Forge a path to success

"Mist?"

"Yes, the mist that protects this town. The peace of this tiny town should have lasted forever, but because of your intrusion, time, which had been stagnant, began to turn again. From that day on, the fate of Yingshi Town was sealed."

There was no intention of blame, nor any mockery or sarcasm. The monk was merely stating the facts. He glanced at the scripture and said, "You have 3 hours and 36 minutes to say goodbye. Keep the end of this place firmly in your heart. If you are lucky enough to meet old friends again, tell them what you have seen and heard. This is an incredible adventure. To witness a life that survives a true machine is a legend on any Dust Isle."

Bernhard turned around with his hands behind his back and strolled down the steps on the mountainside. Chu Hengkong was still standing on the mountaintop, gazing at the ancient cauldron in the light, his gaze unwavering even as his vision was about to be scorched.

How many of them are genuine weapons?

“This place is but a small corner of the divine kingdom; one true machine is enough to accomplish all missions,” the monk said. “No more is needed. Never more is needed.”

"What number is that point mass?" he asked, as if still trying to grasp at a last straw. "Point mass 3? Or something even higher..."

The monk did not answer; only a pitying laugh faded into the distance with his footsteps. Vande extended a tentacle from his pocket, speaking in a voice almost inaudibly.

“I remember now, that’s the cornerstone of the Empire of Truth…” Vande could hardly bear to speak, “Point 1, Soul Container.”

“Oh,” the assassin said, “so this can also be considered a point mass 1.”

The light stung his eyes, so the assassin simply closed them. He descended the steps and returned to the town in just ten minutes. The townspeople all gazed up at the light across the mountain, their expressions as expressionless as monks, for they already knew the outcome and felt no sorrow. They simply watched him again and again, silently telling the outsider: Go quickly. Go quickly.

There was really no conspiracy, nor was it any special folk custom. The reason for not eating or drinking was that they couldn't eat anymore, and the reason for not gathering in groups was to avoid revealing their true identities. Sending them to the church was to hope that the powerful monks could protect them. This desolate place had absolutely nothing to offer guests, so they had to ask the guest to search outside town to barely prepare any food to entertain them.

The long-dead souls clung to their last shred of dignity, grateful for the outside assassins, for their wicked corpses would finally be punished. That's why Xiang Fuzi was so happy. His body was finally dead; he could close his eyes with dignity as a human being, not a beast.

Chu Hengkong returned to the church and sat down in the open space. Vande, slumped dejectedly in his pocket, hesitated for a moment before trying to break the awkward atmosphere: "You can't blame Qisu... This land has been corrupted by heretics; teleportation is practically impossible. It's almost a miracle that we were even able to leave..."

"Ah."

“That… the monk is very powerful.” Van Der paused. “He has no reason to lie to us. Time is running out. Really, it’s running out.”

"Ah."

Chu Hengkong drew his rock-cut sword and placed it on his lap. He ran his fingers over the blade inch by inch, and with a little effort, began to sharpen it.

His movements were swift yet meticulous; his well-trained body was as hard as rock, capable of sharpening the blade of a longsword. Seeing this, Van Der panicked, his tentacles trembling: "Dude! Calm down! Put your head back down!"

"I'm very calm. The reason I can't return to the city is because the heretics are here," Chu Hengkong said unhurriedly. "So, if I kill the heretics, can I go home?"

Van Der became even more agitated: "That's not the point at all! You! You're new here and don't understand. That's not something you can afford to mess with—"

“Vander, you said before that you left your hometown to travel,” he suddenly brought up an unrelated topic, “Why did you want to travel?”

Van Der was utterly bewildered, wondering what had triggered this neurotic fellow this time. Afraid of saying something that might upset the madman, he cautiously said, "It's just... I want to go out and see the world. The world is vast, the oceans are expansive, and life is so short. To be able to go to so many places but only stay cooped up on a small, dusty island feels like a waste of my life... I don't have a clear goal like you, and I don't aspire to become stronger or invincible. I'm happy just writing down interesting things in my notebook."

