Forge a path to success

Two days before the verdict. At Youyou's studio.

"Huaisu, do you think this thing meets the requirements?"

"The power is just right, but we'll be a bit weak against crowds... Wait a moment, Chu Hengkong said we can add a few more tubes!"

"...That's a bit unethical, isn't it?"

"How can it be unethical? This is a business that saves lives!"

The day before the verdict. The cafeteria kitchen.

"It's done! See if this is the effect you wanted."

"...It looks a bit strange. And the smell..."

"Oh dear, there's no time for fine-tuning, let's leave it like this! I need to hurry and catch a few geese."

Half a day before the verdict. The command center of the resurrection unit.

"Grandma Sangjia replied that she would be happy to help if the method worked."

"Very good! Having the locals help makes things much easier. Everyone, go over the plan again. This is the special mission we'll be carrying out tomorrow. Is everyone clear?"

"Captain...isn't this a bit..."

"Put away your mental burdens, this is a mission."

"Yes!"

……

And so, the day of the verdict arrived!

The waterfall cascaded down from the courtyard like a white river, the outline of a rising dragon ship faintly visible in the water. The wizard Rand lowered his telescope and signaled with hand gestures. The white-robed followers rushed to the scene, grabbing pitchforks and cleavers, ready to fight the Knight of Calamity to the bitter end.

Today, no one set up stalls at the market, and this area near the port was set up as the front line of the battle. Land and the armed monks waited for their chance in the rear, while ordinary believers acted as the central army, and at the very front of the battle line was a group of zombie-like fluorescent people, who were the fluorescent corpses that the believers had brought out from their homes in response to orders.

This was a wicked scheme devised by Adali. He proclaimed to his followers that the sick could also receive divine help if they contributed their strength. In this way, the fireflies would delay the enemy's advance. The resurrected troops, unwilling to be infected but still wanting to break through, would inevitably have to deal with these corpses. And once the government pulled the trigger, they would personally shatter the order of the swamp.

Without order, evil dragons will also lose their power; this false divine punishment will only bury them.

"My lord, here we come!"

Land also spotted the Calamity Knight; she and her men were riding in an armored off-road vehicle that had driven from the Rising Dragon Ship into the harbor, its roaring engine utterly insane. Everyone in the vehicle was armed with modified firearms. Land was overjoyed at the sight. He led his guards to the front lines to boost morale, raising his arm and shouting, "The Calamity Knight doesn't want to give the Swamp any way out, then we will unleash true divine punishment upon her! Swamp followers, follow me!!"

"May the gods protect us!!" the crowd responded.

The bewildered believers ran towards the wheels along with the glowing corpses, while Rand quietly activated his defensive relic. His mission would be complete once he saw the enemy fire their own guns. He stared intently at the Disaster Knights' fingers, praying they wouldn't be so patient, but things progressed more smoothly than he expected; everyone in the vehicle pulled the trigger.

The evil dragon's henchmen fired their guns!

Rand cheered wildly, anticipating the impending bloodshed and screams, the desperate cries and carnage. But suddenly he sensed something was amiss. Instead of the spray of water from the blast, he heard muffled "plop" sounds... and the blast itself looked strange, its smell and color were odd...

Everyone, including the armed monks, was bewildered, hundreds of eyes staring at the projectile streaking across the sky. The "water bullet" was about the size of a fist, yellowish-green in color, and its texture resembled mud. Upon impact, it made a muffled "plop" sound before disintegrating into a puddle of muddy filth, emitting an extremely foul stench!

Land's mind went blank. He couldn't describe the smell in words; durian seemed far too mild, while rotting seemed a bit exaggerated. It wasn't until the second "water bomb" hit his head, and his body was covered in yellowish-green mud, that the familiar memory was finally awakened.

He wiped his face, trembling, and stared at his hands covered in a yellowish-green stain, letting out a miserable cry: "Shit?!"

That's it... that shape, that color, and that feel... it's definitely X!

"Holy shit, F!" "Help! They're throwing F*** at us!!" "Have they no shame?!"

The fighting spirit that had been painstakingly roused plummeted to rock bottom, and the believers let out a chorus of wails. The armed monks, led by Land, vomited violently on the spot! Among them, the more resolute ones forced themselves to utter moral condemnations! "You actually threw shit at the sick… You will be punished! Go to hell, you bastards!!"

