Forge a path to success.

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 posed no threat. Then, they would stall for time, doing everything possible to buy time, using the time Qi Su had gained to enhance the effects of the secret technique. Until life itself was on the verge of collapse, a surge of inner strength would push a mortal beyond their limits. This inner strength would sustain the broken body, providing endless power. This power would increase as death approached, and the longer they persisted, the closer they got to death, the more significant the effect would 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!
This is a unique skill that only cultivators of the Heart Sword are qualified to practice. Dragon Spring Village Secret Technique: One Qi for a Thousand Autumns!
The wind howled, and the killing intent was blinding. His fading consciousness flew from the seabed, bound by chains of agony, back to his body. He held his sword to deflect the attack, waiting for an opportunity to stab the machine. The rock blade was deflected by the reflective armor, and a pincer-like steel fist slammed into his chest. Ribs shattered, his heart stopped beating, and blood and fragments of internal organs surged into his throat. The man took a step back.

He swallowed blood, swallowed his voice, and as he retreated, his tentacles transformed into spears that pierced through. Death was imminent, and the man's spirit surged. His speed and power increased once more; at this moment, his speed surpassed that of any true machine. The Heavenly Spear pierced the Immortal Machine's wound, halting its repair, and the surge of ambition ignited a frenzy of electric sparks.

The offensive was interrupted, its internal components damaged, and the Immortal Machine retreated one meter. A crimson light flashed in its single eye; the verification program was about to restart and complete, and the existing computing resources were sufficient for a preliminary self-check. Energy reserves: 49.4%; target: replenishing resources. Range calculation complete; target locked; energy concentrated. Matter-disintegrating rays emitted.

A destructive red light erupted, annihilating all matter in its path with unparalleled divine might. No matter could survive under this light; even the bodies of martial artists were rendered useless before the beam. Martial artists were engulfed by the red light, their humanoid silhouettes instantly vaporizing, but these were merely afterimages left behind. The real Chu Hengkong ducked forward, dodging the beam at an angle almost touching the ground.

He mustered his strength and unleashed a heavy punch, which struck the chassis of the Immortal Machine squarely, sending it flying backward and sending the beam of destruction soaring into the sky!

When basic qualities reach the same level as True Machines, one's perspective also broadens. The design of Ultimate True Machines is indeed perfect, and its functions are sufficient to handle all situations. However, this conclusion requires a presupposition: the intended use of the "Immortal Machine" model.

The Ultimate Machine - Immortal Machine is a machine designed for the purpose of "recycling resources". It is a tool rather than a weapon, a craftsman rather than a soldier. Therefore, its attack power is sufficient but its precision is lacking. When the enemy has the strength to compete with the Immortal Machine, this difference in identity will become its weakness.

Another miscalculation occurred; the energy-intensive ray failed to recover sufficient resources. Chu Hengkong's figure disappeared from the front, and the Immortal Machine imported the latest data, correcting its attack mode. It didn't extinguish the disintegration ray; instead, the red light intensified. Hundreds upon hundreds of thin lines were drawn from the light, twisting, swirling, and folding, like a thousand deadly needles piercing the warriors on the ground.

Material splitting ray traversal mode.

Needle-thin rays of light rained down, and a green shadow emerged, escaping its pursuer. Chu Hengkong decisively sheathed his sword, abandoning the chase. He dodged the light by the slightest margin, the ground vanishing where he went, leaving behind an empty void. The Immortal Machine remained stationary, maintaining its ray emission. Its pincer-like limbs shimmered with golden light, and the compressed force field transformed into a missile, hurtling straight towards Chu Hengkong's face.

The forward momentum stopped abruptly, and the martial artist turned 90 degrees to ascend the side slope. The crimson rays turned around in unison, forming a series of sharp angles that followed. The rock blade had reached its limit in the previous exchange, so Chu Hengkong no longer used the blade. While running, he continuously threw leaves, using the falling leaf knives to maintain his offensive.

However, the Immortal Machine had readjusted the frequency of its reflective armor; ripples surged across its white shell, and all the blades were deflected. Chu Hengkong looked around and saw crimson light covering the sky, golden missiles penetrating every crevice, each a deadly attack, each strike capable of turning the tide of battle irreversibly. He knew he could go even faster, but in reality, there was no room to dodge.

The earlier dodge had cleared the surrounding area, leaving only a chilling, deadly light. The Immortal Machine was 50 meters away, a distance completely cleared by the matter-disintegrating rays; even with his incredible speed, he couldn't escape. Intuition arrived before thought. He heard Vandal roar.

"Faster! Only 10 seconds left!!"

One hour and forty minutes. This was the limit Chu Hengkong estimated he could endure, and also the final deadline of this battle. In 10 seconds, regardless of the condition of the Immortal Machine, he would die from the collapse of his body or from the dissipation of the One Qi Thousand Autumns technique. With 9 seconds left, the offensive remained relentless. He charged towards the Immortal Machine, his foothold behind him crumbling. In 8 seconds, attacks came from all directions, engulfing the warrior's body in light.

A bright green leaf rose up, enveloping Chu Hengkong like a shield!

The second effect of the fallen leaves was a one-second "return to roots" effect. The fallen leaves between Chu Heng's fingers returned, but their lingering afterimage was shattered by the golden light. The Immortal Machine's attack far exceeded its normal range; its Ghostly Annihilation Field could even destroy thoughts. The shield formed by the fallen leaves was instantly destroyed, but the warrior's figure was no longer visible in the red light. He appeared fifty meters away, behind the Immortal Machine, in the shadow created by the light.

Iron Spider Gauntlets, Shadow Movement.

At the 7th second, the Immortal Machine interrupted its disintegration ray and stopped firing missiles. It turned to retreat, but its adjusting nozzle was smashed by a powerful punch. Chu Hengkong's fist trembled violently, and swirling ripples appeared throughout the Immortal Machine's body. At this moment, the verification program finally restarted, and a warning that should have appeared long ago rose to the highest level of the response sequence.

374 energy reactions were detected within the body.

Chu Hengkong clenched his fist, exerting his strength, and channeled the last bit of power into the steel. All the energy he had previously poured in was simultaneously unleashed, like chaotic stars shattering the sky. Nearly a third of the armor on the Immortal Mech's surface shattered, and the burst of electric sparks resembled starlight.

Longquan Township Secret Tales: Chaotic Stars!
Vande's hypnosis was both to give Yi Qi Qian Qiu time to accumulate power and to plant the seeds of Chaotic Stars in the process. They knew from the beginning that the defense of the True Machine was difficult to break through, so Chu Heng Kong gambled the outcome on this secret technique, using the ultimate skill that had once finished off Besen's clone as the decisive blow.

Six seconds later. The armor shattered, exposing the internal structure, and the Immortal Machine's crimson eyes spun chaotically. This was the only chance, the only hope for survival in this battle. Chu Hengkong retracted his tentacles, and as he unleashed the Sky Spear, he saw a pure white light.

Those were fragments of the Immortal Machine's armor, sent flying by in an illogical trajectory after being blasted away, like an extremely thin sword shadow. The moment the sword shadow entered his vision, he could see nothing at all; the fragments sliced ​​through him like blades, completely destroying Chu Hengkong's eyes!

(End of this chapter)