Forge a path to success

He was kicked away with a thud, his feet leaving two long tracks in the ground. Chu Hengkong quickly brandished his spear, using the tip to pierce the ground and steady himself. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling to raise his spear again in an attempt to fight. But Wu He did not approach; instead, he disdainfully raised his hand. His five fingers clenched like claws.

“Come here,” he said.

The unpredictable "wind" reappeared, this time pulling the assassin closer from the front. The hard-won balance was easily broken, and Chu Hengkong was dragged forward, the scene resembling him actively facing an enemy's fist.

What exactly happened? A sudden gust of wind. A special ability triggered by a weapon. Its direction can change at will. Its true nature is…

Vande realized the key point and screamed nervously, "It's using its gun as the 'origin'! It can create fluctuations at will just by moving the gun... That's... the ability to control gravity and repulsion!"

"Very clever, you got it right." Wu He smiled. "And then?"

"What good will it do to know?"

Vande's gaze was fixed; he had much to say but couldn't utter a word. Knowing the mechanism meant there was a way to crack it; understanding the principles meant there were ways to deal with it, but those were all theoretical discussions detached from reality. Reality, as Wu He said, was such that even if you knew the principles, how could you actually deal with it?

This isn't a matter of skill level, but rather a matter of rank. Just as a skilled hand possesses a touch more dexterity than an ordinary person, a strong bone possesses a touch more resilience. Wu He possesses abilities a level above Chu Hengkong. That's the difference between weapon and tool, but also the difference between heart and bone. A single rank difference is like the difference between clouds and mud, something that even the most profound techniques cannot bridge.

The third essence of the martial arts path, the Heart Sword, is a product of the fusion of the "heart" of the Path of Unity and the "weapon" of the Path of Floating Light. Cultivators forge their swords with their blood and sweat, imbuing them with their will, thus creating a unique Heart Sword that belongs only to them. They possess both the unpredictability of weapons and the explosive power of their blood and sweat, making them recognized as the strongest on the battlefield by all forces.

However, such power comes at a price. During the first and second stages of the transformation, martial cultivators cannot differentiate themselves fundamentally from ordinary ascendants. Like the ascendants on the Path of Floating Light, they must reach stage 3 before they can experience their first qualitative change. Wu He has already completed his qualitative change, but Chu Hengkong is far from reaching the stage of sword forging. He is still busy controlling his bones.

How can he win?

Vande was unaware that it couldn't even keep up with the movements of the two combatants. Unlike the Immortal Machine, Wu He couldn't withstand attacks head-on, nor could it use hypnosis; in this rapid-fire battle, it had no chance to intervene. It eagerly peered out, only hearing the clashing of weapons and the enemy's disdainful laughter. Then, Chu Hengkong was once again sent flying, the white spear slipping from his grasp spinning in the air before piercing into the distance.

"Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to make a comeback. After all, you're too extraordinary; even that strange gunman was defeated by you."

Wu He cautiously maintained his distance, extending his right hand far out, blood flowing from his palm. Once outside the range of the Ligou Talisman, the blood turned a deep, oil-like black. The Longshu Ligou Talisman was working powerfully, transforming the tainted blood into fresh blood, converting the heretical pollution into his own power. The filthy abyssal power was finally disappearing; the feeling was so wonderful, it almost made him want to burst into song.

He only needs the cleansing of his heart area to return to being a pure human. Before that, he must use the power of the unorthodox path to gain one last bit of benefit.

"I will take over your memories, martial arts skills, and body perfectly." He laughed cheerfully. "Don't be upset. Although things will be different in the dueling arena... isn't that what the battlefield is all about?"

There was no time to react, no time to stop it; what was destined to happen would happen. In Vande's dazed gaze, a sharp weapon pierced the martial artist's heart, and blood slowly drifted through the air.

It was black blood. Blood plasma as murky as oil. A bone-white dagger was bathed in the blood, churning it with a cold, ruthless touch.

