Scourge Messenger

Chapter 374 Foundation Establishment Demon Core (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

There are four days left until the arrival of Nightless City.

Looking at the 'Reward for Good and Punishment for Evil' on the screen, Yan Qing thought that this was also a way to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills.

Yesterday, Yan Qing did not visit Xuanwu Lake Military Town.

After all, the Rat Monk is only a second-tier messenger, and he still needs to team up with others to conquer the second-tier dungeon. However, the strategy for conquering dungeons in Military Town has always prioritized safety over efficiency. Spending half a day only to attempt a second-tier dungeon once is a bit inefficient.

So Yan Qing logged into the Bunny Girl's account and requested to conquer the second-stage secret realm in Yanzi Military Town. The old man of the Bi family, Xi Zifeng, readily agreed. After all, secret realms are indeed rare resources, monopolized by various forces, with ordinary people not even qualified to enter; but they're also common in a way, since secret realms reset infinitely, and since they're just sitting there anyway, why not allow others to enter?

Xi Zifeng's only request was that if the secret realm was cleared, she would send people in to dismantle and harvest the resources inside, and the treasure chests would belong to the Rabbit Girl. She also asked the Rabbit Girl if she wanted to join the Baibao Army in the battle, and that the Baibao Army's salary and compensation would be provided by the Swallow Army, so the Rabbit Girl would not need to be responsible for it.

Yan Qing naturally rejected the proposal. He didn't care whether Xi Zifeng was testing him or not. In any case, the two third-level warriors, Rabbit Girl and Jiang Shi, were more than capable of fighting in the second-level secret realm. There was no need to involve Bai Bao's combat strength.

The second-stage secret realm in Yanzi Military Town is located below a cliff, named the Cliff Secret Realm. Inside is a secluded cave, where the main enemies are jackals, bats, and the Demon King Owl Bear. Yan Qing controls the Rabbit Girl, while Jiang Shi stands by and deals damage, also carrying eight 'granted' weapon tokens to help activate Bingzi Jiaolin's [Pillar of State] power.

Needless to say, the tokens and manuals in the harvest weren't any better than those from Xuanwu Lake Military Town, but they were easier to farm, and the Bunny Girl's [Rainstorm] ability made the fights incredibly satisfying. After farming several times, Yan Qing finally obtained the 'Reward and Punishment Order'.

This was the first time he had ever received this famous prop:

"Reward and Punishment Order: An essential item for entering the Divine Marquis's Mansion Secret Realm."

Thirty messengers carrying reward and punishment orders are required to open the Divine Marquis's Mansion secret realm.

Yan Qing tried to activate the Reward and Punishment Orders and found that he currently had twenty orders activated, and he was still ten orders short of opening the Divine Marquis's Mansion Secret Realm. However, Yan Qing heard that the last time the secret realm was opened was ten years ago. In ten years, he only had twenty orders. It would take fifteen years to gather enough people to open the secret realm, and at most six times in a hundred years. Moreover, the Divine Marquis's Mansion seemed to be a battle royale game where only one person could win. It was only natural that there were so few Foundation Establishment members.

However, the drop rate of the Reward and Punishment Token isn't that low. Keep in mind that Yan Qing obtained it from the second-tier dungeon, and the drop rate would be even higher in the third-tier dungeon. As a regular way for ordinary players to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills, it's estimated that every player should have several Reward and Punishment Tokens by the time they reach level 39.

As for the situation where local natives can only obtain it by opening treasure chests, this is clearly not within the scope of the official design. This gave Yan Qing a direction: it wasn't difficult for him to farm the Reward and Punishment Orders, and perhaps others could start with the Divine Marquis's Mansion for Foundation Establishment Pills, although it would take a lot of time and effort.

As Yan Qing pondered, he pushed open the door to attend the meeting and found that everyone had stopped pretending and was all without makeup—or perhaps not, he couldn’t tell—but Ying Rushi’s low mood was visibly palpable, and her whole appearance was ashen.

It wasn't until Yan Qing appeared that a glimmer of light appeared in Ying Rushi's eyes. She gestured for Yan Qing to sit down, then stood up and said, "I haven't brought good news."

“In the past two days, a major upheaval has occurred in Nevernight City. Ying Le’s Hundred Guards have launched attacks and massacres in various cities.” Ying said. “Although the scale, depth, and intensity far exceed the norm, this is not the first time Ying Le has acted recklessly.”

