Chapter 141: Wish Come True

Then, an invisible wind blew.

It no longer stabbed in the direction of the spear tip, nor did it blow out insidiously like a trap, but instead placed the center within the enemy's body, allowing gravity to act on one's own body.

This speeds up.

The banshee raised her four legs and galloped across the wind. The Qingkun Spear's gravity enabled her to skip the initial acceleration phase, quickly increasing her speed to maximum. With only one person and one spear, she was like a mighty army, like a crimson heavy cavalry charging through blood.

Wu He was in a state of utter despair, feeling as if he had instantly flown through the air. He was directly pierced by the tip of the spear, and the sound of a banshee's laughter drifted across the inverted sky and earth.

He forced himself to regain consciousness, activating the talismans he had set up as he fell. Several yellow mists spread, obscuring his vision. Six corpse insects emerged from the ground and pounced on Qingxia. Those idle chess pieces, originally used to defend the position, came in handy at this moment. Wu He didn't even bother to see what happened to the corpse insects. He took advantage of the chaos and hid in an office building. The outcome was undeniable; he had already lost the moment the monster's surprise attack succeeded. Now he could only flee, only escape...!

A familiar sound of wind echoed from behind him, walls and windows shattering with a crash. Six corpse insects piled up in a row and slammed into the building, being strung together by Qingkun's spear and nailed to the wall before Wu He. Qingxia flung the spear like a javelin, then deftly retrieved it with the chain.

Wu He stood stiffly, hearing footsteps approaching from behind.

Without giving his enemy a chance to speak, Qingxia charged forward, thrusting his spear once more. The impact threw Wu He into the air, shattering him into several pieces!

Black blood splattered miserably, a nearly cracked, rotten black heart encased in shreds of flesh. A solitary head rolled on the ground, its eyes fixed on its own heart. Wu He saw the banshee halt her charge and turn lightly. He felt a deep tremor beneath the earth, as if something was about to break free. Before these external changes, which had nothing to do with him, he first felt a sense of self-deprecation.

The other held his weapon.

The Heart Sword was taken away.

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

Only then did he finally realize reality. Faced with this incredibly cruel truth, the other subtle facts he had deliberately ignored began to surface one by one. Those fragile steadfastnesses, the subtle reserve, the unwilling pride. All of them surged into his heart...

As the heart sword broke, it shattered at the same time.

In fact, he is very proud of his martial arts skills.

Deep down, I still feel like a martial artist.

Noble above the commonplace. Purer than the heretics. Unique in talent, universally recognized for his promise...

When did it start to change?

Is it time to try to verify it on mortals?

Is this the time to reach out to the taboo in order to ascend?

Is it time to trade killing for status and wealth?

Is it time to ignore the pleas and cries and take the "treasure" away?

Unable to see through, countless. By the time he came to his senses, it had already reached this point. Even the gun-wielding monster looked more like a martial artist than he did. In a trance, he could hear the old argument, the young cultivator questioning the old man.

Master, I have surpassed many of my fellow brothers. How can you pass on the secrets to me?

——It’s not the right time.

But the Hun people who entered the mountains eight years later than me have already started learning sword-making, and all my fellow disciples agree that my talent is not inferior to theirs. Why haven't I even been awarded the Qi Armor of this palace?

--well.

Your distinction in treatment is so unfair!

—Wu He, you fool! You're so eager for quick success and self-righteous. You cultivate talismans instead of martial arts, seek techniques instead of the heart. What's the point of passing on the secrets to you? You lack even the most basic state of mind. Even if you learn, you'll only become another warworm!

Then you don't need to teach me. I, Wu He, would never bother to be a martial artist who puts on airs! No way!!

Did it start from that time? Long before he came into contact with Dark Moon, he made the wrong choice?

I took the wrong path. There's no going back.

In that case, I might as well make the mistake all the way!

"--Come!"

A frantic cry escaped from its parched mouth, its corrupted heart beating furiously as its vibrant black blood reassembled the flesh into a human form. When the banshee turned around, Wu He had already completed the reassembly, a sheet of pure black talisman paper tucked between his fingers.

Two days ago, early in the morning, Wu He made his final prayer. He asked a distant, great being to grant him the power to complete three talismans. One was the Blood-Transforming and Mysterious Sealing Talisman, which would imprison Chu Hengkong; another was the Gu Hand-Connecting Heart Talisman, which would reactivate the pirate corpse Gu; and the last was a trump card he hadn't intended to use, a talisman he would only draw out when his resources were at their wit's end.