— It pierced through Wu He's heart.

Black blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Wu He stiffly turned his head, his body shrouded in a massive shadow. A four-meter-tall giant egg appeared behind him without warning, delivering a fatal blow!

"Hmm, hmm. Well said. Anything can happen on the battlefield. When you're plundering and indulging in your own pleasures, do you ever think that the same thing could happen to you?"

I've been eagerly anticipating your reaction, anticipating that look of disbelief on your face, which is why I deliberately waited until now to take action. Okay, so tell me, what are you thinking now?

The blood-red writing faded, and a clear human voice emerged from the eggshell, filled with deep-seated hatred, a sound as if it came from hell.

"I've come to kill you, you who are destined to die."

Chapter 140 Monster

Wu He broke free from the bone blade and spun around, thrusting his spear. The Qingkun Spear pierced through the bone-white shell, a fragment falling away to reveal an empty, pitch-black interior. Suddenly, a point of gold bloomed in the darkness, as intense as the gold guarded by a legendary evil dragon.

It was an open eye! A monster's... eye!

Both martial artists simultaneously felt a tremor of varying degrees, unrelated to willpower or backbone, but rather a deep-seated fear of their "natural enemy," etched into the very core of their biological memory. Prey has encountered its predator; to survive, it can only turn and flee. But those golden eyes seemed to possess a magical power, captivating their very souls; under the alien's oppressive aura, even breathing became a futile effort.

The cracks on the eggshell spread, and the upper half shattered with a snap. Chu Hengkong's vision was shrouded in blood—the monster's flowing hair. Its slender ears peeked out from the strands of hair, and its intense golden eyes illuminated its bewitching face.

It was actually a woman, an unbelievably beautiful woman. Her skin was like jade, her teeth were white, and her lips were red. Her figure was so beautiful that she seemed like a tempting demon, and a single glance from her golden eyes could steal one's heart. In just an instant, she crossed the battlefield and appeared in front of Chu Hengkong, her voice so soft that it made one's heart melt.

"Thank you for your hard work, leave it to me."

Chu Hengkong's mind went blank; he almost nodded. But the next moment, a ferocious roar rang out, like a heavy hammer striking his brain.

"Monster..." Wu He's face turned deathly pale. "Monster!!!"

The shared human terror awakened Chu Hengkong's rationality, allowing him to see the truth he had almost ignored. She was indeed a monster, a hideous and terrifying monster. She stood four meters tall, her knuckles ending in curved claws, her exquisite body clad in bone-white armor, seemingly forged from white bones. That alluring human form was born from a monstrous beast's body, her torso below the navel covered in wild animal-like fur, and four strong, powerful legs supporting her horse-like frame, her feet bearing hooves reminiscent of those found in religious depictions of demons.

Chu Hengkong immediately thought of monsters, not the three demons of the natural disaster species, but the female demons in rural legends who had human appearances and performed strange and bizarre deeds. This association made him feel an uncontrollable hostility.

"……Who are you?"

"You won't call me a monster?" the banshee chuckled. "Then remember my name. I am Qingxia, the Blood Knight of Slaughter, the Chief of All Battles in the Desperate Wilderness!"

Qingxia grabbed Chu Hengkong by the collar and gently tossed him aside. When she turned around, the tenderness in her eyes had vanished, replaced by the savage, bloodthirsty ferocity of a beast.

“Keep running, thief,” Qingxia said. “I’m giving you the right to run. After all, I swore that you would die in the most miserable way!”

"Get away!!"

Wu He clutched his chest; the revitalized black blood healed his wounds, yet he still felt an uncontrollable palpitation. The thought of being killed, tortured, eaten resurfaced during his frantic escape that day; he saw once more the inescapable nightmare. He thrust his spear forward, unleashing the power of the Xiaolong Qingkun Spear, his spirit transforming into a "wind" that repelled all things.

Qingxia clenched her fist, swung her arm, and casually struck the air. Her four long legs stood firmly on the ground, and the invisible, colorless wind was shattered! By a simple punch devoid of any technique!