“That’s great. You have a broad perspective, you can see much further than I can.” Chu Hengkong smiled. “I’m different. I don’t like traveling. I once tried traveling during a holiday, taking a nine-hour ferry ride alone from Italy to a small town in Greece. It’s a great place for a vacation. You can sit in a small tavern for an entire afternoon. There are so many things to see and photograph. You can easily gather enough stories to talk about for a year just by staying there for a few days. Sitting on the mountaintop, you can see white rooftops and the azure Dead Sea, with tourists walking on the stone paths picking out gilded jewelry.”

“But I didn’t do anything. I brought a travel guidebook—smartphones weren’t as good back then—but after flipping through it for a while, I put it back in my suitcase. There were so many places to go and so many things to do that I was overwhelmed. I spent half the day sunbathing on the mountaintop, and finally went back to my hotel room to practice boxing.” Chu Hengkong sheathed his long sword. “The next day, I took a boat back to the family, ending my vacation early. I took out three targets that day, and that night I took my brothers to the old bar for drinks. It was all mundane stuff, but much more enjoyable than being on the beach.”

Vande listened quietly. It didn't know what place the assassin was talking about, but it could sense the helplessness and self-deprecation in his voice. Such a person sounded truly pathetic, having plenty of time yet not knowing what to do with it, even going on vacation felt like torture.

“Do you understand, Vande? It was just a small coastal town, but to me it felt incredibly vast, like looking down at a city from a sea of ​​clouds. The world was clearly vast, yet I felt empty beneath my feet. Walking on the cobblestone streets, I felt like a wandering ghost, my feet never touching the ground, because no one there needed me. In that place, my strength and my personality were meaningless. I was no different from the other tourists, just a passerby, a phantom.” He said calmly, “But when I was in the family, every day someone would urgently come to me saying, ‘Brother Chu, we’re in trouble, there’s a tough nut that needs my personal intervention.’ Even if I did nothing but lie in the lobby and daydream, everyone was happy, because their presence gave them a sense of security. Isn’t that what meaning and value are all about? We toil in this world, and all we want and desire is just this much.”

Fan De hesitated several times, seemingly wanting to speak, and sat there blankly on the ground. Chu Hengkong looked at him and laughed.

"When I first arrived in Yingshi Town, I felt the same as when I was on vacation. I could practice, I could hunt, I needed to familiarize myself with your uses, and I needed to find my way home. So many choices were laid out in front of me that I felt overwhelmed, like the list of attractions in a tourist brochure. I felt like I should do them, but it also felt like I was just completing a task. That feeling of emptiness was more tormenting than any kind of hunger."

“And now I can finally settle down. I don’t have to worry about that travel guide anymore; I see what I should be doing.” Chu Hengkong stood up. “My purpose has returned.”

At this moment, he actually seemed somewhat happy, no longer the silent, taciturn bystander. Vande was about to reach its limit, twisting its tentacles back and forth: "So this is why you've gone mad? Just for some vague, meaningless purpose? I don't see anyone here who needs you to die..."

“There are hundreds of innocent souls here. They lived ordinary lives, doing nothing wrong, yet they've fallen to this state. Where is their justice?” Chu Hengkong sheathed his sword. “In three hours, all the souls will be dead. After three hours, no one will know that there was once a Ying Shi Town in the Divine Kingdom, and that all those people were killed by the Empire. Bernfa is determined to stand by and watch, so I must go up there. Who else but me can help them get justice?”

“I could walk away, but I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. I’ll remember until I die that I turned around and ran away, barely surviving on the bones of the dead. That kind of life was so pathetic, like a coward.”

The man laughed, his facial muscles twitching, drawing out sharp, knife-like lines: "I've practiced martial arts to this day because I don't want to live a pathetic life!"

Fan De was completely dumbfounded. He finally understood Chu Hengkong's thoughts. After spending more than ten days together, his understanding of this person was not as profound as it had been in these five minutes.

This assassin... is an idiot who's extremely hard on himself!

