Free Web NovelChapter 410: Chapter 340: A Thousand Charms
After a simple meal, they didn’t walk far before they encountered a team of Six Demon Fiends. As soon as they engaged in battle, they faced significant trouble: "White Fox’s" first attack did not kill the enemy!
This team of demon fiends was surprisingly all from the mechanical series of puppets!
The main characteristic of mechanical puppets lies in their extremely high Holy Shield armor rate. Although the Holy Shield can only be triggered once, it can withstand any damage, even if the "White Fox" with an attack power of over ten thousand kicks them, they can hold steady!
Failing to reduce the demon fiends immediately, Yan Qing and the others had to face the attacks of six demon fiends. Even if they actively blocked three of them, and the cannon fodder puppets summoned by Yan Qing blocked one, "White Fox" still had to be hit by the other two, and with the inflated attack power of the Third-Turn Demon Fiends, "White Fox" suffered at least two thousand points of damage.
"White Fox" had barely gained a little over two thousand in size, and with its already dangerously low health, it was now absolutely on the brink of death!
"Murong Hui, White Fox!" Yan Qing shouted as he summoned cannon fodder puppets to block the demon fiends.
"Understood!"
Murong Hui threw out the Lightning Battle Saber, slowing down the demon fiend in front of her. Her defensive barrier could withstand at most one attack, and then she could only rely on the Lightning Battle Saber to stall!
Ying Rushi activated the Shadow Spider Boots, taking three steps in two seconds, and slashing out a winding sword path with the Heaven-Swaying Sword, instantly evaporating the demon fiend’s health! Since "White Fox" needed to kill demon fiends in order to trigger its slaughter characteristic, Ying Rushi usually wouldn’t act unless Yan Qing gave a signal.
One of the six demon fiends was killed. Murong Hui, "Ascended Six Ears," and the cannon fodder held three, leaving Yan Qing to hold the other two because "White Fox" could inevitably kill the mechanical demon fiends without Holy Shield. Only he could shoulder this task, as the defense of the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror was enough to withstand two hits.
But just as "White Fox" killed the mechanical demon fiend, the mechanical demon fiend suddenly exploded with boundless thunder, which jumped and spread among the demon fiends. Except for Ying Rushi, who had no mechanical demon fiends nearby, everyone else, including the puppets, was paralyzed by the thunder, unable to move regardless of any defensive barriers in place, completely restricting their actions!
The deathly thunderstorm paralyzed the non-mechanical puppets nearby, causing them to stop moving for a round, while also detonating with other allied mechanical demon fiends!
Yan Qing had never encountered this kind of mechanical demon fiend and had no way to know its characteristics, but its tactical prowess was undeniable. Puppets in the Demon Gathering Land are generally a one-punch flow, with little difference between damage and life, often resulting in a fight to the death between opponents. In such an environment, restricting the enemy for one round to give one’s own side a chance for a lossless preemptive attack was enough to secure victory.
Thinking about it this way, having Holy Shield might actually be a weakening for this deathly mechanical. Without the Holy Shield, triggering the deathly ability in the first round would have led to "White Fox" being besieged and definitely dying within two rounds.
But now, he stood in front of the two Battle Blade Mechanisms, blocking the path to "White Fox."
Despite this, Yan Qing did not feel any tension, because as long as all the puppets were not dead, the demon fiends’ hatred would remain locked on the puppets. They would attack a messenger only under two conditions: the first is if the messenger attacks them and is within their attack range, they would retaliate, and the second is...
The Battle Blade Mechanism raised its gigantic battle blade, drawing a straight blade arc and sweeping towards Yan Qing, encompassing all the surrounding space!
Splash attack!
If the demon fiends used a splash attack, they would attack anything in front of them, whether puppet or messenger!
Yan Qing felt a tingle on his scalp; he assured himself he could block two attacks, provided he could parry one with his weapon! Relying on the defensive power of the "Hand of Melting Hundred Phases," he could at least weaken the damage by 20%, but now he had to take it head-on!
The only one who could move was Ying Rushi, and at the moment she witnessed this, her body and soul reunited, and she suddenly realized that what had been separated from her was not coldness and numbness, but a surging malice.
The so-called cold numbness was merely a disguise for malice, just as equanimity in the face of death was a mask for cowardice. Ying Rushi was always like this; she needed to lead by example to prove that the Ying Family Royal Bloodline was noble. Thus, she had to be noble, kind, righteous, and fearless. She had to become the embodiment of virtue, while all malicious intent had to be deeply buried in her heart, like monsters locked in cages.
But now, the cold and numb monster finally found an opportunity... a chance to tear apart the cage!
The malice cut across her pupils like a knife, and blood-colored shades infiltrated her eyes. She seemed to hear countless whispers in her ears, reminding her that once she left the Demon Gathering Land, Yellow Dog would no longer stay with her. He might stroll with Red Snake in the streets and alleys of Jiangnan City, or drink and read with Black Wolf... They would kiss, hug; he would slip his hand into Black Wolf’s underwear, untie Red Snake’s dress. They would do all sorts of intimate things at night... all of which would have nothing to do with you.
Even though he made so many promises.
