the fighting outside was far from over. Chu Hengkong suddenly raised his longsword to block the attack.

The tremors suddenly intensified, as if something enormous had crashed into the mountain. The narrow cave collapsed instantly, sending rocks raining down. Chu Hengkong dodged the falling rocks with minimal movement, unleashing a reverse-blade strike to create a path for himself. He seized the opportunity to pass through the passage, the rocks landing behind him, blocking his way back.

The cave's terrain had changed due to the landslide. Mushrooms the size of children and fluorescent grasses inexplicably sprouted among the rocks. Chu Hengkong suspected these were hallucinations after devouring the flesh and blood of the Black Moon. He then heard labored breathing and numerous greedy chewing sounds.

Surrounded by fluorescent grass, a group of hideous dwarfs gathered, fighting over a human leg. The dwarfs had no ears, their orange-yellow hearts grew like tumors on their bodies, and they had wings on their backs with a texture resembling tree bark.

The Level 4 Beast, the Strange Wanderer, is a vile species that feeds on humans. This creature typically raids outside Dust Island, with few sightings recorded within the island itself, indicating a precarious situation on the battlefield.

Chu Hengkong naturally knew about these strange beasts. He was taller than the strange ghosts and immediately spotted the bloodied, blond man in the fluorescent grass. The blond man also noticed him and was trying to mouth the words.

Walk. Chongming, go quickly.

The man's voice echoed in Chu Hengkong's mind: "Strange Ghosts travel in packs and are extremely vengeful; killing one means offending a whole bunch. When you're alone, it's best to avoid provoking them..."

The murderous blade trembled once more, as if it were eager to strike. Chu Hengkong pulled the blade out an inch.

The weapons emitted a fierce, long whistle, almost like the roar of steel. The man-eating monsters froze simultaneously; the piercing sound of the blades shattered their hearts, causing their bodies to explode from the inside!

"Your sense of self-importance is really convenient," the blond man said weakly. "Really, that's the only thing I envy about you..."

The fluorescent grass was covered in filthy flesh and blood. Chu Hengkong placed the knife in the blood, which was a way of "feeding" it.

The blond man being besieged was wearing silver plate armor and looked every bit the charming young master who would win over women. However, his lower body was now buried under rubble, and the only leg that was visible had been eaten by the strange demons, so he could only be described as a handsome buttocks.

He used some strength to sweep away the rubble, sighing inwardly, understanding the other man's predicament. The blond man had also lost his other leg; he was now only left with his upper body, and clearly had no strength left to fight.

"I already told you I was leaving." The blond man gave a wry smile.

With great effort, he took out a small object and stuffed it into Chu Hengkong's hand. The blond man held onto that object tightly, never letting go even as the strange ghosts gnawed at it.

He forced a smile. "Live on, carrying my share."

Chongming's comrades were well aware of his physical condition. It was a miracle he was even alive; trying to help others would only lead to their deaths. Chu Hengkong vaguely understood why Chongming's temper was so ruthless: to survive, he had to make the most rational judgment. To survive, he could consume the flesh and blood of those who didn't belong to the heretics; to survive, he had to sacrifice the lives of others…

He took one last look at the little item the blond man had given him. It was a gleaming gold badge, with a meteor-like protrusion running through its curves, like a star rising from the depths of an abyss.

The shape of the badge is exactly the same as that of Ji Huaisu's pendant.

“Shut up, Du Lanbai,” he heard Chongming say.

Control vanished once more, and the longing buried deep within the blade resurfaced, manifesting in those same actions. Chu Hengkong stared in shock at Chongming, watching him tear off his cloak and wrap it around Du Lanbai, who was now only up to his waist. He dragged Du Lanbai forward like a piece of cargo.

He planned to walk out like this! A man more fragile than a corpse trying to drag his dying comrade to the battlefield—this can't be called bravery, it's utter madness!

"Chongming, you've really gone mad!" Du Lanbai shouted.

Chongming sneered: "You're only just realizing I'm crazy?"

Chapter 220 The Trap of the War Demon (3)

"Chongming, has your brain been fried by this fire too?" Du Lanbai asked, his face pale with anxiety. "You still have a chance to live on your own. Take me with you, let's die together!"

