Forge a path to success

"It seems that the God King's fists aren't as tough as their words," Van der said.

“There must be some hidden reason why he would stay here.” Chu Hengkong pondered for a moment, then didn’t delve any deeper. “Let’s go, let’s take a look at the church.”

The church, located in the north of the town, is an inconspicuous building. Its soaring, slender Gothic spire and long windows with black and white stained glass make it seem like an incongruous, somber old castle. Upon entering, one sees a blurred statue of a deity, before which a man dressed as a priest stands, smiling at the two. His expression is serene, his demeanor solemn; his square face seems born for clergy.

“You must be strangers who have wandered into this town by mistake.” The man’s deep voice was reassuring. “I am Bernfar, the monk who looks after the chapel. Kisu has already informed me that you may take whatever rooms and objects you need in the chapel.”

Chu Hengkong greeted him and went straight to the point: "Excuse me, is there anything to eat here?"

Bernhard looked troubled and couldn't help but smile wryly.

“The people of the divine kingdom need no food, and I have no such need either. If you two are in dire need of food…”

He pulled a fishing rod from behind his back and said in a serious tone, "Why not hunt or fish to fill our stomachs?"

Chapter 72 A true master fishes without bait

Fishing is an elegant and mysterious sport. Many people who don't understand it well misunderstand it, believing that its pleasure comes from showing off the catch. That's not the case. Although Chu Hengkong once caught a whole crocodile, that's not the point. Although he had also caught enormous fish that could sink a small boat, that's also not the point.

The key is in the process of fishing. You cast your line at the water's edge, then sit quietly watching the float, letting the ripples carry your thoughts away. In other situations, this would be considered a waste of time, but with fishing as a perfectly legitimate and impeccable reason, you don't need to worry about meaning or efficiency. You can leave behind all the mundane matters and empty your mind in tranquility…

“Dude, I don’t know what the saying is on your Dust Isle,” Vande said, “but in my opinion, you can’t catch a fish without bait.”

"You can fish there."

"No, no, fish are just stupid, but they're not suicidal volunteers. Rather, no species would risk their peaceful life to bite a hook!"

"Took the bait."

"why?!"

The float suddenly sank, and the fishing line was pulled to the surface by a tremendous force. Chu Hengkong lifted the rod with one hand, exerted a slight force, and an incredibly long, strange fish leaped out of the small fountain! This strange fish was about 20 meters long, with a smooth, scaleless body, but covered with many short, anemone-like tentacles. Its head resembled that of a crocodile, with four pairs of compound eyes, and it opened its mouth to bite Chu Hengkong!

Then he was slammed to the ground on the beach with a chop to the neck.

“A demon that is consumed by flesh cannot be eaten,” Chu Hengkong said.

Van der leaned over for a few glances and gave a very professional conclusion: "It should be the Gluttonous Demon."

"How did you get it?"

“Demons are purely spiritual beings, essentially living ‘thoughts.’ You can find out their true nature by examining their relics.” Vand pointed his short finger at the demon’s mouth. “And listen to its cries.”

The gluttonous demon hopped listlessly, its cries barely audible: "Hungry...hungry..."

Chu Hengkong felt even hungrier, so he kicked it. The gluttonous demon dared not bark anymore. Vande praised the kick, and the two continued staring blankly at the fishing rod. They weren't particularly surprised to have caught a demon, because the place they were fishing in...

It's by the sea.

Yingshi Town is an incredibly dilapidated place, its terrain resembling a crater on the moon that has been bitten off when viewed from above. The Beast Mountain Range surrounds the town like a crescent moon, with the missing section facing the sea. This boundless ocean is the source of the vortex outside Huilong City, said to be the endless "Sea of ​​Illusions."

The Sea of ​​Illusions is completely transparent and colorless. As the tides surge, numerous illusions float by, resembling castles, mountains, beauties, and jewels. Once you focus your gaze, the illusions become clearer, and vivid tentacles and eyes will emerge from them, dragging the observer into the deep sea.

This is the origin of the name "Sea of ​​Illusions," where the phantoms are actually the illusions of demons, and the ocean is the largest den of demons.

Chu Hengkong stared indifferently at the foam in the sea: "I saw the boss's face. The boss in heaven is smiling at me."

Van Der's voice was flat and emotionless: "Wake up, no matter which Dust Isle you're on, dead people don't laugh. Look away right now."

"Even the voices are coming out, this illusion is so real." Chu Hengkong rubbed his eyes hard. "'Keeping things of dubious origin by greed is the reason you've fallen to this state.' Absolutely right... Ah, boss!!"

