Forge a path to success

The fourth and fifth snake heads swarmed from the left and right, spewing flames. Chu Hengkong waved his tentacles to block most of the attacks. Just then, a fierce wind swept in, and the sixth head bit from behind. He quickly used a backbend to dodge the attack. Burning scales grazed his face, burning and darkening half of his vision. Chu Hengkong endured the pain and swung his sword, using the Shadow Blade to sever the giant snake's head. At that moment, his feet lost their footing as the snake heads he had been using as stepping stones crumbled. He fell from the air, and the last three snake heads surged towards him!

The giant serpent's maw loomed larger and larger before Chu Hengkong's eyes. With nowhere to escape in mid-air, he was swallowed whole by the fiery serpent. The serpent's body instantly swelled, a massive force about to incinerate the assassin with its breath. But a jet-black blade pierced through the serpent's body from within, swiftly drawing a line of death across its surface. In the instant before the explosion, Chu Hengkong desperately swung his blade, bursting forth from within the serpent's body.

He had already reached the core of the Fire Serpent, his strange and ever-changing sword light transforming into a black crescent moon, bypassing obstacles and slashing through the blue eyeballs!

The demonic eye shattered, revealing the heavily wounded Kanin at its core. The slash had nearly cleaved him in two; his handsome face was disfigured, and his chest and abdomen were almost completely ripped open. But his heart remained intact; the burning heart continued to beat, its smooth surface reflecting his expressionless face.

Chu Hengkong had lost half of his vision earlier. His strike was therefore only an inch shallower. A fatal inch!

"Die under the sky, assassin!"

A blue flame shot from Kanin's eyes; the simplest and fastest attack, at this moment, had no secret technique that could surpass it. Chu Heng's sword-wielding hand fell limply to his side; he had no time to swing his blade one more time. Time was only enough to make the simplest choice: death or escape.

Chu Hengkong couldn't escape; the azure fire struck him head-on, instantly scorching his flesh. The charred corpse, enveloped in flames, fell from the snake-like body... However, amidst the raging fire, a pair of resolute eyes opened! At the last moment, he chose to attack, using stillness to withstand the final flames, transforming the momentum into the foundation for his next attack.

He gambled on his own ability to hold on, risking his own life for the enemy's!

"Your life will perish in the air!"

Amidst a chilling, hellish pronouncement, Chu Hengkong twisted his muscles, deflecting the flames of ambition. His tentacles spun as they contracted, gathering the enemy's attacks, the strength within his body, and the last remaining shred of willpower. All of it converged, completing its retraction in less than a thousandth of a second.

The silver spear was fired, the air roared, and transparent sonic booms spread out several times. Like an archer who could never hit his target, he fired a lightning-fast shot at the demon. This spear pierced through the fire of ambition, pierced through the demon's serpentine head, and passed through countless obstacles, shattering its glassy heart in one fell swoop.

Shatter Kanin's delusions!

·

An ambitious man with a broken heart falls from a great height, accompanied by light and shattered flames.

His last breaths were exhausted, and the pact between man and demon had come to an end. His body was dissipating, fading away bit by bit, like a dying ember. His fading eyes gazed at the sky, and within them was a black raven.

He watched as the crow snatched gold leaf from all around and stuck it onto its feathers. The crow then looked even more majestic and beautiful, flapping its luminous wings and soaring into the sky, transforming into a golden-winged bird. It was about to fly to the highest place, to bask in the sunlight beyond the heavens.

But for some reason, the crow gradually stopped flying. It was about to break through the sky, but it just couldn't get close to the finish line. Kanin, who was watching from the sidelines, became anxious. He reached out to the crow, wanting to give it one last push.

He couldn't reach out. Then he heard his partner's voice, as weak as his own, as helpless and honest.

"It's all settled, Kanin," Bessen said.

That was the end.

His vision cleared. He saw the gold foil on the bird's wings melt, and flesh scorched by the intense heat. Light shone down from the heavens, sunlight hotter than flames and more dazzling than gold. The peerless warrior stood in the light, and for a fleeting moment, his gaze met Kanin's.

They sought traces of the heretics, but found only pale corpses. The gamble had truly come to an end. He fell amidst the flowing light and fire, transforming back into the charred raven.

But at least for a moment, I stood high in the sky.

Kanin smiled silently, shattering into colorless ashes on the ground. His obsession and madness were buried in the dust.

