Scourge Messenger

Chapter 358 Burning the Enemy to Ashes
On the ninth day since the opening of the Demon Gathering Land and the sixth day since Yan Qing's arrival, his Flesh and Blood Cage Bracelet already had six puppet slots, with the permanent puppets being "Qiongqi", "Bai Ze", "Six-Eared Macaque" and "Ascension Six-Eared Macaque".

Two Six-Eared Puppets mean that when Yan Qing uses a [Blood Sacrifice] card, it will trigger [The Law Is Not Passed on to the Six Ears] twice, causing the two monster puppets to devour random cards from their hand, nearly doubling their development speed.

In fact, Yan Qing also obtained several "Qiongqi", "Bai Ze" and "Six-Eared Macaque" cards. However, duplicate puppet cards would be counted first in the ascension progress. He had to have an ascension card first in order to activate the ordinary cards at the same time. Otherwise, if Yan Qing played three Six-Eared Macaque cards and used [Blood Sacrifice] once, he could devour them three times. That would be incredibly satisfying.

Two puppet slots remain unused, but his "monster devouring" strategy is quite unique. After traversing the Demon Gathering Lands for the past two days, slaying countless demons, he discovered that adding other monster cards besides the three core monsters—"Qiongqi," "Bai Ze," and "Six-Eared Macaque"—would actually hinder his development. After all, with "Double Strike" and "Heaven and Earth Unparalleled Blade," maximizing his gains requires allowing "Qiongqi" to devour as many cards as possible from his hand.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the Demon Gathering Grounds seem unusually quiet today.

Yan Qing and his group did not conceal their whereabouts and continued to develop by sweeping through the central area. However, the Hundred Guards were like hibernating venomous snakes, guarding the greatest gem of the Demon Gathering Land: the Hehua Zizai Tianzhen Demon.

I choose the battlefield, you choose the time.

As time passed past midnight, Yan Qing and Murong Hui simultaneously looked at Ying Rushi.

Ying Rushi didn't stay up all night last night. She switched shifts with Murong Hui in the middle of the night and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she closed her eyes. When Yan Qing shook her awake, he was stunned for a moment because her expression was tearful and full of a broken and lonely feeling, like the only unfortunate person who was not invited to the party. Yan Qing even thought that he had done something to wrong her—but he hadn't done it yet.

When asked if she had a nightmare, Ying rubbed her eyes and said she was just feeling unwell after waking up. But Yan Qing could judge other things by sight, but he was always right when it came to whether she was in a state of distress.

Ying Rushi might think that she was inscrutable and could even fool Ying Le, but that was because Ying Le had never seen her happy. Yan Qing had seen her happy, and even when she wasn't smiling, her hair would radiate a captivating glow, making her radiant and as if she were illuminating the world... So whenever she dimmed in Yan Qing's world, it meant that she was sad.

However, Ying Rushi was much easier to coax today than yesterday. As long as Yan Qing touched her hand or leg when Murong Hui looked away, Ying Rushi's mood would recover quickly, even too quickly. Before Yan Qing could even begin her arduous treatment, she would grab Yan Qing's hand tightly and say that she was fine.

Ying Ru stared blankly at the distant clock tower, then turned to look at them. Her face was still a little haggard, but her eyes were bright and lively: "I'm actually a little reluctant to leave."

"I can't bear to part with her either!" Murong Hui hugged Ying Rushi tightly. "Little fox, come back to Linya City with me. Ying Le won't dare to cause me any trouble! How can I live without you, little fox!"

Yan Qing also wanted to go over and hug her to express his homesickness, but when he saw Ying Rushi's ambiguous smile, he suddenly realized the deeper meaning of her words: after leaving the Demon Gathering Land, Yan Qing would be going on dates with Black Wolf and Red Serpent, and would no longer be her exclusive lecherous dog.

He quickly changed the subject: "Since you can leave now, how about..."

"If you dare to kick me out, I'll ignore you." Murong Hui stared intently at Yan Qing, making it clear that she wasn't joking.

