Calamity Messenger

Chapter 376 - 307: Want Some Food?

"Ignore Hunter Three and Hunter Five, directly shoot at the target!" the Yaksha Assassin shouted.

Before Yan Qing could gather his thoughts, he heard a loud roar and looked up to see a group of people fighting at the edge of the mire, their bodies covered with feces... yellow mud.

Do you really have to fight here?

Yan Qing was still a bit shaken. It was easy to stay seated when the stone chair ascended, but when it descended and lost gravity, his whole body went numb—without a safety bar or rope, the only thing he could hold onto were those two slippery half-round stone balls on the armrests, which were even smaller than a Pharmacist’s Wish!

Even if he used his full strength, he couldn’t leave finger marks on the stone balls, only relying on the slight friction to forcefully steady his body during the rapid descent. When it suddenly stopped halfway down, he nearly flew off, turning the experience into a bungee jump without a cord.

When the stone chair finally hit the ground, Yan Qing was soaked in sweat. Even the Golden Lock Trap of the True Man of Locking Dragon in his third mission wasn’t this thrilling. If he ever got the chance to go back in time, he would definitely find the designer of this drop tower and punish them until they surrendered.

As for why the crash of the stone chair splattered mud everywhere, that was clearly the true purpose of the drop tower: either the players jump off and get covered in mud, or they splatter others with mud—either way, it easily sparked dark duels.

Putting aside the disgusting imagery, as a spectator, watching a group of mud-covered people dueling might actually be quite entertaining.

But unexpectedly, this mud could dissolve defensive barriers, splashing on their faces directly. Luckily, Yan Qing didn’t rely on his Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror to jump down; otherwise, he would have mud oozing from all seven orifices.

Yan Qing quickly assessed the composition of the opposing teams: a group of archers wearing Yaksha Masks against a black-skinned woman with mud on her face. Not having the habit of meddling, he decided to sit back and watch the show with his legs crossed, despite the somewhat eye-watering smell. This stone chair offered a pretty good viewing spot.

Suddenly, a clean stone path rose from the mire, stretching from the stone chair to the edge of the mire. Yan Qing had been worrying about how to get out, as gathering the courage to step into a yellow mud swamp that might submerge him to his nose was a tall order, even for him.

But he wasn’t the only one who saw the path; the Yaksha Assassin also noticed and casually pointed, "Shoot him."

The Yaksha Assassin didn’t give Yan Qing much importance. Although he didn’t know Yan Qing’s strength, the only way out of the stone chair was this straight stone path, stepping into the mire meant certain death. With such a fixed route, the Barbaric Bull’s Eye had no reason to miss.

Killing the witness wasn’t about fearing information leakage; it was about preventing any unexpected escape for Murong Hui.

Two archers drew their bows and arrows at the command, aiming at Yan Qing. Yan Qing raised an eyebrow, took a good look at the large bows in their hands, and remained very relaxed, sitting still on the stone chair with a slight smile.

Seeing this, Murong Hui, who was chasing the archers, was momentarily stunned, and shouted, "Hey, are you too scared to move, fool?"

Zheng Zheng!

The Barbaric Bull’s Eye pierced the sky. Within less than thirty steps, the fine iron arrows almost turned into cannonballs, hitting Yan Qing in an instant!

Pop pop. Two fine iron arrows fell in front of Yan Qing without even causing a ripple on his defensive barrier. The Yaksha was stunned; it was normal for the Barbaric Bull’s Eye to be blocked, as a good defensive token could achieve that, but why was there not even the slightest sign of disturbance? And why were the arrowheads completely intact? If they hit a defensive barrier, the arrowheads should shatter!

If they had used a token attack, Yan Qing wouldn’t be so calm, but the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror is least afraid of locally made weapons.

As long as it’s not a physical damage caused by a token, for the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror, it’s immune at the rule level, even if the Barbaric Bull’s Eye could pierce the Golden Iron City Gate, it wouldn’t move Yan Qing one bit!

"I didn’t actually intend to interact with you all this time, nor do I want to get involved in your petty squabbles. Who knows what grudges you hold?" Yan Qing stood up from the stone chair, holding two Flame Pattern Seven-Star Swords in his hands, "But, since you’ve helped me make a choice, it saves me a lot of trouble... kill them."

Who is he talking to? Is there someone else here? The Yaksha Assassin was startled, a snake-like tongue extended from beneath his mask, instantly acquiring all heat source traces—this one is a demon, this one is a demon, this one is also a demon... except for the people around the stone pillar, there was no one else within a hundred yards, is he bluffing me?

Suddenly, a scream erupted behind, and when the Yaksha Assassin turned to look, he was shocked to see two previously stilled Skeleton Flying Dragons attacking the archer team! The Skeleton Flying Dragons were ferocious, shattering half of the archers’ barriers with just their claws!

"Why weren’t you careful!?" The usually calm Yaksha Assassin was bewildered, what kind of rookie teammates would provoke demons at this time?

"We didn’t, they suddenly attacked us!"

With the involvement of the two Dragon Attendants in the battle, the assassins’ tactical layout was completely disrupted, forcing them to fight on their own. At this point, the only one who could break the impasse was the Yaksha Assassin, the strongest among the seven assassins, who could change the course by dealing with the two Dragon Attendants first!

But a streak of sword light blocked his way.

Clang!

The Flame Pattern Seven-Star Sword was blocked by an eerie and sinister long blade, the Yaksha looked at Yan Qing, his voice devoid of sadness or joy: "If you had been sensible, you might have lived a little longer."

