Forge a path to success

"Martial Arts Cultivation isn't this kind of deck, you bastard!" Gutaf shouted. "I didn't design any cards with this effect. The Thought Infusion mechanism in Ultimate Battle is, after all, an Easter egg and a privilege for Ascended players... It shouldn't have created such overpowered cards! Even my Black Moon and Demon cards took more than a month to complete, how dare you print them on the spot?! How dare you!!"

"Didn't you give yourself this opportunity?" Chu Hengkong said indifferently. "You personally set up this stage for a dark duel, and you personally turned the game into a tool to pollute the citizens."

From the moment you entered the fray because of greed, this ceased to be a game, and became a battle. In real combat, there are no rules; there is only life, death, and those possibilities you deem impossible, fought with your lives.

"Battle! The Heart Sword cultivator is attacking Shuoyue Bastard!"

The Heart Sword cultivator severed the head of the obese illegitimate son with a swift sword strike. The latter's flesh and blood reattached to his right arm, causing his attack power to surge to 12900 points. "Third strike, attack the Crescent Moon Stranger!"

The Heart Sword cultivator's longsword was imbued with a blood-red aura. With a single strike, he cleaved through the dueling arena, annihilating the Fallen One with a crimson sword light. The Demon of Addiction was blown off the dueling arena by the sword's force, its health points instantly reduced to zero. Then, the Heart Sword cultivator's attack power increased to 16300!

"The final blow." Chu Hengkong pointed at Gutaf. "Launch a direct attack on Gutaf!"

"Coo, coo, coo-wah—!"

The crimson longsword pierced straight through Gutaf's massive body. His health plummeted to zero due to the severe injury, and his aura weakened to that of a ghost.

At that very moment, Gutaf grasped the longsword that pierced his body with his almost transparent hand!

“Well done, martial arts cultivator. Indeed, in actual combat, we are no match for you…” Gutaf’s smile was chilling because of the blood, “But this is ultimately a ‘game’ we designed. No matter how strong you are, you must abide by my rules within the game!”

“I told you beforehand that when someone’s life points reach 0, someone will turn into a card.” Gutaf slammed his hand on the ground. “But I never said who would turn into a card!”

"Activate the War Spell, Demon's Revenge! This card can only be activated when your Life Points are at zero, turning the duelist who inflicted this damage into a card seal!!" Gutaff laughed triumphantly.

An unprecedentedly massive magic circle unfolded around Gutaf, its outer edge a surging deep purple, while its inner edge shimmered with a faint, twilight-like glow. This was a spell inscribed on the dueling arena before the duel even began—the demons' despicable final act.

If you lose a duel, you'll be turned into a card. But if you're lucky enough to win, this extra spell will seal the victor away!

The magic circle expanded and solidified, forming a blank card as large as a building that crashed down. The activation of the spell was incredibly fast; one moment it was the demon's rampant laughter, and the next second only one duelist remained on the opponent's field, while the sealed card fell into Gutaff's hands!

"You've lost, Chu Hengkong! Plunge into the bottomless abyss of despair!" Gutaf's features were distorted beyond recognition; his eyes were practically diamond-shaped with excitement! "I am the victor! Your power, your relics, your memories—all of them are—"

"What is it?"

Gutaf suddenly froze, and the Demon of Indulgence tensed up as well. There was indeed only one person standing opposite them, but that person was... Chu Hengkong! Between his fingers was a card depicting a silver chain!

“Activate the strategic spell, the Unfortunate Chain.” Chu Hengkong put down the card. “This is a card I added to my hand using the effect of the Heart Sword Cultivator. This card can only be used once in a duel and can transfer ‘misfortune’ to another person.”

The Demon of Delusion glanced at the card in his partner's hand. The card depicted a blond knight wielding a shadow blade.

"You... how could you be so despicable! Transferring your misfortune onto your partner!" the Demon of Indulgence exclaimed.

Gutaf grasped the situation even faster: "So what?! Your partner is in my hands now, I'm actually better off with a hostage!"

Chu Hengkong suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard a very funny joke, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. The two demons were momentarily stunned and dared not make a move.

"Sorry, I didn't explain clearly just now." Chu Hengkong shook his head with a smile. "Did you think it was my partner who was shrouded in misfortune? You're wrong."

"The truly unfortunate one is you, who has gotten this close to her!"