On the SUV, Chu Hengkong stretched out his tentacles and pointed to the front of the battle line: "Is that so? But I don't see any patients."

Following his tentacles, people looked towards the front row of glowing corpses, their faces blank and yellowish-green, their mouths agape as they swallowed most of the ammunition in the initial assault… The patients' families were devastated and on the verge of collapse, but at the same time, they sensed something was amiss. Only yellowish-green and a stench remained, yet…

There is no light.

Unable to see any light, the luminous spots beneath their skin faded visibly, and their bewildered eyes regained their sparkle. The glowing corpses had come to life! They looked around in surprise, asking with the curiosity of newborns, "Where did this X come from?"

But no one answered. The believers were so shocked they were almost incapable of thinking. They saw the Calamity Knight stand on the roof of the SUV, holding a light shield in one hand and a megaphone in the other. Her voice carried throughout the market, reaching the ears of everyone.

"As I said before! Our Dragon God's Judgment Day is for punishing evil and rewarding good. The wicked will die in pain, and the good will be freed from the light. It seems that all of you patients are good, so there is still hope... But those who are deliberately blocking the way are not necessarily so."

She deliberately dragged out her words, scanning the crowd: "Who else wants the Dragon God's blessing?"

The sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed everywhere, and Land was kicked to the ground by two large feet. The believers with spots of light on their bodies were the first to raise their hands and rush into the stinking mud, their shouts rising and falling like a tide.

"Sword, my lord, shoot me!" "Shoot me! Shoot me!" "I have the courage to receive the blessing!" "Get out of my way, I dare to receive the blessing!" "I have been a follower of the Dragon God for twenty years!!"

*Splash! Splash!* Specially designed water guns fired in quick succession, and people happily collapsed onto the ground in a yellowish-green hue. A few believers who missed catching the water sponges lay on the ground, grabbing the blessings and chewing them up greedily. Operation Judgment Day, codenamed "Spray," officially began at this moment!

Chapter 35 Swamp Divine Grace Spray Operation

In the central courtyard, inside a room resembling a water balloon, at the headquarters of the Resurrection Unit.

After listening to the report from Huang Shuijing, Ji Qiufeng said seriously, "The situation is excellent. I didn't expect their idea to be so effective. Youyou, aren't you going to take a look? It would be a pity to miss such an impactful battle."

The snake, completely buried under the pillow, rolled around frantically, yelling, "Shut up! I don't want to see! I don't want to see!"

"Oh, they're preparing new weapons!" Ji Qiufeng exclaimed. "As expected of weapons personally modified by Lord Huilong, they look incredibly sacred. So majestic!"

Yu Yu, imagining the scene that was about to unfold, let out a desperate scream: "My lifelong reputation is ruined in an instant! Aaaaaah!"

·

"My lord, the port front has been breached! All the believers have fled!"

"Their methods are too ruthless; we can't resist them..."

"My lord, something terrible has happened! The prosperous settlement is about to fall!"

One messenger after another rushed into the villa in the western part of the deep-rooted settlement, their anxious cries for news echoing everywhere. Adali, who was in charge in the center, was overwhelmed by this barrage of bad news. He pounded the ground three times with his cane to signal everyone to be quiet, and then roared, "Shut up! You, tell me what's going on!"

The messenger, whose name was called, clutched his chest, his expression one of lingering fear and a narrow escape: "My lord, they've all gone mad! The Calamity Knight and the Divine Child are shooting X with guns! Everyone's scrambling to eat X!"

Adari almost thought he had misheard: "What did you say?"

"That...that stuff can cure light poison," the messenger described vividly. "It's sacred, it's a sacred X!"

People chimed in, "Yes, it's so sacred..." "That's a miracle..." "It's Saint X..."

Adari was nearly driven mad with rage. He took two deep breaths and roared at the crowd, "Change tactics! Have the believers hide the sick in their homes! Don't let them eat! Let our people take the lead and forcefully start the war!"

"Sir, it's impossible..." the messenger cried, "Those infected with the light poison are all running away on their own... They're chasing after the car, fighting over the X!"

The messenger's words were true; the scene described was unfolding across the swamp. Valiant soldiers, wielding modified torpedo guns, sprayed bullets in all directions, painting the settlements in a blessed hue. Behind a convoy of five armored off-road vehicles, a shimmering procession followed like chains. These chains were composed of glowing corpses, who, despite being unconscious, spontaneously emerged from their houses and ran wildly behind the convoy with their arms raised, almost like a devout pilgrimage.

