Scourge Messenger

Chapter 433 Understanding the Profound Mystery of Life and Death
As his thoughts became clearer and his body began to heat up, Yan Qing suddenly had a strong urge to set the world ablaze, to watch it burn and to hear the wails of demons in the flames.

This was not because Yan Qing suddenly awakened his inner masochism, but rather a result of the guidance of fate.

"The First Precept of the Foundation of the Way: A Gift: Liberation from the Avici Hell."

Yan Qing's trip freed him from the "River Dragon Li Jun," which perfectly aligns with the first restriction of the Four Phases of Heavenly Calamity Dao Foundation, allowing him to accumulate a large amount of Qi and thus gain Dao Foundation experience points. Previously, he had never understood why Foundation Establishment cultivators referred to the improvement of their cultivation as "accumulating Qi and luck," and it was only after he advanced several levels that he gradually came to understand the truth about Qi and luck.

In short, the so-called fortune is the vague perception of the milestone system when a Foundation Establishment True Person's Dao foundation grows.

Although Yan Qing always said that the locals were all Muggles, in essence, he, the locals and the game alt accounts were no different; they were all "real-world game characters." Therefore, the locals could naturally activate milestones, which is how people like Si Wuxie, who were successors of natural disasters, came to be.

In the mortal stage, the messenger wouldn't feel anything even if the milestone system was activated. But in the foundation building stage, the true person who has undergone the transformation of their body through tendon and marrow cleansing has almost 100% control over themselves. Every slight change can attract the attention of the foundation building true person. Coincidentally, the milestone system is basically 'piecework settlement', with each step forward resulting in a step forward. This feeling is as intuitive as a nurturing game for the foundation building true person.

Moreover, this perception is not isolated. As long as a Foundation Establishment True Person triggers a milestone increase each time, they can vaguely perceive all the milestones they have triggered.

Why did Yan Qing want to set fire? Because he triggered the 'Flame Dao Immortal Path' milestone and had a 1% chance of comprehending the Flame Dao realm. Even though he couldn't see any data, his intuition told him that studying the Flame Dao would bring him the greatest benefit, which manifested as a sudden urge to set fire.

It's not unreasonable for Foundation Establishment cultivators to call it "luck," because as long as they act according to their intuition, they are sure to reap rich rewards. This indescribable and elusive guidance, which can be described as divine favor, is perfectly aptly described as "luck."

Looking back now, the reason why Jie Huangchao bestowed the golden armor upon Rat Monk and others was probably not only related to the Dao Foundation Restriction, but also because he triggered a support-type milestone.

Master Suolong moved the treasure chest over, then turned to look at the rabbit girl who was groping around the corpse of 'Hunjianglong Li Jun', quite puzzled: "I heard that dogs have the ability to see ghosts and can see things that living people cannot. The little devil touches every corpse he encounters. Could it be that Dao Foundation has a similar effect?"

It's not strange to touch corpses. If necessary, Master Suolong would even skin and dismember the corpses and knock out their teeth—some demons' teeth can be used as medicine—but Bunny Girl always only touches corpses and doesn't take anything with her, which Master Suolong has long found strange.

“Yes, I see many children’s spirits around you,” the bunny girl said without turning her head. “They all say they are your destined children. I didn’t expect you to be so heartless as to remain a spinster for life and refuse to let them be born. They are urging you to find a man quickly.”

"Don't make your aunt laugh." Master Suolong said expressionlessly, "When I was young, I ate so well that I was surrounded by handsome men and beautiful servants as soon as I opened my eyes. It's just that mortals don't have the ability to have yin-yang intercourse with Foundation Establishment Masters."

"Really? Did you stick out your tongue the first time you kissed someone?"

"You can stick your tongue out when you kiss?" Suolong Zhenren asked curiously. Turning her head, she found that Yan Qing and Yaoshi Yuan were looking at her with strange eyes. Without blushing or skipping a beat, she added, "We were very simple and honest back then, unlike young people nowadays who are so dissolute."

The treasure chest contained True Spirit Jade, Heavenly Fiends and Earthly Fiends, a rare fourth-tier item, and repair tools. After quickly distributing them, Master Locking Dragon hurriedly left the secret realm.

"Now that today's battle is over," the pharmacist said, looking at Yan Qing, "since no one else is around, let your sister commit suicide?"

“Actually, we don’t need to keep an eye on it,” Yan Qing said.

