Scourge Messenger

Chapter 164 The Tower of the Undying Skull

What we just saw was just sightseeing; now, entering the Forest of Bones means we'll really have to try and break through the front hall.

However, before entering, the Bunny Girl sought out the pharmacist to ask:

"Big sister, do you really have a way to guarantee your safety?"

"Of course, I wouldn't lie about something so important. What if I could save you, but you misunderstood me and I couldn't? Not only would I die in vain, but you would also feel guilty for the rest of your life."

"It won't last a lifetime, at most half a month, because my brother allows me to eat ice cream once every half month."

A pharmacist's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that ice cream could only be produced in the secret realms of Liang Kingdom. Could she be from a prominent family in Liang Kingdom? The Qun family? The Jie family? She possessed the Hand of Forging a Hundred Forms, could she really be a member of the Shao royal family?
If she were a member of the Shaw family...

"Will that older sister's methods be effective in the secret realm?"

The pharmacist blinked, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'm not so sure. After all, this kind of life-saving method is definitely only used in very dangerous situations. Why would I deliberately test whether it works in a secret realm?"

"Big sister, you're just as clumsy as my brother. You can't even lie properly," the bunny girl said quietly. "If you were really unsure, you would have taken it seriously when I pointed it out. Even my brother gets nervous about matters of life and death, instead of quickly making up an excuse to brush me off."

The pharmacist fell silent and reached out to rub the bunny girl's head.

She had naturally tested it long ago; she could teleport to the Thieves' House at any time from the outside, but not from within the secret realm. This was probably because the Thieves' House was also a secret realm, and it was always only accessible from the outside, not from within.

Once she enters the Forest of Corpses, not to mention how ferocious the demons in the inheritance secret realm are, she would also be very likely to lose her life if the three guardians suddenly attacked.

"They are the demonic path, without family, without home, without country, their only thought in life is Foundation Establishment," she said. "But I am the righteous path, with family, friends, home, and country, so... I must establish my foundation even more."

"I was able to grow safely to the third stage thanks to my father's doting love. To go any further would require taking risks. The path to Foundation Establishment is always fraught with danger. Even those who are directly related to Foundation Establishment cannot escape disaster, let alone a princess like me who has fallen on hard times. But I am still very happy that you care about me so much, sister."

The bunny girl was silent for a moment: "If you encounter any danger, come close to me, and I'll figure something out."

"Thank you." The pharmacist bent down and hugged the bunny girl, rubbing his face against hers. "I'm so envious of your brother. I wish you were really my sister."

"My brother is probably quite envious of me now, but your armor is a bit uncomfortable."

"Hehe." The Pharmacist looked at the Bunny Girl earnestly and said, "No matter whose sister you are, from now on, you are my sister too!"

"I already said—"

"I'm just acknowledging you as my sister, not asking you to acknowledge me. Your brother's opinions don't concern me." The Pharmacist snorted, taking the Bunny Girl's hand. "It's settled then!"

What a self-righteous woman! Yan Qing guessed she had already planned to abduct Bunny Girl with candy and ice cream. She was the kind of person who had to get what she wanted, who thought herself the only one worthy of respect, and who would never let go of anything that belonged to her, like a wolf fiercely guarding its prey, growling menacingly at anyone who dared to covet her possessions.

However, the bunny girl didn't seem to dislike her, nor did Yan Qing.

Upon re-entering the Forest of Corpses, the zombies and demons had all returned to their places. Even when the five of them returned to the dividing line in the front hall, they ignored them completely. They wouldn't react unless triggered. It sounds strange, but isn't that how most people in this world are? Accustomed to decades of the same routine, they live a peaceful life, becoming cogs in the machine of the world.

Only the messenger could break free from this constraint; the secret realm was a game for the brave, a pursuit of further opportunities amidst life and death. Walking alongside them, Yan Qing felt as if he too had become a seeker of the Dao.

