Scourge Messenger

Chapter 460 Summoning and Gathering
The three immortal lords' expressions hardened as they were shocked to find that the scale of their profound imagery was growing larger and larger. Although they could control it, they could not withdraw it. Their immortal energy was rapidly draining away, like a wound that was constantly being bled out!
But they would rather be bled dry, because every second that passes, countless funds of theirs are vanishing into thin air!

The Lin family elder's expression shifted: "This is... the Weeping Daoist's killing move, the Great Compassion Ode of Yin and Yang in the Interplay of Heaven and Earth? You've actually come this far?!"

"Otherwise, why would I have talked to you for so long?" The Blissful Immortal Lord laughed, "Although the [Great Compassion Ode of Yin and Yang in the Interplay of Heaven and Earth] is powerful, it is too slow to activate. The reason why my first step was the Mysterious Dragon Locking Formation, which poses no threat to you, was to lure you into mobilizing your supernatural powers to protect you!"

"Don't waste your energy. After eight hundred years of management, I have already integrated the blessed land and the secret realm into one. The Great Compassion Mantra that I activate is of the same rank as my own divine power. Combined with the characteristics of the Great Compassion Mantra, you have absolutely no chance of escaping." The Blissful Immortal Lord said slowly, "From the moment you stepped into the Blissful Immortal Palace, I was invincible. It was just a matter of whether I won a small victory or a big victory."

"Even if you come together and use your life-saving powers to trap me, I can still turn the tide and win!"

No one refuted the Blissful Immortal Lord's arrogant words, for he truly had the right to do so. Even if there was some exaggeration in his words, the [Great Compassionate Ode of the Interplay of Heaven and Earth, Yin and Yang] was undeniable; it was the killing move of the fourth-stage Extreme Realm Demon King, [The Weeping Daoist].

Some might wonder why the Blissful Immortal Lord would use a fourth-level demon king's killing move as a trump card, given that a seventh-level mortal immortal could crush a fourth-level demon king with a mere breath. This is because demon kings' killing moves are almost always extremely difficult to counter, requiring only avoidance. Even a seventh-level mortal immortal cannot completely avoid them; the only recourse is to overwhelm the demon king with superior cultivation level, denying it any opportunity to attack. If the Blissful Immortal Lord truly possessed all of the Sorrowful Daoist's killing moves, then he would now be equivalent to a seventh-level, extreme-realm demon king!

Normally, it would take at least six seventh-level immortal lords to defeat a demon king at the seventh level of the extreme realm... But the demon king is an extremely rigid monster, while the Blissful Immortal Lord is a mortal immortal who has experienced eight hundred years of ups and downs! If he can freely use the Weeping Daoist's killing move, he can easily take on ten opponents at once!
In an instant, the situation was reversed!
The three immortal lords were sweating profusely, their bodies bursting with various radiant lights as they tried to break free from the shackles of the Great Compassion Mantra. However, none of them dared to be the first to attack the Blissful Immortal Lord—the Sorrowful Daoist had an instant-kill move!

"Zhou Wuchou".

Hua Yue, who had been silent all along, suddenly said in a low voice, "Although I also find Tiger Vanguard quite interesting, I assure you that he was not sent by the Imperial Court, and no one used any life-saving powers on you."

The Blissful Immortal Lord was taken aback. He hadn't expected Hua Yue to have such a long reaction time. He had already revealed so many of his trump cards, and Hua Yue was only now answering the question.

"Whether it is or not, it doesn't matter anymore. In any case, you will eventually try to take over my Paradise Palace."

"No, no, no, it's very important." Huayue said seriously, "You just said that I had anticipated my bet, but actually I didn't. I was prepared to lose."

The Blissful Immortal Lord frowned: "Are you trying to say that you are actually willing to compromise? Don't you think it's too late to reconcile now?"

Hua Yue still shook her head.

While everyone was somewhat confused, Huayue took out a coin from her bosom. The coin had different patterns on each side. "I was prepared that if I lost, I would gamble with you again, on heads or tails. Let's gamble, heads or tails?"

It's already a life-or-death struggle, so gambling on the battlefield is rather absurd. But the Blissful Immortal Lord happens to be a playful person. There are only wrong names, not wrong titles. "Yes, but you mustn't take it. Let it fall to the ground."

"Okay." Hua Yue smiled slightly, pressed her finger on the coin, and tossed it into the air. The coin landed on the ground, making a clattering sound. Before the coin even stopped falling, the face of the Blissful Immortal Lord had already turned ashen.

"Hua Yue, are you playing me?"

Both sides of the coin were blank, making it impossible to tell which side was on the front or back. At the moment of flipping the coin, Huayue smoothed it out with her finger!
“This is what the Imperial Court means,” Hua Yue said. “When I heard you talking about fate-based supernatural powers, scheming, and conspiracies, it all seemed very strange to me.”

“Zhou Wuchou, no, Xuanji Blissful Immortal Lord, I’m not mocking you, but when did you come to the misconception that the Imperial Court needs to plan carefully to deal with you?”

Hua Yue slowly rose to his feet. With each step he took, the entire banquet shook and the sky shattered. The space that the Blissful Immortal Lord had expanded to facilitate the Xuanji Dragon-Locking Array was being crushed bit by bit by him! His aura, as deep as an abyss and as imprisoned as a prison, filled the entire space. In everyone's eyes, Hua Yue unleashed black waves, and every drop of water splashed out by these waves was pitch-black lightning. At this moment, Hua Yue became incredibly tall, almost bursting the entire Blissful Immortal Palace!
"You are a frog in a well who has never undergone tribulation and has hidden yourself in a blessed land after ascending to immortality. How can you understand the great power of a tribulation-testing immortal lord?" Hua Yue said, each word distinct and her voice like thunder: "I don't need divine powers or their assistance. I, Hua Yue, alone am enough to suppress you!"

