Scourge Messenger

Chapter 154 The Three Protectors
As the saying goes, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. Xue Xiangzhong was not as sharp and ostentatious as other red-name messengers. He wore an elaborate crimson and purple robe, with a jade belt and seal hanging from his waist. He wore a black gauze crown with a hairpin and pen inserted at an angle, and a tassel hanging down his chin. He was eight feet tall and had a delicate and feminine appearance. Even Shang Xuanwen was slightly inferior to him. Anyone would think that he was a high-ranking official who had just been transferred from the Ministry of Personnel.

But this is not the Ministry of Personnel, nor is he the prime minister of the imperial court.

He was merely the Great Protector of Shu Mountain, the King of the Demonic and Perilous Lands, and an absolute red-named butcher. No one wanted to accept his rule; everyone simply revered his brutality… perhaps this could be considered a form of rule.

Yan Qing flexed her fingers, a mixture of nervousness and excitement filling her heart.

He didn't think Zhong Ji was lying. Although Xue Xiang and Zhong Ji were both third-level messengers, there was still a huge difference in strength between the third level.

Just like how Bunny Girl, as a second-tier messenger, has already killed Helan Que, a third-tier military strategist, and Zhong Ji, a third-tier demonic strategist, and Jiang Shi even annihilated Mansu Forest, and Rat Monk is also capable of fighting the second-tier demon king alone, and Yan Qing himself is also a second-tier, does that mean he can be compared with Bunny Girl, Jiang Shi, and Rat Monk? The gap between the third tiers will only be greater. Tokens, secret techniques, and class characteristics, each of these can overwhelm the balance of victory or defeat.

But Yan Qing still has a trump card that he hasn't played yet—the Bingzi Jiaolin and the eight white iron straight swords have been moved to the bunny girl's warehouse. Whenever needed, he can throw out the eight white iron straight swords and experience the full glory of the Bingzi Jiaolin.

Or rather, he was hoping that the bloodline would force him to use this trump card.

In the past, the biggest problem with Bingzi Jiaolin's use of the Overturning Heaven technique was that it cost too much. It required eight weapon tokens plus eight spirit jades from the bestowal. Yan Qing was concerned about this when he didn't let Jiang Shi fully unleash the power of the Overturning Heaven technique in the Mansu Forest.

But things are different now, Yan Qing is rich!

He's holding a hammer now, and everyone looks like a nail to him!

Helan Que failed to force Bingzi Jiaolin out, Zhong Ji failed to force Bingzi Jiaolin out, and Yan Qing hoped that Xue Xiang would be a worthy opponent.

Yan Qing stared intently at the blood image on the screen, not missing a single movement. But in the blink of an eye, the blood image had vanished from its original spot, leaving only a blurry blood shadow!
So fast!

The bunny girl immediately leaped to the left to dodge, only to see a longsword wreathed in dark red and black mist thrust out from behind, narrowly missing her. Had Yan Qing chosen to jump back just now, he would likely have been pierced through and instantly killed by the Blood Strike!

Zhong Ji's Blood Shadow was already incredibly fast, but Blood Phase was even faster, making it difficult to catch his figure even face-to-face. Their style was a once-popular style in the Shura Battlefield, without any fancy tricks, simply relying on high speed to kill other players. If you couldn't react in time, you would die, making it a divine weapon for stomping on low-level players.

However, this playstyle demands too much from players; only young people under twenty years old possess the necessary skills. If a player is slightly older and cannot react quickly enough, they will become nothing more than a dumping ground for the enemy.

But players are essentially controlling game characters, while real people are actually rushing out on their own. How did Bloodlust manage to get behind Bunny Girl and attack in less than 0.3 seconds? He even managed to change direction once!
Clang! The bunny girl turned around and counterattacked. Xue Xiang swung his sword to block. The two swords clashed in mid-air. Suddenly, Xue Xiang pushed hard, deflecting the Seven Star Sword high into the air, but his sword also flew into the air!

Abandon the sword? No!
Blood Prime Minister, having lost his longsword, struck at Bunny Girl with his hands like sharp claws. His ten fingers were covered in claws that shimmered with black light, which were also magical artifacts!

