Forge a path to success

"how?"

"Since we've already started this one battle, let's see it through to the end."

Chongming scoffed and left the beach. The murderous blade fell silent at that moment, its previous rage, which had been so intense it seemed ready to unsheathe its blade and kill, vanished without a trace.

Chu Hengkong tapped the scabbard and guessed, "Did you think he had forgotten you before?"

The murder weapon jingled and rattled, sounding somewhat aggrieved.

"Think about it again, why did you leave the armor and cloak behind, but instead kept you?" Chu Hengkong said.

The murder weapon remained motionless, as if deep in thought.

Chu Hengkong patiently persuaded him: "Of course, it's because you have excellent professional skills and are reliable. Otherwise, what's the use of keeping a rookie in armor to play a couple of dead games? Can he win? No way! So we have to keep you. Think about it, once you're unsheathed, you're guaranteed to win! Doesn't that make sense?"

The murder weapon suddenly moved, and he realized what had happened.

"It's good that you've figured it out. Now that you're in a new workplace, what should I call you from now on? If you want a new name, just change it a couple of times. If not, I'll continue to call you Murderer."

The murderous blade moved slowly twice. Chu Hengkong picked up the long sword and examined it closely.

"After all, you have a distinguished record of battles, and you were once a blade that slew an evil god. From now on, I'll call you 'God Slayer,' how about that?"

The murderous blade emitted a cheerful ringing sound. Chu Hengkong sheathed his longsword again and walked back to the three-story building.

Ji Huaisu was still awake, lying lazily on a bench in the hall. When she saw him come in, she looked up and asked, "Going out on a date again?"

"No." Chu Hengkong patted the scabbard. "I'm chatting with my sword."

·

The weather the next day was neither good nor bad; lightning flashed through the thick clouds, and distant thunder rumbled faintly—even someone with little experience could tell that rain was imminent. After finishing his morning exercise, Chu Hengkong joined everyone at the sacred pillar that served as the canteen, where he received a piece of batter and two tomatoes from the cook.

"……What's the meaning?"

"That's what I mean," Jie An said. "I repeatedly emphasized the food shortage to you guys last night, you should remember, right?"

Vande stared blankly at the small mouthful of batter he had been given: "What did I do wrong that you're bullying me like this?"

Jie An rolled his eyes and pointed behind him with both arms. Following his direction, the group saw two bags of flour, several cabbages, a small basket of tomatoes, and a few pitifully gnawed bones.

As night fell, a glimmer of hope remained: "Is this our lunch today?"

“My esteemed lady, this is all the food left for the more than one hundred people in this settlement.” Jie An smiled broadly. “In two and a half days, I will have the honor of telling you that we’ll be eating nothing but the northwest wind tonight.”

"That's impossible!" Qingxia exclaimed incredulously. "The food I hunted earlier was enough to feed everyone for at least a week!"

“There used to be plenty of food in the settlement, but most of the stored food was eaten by snakes while we were healing,” Shaks said ruthlessly. “I don’t think we can eat this stuff for two days; we’ll probably die within a day and a half.”

Jie An sneered: "Even if we eat dirt, we can still hold on a little longer..."

"No! No, no! This is the bottom line! We still have to fight the Demon King! We absolutely cannot eat dirt!" Ji Huaisu's face was deathly pale. "We must go hunting this morning! Even if we have to eat sandworms, we must get through these next few days—"

“The second piece of bad news is that there are no more sandworms,” Shakes said.

"……what?"

The sniper sighed deeply, very deeply.

"Your Meteor Dust Slash and the Banshee's Poison Tide have plowed up nearly half the wilderness. Why do you think there are still any monsters alive?"

“Children, he’s right.” Slar raised his little paw. “I went out to scout last night, and there’s nothing left in the desert but pus. It almost melted my fur.”

"No!!!" Qingye cried out in anguish.

"The dead have come back to life!!!" Gulibo let out an even sharper wail.

Slar exclaimed in surprise: "Why do you make it sound like a ghost story?!"

"Because it's haunted, you old geezer! You suddenly appeared out of nowhere, what do you expect us to say?" Vande squinted. "Is Silar resurrected?"