In that instant, a grotesque claw formed of shadow erupted from the sealed card. The shadow claw seized Gutaf's head and, like stuffing an elephant into a refrigerator, mercilessly pulled his massive body inch by inch into the card.

—Vaklo Dimensional Deterioration Technique!

Chu Heng fired a spirit missile, and the sealed card was sent flying towards the large screen above the duel arena, where it actually merged with the screen.

Suddenly, the scene on the screen changed, from a live broadcast of the arena to a side-scrolling arena resembling a fighting game. At one end of the arena was a demon holding cards, looking around in confusion. At the other end was a knight wielding a shadow claw and clad in blazing armor.

"Laugh all you want, little thing. The game's over." Ji Huaisu hoisted the Shadow Claw. "From now on... it's time to fight!"

Chapter 307 Enjoying It (The End)

In the vast, pure white arena, demons and knights faced off. Ji Huaisu donned armor as bright as fire, while Gutaf's expression shifted several times, his skin gradually turning a deathly pale, inhuman white.

“So this is your plan…” Gutaf whispered, “It’s not considered part of the amusement park in the card game, so there’s no need to worry about violating Harley Luo’s rules… You went to all this trouble to get me killed here, didn’t you?”

Ji Huaisu smiled and nodded, and Gutaf also laughed.

"Okay, very clever, you guys played a good game. But you seem to have overlooked one thing..."

His body swelled like an inflating balloon, growing to over ten meters taller than a low house, then over a hundred meters taller than a skyscraper. His pale skin hardened as he expanded, revealing countless chaotic, firefly-like lights within. These points of light suddenly pierced the demon's gigantic body, forming nearly a thousand sharp, lance-like bone spikes.

It was a sea urchin, protecting itself with impenetrable walls and wielding sharp blades to kill its enemies. Meanwhile, it continued to expand, and expand… The space inside the card, due to the presence of the demon, broke its limits and continued to extend until it could contain a behemoth comparable to a city!

Ji Huaisu looked up at the terrifying body whose form was indistinct and whistled, "Just as I thought."

The old octopus's intelligence described Entertainment as a cowardly, delusional demon, but at this moment, its aura had already surpassed that of the First Abyss, far exceeding even that of an ordinary point mass 4. Ten gigantic eyes sprouted from the gaps in the bone spikes, and Entertainment's humanoid head swelled, attaching itself to its massive body, which was over a hundred meters tall. Its roar was like a howling hurricane.

"Do you think I'm just a simple daydreamer? I've already devoured the power that old man had indulging in."

"—How could a mere 3-point mass's path to supreme power defeat me?!"

The tips of Gutaf's spikes gleamed with a murky light, and sharp bone nails flew out from them, shooting furiously at the tiny knight. The world within the card was instantly obscured by the murky light, as if a massive army had opened fire simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of projectiles that blotted out the sky.

Ji Huaisu did not draw her weapon, nor did she even move. She raised her hand towards the volley of bullets, and a flame ignited in her palm.

"combustion."

The moment the bright light shone, the world turned charred black.

The demon's nails were gone, leaving only ashes scattered in the air. Flickering flames floated, like a crimson army guarding the knights.

This is not a special technique; it's just a simple calculation problem.

Gutaff fired a total of 4671 bone nails.

At the same time, 4671 flames were launched.

Lock onto the location of all attacks, predict their trajectory, and ignite them at predetermined coordinates in advance. The bone nails will then burn away, turning into fuel for the fire!

"This computing power... You're clearly on the path to supreme power...!"

"You know I'm the Supreme Path," Ji Huaisu said, cracking his neck. "Trying to use light elements in front of me? Are you trying to hasten your own demise?"

She assumed a fighting stance and threw a straight punch. The wind from the punch howled, and flames flickered, transforming into arrows. 4671 rockets roared out, far faster and more powerful than the demon's bone nails.

Gutaf realized its mistake. It had habitually used its superior light elemental abilities to compensate for its attack, failing to anticipate that this woman's control over light far surpassed its own. Its auxiliary light abilities were utterly exposed, becoming mere coordinates in her eyes!

"Cursed Armament: Thousand Needles of Detonation!"

Seeing the flames closing in, Gutaf dared not be careless and resolutely unleashed its true power. It immediately extinguished the light within its body, and more than half of its spikes detached from its surface, maneuvering and advancing using extremely fine blood threads as a medium. The spiked spears shattered upon contact with the flames, and the blood-based bindings exploded, extinguishing the flames within a hundred-meter radius.