He wouldn't allow himself to waste time, wouldn't allow himself to live a mediocre life, even if he ended up in the deepest mountains and forests, he would still cling to a meaningless pursuit. He wouldn't allow himself the slightest regret or remorse, which is why he learned martial arts, which is why he craved power. This demanding and stubborn nature turned him into a steel blade. The blade was unwilling to remain silent in its sheath, so it would always actively seek out the battlefield. The blade didn't know what turning back meant, so it didn't know what it meant to take a step back and see the bigger picture. It only felt that taking a step back would lead to lifelong regret! Even if there was an earthquake or a tsunami ahead, it would still carry its blade and charge forward, engaging in a life-or-death duel with whatever the heavens and earth were collapsing.

He needed meaning even in his daydreaming, which was why he loved fishing so much. If he escaped from here, he wouldn't be able to live his life, so he had to stand up, even if it meant dying with the dead, rather than spending the rest of his life in regret. He shone like a giant chasing the sun.

Chu Hengkong sheathed his longsword, strode out of the church, and casually tossed aside the Silver-Eyed Book. Vande instinctively raised his tentacle, caught his own manual, and then picked up a bunch of beautiful flowing beads.

"I have to go do what I need to do now. You go and finish your journey too." The assassin waved his hand. "Sorry for taking your tentacles. I'll return them to you when we meet again."

Chu Hengkong was hit hard, and his shoulder ached a little. He turned around and caught the large book that was about to fall to the ground, while Fan De behind him had red eyes.

"You fucking...you're a real bastard!" Vande was furious. "I tried so hard to make you forget about it. Couldn't we just laugh it off and move on? At worst, we could just erect a monument for them after we're gone and grieve in silence. But now you've made it all so clear, what am I supposed to do? I'm leaving you to die alone. Don't I feel any guilt?! Can I just live without a care in the world?"

The demon stared at him fiercely, his voice clear and resonant: "You, Chu Hengkong, are a hero, but I, Fan De, am no coward either!"

Chu Hengkong stared at it as if it were their first meeting, then suddenly laughed, a hearty laugh. Fan De glared at him angrily, then laughed after a moment, a helpless laugh. They walked out together, laughing like two fools on the beach. Qi Su stared at them blankly, the bewilderment in his eyes turning into annoyance.

“What’s so funny…!” the girl gritted her teeth.

"Hey, Qi Su," Chu Hengkong said casually, "Are you content with living such a miserable life?"

Vande laughed too: "You think it's pathetic that such a nice town has fallen to this state?"

Qi Su was completely devastated. She clutched her head and let out a desperate wail: "How could this be?!"

“Alright. Let’s get moving.” The assassin patted her shoulder. “I’ll help you… kill it!”

Chapter 86 Immortal Machine

As the mountain mist dissipated, murmurs arose at the foot of the mountain. The townspeople craned their necks in astonishment, only to see a man dragging a little girl straight towards the town center. The green-haired girl kicked and thrashed about, as if she had been abducted: "What are you doing?! Are you all crazy?! Are you all mentally ill?!"

"People often say that to me," Chu Hengkong said, unconcerned.

Van der scoffed: "I have no brain!"

They grinned maliciously as they walked to the foot of the Cherry Dragon Jade Sculpture. Chu Hengkong opened the small box of the Demonic Spider Puppet, and the map he had recently created unfolded. Their location, Yingshi Town, was situated in a small corner by the sea. Beyond the abyss thousands of meters below Yingluo Mountain lay the Ultimate True Machine Soul Container, which was undergoing transformation.

"The enemy is too far away, and Vande and I have no means of attack. What about you, Qisu?"

"How could that be?" Qi Su's eyes were glazed over.

“Interrupting the ascension is a pipe dream. That thing can end the ascension at any time. It only left the magic array to facilitate the analysis of the fog,” Vande said. “The good news is that it also doesn’t have the ability to shoot a thousand miles away. Before, it used to control the alien beasts. Now that you have killed all the alien beasts, it can only come and kill us personally.”

