Free Web NovelChapter 427: Chapter 357: Burn the Enemy to Ashes
The ninth day since the opening of Demon Gathering Land, the sixth day since Yan Qing’s arrival, his Flesh Cage Bracelet already has six puppet slots, with the permanent puppets being "Qiongqi," "Bai Ze," "Six-Eared Macaque," and "Ascended Six-Eared."
Two Six-Eared puppets mean that when Yan Qing uses a [Blood Sacrifice], it will trigger the effect of [Words Not Passed to Six Ears] twice, allowing two demon puppets to devour random hand cards, nearly doubling the growth speed.
In fact, Yan Qing has acquired multiple "Qiongqi," "Bai Ze," and "Six-Eared Macaque" cards. Unfortunately, duplicate puppet cards will prioritize the Ascension process, needing an Ascension card to simultaneously activate regular cards. Otherwise, if Yan Qing has three Six-Eared Macaque cards on the field and uses [Blood Sacrifice] once, that’s three devours — what kind of enjoyment would that be?
There are still two puppet slots idle, but his ’demon devouring flow’ is rather unique. In these two days of sweeping through the Demon Gathering Land, killing countless demons, he discovered that apart from the three core monsters "Qiongqi," "Bai Ze," and "Six-Eared Macaque," introducing other monster cards would actually hinder development. After all, with "Pair Entry" and "Heavenly and Earthly Unrivaled Blade," only maximizing the card consumption by "Qiongqi" can optimize benefits.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but today’s Demon Gathering Land seems especially quiet.
Yan Qing and his group have not concealed their presence, continually developing in the central area, but the Baibao Guards are like hibernating venomous snakes, guarding the largest Gem of the Demon Gathering Land: Heavenly Demon of Transfiguration and Freedom.
I choose the battlefield, you choose the time.
As the time passed 2:00 PM, Yan Qing and Murong Hui simultaneously looked at Ying Rushi.
Ying Rushi did not keep watch all night last night; she switched roles with Murong Hui in the middle of the night, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as she closed her eyes. When Yan Qing woke her up, he was stunned for a moment, as her expression was teary-eyed and fragile, filled with a sense of isolation, like a poor soul not invited to the party. It made Yan Qing feel as if he’d done something to wrong her — but he hadn’t done anything.
Asked if she had a nightmare, Ying Rushi rubbed her eyes and said she just wasn’t in a good state having just woke up, but Yan Qing is perceptive; in deciding whether she’s trapped in a sad state, he’s unfailingly accurate.
Ying Rushi might think she can hide her emotions, fool even Ying Le, but that’s because Ying Le has never seen her happy. Yan Qing has seen her in a happy moment, even if her face bore no smile, her strands of hair emitted a mesmerizing glow brightening the world... So whenever she dims within Yan Qing’s world, it means she’s unhappy.
But today, Ying Rushi was much easier to comfort than yesterday. As long as Yan Qing seized the moment Murong Hui looked away to touch her hand or her leg, Ying Rushi’s mood quickly recovered—perhaps too quickly. Even before Yan Qing could proceed with his compassionate healing, she held onto his hand resolutely, saying she was fine already.
Ying Rushi gazed blankly at the distant clock tower, turned to look at them, her complexion still slightly haggard, yet her eyes sparkled: "Strangely, I feel a bit reluctant to leave."
"I feel reluctant too!" Murong Hui hugged Ying Rushi tightly. "Little Fox, come back to Lin Ya City with me, Ying Le wouldn’t dare trouble me! What would I do without Little Fox!"
Yan Qing also wanted to go over and hug, to express his homesick feelings, but seeing Ying Rushi’s playful yet enigmatic expression, he suddenly realized the deeper meaning of her words: Leaving the Demon Gathering Land means Yan Qing would have to meet with Black Wolf and Red Snake, no longer being her exclusive loyal dog.
He quickly changed the subject: "Since you can leave, how about..."
"If you dare to send me away, I’ll ignore you." Murong Hui stared directly at Yan Qing, indicating she wasn’t joking.