Yan Qing looked at the dense demonic qi on his long blade and raised an eyebrow, "Demon Dao? Do you have a title?"

"Thirty years ago, the Master of Joyful Forest, known as the unrivaled with the Magic Blade."

As soon as the battle began, the Yaksha Assassin realized that the opponent was far from ordinary.

His Magic Blade had a core ability that allowed him to significantly boost his qi blood during a fight, reaching a level where strength could break through finesse. Over the years, anyone who tried to resist the Magic Blade was utterly crushed along with their weapons! Yes, not just broken, but crushed—the weapons might have survived, but those holding them couldn’t withstand the overwhelming qi blood of his Magic Blade and were toppled by the tremendous force!

Yet the bandaged oddity before him could match him in strength!

His dual swords weren’t the most intricate the Yaksha Assassin had seen, but with qi blood far exceeding that of a Third-Turn, the Yaksha Assassin could find no flaw. He always kept one sword in defense and the other ready to strike, blocking his dual-handed swings with just one hand, then seizing the opportunity to lash out—indeed, using Shield and Sword Tactics with dual swords, but even more unpredictable, seamlessly shifting between offense and defense, not seeking victory but preventing loss. The Yaksha Assassin was momentarily at a loss.

After several exchanges, the Yaksha Assassin discovered that his Magic Blade hadn’t touched the opponent at all. Although he still had a chance if the fight continued—dual swords consumed stamina far more than a single blade, and if fatigue set in, that would be his moment to claim victory—but the Yaksha Assassin’s target wasn’t this mysterious stranger who had burst upon him, and after so much time, others should have dealt with the two Skeleton Flying Dragons.

"Someone, help me—"

Suddenly his back was struck, and his defensive barrier dropped by half in an instant.

The Yaksha Assassin glanced out of the corner of his eye and was shocked to find that all the archers behind him were dead, leaving a single Dragon Attendant attacking his back.

No, this can’t be!

The Skeleton Flying Dragons were only at a Second-Turn demon level. It was one thing if they couldn’t take them down, but to be defeated? Unbelievable!

Moreover, according to the intelligence from the Demon Gathering Land, even if these demons were triggered into an attack state, unless you proactively attacked, they wouldn’t see you as a target. Of course, you couldn’t avoid area damage, but demons wouldn’t specifically target you.

He clearly hadn’t touched the Skeleton Flying Dragons, so why had they attacked him? The archers said they hadn’t attacked the Skeleton Flying Dragons either; logically, they wouldn’t have kicked up dust in such a critical moment...

In a flash of insight, the Yaksha Assassin realized a possibility, his eyes widening in disbelief and terror as he stared at Yan Qing: "It’s you, it’s you!"

This bandaged freak had just unknowingly uttered a command—to kill them—and the Skeleton Flying Dragons attacked the archers. No one had ever accomplished such a feat, so the Yaksha Assassin never expected... someone could order the demons from the Demon Gathering Land!

How many more demons could he command?

Why could he command demons?

Who exactly was he!?

At this, the Yaksha Assassin no longer hesitated and turned to flee. Though failing the mission meant certain death, staying here was undeniably fatal. Murong Hui would remain in the Demon Gathering Land for days; he might still have a chance! Besides, the emergence of a person who could command demons in the Demon Gathering Land might be more valuable intelligence than Murong Hui himself!

But the Yaksha Assassin hadn’t taken more than two steps when his throat emitted gurgling sounds. He clutched the wound at his throat, trembling as he pulled out a Blood Replenishing Pill and shoved it in his mouth, but he couldn’t even swallow it down.

The defensive barrier was still present... his weapon wasn’t a Demonic Path Token... my injuries couldn’t heal... this is...!?

The Yaksha Assassin turned to look at Yan Qing, who was sheathing his sword, his eyes filled with yearning. He wanted to speak, to reveal who Yan Qing was, not wanting to take this secret to the Yellow Springs... but eventually, the blood in his throat ran dry.

Yan Qing ignored the Yaksha Assassin lying in a pool of blood, looking instead at the lone Dragon Attendant left. This newly summoned Dragon Attendant couldn’t be revived again, its attributes already increased by 100/100. After three rounds of "Return from Death" enhancements, the Dragon Attendant’s strength was comparable to a Third-Turn Demon King, so it was unsurprising the assassins couldn’t defeat it.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded from the side. Just as Yan Qing gripped his sword hilt, a highly elastic body hugged him.

"You can command demons? Incredible!"

Murong Hui excitedly shook Yan Qing: "I’m Murong Hui, granddaughter of Purple Tribulation Zhenren! You saved my life, and when we get out, I’ll protect you for life! How do you command demons? Can you tell me? I can pay you! Any amount you want, anything you desire, I can ask my ancestors for it! Please tell me, please!"

Seeing Murong Hui with a face full of smelly mud, and noticing the new clothes Shang Xinlei bought him stained with yellow mud, Yan Qing didn’t care that his defensive barrier was silently dissolved. He felt a strong dung-colored air rushing toward him, a powerful nausea rising in his throat, promptly bending over to vomit.

Murong Hui was startled, sniffed her own scent, and couldn’t help but retch too, vomiting messily all over the ground.

Yan Qing finished vomiting while she continued, never expecting such a small person to have eaten so much. Murong Hui noticed his gaze, hesitated a little, and shifted her foot slightly: "Do you want some?"