"So we're safe until the fog clears..." Chu Hengkong pondered for a moment, "When the fog clears, the transformation will end, and the battle will begin immediately."

“Killed on the spot.” Van Der corrected. “I must say that although I emotionally support you, rationally I think we should run away. I’ve read papers on ultimate machines before—they were so deadly that I sealed them away after reading them and only just remembered them—they have three main characteristics. Each one is more surprising than the last.”

"You speak first."

“First of all, absolute rationality.” Vandal took a deep breath. “Ultimate True Machines do not make meaningless actions. They have no anger, no arrogance, and no perceptible emotions. They think in the most efficient mode and act in the simplest way. Therefore, they do not ‘make mistakes’ in battle. They will kill you in the fastest way possible and then move on to the next mission.”

Chu Hengkong pondered these words. He used his tentacles to point to the "cauldron" marked as a soul container on the map, then to Yingshi Town, drawing a straight line connecting the two points.

"so?"

“You’re starting to understand,” Van Der said. “The second characteristic is their focus on resources. The book says these machines are incredibly stingy; they want to send every last bit of air back to their homeland. So, when the Ultimate Machines pass by, not a single patch of earth is left behind. They are equally stingy in combat, aiming to achieve all the results with a single attack.”

Chu Hengkong drew a circle around Yingshi Town.

"It will come in a straight line and kill us all in one move."

“You are very perceptive.” Vande spoke faster and faster. “Now for the best news. I’m almost crying as I say this. Ultimate True Machines have no weaknesses.”

This statement caught the assassin's attention. Chu Hengkong stopped what he was doing: "What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning. No weaknesses. The blueprint for the Ultimate Mech was designed by the Emperor himself. Its body is made of a perfect alloy that can withstand all known attacks. It has no blind spots and can harm all forms of life," Vande said. "To defeat an Ultimate Mech, you have to have even more overwhelming raw power, but they are recognized as the ultimate forms of the current point mass! The completed pinnacle! This kind of thing is... hopeless, man!!"

Fan De was so excited he couldn't stop, while Qi Su, who had been silent until now, nodded quietly.

“It’s right,” Qi Su said in a low voice. “Including myself, Yingshi Town originally had 5 Elemental Point 2s and 17 Elemental Point 1s. We also had the help of the Dragon God Jade Carving and the array... but even so, we still couldn’t defeat a Soul Container. The difference in rank was too great; it was not an opponent that humans could defeat.”

The assassin remained silent for a long time, his gaze shifting back and forth between the soul vessel and the town, lost in thought. Qi Su followed his gaze, a sudden sense of panic rising within her. She had expected to see disappointment, embarrassment, or some other negative emotion, but the man remained unmoved, his eyes indifferent, like a transparent nail.

“The situation is clear. Now let’s begin formulating a battle plan,” he said. “The enemy is strong; we must use every means at our disposal. I’ve encountered people before who used bodies as puppeteers, and that method was very effective. Qi Su, can you do that?”

"That's not difficult, of course I can..." Qi Su's expression changed, "You're not thinking about it?!"

Chu Hengkong drew a centipede and a fox on the map: "We now have two very good puppets. They're a bit damaged, but they're still usable."

"I can't hear a single trace of respect for the dead in your words!" Qi Su exclaimed in shock.

"With a formidable enemy at hand, let's not waste time on trivial matters. If we win, Xiangfuzi will applaud us; if we lose, we'll simply ascend to heaven together to apologize to him. Either way, we won't lose out." Chu Hengkong waved his hand. "After you finish making the puppets, go to the mountains and set traps, the more the better. Is there anything else in town that we can use?"

"Yes, yes!" The townspeople watching raised their hands one after another. "The town's formation can gather our power to strengthen our spirit bodies. Previously, Qi Su used this formation to protect us... but now that the battle is about to begin, there's no need for protection anymore. We can gather the power of the formation and unleash a powerful attack on him!"

Qi Su was shocked again: "Hey! How come you guys, who were all heartbroken, are suddenly full of energy?!"

