Chapter 139 Heart Sword
In an instant, Chu Hengkong "saw" a colorless wind. It had no color, no form, simply a powerful force forced from the warrior's flesh. That force, operating in a pattern he couldn't comprehend, formed a fierce whirlwind ten or a hundred times more powerful than the base force. The impact couldn't be described as a wind attack; it felt like the earth stood up behind him, a sense of falling that assaulted him from behind. With a single blow, all three were blown away in different directions!
His posture collapsed, his offensive momentum twisted. Attacking in this turbulent flow was completely hopeless. Just maintaining his balance required every ounce of his strength. Wu He laughed heartily and rushed forward, using this inexplicable turbulence to increase his speed. He thrust his spear straight at Chu Hengkong's head, but Chu Hengkong dodged with a back bridge, his tentacles flashing out to grab Wu He's wrist.
He was about to exert force to remove Wu He's skeleton when the other party pointed his finger to the left. In an instant, the wind direction changed, and the irresistible pulling force suddenly changed direction. Chu Hengkong had nowhere to gain support and was blown away directly, with the tentacles stretched extremely long in the air.
He decisively retracted his arms, giving up the struggle, and suddenly tensed all his muscles to assume a motionless stance. Almost at the same time, an extremely thick wall emerged from the ground, blocking his way behind him.
Chu Hengkong fell heavily against the wall. The violent wind almost embedded him in the wall. Vander in his pocket reminded him: "The environment is changing! We can't separate from everyone!"
The ceiling was melting, the ground was tilting, and countless walls pierced out from all directions, dividing the strange space like a maze. Wu He, armed with a gun, approached step by step. Under his feet, a red formation emerged, like an invisible spider web.
Ji Huaisu and Qingye rushed to help, but the space within the talisman array shifted erratically. The two cultivators' battlefield was cut off by countless walls, and their position sank like mud. When they came to their senses, they were already in a long corridor, with guest room doors arranged in an orderly manner, each with a regular number printed on it.
The doors on both sides of the corridor opened at the same time, and the guests went out. They turned around, and red light flashed in their eyes, like a group of grinning bats in the night.
Qing Ye felt a chill running down his spine: "They..."
"They're all corpse insects." Ji Huaisu thought of the ugly creatures in the club. "They're already dead, don't show any mercy!"
A corpse insect stretched out its claws and pounced, but Ji Huaisu severed them with a single blow of his sword, its foul-smelling blood splattering across Qingye's face. For a moment, she wanted to close her eyes, but she forced herself to raise her weapon. She shielded Ji Huaisu's side and decapitated two corpse insects. Their necks severed easily, their fragility so severe that she felt sick at herself for drawing the sword.
Qing Ye shook off his useless thoughts and cursed softly. "Beast...!"
·
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Chu Hengkong retreated repeatedly, the spear tip leaving a bloody mark on his cheek. In the previous round, he had nearly been pierced through the throat by the Qingkun Spear. Wu He slowly compressed the battlefield, the Dragon Tree's Dingliwu Talisman dangling behind him.
Chu Hengkong's sense of balance told him he was currently on the 12th floor, yet the top floor they had breached was the 30th. The hotel's space was manipulated with unwavering talismans, and the constantly shifting winds of gunfire made his sense of direction muddy. He might be clinging to the ceiling, or perhaps the "ground" beneath Wu He's feet was actually vertical and lateral. Amidst this chaotic space, only the gun-wielding martial artist remained steady. He was like the unchanging center of the chaos, any point on the battlefield within his reach should he so desire.
"You don't seem to be used to fighting in formations. I've never seen you use talismans before." Wu He blew on his fist. "Didn't your master teach you? He's also a guy who hides his abilities."
"No, Mr. Ji never hides his tricks. He always trusts me." Chu Hengkong laughed. "After all, I have a good mentality. I won't become an evil heretic just because I have learned a few skills."
"Then you've truly found a good teacher. Congratulations." Wu He also smiled. "We're all family, so let's not be sour. As a senior on the martial arts path... I'll help you with your lessons for free!"
He dropped his smile and threw a punch, its surface turning charcoal black. As they spoke, the talisman that strengthened his body took effect, and the powerful punch felt like a spike crashing down on his head. Without a second thought, Chu Hengkong rolled sideways against the wall, his fist glancing past his ear and embedding itself in the wall. Wu He retracted his fist and struck again, his monotonous, sadistic blows pounding down with each blow more powerful than the last. Chu Hengkong dodged repeatedly, leaving dozens of punch marks in his wake, piercing the wall.
In the blink of an eye, the two sides reached the wall. Seeing no escape, Chu Hengkong dodged and leaped forward, his toe stabbing Wu He's neck like a knife. Wu He grabbed his ankle with his backhand, the iron-clad muscles in his arms flexing with the force of a clamp. He hurled Chu Hengkong forward with a powerful force, sending the assassin crashing through five walls in a row.
After landing, Chu Hengkong rolled and bounced to his feet, somersaulting backward using the force of his waist. The Qingkun Spear dropped from the sky like an iron pillar, its violent force smashing into the earth, creating a crater-like depression and causing the ground to rise like a tide.
Wu He, struck down with a gun, propped himself up with the handle and launched a flurry of kicks at Chu Hengkong's face. Chu Hengkong thrust out both arms to intercept the blow, while Wu He spun and leaped down to pursue. The two exchanged blows, leaving countless afterimages. However, Wu He grew more courageous as the fight wore on, while Chu Hengkong fought and retreated, his impenetrable defense showing signs of fatigue. Every attack and defense was a dangerous move. The tentacle's defense was a beat too slow, the palm strike a split second too late, forcing him to retreat and dodge. This difference, obvious even to the untrained eye, was a discrepancy between speed and power.
