Forge a path to success

Chu Hengkong was on the mountain wall 10 meters away when a long white nail pierced his abdomen.

Van der felt his blood run cold, as if it had frozen solid. The long nail pierced his vision, drawing out crimson blood. It silently retreated into the fire and embedded itself in the earth.

An unusual shadow appeared in the whirlwind.

It is only six meters tall, like a slightly oversized car. Six retractable "nails" are its feet, and two robust "pincers" are its main limbs. Its body is slightly smaller than its head, both exhibiting a perfect and smooth streamlined shape. A spine-like exoskeleton protrudes from its torso and tail, extending from the center to the center of its teardrop-shaped head, below which are slowly opening, blood-red eyes.

Its silhouette was neither enormous nor imposing. Compared to a centipede, it was insignificant, and even smaller than a jade fox. Yet it was beautiful, surpassing all creations of nature. It was magnificent in its simplicity, and exquisite in its power; there was no room for improvement in it, and craftsmen and scholars would weep and prostrate themselves before it. It was an ultimate perfection, beyond the reach of human comprehension.

External particle 2, the ultimate machine of the immortal machine.

Self-inspection complete; minor damage detected.

The immortal machine stepped out of the fiery trail, and the fierce wind ceased as it landed. A glint of red light flashed in its eyes.

In the next instant, a third of the Yingluo Mountains disappeared.

Chapter 87 Singularity

It was an extremely simple method, devoid of any unnecessary sound or light. A flash of red light appeared in the true machine's eyes, and a ray of the same color as the eyes shot out. That ray pierced through rock, carved through mountains, and everything in its path vanished without a trace.

It didn't evaporate due to high temperatures, nor did it crumble under impact; it simply collapsed. It was dismantled. It was decomposed. Matter was reduced to its most basic units and then transported to the distant Imperial homeland. Regardless of hostility or malice, everything proceeded with maximum efficiency; the Immortal Machine faithfully carried out its mission, the ray being its tool.

Specialized in resource recycling; material pyrolysis radiation.

A region of literal emptiness appeared, followed by a surge of surrounding air that triggered a gale-force wind that swept into the mountains. Yingshi Town lay at the end of this wind tunnel. The Immortal Machine's gaze shifted away from the town, turning to the upper right. The Jade Fox's shadow disappeared among the jagged rocks. The detection system displayed the coordinates of each experimental subject in real time, continuing its self-checking process.

Self-inspection complete; minor damage detected.

The special coating for demons consumes 81.2% of the energy, while existing energy consumption is 15.8%.

The material splitting radiation was released in 0.3 seconds, and 79.9% of the secret reaction within the test site was eliminated.

Import environmental information and begin simulation calculations.

"Secret Envoy" Qi Su: China's Threat.

Chu Hengkong, Fan De: Low threat.

Other test subjects: no threat.

Sorting complete, begin erasure.

The logical calculations took an extremely short time; the Immortal Machine had completed its self-check and combat calculations the instant the matter-disintegrating rays ceased. Its needle-thin spikes took a step forward, echoing crisply in the empty valley. This sound, like a gong on a fighting stage, reignited the battle that had paused for a moment. A crimson wind blew from behind the Immortal Machine, and Chu Hengkong swept across the land like a shadow, his tentacles lashing out towards the tail of the True Machine.

The tentacles struck the steel with a sound like thunder. His second strike was a wide-area destructive lightning whip, using its spreading force to impact the true mechanical body. However, white rings appeared on the surface of the immortal body, and the impact of the lightning whip was wrapped by those rings, actually rushing back into the tentacles, causing Chu Hengkong to fly backward.

Kinetic energy reflective armor provides absolute defense against physical attacks.

The reflected force surged through his body, making Chu Hengkong almost vomit blood. He didn't utter a sound as he struggled to throw the flying leaf, but the attack was deflected by the Immortal Machine before it could even trigger his armor. Its body was made of a perfect alloy derived from the Empire; before this technological marvel, the flying leaf's attack was no different from an ordinary falling leaf.

The Immortal Machine traveled along the wind tunnel, its crimson eyes locking onto Qi Su within the mountains. It maintained a steady pace, tracking the fox-like shadow within the mountains. Chu Hengkong caught up from behind, unleashing a slash with greater speed and power than before. However, the rock blade, aimed at the needle-like foot, was deflected by the recoil; even the No-Return Strike could not wound the True Machine's body.