Van der threw a stone into the sea, shattering the vivid auditory hallucination. Chu Heng stretched out his hand dejectedly, and after a long while, said in a somber tone, "I saw my partner..."

"Are you ever going to stop?! Can't you have a little more mental resilience?!"

"She's having a big meal... hamburgers, sandwiches, seafood porridge, fried rice, mashed potatoes..."

"Why is it all staple food? This girl's diet is all wrong! She'll definitely gain weight!"

Vande threw a second large rock, shattering the illusion. Chu Hengkong resumed his silent fishing. The gluttonous demon wanted to return to the sea but couldn't find an opportunity to act, so he feigned death. They all displayed a bland, indifferent, and almost pathetically accepting calm, because the moment they reached the seashore, they were struck by the greatest shock of the day.

In the sea lies a literal "chasm," a colossal void. Like the miracle of Moses parting the sea, it is amplified tens of thousands, even hundreds of millions of times, splitting the illusory sea in the most exaggerated form. The water, upon reaching a certain point, cannot proceed further, plunging down along an invisible "boundary," like a great waterfall at the end of the world, its bottom nothing but emptiness.

There are two waterfalls like this, echoing each other on either side of the void, cruelly separating this shore from the other. Therefore, Vande understood the assassin's empty demeanor; it felt both guilt and pity. The great void was like a tomb, burying all hope of return. No matter where Dragon City was in the sea, they could never go back.

Chu Hengkong suddenly put down his fishing rod and stood up. Fan De shuddered, thinking he had truly been lured by the illusion: "Dude?"

"The situation is this bad; if you don't want to just wait to die, you need to think of something." Chu Hengkong was surprisingly calm. "My goal is to get back to the city. What are your thoughts now?"

“My tentacles and the manual are in your hands, and you’re asking me?” Vande stared wide-eyed. “I was just about to tell you this. Now we’re surrounded by ferocious beasts and demons, with nowhere to escape! Let’s put aside our grudges and cooperate properly before we leave these mountains.”

"Cooperation is the only way out," Chu Hengkong nodded, "but I don't trust you."

Vande was wrongly accused and died: "Killer Bro! What suspicious thing is there about me, a mere eye demon? I'm so harmless, and you still don't believe me?"

"Then tell me, what about yourself isn't suspicious?" Chu Hengkong picked up the large book. "For example, this book. You say it's a travel guide, but it can even authenticate high-quality relics. This isn't something ordinary things can do. Can you explain, Vande? Why is your guide so powerful?"

"I don't know," Vande blinked.

Chu Hengkong momentarily doubted his ears: "...Huh?"

"Well, I was a top student in school, so the curator personally gave me this as a gift when I graduated. I don't know what level this manual is, but anyway, the curator's handmade version must be pretty awesome..." Vande scratched his head, "This is a gift I received, and you're asking me, I don't know anything about it..."

Vande's eyes were utterly innocent, conveying a clear "I don't understand, I don't get it," with a kind of innocent foolishness reminiscent of a college student. Chu Hengkong, seeing this, couldn't help but sigh deeply: "Then why did your precious book end up in my city?"

"Please don't ask." Vande collapsed. "Anyway, this has nothing to do with any conspiracy or trickery, it's just really embarrassing, please give me some face and don't ask."

That shameful look in your eyes, that cowardly demeanor... So you threw away the graduation gift the museum owner made for you the moment you stepped out the door?! For a stupid college student to do something like this... it really suits his character!

Chu Hengkong felt a lump in his throat. Fan De ignored his reaction and immediately started a new topic, looking like he really wanted to brush the matter off: "You've asked so many questions, it's my turn now! Chu, are you a Foundation Stone or a Glimmer? I see your skills are all strange, a scholar-mage fighting like a barbarian. What kind of theory do you use to construct your spells?"

"I have skillful hands."

Vande was taken aback: "A master craftsman! That's quite rare! No wonder your staff is shaped like a knife... Could you tell me what the power source is?"

"muscle."

“…Huh?” Vande was completely bewildered. “This is…a bio-energy spell? It doesn’t look like it…”

Chu Hengkong sighed deeply and pointed to himself, saying, "I am a martial artist."

"Huh?" Vande was even more confused. "I've never heard of this. What you're doing is... using bio-energy to cultivate the power of words, and then using that to enhance the physical body?"

Chu Hengkong clenched his fist tightly, causing the muscles in his arm to bulge and the veins on the back of his fist to stand out. He slammed his fist into the beach, creating a crater with a radius of three meters!