"The key point is that the operation of the Hundred Guards is commanded by three old generals," Ying Rushi said, emphasizing each word. "They are Duan Xiaoxian, Huli Ming, and Hou Gujing."

"What did you say?" The pharmacist looked incredulous. "You mean their descendants?"

"No, it's them." Ying Rushi shook his head: "The three great figures of Qi during the reign of Emperor Shenwu, Foundation Establishment generals who once followed Emperor Shenwu in conquering the world!"

"The Three Heavenly Kings were Emperor Shenwu's greatest help in establishing his rule over the world, and also his trusted ministers. Duan Xiaoxian was Empress Lou's nephew and was highly regarded by Emperor Shenwu from a young age. He was strict in military discipline and good at managing troops. The initial Hundred Guards were all made by Duan Xiaoxian. Although they did not have the support of the 'Heart of the People,' they were still the strongest army in the world. Huli Ming was the pride of the Huli family. He took the initiative to follow Emperor Shenwu when he was young and was later known as the Eagle-Falling Commander. He was unparalleled in the Central Plains for his archery skills. He was strict in managing troops and always took the lead. He was the number one cavalry under Emperor Shenwu and was invincible in battles. Hou Gujing was arrogant and brave. He only submitted to Emperor Shenwu. In his prime, he forcibly established his foundation and defended Henan for Emperor Shenwu, repelling Shao Liang." "They were the founding ministers of the State of Qi, the pillars of the State. Even if the State of Qi were to vanish into nothingness in the future, their names would still shine brightly in the history books, and they would be remembered in history alongside Emperor Shenwu."

The pharmacist lowered her eyelids slightly; she could sense the complex emotions swirling within Ying Rushi's heart, like turbulent currents at the bottom of the sea. Yesterday, Yan Qing said that Ying Rushi betrayed Ying Le for the sake of justice, and she had been somewhat skeptical. But now she believed it. Only someone who deeply loved their country could speak of these founding heroes in such a noble way, so noble that it would command the respect of the audience.

“Now they are Ying Le’s henchmen, killing for Ying Le and serving him faithfully,” Ying said. “We must consider the possibility of confronting them in the mission.”

“The three great rulers of Qi… I saw those names in history books at a private school…” Shang Xinlei muttered, “Is it possible that they’re too old to fight anymore?”

“Jie Huangchao, who is of the same generation as them, is in his prime,” Yan Qing said. “The blood and energy of a Foundation Establishment Messenger is at least a hundred times that of an ordinary person, so no matter how old they are, they still have the strength to fight.”

“If they stay near Nightless City, they will most likely be able to arrive in time once we start fighting Ying Le,” Ying said. “The most dangerous situation would be if we faced four Foundation Establishment Messengers at the same time.”

The Thieves' Hall fell silent for a moment. Four Foundation Establishment cultivators were enough to start a war to unify the Central Plains. They had all witnessed the power of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Back then, even a single trap set by Master Suolong had rendered them helpless. If Yan Qing hadn't issued the Return Order, they would all have perished in the Third Case—and that was with Master Suolong five hundred miles away.

Now, facing four Foundation Establishment cultivators, there's no room for maneuver; they have to fight head-on... Even the most confident and determined among them are somewhat bewildered at this moment.

Is this really a task we can accomplish?

While a thief's home might offer more freedom and adventure, being an ordinary messenger doesn't seem so bad either.

"Just wait for me."

After saying this, Yan Qing returned to his room. The three women looked at each other, and Shang Xinlei whispered, "Was he too nervous and went to pee?"

"He might want to drink to boost his energy and courage," the pharmacist said.

"If he needs to pee, he'll just say he's going to pee, and he might even ask if we want to go together," Ying complained.

“Hey x2…” Pharmacist Yuan and Shang Xinlei echoed each other while giving Ying Rushi a subtle look.

Ying Rushi's mind raced: "He often speaks so abruptly; I've been really annoyed with him these past few days—"

"So you've always been annoyed with me, huh?"

Yan Qing pushed open the door and came out, glancing sideways at Ying Rushi, but not bothering to argue with her, and placed the two boxes on the stone table.

"This is a legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, refined with my own blood and sweat." He pointed to the brocade jade box on the right: "I need to reach the third stage of completion before I can take it."

“This one is a Foundation Establishment Demon Pill, refined by demons.” He pointed to the box on the left and said, “Anyone who takes this Foundation Establishment Demon Pill can immediately establish their foundation and have unlimited control over supernatural powers, but the price is that their cultivation level will drop after one day.”

(End of this chapter)