He was completely ignored; his skillful hands, devoid of ambition, were no better than the townspeople, unworthy of the Immortal Machine's allocation of combat resources!

The Immortal Machine arrived in front of a low mountain and unleashed its pincer-like forelimbs. When the pincers struck, the entire mountain trembled, and the rocks suddenly collapsed, as if tons of explosives had detonated inside the mountain, turning the rocks into dust and disintegrating.

This was not a special attack either. The Immortal Machine analyzed the structure of the mountain and could cause it to collapse naturally by using only minimal force to break through the weak points in the structure. Its computing power far surpassed that of the Bitter Staff of the same level. A single casual strike from it was more effective than the achievements of a martial artist who had trained for decades.

A white shadow flew out from the collapsing mountain—it was the battered Jade Fox. It had narrowly escaped before the disintegration ray was fired, but nearly a quarter of its body had been engulfed and annihilated. One of its forepaws was missing, and a wound piercing its chest and abdomen nearly destroyed its form. Yet it still moved, more agile than in its "previous life." Qi Su lurked within the Jade Fox's body, almost becoming a phantom, striving to merge with its own remains.

She let out an angry howl, and runes flowed from the jade fox's fur, transforming into twelve shimmering orbs of light. Each orb was a hastily created rune bead, and the orbs flew rapidly like hummingbirds, shooting out beams of intense heat that formed a net of light to encircle and destroy the immortal machine.

Jade Fox, Bu, and Qi Su raced wildly through the mountains, the Secret Beads dancing according to her will. Twelve beams of light pierced through the dust, drawing a charred chessboard on the ground. The Immortal Machine stepped into the chessboard, its six needle-like legs and various parts of its body popping out nozzles to adjust its orientation, from which pale white light streamed.

A single such device could provide ample power for the heavy industrial machinery in Dragon City, while the Immortal Machine was equipped with 265 nozzles for steering and attitude adjustment. This unprecedented configuration made it exceptionally agile, gliding across the mountains like an ice skate when the nozzles were open, its movements as light as if dancing in the dust.

The Immortal Machine moved freely within the light network, like a pedestrian walking into a rainstorm without getting wet. This scene was so fantastical it defied intuition; all the rune attacks were dodged, and Chu Hengkong's leaf blade was directly blown away by the beam of light from its nozzle. The distance between Qi Su and the Immortal Machine shortened during the dance, the latter's pincer-like forelimbs glowing with a golden aura. Suddenly, a cracking sound rang out, and the overflowing light drifted past Qi Su's eyes, like the afterimage of a popping soap bubble.

The golden light from the Immortal Machine's forelimbs intensified, and all twelve Mystic Beads shattered simultaneously!

"Qisu, run!" Vande screamed, "It's the force field of the Immortal Machine!"

"What?!" Qi Su didn't hear clearly.

"The Annihilation Field!" Vande cried out anxiously, poking his head out. "It's a top-tier mental attack, a guaranteed kill on all non-physical life forms. Even a speck of it will obliterate your soul!!"

Qi Su's hair stood on end. Without lingering, she turned and fled. A bright "Speed" character was branded on the jade fox's back, using the power of the runes to accelerate her speed. The wind was too strong; she hadn't actually heard Fan De's voice yet, but she could feel the threat of the golden light. If it were just a pure power attack, it would be fine, but the rune bead had vanished from her perception, as if swallowed whole by something invisible. She had a faint urge to turn and run towards the light, which was like a bonfire in the deep darkness, luring the flying insects closer. But there was no warmth in the light, only killing intent; any insect that plunged into the bonfire would be utterly destroyed.

As she ran, she glanced back; the golden light was spreading, closing in with the Immortal Machine's every step. Qi Su's ghostly body trembled; the golden light was less than 5 meters away! In another instant, she would be captured by the light, transformed into a firefly!

"Chu Hengkong, help me!"

She struck the mountain wall with her fox tail, and suddenly a section of rock jutted out, forming a giant club that crashed into the Immortal Machine behind her. The club was over 10 meters long and as wide as a giant tree, one of the traps Qi Su had set earlier. The Immortal Machine adjusted its posture by manipulating its nozzles, extending its needle-like legs and crouching low to brush against the bottom of the giant club, its forelimbs about to clamp down on Qi Su's tail.

But the next moment, the giant rock club snapped off cleanly from the mountainside, and another immense force took over the weapon. Chu Hengkong, who had arrived just in time, caught the rock club with both hands. He swung the giant club like a baseball bat, and the rough club head spun from the side, striking the Immortal Machine's body!