"I learned from Chenjun Palace in Longquan Township." He emphasized each word carefully, "and I am skilled in using Longquan Township's boxing techniques!"

Van der stared at the pit for nearly ten seconds, trembling like a sieve.

"You, you, you, you... you're not a mage?"

nod.

"You are a martial arts cultivator?"

Nodded again.

With a cry of "Wow!", Vande jumped into the pit, rolling around while crying, "It's over! How could he be a muscle-bound idiot! I've studied for so many years, and in the end, my tentacles were stolen by barbarians! Please, have some mercy and bury me, I can't live like this anymore!!"

It scurried through the sand, burying itself in the pit, just a small stick away from becoming "The Tomb of the Eye Demon Vande." The eye's despicable nature was truly astonishing; Chu Hengkong was both angry and amused upon seeing it. He grabbed the eye demon with a touch and shook it vigorously twice: "Had enough of this?"

With tears welling up in his eyes, Vande said, "I, a member of the library's elite, have been reduced to living among barbarians. What more do you want!"

"Continue with your questioning." Chu Hengkong ignored the other party's pretense and continued to press, "You say you're harmless, so how did you survive for seven months in the Senluo Secret Realm?"

Vande puffed out his neck, stroked his tentacles, and immediately became smug: "Mindset is one thing, strength is another. As a top student, you, Vande, are not without your tricks, it's just that the environment wasn't suitable for you to show off your skills before... and now you only have one trick left, so you can't pull off any really bad moves..."

The eyeball monster's explanation actually reassured Chu Hengkong somewhat. If it had insisted that it was harmless and only got away with luck, that would have been extremely suspicious. He stepped on the restless, greedy demon to prevent it from escaping: "You've seen my abilities. You, a top student, should tell me your secrets."

Van Der readily agreed: "Just stretch out your tentacles and see!"

Chu Hengkong, bewildered, straightened his tentacle. Vande jumped up and slapped him with his exceptionally long tentacle, like a high-five. A large gush of clear, sticky liquid shot from the tips of both tentacles, like a giant blob of snot, sticking the gluttonous demon to the beach!

"..."

"This is my signature technique, Lord Vande's slime attack," Vande said smugly.

Chu Hengkong silently grabbed Fan De and bounced it around on the beach like a ball. The big-eyed creature howled, "Listen...to...me...and...you...see...it...yourself!"

Chu Hengkong glanced sideways and saw the eel-like demon thrashing wildly, unable to break free from the slime, its struggles only increasing its terror. Vande raised his head from the sand, protesting, "Don't you have any patience? This special skill of mine can help you get a meal!"

"Elaborate."

Vande shook off the dust and said smugly, "The Imaginary Demon is a purely spiritual life form; it only came ashore by possessing this fish. And my slime can contain thoughts, while my tentacles can extract them, which means..."

"You can extract the demon?" Chu Hengkong asked with great interest.

“Not bad! But now one of my tentacles is on you. To sever this longing, we need to cooperate,” Vande said. “So, are you going to starve to death or listen to me?”

Chu Hengkong tensed his tentacles and cracked his whip in mid-air. The gluttonous demon watched helplessly as a figure approached with an extremely eerie expression, its four fish eyes filled with despair.

·

ten minutes later.

Qi Su, carrying a small stick, skipped and hopped towards the shore. The town meeting was over, and everyone quickly reached a consensus and came up with a plan. In short, their immediate priority was to keep an eye on those two idiots, and then they'd have to see how their luck ran out…

"Hey, squids~" Qi Su cupped her little hands into a megaphone, "If you can't catch any fish, go back to town first—what are you doing?!"

Qi Su slammed on the brakes in horror. He saw an unusually long eel, suspended between two wooden sticks by clumps of slime, as if being tortured. Its body convulsed as if being electrocuted, and it cried out in pain, begging for mercy, because a man with long tentacles stood before the execution rack, mercilessly whipping the eel with his tentacles!

"You don't have to confess," the man said with a sinister look in his eyes. "We have plenty of patience."

"Hungry! Hungry!" the eel cried out in utter despair! Its supple, long body was ripped open, covered in silver welts, brown blood seeping from its wounds and being sucked by a slimy substance like a bloodsucking worm. What a brutal torture this was... but the executioner showed no mercy, and the monstrous eyeball sitting on his head grinned, aiding and abetting the cruelty.

"Hehe, Chu Hengkong, hitting its body alone is too slow. You need to hit its face! Come on, let me help you focus so you can hit more efficiently."