This is a "cursed weapon" created by Gutaf using secret techniques, a testament to his strength among demons. Its power symbolizes Gutaf himself, a vicious weapon that uses flattening attacks to corrode and destroy his enemies.

While the previous bone nails could be dealt with using affinity and strategy, the Thousand Needles were a one-hit kill using overwhelming force. Since its essence remained at the low-quality level of the First Abyss, it could not escape the curse no matter what!

In an instant, all light vanished, leaving only oppressive darkness. The flames died down, and a hail of spears swept across the battlefield. The demonic methods engulfed the battlefield, with the foremost spears almost touching Ji Huaisu's nose.

A deafening roar erupted, and a purple light descended with the sound, cleaving the spear in two!

Gutaf felt a sudden chill run down his spine. The sound was so intense, it was like the roar of the sky itself. The booming sound even shattered the darkness, and thousands of wildly dancing purple lights burst forth in the sky.

That was thunder, thunder as thick as a giant tree!

A thousand bolts of purple lightning descended from the sky, like a swarm of snakes dancing wildly in the dark clouds, tearing through the forest of gunfire. His proudly bound armor actually crumbled; even the demon's curse could not taint the thunder!

“Lightning…the power of the free wind?” Gutaf exclaimed, “You clearly haven’t crossed the First Abyss—”

"I'm sick and tired of seeing lightning used in low-quality situations." Ji Huaisu clenched his fist and switched to his speed-oriented steel armor. "Let me tell you something good. Lightning is the embodiment of justice and goodwill; it was born to sever curses!"

After leaving that land of despair, everyone became different. Ji Huaisu had witnessed far too much advanced elemental magic in the wilderness, and after battling the Fearbringers, she understood her opponents' mastery of the elements. This included the power to control lightning!

Ji Huaisu finally took a step forward and ran. The moment she stepped forward, the world changed from stillness to motion, the earth cracked beneath her feet, and was thrown backward like solidified waves. No one could see the knight's running figure clearly anymore, only purple beams of light piercing through the battlefield, with strands of lightning fluttering behind her like a cloak, obliterating all the Thousand Needle Spears.

Gutaf felt his breath catch in his throat. Before he realized it, the knight had already reached the giant body. The moment her fist fell, intricate runes flashed with light, and the fortress-like armor bent like a bridge!

"Ugh, ughhhhhh—!"

Gutaf screamed in agony, attempting to squeeze life force from the spectators outside the arena once more. However, the lightning linked together to form a cage, preventing the life-giving orbs from entering and instead returning them to the withered crowd!

Ji Huaisu unleashed a relentless barrage of blows, her punches like a whirlwind, dismantling, destroying, and utterly annihilating the outer layer of Gutaf's fortress. Points of light surged from within the demon, carrying a humanoid head into the sky. The obese head opened its mouth and spat out a semi-transparent incantation. The incantation spread as sound waves—power he had plundered from the demon.

"The addictive sound of poison—"

"The voices of evil and heretical doctrines shall not enter my ears!"

A frigid iceberg suddenly rose, firmly sealing the core of the incantation. A deafening roar followed, shattering the sound waves that had acted as the medium. Seeing the danger, Gutaf screamed and charged towards the far reaches of the sky. He was willing to sacrifice most of his body to escape this terrifying woman. However, he froze mid-air, a semi-transparent lightning bolt tightly wrapped around his head, the other end held in Ji Huaisu's hand.

A terrifying sense of weakness washed over him, and the non-existent technique made Gutaf tremble: "Talismans? You...you?!"

"Fu Kai, Si Chen Wan Jun!"

The Si Chen Wan Jun Talisman, which binds and weakens the enemy, flashed briefly during the first punch; the runes were the very same talisman implanted into Gutaf's body. Ji Huaisu raised her arm like drawing a bow, gathering power; violent lightning coiled around her fist, forming a deep purple plasma giant fist.

"To receive favors and then betray the rule is to be without a ruler."

To enjoy benefits while neglecting one's duties is immoral.

It is unjust to bully the weak with the strong!

The voice of judgment slammed down like a heavy hammer, and the giant fist of lightning surged to three times its original size! Nine times! Twenty-seven times! The knight's eyes burned with pure rage, no longer bound by rules!