Chu Hengkong's condition was dire. He could see the enemy's moves clearly and devise ways to break them, but his body simply couldn't keep up with the pace of battle. Instead of growing stronger, the more he fought, the worse his condition became. He was near death after his battle with Shax, suffering injuries that would have killed even a stronger warrior instantly. He had only been able to hold on until now thanks to his exceptional willpower.
But Wu He, a Sephiroth-3 martial artist, was already a cut above him physically, and after receiving the Dragon Tree's Dingliwu Talisman, he felt even more empowered. The talisman floated behind him, providing him with strength through its mysterious operation.
The Ligu Talisman was designed to regulate life, its mechanism of operation being "power transformation." It required external forces not inherent to oneself to activate, otherwise it would be nothing more than a piece of white paper with high standards. The significant benefits Wu He experienced after using the talisman indicated that he possessed hidden abilities beyond his martial arts prowess.
But in the current situation, Chu Hengkong couldn't force the enemy's trump card at all. He had to use all his strength just to deal with the heavy gun!
While he was thinking, his defensive stance was finally broken. Wu He jumped up and spun around, unleashing a roundhouse kick. His right arm, already severely injured in defense, was fractured by the blow. The broken forearm flexed awkwardly, and his other foot took advantage of the opportunity to pierce Chu Hengkong's heart.
He was kicked hard and sent flying, his feet plowing two long scars into the ground. Chu Hengkong hurriedly drew his spear, stabbing the ground with the tip to steady himself. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then struggled to raise his spear, attempting to fight again. But Wu He didn't approach, instead raising his hand in disdain. His fingers clenched like claws.
"Come," he said.
The unpredictable "wind" reappeared, this time sucking the killer closer from the front. The balance that had been so hard to maintain was easily broken, and Chu Hengkong was pulled forward, the scene was like actively facing the enemy's fist.
What on earth is going on? A strange wind. A special ability triggered by a weapon. It changes direction at will. Its true form is...
Vander figured out the key, and screamed nervously: "It regards its own gun as the 'origin'. As long as the gun moves, it can cause fluctuations at will... That is... the ability to control gravity and repulsion!"
"Very clever, you got the answer right." Wu He smiled, "And then?"
"I know, so what?"
Vander's eyes widened. He had so much to say, but couldn't. Knowing the mechanism meant finding a way to crack it, knowing the principle meant finding a way to deal with it, but those were all empty theories divorced from reality. Reality was just like Wu He had said: even if you knew the principle, how could you deal with it?
This isn't a question of skill, but rather one's stature. Just as a skilled hand possesses a degree of dexterity, and a strong heart possesses a degree of resilience, Wu He possesses a higher level of ability than Chu Hengkong. It's the difference between a weapon and a tool, a heart and bones. A single level of difference is a world of difference, difficult to make up for even with the most advanced skills.
The Sephiroth 3 Heart Sword of the Martial Path is the 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 hearts and blood, channeling their minds into martial arts, thus creating a unique Heart Sword that belongs only to them. Possessing the ingenuity of a weapon and the explosive power of their heart and blood, they are recognized as formidable warriors by all factions on the battlefield.
But that power came at a price. At Sephiroth 1 and 2, martial cultivators couldn't quite bridge the gap between themselves and ordinary Transcendants. Like Transcendants on the Floating Light Path, they needed to reach Sephiroth 3 before their first Transcendence. Wu He's Transcendence was complete, but Chu Hengkong wasn't even close to sword forging yet; he was still busy controlling his bones.
How should he win?
Unbeknownst to Fander, it couldn't even keep up with the movements of the two combatants. Wu He couldn't withstand attacks like the Immortal Machine, and couldn't use hypnosis. In this rapid-fire fight, it had no opportunity to intervene. It eagerly leaned forward, only to hear the clash of weapons and the enemy's disdainful laughter. Then, Chu Hengkong was sent flying once again, the white spear spinning in the air and piercing the distance.
"Don't worry, I won't give you a chance to fight back. After all, you're too abnormal. Even that strange gunner was defeated by you."
Wu He cautiously maintained his distance, extending his right hand. Blood flowed from his palm. Out of the range of the Separation Talisman, the blood unexpectedly turned the black of petroleum. Longshu Ding Separation Talisman was exerting its powerful force, transforming filthy blood into fresh blood, transforming the contamination of the outsider into his own power. The filthy power of the abyss was finally disappearing. The feeling was so wonderful that he almost wanted to sing.
All that's left is the cleansing of his heart area, and he'll be able to turn back into a pure human being. Before that, he has to use the power of the outsider to gain the last bit of benefit.
"Your memories, martial arts, and body—I'll take them all for you." He smiled cheerfully. "Don't be unconvinced. While things might be different in a duel arena... isn't that what a battlefield is?"
There was no time to react, no time to dissuade. What was to come was bound to happen. Under Fander's dazed gaze, the sharp weapon pierced the martial artist's heart, and blood slowly floated in the air.
It was black blood. Plasma as murky as oil. The bone-white knife bathed in blood, stirring it with a cold hand.
——Piercing through Wu He’s heart.
Black blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Wu He turned his head stiffly, his body shrouded by a huge shadow. A four-meter-high giant egg appeared behind him without anyone noticing, stabbing him with a fatal blow!
[Hmm, hmm. Well said. Anything can happen on the battlefield. While you're plundering and enjoying yourself, have you ever considered that the same thing could happen to you?]
I've been anticipating your reaction, anticipating this look of disbelief, so I've waited until this moment to take action. Okay, come on, what do you think now?
The bloody words faded, and a clear human voice came from the eggshell, filled with deep hatred, as if it came from hell.
"I'm here to kill you, the one destined to die."
(End of this chapter)
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