Forge a path to success

"Wait!" Olek shouted, "What exactly are you...!"

The time for vocalization had ended, and a stream of transparent, viscous liquid suddenly smeared onto the flesh, sealing the pitiful mouth with an adhesive strength comparable to superglue. Having finished his warm-up, Chu Hengkong swung his tentacle high, unleashing a silver whip in the demon's incredulous gaze!

Snapped!

A third of its vision vanished, and excruciating pain surged through its body, causing the split spirit to emit an imperceptible shriek. Its senses contracted rapidly, its power dissipated like evaporation, and the world it could perceive instantly shrank. Something was slipping away, flowing into that viscous fluid. It was something irretrievable, something it absolutely could not afford to lose.

That whip ripped away a part of its "self"!

“Stop…” The whip. “Stop…” Again. “No!!” The whip! The whip continued! An invisible whip, like a judgment! The tentacle whip lashed down mercilessly, the world spinning, converging and tightening with the pain. Olek’s ego crumbled and dissipated, leaving only an “eye” in just a few breaths. It had almost lost the ability to think, only able to stare at the Eye Demon with that eye—staring at the twilight-colored gaze beneath that strange surface.

"Who are you……!"

With the final lash, the Eye of Self vanished into ashes. The demon of doom's fragmented spirit completely disappeared at that moment, its power unleashed by Vand's tentacles, its slime turning a sinister deep purple.

Van der lunged forward to collect the slime: "Quick! This is all essence!"

Chu Hengkong touched his sleeve: "Damn it, the Immortal Machine ate everything..."

“I can make ice pots!” Ji Huaisu held up a transparent jar of rock sugar.

"Okay, let's use this! Hurry up, don't let this good stuff slip away, you'll regret it for a year if you waste even one drop!!"

The two of them, with a glance and a touch, swiftly scooped the remnants of the cursed demon into the jar. Chu Hengkong solemnly closed the lid and held the candy jar high: "Spoils of war!"

Ji Huaisu tossed a spark, burning the remnants of the Moon's Blood to ashes, and wiped his eyes: "Finally! It wasn't a wasted battle..."

"Take your spoils; this thing can be made into a very high-grade relic." Chu Hengkong handed her the jar.

Ji Huaisu pushed the jar back and grinned.

Since I stole your talisman anyway, consider this a return gift.

"Then let's use it together..."

"No, what's yours is yours!"

Knowing her personality, Chu Hengkong accepted the gift without refusing. At this moment, the gloom brought by the dark moon finally dissipated, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, causing the snowfield in the sky to melt away, and the ice shards to sparkle like stardust under the light.

In the distance, he saw the figures of people landing one by one. Standing quietly, overwhelmed by the relief of surviving the ordeal, he felt a long-lost, deep-seated ease.

"It's finally over!" Van der slumped to the ground, saying weakly.

It noticed that Ji Huaisu's hand had not loosened its grip on the sword hilt.

“…No.” Van der trembled slightly. “Don’t scare me?”

Ji Huaisu looked down, her gaze piercing through the ground to the underground cavern guarded by the spirits of the dead. Deep within that place once watched over by knights, a crack opened in the pitch-black door.

"I'm afraid it's not the right time yet."

·

A small coffee shop in downtown Jinye.

"Check, dear lady."

The dark-skinned man called out, and the waitress came over with the bill. The little boy by the table had disappeared; she had assumed the old-fashioned, priest-like man would pay, but instead, this carefree fellow was the one who took out the money.

"Here is your bill for three days, um..." The waitress glanced at it and announced a dizzying number. The three of them tried all the dishes in the restaurant, commenting on them with great enthusiasm.

This was truly the strangest customer she had ever encountered in her career; they stayed in the shop for a full three days… but that didn’t seem like a big deal, because the shop owner didn’t object, and neither did she… but they should have had some objections, right?

She shook her head, handed over the receipt, and habitually asked, "Do you have any comments on our food?"

“Oh, to be honest, most of the drinks are terrible,” the dark-skinned man said. “The coffee is watered down, the chocolate is full of cheap saccharin, the fruit might die before I do, and the juice is full of the desperation of being dragged out of hell to work.”

"Uh..." The waitress's throat bobbed.

"But the freshly made light meals were quite good, and your service was excellent." The dark-skinned man grinned warmly. "So overall, I'll still give you a good review! The extra is your tip, please keep it."

He placed a small coin purse on the plate and left with the silent priest. The coin purse was zipped up, and as she hesitantly unzipped it, perhaps influenced by the unique aura of those guests, two strange, premonition-like thoughts flashed through her mind.

Perhaps she will find immense wealth inside the bag, enough for her to enjoy a lifetime of luxury; or perhaps the bag contains an unspeakable monster that will kill her, this little shop, and everyone in the city.

She nervously unzipped the zipper.

There were four perfectly round beads in her bag. Even after deducting expenses, they were worth three months' wages plus her year-end bonus.

The waitress rushed out the door, wanting to thank the strange customer, but couldn't find him. She heard several angry curses coming from the kitchen; it seemed the juicer and coffee machine had malfunctioned.