*Smack!* "Hungry!" *Smack!* "Hungry!" *Smack!* "Hungry!" The eel's cries for mercy grew softer and softer! The slime was completely stained brown!

"Vander, you really are experienced. I feel the efficiency has improved." Chu Hengkong was overjoyed. "Just like that, beat it to death!"

"Stop! You two fish-abusing perverts, get out of here!!"

Qi Su was horrified and flung his stick, raising a cloud of sand. Chu Hengkong dodged to the side, but Fan De was blinded by the sand. It rolled around on the ground with its eyes closed, yelling, "You brat, are you crazy?! Didn't your parents teach you how to handle seafood?!"

Qi Su pointed at the lifeless eel, his face flushed: "What kind of treatment is this! It's too much! You're just venting your base desires!!"

At this moment, Chu Hengkong delivered the final lash, and the gluttonous demon emitted a vomiting sound before falling completely silent. A faint, almost imperceptible image floated out from the fish's body, but before it could return to the sea, it completely merged into the mucus, turning into a blob... much like a blessing...

Seeing this, Vande was overjoyed and pounced into the slime: "It's coming out! Quickly help me collect it, every drop is the essence!"

The eel that had successfully been exorcised became a fish on the verge of death. Chu Hengkong held the eel high, facing the illusory ocean. This simple action contained a series of emotions unique to victors: satisfaction, joy, pride… It was a crucial first step taken by humanity in its struggle against nature!

"Food!" Chu Hengkong was overwhelmed with emotion.

Looking at the little squid with its head and face covered in brown unidentified objects, and the big squid holding up an eel and shouting, Qi Su just wanted to kick them both into the sea.

Chapter 73 A Spirit of Loyalty and Devotion

"You said it's just a fish, why is that kid reacting so strongly?" Vande was completely baffled.

"I guess he's never been in the kitchen in his entire life, and he screams at the slightest bit of blood," Chu Hengkong said.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the God of the Kingdom is as clean as can be!" Vande said sarcastically, grabbing a large piece of grilled eel meat with his tentacle and slurping it with relish.

The giant eel was so enormous that a single one would last the two of them for three days. It was cut into several pieces and stored in the church's basement, with the fattest and most succulent belly meat being grilled over a fire by the two of them. Chu Hengkong used tableware carved from seaside rocks to make do with their meal, while Vande used its short tentacles.

This creature didn't have a mouth on its body. After the grilled eel meat was wrapped by several short tentacles, it disappeared in a flash, and it's unknown how it was "eaten" in such a strange way.

Brother Bernhard sat with them at the table, not eating, but silently flipping through an old scripture. Vande waved his greasy tentacles and invited, "Priest, would you like some fish?"

“No need,” Bernfar shook his head. “I am like the townspeople here; I do not need to eat.”

"You guys seem to have it pretty easy living," Vande said sarcastically. "So, you, cultivator, also ended up in this godforsaken place?"

“I came here of my own volition,” Bernfar said. “My faith holds that those who serve God should go to places of suffering and do their part for life. Even if it is just wishful thinking, it is enough to comfort us if we can help a few people.”

Chu Hengkong put down his chopsticks: "So you've come to the Divine Kingdom to spread your religion."

“Prosecuting… that’s a rather inappropriate term.” Brother Bernfa clasped his hands together as if in prayer, speaking slowly and deliberately. “Mr. Chu comes from the city of the Dragon God and should have a thorough understanding of gods and faith. In your opinion, can strongly believing in something, or praying for the help of a distant deity, change anything in the present moment?”

"No."

"Indeed. Faith and prayer are shortcuts to comfort the soul, but to put it bluntly, such actions are meaningless. Therefore, I have no intention of proclaiming my God to others; I only wish to wait in peaceful silence. When those seeking help come, I will do my best to offer my assistance; that is the only thing I should do."

Father Bernfar rose from his seat and nodded to the two men.

“It’s getting late, I’ll go and rest first. There are no restricted areas in this church, you two are welcome to sleep here. Besides…”

He pondered for a moment, then gently reminded them, "I think you two should know that the night is always more dangerous than the day. Do not leave town after sunset."

Father Bernfar left, and in the desolate stone church, the candlelight flickered. Chu Hengkong continued to devour his fish, while Vande suddenly felt a loss of appetite. It couldn't see through this monk at all. The townspeople at least had a general sense of him—Qi Su and Xiang Fuzi were likely Ascended, while the rest were mostly ordinary residents—but Bernfar was different. He was clearly sitting there, speaking simply, yet it felt nothing, as if he had never existed.

"What do you think?" Van der couldn't help but ask.