The villagers watching were so moved they almost cried: "How devout they are! They deserve divine blessings!"

In reality, the pursuit of the fireflies had nothing to do with any divine blessing; the fervor originated from the center of the convoy. Ji Huaisu's light shield was placed on a strange, pot-like device. The enhancement device, personally crafted by Youyou, increased the brightness of the light shield by nearly ten times, making it resemble a miniature sun fixed on the roof of the vehicle.

"I know the Fireflies are attracted to light, but don't you think this is going too far?" Chu Hengkong shouted, covering his nose. "Even the Fireflies from the neighboring Fertile Land settlement have come over!"

As Ji Huaisu spoke, he drove with one hand: "First of all, this thing was a magical artifact crafted by Lord Youyou, so it has the effect of absorbing light... Secondly, I've been supplying it with energy! This thing is draining me so much that it's almost draining me dry, so please come over and drive for me!"

"I'm sorry, I have a psychological aversion to driving for others. Captain Huaisu, you should do more of the work."

This time, Chu Hengkong deviated from his usual behavior and resorted to trickery, secretly firing shots from the passenger seat. His marksmanship was incredibly accurate; every shot hit a firefly's mouth precisely, wasting not a single blessing, which amazed Jie An in the back seat.

"You're a fucking idea genius! How did you come up with such a despicable idea?"

"Let's be realistic. My initial plan was only to use the spray gun to suppress and treat the patients. It was your impromptu concoction of the spray that elevated the plan to a level it shouldn't have been." Chu Hengkong gave a thumbs-up to the back seat. "You, Jie An, deserve the most credit for this spraying operation!"

"Shut up, you son of a bitch!" Jie An, sitting in the back seat, was on the verge of tears. "He's the one who deserves credit! If my father saw this, he'd expel me from the family register!"

Ji Huaisu tried hard to suppress his laughter: "How could that be? Your old man would be very pleased to see you use shit... use blessings to save everyone! Now that people are coming from the front, quickly take out your backup plans!"

Adari's men had already attempted to intercept him three times, but without exception, they all succumbed to the stench-filled spray tactics before they could even get close. This time, however, the high priest was clearly determined. Six bizarrely shaped demon-possessed individuals, along with armed monks, blocked the settlement's exit. This suicide squad was not only clad in iron armor but also wore hastily made mud masks to mask the stench. Their roars, though loud, were clearly audible amidst the splattering sounds: "Stop eating shit! I'll expose the evil god's poison right now—Gods above, what is that?"

The suicide squad's roar turned into gasps of surprise as a brand-new weapon appeared before them. It resembled a long-barreled musket, but possessed six ominous barrels, with a rotating disc in the middle. Jie An, carrying the new gun, let out a chilling laugh.

"Let me introduce you to this brand-new sacred artifact we've prepared for the Judgment: the Blessed Gatling Gun."

"Don't be afraid, everyone!" The suicide squad leader shouldered a large steel shield, trying his best to calm the troops. "We have the guardian relics bestowed by the gods... oh no! The power of the evil dragon can never break through our barrier of faith!"

The suicide squad leader was confident. His large shield was a genuine level-one relic; mere water bullets couldn't possibly penetrate its defenses. Those X-bullets were just a bit smelly, but utterly harmless. Once he forced these guys into battle, there were a million ways to drag them into the X… mud pit!

Jie An pulled the trigger, and six barrels roared as they unleashed blessed bullets. The suicide squad braced themselves for the charge, but they discovered something was wrong with this time. The bullets were a full size thicker than before, and they began to vibrate violently after leaving the muzzle. Wings and webbed feet sprouted from the blessed bullets, along with long necks and goose heads, transforming them into a flock of water-avoiding geese…

A flock of foul-smelling, water-avoiding geese, exactly the same color as X, flying wildly through the air!

The expressions of the suicide squad members contorted in sync with the blessing bullets; only one thought had time to flash through their minds.

There's an X in the goose!

"Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!" The yellow-green geese charged into the enemy ranks, flapping their wings! Hundreds of foul-smelling feathers fluttered in the air! "Ah, no!" "It's coming!" "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" The suicide squad saw nothing but yellow-green as far as the eye could see, and an endless stench accompanied by a powerful impact poured down. Their defenses were meaningless against the flying geese. The terrified geese squawked wildly at this monstrous sight, grabbing whatever they could and pinning it to the mud, pecking at it relentlessly.

