Scourge Messenger

Chapter 360 Haunted by Vengeful Spirits
At the same time that Murong Hui had a sudden whim, the assassin also released the 'bowstring' on a stone pillar 1,300 paces away from the Skeleton Script Plaza.

The assassin wore a gray-black tricorn hat, his scarf pulled up high enough to cover his nose, and a dirty long overcoat, revealing only a pair of deep-set eyes and a few strands of white hair. He leaned back, his right hand gripping an ebony spear, a material only found in fourth-tier secret realms, where even fine steel weapons couldn't leave a mark.

As his heart pounded like a war drum, every muscle in his body, from his feet to his waist, shoulders, and arms, felt like steel bars twisted to the extreme, oozing blood as if iron had been spewed out. The bones in his right arm were breaking inch by inch.

Yan Qing was right. To launch a Foundation Establishment-level attack with a third-stage cultivation level would come at an extremely heavy price: the cost of one's body, blood and energy, and lifespan!

Only by using life as the guide, the body as the bow, bones as the string, and qi and blood to draw the bow can one achieve the ultimate arrow!
The so-called Ultimate Path is the legendary third-tier job advancement for assassins: Ultimate Path Messenger. This is a highly secretive job advancement path that ordinary messengers could never access. Only the Imperial Court of the East Sea can cultivate such individuals. However, out of a hundred messengers who participate in the Ultimate Path, only about ten can successfully advance to the Ultimate Path, and at most only one can gain the favor of the Imperial Court and be granted a Foundation Building Pill to continue exploring the possibilities of the Ultimate Path.

Therefore, the assassin was lucky, as he at least successfully became a top-tier messenger. However, he was also unlucky, because compared to other messengers who were completely hopeless, the Royal Court gave him an unattainable hope, allowing him to complete tasks to accumulate merits to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills. Other messengers, even if they had merits, would not be qualified to exchange for them!

However, this mission was not issued by the Imperial Court. As the ruler of the East Sea, the Imperial Court is only responsible for mediating and controlling internal affairs of the East Sea; assassinations and other such operations are only carried out in the outer regions. Although Murong Hui is from the Central Plains, the surname Murong is not common, and the Murong family of Gusu in the East Sea is a very important noble family in the Imperial Court... Unless there is a conflict of interest, the Imperial Court will simply turn a blind eye to the Murong family from the Central Plains.

This mission was a clandestine job obtained by the assassin through secret channels, and it was unlikely to be aimed at the rising prodigy of the Central Plains. He vaguely realized that he had probably been drawn into the vortex of the struggle among the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, but since he was unwilling to be a mortal and was trying to walk the path between immortals and mortals, what did it matter if he faced hardships and dangers along the way? If it weren't for the ultimate path, he wouldn't even have the right to be used.

As a legendary class with three job advancements, the Ultimate Messenger possesses a unique and almost supernatural characteristic: 'Blood Burning'. It permanently burns its own life force, increasing its life force several times or even dozens of times in a short period. The more it burns, the greater the increase, easily reaching the level of a pseudo-Foundation Establishment cultivator!

In addition, the burned blood and qi can be restored through training. If used properly, it is equivalent to the combat power of a regular pseudo-Foundation Establishment cultivator!
This is why Yu Liuting attaches so much importance to the ultimate path of cultivation. If this is further deduced and combined with supernatural powers, it may be possible to defeat a seventh-level Immortal Lord by defeating a sixth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator!

However, 'Burning Blood' has a fatal flaw: messengers who haven't yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage simply cannot withstand such abundant blood and energy, instantly experiencing a boiling blood phenomenon, even their bones turning to glass. Yu Liuting, through special methods, identified those with the potential to be immune to boiling blood and then meticulously trained them. The assassin is the culmination of Yu Liuting's two hundred years of practice on the ultimate path; from his characteristics and tokens to his combat techniques, he has fully realized his potential!

No one in the world at the third level could withstand his ultimate arrow; even those at the Foundation Establishment stage had to avoid its edge… That should be how it should be.

Sixteen years ago, after achieving the third level of mastery, this was the first time the assassin had attacked the same target three times.

The first time, the bandaged man knocked away the ebony spear with unimaginable speed, and the assassin almost abandoned the mission on the spot. No one knew the speed of the Extreme Arrow better than him; it was a divine punishment comparable to lightning, and even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not be able to react if caught off guard... But later he discovered that the bandaged man's speed was usually quite ordinary, so it was probably not his true strength.

The second time, the ultimate arrow struck, and Murong Hui, trapped in the mud, had no chance to dodge, but was immediately healed by his healing power. Rationally speaking, the assassin knew that his mission had no chance of success, so what if he hit him? Murong Hui had a way to heal on the spot, unless he could fire repeatedly.

