Forge a path to success

Then three more large trees fell, and the urgent situation interrupted Ji Huaisu's thoughts. The railway sign not far away was shaped like an arrow, pointing to the icons representing the park and the city center on the left and right, respectively. She rudely turned around, walked across the tree trunks, smashed through the iron fence, and rushed into the city park separated by a wall.

Misfortune will exploit everything around her to cause accidents, so for her temporary safety, she needs as much open space as possible, or at least to reduce the factors that could cause danger. The park only has exercise equipment and grass; no matter what mischief it causes, it can't harm her!

“You seem to have gone the wrong way, little knight,” Olek said.

A burst of greenery greeted her from behind the broken wall, and a cluster of glass-walled buildings stood outside the small green space in the rain. The metal road sign behind her was blown 180 degrees by the wind, pointing in the correct direction again.

She took the wrong turn. In her haste, a cruel twist of fate and malice played a cruel joke on her, leading her headlong into the most dangerous and perilous place!

"Go to hell, bring it on!" Ji Huaisu, in a fit of desperation, flicked the middle finger behind him. "Go play in your garbage dump, I won't be defeated by these despicable tricks!"

The rain intensified, and she plunged into the downpour like a valiant lion battling ghosts. The demon's laughter echoed in the rain, the vortex continuing to swirl, scattering misfortune in all directions. One thing Ji Huaisu didn't know was that the power of the vortex of misfortune would grow stronger with each cycle, for misfortune always accumulates before erupting. Incomparable to anything before, entirely new coincidences were linking together, measured in seconds, forming an unfortunate chain binding fate.

The half-tree that had been cut down initially tumbled down with the wind and struck a water hydrant two blocks away. The high-pressure water jet, damaged, sprayed out and hit the windshield of a car. The driver couldn't brake in time, causing a rear-end collision. The vehicle in front was an overloaded delivery truck; a loosely secured steel plate slipped and smashed through the window of an SUV rushing in the adjacent lane. The unfortunate driver was covered in blood, his hands still gripping the steering wheel due to inertia.

The out-of-control SUV veered off the road in the rain and crashed into the construction site, directly hitting a crane that was transporting goods. The driver rushed to handle the situation, but the long-neglected construction vehicle malfunctioned and became unresponsive. In the wind and rain, the steel bars gradually slipped off, and a series of operational errors caused the hook to become unbalanced, eventually breaking. Dense steel bars rained down from the sky, falling directly on Ji Huaisu's head, creating a deadly downpour!

Ji Huaisu clenched her fists, and dust surged from both sides, merging to form a sandstorm hand that protected her. The steel bars, pushed aside by the sandstorm, plunged into the earth, damaging underground pipelines. The clash between moisture and magical energy caused the magical sand within the pipelines to agitate. The disruption of the earth element caused the ground to tremble again, triggering localized earthquakes limited to small areas. These earthquakes coincidentally shook the foundations of many buildings damaged two days earlier, causing seemingly stable high-rises to sway.

Amidst gasps of alarm and the escalating storm, over twenty buildings collapsed simultaneously. They crashed into the road in the middle of the road, like servants of misfortune bowing and inviting those cursed to hell!

Chapter 147 Torrential Rain (Part 2)

The tall buildings on both sides of the road collapsed. The actual process was extremely rapid, but the sheer size of the buildings made it seem slow; they appeared to be slowly bowing, but the shadow of death was already looming overhead. Behind many windows were clumps of black dots—helpless crowds facing death. In their eyes, the world had collapsed, the floor had become a hillside, and they were pushed by gravity to the windows, wanting to take refuge but having nowhere to escape.

Ji Huaisu's excellent eyesight allowed her to see many windows pushed open, indicating that people were trying to escape by jumping out in extreme panic. But that was pointless; falling from a height would only make their deaths more painful, and even if they survived, they would be killed by falling debris. Her combat instincts pointed to the only way out: she broke the glass in advance, squeezed through the gaps between the floors, and bypassed the obstacles in the shortest possible time to continue her escape.

She heard the noise of the approaching vortex in the distance. She saw the desperate faces of the people. In the moment before death, the same cries filled the sky; countless people wanted to say goodbye to those around them but could not utter their final words.

She gripped the sword tightly in her hand.