The suicide squad leader barely survived the first wave of attacks with his large shield, his fighting spirit nearly collapsing as he prepared to flee. But the moment he opened his eyes, he saw new goose bombs! "Quack! Quack! Quack!" The second wave of geese rained down on the settlement, their feathers filling the air like a torrential downpour.

"I don't want to eat roast goose for at least two weeks..." Ji Huaisu gagged. "I feel like I'll think of it every time I go to the cafeteria..."

Chu Hengkong felt an urge to cover his face: "Shut up! Don't say another word!"

Standing amidst the hail of bullets, Jie An's voice was unusually loud: "This sacred artifact was bestowed upon me in a dream by the Great Master Jingzang. He could not bear to see the people of the swamp suffer, so he gave me this artifact in a dream to bestow blessings and relieve suffering. This thing can bless 3,600 people in an instant, and each firing releases several lives. It is truly compassionate and merciful, saving all sentient beings!"

"So kind..." "Truly worthy of being called the Great Master Jingzang." "Great merit, great compassion!" The kind-hearted people of the swamp clasped their hands together in rejoicing and praise, then rushed forward to snatch the sacred goose. The slower ones dragged the daredevils, who had been pecked unconscious, off the road, thinking to themselves that these shameless bastards were still eating it.

That's enough with the token gesture. Everyone's eager for blessings, but you've already eaten all the blessings... what are we supposed to eat? Get out of here!

The dutiful team members took a few more shots to finish off the remaining daredevils, who all fell amidst the fallen. The resistance of Deeprooted Settlement was completely quelled, and an off-road vehicle withdrew from the chaos, heading south towards the location of Plenty Settlement.

At this point, the convoy's advance was completely unstoppable. Wherever they went, residents spontaneously gathered around them, and the swamp was overwhelmed by the festive stench.

·

"My lord! They've entered the Deep Roots settlement!" "Some of the cultivators have escaped..." "They said they'd rather die in battle than choke to death..." "Let's surrender..."

The chapel was shrouded in gloom; a cloud of defeatism hung over everyone. Adari, seeing the foolishness of these people, felt an urge to chop them up and feed them to the fish. But he knew there was nothing he could do; the swamp people were nothing but a mob. Capable and strong people do not presume to seek divine intervention; only weak and incompetent sheep would use divine will to bully others.

For a fleeting moment, Adali doubted his decision. Would the situation have been better if he hadn't bought the fireflies? With those thirty elite soldiers, he could at least buy more time, or at the very least, have the strength to sue for peace… But he immediately dismissed these useless thoughts. There was no point in thinking about such things. Could he really surrender now? Even if he survived after surrendering, what would the great wizard Adali have left?

“Open the armory doors,” Adari said softly. “Then you can leave.”

His voice carried a convincing power, swaying his confidants back to their senses as they proceeded to the armory behind the prayer room. Half a minute later, the heavy stone doors opened, a blinding light shining through the swirling dust. The terrified screams of the ignorant masses abruptly ceased, followed by slow, deep swallowing sounds. Adari's smile was almost maniacal.

"It's alright, I'll take the stage myself...!"

·

"Chu Hengkong, get ready. They're here!"

As they drove away from the deep-rooted settlement, Ji Huaisu gave a reminder, and Chu Hengkong put down his blessed weapon and stood up from the car to stretch his arms and legs.

A slight tremor came from afar, and strange, loud noises echoed from the dense forest outside the settlement. People began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering if it was another miracle or some new sacred artifact. No one was truly worried, after all, the omnipotent messenger of the gods was just ahead.

Suddenly, the murmurs of onlookers vanished, and an unbelievable light stung their eyes. The swamp was perpetually dark, yet now a blinding light rose from the eerie forest. The light surged from the depths of the mud, causing ancient trees to collapse from the churning sludge!

It was a colossal object composed of mud and light, its massive body formed from filthy decay, with hundreds of beams of light connecting on its "abdomen" to form an ugly face. Hundreds of relic weapons were embedded in its gleaming body, protecting it like sharp spikes.

Jie An stared at the giant face in the distance, his eyes filled with hatred.