One after another, many people, like her, went out and stared blankly at the road that looked like it had been plowed by a giant crusher. Unbeknownst to them, many things seemed to have happened and ended, like a mischievous ghost passing by, but never disturbing their lives.

·

Vansalar walked down the deserted street with his hands in his pockets. He said lazily, "Get the cleanup done."

"As you wish, King of Nightmares."

Bernfar bowed and floated into the air. He opened the large book he always carried with him, and gray mist drifted from its pages, dissipating into the sky. The effects of the Dark Moon's descent were smoothed over by the mist, and the island would return to normal, unnoticed by the Abyss.

Slowly, Vansalar's lips curled into a terrifying grin. He clapped his hands loudly, the applause as enthusiastic as an opera curtain call, and roared at the ruins after the fierce battle, making no attempt to hide his excitement or his joy.

They started shouting wildly.

He started laughing loudly.

"--marvelous!"

"Hope to turn the tide in desperate situations! An unwavering will to never give up! A beautiful ending finally achieved after overcoming numerous difficulties and obstacles! Love and courage to persevere in the face of despicable and filthy malice!"

"This is exactly what I want to see! I love happy ending stories the most!!"

Like an audience member immersed in the play, like an actor captivated by the plot, he stretched out his arms, releasing his fervor through voice and body language. His genuine laughter contained emotion and gratitude, an equal expression of affection for all those who had struggled here.

Just like the thousands of games that had been played before. Just like the end of each game.

—A competitive game requires two sides with different stances to be established.

The demon of misfortune, Olek, is responsible for piling up malice and misfortune as obstacles.

The Nightmare King, Vansalal, spared no effort in securing victory for the righteous.

“Well done, Olek! I knew you could do it. Only you are worthy to be the villain in this story. Only insurmountable misfortune can force them to show their potential!”

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, my old friend. Without your efforts, how could I have experienced this miracle!

Vansalar closed his eyes and clasped his hands.

Like a prayer, pouring emotions into the palm.

"To those of you who have fought so hard to get to this point, I offer my best wishes—"

A new story is about to begin!

He vanished amidst his maniacal laughter, transforming into billions of bat shadows in the sunlight. Dark shadows danced around the city, piercing the earth before everyone's eyes, disappearing into the void created by misfortune, and entering the half-open doorway.

And so, the gates sealed by the knights opened once more. From the dark, distant horizon, a destiny-bound pull was cast upon the survivors!

Chapter 153 Never Left

"What is this?!" Vande shouted in despair.

"I don't know!" Ji Huaisu shouted back. "The information from our ancestors is too much for me to process, and it's not good stuff!"

"There's no need to discuss things like whether it's good or bad, which are obvious at a glance. The real issue is how to deal with it," Chu Hengkong said.

The three of them hid behind the ice wall, like three unlucky soldiers barely clinging to life in a trench. On the other side of the ice wall was the door that opened from underground.

Seconds ago, a string of bat-like dark energy, accompanied by a laugh that sounded terrifying, flew into the ground. Then, the door swung open, releasing a strange and inexplicable suction force from the deep darkness behind it. This suction force did not disturb the mortal world or move mortals; not a single speck of dust was stirred. Yet, only these few people were desperately pulled forward as if they had been grabbed, a bizarre phenomenon comparable to a ghost story.

Ji Huaisu reinforced the ice wall behind them as quickly as possible, otherwise they would be sucked directly into the doorway through the ice in just half a second. In the distance, they saw familiar figures rushing towards them, each moving as fast as a rabbit.

Van der panicked and frantically waved his tentacles: "Don't come any closer! Something's strange!!"

"Are the whites of your eyes growing out?" Shax's face darkened. He stabbed the Holy Lance into his foot like a cane, but even so, it didn't slow him down. Qingye waved her hands frantically, but couldn't maintain her balance. She tumbled head over heels and crashed into the ice wall. Ji Huaisu gasped as if she had been hit herself.

"Damn, Xiaoye, you're not exactly lightweight either..."

"To make body image jokes at a time like this, Sister Huaisu, you're incredibly thick-skinned!" Qingye cried out in anguish. "What on earth is this?!"

The stone seed was still tied around her waist as she wrote as quickly as possible: 【Some kind of ancient karmic technique… an attraction targeting a specific group of people—just think of it that way!】

"You could even tell that? Just how well-connected is the Divine Tree Clan's intelligence network?! Seriously, this specific group looks exactly like us! Why are we the only ones in the whole city who are so unlucky?!" Qingye screamed for the second time.

"Xiao Ye, wake up! We just fought a battle with the Demon of Misfortune! Can you find anyone in the world more unlucky than us?" Ji Huaisu said.

"The more convincing your words are, the more it makes us look like a disaster!" Qingye covered her eyes. "Seriously, we clearly beat Oleksandr... Shouldn't we be the luckiest people in the world right now?!"

"We turned things around through bad luck, didn't we?" Van Der said dejectedly, "Through the misfortune transferred onto Chu Hengkong... which triggered the old man's own misfortune..."