Ying Rushi remained silent. She generally agreed with letting Murong Hui leave; in her heart, Murong Hui would always be the older sister who needed her care. Her gaze towards Yan Qing was gentle yet firm. As long as it didn't involve their love life, she was a teammate Yan Qing could rely on... Now, even if he didn't want to rely on her, he couldn't.

"What I mean is, although it's unlikely, if danger does arise, you have to take me with you when you escape, because I'm not very fast."

Yan Qing is not like Ying Rushi. He is not the kind of person who would carry the burden of mountains and seas to his death alone. Moreover, for him, what follows is not a life-or-death battle, but rather a happy time of finally crushing all enemies after a long farming game. He even hopes that the enemies will not die too quickly. After all, apart from them, Yan Qing can no longer find any other worthy opponents in the Demon Gathering Land to test his abilities.

Now, it is he who needs Ying Rushi and Murong Hui. If there are no witnesses to the final scene of conquering the Demon Gathering Land, wouldn't it be much less fun? At most, he can only dryly boast to the pharmacist about his heart-wrenching tears.

More importantly...

Yan Qing reached out and took the hands of Murong Hui and Ying Rushi respectively. Murong Hui blinked, her caramel-colored skin flushed slightly, like a chocolate liqueur in an advertisement. She actually became shy, even though she had done many bold things.

Ying Ru looked at their clasped hands, her heart surprisingly calm. She clearly knew that Murong Hui's blush was more moving than any confession, more intimate than any passion in her illusions. This was the biggest difference between illusion and reality: the rampant lust of illusion only evoked disgust, while a fleeting moment of attraction in reality brought blessings… though a touch of jealousy was inevitable.

"Let us," Yan Qing said with a smirk, looking at the True Demon with high spirits, "burn all our enemies to ashes together!"

……

...

In the Skeleton Documents Square, Ying Su sat on a makeshift high platform, overlooking the Baibao Army formation.

The surrounding terrain had drastically changed. Trench after trench had been dug into the ground, and all the houses had been dismantled and rebuilt into defensive fortifications. In the past two days, not only Yan Qing was racing against time to develop his forces, but the Hundred Guards were also trying their best to seize the opportune moment, the favorable terrain, and the support of the enemy. The support was self-evident; after Ying Le sent another 120 people in, the Hundred Guards of the Demon Gathering Land now numbered over 300. The increase in numbers not only boosted their overall combat strength but also brought about a qualitative leap in their magical abilities.

They made the most of their terrain. Within a hundred paces of the Baibao Army formation, there were no houses to provide cover. No matter which direction the attack came from, they would first have to endure a hundred paces of arrow rain. There were also cave traps along this route. If anyone accidentally stepped into a trap, they would be melted by hundreds of arrows before they could climb out. The arrowheads on their corpses would be heavier than their entire bodies.

Even if one were to break through the Baibao army's formation, what awaited them would be layers upon layers of defensive fortifications and trenches of varying depths, ensuring that no one entering for the first time would be able to discern the nature of the position. Conversely, the Baibao Imperial Guards, commanded by [Wan Zhong Xin], could calmly utilize the terrain to wage a protracted war, dragging the enemy into a quagmire and slowly bleeding them dry. Ying Su had used similar tactics in the Central Plains War ten years prior, commanding a detachment to hold the forest and fields, and relentlessly wearing down and defeating enemy elites ten or even a hundred times their size.

Those were his most glorious years. He followed the best sister in the world and deeply imprinted the illustrious name of the Ying family of Qi on the enemy territory. Even if he died on the spot, he would be willing to do so. Perhaps his sister would even shed a tear for him.

Having weathered dozens of bloody battles in positional warfare, Ying Su thought he could remain calm even when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But now, looking at this impeccably perfect battlefield, only one thought occupied his mind:
not enough.

When Ying Su was surrounded by 50,000 soldiers with no way out, he used a makeshift defensive position to toy with and bleed out an enemy force that outnumbered him a hundredfold, because no amount of eggs can break a stone. But can even the hardest stone withstand a hammer forged a thousand times?
However, Ying Su was more worried about something else. He turned to look at the skeletal document, which still only had two lines, but today the order had been reversed. The bandaged man at the bottom had been promoted to first place, and the reward had changed to—

"Legendary Foundation Building Pill - Monster Enhancement"

Legendary Foundation Building Pill!
Even though he had expected it, Ying Su still felt dizzy when he saw it.

