Scourge Messenger

Chapter 364 With me here, no one can hurt you
"Qiongqi" has finally been defeated.

It was already a miracle that it managed to kill the True Demon of Freedom before it could, and it took almost all the damage from the True Demon's final lament of vengeful spirits. Even if it had held on until the very end, its life was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind. If Ying Su hadn't been so wary and hadn't fled with a single strike without being greedy, Qiongqi wouldn't have survived this long.

After all, while he could barely withstand the damage from other puppets through dodging, blocking, or deflecting, Qiongqi could instantly obliterate him if it even touched him. Even a single speck of Qiongqi's nearly 600,000 attack power was a mountain he couldn't contend with.

Unfortunately, Qiongqi only has numerical values, not mechanics. It can smash a house to pieces with one kick, but it can't stomp the ground and lift floorboards. Even according to its numerical values, a full-force attack from it could create a deep pit in an entire street, or even more. However, the only commands Yan Qing gave it were 'attack' and 'move'. It simply wouldn't execute tactical maneuvers like 'stomp the ground to create cracks to hinder enemies'.

This is only natural. Guiding Lands is essentially a numerical game of comparing the size of animals in a game of chess. If it could be precisely controlled, wouldn't it become a Holy Grail War MOBA game where you could control seven characters?

Ying Rushi was still unable to regain her mobility. The damage from [Heavenly Body] not only depleted her health but also likely left her in a state of severe weakness.

Yan Qing wasn't much better off. The epitaph had drained his life force, and he felt as if his legs were weak, as if he were walking on cotton, so light that he felt like he could be knocked over by the wind.

The seemingly minor 'weakness' penalty in the game is likely equivalent to losing several months or even years of life for a real-world messenger.

However, since Murong Hui was gone, Yan Qing only needed to carry Ying Rushi and run away. The "Wanderer's Rain Boots" were quite suitable for moving around in complex terrain, and for a time, they escaped unscathed. Although Ying Su was only of normal size, his moves were wide and sweeping, and when he fought, he was like a monster of the level of a mountain stone demon. Although Yan Qing could not withstand his attacks, it was not difficult for him to dodge by moving around in small areas.

As Yan Qing passed by an ordinary house, he suddenly kicked the wall and went inside. He raised his bracelet and used the last puppet card. Before rushing into the portal, he ordered the puppet to block the entrance!

Emerging from the portal, Yan Qing shoved his way through, glancing back at the True Demon Torch burning in the distance. He estimated he had traversed dozens of miles, arriving at the southern end of the Demon Gathering Land. If it weren't for Murong Hui, he would never have found these hidden portals, and he wondered how long the little brat had spent exploring the Demon Gathering Land to discover so many secrets. But surely she must have been filled with joy exploring the Demon Gathering Land alone? Or rather, Yan Qing couldn't imagine her being unhappy.

Yan Qing looked towards another road, towards the South Gate, not far from his current location. This was why Yan Qing had left the epitaph for Murong Hui; as long as they escaped the Demon Gathering Land, he and Ying Ru could immediately return to the Thieves' Den, without needing to fight Ying Su to the death!

Before Yan Qing could escape a hundred paces, a deafening roar erupted behind him, as if a colossal beast was charging towards him. Yan Qing dared not remain in the alleyways of the houses any longer; with too little space to dodge and no puppets to block his way, he could only jump onto the rooftops and glide across.

The Bloodflame Spear pierced out from under the roof. Ying Su seemed to have forged himself into the spear. Now that there was no threat from the puppets, he had nothing to fear!

boom!
Ying Su brushed past Yan Qing and flew out, crashing into the house. He saw that Yan Qing was still gliding and leaping on the roof, only that the defensive barrier was mostly broken. His eyes, which were filled with blood and tears, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

His attack was actually blocked!? Although it was extremely difficult, it was indeed blocked, and Yan Qing's defensive barrier did not break... This guy wasn't even knocked away!
Yan Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he was able to block it was not only because of the damage reduction from the Bodhisattva pendant and [Natural Calamity - Sigh], but more importantly, because the Mountain Heart Mirror happened to be immune to Ying Su's greatest additional damage: impact!

Aside from his spear, Ying Su himself was an extremely terrifying source of damage while moving at high speed. The reason Ying Rushi was pierced through by his spear was that she took all the damage head-on, so much so that even the [Heart Lock] chaining Yan Qing was ineffective. In terms of sheer numbers, Ying Su's damage was enough to evaporate all their shields.

But as long as there's even a slight difference in the mechanism, it makes all the difference.

