Scourge Messenger

Chapter 341 A Myriad of Charms
After a quick and simple meal, they found a team of six demons not far from their destination. Upon engaging in battle, they encountered a huge problem: Qiongqi's first attack failed to kill the enemy!

This demonic team was composed entirely of mechanical puppets!
The most distinctive feature of mechanical puppets is their extremely high Holy Shield armor rate. Although the Holy Shield can only be triggered once, it can withstand all damage. Even if a "Qiongqi" with tens of thousands of attack power kicks at them, they can still catch it steadily!
If they failed to reduce the number of demons immediately, Yan Qing and his group would have to face the attack of six demons. Even if they actively blocked three of them, and the cannon fodder puppets summoned by Yan Qing blocked one, "Qiongqi" would still be hit by the other two. With the increased attack power of a third-stage demon, "Qiongqi" would suffer at least two thousand points of damage.

"Qiongqi" has only gained a little over two thousand in size. Its health was already very dangerous before, and now it is definitely on the verge of death!

"Murong Hui, White Fox!" Yan Qing shouted as he summoned cannon fodder puppets to block the demons.

"understand!"

Murong Hui swung her lightning-fast sword, slowing down the demon in front of her. Her defensive barrier could withstand at most one attack; she could only use the lightning-fast sword to stall for time!

Ying Rushi activated the Shadow Spider Boots, taking three steps in two seconds. The Heaven-Slaying Sword slashed out a winding sword path, instantly evaporating the demon's blood! Because "Qiongqi" needs to kill demons to trigger its killing characteristic, Ying Rushi usually wouldn't make a move unless Yan Qing gave the signal.

One of the six demons was dead. Murong Hui, "Ascension Six Ears," and the cannon fodder held off three of them. Yan Qing only needed to hold off the other two, because "Qiongqi" would definitely be able to kill the mechanical demons without holy shields. Only he could shoulder this task, and the defensive power of the Mountain Heart Mirror was enough to block two attacks.

But just as Qiongqi was killing the mechanical demon, the mechanical demon suddenly unleashed boundless lightning. The lightning leaped and spread among the demons. Except for Ying Rushi, who was not surrounded by mechanical demons, everyone else, including the puppets, was paralyzed by the lightning. Even with defensive barriers, they were unable to move!

The Deathrattle effect is Thunderstorm Paralysis, which stops nearby non-mechanical golems from acting for one turn and can also trigger the same effect on other friendly mechanical golems!
Yan Qing had never seen this mechanical demon before and had no idea about its characteristics, but its tactical value was undeniable. The puppets in the Demon Gathering Land were all one-punch type, with little difference between their damage and health. When they fought each other, it was often a matter of life or death. In this environment, imprisoning the enemy for a turn and giving one side a chance to launch a first attack without taking any damage was enough to secure victory.

Thinking about it this way, having Divine Shield on this Deathrattle Mechanism might actually be a weakness. Without Divine Shield, if the Deathrattle triggers on the first turn, "Qiongqi" would definitely die after being ganged up on for two turns.

But now, he stood in front of the two sword mechanisms, blocking their path to "Qiongqi".

However, Yan Qing wasn't nervous at all, because until all the puppets were killed, the demons' hatred remained fixed on the puppets. They would only attack the messengers in two situations: first, if the messengers attacked them and were within their attack range, they would retaliate; second, ...

The War Blade Mechanism raised its massive war blade, drawing a straight arc as it swept towards Yan Qing, encompassing the entire surrounding space!
Splash attack!

If the demons have splash damage, they will attack any enemy in front of them, regardless of whether it is a puppet or a messenger!
Yan Qing's scalp tingled. He was certain he could block two attacks if he could parry one with his weapon! With the parrying ability of "Melting Hundred Aspects Hand," he could at least reduce the damage by 20%, but now he was taking it head-on!
The only thing she could do was to reunite her body and soul the moment she saw this scene, and then she suddenly realized that what she had separated from herself was not coldness and numbness, but a surging resentment.

Coldness and numbness are merely a disguise for resentment, just as a willingness to die is a mask for cowardice. Ying Rushi is always like this; she must set an example to prove that the Ying family royal family has a noble bloodline, so she must be noble, kind, righteous, and fearless. She must become the embodiment of virtue, while all the malice that is contrary to it is deeply hidden in her heart, like locking a monster in a cage.

But now the cold, numb monster has finally gotten a chance... a chance to tear the cage apart!

A venomous resentment slashed through her pupils like a knife, blood seeping into her eyes. She seemed to hear countless voices whispering in her ear, reminding her that after leaving the Demon Gathering Land, Yellow Dog would never be with her again. He might stroll through the streets and alleys of Jiangnan City with Red Serpent, or drink and read with Black Wolf… They would kiss and hug, he would slip his hand inside Black Wolf's undergarments and undress Red Serpent, they would sleep together at night and do many, many shameful things… and none of this would concern you.

Even though he had made so many promises.

Even if you've already taken so many steps toward him.