"Fu Kai, offer blood as a sacrifice to the moon!!!"

Corrupted black blood poured into the talisman, carrying with it the spirit cultivated through martial arts, which he had been unwilling to sacrifice. The talisman's hue shifted to vermilion, leaving only the crescent moon above it, still pitch black. Wu He constructed a formation with his own blood and placed the talisman against his heart. The talisman amplified the beating of his heart, transmitting it throughout the city, faintly resembling thunder.

Qingxia immediately understood the talisman's purpose. A useless talisman, a prayer for strength from an elder, required ritual, at least chanting, to be effective. She hurled her spear, its tip whizzing forward, driven by gravity, about to pierce Wu He's skull. But the tip pierced the transparent ice, and magical ice crystals burst forth, forming a wall of ice between them!

The source of the wall was a longsword of the same color, held by a Green Knight who emerged from the ground. The Yellow Knight then summoned rock, and the Red Knight summoned fire. Each knight took a side, and under precise control, the three different elements merged and increased, forming a complex magic circle that sealed the demon.

The Seal of Discipline: The Holy Trinity Formation!

Qingxia frowned. The three knights' seal had sealed her off, yet it didn't interfere with Wu He's movements. Was it just a coincidence? Why at this moment? Her long ears twitched, her keen hearing catching the distant Eye Demon's exclamation.

"Bad luck...a chain of misfortunes...!"

Even someone as powerful as Qingxia could only vaguely sense the sense of disharmony, but in Finder's eyes, it was a tangible chain. The chains tightly bound the Shadow Knights, controlling their movements like puppets. The faces of those afflicted by this misfortune were reflected in the iron chains!

"Sure enough, that devil..." Qingxia tapped his forehead lightly, not only because of the sudden change at this moment, but also because of the series of consequences that would follow. "This is a bit troublesome..."

She clenched her fists, gathering strength, ready to break through the blockade. Across from the Holy Trinity Formation, Wu He had already seized the opportunity to raise his hands. His luck, turned from bad to good, returned to him, and he shouted loudly into the moonless sky.

"The protector of the original dream, the guardian of the cradle of oblivion, the generous and loving benefactor!"

"Please bless the lightless land and rescue your blood relatives with your mercy!"

Wu He did not call upon the First Abyss. Not having fully transformed into a Fallen One, he was not qualified to pray to the Black Moon. His prayers were directed to the kind old man, the god who would satisfy any thirst and answer any wish, the god who was as generous as a father!

——Do you really think so?

The old man's low laugh mingled with the sound of his heart.

- Ask yourself, child. Do you love and respect me? Do you respect me? Do you consider me a family member, an elder, a father?

"Of course, old man!" Wu He shouted at the top of his lungs, "I respect you more than anyone else! I regard you as the only god in this world worthy of serving!!"

——Young man, why lie to the old man?

You see me as nothing more than a dirty money bag, a convenient tool, ready to be summoned and discarded at will. You despise the dirt on the surface of the money bag, and you try every trick in the book to distance yourself from me. But when you are at your wit's end, your first thought is still your elders.

"I've completely changed my ways," Wu He shouted, "I'm not going to be a martial artist anymore! I'm not going to do this anymore!!!"

He heard the old man's meaningful laughter, which was filled with kindness, compassion and some other meanings that he could not make out.

My child, I will grant your wish.

After all, I'll always love you.

An arc streaked across the sky. It was as if someone "outside" had gently poked it with a finger, their nail creating an arc and a tiny hole. Within the hole lay a dark crescent moon, its surface blackness wriggling and falling, forming a foul-smelling rain over the city. Emissaries from the outside world descended from the moonlight, huddled around Wu He.

Among them were the moon beasts that had appeared in Huilong City, the loving hands bearing lotus-shaped palms, the oily mud of a cradle, and many more twisted creatures that even Ji Huaisu had never seen: a calling skull shaped like multiple human heads, a friendly sticky palm with facial features growing on the back of a hand, and a loyal guard composed of multiple eyeballs. They all touched Wu He, gently as if visiting a seriously ill relative, offering their own flesh and blood to this unfortunate relative without regard for the cost.

In the sky above the black moon, there is another huge, dirty ball of blood wriggling. It will penetrate the projection of the moon and reach the actual Dust Island. It is the "Blood of the Moon" whose strength far exceeds that of ordinary particles 3. It is the most powerful moon beast that can be controlled by low-particle beings!

