Scourge Messenger

Chapter 446 An Upset
After the dealer reset the sand table, ten little men appeared at the prison starting point. They swiftly broke down the cells, killed all the guards, and looted a grand prize: the Heavenly Gang Whip Mountain Moving Stone Seal!
"A fantastic start! They even found Tiangang in the prison. This could easily be listed as one of the top ten luckiest moments on the Path to Immortality this year. It's a pity they didn't encounter the Xuanji Set." The dealer clicked his tongue and said, "It seems they're determined to fight their way up to the seventy or eighty steps, or even conquer the Path to Immortality in one fell swoop! Once they've made their decision, they'll make it. Let's wait and see how far these ten seekers can go!"

The Immortal Path Dice rolled the highest number, a "six." The ten-person team was teleported to the sixth square, which is a square of fortune and misfortune. Anything can happen, but if one thing is unfortunate, the next thing will definitely be fortunate.

In the previous Ascension Path, the two-person team triggered the [Fortune] square at the forty-sixth square and encountered a merchant who sold only rare and precious items. The two-person team used all their resources to buy five rare and precious tokens, and only then did they leave the Ascension Path satisfied.

However, this time the ten-person team triggered the [Calamity] grid. A cute cat wrapped in lightning appeared in their grid. Before the children could understand what was happening, they heard a miserable howl from outside.

"Thunder Wolf Beast!? What happened?"

"However, there is a 30% chance that a fourth-tier demon king will appear in the prison route, so it is not too rare."

"Damn it, this setup should have reached at least seventy bars! I was aiming for fifty bars or more!"

"You guys need to step up your game! Ten level 3 warriors should be able to kill one Thunder Wolf Beast, right? At least one or two should survive. I've bet everything on [Life]!"

Amidst the gamblers' shouts and curses, the Thunder Wolf Beast killed two of the little people as soon as it appeared. The remaining little people struggled for a few rounds, but four more were killed. The four remaining little people collapsed and fled in all directions, only to be hunted down and killed by the Thunder Wolf Beast one by one.

"It's a pity that this seeker encountered misfortune and fortune on the sixth step and was defeated. But it's not a complete loss to have taken the gamble. Please wait a moment, the next round of the path to immortality will begin soon!"

The children in the rest room stared pale-faced at the ten-person team that had been devoured by the Thunder Wolf Cat on the sand table. Some of them couldn't help but vomit. This time, it wasn't just anyone who had died, but the older brothers, sisters, and uncles who had been with them in the rest room just fifteen minutes ago. Their spirited entrance into the sand table was still vivid in their minds, and now, in such a short time, they were all dead, dying without any dignity.

They were like a bunch of mice that got eaten by a cat.

Not to mention them, the other adults in the rest room also looked very grim.

The ten-person team that had just embarked on the Path to Ascension was the strongest team this month, even including two top-ranked experts—the strongest lineup below Foundation Establishment. With a bit of luck, clearing the Path to Ascension wouldn't have been impossible. And yet, they were wiped out before even reaching the first crossroads?

"In that last round, the Immortal Palace, as the bookmaker, must have made a lot of money, right?" Tiger Vanguard suddenly said. "When everyone thinks it's a sure thing, a sudden upset can make countless gamblers bleed money."

Wei Qiu looked down at Hu Xianfeng, his squinting eyes slightly opened, his ever-present smile seemed to freeze, and countless veins bulged on his face.

"Child, do you believe that the Celestial Palace is manipulating the path to immortality and swindling money from its guests?" Wei Qiu said, each word distinct and his voice growing increasingly stern. "Are you questioning the impartiality of the Mysterious Blissful Immortal Lord?!"

A murderous aura filled the entire lounge. Standing next to Tiger Vanguard, Shen Qiuqiu felt as if she were being stared at by a ferocious beast. She was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, and tears welled up in her eyes. Tiger Vanguard pulled her behind him and looked at Wei Qiu with a calm expression: "If not, why would they encounter a certain death situation right from the start? A fourth-level demon king, no matter how many more levels there are, they cannot match him."

"This is one of the risks of the path to immortality." The speaker was not Wei Qiu, but another uncle: "They were unlucky. The probability of encountering a fourth-level demon king on the entire path to immortality is not high, at most one in ten."

He pointed to the huge dice above the sand table: "More importantly, most of the guests who bet on the Path to Immortality are Foundation Establishment True Persons. If the Immortal Palace manipulates the dice, how could they not find out? If they sense anything amiss, they certainly won't come to play. But the Path to Immortality is the most popular and fairest game in the Immortal Palace. Many guests come to the Immortal Palace just to watch the Path to Immortality betting game."