Now that you mention it, I feel like there's an even more terrifying landmine lurking nearby...

“After all, it’s a snake, and its viciousness is well-known in the industry.” Shakes sneered. “There was once a mysterious assassin known for his bad luck, who was skilled at killing people in accidents with a probability of one in ten million, such as plane crashes, car accidents, and lightning strikes. He was hired to assassinate Chu Hengkong.”

"And then?" Vande asked, his eyes wide.

"He came back crying."

"Haha," Chu Hengkong said.

"You still have the nerve to laugh! What are you laughing at?!" Vande screamed.

At this moment, Gulibo floated in the air like a balloon, then slammed headfirst into the ice wall. Ji Huaisu gasped again; even the slightest external force could make her waver. Gulibo slid down like a pancake, barely breathing.

"Seeing that everyone still has the energy to laugh and joke makes me feel like the world is going crazy in a peaceful way..."

Everyone was in good spirits; their shock and unease remained on the surface, and they acted as if on a spring outing, chatting and laughing. After all, all their trump cards had been used up in the continuous battles, all their perseverance had been exhausted in the counterattacks, and even their passion had been almost completely sold off in the final battle between knights and demons.

Even Chu Hengkong is too exhausted to fight anymore. Having fought to this point, he has the right to applaud without batting an eye no matter what happens. He's completely drained; he's resigned to fate.

He breathed quietly amidst the sound of ice shattering, thinking about Huilong City, his family from the past, and random thoughts like what he should say to his partner. Just then, he faintly heard light footsteps, and his weary heart suddenly pounded. His eyes widened as he saw long, blood-red hair fluttering in the wind.

"Qingxia!"

The red-haired banshee stood amidst the rubble, her eyes still glazed with sleep. A flicker of hope ignited in everyone's hearts. This mysterious and unpredictable banshee possessed immense power and knew far too many secrets; her appearance was a sign of a turning point. Perhaps she could still do something!

Qingxia blinked, her eyes still sleepy: "Ah...is it morning already...?"

"It's past lunchtime! Stop acting like a college student who just woke up!" Vande yelled. "Look at the situation! You should know what's going on! Please tell me, there's something you can do!"

Qingxia carefully examined each person, then clenched her right fist and struck her left hand.

"Yes, the campaign against Dong Zhuo has been successful. It's time to return to the Crusade headquarters," she said solemnly.

"What the hell did you say?" Shakes almost couldn't breathe.

Chu Hengkong finally couldn't hold back anymore. Despite the fact that the other party was his savior and was mysterious and unpredictable, his emotions burst out in his words: "Why can't I understand what you're saying, whether it's the egg era or the centaur era?!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, I understand exactly what needs to be done. So~"

Qingxia jogged over and came smilingly to the bewildered Miss Qingye.

Two remotely controlled bone knives were extended and used to cut the rope binding the stone.

He lifted the stone.

In the absence of everyone's gaze, the red-haired banshee picked up the stone seed with one hand and blew a kiss to Chu Hengkong: "Going out in a group might lead to encountering trash, so I suggest you brave warriors set off in batches. I'll go ahead first and take my leave!"

【save】

She ran out carrying the stone seed, crashing through the ice wall and galloping into the darkness like a wild horse. After running a few steps, she slid down, and a bone-white eggshell grew from her back, enveloping her and the stone seed together, transforming her back into that astonishingly large egg.

The egg rolled happily into the ground, and then into the mysterious doorway.

Ji Huaisu's ice wall began to disintegrate upon impact, and some people's faces turned as white as paper. Chu Hengkong immediately stood up and rushed inside, shouting, "I can't take it anymore! I'm going to smash her to pieces!"

“Brother, hold back. Let’s not even talk about how a good man doesn’t argue with a woman; she’s your savior,” Vande said.

Chu Hengkong's expression was ferocious: "I'll repay her kindness after I'm done beating her up!!"

"Ah Kong, wake up! You can't beat her!" Ji Huaisu grabbed her partner who was rushing forward. "If you go up now, you'll just get beaten into a pulp! Once you've recovered some strength, we'll go together and definitely take down that monster!"

"You make it sound so righteous that it's a two-on-one fight. You're such a righteous knight!"

At this moment, everyone finally recovered from their shock and realized the reality that had just occurred. Gulibo was the first to act, letting out a miserable howl as it rushed out of the hole: "God, God, the Divine Tree, ahhhhhh!"

It was swept up by the torrent and flew into the doorway.

Next to him, closest to the cave, was Shax. He had the Holy Lance strapped to his body, seemingly wanting to curse, yet also wanting to laugh.

"It's a farewell to a boring life."

As Qingye watched Shax fly away, she clutched the nearest block of ice and cast a pleading, sorrowful glance at the two of them. The trio returned her gaze with a look that seemed to say, "I fucking want to cry too."

"I, I..." Miss Qingye covered her face, "I just ran away from home, why did it turn out like this?! Please give me back my knife!!!"