Ying Rushi, on the other hand, didn’t speak; she mostly agreed to let Murong Hui leave. In her heart, Murong Hui was always like a sister she needed to care for. Her gaze toward Yan Qing was gentle and firm, not related to romantic life; she was a teammate Yan Qing could depend on—and now even if he doesn’t want to rely on her, it’s inevitable.
"I mean, not that it’s likely, but if danger really arises, you must take me with you when you escape; I’m not a fast runner."
Yan Qing isn’t Ying Rushi; he’s not someone who would shoulder the mountain and sea alone to death. Moreover, for him, the upcoming is not a life-and-death battle, but rather a blissful time after a long farming game, finally able to crush all enemies in one stroke. He even hopes the enemies don’t die too quickly, as aside from their group, Yan Qing can’t find any other valuable opponent to test his capabilities in the Demon Gathering Land.
Now he needs Ying Rushi and Murong Hui. How could the last scene of conquering the Demon Gathering Land go without witnesses? Upon returning, he could only brag dryly to Pharmacist’s Wish and Xinlei.
More importantly...
Yan Qing reached out and held Murong Hui and Ying Rushi’s hands. Murong Hui blinked, her caramel skin blushing softly, like the liquor chocolate in advertisements, surprisingly shy despite having done many bold things.
Ying Rushi watched the hands joined together, unexpectedly at peace, even aware that Murong Hui’s blush was more touching than any confession, more intimate than all passions in illusions. This is the greatest difference between fantasy and reality: fantasy’s lustfulness is gross, while a fleeting moment in reality makes one rejoice...although there’s inevitably a bit of jealousy.
"Let us," Yan Qing said, his mouth curving upward, looking at the True Demon, confident and spirited, "burn all enemies to ashes together!"
...
...
At Skeleton Document Square, Ying Su sat on a temporarily built high platform, overlooking the Baibao Guards Array.
The surrounding terrain has drastically changed; the ground is dug to form trenches, all houses demolished and reconstructed into fortifications. These days, not only has Yan Qing been racing against time for development, but also the Baibao Guards have been striving for favorable conditions in time, geography, and human factors.
There’s no need to mention human factors; after Ying Le sent another one hundred and twenty people, the Baibao Guards in the Demon Gathering Land have exceeded three hundred, and the increase in numbers not only enhances the total combat power but also changes the quality of Divine Techniques and Arts.
The terrain has been used to the extreme by them. Within a hundred paces of the Baibao Guards Array, there are no buildings to provide cover. No matter where one attacks from, they must first endure a hundred paces of arrow rain. This section of the road also has pitfall traps; if someone carelessly steps into a trap, they’ll be pierced by hundreds of arrows before they manage to climb out, with the arrowheads on their corpse weighing more than the person.
Even if one manages to break into the Baibao Guards Array, there will be layers of defense structures, trenches with varying depths, ensuring that anyone entering for the first time cannot fully comprehend the battlefield. In contrast, the Baibao Guards commanded by [Universal Mind] can comfortably utilize the terrain to engage in a tug-of-war, dragging enemies into the mire and bleeding them dry bit by bit. Ying Su once used a similar tactic during the Central Plains War ten years ago, commanding flank troops in Lin Ye and gradually wearing down enemy elites ten to even a hundred times stronger.
Those were his most glorious years, following the world’s finest sister, engraving the renowned name of the Ying Family deep into enemy lands in the Qi Kingdom. He would’ve willingly given his last breath on the battlefield, and perhaps his sister might shed a tear for him.
Having bathed in the blood and storms of dozens of battles, Ying Su once thought that even facing Foundation Establishment, he could remain calm as a lake. But now, looking at this perfect battlefield, only one thought lingers in his mind:
It’s still not enough.
Back then, surrounded by fifty thousand Mansion Soldiers with no escape by land or sky, Ying Su used a hastily constructed battlefield to toy with and bleed enemies a hundred times stronger, because no matter how many eggs there are, they can’t crack a stone. But can the hardest stone withstand countless blows from a hammer?
