Chapter 150: Chapter 150

「Blood Attendant is here!」

「He’s going after the Thunderstorm Messenger? She’s as strong as Boreuo!」

「She’s just a Second-Stage Messenger, not even carrying a Demon-Path Token—how could she compare to Boreuo? She’s not even one-tenth of him! Now that Blood Attendant is here, they’re dead for sure!」

The speaker was clearly one of Blood Attendant’s men, who barked sharply, 「Why haven’t you started sealing off the mountain path as planned? If any of them escape…」

In truth, the Demon-Path Messengers were already harboring thoughts of retreat. Their earlier loud cries were merely coordinated signaling, waiting for someone to take the lead—then the rest would immediately follow.

After all, winning brought them little benefit, but confronting the Thunderstorm Messenger directly meant real risk of death. Even the notorious Four Generals under the Blood Minister had lost—what chance did they have? All this for a few hundred Spirit Jade? Not worth dying over.

Unfortunately, Zhong Ji’s arrival shattered their silent consensus.

Shu Mountain belonged to the Three Guardians. As the Blood Minister’s younger brother and deputy, Third-Stage Messenger Zhong Ji was also a figure they dared not cross. Had they not seen how he had just twisted off the head of a rampaging General, as easily as killing a chicken?

Under Zhong Ji’s cold gaze, everyone returned to their tactical positions, sealing off the path and cutting off any escape. But their flickering eyes betrayed their readiness to flee at any moment.

It was the Four Generals that Zhong Ji truly entrusted with key tasks. With them spearheading the assault, this mob of ruffians could fully unleash their inherent brutality.

But things rarely go as planned.

Zhong Ji glanced at the headless corpse by his feet, its half-exposed cervical spine pale and foul.

He did not regret killing this loyal subordinate. Though blood frenzy could be cured, a lone remaining General was useless. Better to use his death as a warning to the rest. Besides...

He took a deep breath, the blood-scented mountain wind clearing his head. His Blood-Tempered Demon Claw, thirsting for blood, was already primed.

Just then, a cute little head peeked out from the cliff: 「You made me spend an extra seventy thousand Spirit Jade to buy the blade-and-sword manual. If you kneel and kowtow now, this Heroine might generously forgive you.」

Zhong Ji almost laughed out of rage. 「Hand over your Token, and I’ll let you leave the mountain.」

「I already gave you a chance. You're the one who didn’t cherish it,」 the little girl said lightly. 「But why should this Heroine fight you? I’ll just hide near Eternal Joy City. If your people come down, I’ll kill one for each I see. What can you do about me then?」

After many battles, and hearing the Demon-Path Messengers repeatedly express fear of the Thunderstorm Messenger, Yan Qing finally realized that the Bunny Heroine’s Second-Stage class had a massive edge in combat.

As long as she was paired with any Token that increased normal attack damage, the Thunderstorm Messenger could burst with power far beyond Second-Stage limits every thirty seconds. Without outstanding defensive Tokens, the target was almost guaranteed to die.

And that was even without Yan Qing going down the Bloodstained Asura path. If she had Asura Tokens that ignored defenses, even Third-Stage Messengers could be instantly killed by the Bunny Heroine.

In the game, the Thunderstorm Messenger had been unimpressive. Yan Qing had thought little of it at first—its “Thunderstorm Time” only triggered once every thirty seconds. In most fights, that meant it would only activate once, and with four to five demons per wave in Secret Realms, at best it could instantly kill one or two. The cooldown rendered it useless afterward. Efficiency-minded players had no interest in the class.

In PvP it was even worse: you might kill an enemy during Thunderstorm Time—but then it’s your turn to die.

But in reality, it was a different story. Being able to reliably one-shot a demon every thirty seconds—or instantly burst down other Messengers—that thirty seconds felt more like a death countdown for the enemy.

Yan Qing wasn’t bluffing. He truly planned to change his combat strategy.

Since he could spot red-name players from afar and had the means to instantly kill them, why bother engaging directly? Storming a city was thrilling, sure—but sneaky assassinations and clearing outposts through ambushes was also a legitimate RPG playstyle.

「You think Shu Mountain has no tracking specialists?」 Zhong Ji said coldly. 「You think you can escape?」

Despite his words, his eyes betrayed urgency.

Had he known she was a Thunderstorm Messenger… No, even if he’d known, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Once he confirmed the Legendary and Marvel-class glows from her Tokens, there was no way he’d let them go.

He didn’t even mention the Legendary Gauntlets when he called reinforcements—only said there were two outsiders carrying Marvel-class items.

If he could get those Legendary Gauntlets, his power would rival that of his eldest brother. Shu Mountain’s Three Guardians might become Four—and the surname Zhong would reign.