The townspeople were beaming: "At first we thought we were going to die naturally... but to be able to fight the Ultimate Machine before we die, it's a glorious death!"

"That's the spirit we're after!" Chu Hengkong gave them a thumbs up. "Time is running out. The fog will clear in three hours. Let's move out now. Qi Su, come find me on the mountain when you're ready. This is it, or we'll live or die!"

He tucked the box away, ran quickly out of town, ignoring Qi Su's furious shouts behind him, and climbed the stone steps toward the top of Yingluo Mountain. Vande had already slipped the box into his pocket, and only spoke when they reached the summit.

"Tell me your real plan?" Vande squinted. "I don't believe you're only planning to use a little girl to fight real weapons."

“I have my own way of doing things,” Chu Hengkong said. “Speak your concerns now, because I won’t be able to speak in another hour or so.”

"What tasks am I responsible for?"

"The most important task. You are the core of this operation." Chu Hengkong picked it up. "Fande, you fought that thing once when we were fighting the Jade Fox. How big was the difference in your mental strength?"

"It's not mental strength, it's the strength of the ghost body!" Vande corrected. "It's hard to say... I'm confident in my skills, but that thing is stronger than me. Everything about the upgraded True Mech is unknown, and I'm not confident I can influence it."

"Even the simplest one won't work?"

"...Tell me what you want to do first."

Vande listened quietly as he finished explaining his extremely simple plan. The Eye Demon's eyes widened even further.

"You're crazy. What if I fail?"

"Let's just see how things go," Chu Heng said with a laugh. "We'll take it one step at a time!"

He has never been a strategist, incapable of devising any foolproof plans. Even this battle was a spur-of-the-moment decision, fraught with uncertainty. The fog might dissipate in the next second, Qi Su might fail to create the puppet, or Fan De might not succeed. Even if all the previous conditions were met, it's hard to say whether a mere point 1 could stand against a true machine.

But he didn't care. Machines act based on the odds of winning; some people don't. They choose the only solution and then figure out how to win.

Chu Hengkong exhaled slowly, inhaling air extremely slowly, allowing the airflow to circulate within his body and merge into his blood. In the darkness, he recalled the teachings he had received during his cultivation, remembering the most painful period of his training.

He kept recalling it, engraving the teachings into his very bones. He sat cross-legged in the dissipating fog, and stopped breathing an hour and a half later.

Three hours is a long time for a waiting person, but surprisingly short for a group of busy people. Everyone in the town sprang into action, modifying the beast's corpse under Qi Su's guidance, helping her carve numerous secret runes on its shell and fur. An hour later, its original body, the jade fox, came to life. With the help of the "body," the processing speed increased, and the centipede became a new puppet an hour later.

Two strange beasts slithered into the mountains, carving characters into the rocks with their claws and teeth. These sounds echoed throughout the mountains until the countdown reached its final 60 seconds, at which point the fog created by Bernfa was almost completely gone. Qi Su came up behind Chu Hengkong, and together with the silent man, they gazed towards the other side of the mountains.

They saw the light converge.

The pure white magic circle constructed of light was shrinking back, and the machine at the center of the transformation array gradually revealed its true form as the light faded. It was neither huge nor magnificent, its outline seemingly only slightly larger than a cauldron. At such a distance, even the so-called ultimate true machine appeared tiny.

As the last wisp of mist dissipated, the Transformation Array of the Empire of Truth converged into a dazzling pillar of light. Chu Hengkong suddenly stood up. He was unable to capture the true appearance of the machine, only a sliver of light shot out like an arrow!

The arrow of light traversed the abyss at incredible speed, arriving at the foot of Yingluo Mountain almost the instant he became aware of it. Only the dusty remains of the dissipating beam of light remained in the distance. The Ultimate Mech had planned its battles during its transformation; it indeed lacked beyond-visual-range combat capabilities, so it directly used its one-time acceleration device to launch itself into the center of the enemy ranks.