Seeking the Way until death, one's resolve is as firm as iron!
Yan Qing jumped onto the bed and lay down, wiping the sweat from her hands on her clothes.

"Remember, we're not going to fight head-on, we're just trying to get a chance to strike," Prajna said in a deep voice. "Whether we succeed or not, we must retreat immediately. There's no need to rush."

Prajna's words were sincere. The number of third-level cultivators in Shudao Mountain was already very small, and only the three guardians were capable of entering the Corpse Forest. Others, such as Fu Nan and Zhong Ji, lacked tokens. They were good at killing, but they were only so-so when dealing with demons. They were even unaccustomed to the fact that their tokens could not instantly kill their enemies.

Leaving aside the Bunny Girl Warrior, the Pharmacist is a third-level messenger with all the necessary tokens, as well as rare spears and armor. These third-level messengers from military towns are more adept at dealing with demons, making them exactly the allies they need most.

Their willingness to let the Pharmacist sit in the fourth position as the Grand Protector wasn't entirely due to the presence of the Bunny Girl and the Return Order.

"There are six demons. The five of us can just pass through them. Beiyou and I will each lure away two demons, and the other two will be left to Banruo and that brat to trigger the rainstorm. Wolf Master, you will attack as the situation warrants and be responsible for covering Banruo and that brat afterwards." Since the matter was of great importance, Xue Xiang also became serious and repeated the plan.

As the fastest one, they had already agreed that Blood Element should shoulder heavy responsibilities. However, he had a lot of dirty dealings with the girls, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were sworn enemies. Could he really accept fighting alongside them?
As if seeing through the Pharmacist's doubts about the Bunny Girl, Bei You calmly said, "Sharing hardship is actually very simple; what's difficult is sharing wealth." Yes, even if one were to betray someone, one should at least go through the front hall.

The Pharmacist sighed, glancing at the skull tower in the distance, suppressing her disgust. Just then, the Bunny Girl suddenly touched her hand. The Pharmacist was startled, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Don't worry," she said.

"Count to three, then start together! Three, two, one!"

With a thunderous roar, Prajna sent the five of them across the dividing line and into the front hall! The six zombie demons immediately awoke, and the Undying Skull Tower began to wail, its mournful cries piercing their eardrums and reaching their very brains!
Blood Prime Minister made a slash at each of the two demons on his right, leaving a deep wound on their withered corpses, but no blood flowed from the wounds; they had bled to death. Facing the attack from the two demons, Blood Prime Minister strolled leisurely, not even letting them touch his sleeves.

In comparison, Bei You was much more violent. They had assumed Bei You would also use his agility to lure demons, but to their surprise, Bei You rushed over and kicked them!

Yes, Bei You actually specializes in leg techniques, which is extremely rare. His boots are actually three-stage rare treasures, wrapped in black and red demonic light. When he spun in the air and kicked out, the zombie demon was actually kicked back five or six steps!
As soon as he landed, he spun in place like a top, his dirty, messy hair flying everywhere. He turned around and kicked the second approaching zombie to the ground!
This is where blunt weapons are superior to cutting weapons; they have a chance to cause displacement, stun, or even knockdown, but require the user to have overwhelming health and agility. Bei You wasn't wrong; he's probably a level 39 peak third-tier cultivator, and his health and agility are already at the limit for mortals!
With them luring away the four demons, Prajna, Bunny Girl, and Pharmacist were able to approach the Skull Tower smoothly. When the zombie demons launched their attack, Prajna and Bunny Girl seized the opportunity to perfectly dodge and trigger a rainstorm, then launched a super-fast attack on the Skull Tower together!
Seven Star Sword, Hand of Melting a Hundred Forms, Torrential Rain, activate!