Wu He shifted his feet, the runes changing at his will, the battlefield echoing with the sharp whistling of insects flapping their wings. The trap, acquired through the trade, was triggered, unleashing a thousand bullets imbued with demonic power, disintegrating in mid-air to form a dense, smoke-like barrage. Qing Xia loosened her fist, extending two fingers; her hand, due to its incredible speed, became a blur.

She removed the bullets, flicked them with her fingers, and repeated this ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times. It was as if a thousand arms had unfolded in an instant; she had broken through the trap left by Shakes in the simplest way. The bullets were tossed into her free palm, and she casually clenched her fist, compressing them into small, round iron beads.

"It's over?" Qingxia tilted her head. "It's my turn."

She tossed the iron bead and flicked it with her finger. It was clearly just a bead, yet under the influence of some inexplicable force, it transformed into a black beam as thick as a tree trunk. It was pure life force, the power of qi and blood emanating from within her body. A deafening roar tore through the battle formation, and the black beam pierced through Wu He's body, hurling him high into the sky, away from the earth!

"Impressive skills!" Chu Hengkong exclaimed in a low voice.

Van Der was utterly devastated: "Is this the time to praise someone's martial arts skills?!"

It was indeed a superb technique of throwing and flicking hidden weapons, the movements fluid and graceful, the control of force exquisite. Otherwise, Wu He would never have stood still and taken the hit. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't. He couldn't see where the iron ball went, nor could he catch Qing Xia's movements. Only Chu Hengkong, with his exceptional martial arts skills, could see that fleeting moment. Wu He could only feel the powerful surge of energy coursing through his body, and the pain that nearly tore his torso apart.

He tumbled and smashed through wall after wall, traversing 15 floors in a row. He struggled to maintain his balance, turning the gun in mid-air, the gunfire creating a surge that transformed the floor into a wall. He stood firm on what was once a wall, while two pairs of astonished eyes looked down at him.

This floor was the battlefield used to imprison Ji Huaisu and Qingye. One moment the girls were fighting against numerous corpse worms, and the next they saw the masters of the battlefield being thrown out like trash. The sudden change in the wind from the gunfire made this floor flip upside down like a hamster cage. They crashed into the walls and heard the soft footsteps, like warhorses walking on a cobblestone road.

Qingxia strolled leisurely, standing on the vertical wall. Just seconds before, that "wall" had been the "ground," with many corpse worms still stuck to it. She carelessly crushed the corpse worms, stepping across the path paved with broken bones and flesh. She drew circles in the air with one finger, her gaze following the movement of her finger.

"Hmm, hmm, I see, I understand now," she said. "The Night Dragon Soaring Through the Universe Spear, its true name should be the Pseudo-Universe Spear, right?"

"—!"

Wu He, who was about to retaliate, froze, his eyes revealing the panic of having his secret exposed. The demoness didn't let that expression go, her face now showing contempt.

"Using the night sky as a substitute for the earth, the original intention was to create a powerful weapon that could control the heavens and the earth. But the final result was unexpected. Why did this happen?"

Because the power of soaring originates from the remains of an ancient dragon, and its weight is supported by the blood of the Black Moon. This spear, though powerful, possesses not a single element of your own, thus even its inscription is distorted. How to put it…”

She walked up to Wu He, looking down at the pale-faced man as if he were a maggot.

“That’s really overestimating themselves,” she said.

moment.

Wu He's hair stood up from the back of his head.

He was ignored. He was looked down upon. He was scorned. All of these emotions combined paled in comparison to the shock he received at this moment. He was a man who had always been proud of his talent. That talent, which he valued most highly, which was undeniable, and which even his former teachers had to acknowledge, was dismissed with a single, contemptuous remark by an outsider.