"There's no need for such a grand celebration... at least have a small one..."

"Grandpa, there's nothing to celebrate with you," Qingxia said sadly. "Your welcome party will just consist of grass porridge..."

"This is absolutely outrageous!"

The crowd was excitedly chattering about Silar's return. Chu Heng swallowed the clump of dough and walked up to Jie An: "Tell the truth, how many more days can you hold on?"

Jie An took out a small bottle containing the "Three-Day Harmony Pill" that he had previously developed. One pill could keep one full for three days.

“Using pills to stave off hunger, an ordinary soldier can last for a week. But you guys are strong and eat a lot, so relying on pills to fill your stomachs is unlikely.” Jie An put away the small bottle. “At most four days. If it drags on any longer, insufficient supplies will affect our combat strength. I don’t know just how powerful the Nightmare King is, but I don’t think fighting it on an empty stomach is a good idea.”

"The newcomer is right. To win, we need to stay at our peak. There's no more time for you to dawdle!"

A powerful shout rang out, and everyone turned around in surprise to see the spirited wild warrior. Chongming strode over, carrying a map hand-drawn on animal hides by the settlement warriors on his shoulder. He tossed the map aside and kicked it away, revealing the entire Desolate Wilderness before them.

"Get your act together! The Demon King isn't going to sit here in the city and wait for you to come to him. If you don't take action now, Vansalal will personally lead his army to slaughter you all." Chongming pointed his sword sheath at the location of the Demon King's city. "Have you all rested enough? Even if you haven't, pull yourself together. From now on, it's the final battle!"

Chapter 232 Breakthrough on the battlefield

The map drawn by the warriors was simple. To the north of the center was a dark mountain range, and on the highest peak in the northwest sat the Nightmare City. The settlement where everyone lived was located in the southeast corner, echoing the black Demon King's city, like two extremes of gold and black.

"Starting from the settlement, crossing the ancient battlefield and mountains, charging into the Nightmare Capital, and finally slaying Vansalal, this is the marching route for the final battle." Chongming pointed to the Nightmare Capital. "The small fry along the way pose no threat to you. The key is what happens after you arrive at the Nightmare Capital. This place is the enemy's home turf, and the four messengers—Nightwalker, Limb Spider, Ember, and Curse Lightning—will definitely all be mobilized."

"No problem, we figured out their strength during the last battle. Nobody other than Mr. Nightwalker poses a threat!" Qingye said confidently.

“Very good, that’s spirited. Don’t come looking for me to collect your body when you die, I’ve never led such stupid soldiers,” Chongming said.

"You're talking like that again! Did I say something wrong?"

Chongming gave Chu Hengkong a look, and Chu Hengkong continued, "First of all, the Limb Spider was incredibly powerful in life. It was a Fallen One who could raise black rats in its belly, and it was probably a very high-ranking creature even in the First Abyss."

"Was it this fat in its prime?" Qingye exclaimed in surprise. "How many cuts would it take to make this...?"

"Please pay attention to your strength instead of your weight!" Vande shouted. "The one who can raise black rats is the Holy Son of the Moon, damn it! Why would the God Child of the Forgotten Cradle associate with Vansalal?!"

“Maybe it was defeated by Vansalal,” Chu Hengkong said. “The other two envoys were at least Rainbow Demons in their previous lives, and at their peak, they could crush Wen Yao with a single finger. Considering that Nightmare City is the enemy’s home ground, I guess their strength will increase when they fight in the city.”

Everyone looked at Qingxia, who was the most experienced, and the centaur girl thought for a while.

"During the last counterattack, there were instances where the messengers were strengthened. Judging from the time gained by the decoy troops... the messengers could probably be raised to an output close to that of a mass 4."

"How much?" Gulibo trembled. "Approximately how much?!"

"Particle 4~"

“Seriously, don’t you consider spending a few more months waiting for the messengers to come and investigate before defeating them one by one?” Vande said. “They’re all Ascended beings; eating some dirt isn’t a big deal for them.”

