Scourge Messenger

Chapter 379 Dragon Blood Eyebrow Dao Foundation
"Having just completed the Foundation Establishment stage, instead of quickly refining your Qi and nourishing your Dao foundation, you're going to conquer secret realms?"

Master Suolong asked in bewilderment, "Even if you possess limitless supernatural powers, can your vital energy, spirit, and fundamental Dao foundation withstand them? Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. In my opinion, you should stop abusing your supernatural powers. With your talent and abilities, even without limitless supernatural powers, your future is still limitless. Why be so eager for quick success?"

Yan Qing understood that Master Suolong was indeed giving this advice out of good intentions. In the worldview of the local messengers, great power inevitably comes with a heavy price, and even Foundation Establishment is no exception.

If it were an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, they might need several days to recover after unleashing [Rain of Torrents], let alone an Infinite Divine Power.
As for the infinite supernatural power that is limited to one day, it is of no importance to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even though a Foundation Establishment cultivator has a limited lifespan, there is still at least a hundred years to go, and the token can be obtained slowly over time.

Taking advantage of one's unlimited supernatural powers and abusing them is, in Master Suolong's view, like a groom taking potent drugs on his wedding day. The good day has just begun, yet he insists on draining himself dry in one night—how foolish!

"I, this heroine, have my own reasons for everything I do," said the Rabbit Heroine. "I'm here today to conquer the secret realm, not to listen to your nagging, old auntie. All I need is for you to take over the Medicine King Valley secret realm, and all the resources inside will be yours; or join me in conquering the secret realm, and we'll split the treasure chests fifty-fifty."

"What if I don't want to?" Master Suolong narrowed his eyes.

"This heroine can achieve her goal just as well," the bunny heroine said. "The secret realm is naturally formed and doesn't belong to any one family or clan. You may not be willing, but I can refuse to accept it!"

Yan Qing didn't intend to explain to Master Suolong that the Bunny Girl only had one day to reach the Foundation Establishment stage; he just needed to find a fourth-tier dungeon to grind. If Master Suolong wasn't even willing to do that, then he would really lose his temper; time was precious and couldn't be wasted.

He chose Suolong Zhenren for three reasons: first, because of her connection with Yaoshi Yuan, it would be easier to talk to her; second, Suolong Zhenren had saved them before, so they could cooperate; and third, Yan Qing wouldn't feel any moral burden if he got angry with her.

"Okay, but the girl has to promise me one thing." Master Suolong looked at the Pharmacist.

"What is it?" the pharmacist asked.

"If you go out with her and cause trouble in the future, don't let it be revealed that you are from the Pharmacist family." Master Suolong sighed helplessly: "The Pharmacist family is large and powerful, unlike the two of you who have no ties."

The secret realm is indeed naturally nurtured, but so are the mountains, forests, and fields. They too have been occupied by the imperial court, landlords, and powerful figures.

Mortal realms are monopolized by military garrisons, and the easily conquerable Foundation Establishment realms are similarly the domain of major powers. It's rare to see someone like Bunny Girl so openly trying to get a piece of the action. After all, newly established Foundation Establishment cultivators all have connections, families, and resources. Besides, the Central Plains isn't lacking in vacant fourth-tier realms; Liangshan Marsh and Shudao Mountain are two examples. Why bother clashing with established Foundation Establishment cultivators?
Some might wonder, since the resources in the secret realm are unlimited, what's wrong with letting others fight it? But you have to understand that it's not something that Foundation Establishment cultivators can accomplish in a day or two. If they're careful, it's not uncommon for it to take a month.

If it's only once, that's fine, but what if it has to be done two or three times?
If you play a lot and get used to it, and then someone else finds that dungeon the most efficient and comfortable to run, what do you do? If you kick them out at that point, you're not just offending them, you're making an enemy.

Therefore, there has always been a rule of conduct in the Central Plains Foundation Establishment stage: without the permission of the host family, you cannot attack the secret realms of other families, and others cannot force you to give up your secret realm.