He possesses both a longsword and finger claws, two magical artifacts!

Blood Phase's attack speed was not as fast as Zhong Ji's, but it was more subtle and unpredictable, making Yan Qing struggle to cope. Just then, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the blade of the Seven Star Sword. His left hand's five fingers were like iron clamps, firmly holding the Seven Star Sword in place!

Like a perfectly timed date, the crimson longsword fell as promised into Blood Prime's empty right hand. To anyone else, Bunny Girl now had only two choices: abandon the sword or endure the blow from the demonic longsword; the former was to postpone her fate, the latter was to accept death.

Even Yan Qing, as an enemy, had to admire Xue Xiang's talent at this moment. Fists and claws and longswords are two incompatible combat systems, but Xue Xiang had actually fused the two together to form a mysterious and unpredictable fighting style. Most people would definitely find it difficult to deal with on their first encounter, and in the battles of the demonic path, the loser has no second chance.

As expected of the three great protectors of Shudao Mountain, let me show you—

Roar!
A tiger's roar came first, followed by a spear that shot out like a dragon! Suddenly, the roar of a tiger echoed through the mountain path, and a Soul-Severing Spear, gleaming with golden light, wrapped around the tiger's phantom image and attacked, its momentum as grand as a god descending to earth!
Even those with bloodlines had to avoid its sharp edge.

With a loud bang and a surge of air, Xue Xiang was forced back into the mountain stronghold. He stared at the two girls, one big and one small, outside the gate, a sinister smile on his face: "Good, good, good. No wonder you dared to come to Shudao Mountain to cause trouble. It's true that only a mighty dragon can cross the river. Shudao Mountain hasn't welcomed such hot new blood in a long time."

"But you shouldn't have killed my third brother," his claws scraped against the longsword with a grating sound, "I will torture you all to death for seven days and seven nights, as a sacrifice to my brother's soul!"

"I bet you can't do it, even if it costs you a spirit jade," the blood-soaked pharmacist said calmly.

"I bet you can't even do it if I put a bitter gourd on your plate," Bunny Girl chimed in.

Bloodlust's eyes flashed with a murderous light, his infamous name seemingly burning. Words seemed too simple at this moment; the boiling, violent killing intent overwhelmed every space like a tidal wave. Although the sun was shining brightly on Mount Shu, even through the screen, Yan Qing could feel a chill creeping up his spine.

The battle erupted silently, and Bloodface vanished once again, as incredibly fast as ever. Bunny Girl and Pharmacist were ready to fight, they had already figured out how to dodge... but Bloodface was intercepted halfway, like a speeding carriage crashing into a thick city wall.

Three people appeared in the open space. Xue Xiang was in the middle. His thrusting sword was blocked by the long-haired man in front of him, and his shoulder was grabbed by the bald monk behind him. There were actually two people in this mountain stronghold who could keep up with Xue Xiang's speed, so their identities were obvious.

"Upon hearing the news of the torrential rain, this monk rushed over immediately." The bald monk, his face covered in scars and holding a staff, glanced sideways at the young women outside the gate. "Looks like that young layperson from before?" "Prajna, Beiyou," Xue Xiang said coldly. "As long as you don't meddle, I will surely repay you!"

"I don't want to meddle in other people's business," the long-haired man sighed, scratching his dirty hair covered in paint. "But the Rainstorm Messenger is of great importance. We finally got one from Shudao Mountain, and we won't allow you to act recklessly."

"And what repayment could you possibly have?" Prajna laughed. "Your brother is dead, your four generals are dead, and you have no one to manage the business in Chang Le City. Naturally, it all belongs to us. You wouldn't be thinking of using what rightfully belongs to us as a favor, would you?"

"I don't have the manpower to manage the business, but I have plenty of people to sabotage others' businesses," Bloodthirsty replied menacingly. "If you don't let me take my revenge—"

"Then you can die now," Bei You said without hesitation. "Without your brother or the Four Generals, Banruo and I are enough to take you down, at worst we'll just get injured. Of course, you can escape, and indeed no one can catch you, but from now on, there will be no place for you on Mount Shu."