My feelings can no longer be described as anger; they are downright humiliation.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Reason and fear were overwhelmed by the surge of bloodlust. By the time he realized it, Wu He had already moved. He accelerated by touching the ground, crouching low as he charged forward. His giant lance sank after activating its power, while his pure black right fist rose like a dragon. His body spun in mid-air, using the rotation of his muscles to amplify the impact, and even his howling head sank as he threw the punch.

The power enhancement from the Strength Talisman, the advantage of the defensive position, the acceleration from the gravity of the Qigong Spear, and the surging blood energy filled with secret techniques... a frenzied rage born from the extreme provocation...

Using every ounce of strength at his disposal, Wu He threw a desperate uppercut!

Then, the punch landed in Qingxia's palm.

Not moving.

Just as the description suggests, there wasn't the slightest sign of wavering. The force of the punch completely penetrated the banshee's body upon contact, yet she showed no signs of injury or pain. She endured it calmly, as if an adult were being hit by a child. She was a full four meters tall, making even a full-force blow from the 1.7-meter-tall Wu He seem like a child's play.

She gripped Wu He's fist with one hand, gradually increasing her pressure. The dazed man was pressed back to the ground, his back forced to arch, his knees buckling under the strain... Even with bulging veins and bulging muscles in his arms, he couldn't resist the weight of her single hand...

They stood there in a humiliating posture, as humbly as a servant serving tableware.

"Such...such terrifying grip strength..." Qingye murmured to herself.

Qingxia's ears twitched, and her golden eyes swept over. Qingye shuddered, wishing she could disappear into the ground on the spot. She withdrew her gaze and looked curiously at Wu He, whose face was covered in sweat.

"Let me tell you something," Qingxia clenched her fist, "When you throw a punch, you have to use your 'heart'."

She also threw a punch, using the exact same method and force as Wu He, but the momentum of their attacks were worlds apart. Wu He's punches were like the outburst of a child on the verge of collapse, while Qingxia's uppercuts were deep and heavy, like an elderly master demonstrating martial arts in the jungle. The sound of her punches was like a booming bell, and crimson lines swept across Wu He's entire body, his torso twisting and elongating from the force.

The True Mystery Palace Immortal Awakening Fist possesses a powerful yet unified force, its strength vast and upright, said to awaken even the immortals in the mountains when unleashed. Before he could react, before he could control his position, Wu He was sent flying. In a dizzying moment, he saw a moonless, starry sky; he had been blasted out of his own territory with a single blow!

Anger. Frustration. Fear. Panic. Countless complex emotions flashed through his mind, and the monster's contemptuous tone echoed in his chaotic thoughts. That thing had never taken him seriously from the beginning. All his preparations, all his tactics, were utterly useless against her.

It's like looking at a maggot.

It's like looking at a bag of garbage.

"Why do you..."

A trembling voice squeezed out from within.

"What right do you have to look down on me?!"

The Qingkun Spear was gripped tightly in both hands, and blood and qi poured into the spear without regard for cost. The "gravity," used only on rare occasions, was fully unleashed, and Wu He thrust the spear towards the hotel, causing the entire building to collapse inward instantly. Bricks, tiles, soil, air, and even trees from the outside world were controlled by a massive amount of matter that rushed towards the banshee, suppressing her with sheer weight.

Gravity created an invisible vortex, causing nearly two-thirds of the building to collapse. Under the overloaded power of the Heart Sword, thousands of tons of matter were compressed to extreme, forming a death cage imprisoning demons!

"—The gun fires, the dragon draws the prisoner!"

The point of gravity was firmly fixed in the center of the cell, and the giant sphere, a hundred meters in diameter, floated motionless in the air. Wu He braced himself on his knees, breathing heavily; this desperate attack had completely drained him of his strength. Even now, he clenched his fists tightly, forcing himself to raise his head, wanting to see the demonic blood seeping from the cracks in the cell.

He saw the light of a sword.

The bone-white sword light emanated from within the cage.