Chapter 66: The Legend Begins with You and Me

Fragments of light danced in the turbulent currents, while pale corpses sank into the sea.

The skies above Dragon City were no longer a battlefield, for all beings with the will to fight had perished. This was a truly earth-shattering battle, one that killed the calamities of the heavens and vanquished the demons of the sea.

The defeat of the ambitious demon was the initial turning point; the death of the contractor weakened this strongest enemy. Before his death, Rainbow Demon triggered a collapse of the void, shattering a once-closed spacetime. This was the most dangerous moment, as the angels within the Spiral Tower were about to descend. But Huilong personally patched the breach, stopping the leak at the cost of severe injury.

Thus, no one disturbed the deathmatch; the battlefield belonged to the two who would ultimately prevail. Skeletons and warriors clashed high in the sky, their blades meeting in a final confrontation of duty and hatred—

The gray sword rested on Ji Qiufeng's shoulder, while the halberd cleaved the knight's head in two.

The priest who had given the death sentence lowered his sword-wielding hand and gazed for a long time at the final victor through his shattered vision.

"You have changed, Peerless General."

“Humans are different from those of other paths; they change and grow.” Ji Qiufeng sheathed his halberd. “They will not stay in one place for long.”

The solemn bells tolled once more, and a rift in spacetime appeared amidst the tolling. The Apocalypse Sword plunged into the rift, returning to the hands of a god from beyond the ancient past. Ji Qiufeng had no strength left to stop it, nor did he fear a sword he had once defeated. So he discarded his armor and weapons, facing his dying enemy with final respect.

"You must remember that all things must die." The skeleton's words were both a preaching and a warning. "Time has etched your names into your names, and the Holy Sword of Revelation will return."

“That’s a fine sword, but unfortunately your swordsmanship isn’t quite up to par.” Ji Qiufeng turned around. “Next time, bring a better swordsman.”

"Ji Qiufeng, shut up! What if an even stronger version of you comes?!" Youyou shouted from the sea.

Ji Qiufeng shrank back, and stammered, "There were naturally ways back then..."

The dragon leaped up: "Don't jinx yourself if you're not sure!"

"Okay, listen to you."

Before he could even enjoy his moment of triumph, he reverted to his usual cunning and scheming self, chuckling as he climbed onto the dragon's back and flew towards their city.

As the Dragon God set off, he brought a refreshing breeze, and the skeletal knights disintegrated in the wind, scattering into gray dust.

·

Chu Hengkong had a painful and long dream.

In his dream, he became a green squid, falling from a great height and breaking into eighteen tentacles. The moment he hit the ground, it became an oven, roasting him until he was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, making Ji Huaisu's mouth water. But suddenly, the squid tentacles turned black! Jie'an exclaimed, "Oh no! The fire's too high, it's going to burn!" Upon hearing this, Ji Huaisu cried out in alarm, hugging him and saying, "Ah Kong, if you burn, what will we eat! Don't burn!"

Everyone wailed in utter grief, so much so that even the sky seemed to turn gray with sorrow. But suddenly, a golden light cleaved through the gloomy sky, and a dragon god, pure white as jade, soared forth. A peerless warrior stood atop the dragon's head, clad in heavy armor and wielding a halberd, his aura overwhelming with unparalleled might. He shattered the rainbow-colored demon, slew the serpent-bodied monster, and even death was severed by his halberd.

"The war is over," said Wushuang. "We have won!"

"—We won!"

Chu Hengkong sat bolt upright in bed, then curled up stiffly into a ball. Every muscle in his body was throbbing with intense pain, so severe that he couldn't move and could only howl, "Ah... I won...?"

"If you don't win, you'll become a squid or air." A blue tomato was handed over by a hand with distinct knuckles. "Have some fruit to wake you up."

Chu Hengkong swallowed a whole tomato in two gulps, nearly choking on his unruly throat. The tomato was juicy but also sour and astringent, and it was indeed refreshing. He slowly looked up; Ji Qiufeng was sitting by the bed, flipping through a large, silver-eyed book.

"I flipped through it out of boredom, and you've memorized quite a bit." Ji Qiufeng handed him the book. "It took everyone a long time to find it, so be careful not to lose it."