The techniques of elemental transformation are already familiar, and the fusion of light and shadow was mastered long ago. I'll try introducing a third variable for a rapid triple fusion. The basic elements chosen are dust, light, and water. The external forces that can be used are the water flow and gravel in the underground pipes. The framework of the technique is inspired by Sethlen's igloo—

Aquamarine and ochre alternated on the surface of the light shield. The female knight knelt on one knee and slammed the shield down. The mixed three-colored light seeped into the ground and carved a magic circle. The earth element, which had been dormant underground, was mobilized to stabilize the foundation. Water and gravel were awakened, shaped, and formed bundles of sticky but solid giant "spider silk". They supported the collapsing building and were connected to each other with ice pillars, like a transparent igloo built between skyscrapers!

“Discipline Seal - Light Guardian Ice House”.

Ji Huaisu leaned on her sword as she rose, a feeling of utter depletion washing over her. The noise of the vortex grew louder, so close it seemed to ring in her ears. Before her stood a mirror of ice, its reflection revealing a cruel reality. The vortex floated behind her; if she had continued her escape, she could have held on longer, but she had made the wrong choice.

It doesn't matter, Ji Huaisu thought. At least she saved many people before she died, and she died as a warrior, not a rat fleeing in panic. The devil might say this is self-pity, but she has done right by her elders and by her own conscience.

She turned and charged at Doom, sword and shield raised. Behind the clear water was Olek's grotesquely distorted face. She swung her sword with all her might, trying to shatter her reflection in the water.

At that moment, the distorted water mirror shattered, and a golden bullet whistled past, carving out a path for a fleeting instant in the vortex of misfortune!

A small, screw-like device popped out of the bullet casing and got stuck inside Ji Huaisu's shield. From it came a man's hoarse voice: "I'm not used to owing favors to the enemy."

"Thank you so much!" Ji Huaisu was both surprised and delighted. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she crossed the vortex of misfortune and rushed towards the deserted green area. She reversed the direction of the tracking vortex and turned around to continue chasing the chosen one of misfortune.

Olek gazed into the distance: "Your hiring fee is just one tomato? That's cheaper than I expected."

"An ancient monster that has lived for tens of thousands of years is targeting a little girl of particle 2." Shaks sneered, "How dare you speak like that."

He lay prone on the rubble and debris piled up by the storm, barely managing to pinpoint his location with spare reconnaissance items. From Ji Huaisu's perspective, the entire world was engulfed in misfortune and turned against her, but to Shax, the enemy's range of power was clear. The areas covered by the chain of misfortunes were being washed away by the rain, and the more frequent the misfortunes, the more torrential the downpour. Right now, the area with the heaviest rain was the area Ji Huaisu was fleeing from; the demon's gaze hadn't yet fallen upon him, and he still had one or two more shots to fire.

His holy lance won't jam.

The scope was aimed at the boy-like demon, the crosshair pinned to its forehead, then shifted to its non-lethal abdomen. Shax hesitated for a moment, then flicked the prepared elemental bullets and loaded a cheapest brass bullet. "Get ready," he shouted into the communicator, ignoring any response.

The rain intensified, the downpour blurring visibility. Based on his calculations, Shax fired. The bullet pierced through the rain-soaked buildings, striking Olek precisely in the right hand. Olek, the one being targeted, smiled.

The brass bullet deflected the moment it touched the demon, ricocheting between buildings, piercing through wind and rain, and finally, inexplicably, struck Ji Huaisu in the side! The running female knight staggered, blood gushing from her wound!

"—An unfortunate transfer."

As if mocking him, Olek smiled coldly, the blood splattered in the rain drifting and forming bright red beads on his palm.

"Just like you said, I'm a great demon who's lived a long time. We old guys always have one thing in common: we're good at preserving our lives."

"Come on, let's continue. Let's see what your involvement can change... Let's see what kind of outcome this change will lead to."

Olek tossed the blood droplet into the air. Empowered by the power of the Moon Beast Contractor, the mere drop of blood accelerated tens of thousands of times, transforming into a crimson bullet hurtling towards the distance. Shax had already rolled to dodge the shot, but the bullet still struck his dominant right arm. The Moon Beast's toxins instantly invaded his brain. He pulled out a specially prepared serum and injected it into his arm, but perhaps due to bad luck, the antidote took effect slowly, and his vision went completely black.