But if the girl decided to flee, who here could stop her? Especially with Thunderstorm Messenger’s power—these cowards wouldn’t dare block her. The longer it dragged on, the higher the chance word would spread about the Gauntlets. If another Guardian took notice… this might be his only shot in life. Zhong Ji could not afford to miss it!

「Don’t worry about those cowards. They’re scared stiff—they won’t move until a winner is clear.」 Zhong Ji sneered. 「Or are you cowards too? Afraid to face me two-on-one?」

The little girl glanced at the other Demon-Path Messengers, then at Zhong Ji, and snorted: 「Taunts don’t work on me. I’ll wipe you all out from the shadows—then everyone will know who lost face.」

「But I do believe in revenge from dawn to dusk. Since you’re so eager to die, this Heroine shall oblige. Don’t run.」

With that odd statement, she withdrew behind the cliff.

As confusion spread among the group, a sudden shout echoed from the cliff—then a massive boulder large enough to block the path came flying down!

Zhong Ji narrowly dodged, evading the crashing rock. He was about to taunt her, when he saw the little girl leap down from the cliff, her defensive aura flashing briefly.

The move stunned Zhong Ji and the other Demon-Path Messengers alike. Over ten in number, they formed a clear encirclement—this was tantamount to walking into a trap. Not even Zhong Ji had expected her to be this bold.

In that moment, not just Zhong Ji—every Demon-Path Messenger braced themselves like butchers at a feast.

Zhong Ji had always read people well. Just one opening, and Demon-Path Messengers would shift from cowards to bloodthirsty beasts… or perhaps both were their true nature.

Unlike the girl’s feather-light descent, Medicine Master Wen landed like a goddess of war. Her full suit of gear weighed dozens of pounds, and her landing stamped deep imprints into the mountain path. Under her coarse cloak gleamed silver armor, her Soul-Severing Spear’s Marvel-class glow unhidden, and her Third-Stage aura blazed like fire.

While Second-Stage Demon-Path Messengers could sometimes slay Third-Stage foes, there was a world of difference between regular Third-Stage Messengers and Army Town Third-Stagers—only the latter had access to the best Tokens. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel~fire~net

And Medicine Master Wen was clearly Army Town class!

They might kill her in a group—but with her strength, she could easily take a few of them with her.

「Good,」 said the little girl, ignoring the uproar behind her. Pointing her Seven-Star Sword at Zhong Ji, she said: 「Now you can’t run.」

Zhong Ji then noticed—the boulder wasn’t just aimed at him, it had blocked the upper path.

「Don’t worry about ganging up. You’re not worth breaking the rules for. This Heroine will finish you off alone.」 The Bunny Heroine said lazily. 「Got any last words?」

More like can’t gang up.

Zhong Ji glanced at Medicine Master Wen, now blocking the rear and facing off with the other Demon-Path Messengers. Of course, he had no intention of following any warrior’s code. If they’d trapped her, he’d gladly bully the weak—but now, with the rear sealed and hesitation in the ranks, even his own men’s jeers couldn’t stir the rest to action.

Useless—he’d have to handle the little girl himself!

At the same time, Zhong Ji felt a nameless fury rise. She hadn’t run. She even thought he would run.

How dare she underestimate him… Just like that arrogant Boreuo!

Very well. Let their blood dye the banner of House Zhong—soon to command all of Shu Mountain!

Flash! Zhong Ji charged with incredible speed, dragging shadows behind him, crossing the ground in an instant to reach the little girl. The Hundred-Refined Demon Claw on his fingers crackled like thunder, poised to strike her head, throat, eyes, forehead—every vital point within reach!

The Demon-Path Messengers widened their eyes. Skipping any warmup, Blood Attendant had launched his signature killing move: Blood-Shadow Kill!

Many Messengers had died before they even realized it, their final sound being the wind—carried by their own blood spraying through the air.

‘When you see Blood Attendant, your life is already in his hands.’

Such was the saying in Shu Mountain.

But the little girl was a monster too—she actually dodged the Blood-Shadow Kill head-on, and even countered mid-air!

Everyone held their breath. Most of the Demon-Path Messengers had never seen a Thunderstorm Messenger in action. Rumor had it she was invincible among equals, hailed as the greatest job of the Demon Path.

Could she really one-shot a Third-Stage Demon-Path Messenger while still Second-Stage?

Yet, just before her attack landed, Zhong Ji’s body suddenly froze midair. His barriers shattered in layers, as if time had halted—and then he retreated even faster, escaping her range.

「You can only use Thunderstorm once every thirty breaths, right?」 Zhong Ji sneered. 「Then that’s how long you’ve got left to breathe. Make the most of it.」