The rock club shattered upon impact, the recoil sending Chu Hengkong flying. The Immortal Machine's forelimbs grazed past Qi Su, its attack trajectory slightly deviating. Chu Hengkong's strength had increased; this was typical for martial cultivators, whose heightened morale always amplified their threat level in battle. The Immortal Machine updated its combat data and revised its predictions, its single eye gazing straight ahead.

In the high-speed battle, the straight-opening wind tunnel had reached its end. Fifty meters away lay the village of the undead, and the fox that Qi Su had transformed into returned to Ying Shi Town. It crouched before the Cherry Dragon statue, countless tiny runes converging into glowing lines, connecting the jade sculpture to the fox's body, and then condensing into new rune beads between the fox's paws.

This bead contains only one character, a simple "gun". The vertical stroke to the left of the character "gun" is strong and powerful, which is Qi Su's walking stick.

High-energy reaction detected ahead—

"The mighty Cherry Dragon, a true remnant of the netherworld. Borrowing memories to reunite, it retains its form because of hatred. Obeying the decree to punish evil, it responds to the divine punishment of the wicked!"

The fox spoke, uttering a hymn of resentment. The cherry dragon statue behind her lit up, and a phantom dragon shadow leaped from the statue, disappearing into the pearl. This was the core of the Ying Shi Town formation, a trace of divine power left behind by the ancient cherry dragon's divine path. The secret pearl then transformed, forming a cherry-colored, ancient spear with the bitter staff as its main body. The phantom of the dragon god wrapped around the hilt, transforming into lifelike reliefs on the spear's surface.

A cherry-red spear shot out, carrying the resentment of the former inhabitants and the wrath of the gods. In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only the flowing cherry blossom color. Like exquisite cherry blossoms blooming at sunrise, even the sunlight paled in comparison to its magnificence. That beam of light traversed villages and valleys, striking the true weapon with a fleeting, breathtaking beauty.

Mystic Art: Dragon Pattern Spear!

A storm and a blinding flash followed, and as the spear struck, a cherry-red radiance erupted, like the shadow of a proud dragon. Qi Su collapsed before the dragon god statue. She no longer needed to breathe, yet now she felt an almost suffocating agony. That single shot had exhausted all her strength; even in her life, she had never unleashed such a powerful attack.

A naive girl inside her was raising her arms in triumph, proclaiming victory. But her reason told her that victory wouldn't come easily. She didn't aspire to destroy the immortal machine in one fell swoop; she only wanted to inflict damage. Even if it was just delaying its movements, even if it was just penetrating its armor…

As the light faded, Qi Su struggled to her feet, hearing the joyful shouts of the townspeople behind her. In the dissipating dust, a strange, insect-like figure emerged. A scorching scar ran across its pure white body; nearly a quarter of the Immortal Machine's frontal armor was charred black, and sparks danced among the exposed internal wiring.

A surge of unbelievable joy welled up within Qi Su. It was injured! Even the armor of an Ultimate Mech was far from invincible before the power left behind by a high-quality point expert. With its wounds, it was no longer perfect; it could be injured, and thus, it could be defeated. Even the slightest scratch meant there was still hope in this battle!

At that moment, a flash of white light appeared at the edge of her vision, scattering like shimmering pollen. The powder came from the surface of the Immortal Machine, brushing over its wounds and erasing the man-made damage. Like flesh growing back, like tender shoots sprouting, the white armor multiplied autonomously, repairing the wounds in an instant. Before the cheers of the townspeople had faded, the Immortal Machine's wounds were completely healed.

The previously damaged machine seemed like a despairing illusion. In reality, the white worm stood unharmed, still cold, still perfect, still flawless, shattering the hopes of the dead with absolute rationality.

Repair complete, self-check in progress.

The special coating for demons consumes 95.7% of the energy, while existing energy consumption is 38.8%.

There are no longer any threatening individuals within the area.

Begin large-scale annihilation.

Its forelimb rose, smashing the Jade Fox's head and destroying the Sakura Dragon statue beneath it. Like bursting a tattered sack of flesh, a torrent of blood mixed with mechanical debris gushed from the headless corpse, staining the plaza's paving stones crimson. This sacred ground, cherished by the town, was now stained with the blood of the people of the divine kingdom themselves.

The last resistance of this land was shattered by this nameless blow.