Even if you fight to the death at the Divine Marquis's Mansion, you probably still won't get the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, right? Not to mention there's the bonus of being strengthened by monsters later on.

Ying Su thought he had lost the feeling of jealousy. After all, he had been constantly hurt by his sister, who was favored by heaven and earth, since childhood. Anyone in his shoes would clearly realize how unfair fate was, that everything was predestined and beyond human control. But when he saw the 'Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill', his heart still clenched painfully. It was as if he had seen the most lowly old man defile a high and mighty fairy.

No one knows better than him what the bandaged man has been doing these past few days. A few days ago, it was fine that they were chasing him, at least he had to run around. But these past two days, the Hundred Guards have retreated to the Bone Scroll Square, and the bandaged man has simply stopped acting. He's been wandering around and sweeping, attacking any demon teams he sees. No one knows what he's doing, but the rewards on the Bone Scroll keep getting higher and higher.

Forget about the danger, the bandaged man doesn't even need to move. Anyone who doesn't know better would think he's brought his wives and concubines to the Demon Gathering Land for a vacation.

Ying Su broke down; he really broke down.

He originally came to kill on his sister's orders. Ten years ago, he gradually became a butcher's knife indifferent to joy and sorrow, but now his heart is truly filled with murderous intent.

How could this be? This world shouldn't be like this! Even if you were born into a better family, I'd consider it an effort on your part, but how could you obtain a legendary Foundation Establishment Pill so easily? Even in "The Legend of the Primordial Immortal Venerable," it wasn't this outrageous. The Immortal Venerable at least cultivated spiritual herbs and refined Foundation Establishment Pills using a Primordial Treasure Bottle, but what's the difference between this and signing in at the Demon Gathering Land to receive one? If it were a rare or precious Foundation Establishment Pill, that would be one thing, but a legendary Foundation Establishment Pill… even my sister has never tasted one.

I really will kill you.

But Ying Su put himself in their shoes. Having obtained the legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, a normal person would want to leave the Demon Gathering Land as soon as possible, wait for the pill to be safely in their possession, and then establish their foundation. Even the biggest problems could be dealt with after that. Now it was the fifth day since Ying Ru entered the Demon Gathering Land; they could all leave, and there was no reason for them to stay.

He could only hope that the bandaged man had a reason to come to the Bone Scroll Plaza, such as needing to touch the Bone Scroll or kill a True Demon to obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill... But if the bandaged man didn't come, Ying Su could only stay in the Demon Gathering Land until the very last moment, and then go out to report to his sister that his family had gained an enemy who had taken a legendary Foundation Establishment Pill and reached the fourth level.

Just then, Ying Su suddenly turned his head to look behind him. Behind him was a true demon tens of feet tall, its huge body resembling a giant standing between heaven and earth. With the help of the reconnaissance token, Ying Su's gaze passed through the true demon and saw three figures and six demons approaching in the distance.

Do they think—

"Your soul is mine!"

The true demon let out a roar that shook the heavens and earth, and molten flames spewed from its eyes, mouth, and even the cracks in its body. It slowly turned around, and its right hand, thick enough to move mountains and fill seas, condensed into a ball of dark energy, as if creating a black sun.

A chill ran down Ying Su's spine, and shock and anger rose within him simultaneously—

You dare to confront the true demons without dealing with us first?
We're right here guarding this place, aren't you afraid of being attacked from both sides by us and the true demons?

How arrogant!

Since taking command of the Hundred Guards, Ying Su had never seen anyone so disrespectful of them; even Foundation Establishment cultivators had to treat them with utmost caution. But after the initial anger subsided, a sense of unease crept into Ying Su's heart: after days of indirect confrontation, he knew these three were no ordinary individuals; their choice could only mean one thing…

They are confident that they can solve all the problems together!
(End of this chapter)