The last Foundation Establishment cultivator as domineering as Bunny Girl was Si Wuxie. However, after Si Wuxie stole two fourth-level secret realms, he became the number one demonic cultivator in the Central Plains, and was chased around by the three founding emperors. In the end, he could only hide in the desolate mountains and rivers.

The reason Master Suolong agreed was because the Bunny Girl was as unrestrained as Si Wuxie; if she hadn't agreed, she would have really flipped the table. Originally, she thought that Yaoshiyuan and the Bunny Girl had a close relationship, and that losing the rare iron was no big deal; exchanging it for two Foundation Establishment cultivators for the future of the Zhou Kingdom was a worthwhile trade. However, now she was a little apprehensive—given the Bunny Girl's lawless nature, and Yaoshiyuan's ability to hide in a thief's den without fear of being found, these two sisters would likely cause chaos.

But she didn't intend to agree completely.

"Do you only want to fight in the fourth-tier dungeons?" Master Suolong asked. "If there were a fifth-tier dungeon that would be perfect for you to perform well, would you fight it?"

The bunny girl said, "I thought you would choose the Medicine King Valley Secret Realm, which you are most familiar with."

"Have you forgotten why I imprisoned you?" Master Suolong made no attempt to hide his wariness: "I'd be crazy to allow you into the Medicine King Valley secret realm."

"Actually, even those who inherit the legacy of natural disasters don't purify secret realms so easily..."

"I don't care, I'll only take you to other secret realms. If you insist on entering the Medicine King Valley secret realm, then I'll just stick with you today."

“Let’s go to the Fifth Rank Secret Realm,” the bunny girl said. “How long will it take? I only have one day, not much time to travel.”

"It will only take me an hour to get there," Master Suolong said with a subtle look in his eyes. "If you are willing to let me take you away in chains..."

"Of course I won't accept it."

Only a madman would hand himself over to the chains of Master Suolong. Yan Qing had tested it before; even Bingzi Jiaolin's [Overturning Heaven] technique couldn't break free. Once caught, he would truly become a fish on a chopping board.

The bunny girl took the pharmacist's hand and said, "Go on, we'll follow you."

"Girl, you're going too?"

"The Seven Killings Fate of Dragon and Snake Seven Kills can save me once," the Pharmacist said firmly. "Before activating the Seven Killings Fate, I will do everything in my power to seize this opportunity."

If it were before, Yaoshiyuan wouldn't have been in such a hurry. She was prepared to spend several years to reach the third stage of mastery. However, she was pressured by a mission and had Yan Qing ahead of her—the latter had a greater impact on Yaoshiyuan. She knew Yan Qing's level very well and never expected that he would master the master's skills in just six days.

She wasn't this jealous of Yan Qing's mastery of supernatural powers and acquisition of the Foundation Establishment Pill, but a master's skill... How could Yao Shiyuan, who had always been proud of her combat talent, accept being surpassed by Yan Qing in her most proficient field? Wouldn't she be defeated by Yan Qing if things continued to develop like this? Absolutely not!
The best way to hone one's skills is to take on challenges of a higher level. Now that there are Bunny Girl Warrior and Dragon Lock Master by one's side, this is undoubtedly the best opportunity to catch up. Pharmacist is not lacking in the courage to take risks!
The three left Yaoshi Mountain City and spent more than an hour arriving at a manor hidden in the mountains.

Most of the people in the manor were ordinary old people. The arrival of Master Suolong did not cause a commotion. Only the steward came out to lead the way.

“The fifth-level secret realm is not as precious as the fourth-level secret realm, and it is difficult to attack it frequently.” Master Suolong explained proactively: “Even I have not fully opened up this secret realm.” “It is a cave secret realm. The terrain inside is narrow, and there are flying demons. We have very little room to maneuver inside, but this is an advantage for you.”

Looking at the light blue vortex in the cave, Yan Qing thought to herself, "Aunt Yue, are you really blind? This is not a fifth-level secret realm at all."

"Chongming Cave"

"Background: Thirsty for fine wine and devouring demons, the Chongming Bird was originally a revered auspicious beast. When it was trying to escape the capture of the elders of the Tianhui Sect, it was severely injured. Its wounds were contaminated by the poison of the Mad Erosion Dragon and could not be healed. Its blood attracted the birds and beasts in the cave, causing them to also transform into Mad Erosion Beasts."