The book naturally fell when he jumped from the sky island; after all, he had no coat left and nowhere to put it. Chu Hengkong caught the large book and then saw his sword, light armor, and pendant gloves. He immediately felt at ease and tried to move his tentacles: "How long have I been lying here?"

“You’ve been unconscious for ten years,” Ji Qiufeng said with a pained expression.

"What a terrible joke."

“There have been cases like this before, where injuries were so severe that we had to freeze them for ten or eight years before we could treat them,” Ji Qiufeng said, shaking his fan. “But you’re doing alright this time. You were only unconscious for a little over a week. At least Youyou managed to get you back to health in time.”

Chu Hengkong remained expressionless: "You said 'fight'... what was I really like at the time...?"

"It's about 100% cooked, but it's not broken into pieces very evenly." Youyou poked her head out of Ji Qiufeng's pocket.

Chu Heng pressed his temples: "You all have to give me a raise this time."

"No problem, no problem, full-time holiday benefits are all included!" Ji Qiufeng said with a smile.

His body ached terribly, especially his back, which felt like it had been broken into pieces. Chu Hengkong realized how serious his injuries were. He ate another tomato, feeling a strange sense of unreality.

"Is it really... over?"

"It's over. We've all done right by our battlefields," Ji Qiufeng said. "The workshop master is dead, don't worry."

Chu Hengkong remained silent for a moment, recalling the blond man's last crazed smile.

"I don't quite understand his motives... What good would it do even if he won?"

"First of all, of course, it's me and Youyou who will die," Ji Qiufeng said casually. "Secondly... have you heard of the changes in mythology?"

“The victors in war suppress the beliefs of the defeated. They rewrite myths, demoting the gods of the defeated north to demons or subordinate gods, so that their own gods can take over the power of their opponents. This is common in the ‘cultural victory’ after war, and sometimes it is accompanied by the process of ethnic integration.” Chu Hengkong answered without hesitation. He had been exposed to these concepts in detail in his family’s cultural classes.

"You actually knew that!" Ji Qiufeng exclaimed in admiration. "Then you understand now."

Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment: "Can Kaning make the demon replace Youyou?"

"The breaching of the temple has significant symbolic meaning. At that time, the ambitious demon might have a chance to replace me and become the new 'totem' of Dragon City," Youyou said with a look of disdain. "But that's just a possibility! It's more likely that they'll end up with nothing and have wasted their time. To gamble such a low probability on a death battle, that's why demons and contractors are both insane!"

Chu Hengkong felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it. Leaning against the headboard, he said helplessly, "You give us this kind of task, and you still have the nerve to call us demons..."

"The devil is a gambler, I am not. I believe you can do it." Ji Qiufeng laughed. "Take your spoils and recover well."

He placed a piece of blue crystal on the bedside table and left with the little snake. The crystal felt warm to the touch, its bottom layer smooth as a mirror, while the top layer was full of sharp protrusions, like a solidified fire.

Chu Hengkong's hands were still too weak, so he used his tentacles to place it on the book.

The Embers of Ambition

[Rating: 2 (5)]

【Origin: Mysterious Realm of Senluo - Huilong City】

【Effect: 1. Clears heart fire】

Draw upon the power of lingering flames, binding them to the limbs. This allows the use of the Flame of Ambition for a short period.

2. Braised

Use no more than once a day. Activate the power of the remaining flames to create a towering pillar of fire.

3. Indestructible

Fueled by desire, it burns fiercely.

The relic's level increases with the holder's points; each level increase awakens new power.

[Curse:]

1. This relic is a product of the Void and Heretical Path, and cannot be used by pure humans.

2. This relic is corrupted by heretics, and its offensive capabilities will be enhanced when possessed. When the relic is upgraded to level 3, it will be possessed by the ambitious demon Besen; when upgraded to level 4, it will automatically become Besen's contractor; when upgraded to level 5, the holder will merge with Besen, becoming the ambitious demon's new "face".

Since the ambitious demon Bessen has been killed, the Curse 2 effect will be disabled until the new "Ambition" ascends to Particle 5.

[Longing: A young man pursues an illusory dream.]

The virtual image gives back real power.

Humans and demons, being essentially the same, will always be drawn to each other and sign a pact.

Together we become fleeting illusions of the end, or kings of the deep sea.

Chu Hengkong was overjoyed, his face beaming with happiness, and for a moment he even forgot the pain.