Chongming ignored it completely and looked at the crowd: "Can you handle four enhanced envoys and one Vansalal?"

"It's difficult," Chu Hengkong said.

"So you must ascend!" Chongming waved his hand. "The Wilderness of Despair only allows life forms below particle level 3 to exist. Once you ascend to particle level 4, you will be taken to the deeper Heavenly Prison. But there is one exception to this rule, and that is inside the City of Nightmares."

Nightmare City is at the heart of this terrible dream; it is the immortal essence of the evil god. Once you enter the city, the immortal essence you observe will disrupt the rules of the Heavenly Prison. At that time, Ascended Beings of Point 4 can temporarily fight in the wilderness—that will be the best opportunity to become stronger.

"Anyone with potential should be promoted to a higher level. In the final battle, we'll risk everything to crush them. That's the battle plan!"

“That sounds familiar, ‘The whole nation is destroyed, long live the emperor, charge!’” Shakes said. “I’m going with him.”

"I'm not saying this outright, but your plan is a bit unrealistic," Vande questioned. "If we ascend ahead of time and go to the next level of the Heavenly Prison, then we'll have to ascend after the war starts, and then we'll have to enter the city immediately after we succeed... Don't those envoys know that? What if they block the gates and won't let us in?"

"Everyone should complete the settlement upgrade first, and then attack in one fell swoop after we succeed..." Ji Huaisu suggested.

“The enemy isn’t stupid, okay? The upgrade from 3 to 4 is such a big commotion, with several envoys leading a team to block the settlement.” Vand drew a circle around the settlement on the map. “What can we do if they just keep fighting at our doorstep? Even if our 4-point divine weapon descends from the sky and defeats the envoys, they will have no choice but to go to the deeper layers and will be gone before they can even fight Vandalar.”

"Therefore, we need to divide the army into two groups, the front and the rear. The enemy is defending the city and will inevitably mobilize a large army to fight against them. You, Ji Huaisu, and Chu Hengkong will go first as the front army, break through their army and dismantle their formations, and smash through the city gate in the shortest possible time."

Chongming drew an arrow pointing to the Demon King's Castle on the map: "Saxos and Qingxia will remain as the rear guard settlements and will be upgraded after the battle begins. Guangshi Qingye will join the front guard if he can make it in time for the start of the battle, and if he can't, he will join the rear guard as well. Whoever completes the upgrade first will enter the city to provide support. The front and rear guards will cooperate to defeat the envoys one by one, and finally preserve all combat power to fight the final battle against Vansalal."

"Your final battle plan is for us to storm the city gates and withstand the pressure first?" Ji Huaisu's lips twitched.

"Do you feel pressured?" Chu Hengkong said. "Actually, I can manage with Fan De. You can stay in the settlement to protect the Dharma."

"Go to hell, I'm following you."

"I'm under pressure!" Vande cried out. "Why was I included so naturally?! I think the second batch would have been a better fit for me!"

"You are our secret weapon, our decisive weapon. If we encounter any hellish creatures, we'll have to figure out a solution," Chu Hengkong comforted him. "Let's simulate the battle. Assuming the entire rear guard successfully upgrades, we successfully storm into the Nightmare City, defeat the four envoys, and arrive before Vansalal..."

"No offense intended, but this battle scenario simulation seems a bit like wishful thinking," Jie An interjected.

“Since we’ve already done the deductions, let’s just think positively!” Qingxia said. “We’ve come all this way to Vansalal, and what are we going to do then? Once the Kingdom of Despair opens, we’ll be instantly killed.”

“There is hope that a force of high quality can contend with it,” Shakes pointed out. “Ji Huaisu’s Holy Pillar Core, and the knife that the snake obtained.”

“Those two things can only save their lives for a short time; in the long run, they still can’t escape being torn to pieces.” Chongming yawned. “Therefore, there need to be three people in the vanguard. The third person is the key to breaking the deadlock.”

Everyone turned their heads to look at Chu Hengkong... and the Fan De in his pocket.

Van der's eyes were as bewildered as everyone else's.

"Me, I'm fighting Despair Kingdom?" It pointed at itself with its tentacles. "Really?"