He is blind.

Shakes switched to holding the gun with his left hand and spoke into the communicator.

"Run, little girl!"

He fired a series of shots into the vicinity, the bullet trajectories clearly visible in the rain, like streaks of white gunfire. Upon landing, the bullets emitted golden smoke, which was immediately extinguished by the wind and rain, but Shax knew the bullets had achieved their purpose.

This ruin was his pre-cleared duel arena, so he didn't need to worry about others moving and causing new variables. People nearby would see the dissipating smoke.

·

"Over there, a signal flare!" Qingye exclaimed.

Chu Hengkong also saw the golden smoke; he had heard gunshots before that. He had traversed the entire city in a single morning, finally returning to the original dueling arena. Qingye helped him reach the destination first. He used his tentacles to curl up the bullets; the cartridge cases contained small, screw-shaped objects. He remembered the reconnaissance device that resembled a scope.

"I am Chu Hengkong."

“That demon can redirect its attacks, so don’t make a move rashly,” Shakes said.

"Is it a physical deflection of the attack, or a conceptual transfer of damage?"

“The former. It should be a split spirit, unable to use abilities of too high a level, only able to use its ‘projection’ at a low-quality point.” Shaks paused for a while, “Now there’s only one shot left, use sound to signal me.”

"it is good."

Chu Hengkong's reply failed to reach him; the communicator they had luckily found was now useless. Shaks fired over a hundred communication bullets, but due to the interference of misfortune, they only managed to retrieve one. Now they also knew Ji Huaisu's location: the terrifying vortex that devoured everything was surging towards the battlefield, and in front of the vortex was a small golden dot—that was Ji Huaisu, clinging to life by sheer willpower.

Qingye wanted to say something inspiring, but when she opened her mouth, she found her voice was broken and intermittent.

“We will…we will…” She couldn’t come up with a very nice sentence. “I’m sorry, I’m a little scared.”

"It's so nice to meet everyone," Gulibo said, trembling.

“It’s not your fault.” Van der’s eyes were fixed. “I was more panicked.”

Only Vande could see the truth in the present scene, and only it could understand what kind of monster the people were fighting against. In its eyes were colorless chains that hung down from the highest point, piercing through the clouds, through the houses, and down to the ground, locking the entire Dust Isle firmly in place without leaving a single gap.

During the previous rescue of Sethlen, they did their best to cut one chain, but now there are countless chains, thousands upon thousands, that dominate Golden Leaf City, like a transparent forest.

"Don't give up, there's still hope," Shi Zhong wrote. "The current Cleansing Talisman carries immense power; let's use it to target the demon!"

“If only we could do it, but there’s no other way,” Vande said dryly. “The reason why misfortune is misfortune is that everything you do will lead to worse consequences. Sometimes you feel that you are temporarily safe, but it’s just that misfortune has gone to torment other people, but it will eventually come back, it will always be with you.”

"Praying to the enemy is pointless. Let's fight it out with our talismans." Chu Hengkong regained some strength and ran forward, "Come this way! Ji Huaisu!"

Ji Huaisu saw him too. She was probably too weak to speak, so she let the light shield flash in response. Yi Qi's perception told Chu Hengkong about the current situation: behind them was Shax, ahead was Ji Huaisu, and beyond the relentless vortex of misfortune was the great demon disguised as a human child.

Shax could fire one more shot, enough to pierce the vortex. Then, Ji Huaisu and Qingye would create an ice crystal passage, allowing him to rush in and unleash his final attack, gambling that Vande's hypnosis would work on the split spirit. Even a fleeting opening would be enough to imprint the talisman onto the demon. This was the final battle; after that, fate would be in their hands. But that was no reason to give up; they would fight to the very last moment.

"Ah Kong...no...hurry..."

Then he heard his partner's voice, which sounded more panicked than he had expected. But this shouldn't be happening; she wasn't a coward. What was she worried about...?

The brightness of the light shield kept changing, and the flashes of light, sometimes long and sometimes short, became coded signals from the resurrected troops in his eyes.

go away.

Pollution.

Dark Moon Pollution.

Ji Huaisu had a black wound on his right arm, black blood writhing within it like slender worms crawling beneath his flesh. Dark Moon Contamination. The damage from the moon beasts summoned by Wu He. His medicine had been exhausted by the Immortal Machine. There was no medicine beside Ji Huaisu.