A raging storm suddenly swept in, the sharp sonic booms like a thousand needles piercing the ears. The excessive speed created an illusion; the white arrow seemed to be stabbing into everyone's eyes. Chu Hengkong's guess was entirely correct; the true machine's trajectory was a straight line, intended to crash directly through the mountain range and destroy the town behind it in an instant.

Van der couldn't even peek out; all he could do was shout from inside his pocket, "Girl, go!"

The jade fox leaped towards the high mountain, arriving behind Qi Su. Its claws slammed against the mountain range, and Qi Su's command rang out from its mouth, clearly audible in the storm: "Mountains and rocks, dust and cherry blossom spirits gather. Quickly subdue the evil, and take form!"

Hundreds of secret runes lit up in the Yingluo Mountains, and the rocks in the mountains moved under Qi Su's control, rolling down the mountainside to form rock projectiles as large as houses. This was the same method that Yu Hu had used to attack Chu Hengkong. Chu Hengkong in the past dared not even withstand a single giant rock, but now, under Qi Su's control, rock projectiles rained down like rain, with hundreds of them rolling down the cliffs and crashing into the menacing white arrow.

The machine's movements didn't falter in the slightest; it smashed through the rain of stones with unstoppable force. Rock projectiles struck its body but were instead shattered upon impact; naturally formed rocks were as fragile as eggs before a body of steel. This earth-shaking spectacle couldn't subdue it, and Qi Su had already anticipated this; her commands never ceased, and new spells were being developed based on the existing ones.

"Tell my old friend, I will use your body to hunt down the culprit. Quickly bind the evil spirit and reveal your injustice!"

Amidst the swirling dust, a dark figure suddenly appeared. A centipede puppet burst from the ground, its massive body coiling around the true machine that had entered the mountain!

Its speed was insufficient, and its movements lacked agility; it should have been far from catching up to the true machine's shadow. However, the rock projectile melted upon impact with the cliff, transforming into a muddy torrent. This torrent, changing with the secret inscription, surged down the cliff, forming a mudslide resembling a landslide. Even the true machine, slowed by the immense power of heaven and earth, was able to launch its attack.

Its restraints lasted less than a second; upon contact with the true weapon, its glossy black carapace shattered from the recoil. But new reinforcements leaped off the cliff at that moment, the Jade Fox personally standing in front of the true weapon, its eyes flashing with the flames of hatred. Its claws and fur lengthened with its roar, dense runes shimmering, drawing in a golden, fiery wind.

"True Dragon Candlelight, Great Sun's Blazing Essence. Swiftly burn away evil spirits, leaving them forever without a trace!"

The scorching wind came from the heavens, from the blazing sun. The sunlight, amplified by the inscription, transformed into a golden wind, forming a fiery current that enveloped the true weapon. At the same moment, the man leaped from the mountaintop, his limbs ablaze with azure flames. Strands of golden light surged from behind the mountain, flowing into his back.

The magic array in Yingshi Town has been activated, and all the residents of the town have contributed their spiritual strength!

Without any probing or hesitation, the assassin launched a thunderous attack, unleashing his full power from the outset. He spun and twisted in mid-air, using the momentum of his descent and his spirit to amplify his strength. The whip, which had been gathering power for a long time, lashed out, and at the moment flesh clashed with steel, a towering pillar of flame erupted.

Roasted!

Azure flames and yellow winds intertwined, growing stronger through their interaction to create an endless, burning whirlwind. The centipede's massive body bound and triggered the spider gauntlets, the Qi Su's secret inscriptions amplified the wind's power, and the formation of Ying Shi Town infused everyone's strength. With these layers of combined power, this attack far surpassed Chu Hengkong's current limits; even the once-powerful Fire-Scaring Serpent could not unleash such might.

The burning whirlwind, like a literal pillar of heaven, even surpassed the summit of Mount Yingluo. Vande poked its head out of its pocket, trembling with excitement: "Good! It's done! Begin the next attack immediately. Smash it to death in the fire!!"

Thump. Vande fell to the ground. It turned around abruptly, wanting to ask the assassin why it was moving around. But Chu Hengkong was not behind it.