However, he is only immune to the boiling blood phenomenon. Once he fully unleashes the power of burning blood to fuel his life, half of his body will be destroyed by blood and qi far exceeding his own. If he were to recover normally, it would take several months to heal. In addition to blood-replenishing pills, he also needs to take the Heaven-Mending Powder produced by Yu Liu Ting to quickly heal his injuries by exhausting his life force. This is mortgaging his future for the sake of the present.

The assassin ultimately decided to stay and wait for his chance.

Is it because the price paid is too high that we have no choice but to continue the mission? Like a gambler who has lost everything and is making a desperate gamble.

Is it jealousy of the bandaged man? His Foundation Establishment Pill has already been upgraded to legendary level.

The assassin only understood why he hadn't given up the moment he 'shot' the ebony spear.

He didn't want to lose.

Born a fisherman's son, he barely managed to enter the Imperial Stream Court, but lacking any background or resources, he could only embark on the extreme path, receiving specialized training from the Imperial Stream Court. Despite excelling, he was still inferior to his most dazzling junior sister, wasting over a decade and remaining only a third-rank messenger. His life was one of resignation, accepting his birth, his poverty, his mediocrity, and finally… must he also accept his failure? For sixteen years, I traveled across the Northern Barbarians and Southern Yue, assassinating a total of 107 people, including many aristocratic prodigies and eldest sons of powerful clans. The Foundation Establishment Pill was certainly a source of motivation, but didn't eliminating these young people with better backgrounds, more resources, and higher talents also prove my victory? Birth, resources, talent—none of these determine victory or defeat, because only the one who survives to the end is the victor!
So, I must win!

What's the point of my life if I can't win?
Now is not the best time. The Hundred Guards have not yet officially engaged in battle with Murong Hui and the others. Murong Hui's token that can instantly heal is useless. The only weakness is that Murong Hui has separated from the bandaged man, which can ensure that the bandaged man cannot help her defend.

But from the beginning, there was no 'best time' for the assassination. If the windmill wasn't turning, he would become the wind that was turning it!
If he's not mistaken, this battle will likely last for quite some time. If he takes the time to recover, he might be able to throw a second, slightly weaker Extreme Arrow.

His right side was completely shattered, but his left side could still burn blood and save his life!

In a flash, Murong Hui only had time to duck behind the puppet. But it was pointless. The assassins saw clearly that their puppet was dying, and even needed their help to shield her from the rain of arrows. The ebony spear would pierce through the puppet and pin her to the ground! Once the heart was destroyed, even those with healing abilities might not be able to revive her!
Just then, the assassin felt a chill run down his spine, and a terrifying coldness emanated from behind him. He turned around and gave a bitter laugh.

A phantom, transparent demon appeared behind him, its expression terrifying, ferocious, and malevolent. But the assassin, accustomed to death, was no longer afraid of such superficial terror. What truly moved him was that, judging from its appearance, this demon was none other than the puppet that had just stood in front of Murong Hui.

The assassin offered no resistance; half his body was riddled with holes, resembling a tattered sack. This wasn't a weakness of the Extreme Arrow; with such a wide attack range and incredible speed, the Extreme Messenger could easily choose a completely safe location to unleash it. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't possibly cover such a long distance in an instant.

So, it was brilliant, truly brilliant.

To dare use myself as bait, plotting against me from the open and hiding in the shadows this time...

I lost.

……

...

Murong Hui raised his long sword high, the Buddhist inscription on the blade glowing with an orange flame-like light. On the left was engraved "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows," and on the right was engraved "Like dew and lightning, thus should you contemplate them." It was the Bingzi Jiaolin!

The moment the ebony spear struck him, Murong Hui immediately took out the Bingzi Pepper Grove that Yan Qing had given him and instantly recovered from all his injuries!
Yan Qing glanced at the stone pillar in the distance. He couldn't see anything with his eyesight, but the death proclamation of "The Wrongfully Dead Ghost" [Haunted by Vengeful Spirits] had clearly been triggered, dealing 5000 damage to the enemy who killed it. This was a value that a third-tier messenger could absolutely not withstand.

The reason he included "The Wrongfully Dead" in the starting lineup was to deal with the assassins. It was a last resort. Just as Murong Hui had perfected the Shadow Dance Messenger, the assassins had also pushed a particular strategy to its limits. They were both unbeatable at the same level, and unless they were locked in an octagon for a death match, they would definitely find a way to escape.

Only by leveraging the "victim's" ability to retaliate against the attacker can this problem be resolved decisively and completely.

Now, one of the three troubles has been resolved. Yan Qing looked at the wildly dancing, carefree demon and the hundred guards who were beginning to form an army formation, a slight smile playing on his lips. He raised his hand to look at his cards.

Now, it's time to solve the remaining two problems at the same time!

(End of this chapter)