"The Torch Corpse Pile... This thing is a genuine Poison King, worth at least a hundred Firefly Corpses. Chu Hengkong, can you handle it alone?"

As easily as picking up a stick, the torch-wielding corpse pile up a large tree and hurled it at the convoy. Chu Hengkong jumped up from the roof of the vehicle and kicked the thick tree trunk to pieces.

“I’ll make sure we take it down,” he said.

Chapter 36 The Poison of a Corrupted Heart

Chu Hengkong took off his coat and leaped into the forest like a nimble black falcon. The noise of the crowd behind him faded away, and even the wind turned a vibrant green, the same color as the trees, as he raced at breakneck speed. He lightly gripped his perception pendant and felt a deep, malevolent gaze emanating from the depths of the faces of the pile of corpses, like a vulture pecking at a carcass.

Leaves flew in the forest, the pile of corpses swung its fists, and the rotten mud on its body exploded like bombs. Countless relics and weapons flew up and were thrown by the impact, turning into a rain of blades.

Chu Hengkong's steps never faltered. He raced through the flashing blades, like a sharp arrow piercing a rain of weapons! His arms moved with graceful arcs as he ran. Long weapons were deflected by the slaps of his tentacles, while short weapons were scattered by the force of his punches. Silently, an invisible circle appeared, formless and intangible yet insurmountable. No weapon could penetrate more than three inches from Chu Hengkong's perimeter.

Dragon Township Fist Technique - Circling Wind Hand. A defensive technique derived from continuous strikes, it can deflect stray arrows and swords like a whirlwind. Chu Hengkong waited for the attacks to subside before raising his hand and grabbing a long black staff amidst the rain of weapons. He swung the staff to clear his path, accelerated away from the rain, and plunged into the forest.

The weapons that were shot down sank into the swamp, their tips still covered in sludge, causing shimmering spots of light to float behind Chu Hengkong like duckweed. Forty seconds passed, and the distance between the two sides closed to a hundred meters. The pile of torch-like corpses seemed to have realized that long-range tactics were meaningless. It emitted a strange howl from its giant mouth, a sound that was heavy yet extremely penetrating, like striking a rusty bronze bell.

A glowing, withered hand burst forth from the mud, grabbing at Chu Hengkong's ankle!

The gleaming staff slammed into the palm, annihilating the withered hand with a vicious thrust. The force of the blow was astonishing, directly blasting out the firefly corpse lurking underground. Chu Hengkong spun the staff around and brought it down, stunning the firefly corpse with precise force. A burst of light shone behind him as he stepped forward to dodge the attack, retracting his arm and striking the firefly corpse with the staff handle straight back. The staff handle struck the firefly corpse like a battering ram, sending the second attacker flying backward, draped like a rag doll over a treetop.

Chu Hengkong withdrew his staff to protect himself, causing ripples to spread across the muddy swamp. The fireflies buried in the mud suddenly sprang up, launching suicidal attacks with a doom-or-die spirit. However, all the attacks grazed past Chu Hengkong. He swung his staff, transforming it into an arc even brighter than the Wind Ring Hand. The fireflies couldn't even get close to the circle, let alone break into it; they were all blown down by the strong wind.

Chu Hengkong easily broke through the encirclement, his agile figure heading straight for the pile of corpses. Adali could observe the battlefield and control numerous glowing corpses; considering the limited range of the relics, he was probably hiding inside the pile of corpses. This man was a "cornerstone" who fought using relics and the environment; the longer the fight went on, the easier it would be for him to fall into a trap. Now was the time to use strength against weakness, dig out his true form, and defeat him in one fell swoop!

Seeing that their encirclement tactic was ineffective, the pile of corpses raised its giant hand and slammed it down. Chu Hengkong lightly touched the ground with the tip of his staff to gain momentum and leaped up, dodging the giant's blow and landing on the back of its hand. He raced up the giant's arm, its tentacles contracting to gather power as he ran, then thrusting his silver spear at the hideous giant face!

The silver spear struck from the side, its concentrated force at the tip exploding and creating a massive hole through the pile of corpses. This strike nearly cleaved the pile of lit-up corpses in two, sending clumps of mud enveloping the glowing spot flying. However, at the same instant, a deep purple shadow swept past the side of the silver light. The shadow moved with incredible speed, almost like a fleeting illusion, appearing before Chu Hengkong in an instant, aimed straight for his heart!