"So you're willing to die here?" Chongming said lazily. "We've killed the Nightmare King, you know. When we get back, you'll be a legend in the Dark Realm. The girl you like will never ignore you again. She'll pester you to tell her stories of fighting the heretics, and she'll pass on your message to the bards to write a new epic for you. With such a bright future, are you really willing to rot here?"

After that, I was speechless. At the funeral, they asked me about the heroic end of Knight Duran, and I could only say he turned into ten or so pieces, lining up to be digested inside a goblin's stomach. It was probably going to be an unprecedented funeral, because everyone was laughing so hard they were vomiting, and nobody had time to cry for you.

Duran rolled his eyes up; he wanted to roll his eyes back but didn't have the strength.

"For the sake of your own lungs, can you shut your mouth?" Du Lanbai said with a wry smile. "Legendary, my ass. You're already at point 7 while I'm only at point 5. While you were fighting Vansalal, I was fighting two Rainbow Abominations. What a load of bull, a legendary title."

Chongming took several steps forward, remaining silent for the time being. Conversation was tantamount to torture for him, especially since he was currently dragging Du Lanbai along.

From an angle unseen by his friend, the ropes woven from the cloak chafed his muscles and became stuck in his half-damaged shoulder joint. Chongming's remaining strength was insufficient to carry another adult, so he used his own bones as a restraint, forcing the body forward with his willpower.

Chu Hengkong was filled with admiration just watching from the sidelines. Even Xiangyu Yao was amazed by the creativity of such cruel torture. Chongming, on the other hand, remained unfazed and was even talking to his buddy.

“Whether you like it or not, they’ll talk about you a lot when you get back,” Chongming said. “They’ll say you’re the hero who defeated the Demon King, the brave paladin Duranbai, just like they did in Volcaso.”

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Du Lanbai laughed as well. "Such great achievements just fell on my head for no reason?"

"Because they don't want to believe that the one who defeated the Demon King was a wild samurai. Because they think that the hero who slays the evil god should be a knight!" Chongming sneered. "What you say is irrelevant to the 'truth.' They'll say you deliberately gave up the credit so that your friend could get ahead, and they'll even weave that generosity into a song and sing it loudly in the story they want to hear!"

Du Lanbai's expression changed drastically; his handsome face turned incredibly ugly.

"Don't save me!" he whispered in terror. "Let go! Let me die here! Die here!"

Chongming suddenly kicked Du Lanbai aside and kicked him out. He cursed, "Go to hell! Is your life more important than your reputation?"

"Reputation is important!" Du Lanbai shouted. "We've fought this far precisely to let them know you're not a heretic!!"

"After fighting for so long, how come you still don't understand?" Chongming said with a half-smile. "What nonsense about righteousness and heterodoxy? If they like you, you're on the righteous path. If they don't like you, you're on the heterodoxy!"

Du Lanbai struggled desperately to get closer, but having lost both his legs, he could only remain in place like a useless burden. The narrow cave further restricted his vision; he could only see Chongming's back, but not the ugly dwarfs that were silently approaching.

A decaying short arrow was stuck in the ground. The strange ghosts had caught up. If Chongming hadn't thrown Du Lanbai aside earlier, Du Lanbai's throat would have been pierced by that short arrow by now. The rescue knight's actions left Chongming momentarily exhausted. He sat down on the ground with a thud, leaning on the murderous knife like a cane.

Control returned to Chu Hengkong.

Chu Hengkong stared at the approaching dwarfs, and for a moment he felt an urge to laugh. He had finally figured out the pattern of this longing; this wasn't a game created by the murderous blade, but rather a movie it was replaying. Those people and events that Chongming valued were the inevitable actions that would happen, and you, being in the midst of it, could not interfere. All you could control were the insignificant battles and suffering.

This knife resists interference from others at its core. It crafted this trap from the lightest yet most malevolent part of longing, mocking everyone who attempts to awaken it.

"Alright," Chu Hengkong chuckled, "then I'll show you."