Even though you have taken so many steps towards him.
Even though you are heartbroken to the point of breathlessness, you have no right to get angry because you never possessed, so you can’t lose.
But are you willing to hide away like a sewer rat, watching them live happily from the corner? Hardly falling in love once, yet lost before even entering the race... Can you accept this outcome?
I cannot.
Why should he be indifferent while I drown in sorrow?
The scars of betrayal never heal!
I cannot accept this!
The emotions raging like a flood overwhelmed Ying Rushi’s rationality. She opened her bloodshot eyes wide, kicked off with her Shadow Spider Boots, and transformed into a phantom rushing towards Yan Qing!
...
...
Demon Gathering Camp.
In just one day, a wooden palace was built here, thanks to the abundance of millennia-old trees in the surrounding forests. With the combined efforts of hundreds of Baibao Guards, they could move mountains and fill seas, let alone build a palace.
Ying Le lay reclined on the palace’s luxurious ivory bed, listening to the report from the messenger below.
"Did the Prince of Lanling act together with Murong Hui and the bandaged man?" Ying Le nodded thoughtfully. "Dismiss... By the way, you’re Xi Yan from the Longshui Xi Family?"
"Yes." The messenger lowered his head and said, "My father’s posthumous name is Ying, and I rank sixth in the family."
"Illegitimate? I’ve heard that Xi Ying’s wife of the Huo Clan is fierce and jealous. Your birth mother must have had a hard life, right?" Ying Le said with a playful smile, lacking any kingly dignity, resembling a village woman keen on gossip.
"The First Lady managed the inner chamber well and treated everyone equally, hence her formidable reputation." The messenger calmly said, "My birth mother, Zhao, was a maid in the Xi Family and passed away eight years ago."
"A maid, not even considered a concubine." Ying Le tapped the armrest, "I’ll grant your birth mother Zhao a posthumous title of nobility, allowing her entry into the Xi Family’s ancestral hall for incense and worship."
The messenger pressed his forehead to the ground, his voice slightly choked, "I kneel to thank Your Majesty for this grace."
"Go now."
Once the palace doors closed, the lights brightly illuminated the hall. Ying Le lay on the bed, her legs crossed and swinging, with red nail polish on her toenails, appearing vividly alluring under the candlelight.
"How dare she stay with someone else..." Ying Le’s face was shadowed by the flickering candlelight, "But she must have been stained with gold attributes... Could it be she hasn’t suffered even after all this time? What luck."
"Do you think everyone is like you, you fiend!" Her ankle manifested a mouth, the tongue inside bearing cloudy eyes, "Even dared to ruthlessly kill your own father! The misfortune of the Ying Family, Divine Martial’s misfortune!"
"Shut up." Ying Le coldly said, "The main culprit is Divine Martial. Also, don’t cry injustice; for so many years I didn’t dare investigate whether you framed him back then, I’ve already given you much face."
"I didn’t! It’s clearly your resentment that turned into a demon, yet you dare slander me, rebellious daughter, unfilial daughter!"
"Then why did you obstruct my marriage to Yuan Hong back then?" Ying Le said, "Why was Yuan Hong cremated hastily after his death? Just as I went south to the Liang Kingdom, everything was settled when I returned."
"A mere coincidence, cremation is a private affair of the Yuan Family, how could I interfere?"
"Then why did you whip Su Di? Youthful admiration is common, and I am so much older than him."
"Rebellious son, he is also a fiend! The Ying Family cannot have such unruly and immoral conduct!"
"Why, when I returned, did Mother keep urging me to leave Nocturnal Heaven?" Ying Le shook her head and waved her hand, "Never mind, why say so much, you’re just my hallucination anyway, apart from my obsessive echo, you know nothing."
Her slender, fair legs were engulfed in flames, but Ying Le seemed unaffected. She took a cigarette from the nearby box, a rare product brought from the Demon Gathering Land, a rarity even for Ying Le. She lit the cigarette with the flames on her legs, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"The closer the bond, the deeper the hurt," Ying Le murmured, "whether it’s towards oneself or others. Sometimes, all it takes is a single impulse, a single opportunity, to step into an irreversible spiral."
"Though I’d love to see Little Ruishi’s pitiful state after her fall—it would surely be interesting—however... even after I hurt her so deeply she doesn’t seem to hate me, can she really hate others?"
...
...
Two Battle Blade Mechanisms swung their blades simultaneously, cutting out steel-colored blade lights, sweeping across the vast area ahead, leaving Yan Qing with nowhere to escape!
At that moment, he was suddenly embraced from behind, his body falling backward, a figure still graceful in armor standing in front of him!
Not far away, "Qiongqi" was affected, shedding a large amount of fur and scales, already teetering on the brink of a candle in the wind.
Yan Qing crashed heavily to the ground, looking up to see Ying Rushi pressing down on him, tightly holding him. Ying Rushi let out a loud cry, spewing mouthfuls of bloody froth onto his face. Her defensive barrier was completely shattered, the two blade lights nearly cut her in half, yet her face showed no fear or pain, only a peculiar glow in her eyes as she stared intently at Yan Qing’s expression.