Yan Qing couldn't dodge Ying Su's thrust, but he could still slightly shift his body. If it were just a glancing blow, Ying Su's spear wouldn't be enough to shatter his defensive barrier, and Ying Su's subsequent, even more terrifying, blunt force impact wouldn't even cause a ripple on the Mountain Breast Mirror!
As long as it's not physical damage caused by the token, the Mountain Heart Mirror is completely immune, and it's even unaffected by any kinetic energy!

"It'll work!" Yan Qing gripped the quarter-piece of True Spirit Jade tightly, quickly replenishing his spiritual power to repair the defensive barrier. They could leave the Demon Gathering Land like this!

But as time went on, Yan Qing gradually realized a terrifying possibility: Ying Su was weakening. His speed had slowed down, and his strength had diminished. Logically, this should be a good thing, indicating that his life was gradually coming to an end, and what was burning now was no longer a candle but candle wax... But the decline in strength and speed also meant that his control over himself was gradually returning to the level that a third-tier messenger should have!

Real-world messengers are different from game characters. Game characters can unleash their full power, but real-world messengers have limits to their skills. Exceeding those limits actually makes them weaker! Ying Su's power is adjusting, and when it drops to a critical point, that will be his strongest form!
Ying Rushi also realized that Yan Qing was finding it increasingly difficult to dodge. She hugged Yan Qing's neck tightly, rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her hand, and her long hair flew in the wind.

Suddenly, Ying Su ripped off the roof, sending dozens of tiles flying towards Yan Qing. With his strength restored, he even had the leeway to employ tactics. If he was merely a dagger manifested from Ying Le's divine power before, then he was now a true third-tier messenger who had truly internalized the divine power!

Yan Qing was not disturbed by the rubble, but the rubble shattered the spot where he was about to step. In that moment of carelessness, Ying Su had already followed him closely.

The Bloodflame Spear whipped up a chilling gust of wind, leaving Yan Qing nowhere to dodge. No matter where he jumped, Ying Su could easily catch him off guard and strike first.

Death had never seemed so close, and Yan Qing never imagined that the Demon Gathering Ground would become his final resting place. Wow, the situation had really taken a sharp turn for the worse.

But Yan Qing had no other emotions in her mind; she only wanted to run faster and farther. That's how games are: you only have the right to complain and give up the moment your base explodes. Any second before that could be the moment of reversal!
boom!
Yan Qing landed safely and discovered that Ying Su had gone in the opposite direction. This was the first time he had ever seen such a major mistake.

"Run!" Ying Rushi's voice was soft, but there was little panic in it. Yan Qing didn't miss this opportunity. In the blink of an eye, he had glided dozens of steps away. Even though Ying Su was faster than him, as long as Yan Qing could hold out until he reached the entrance of the Demon Gathering Land, victory would be theirs!
When Ying Su's second attack missed, he finally realized what was happening.

"A dream of wealth and glory on the pillow, reflecting the mortal world in my eyes." Ying Su murmured, "So that's how it is, no wonder... it can only be this way."

His face showed deep pity, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you really want to continue struggling?"

As the only surviving member of the royal family, Ying Su witnessed the entire process of Ying Le awakening his divine martial bloodline.

From initial joy to later fear, pain, rejection, denial, and numbness, Ying Su lay in a pool of blood several times watching Ying Le weep. Almost every bone in his body had been shattered by Ying Le, and the pain was so intense that he wished he could faint. The messenger's powerful vitality seemed to have become torture at this moment. But Ying Le, as the perpetrator, seemed to be in even more pain than him. Her alluring eyes were red and swollen from crying, and at one point she even shoved a dagger into his hand, hoping he could help her escape from endless torment.

Therefore, Ying Su felt responsible... If he had held onto the dagger instead of dropping it, perhaps it would have been a better outcome for everyone.

Unfortunately, it was all too late.

Even if he made the wrong choice, even if he faced a living hell, he would still walk forward with his head held high for his sister.

Yan Qing couldn't help but glance at Ying Ru Shi, only to find that her eyes had turned into a sea of ​​blood, her golden vertical pupils were eerie and majestic. When Yan Qing looked into her eyes, his attention was actually captivated by them. If Ying Ru Shi hadn't squeezed his collarbone a little harder, he would have been stunned on the spot.

Yan Qing was no stranger to such wondrous things, for he had just acquired an epitaph of the same rank, a power that mortals could not contend with!
Supernatural!
Ying Rushi actually possesses Foundation Establishment level supernatural powers!
Yan Qing was nearly exhausted after using the [Epitaph] just once. How much did he have to pay to be able to use his supernatural powers so easily multiple times while in such a weakened state?
"Keep running, don't look back." Ying Rushi hugged his neck tightly.

"With me here, no one can hurt you."

(End of this chapter)