"Don't you have a pretty powerful secret weapon? Most people here have seen it with their own eyes!" Chongming laughed gleefully.

"Huh?" Van Der looked bewildered, then realized, "You mean... Oh! Oh! It really is!!"

"The rest is just a matter of adapting to the situation and responding to each move as it comes." Chongming snapped his fingers. "This is the final battle, so get your spirits up."

Operation codename 'Dawn'—Let this dark wilderness see the light of day again, heroes!

·

After the meeting, Chu Hengkong tossed a blueprint to Shakes.

“It was found among Wu He’s belongings,” he said. “I guess it was your original payment.”

Shakes took the blueprints for the Boundary-Breaking Wheel. The designer's signature in the lower right corner resembled two Vs. His thoughts drifted back to that afternoon when Wu He came to his door. The calculating talisman master wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but little did he know that his initial hesitation would cost him his life.

"If I had this blueprint earlier, many things would have been different."

"Is that so? Will you kill me in Golden Leaf City?" Chu Hengkong laughed.

“That’s not necessarily true.” Shakespeare examined the blueprints. “If I had been a point mass 4 at that time, the duel would have been meaningless.”

"That's very much your style."

“If you were in my shoes, you would be the same.” Shaks put away the blueprints. “From now on, don’t bother me, whether Vansalar comes or not.”

He randomly found an empty house and was about to lock the door when Gulibo darted in through the crack, carrying a small basket of fruit.

"You forgot to bring supplies." Gulibo held up his small basket. "Keep it up, Gulibo!"

Sachs took the fruit and smiled at it.

"Thank you."

Gulibo was shocked: "Have you gone mad with qi?"

"Then go out."

He tossed the gulibo out the window, closed it, locked the door, and installed soundproofing and light-blocking devices. Automatic firearms surrounded the hut, creating a makeshift fortress. He needed to ensure absolute silence around him while he worked. After doing all this, he extracted a portion of his own essence and pieced together the half-finished blueprint from his memory with the one he had just acquired.

The avant-garde design of the dust-free platform was on full display. This Boundary Wheel was an unimaginable versatility, incorporating hundreds of functional modules yet possessing an extremely small, cube-shaped volume—truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Shakes admired it for a while before pinning the design drawings to the wall.

He took out the second drawing.

The internal design of the Shura Island Cold Intent Sect emphasizes speed and stealth, its exterior resembling an elongated spindle. This was a reward given by a certain remnant of the Heart after he helped complete a task.

The third drawing.

The Qimen sect of Zhengxuan Palace in Longquan Township offers a special wooden sword that can summon lightning to pierce the sky. Disciples who cannot cultivate the path of unity but are devoted to martial arts will be recruited into the Qimen sect. As they travel the martial world, they will naturally have grudges, and where there are grudges, there is a need for assassins.

The fourth one, the fifth one...

Shax pinned the blueprints to the wall, reviewing his mission rewards from the past year. There's one advantage to being a renowned legend: everyone assumes you're desperate for a breakthrough, so everyone uses clues to the next key as bait to lure you into perilous situations. He always manages to reach the most dangerous places, so there's always a certain fun to be had in his hellish existence.

The forty-first sheet. Sachs nailed down the last piece of stock. He surveyed the walls and floors covered in drawings and began to conceive his own design.

He's a mercenary, not a designer. He doesn't care about artistry or originality. His job is to modify and improve, like altering firearms on the market, taking the best designs he's seen…

Install it on your own gun.

·

"Mr. Chu, may I spar with you?" Qingye asked. "I'd like to hone my swordsmanship a bit more before I advance to the next level."

"A gentle approach is fine."

"Gentle".

Chu Hengkong transformed his calamity wrist into a single-handed sword, while Qingye gripped the longsword overhead with both hands, assuming an upper stance. The blades traced mysterious trajectories, colliding, exchanging blows, retreating, and then clashing once more. Both moved slowly, as if in a martial arts demonstration.

The exchange lasted for ten rounds before the two distanced themselves, and Qingye closed her eyes.