"—Come here quickly!!"

Roaring, Chu Hengkong reached out his hand forward, and his partner leaned forward, trying to respond as well. But suddenly she lost her balance, and the excessive movement aggravated the wound on her side. Uncontrollable black blood burst open on the wound, causing the knight to exude an aura of heresy.

The ground cracked open, breaking apart like icebergs on land. Centered on Ji Huaisu, the land within a radius of a hundred meters collapsed, falling into the buried void. Several transparent hands grabbed Ji Huaisu's ankles, and the Shadow Knights emerged from the ground, their eyes filled with murderous intent towards the outsiders.

She failed to grasp Chu Hengkong's hand. Amidst the murderous intent of her compatriots, she plummeted into the bottomless darkness beneath Jinye City.

"The duel arena you have chosen is located near the Jinye exploration and testing site. Therefore, the structure of this area is very unstable, and the probability of collapse after continuous battles will naturally increase."

"Ji Huaisu was injured by the Moon Beast and also wounded by Shax's unintentional act. Even if I didn't intervene, she wouldn't have been able to maintain her escape for long. The corruption of the heretics caused the knights to act instinctively, so even if you chose to meet at another location, what was going to happen would still happen."

The great demon smiled coldly.

"Please watch, everyone. This is the tragedy you yourselves have brought about."

The last Discipline Knight of the Fallen Realm will die at the hands of righteous spirits!

Chapter 148 In the Name of Love and Justice

They plummeted, towards the unfathomable depths below, the light shrinking into an invisible dot along with the sky. From a place beyond their reach, the faint call of their partner could be heard.

"Ji Huaisu!!!"

It's been a long time since I've seen Ah Kong so anxious. This guy, he actually still cares about her a lot.

Ji Huaisu managed a slight smile, but ultimately failed to grasp her partner's hand. The sound faded away like the light, and the illusory hand pulled her into the darkness. She crashed heavily to the ground, her body arching from the recoil, spitting out blood amidst the cracking of her bones, like a pitiful sacrifice crushed in the hands of a demon.

"Cough... Ah! Cough!"

The blood was mixed with gruesome chunks of flesh, whether organs or rotting flesh from wounds, it was hard to tell. Half of her body was unresponsive, she couldn't lift her hands, her lumbar vertebrae were likely broken, and it was unclear how much bone remained. She used ice crystals to create an exoskeleton to aid her movement, forcibly supporting herself with ice blocks as she stepped on her own blood to her feet.

Her face was covered in blood, no trace of gold in her hair, and her skin was riddled with wounds; Black Moon's blood still clung to her arms. Ji Huaisu was glad that the underground was pitch black; seeing her current state might dampen her fighting spirit.

Then, a shimmering light appeared, revealing rows of what seemed like a well-prepared legion. Armored shadow knights surrounded her, reminding her of hyenas preparing to devour a corpse. Behind them was a tightly locked black gate, its surface etched with grotesque, bat-winged demons, their terrifying appearance inspiring fear.

The Shadow Knights drew their swords in unison. She met their gazes and smiled weakly.

"You...you're admitting defeat already?"

She used her light shield to deflect the flaming spears. She slashed at the ice crystal armor with her shadow blade.

"I don't want to lose yet."

Two shadow knights charged forward, but she pushed them aside with a shoulder ram, using her light shield. The enemies were knocked down, but an opening appeared behind them. A stone sword pierced Ji Huaisu's back, and she turned to slash at the enemy's weapon with her shadow blade. There were many more, seemingly endless, the undead treating their juniors as mortal enemies, swinging their blades at their own kind under the control of misfortune.

"I won't lose."

Defeat was inevitable, and the victor had no honor to speak of. Glorious principles were cruelly trampled, and the once cherished spirit was stained with blood by the devil's mockery. Yet, they still fought, dragging their wounded bodies, overwhelmed by sheer numbers, charging forward with sheer brute force, only to be stabbed and slashed. Blood flowed.

Numerous enemies swarmed her, and several spears pierced her flesh. The spear tips tore through the muscles of her back, pierced her internal organs, and emerged from her abdomen. It was a brutal fight, like dismemberment. She could barely feel the pain anymore. Yet she still struggled to her feet, still roared. Towards the chains that controlled the undead. Towards the demon behind those chains, a demon in the name of fate.