He sat motionless, his left thumb pushing forward, inching his blade inch by inch under the watchful eyes of the strange demons. The murderous blade was drawn two inches from its sheath, unleashing a terrifying killing intent that instantly froze the demons' movements. But this time, the leader of the pack shouted, using a pale purple energy shield to defend against the murderous intent. Its power spurred the strange demons to fight.

The crowned leader leaped up first, its sharp claws reaching for the scabbard. A greedy glint shone in its eyes; it knew the sword's power, and its past experience of plundering told it that to kill the crippled, it must first seize the sword. At that moment, Chu Hengkong stretched out his right hand and grasped the scabbard. With all his might, he pulled sharply, the sword remaining still while the useless scabbard was pulled from its sheath.

The sharp blade slammed straight into the leader's claws!

The leader was severed in two mid-air, the wound so clean it seemed the surrounding world had been severed as well. It lost its life the moment it touched the blade; the ferocious blade wouldn't allow it to be touched. The other strange ghosts shrieked and retreated. Chu Hengkong rose comfortably, casually grabbing the leader's corpse and stuffing it into his mouth.

He dragged his blade forward, making no attempt to strike, merely moving the blade casually. The weapons and bodies of the strange demons would collide with the blade on their own. Before the murderous blade, the bones of the beasts were no different from air; anything that touched the blade was obliterated by the killing intent, leaving only a pile of corpses half a second later.

The corpses of the strange ghosts fell to the ground, but no blood was seen. Their blood had been drained by the murderous blade, leaving a trace of crimson on the ash-black blade, like a flower petal fallen upon it. To conserve his strength, Chu Hengkong sat down on the spot and began to tear at the bloodless corpses.

Duranbeth then realized what had happened, and he groaned, "The Strange Demon is intelligent... Many Dust Isles consider it a demi-human..."

"They were just eating you," Chu Hengkong said coldly. "Aren't you going to eat them?"

"I'm not a demi-human!" Duranbai said, sounding unsure of himself. "Besides, I don't have your teeth... You can even swallow a magic bullet..."

Chu Heng chuckled, then grabbed the useless knight again, dragging him forward with one hand. Their earlier conversation had exhausted them, and they both fell silent, listening to the distant tremors. The epicenter was getting closer; whatever it was outside, they were almost face to face with it.

“Have we taken the wrong turn?” Duran broke the silence. “I feel like we’re… sinking.”

Chu Hengkong also sensed it; the texture of the ground had subtly changed. With each step, he felt a slight elasticity, unlike the sticky feeling of stepping into a swamp, but rather like crawling on a soft, warm mat. The mountain walls were covered with a layer of translucent slime, and strange mushrooms and fine grasses were appearing more and more, with small pebbles scattered everywhere that resembled fleshy tumors.

He quietly lowered the murder weapon, and the blade pierced the ground without any resistance, gushing out a black liquid.

“There is plenty of groundwater here,” Chu Hengkong said.

"You insist on calling this groundwater, is that it?" Du Lanbai struggled to look up. "This cave is alive."

"Correct."

You've fallen into a trap.

"It seems so."

Duran took a long breath. The noise of rats running flashed by.

“I’m reminded of a really awful story that adults used to scare kids when I was a kid.” Duranbai slowly adjusted his breathing. “It’s said that deep in the First Abyss, there exists an unusually huge creature. When it flies over Dust Isle, the entire sky turns black, and people think it’s the light of a mad moon.”

This creature is enormous yet adept at concealing itself; you can unknowingly wander into its belly. It's so large that a complete ecosystem exists within it. Those strange beasts you rarely see on Dust Island… like the Strange Walker and the Eyeless Stone Demon… live inside that creature, like its cells.

"Are there any things that look like mice in these cells?" Chu Hengkong asked. He saw a small mouse running past on fluorescent grass.

“There’s a particularly insane beast called the ‘Black Rat.’” Duranbai closed his eyes. “They have no emotions, no intelligence, but they are always hungry. When that creature flies over Dust Isle, the Black Rats will silently descend, and when it leaves, the Black Rats will fall into the Sea of ​​Illusions, because by then there will be no more Dust Isle, and all the matter will have been eaten up by the Black Rats. When I was a child, my parents used this story to scare me, telling me not to go out alone at night, because you never know if what you see is the darkness or a hungry Black Rat.”