Forge a path to success.

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 his massive steel shield, desperately trying to bolster morale. "We have a guardian relic bestowed by the gods... ugh! Protected by the gods! The evil dragon's power can't possibly breach our barrier of faith!" The suicide squad leader was confident; his shield was a genuine level-one relic, and mere water bullets couldn't possibly penetrate its defenses. Those X-bullets were just a bit smelly, but utterly harmless. As long as 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.

(End of this chapter)