The little girl's spirit stood amidst the devastation; this town held no more memories for her. She saw the Jade Fox's corpse fly backward due to inertia, smashing her workshop on the north side of the square; she saw the townspeople rushing towards her in panic, trying to buy her some time; she saw the assassin silently approaching from afar, throwing a punch at the Immortal Machine's leg. But before the Ultimate Mech, all of this was meaningless. The Immortal Machine raised its right pincer, and the Ghostly Annihilation Field slammed into her head.

Then, the mechanical limbs crashed into the ground, brushing past the undead just inches away.

The strange white insect's body sank eerily, tilting to the right and almost tipping over. The shift in its center of gravity caused the entire machine to nearly lose its balance, as one of its needle-like legs sank into the ground…

Because of the faulty stitch, Chu Hengkong punched it into the ground!

The crimson pupils darted sharply to the right, a momentary miscalculation causing the Immortal Mech to change its target. One of its spikes swelled and thrust out, a lightning-fast flash resembling a pure white crack. No room for error, certain death; all calculations proved this completely exceeded the target's reaction time. However, Chu Hengkong sidestepped and leaped, easily dodging the thrust. He spun in mid-air and kicked out, his instep striking the Immortal Mech's frontal armor, instantly sending it flying over a hundred meters away!

The atmosphere trembled, the earth shook. The retreating immortal machine carved several fine cracks in the ground, its body flying through the air and crashing into the mountainside, triggering a new wave of turmoil. The calculation result had too large an error; multiple system alarms were triggered. The silent assassin approached step by step, his tentacles once again igniting with blue flames. Internal alarms sounded in succession. The program was corrected, information was gathered, calculations were verified, and the system restarted.

Chu Hengkong, Fan De: Low threat...Medium threat...High threat...Extremely high threat...

Extreme danger! Hostile entity identified as Singularity Z-3000-3. Existing combat records contain serious logical inconsistencies. The verification system must be restarted immediately!

The Ultimate Machine has no emotions, but the sudden appearance of multiple serious warnings plunged the Immortal Machine into a kind of "confusion" similar to that of humans. All Singularities are at the top of the battle sequence, and only between Singularities can there be a hierarchy. In more than 100,000 simulations, the probability of the enemy defeating the Soul Vessel is as high as 37.9%. It is for this reason that it applied to be upgraded to an Immortal Machine, and it is for this reason that it consumed a lot of resources to create the anti-demon coating against the "Flame of Ambition".

Everything was for the sake of achieving the most efficient victory, ending Experiment Z-3000-3 as soon as the battle began. However, in its previous calculations, it chose to prioritize fighting Qisu!

This is illogical. This is a serious programming flaw. It's a logical contradiction. It's a logical inconsistency. A self-contradictory premise cannot lead to a perfect result. Checking the history, the contradiction begins at…

It saw a malevolent eye, and a maniacal laugh emanated from the pocket of the Suicide Hand. The Immortal Machine understood the truth. He had been attacked in the very first second of the battle. The think tank's calculations had failed; the recorded "hypnosis" was not ghostly interference. It was a ghostly alteration attack powerful enough to affect a true machine!

Intense alarms consumed computing resources; in reality, the assassin had already arrived like a phantom. The stone blade was drawn, creating a sharp whistling sound; a swift, dazzling slash pierced the reflective armor, leaving a second, ugly scar!

Chapter 88 A Thousand Autumns of Qi

Inside the Immortal Machine, the program urgently restarted. In the world outside the True Machine, the Rock Blade mercilessly attacked. The assassin remained silent, without even a sound; he was like another humanoid machine, his actions solely driven by ruthless slaughter.

The rock blade lightly grazed the armor, and the Immortal Machine retreated a meter, leaving itself some distance. Its three needle-like legs suddenly sprang up, their perfect alloy extending and transforming into blades. The rapid vibrations turned these foot blades into deadly weapons. Ankle, heart, head—three blades aimed at vital points slashed out simultaneously, weaving a web of deadly blades. Chu Hengkong slightly leaned back to dodge the oncoming blade, his left foot stepping forward on the lower middle needle-like leg. Simultaneously, he reversed his grip on the rock blade and parried the blade aimed at his heart!

If Chu Hengkong hadn't even had time to react at the start of the battle, he would have perished under the blade. But now it was different. He could react, he could counterattack, and he could comprehend the Immortal Machine's godlike speed. A strange power flowed through his bones, almost transforming this man. In the instant the blade and the needle were locked in a stalemate, he silently unleashed a tentacle. The burning tentacle struck the needle that had failed to sever, burning away the thruster that was about to unleash its power.