The pharmacist shook his head: "No, it's safer for us to watch from the sidelines. Besides, if we're not feeling well, do you think your sister is feeling better?" While the older brother and sister were still discussing, the bunny girl had already drawn the "Horizontal Autumn Sword" and held it to her neck, waiting for their order. Yan Qing had no choice but to say: "Bunny girl, just kill yourself."

With a splatter, Bunny Girl deactivated her defensive barrier and slashed her own neck with a single sword stroke, precisely cutting through her throat but missing her spine. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering across the ground. In addition to her neck, Bunny Girl also severed the arteries in both hands. Then, she sat cross-legged in her own pool of blood, letting her life slip away rapidly.

This scene looks bloody, but it's actually the mildest way to die, because Yan Qing deliberately only shared [Calamity] and disabled the Bunny Girl's [Sigh] to stop her life regeneration. If it weren't for the Four Symbols of Calamity, she would have had to shred her heart with a sword or cut off her neck to commit suicide. Any other injuries would just be superficial wounds that could be quickly healed for a Foundation Establishment alt, and the scene would have been much more brutal.

Watching the Bunny Girl walk step by step toward death, even though she had seen it many times before, Yaoshi Yuan still couldn't help but feel nervous. Suddenly, someone next to her grabbed her hand. Yaoshi Yuan turned to look at Yan Qing, who tightened her grip slightly and gave her a reassuring look.

About three minutes later, the bunny girl suddenly shuddered, and a scene of time reversal unfolded before Yan Qing and the pharmacist's eyes—blood returned, wounds healed, and the bunny girl's pale lips instantly regained their rosy hue. When she stood up, she was once again a spirited young girl.

Yan Qing said, "I actually considered arranging a foundation for everyone to attain enlightenment through life and death, but I was limited by the available resources..."

Not only before, but even now, Yan Qing has been posting high-priced buy orders, but he still can't acquire the "Secret Record of the Netherworld" and the "Jade Talisman for Manipulating Creation". The drop rate of these rare Heavenly and Earthly Fiends is already low, and the production rate of treasure chests is even lower. Their uses are so wide, Yan Qing is lucky if he can even get a pair.

"I am very satisfied with the foundation of the Greedy Wolf and the Broken Army Dao, and the White Fox and the Red Serpent are also very satisfied with their Dao foundations." The Pharmacist shook his head: "Life and death are profound... If it weren't for your arrangement, I wouldn't have wanted my sister to choose this Dao foundation. This is not a Dao foundation that ordinary people can bear. If one's will is not firm, one will either lose all emotions and nature at best, or become insane and bloodthirsty at worst... Even I am not confident that I can persevere."

Yan Qing nodded in deep agreement, though he also felt a bit of lingering fear.

The Dao Foundation of Life and Death offers one chance to revive each day, and attributes increase with each death. It seems very appealing, and in the game, it's a top-tier, stable growth-oriented Dao Foundation. However, in reality, it might not be so.

There is great terror between life and death.

Putting aside the life-risking gameplay of deliberately sacrificing one's life in battle, the daily self-destruction for growth is torture that no normal person can endure, especially since Foundation Establishment cultivators have particularly strong vitality, which means that one must be ruthless to commit suicide.

Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator is just a person who feels pain and fear; they are not a god.

When too many people die, it's either because they don't care about their own lives, since death is commonplace, or they don't care about the lives of others, since no matter how others die, they can't possibly suffer more than they do. But more likely, it's a combination of both.

If a normal person chooses this path, they will either endure a hundred hardships to become a saint and transform into a shining savior, from which point even the greatest adversity will be nothing more than a few winds, frosts, hail, thunderstorms, tsunamis, and gales, or they will become psychologically abnormal and make the world feel their pain.

Putting everything else aside, if Yan Qing encounters a Foundation Establishment True Person who has reached the Dao Foundation stage of life and death in the future, he will definitely keep his distance, for fear that the other party might suddenly carry a bag of rice up several floors.

Now, Bunny Girl is basically tied to Pharmacist Wish's side. She requires Bunny Girl to be under her supervision every time she attempts suicide, just in case Bunny Girl suddenly says something like, "I've realized that the greatest truth in the world is killing. You kill me, I kill you. Killing is the only way."

Yan Qing was also happy to see this happen. Now, Yaoshi Yuan, Suolong Zhenren, and Tu Nuxia would basically run the Medicine King Valley Secret Realm every two days, and Tu Nuxia could pick up loot inside.

(End of this chapter)