Because of the requirement to instantly inflict damage, Yan Qing did not activate Flash. However, because Prajna and the others gave her two attack speed tokens, the Bunny Girl in Rainstorm mode went even further and was able to attack fourteen times in 0.35 seconds!
Prajna was no less formidable. Long staffs are inherently slow, yet he wielded one, creating a river of fire with his staff. Only at this moment could one truly see that he was indeed the Great Protector of Shudao Mountain, the most revered figure by the Demonic Messenger. He was as ferocious as a guardian deity, his Vajra-like glare devoid of any compassion.

With time running out and the need to remain hidden, Pharmacist Yuan naturally wouldn't use her ultimate move, Spinning Lantern Flowing, but she had a way to maximize her damage output—she attracted the attention of the zombie demon and used its attacks to accumulate damage for the Mingwang Armor! Moreover, this zombie demon had just been chasing Bunny Girl, so she conveniently completed half of her cover mission.

Xue Xiang and Bei You also arrived one after another. The five third-tier combatants unleashed their full power, pouring all the damage into the Undying Skull Tower! The Skull Tower was instantly riddled with holes, bones flying everywhere, as if it would collapse at any moment!
But it didn't break!

Moreover, it is recovering to its original state at an extremely fast speed. Golden Buddha light rises from the lotus platform below it, continuously repairing its dozens of broken skulls!
"retreat!"

At Prajna's command, everyone withdrew from the Corpse Forest Secret Realm.

A chilly night wind carried the distant clamor of the demonic messengers; someone seemed to have vomited, causing everyone to burst into laughter. The five of them huddled together, each taking out a spirit jade to replenish their spiritual energy. They exchanged glances, their expressions gradually relaxing.

"Not bad. Although it's only your first attempt, you almost shattered the skull tower." Prajna encouraged, "You'll definitely succeed if you try a few more times."

"After all these years, there's finally hope." Bei You laughed. "Blood Prime Minister, Blood Prime Minister, don't you think your brother deserves to die?"

The joy that was about to show on Xue Xiang's lips was immediately suppressed. He turned his head to look at the Pharmacist and the Bunny Girl, grinding his teeth and remaining silent.

The pharmacist found Bei You increasingly incomprehensible. He seemed to want to maintain the team until they cleared the dungeon, but now he deliberately disrupted the atmosphere by touching on the Blood Aspect. However, while it was said to be a reminder to the Blood Aspect, it seemed more like a reminder not to let their guard down.

Both rational and capricious, both proactive and reckless, perhaps only the demonic path could produce such a person.

"It won't succeed."

Just when everyone was full of optimism, a crisp voice poured cold water on their hopes.

"If you don't make changes, you won't succeed no matter how many times you try," Bunny Girl said calmly. "The Skull Tower is indestructible; no matter how hard we attack, it will immediately regenerate."

"How do you know? You've only tried once," Blood Prime sneered. "How many times do you think we've challenged the Forest of Corpses?"

"My brother said that even if a dog eats shit a thousand times, it will still be eating shit, no matter how delicious it is in your eyes."

"you--"

"Why are you so sure?" Prajna asked back without getting angry.

Why? Because I saw its health bar was empty!
While it's possible the monster was just a hair's breadth away from death, Yan Qing didn't believe it was that much of a coincidence. Furthermore, the karma value remained completely unchanged while the monster's health was decreasing, clearly indicating that the monster's health bar was merely a facade; reducing the karma value was the key!
"You're welcome to try a few more times," the bunny girl said leisurely. "Anyway, I'll laugh at you mercilessly."

The three guardians exchanged a glance, their emotions churning. Although they hadn't spent much time together, they didn't believe Bunny Girl was someone who spoke carelessly, and they did indeed have doubts after what they had just witnessed; no matter how you looked at it, the Skull Tower should have shattered.

"You brat, do you have a plan?" Blood Prime Minister asked. "You're not just spouting nonsense to find a chance to give up, are you?"

"Since you have the audacity to ask, then I'll mercifully tell you," said the Bunny Girl. "Didn't Prajna say that Buddhist relics cannot be used for attacks? That's the opposite; only Buddhist weapons can possibly break through the front hall!"

(End of this chapter)