The Immortal Machine sheathed its blade and shifted to the side, using the momentum from the attack to adjust its position. Its left limb lashed out with fluid grace, its pincer-like armor gleaming with golden light. Equipped with a powerful strike that could annihilate the enemy's spirit upon impact, this attack was designed to burn away their spirit. Chu Hengkong seized the opportunity to plunge his rock blade into the ground, using a single finger to brace himself against the hilt as support as he leaped into the air.

The Immortal Machine's punch barely grazed his clothes. He spun upside down in mid-air and delivered a powerful side kick that struck Akame, leaving a dent in the pure white armor. His attack power had actually surpassed the limits of the program simulation; he could injure Perfect Alloy with his mere mortal body.

A thunderous roar, like the striking of a bell, echoed through the valley. In an instant, Chu Hengkong unleashed three kicks, sending the Immortal Machine staggering backward. It hastily adjusted its programming, activating its reflective armor, and its deformed needle-like legs slashed at the rock blade embedded in the ground. Chu Hengkong swiftly pulled out the rock blade with his right hand, then performed a backflip to dodge the needle-like slash. Five emerald shadows flashed through the swirling air as five bladed throwing knives flew from his hand. Four of them were shattered by the armor's recoil, but the last one broke through the defenses and pierced the Immortal Machine's needle-like legs.

There is no true invincibility in this world. The Immortal Machine's mechanism for reflecting physical attacks is the integrated energy shield on its armor surface and the reverse high-frequency vibrations generated based on it. Having been attacked twice in a short period by the Azure Blade and the Dragon Pattern Spear, the integrated shield has been temporarily broken. At this moment, the armor's energy supply efficiency has decreased. As long as the vibrations on the armor surface are disrupted at the opposite frequency, even ordinary swords and blades can damage the indestructible metal!

The flames of ambition burned fiercely, seeping into the machine's interior through the wounds on its legs. The Immortal Machine activated its repair function, ignoring the damage to its external armor and prioritizing the repair of its legs, which provided mobility. The calculation program was still being adjusted, but the combat logic was initially repaired, increasing the thruster output and improving its speed. The sudden increase in speed turned the Immortal Machine into a blurry white shadow, while the silent Chu Hengkong also accelerated in pursuit, the flames of ambition swirling behind him like a blue meteor burning in the dust.

They fought, dodged, chased, and battled, their light flashing from the bottom of the wind tunnel to the near-vertical mountain wall, then sweeping across Yingluo Mountain to the western plains. The townspeople could no longer detect any trace of the battle, only two beams of light flashing rapidly in the distance.

People were astonished, delighted, yet bewildered. The man's bravery seemed divine, but here there were no gods or salvation. A scene defying fundamental logic actually unfolded, and the townspeople murmured unconsciously.

"How...did he do that?"

Low threat. Very high threat. Low threat. Very high threat. Conflicting alerts occur at a frequency of microseconds, generating a large number of junk files that, along with the still-restarting verification program, consume computing resources. The Immortal Machine simply shuts down the combat capability assessment module and performs a secondary verification using the local database.

All the information indicated that Chu Hengkong's combat power was increasing by seconds, at a rate far exceeding the normal fluctuations of a martial arts cultivator, almost like a straight line. The demonic body's tampering attack severely interfered with the verification process, preventing it from recognizing this significant anomaly. It used its pincers and feet to block the slashes, repairing only the necessary parts and preserving the demon coating to the maximum extent possible. With a flash of its crimson eyes, various information about the enemy flowed into the calculation center: blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and respiration.

A significantly abnormal indicator has appeared: the breathing rate is 0. The enemy is not breathing...

In the 150 seconds since the start of the battle, the enemy has not taken a single breath.

A breathless enemy. A threat rising in the silence. No need to search, the offline database immediately pops up a corresponding alert. Similar anomalies have been observed multiple times in past combat data; this is characteristic of a Point 3, a Heart Sword cultivator!

The giant pincers snapped shut, and a strike, delivered with the force of a Buddhist salute, grazed the rock blade, sending Chu Heng flying over a hundred meters. In mid-air, he stretched out his limbs, his senses channeling information about his surroundings into his brain. He smashed through three large rocks and crashed into the jade-colored mountain wall. This powerful blow broke four bones, but his overwhelming inner energy pieced the shattered bones back together, preventing his posture from collapsing.