The Blissful Immortal Lord took a deep breath, his long black hair dancing wildly in the wind, his body trembling uncontrollably, but his pupils shone with an incomparably bright light: "Let me witness the wonders of the Three Tribulations Immortal Lord!"

By this time, the banquet had descended into chaos. The immortals were talking in complete disarray, much like humans arguing without regard for their surroundings, just as they wouldn't hide from cats and dogs. No one knew how a joyous birthday celebration had turned into a war between immortals, much like how mortals wouldn't be consulted before a natural disaster strikes.

They only knew one thing: run!
However, at this time, the Blissful Immortal Palace was shaking and collapsing everywhere. Apart from Foundation Establishment cultivators who had the ability to escape, most people could not even protect themselves!
The children could only huddle together in a corner, not even knowing which way the door was. Surrounded by many other ordinary people like them, the air was filled with cries, screams, and footsteps—it was as if the end of the world had arrived. Amidst the surging chaos, only Mi Mian, Bai Zhou, Shen Qiuqiu, and a few others still raised their heads, gazing at the scroll in the sky.

As the catalyst for the war, Tiger Vanguard has been forgotten by everyone, still remaining at the end of the Path to Ascension. Through the scroll, he seems to see Mi Mian and the others, nods gently to them, and opens his mouth to say a sentence.

"What is he saying?" Shen Qiuqiu asked, the scroll mute the sound.

"It seems like...they're planning to escape?" Mi Mian wasn't entirely sure.

"Who doesn't want to run? But how are we supposed to run now?" Shen Qiuqiu crouched down, clutching her head. "We're doomed..."

At this moment, several cornbreads were handed to the children, and surprisingly, plain porridge was taken out instead.

Mi Mian was astonished: "Grandma, you can share food?"

"Eat up, you'll have the energy to run when you're full!" Bai Zhou said earnestly.

"Why are you going crazy too?!" Shen Qiuqiu slapped Bai Zhou's hand away and shouted hysterically, "We can't escape! The Blissful Immortal Palace is definitely closed now. Even if we run to the gate, we can't get out—"

Boom!
Suddenly, a deafening, bell-like sound rang out, shaking everyone to the ground, including Hua Yue and the Blissful Immortal Lord.

"How... is this possible?" the Blissful Immortal Lord murmured.

Within the Blissful Palace, a phantom of a blessed land was slowly emerging, as if tearing off wallpaper to forcibly rip the blessed land out!
"Is this blessed land... being stripped away by the secret realm?"

At the same time, a grand voice resounded throughout the Blissful Palace:

"In ten seconds, everyone will exit the secret realm. Nine, eight, seven..."

...

Ten minutes ago.

At the Thieves' House, Yan Qing switched to Jiang Shi's account and fed Jiang Shi the newly acquired rare Foundation Establishment Pill, allowing him to quickly complete the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment.

With everything prepared, Yan Qing pushed open the door. "Are you ready?"

"no problem."

"We can set off anytime."

Shang Xinlei and Ying Rushi responded immediately, but only the pharmacist was willing to put on a mask and turn his head away, not even willing to give Yan Qing a glance.

Yan Qing returned to her room, transferred the "Conquest and Gathering Stone" to Jiang Shi, and clicked to use it.

"Please select the secret realm you wish to conquer: [Medicine King Valley], [Water Margin Liangshan]... [Paradise Palace]"

"Palace of Bliss"

"Challenge Difficulty: Extreme"

Number of participants: Maximum eight

Distribution method: Team leader picks up.

Challenge Level: 40~49

Please select the teammates you wish to invite:

"Yan Qing"

"The Medicine Buddha's Wish"

"Tears of a Merchant's Heart"

"It should be so."

"Three random teammates"

Please set the conditions for randomly recruiting teammates:

"Shieldbearer class, item level 480 or higher"

"Healing class, item level 480 or higher"

"Combat class, item level 480 or higher"

"The target dungeon is a fourth-tier dungeon with the highest difficulty, therefore all responders will be adjusted to the fourth-tier level."

"The target instance has been detected as operational."

"Detected that 'Extremely Sorrowful Daoist' has been dead for 29103 hours. The secret realm is determined to be in an abnormal state. Should we forcibly clear the secret realm and begin the conscription?"

Yan Qing's finger, hovering over the confirm button, trembled slightly. He was quite nervous at this crucial moment.

Once you press the button, there's no going back.

The path of natural disasters is a path of self-destruction, a path of destruction, a path of enmity with the world. Yan Qing never expected that the first person he would offend would be the Seventh Rank Immortal Lord.

Therefore, Yan Qing had been somewhat hesitant. If the Blissful Immortal Lord ultimately kept his promise and released Tiger Vanguard and the others, Yan Qing might shift his focus. There were so many fourth-tier limit secret realms in this world; surely one of them wouldn't belong to the Immortal Lord's faction.

However, with only a few days left until the Dao Proving Ceremony, Yan Qing didn't have much time to search for the next secret realm. More importantly, if the effect of summoning the Gathering Stone was as he expected, then no matter who the first victim was, the whole world would be in an uproar. Offending a Seventh-Rank Immortal Lord or a Fourth-Rank Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't make much difference.

"Why do you have to force me?" Yan Qing sighed and pressed the confirm button.

"The secret realm will be cleared in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

"Conscription begins."

At the same time, a message popped up in the minds of Yan Qing, Yao Shiyuan, Shang Xinlei, and Ying Rushi:
"Jiang Shi has summoned you to conquer the fourth-tier ultimate secret realm, [Palace of Bliss]. Do you accept?"

(End of this chapter)