Challenge Level: 40~49 (Hard)

「Number of challengers: up to 8 people」

Objective: Kill the mutated beast 'Raging Devouring Phoenix'

This was the first time Yan Qing had ever seen a difficult secret realm. Difficulty meant that this secret realm would definitely produce precious tokens and the drop rate of various rare resources would be increased, but at the same time, the strength of the demons inside was also far beyond ordinary.

No wonder Master Suolong thought this was a fifth-tier dungeon. Local messengers can't see the system introduction, so they can only judge the difficulty of the dungeon by comparison. A dungeon this strong, far exceeding fourth-tier and comparable to fifth-tier, would naturally be considered a fifth-tier dungeon by them. In fact, this is even harder than a regular fifth-tier dungeon because each elite in the hard dungeon has a killer move mechanism, such as the Steel Death Sentence splitting death sentences. Without a complete messenger team, it's impossible to get through.

What? I've activated infinite supernatural powers? Oh well, that's alright then.

Before entering, Master Suolong reminded him: "You have just achieved Foundation Establishment. Don't you want to gather your fortune first? Even a little bit of fortune is like sweet dew to your foundation. If your foundation collapses and your fortune becomes obscured, don't blame me for not reminding you."

This isn't the first time Master Suolong has mentioned luck. Jie Julu mentioned something similar before. Yan Qing was completely baffled by it, since he hadn't played "The Messenger" and only had a superficial understanding of Foundation Establishment.

Now he opened the Bunny Girl character page, went to the [Taoist Foundation] page, and had a vague guess.

"Dragon Blood Eyebrow Dao Foundation"

"Basic Daoist Divine Power: Red Candle Tears"

"Landbed condition: 41% damaged (under minor wind erosion, -0.03% per hour)"

"Cultivation Foundation Level: 40 (Spiritual Essence = Divine Soul × 1)"

"Dao Foundation Inner Landscape - Dragon Blood Thrush Rank: Any creature of level not higher than yours and possessing dominant dragon blood will be suppressed by your rank; against dragon blood creatures, you can deal up to 41% additional damage, and have a maximum 41% chance to cause the target to panic. The [Candle Tears Red] divine power has a maximum 4.1% chance to cause a fatal effect (the higher the level of the dragon blood creature, the lower the effect)."

"The First Forbidden Technique of Dao Foundation: Dragon Reversal: "
It is advisable to kill dragon-blooded beings, dragon messengers, and dragon-shaped magical beings.

It is forbidden to travel with messengers of the imperial court.

"Second Forbidden Restriction of Dao Foundation: Dragon's Fury:"
It is advisable to refine the Earthly Fiend Demon-Slaying Knife, the Earthly Fiend Sword Technique Manual, and the Earthly Fiend Netherworld Communicator Record into tokens.

It is forbidden to incorporate the Earthly Fiend Wind-Riding Earrings, Earthly Fiend Cloud-Summoning Fan, and Earthly Fiend Water-Treading Ring into a keepsake.

"The Third Prohibition of the Foundation of the Way: Greed for Wealth:"
It is suitable to consume precious gemstones such as emerald green crystal, bloodstone, black claw diamond, emerald, and blue teardrop.

It is considered inappropriate to be without jewels on one's person.

"The Fourth Forbidden Precept of Dao Foundation: Candle Palace:"
It is advisable to use the [Red Candle Tears] supernatural power to create a dwelling and move in to rest.

Avoid being homeless (leaving your computer unattended in the wild for more than one hour).

"The Fifth Forbidden Restriction of Dao Foundation: Eating Dragons:"
It is advisable to consume dragon meat and dragon soul.

Do not consume other demonic creatures.

……

"The Twentieth Prohibition of Dao Foundation: Seeking Pleasure: "

Enjoy fine wine, delicious food, intoxicated by killing animals, and fully appreciate the scenery.

"Abstain from alcohol for one day and fast for one day."

(End of this chapter)