A thrust. A slash. A ray about to be fired. Chu Hengkong's gaze swept across the scene, taking in all the signs of the impending attack. He stomped heavily on the mountainside, charging forward like a sprinter. In that brief instant, his speed increased again, and by the time the attack arrived, he was already beside the Immortal Machine.

He sheathed his rock sword and unleashed thirty slashes in the instant he brushed past her. The sword light crisscrossed, forming sharp lines, as if a swordsman were striking from an endless distance, countless slashes tearing the entire area into fragments!

"Chu Hengkong, faster!" Fan De said urgently, "There are only 189 seconds left, or we'll be too late!"

Impatience, like a deadly poison, eroded his spirit, and Fan De was burning with anxiety. Others only saw Chu Hengkong single-handedly confronting the true machine like a divine warrior descending from the heavens, but only he knew the heavy price that came with this power. Let alone mere skillful handling, Chu Hengkong's strength and speed had now surpassed the limits achievable by a 2-point martial artist. Behind this unreasonable strength lay the price he had paid—a price that bordered on death!

Breathing stopped. Blood was as cold as ice. Vision was nearly destroyed, the varying shades of blood depicting the enemy's movements. His heart swelled unnaturally, as if a bomb was expanding inside him, and his body was on the verge of being shattered to pieces. He couldn't hear Vand's voice clearly; piercing noise assaulted his nerves—the sound of bones breaking and being pieced back together, the clatter of muscles being forcibly reconnected after being torn.

He felt as if he had split into two people: one a silent assassin battling real weapons, the other long since fallen, sinking into the unfathomable depths of the ocean. A man's voice echoed from the tranquil seabed. It was Ji Qiufeng's instruction from not long ago.

—Heng Kong, what makes martial arts practitioners strong?

Because of passion.

—Yes, because of intention and energy. The secrets gained after the ascension allow us to discover our potential. The intensive training of martial arts allows us to condense intention from the techniques. Intention is the essence of martial arts, and energy is the foundation of a martial artist; both are ultimately the power of life. Therefore, you can burn your blood to create intention and energy. And when do you think life is at its strongest?

A matter of life and death.

—This is the secret you will learn today. You must unleash your strongest willpower in the moment closest to death!

That was the most agonizing training Chu Heng had ever endured since he could remember. He would nurture a surge of inner strength within his chest, then stop breathing, suppress his heartbeat, and fight in a near-suicidal state. The threat of death loomed close at every moment. He repeatedly fainted, was awakened, and then continued the brutal battle.

All he could rely on was this meager willpower, driven by his survival instinct to push it to its limits. Initially, he couldn't sustain it, but gradually he gained control of his dying body. On the fifteenth day, he managed to maintain his willpower for the first time; on the twentieth day, he successfully mastered its flow. The closer he got to death, the stronger his willpower became; the more pain he endured, the faster his strength increased. He challenged his limits time and again, deepening his training. Before leaving Huilong City, he could only last for a maximum of one hour. After completing the initial stages of bone forging, he knew his limits had been reached, so he devised this simple yet insane plan.

In the very first strike of the battle, concentrate all your power, using the single-use Azure Burn attack as a grand decoy. Place the crucial array enhancement on Vande, and take the opportunity to use hypnosis on the Immortal Machine.

Van der gave only the simplest hint.

—Chu Hengkong is very weak.

—Chu Hengkong poses no threat.

Then, stall for time, do everything in your power to stall for time, using the time Qi Su buys to enhance the effects of the secret technique. Until life is on the verge of death, the surging willpower allows mortals to surpass their limits. The willpower will support the broken body, the willpower will provide endless power, and this power will increase as death approaches. The longer one persists, the closer one gets to death, the more significant its effects will become.

After his breathing stopped for fifteen minutes, Chu Hengkong's overall strength, speed, reaction ability, and other abilities doubled.

After breathing stopped for thirty-five minutes, it became three times the previous level.

Fifty minutes, five times...

Now, he had held his breath for one hour, thirty-six minutes, and eight seconds. His inner energy surged wildly from his bones, like a long dragon flowing through his limbs and entire body. Any damage to his muscles and bones was instantly repaired; his reflexes and precision were astonishing. No low-level cultivator had ever sustained such a long period, and no battle had ever given cultivators so much time to prepare. Under this unprecedented opportunity, Chu Hengkong had already surpassed theoretical limits; his overall strength had become his normal state…

Thirteen times!