"You—" Blood Prime's eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and said, "You dare to fight me to the death for a mere Storm Messenger!?"

"Blood Lord, we must consider the bigger picture." Prajna frowned and said, "We came to Shudao Mountain not to act like tyrants in this backwater. Since things have come to this, you should go and collect our brothers' bodies first."

"Fuck your mother, what if it were yours who died—"

"Zhong Shu," Bei You's voice suddenly turned cold, "Is someone giving you too much face? Do you think this is some kind of request?"

As he spoke, Bei You reached out and grasped Xue Xiang's dark red longsword, letting the blade slice his palm. He seemed oblivious, staring intently into Xue Xiang's eyes. Although he was the one who was injured, Xue Xiang's expression grew increasingly grim.

"They are the three guardians of Mount Shu," the Pharmacist whispered in the bunny girl's ear, his voice tinged with seriousness: "Beiyou, Prajna, and Xuexiang!"

Previously, Yaoshi Yuan actually looked down on these demonic messengers. In her mind, only military messengers who dared to fight against the demons of the secret realm could become true strongmen, while demonic messengers who chose to make a living by robbing and looting were nothing more than villains who bullied the weak.

But both Zhong Ji and the Blood Sign from earlier completely overturned her past beliefs. Perhaps because she lived in an environment where everyone was in danger, the Demonic Messenger's combat instincts were in no way inferior to those of the Military Town Messenger. If the Military Town Messenger was a pack of wolves that had been carefully trained, then the Demonic Messenger was a vicious leopard that was used to fighting alone. The former was overwhelmingly powerful, but the latter was also ruthless and not to be underestimated.

The pharmacist understood very well that with her current strength, she could only deal with Zhong Ji at most, but when facing the three guardians of Shudao Mountain, the only thing she could do was not to hold Rabbit Girl back.

Keng!
The standoff between the three guardians finally ended. Xue Xiang sheathed his sword, leaving a trail of blood in Bei You's hand. However, Bei You didn't mind at all and resumed his casual demeanor.

Xue Xiang turned his head to look at Prajna: "Let go."

Prajna withdrew his hand, and Xue Xiang walked past Bei You to the front of the village gate to meet Yao Shiyuan and Rabbit Girl. There were only five steps between them, which was almost a distance that he could reach out and take off their heads.

However, Xue Xiang couldn't move, not because he was afraid, but because he wasn't entirely confident he could kill his opponent instantly. If he could truly kill him, what did it matter if Prajna and Bei You were dissatisfied? Would they really bother with him over a corpse?

Only the living have value; no one will pay the price for the dead.

Even him.

His brother was already dead, and he had even tried to kill others. Now, the Blood Lord had to consider his own interests. But he couldn't let these two go so easily; he wanted to torment them with fear day and night, making their lives worse than death!
"You've got a lot of luck, but it won't last forever," Blood Prime said coldly. "You'd better stay alert, whether you're sleeping, resting, or eating, otherwise... no one will stand up for a dead man."

Seeing the Pharmacist's face turn extremely ugly, Xue Xiang sneered inwardly. With his ghostly speed, if they relaxed even slightly, it could become a fatal flaw.

The pharmacist naturally understood that Xue Xiang wanted to intimidate them into living in constant fear, but this was an open scheme. As long as they lived in the mountain stronghold and near Xue Xiang, they would be subject to Xue Xiang's threats.

As for leaving... the conversation between the three guardians just now has shown that she may be able to leave, but her sister is already an indispensable part of their plan. If her sister dares to leave, then the enemy will change from one guardian to three guardians.

The three protectors had just been discussing so loudly to make them understand their situation.

but……

The pharmacist sneered inwardly. Her sister had a return order, so she could return to the thieves' den. From the very beginning, they were already in an invincible position; the so-called threat was completely meaningless. Her expression at this moment was actually a deliberate act.

But at least she had avoided a battle with the Blood Element, which relieved her. Her next task was to find a way to safely evacuate the Shu Road Mountains.

"Blood Prime, wait a minute," the Bunny Girl sheathed her sword, hands in her pockets. "Your brother tried to kill me, what about your compensation?"

(End of this chapter)