Compared, Ying Su is more worried about another point now. He turned and looked at the Skeleton Document, which still only had two lines, but today their order has changed. The Mummy Man has risen to the first position, and the reward has become—
"Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill · Monster Enhancement"
Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill!
Even though he had anticipated it, seeing it still left Ying Su dizzy.
Even fighting life and death in the Divine Marquis Mansion likely wouldn’t grant him such a pill. Not to mention the Monster Enhancement that comes with it.
Ying Su thought he had long ceased to feel envy, having been overshadowed by his sister all his life, realizing that fate is inherently unfair, and that destiny is beyond one’s control. But seeing the ’Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill’, his heart clenched fiercely, feeling akin to seeing the most humble old man stain the aloof Fairy.
No one understands better than him what the Mummy Man has been doing these days. A while ago, they chased after him, which was fine, at least keeping busy. But these past two days, the Baibao Guards have withdrawn to Skeleton Document Square, and the Mummy Man is openly strolling around, looting, and attacking demon teams he encounters. No one knows his exact purpose, but the rewards on the Skeleton Document keep upgrading.
It’s not about the danger; the Mummy Man doesn’t even need to lift a finger. Anyone unknowing might think he’s here with his wives on vacation at the Demon Gathering Land.
Ying Su was broken; he truly was.
Originally, he had come simply following his sister’s orders to kill. Over the past ten years, he has gradually become a cold, unfeeling butcher knife. But now, his heart was genuinely filled with the desire to kill.
How can this be? The world shouldn’t be like this. I could accept you as a hardworking person if you were born well, but how can you obtain the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill so easily? Even the ’Chronicles of the Primordial Immortal Venerable’ isn’t this absurd. After all, the Immortal Venerable cultivated Spirit Grass with the Innate Treasure Bottle to craft Foundation Establishment Pills, but you just loaf around and sign in at the Demon Gathering Land. If it were a rare or valuable Foundation Establishment Pill, that would be different. But a Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill... my sister hasn’t even tasted one.
I really need to kill you.
But Ying Su knew that after obtaining the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill, any reasonable person would want to leave the Demon Gathering Land, wait for the pill to safely arrive, and then establish their foundation. Any grievances can be settled post-Foundation Establishment. It’s now the fifth day since Ying Rushi entered the Demon Gathering Land; all of them have the means to leave, with no reason to stay.
He could only hope that the Mummy Man had reasons to come to Skeleton Document Square, like needing to touch the Skeleton Document or slay a True Demon to acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill. Yet if the Mummy Man doesn’t come, Ying Su can only wait in the Demon Gathering Land until the last moment, then report back to his sister that our family has gained a fourth-transition adversary who has consumed the Legendary Foundation Establishment Pill.
At this moment, Ying Su abruptly turned his head to look behind him. Behind him stood a towering True Demon, as large as a giant capable of touching the sky. Using his scouting token, Ying Su’s gaze pierced through this demon, spotting in the distance three approaching figures and six monster demons.
Do they intend to—
"Your soul is mine!"
The True Demon emitted a roar that echoed through the heavens, fiery magma-like flames pouring from its eyes, mouth, and even the cracks on its body. It slowly turned, its massive right hand conjuring a shadowy energy sphere, as if molding a black sun.
A chill pierced through the back of Ying Su’s skull, shock and anger simultaneously rising in his heart—
You’re actually tackling the True Demon without dealing with us first?
We’re right here in watch; are you not afraid of being pincered by us and the True Demon?
Such audacity!
Since commanding the Baibao Guards, Ying Su hadn’t seen anyone take them so lightly, not even the Foundation Establishment Zhenren cautiously approached them. But after his anger subsided, Ying Su couldn’t help feeling a tinge of unease: throughout these days of distant skirmishes, he understood that these three individuals were no ordinary talents. Their choice must mean only one possibility...
They are confident they can bring all trouble together and resolve it!