The two swords, positioned vertically at the center, crossed to form a cross, cleaving the prison open from the inside. Simultaneously, two additional swords, positioned diagonally, sliced ​​through the excess material, sending bricks and tiles tumbling down and forming a long ladder in the air for a fleeting moment. Qingxia stood on a pile of rubble, four bone-white blades floating behind her, their thin, sharp edges connected to her back by gleaming lines of blood.

No, that wasn't a new weapon. It was part of the "shell" he had seen before, used to disguise the demon's true form; it was her eating utensils and also her weapon in battle.

The red-haired banshee leaped up and descended the long, rubble-covered steps. She exerted her strength mid-air, transforming into an elusive, blood-red shadow. In the next instant, she appeared behind Wu He; the martial artist's hands were severed at the wrists, and the spear, formed from his lifeblood, spun in the air.

The banshee grasped the spear with one hand and opened her mouth as if smiling.

Take a bite.

Crack. Crack. Crisp sounds, seemingly unrelated to steel, rang out continuously as the massive weapon turned to dust between her lips and teeth. Her hands, still attached to the gun handle, were disdainfully tossed aside as she chewed, crushed, swallowed, and swallowed the giant gun into her stomach.

Her pink tongue licked her lips, swirling away the remaining iron filings. She stretched contentedly, and the camouflage eggshell reappeared, secreting from her back and flowing into her hand, forming a familiar outline.

It was a long spear. A massive, diamond-colored spear.

Wu He realized something. Something he didn't want to think about. Something he didn't want to imagine at all. A terrifying possibility.

"Do not."

He stretched out his bare wrist and his voice was hoarse as he screamed.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!!"

Completely ignoring the talisman master's wails, Qingxia gripped the gun handle with one hand and spat out a gun inscription that did not belong to her.

"—Heart Sword Inscribed. Soaring Dragon Raises Kun Spear."

Chapter 141 Get your wish

And so, an invisible wind began to blow.

No longer thrusting towards the direction of the spear tip, nor blowing out insidiously like a trap, but instead placing the center within the enemy's body, letting gravity act on one's own body.

This will speed things up.

The banshee reared up on all fours, riding the wind as she galloped. The gravitational pull of the Qingkun Spear allowed her to skip the initial acceleration phase, instantly reaching her maximum speed. Alone with only her spear, she was like a thousand troops, a crimson heavy cavalry charging through blood.

Wu He was utterly disoriented, feeling as if he had been sent flying into the sky in an instant. He was sent flying by the tip of the spear, and the laughter of a banshee drifted through the inverted world.

He forced himself to regain his senses, activating the talismans he had prepared as he plummeted. Several wisps of yellow mist dispersed, obscuring his vision, and six corpse worms emerged from the ground, lunging at Qingxia. These were originally intended as defensive pawns, but now they proved useful. Wu He didn't even glance at the fate of the corpse worms; he took advantage of the chaos to hide in an office building. The outcome was already decided; he had lost the moment the monster's attack succeeded. Now, he could only escape, only flee…!

A familiar gust of wind came from behind, and the walls and windows shattered with a crash. Six corpse worms, piled up in a row, crashed into the building and were impaled on the wall in front of Wu He by the Qingkun Spear. A bone-white iron chain was threaded through the handle of the Qingkun Spear. Qingxia threw it like a javelin and retrieved it with ease using the chain.

Wu He stood frozen, hearing footsteps approaching from behind.

Without giving her enemy a chance to speak, Qingxia charged forward, thrusting her spear out once more. The impact sent Wu He flying, shattering him into pieces!

Black blood dripped pitifully, a nearly ruptured, rotting heart encased in fragments of flesh, a lone head rolling on the ground, its eyes fixed on its own heart. Wu He saw the banshee cease her charge and gracefully turn away. He felt a deep tremor from the earth, as if something was about to burst forth. But before these external changes, unrelated to him, he first felt a profound sense of bewilderment within himself.

The other person was holding his weapon.

The Heart Sword has been taken away.

The power he had painstakingly cultivated no longer belonged to him.