"—We won't lose!!"

·

"That's terrifying," Olek thought.

It had witnessed many paths of the Discipline Knights, its long history allowing it to see from the rise of the Discipline Emperor to the fall of the Knight Kingdom. Their strength lay in unity and creed; they could circumvent the rampages of the Calamity species by using discipline to restrain their power, and their unity of purpose ensured that their companions continued to grow.

However, the creed is not invincible. There are deserters in the knights' ranks, and occasionally those with weak wills defect to the Spiral Tower. Countless others have broken down and gone mad during the "Praise" of Vansalal. In the end, the Pathfinders and Ascendants are just ordinary lives, capable of fear, hesitation, and temptation. They have the weaknesses of ordinary people, and vice versa.

But this knight's spirit was incredibly tenacious. Even in this state, he didn't beg for mercy or even ask for help. He didn't plead with the dead or beg his teammates. He just kept shouting that he wouldn't lose and fought desperately underground.

“He’s a…disastrous knight,” Olek whispered.

He controlled the vortex of misfortune to remain above the void, preventing any possibility of others intervening, and then turned to look at the assassin whose rescue had failed.

“It’s over. She’s dead,” he said. “Come on over if you want to die, leave if you don’t.”

His response was a sharp gunshot; the white spear thrust straight towards his chest, the activated rune bead drawing out the aura of a swirling dragon. Olek dodged to the side; the trick of misfortune relied on amplified probabilities, and if he stood still, the chance of the spear missing was zero. Chu Hengkong, who had fired the spear, had bloodshot eyes, and Olek scrutinized his expression.

"Aren't you going to say something to boost morale? Like, 'Give Ji Huaisu back to me,' or I can help you send him underground. That way, the knight's spirit might be able to rest in peace."

There was no response; only the silent killing intent lingered amidst the whistling of weapons. After the spear missed its mark, the short sword was drawn. Chu Hengkong, who had just stolen Qingye's sword, aimed a powerful slash that nearly pierced Olek's clothes, but Olek deftly dodged it.

In reality, this strike would be meaningless, as he had forcibly contracted with the "Blood of the Moon," the most vital element within the low-level particle, meaning he wouldn't be fatal even if struck directly by the three demons. However, caution is a good habit. A cultivator at particle level 2 might be wielding a level 6 sword, and a remnant at particle level 3 might be harboring a level 7 technique. The unknown is always a risk, unless you can guarantee that you are omniscient and omnipotent.

The evaded slash struck the vortex, creating a deafening roar like a tsunami. Olek raised one arm to control the chains, the invisible iron chains wrapping around Chu Hengkong's limbs, but the martial artist dodged them due to his slightly slower speed. He attacked simultaneously with his left spear and right sword, the blades slicing through a cold cross. Olek ducked to avoid the slash, black blood seeping from the ground beneath his feet forming a trident-like spike.

Chu Hengkong dodged with a flip, unleashing three consecutive shots. Olek calmly retreated, the three shots grazing his hair as his heel sank into a creaking pebble. Behind him lay the vortex blocking the void; he had nowhere to retreat for the moment, and the one with the broken heart had vanished without a trace…

That's it.

"Now!" Chu Hengkong shouted as he lunged forward, abandoning his sword and spear and using only his hands to clamp down on Olek's shoulders. Qingye, invisible using the Shadow Robe Technique, appeared from behind Olek, a shimmering golden talisman between her fingers. With all her might, Qingye hurled the Purification Talisman, aiming it at Olek's back, which Chu Hengkong held tightly.

That was their biggest trump card: a talisman possessing a 7-point essence due to the foreign object placed inside by Wu He. The only way to save Ji Huaisu was through this: using a higher level of power to break through the chain of misfortune!

“To overcome this misfortune, we must use power of a higher level. The strategy is correct. It seems your superiors understand me well.” Olek nodded. “However, I still have some unfortunate news to tell you…”

"While we imaginary demons do not follow the path of ascension, we are still divided into high and low, noble and base. My true form has long surpassed the Second Abyss, and in terms of the level of life, I am roughly equal to what you call..."

Point mass 7.

Therefore, no one can escape misfortune.

For only the highest can transcend the authority of misfortune.