A level 2 relic that can be upgraded, and it's still a usable off-path product! With this, he can use fire too!

Few rewards made him feel so worthwhile, and this was one of them. Curse 2 was resolved, so there was no need to worry about it for now. As for Curse 1…

He tried rubbing the embers on the tentacle, and a blue flame immediately ignited. With a thought, Chu Hengkong extinguished the flame. He excitedly raised his left arm: "I have a flame tentacle!"

"Wow, amazing!" The girl at the door clapped.

Chu Hengkong's expression froze on his face. He turned his head inch by inch, looking desperately at the doorway.

A wheelchair was stuck in front of the door, and a blonde girl leaned on the doorknob, grinning mischievously.

"Please, Flame Touch Hero~?" Ji Huaisu's eyes crinkled into a smile.

·

Creak, creak. The wheelchair glided across the gravel road. Ji Huaisu whistled merrily, while Chu Hengkong sat upright with a dark expression, his murderous eyes conveying to everyone, "What are you looking at? Get the hell out of here! If you look again, you won't get your monthly performance bonus."

But the chief detective's murderous glare had little effect today; all the familiar team members were secretly laughing. Jie An, who was sweeping, saw this and came over, loudly exclaiming, "Yo! Yo yo yo! Yo!"

Chu Heng laughed out loud: "You're out of ideas, aren't you?"

“Words cannot express the feelings in my heart right now~” Jie An waved the broom. “I was just thinking of making you some soup when you woke up. You’re one of the toughest people I can do.”

“In our line of work, you can’t survive if you’re not tough.” Ji Huaisu rubbed his partner’s head. “He’s going out for a walk. Leave me a bowl of soup, okay?”

She pushed Chu Hengkong away briskly, passing familiar broken stones, piles of rubble, and abandoned buildings. The former headquarters building was completely destroyed in the battle, with less than a tenth of its usable facilities remaining. Therefore, the entire resurrection unit was actively cleaning and rebuilding; if they weren't quick enough, they really wouldn't have anywhere to sleep…

Fortunately, they weren't the only ones working this time. Strong laborers from the swamp were a vital force in the post-disaster reconstruction. The young men were thrilled to hear they could contribute to the Dragon God, and the salvage crew also joined the reconstruction effort, using steampunk-style equipment to rebuild the building like stacking building blocks. Chu Hengkong estimated that the new headquarters building would be ready for use in less than half a month, and in another month or two, a new complex of buildings would rise from the ground, completely replacing the old one.

“Actually, if Lord Youyou were to help, building a tower would be a very simple matter,” Ji Huaisu said. “But…”

“We must create job opportunities for citizens,” Chu Hengkong commented. “Moreover, rebuilding their homes by themselves helps to inspire people.”

Ji Huaisu blinked: "Hmm. Ah, yes, that's it."

"What were you originally going to say?"

Ji Huaisu leaned close to his ear and said, "I meant to say that she's a bit lazy."

Chu Hengkong couldn't help but chuckle. They circled around the headquarters to reach the surrounding healing temples. Most of the residential buildings were unharmed, but many people came out and waited around the healing temples. Ji Huaisu told him that this was because there was a rumor that the water curtain was going to open today, and everyone wanted to see the sky they hadn't seen for 20 years.

"How about we go up to the sky and wait for the weather to clear up?" she suggested excitedly, her tone as if she were suggesting climbing a mountain to watch the sunrise.

Chu Hengkong couldn't find a reason to object, and besides, he was very concerned about his image and didn't want to be seen in a wheelchair in front of his neighbors. So they took a detour back to the headquarters ruins and used the elevator in the ancient tree to travel all the way to the Sky Island.

The workshop area was in even worse shape than the central courtyard; the fierce winds from the storm had shattered most of the buildings. Anza Workshop desperately needed rebuilding, and even the area that had once belonged to the Black Workshop fared no better. Only a fraction of the crows' nests remained, and shattered metal was scattered everywhere, with steam billowing from the remains of large machines. Chu Hengkong climbed several floating islands to investigate, feeling as if he had stumbled upon some kind of steampunk-themed ruin.

“The technical team is working hard to dig deeper, and many craftsmen are trying to get a piece of the pie,” Ji Huaisu told him. “There are many interesting things in the Black Workshop’s heritage… of course, they are all low-quality gadgets, but they are very practical. I think the team members will like them.”