Gutaf trembled with fear, all traces of his previous smugness and arrogance gone. "No, no! Spare me! Spare my life, spare me—"

"Those who are without ruler, without virtue, and without righteousness shall be punished according to the law!" Ji Huaisu roared. "The sacred law and judgment, unleash the combined thunderbolts!!"

The thunderous punch landed, turning the world into a vast emptiness.

The demon's pleas for mercy vanished, leaving only a solemn thunderclap.

·

On the outside, the Demon of Indulgence slumped to the ground, while Chu Hengkong withdrew his Dragon Spear, his clothes unstained by blood.

“You’re not bad,” he said.

"Now I can only manage to get a perfect score." Chen Mian smiled bitterly. "No matter what, I used to be a formidable opponent..."

"Oh."

The Demon of Indulgence clutched the bloody hole in his chest and laughed bitterly, "Aren't you going to ask me how a wild idea like mine has fallen to the level of being relegated to the bottom of entertainment...?"

"Go talk to the Divine Guard if you have anything to say," Chu Hengkong said with a smile. "I'm just a tourist."

Chenmian lowered his head, collapsed to the ground, and transformed into a card that flew into Chu Hengkong's hand. At the same time, the large screen was filled with the words "Victory!" Ji Huaisu cleaved the screen open with a claw and jumped out, revealing a card that sealed entertainment.

"The duel is over!" Vande shouted, seizing the opportunity. "The victors are Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu!"

Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu exchanged a smile and gave each other a high five.

Kanin stood up and led the applause. Mr. Gray and Mr. Blue pulled out musical instruments from somewhere and began to play drums and gongs. However, the stunned audience stood silently, neither crying nor cheering for a moment. Only after a few seconds did small shouts begin to rise in response.

"Great!" the man cheered. "Great!"

It was a large, burly figure in a clown costume, one of the weaker demons who supported himself by working at the amusement park. As it responded, more staff members emerged from the audience: large, furry puppets, acrobats on stilts, and circus members in sparkly costumes.

They had previously dared not utter a sound, but could only observe quietly. They were people who toiled hard, both above and below ground, providing pure joy to the citizens.

"Great!" "Hooray!" "Let happiness return!" "The poison of entertainment is gone!" "Let's go back to earth!"

Chu Hengkong nodded and shouted to the audience, "Have you seen enough? The battle with the heretics is over! What are you all doing here?"

What are we here for? The stunned crowd pondered this question, then suddenly realized that they had come to the amusement park.

Why would a simple act of enjoying pleasure lead me here? To this eerie underground region, to come into contact with things that are clearly dangerous?

They shuddered at the obvious sense of incongruity. Just then, the guards appeared at the entrances and exits of the venue, carrying standard megaphones and guiding the crowd with reassuringly calming voices. The crowd, which should have been in a state of panic, lined up to exit and boarded the small boats propelling them through the rapids.

When they returned to the ground, it was already dark, but the castle was still shining, and balloons and ribbons were still floating in the air. That warm, harmless atmosphere was blown back into their weakened bodies by the music.

Only then did they realize what had happened, and smiles appeared on their faces under the safe cover of night. Yet some still frequently turned back, gazing down into the earth, reluctantly recalling the dangerous yet wondrous duel that should never have happened before their eyes.

Chapter 308 The mastermind behind the scenes

"A huge number of orders for martial arts expansion packs suddenly came in before I left work tonight. Do you have any ideas?" Poison Otter asked.

"It's probably just a trend," Chu Hengkong said.

"Ah, ever-changing trends." Poison Otter remained noncommittal. "Let's just say that, have fun."

Chu Hengkong put down the communication crystal and looked at the card table. The situation was a complete mess. Kanin had just put down his last Fighter card with full resistance, and his board was already full.

"My turn." Chu Heng thought for a moment, "I'll activate Burning Night..."

"Wait a minute, I surrender." Kanin put his cards back into the deck.

"Are you sure? It's your biggest advantage."

“If you keep playing like this, you’ll get serious, and then it won’t be a game anymore.” Kanin raised his hand to indicate, “Please bring us two drinks.”

A waiter with a skull on his head came over at the call, and after clearing the card table, he took out two empty glasses and poured them with honey-colored liquid. He then placed two dried larvae in the glasses.

“I’ve tried this brand before.” Chu Hengkong examined the golden butterfly on the bottle.