“I’ve seen many magicians perform. Magicians aren’t messengers, yet they can put on performances that even messengers can’t see through,” Tiger Vanguard said. “The key is controlling the audience’s attention.”

"Everyone is focused on the dice, but what about the random events in the sand table? Is the 'misfortune' in the 'fortune and misfortune grid' truly uncontrollable? There will be a 'fortune and misfortune grid' every ten moves in the sand table, which means there is a 90% probability that you will not reach the 'fortune and misfortune grid'."

“That’s right, ninety percent!” the uncle said immediately. “Leaving aside whether we can manipulate the fortune and misfortune grid, we have a ninety percent chance of not stepping on it!”

"But the problem is, the probability of not stepping on a Fortune/Misfortune grid in the first ten steps is 90%, but the probability of not stepping on one in steps eleven to twenty is 90% of that 90%. From twenty-one to thirty steps, it's 90% of 90% of 90%," Tiger Vanguard said. "The probability of completing the entire Ascension Path without stepping on a Fortune/Misfortune grid is less than 40%. Perhaps there have been cases before where someone was only one step away from passing the level, but then stepped on a Fortune/Misfortune grid and lost everything?" The uncle, seemingly remembering something, sat back down, his face turning pale.

"However, the Immortal Lord is extremely busy; how could he possibly manipulate the path to immortality for such a small sum of money?" Tiger Vanguard suddenly changed the subject, looking at Wei Qiu: "Right?"

Wei Qiu's smile had vanished, replaced by a grim expression as he stared at him. The other children dared not breathe heavily, shifting their feet away from them. Shen Qiuqiu wanted to leave too, but her legs were too weak to move. Only Mi Mian cautiously approached and tugged at Hu Xianfeng's sleeve. The only sound in the hall was the gurgling of food as Bai Zhou ate the suckling pig.

“If you survive, I will recommend you to Master Qianji.” Wei Qiu’s smile was like a spring breeze, making thousands of pear trees bloom overnight. “It has been a long time since I have met such an interesting lad as you.”

"Ning Sandao, it's your turn," Wei Qiu called out. The next participant was the uncle who had just defended the Path to Ascension. His eyes were filled with fear as he looked at the sand table. He tried to stand up several times but couldn't, stammering, "Wei, Manager Wei, can I—"

"Can I withdraw? Of course you can," Wei Qiu said calmly, "but I will report it to Master Qianji."

The man was covered in cold sweat.

“You’re traveling alone. If you’re afraid, just stop after twenty or thirty steps. With your strength, there’s nothing dangerous that can stop you in the first thirty steps,” Wei Qiu advised. “Didn’t you already know that the path to immortality is risky?”

The uncle felt that Wei Qiu's words made a lot of sense, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped onto the path to immortality.

Then, he accidentally stepped into the eighteenth step of the encounter, which happened to be one of the few battle squares in the sandbox where a fourth-tier demon would definitely spawn. Although it was only a fourth-tier demon, the third-tier messenger was not without a chance of defeating it, but the uncle seemed to have lost his composure, and within a few rounds, the demon broke through his defensive barrier and he died on the spot, which drew a chorus of curses from the gamblers outside.

"The next participant is—"

The door to the rest room was suddenly kicked open, and a waiter rushed in, shouting, "Manager Wei, Master Tianqin says it's time to prepare!"

"Tell the kitchen to send the cake tart over as quickly as possible," Wei Qiu replied, turning to look at the children, her smile seeming to have faded slightly.

"The next round of the Ascension Path is your turn. Who do you want to go first?"

If these children had harbored any illusions before, after witnessing the first two rounds of the Ascension Path, they all turned ashen-faced and shrank back, fearing they would be dragged out and forced to participate. Even though Wei Qiu said they could exit the Ascension Path after completing the first ten steps, it wasn't without risk. If they encountered any combat, they would all face certain death!
"I come."

"I!"

As everyone retreated, two sounds rang out from the rest area, coming from the opposite direction. Two children emerged: Tiger Vanguard, wearing a tiger-skin hat, and White Porridge, his mouth smeared with grease. The others breathed a sigh of relief; at least they wouldn't be the first to go.

Only Mi Mian and Shen Qiuqiu immediately grabbed Hu Xianfeng. Ever since Tianqin Zhenren captured Anlan, Hu Xianfeng had shown an extraordinary demeanor. He had not been at a disadvantage in his questioning with Wei Qiu. Although they did not quite understand what Hu Xianfeng was asking, they all felt that Hu Xianfeng seemed very powerful, so they naturally wanted to hold on to this lifeline.

"Little tiger, don't abandon me!"

"Me too, I want to come too!"

"Don't rush," Tiger Vanguard said to Wei Qiu after calming the two little girls. "Before we challenge the Path to Immortality, I want to ask you a question."

(End of this chapter)