Even though you're so sad you can't breathe, you don't even have the right to get angry, because you never had it, so you haven't lost it either.

But are you content to hide far away like a gutter rat, watching them live happily from a corner? You finally feel something, but you've already lost before even participating in the competition… Can you accept this ending?
I can't.

Why can he act like nothing happened, while I have to suffer alone?

The wounds of betrayal never heal!
I cannot accept this!
Overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions, Ying Rushi lost all reason. Her bloodshot eyes widened, and with a stomp of her Shadow Spider Boots, she transformed into a phantom and charged toward Yan Qing!
……

...

Guiding the Demons Camp.

In just one day, a wooden palace was built here. After all, there are many ancient trees in the surrounding mountains and forests. Hundreds of guards worked together and could move mountains and fill seas, let alone build a palace.
Ying Le reclined on the luxurious ivory bed in the palace, listening to the messenger's report. "Is the Prince of Lanling acting with Murong Hui and the bandaged man?" Ying Le nodded thoughtfully. "You may leave... By the way, your name is Xi Yan. Are you from the Xi family of Longshui?"

"Yes." The messenger bowed his head and said, "My father's name is Ying, and he is the sixth child in the family."

"Born out of wedlock? I've heard that Xi Ying's wife, Huo, is fiercely jealous. Your birth mother must have had a very difficult time, right?" Ying Le said with a smile, completely lacking any regal demeanor, just like a gossipy country woman from the village.

"The matriarch manages the inner quarters well and treats everyone equally, which inevitably makes her renowned," the messenger said calmly. "My mother, Zhao, was a maid in the Xi family and passed away eight years ago."

“A maidservant, not even a concubine.” Ying Le tapped the handle: “I will grant your birth mother, Zhao, an imperial title and allow her to sit in the family ancestral hall to enjoy incense offerings.”

The messenger pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice slightly choked: "This humble subject kneels to thank Your Majesty for your grace."

"Go."

Once the palace gates were closed, the lights illuminated the hall like a dazzling display. Ying Le lay on the bed, her legs crossed and swinging back and forth, her toenails painted red, appearing delicate and alluring in the candlelight.

“She actually dares to stay with other people…” Ying Le’s face flickered in the candlelight: “But this stench of hers must be tainted by gold… Has she never suffered any hardship in all this time? She’s really lucky.”

"You think everyone's like you, you beast!" A mouth emerged from her ankle, its tongue possessing murky eyes. "You even dared to kill your own father! The Ying family is doomed, Shenwu is doomed!"

"Shut up," Ying Le said coldly. "The culprit is Shenwu. And don't try to claim you're innocent. I haven't dared to investigate whether you murdered him back then all these years. I've already been very lenient with you."

"I didn't! It's clearly you who are driven mad by resentment and obsession, yet you dare to slander me, you rebellious daughter, you wicked girl!"

"Then why did you stop me from marrying Yuan Hong back then?" Ying Le said, "Why was Yuan Hong cremated so hastily after his death? It just so happened that I was heading south to Liang Kingdom. By the time I returned, everything would have settled down."

"It's a coincidence, an accident. Cremation is a family matter of the Yuan family, so why should I interfere?"

"Then why did you whip Su Di? Young man, you admire him, and I am so much older than him, it is only natural."

"You unfilial son! He's a beast too! Such a heinous act cannot be allowed to happen in the Ying family!"

"Why does Mother keep urging me to leave Nevernight every few days as soon as I come back?" Ying Le said, then shook her head and waved her hand: "Forget it, why say so much? You are just my illusion. Apart from my bias and prejudice, you know nothing."

Her long, slender, fair legs were ablaze with flames, but Ying Le seemed completely unaffected. She took out a cigarette from the pack beside her—a rare delicacy just brought from the Demon Gathering Land, which even Ying Le had to use sparingly, since no other secret realm produced it. She lit the cigarette over the flames on her legs, took a drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“The closer the relationship, the deeper the wounds,” Ying Le murmured. “It’s about yourself and others. Sometimes, all it takes is an impulse, a trigger, to step into a spiral of no return.”

"Although I'd love to see Xiaoru's pitiful state after she's fallen from grace, it would be very interesting, but... even though I hurt her so deeply, she doesn't hate me much, can she really hate others?"

……

...

The two swords simultaneously swung, unleashing steel-colored blade light that swept across a large area in front of Yan Qing, leaving him with no way to avoid it!
Just then, he was suddenly hugged from behind and fell backward. A figure wearing armor but still graceful blocked his way!
The nearby "Qiongqi" was also affected, losing a significant amount of its fur and scales, and its health was now at a critical level.

Yan Qing crashed to the ground, looking up to see Ying Rushi on top of him, clinging tightly to him. Ying Rushi let out a wailing sound, spitting out mouthfuls of blood onto his face. Her defensive barrier had shattered completely; two blades had nearly severed her at the waist, but her face showed no fear or pain. Her eyes gleamed with a strange light as she stared intently at Yan Qing.

(End of this chapter)