A terrifying roar erupted from the Holy Trinity Formation. In just a few words, the monster would break free. But Wu He no longer cared. He smiled in delight, feeling the immense power channeled from his "kin." Even ten years of ascetic training in the mountains wouldn't have garnered the dragonlike vitality he possessed in a flash, thanks to the old man's grace.

He was no longer a martial artist. The red blood in his body had turned pitch black, and his body swelled and deformed unnaturally. His face was sunken in surging muscles, leaving no trace of humanity. But Wu He shouted in ecstasy. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care at all now. Because he could survive, it didn't matter whether he was a martial artist or not!

But suddenly, the changes in his body stopped, his blood turned red again, and his corrupted heart regained vitality. The outsiders' rush to help was unexpectedly reversed by a strange force. Everyone looked behind Wu He, and Wu He himself turned around in confusion, seeing the talisman shining brightly.

Nagarjuna's talisman for removing defilement.

A talisman that harmonized Qi and blood, maintaining balance and transforming foreign matter from the body into his own strength. He had painstakingly obtained this talisman, a means of drawing a clear line between himself and the outside world. The talisman, perfected by his own hands, was working, suppressing and dissipating the power emanating from the outside world, transforming it into his own Qi and blood.

A deep fear clouded Wu He's eyes, and the Moon Beasts' gazes shifted, no longer warm but indifferent. They no longer approached Wu He, nor did they demand the flesh and blood they had given them. Instead, they simply turned away silently.

Far away from this "aliens" who called them from thousands of miles away without a trace of respect.

This was exactly what Wu He had longed for not long ago, hoping to escape the influence of the Black Moon and completely sever ties with the outsiders. Now he had returned to his human form, using dramatic means that he had not anticipated.

His wish came true. He became a pure Dragon Country martial artist!

“Aa ...

A scream, inhuman, emanated from the man's mouth. Such a miserable sound should not exist in the world, filled with hatred and blame, yet the source could not be found. The Holy Trinity Formation was broken at this moment. Qingxia looked down at the martial cultivator's miserable state and said nothing.

"It's your... fault!!" Wu He shed tears of blood. "It's you! You're the one who made me unable to become a martial artist! You're the one who made me isolated and abandoned by everyone! If it weren't for you! Without you!!"

Qingxia listened quietly, looking down at the desperate man, hearing his frantic cries. Wu He threw a series of flying knives, the transparent blades grazing past her. It wasn't even an attack, just a man's impotent release... his anger...

A wail like a knife.

"Give me back my heart sword, youkai!"

"Okay," she said, "I'll give it back to you."

Xiaolong Qingkun thrust his spear flatly, piercing Wu He's heart. He took two steps back, vacantly grasping his heart sword, as if still conscious from a dream. As he fell to the ground, he gazed at the moon and cast his deepest hatred at the old man.

——There is something I have never had the heart to tell you.

He heard the old man's voice.

——You were able to steal the dragon bone when you rebelled against the mountain and escaped because it was the weapon your master specially asked for forging your sword.

Whether in the mountains or on the moon, there is someone who loves you.

“…”

Wu He said nothing.

He looked up at the sky blessed by the black moon and turned into a cold corpse.

Qingxia carefully observed the man's expression until he died. She actually had a lot to say. She wanted to say that this man was really worthless, that he had brought shame upon the righteous path, that it was unreasonable that our counterattack failed because of such a person, and how so many people had indirectly died at the hands of such a person.

But she didn't utter those words in the end, because Wu He had lost. Victory, defeat, life and death were all that mattered; no more words were needed. She picked up the weapon that once belonged to a martial artist, thinking that humans also had this side, not beautiful or powerful, but revealing a grimy truth.

"I don't want to be that kind of person..."

She stretched her shoulders, slung her spear behind her, and pondered her next move. Chu Hengkong walked out of the ruins with his head bowed. Qingxia's eyes lit up, and she waved to him.

"Oh! Chu Hengkong, you're still here. Sorry for coming so late, I also have things I need to do. The current situation is not very good, I suggest you..."

"Lady, retreat quickly!" Vander screamed, "Retreat!"

Qingxia blinked and saw several bloody holes on Chu Hengkong's upper body. Wu He's flying knife accidentally injured him before his death. The injury crushed the martial artist's last will.

Out of her sight, a chain was wrapped around the killer's ankle.

An unfortunate chain.

"...Is it really that unlucky?"

Chu Hengkong looked up silently, with bloodshot marks in his eyes.

A bloody mark appeared on her cheek. In an instant, the killer was within an inch of her. His right hand fingers formed a knife and stabbed into Qingxia's abdomen.

At this critical moment, he went berserk!

(End of this chapter)