"Qiongqi" has finally fallen.

The fact that it could kill the Heavenly Demon of Transfiguration and Freedom was already a miracle. The final wailing of the True Demon almost dealt it maximum damage. Even if it hung on to the end, its life was like a candle flickering in the wind. If it weren’t for Ying Su being overly cautious, striking and retreating without overcommitting, Qiongqi wouldn’t have lasted this long.

After all, Ying Su could barely withstand attacks from other puppets by dodging, blocking, deflecting, and other techniques, but if Qiongqi so much as touched him, he would be blown to bits. With an attack power close to six hundred thousand, even the slightest dust would be an insurmountable mountain.

The pity is that Qiongqi had stats but no tactics. It could kick a house to pieces but couldn’t stomp the ground to lift the floor. According to its stats, a full-force attack could certainly create a deep pit in an entire street, and possibly even more. Yet Yan Qing only gave it the commands ’attack’ and ’move’. Sophisticated maneuvers like ’stomping the ground to create cracks and hinder enemies’ were beyond its capability.

It’s not surprising; at its core, the Demon Gathering Land is a numbers game akin to a beast-battle chess. If fine control were possible, it would turn into a Holy Grail War MOBA game where one could control seven characters.

Ying Rushi still couldn’t regain mobility. The damage calculation from the Heaven-Overturning Tyrant Body not only drained her blood but probably left her in a state of severe exhaustion.

Yan Qing wasn’t doing much better. The Tombstone Inscription had drained his vitality, making his legs feel like they were treading on air, ready to be blown over by the wind.

The in-game mild ’weakness’ penalty might mean losing a few months or even years of life for the real-world messenger.

However, without Murong Hui, Yan Qing only had to carry Ying Rushi to run away. The Ranger Rain Boots were quite suitable for maneuvering through complex terrains, allowing them to narrowly escape danger. Though Ying Su was of normal build, his moves were grand and sweeping, making him fight like a Mountain Stone Demon-level creature. Yan Qing couldn’t withstand his assault, but maneuvering in small areas to dodge wasn’t too difficult.

Passing by an unremarkable building, Yan Qing suddenly kicked through the wall. Lifting his wrist, he used his last puppet card, instructing the puppet to block the entrance before dashing into the Teleportation Gate!

Emerging from the Teleportation Gate, he charged out with his shoulder. Yan Qing looked back at the True Demon Torch burning in the air far away, estimating that he had traveled several dozen miles to reach the southern end of the Demon Gathering Land. If it weren’t for Murong Hui, he couldn’t have found these hidden teleportation gates. He wondered how much time that cunning cat spent in the Demon Gathering Land to discover so many secrets. He imagined she was filled with joy during those explorations—he couldn’t picture her being unhappy.

Yan Qing glanced down another path leading to the southern gate, not far from his current position. This is why he entrusted the Tombstone Inscription to Murong Hui: as long as they escaped the Demon Gathering Land, they could return to the Thief’s House immediately, without needing a deadly confrontation with Ying Su!

However, before Yan Qing could escape more than a hundred steps, a thunderous noise erupted behind him, like a colossal beast charging at full speed. Yan Qing dared not remain in the alley; the dodging space was too confined, and without a puppet to block, he could only jump onto the roof and slide away.

The Blood Flame Long Spear pierced through the roof below. Ying Su seemed to have forged himself into a long spear, and without the threat of puppets, he was without restraint!

Boom!

Ying Su flew past Yan Qing, crashing into a building. He saw Yan Qing still sliding and leaping across rooftops, his defensive barrier only partially shattered. His blood-soaked eyes showed a hint of surprise.

His attack had actually been blocked!? Although barely, it had been held back, and Yan Qing’s defensive barrier wasn’t completely broken... this guy wasn’t even knocked off!

Yan Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The reason he could block it was not only due to the damage reduction from the Bodhisattva Pendant and the Cataclysmic Sigh but, more importantly, the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror happened to negate Ying Su’s largest additional damage: the impact!

In addition to his spear, Ying Su himself was an extremely terrifying source of damage while moving at high speed. The reason Ying Rushi was impaled by his spear was that she took all the damage head-on, rendering the Unity Lock connecting her to Yan Qing useless. In pure stat comparison, Ying Su’s damage was enough to evaporate all their shields.

But with a little mechanism, it was different.

Yan Qing couldn’t avoid Ying Su’s thrust, but he could adjust his body slightly. Just by grazing it, Ying Su’s spear wasn’t enough to shatter his defensive barrier. Meanwhile, Ying Su’s subsequent, even more terrifying ’blunt impact’ crash couldn’t stir a single ripple on the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror!

As long as the damage didn’t come from a token, the Mountain Heart-Protecting Mirror could completely negate it, even being unaffected by any kinetic impact!

This could work! Yan Qing tightly gripped the quarter of the True Spiritual Jade in his hand, swiftly restoring his Spiritual Power to repair his defensive barrier. They could leave the Demon Gathering Land like this!

But as time passed, Yan Qing gradually realized a terrifying possibility: Ying Su was weakening.

His speed was slowing, and his strength was diminishing. Generally, this should be a good sign, suggesting his life was nearing its end, and what was burning now wasn’t just a candle, but Candle Tears... but his declining strength and speed also meant that his control was gradually returning to the typical level of a Third-Turn Messenger!

Real-world messengers aren’t like game characters, who can unleash their full power effortlessly. Real-world messengers face limitations in skill, and surpassing these limits can make them increasingly weaker! Ying Su’s power was recalibrating; when it dropped to a critical point, that would be his strongest state!

Ying Rushi also noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult for Yan Qing to dodge. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, her long hair fluttering in the wind.

Suddenly, Ying Su flipped the roof, sending dozens of tiles flying toward Yan Qing. After recalibrating his strength, he even had the leisure to employ tactics. If he had been a sharp dagger embodying Ying Le’s divine techniques, now he truly wielded those techniques as a Third-Turn Messenger!

Yan Qing wasn’t hindered by the tiles, but they shattered the spot where he was about to land. Just this moment of negligence allowed Ying Su to close in, shadowing him like a specter.

The Blood Flame Long Spear whipped up a murderous gale, leaving Yan Qing with no escape. No matter where he leaped, Ying Su could effortlessly intercept and strike first.

Death had never felt so close. Yan Qing never thought the Demon Gathering Land would become his burial ground. Wow, the situation took a sharp turn downhill.

Yet, Yan Qing had no room for extra emotions, focusing solely on running faster and farther. Playing games is like that; only when the base blows up do you have the right to complain and give up. In any second before that, there might be a chance for a turnaround!

Boom!

Yan Qing landed safely, noticing Ying Su stabbing in a completely wrong direction. It was the first time he’d seen such a major blunder.

"Quick, keep running," Ying Rushi’s voice was soft but calm. Yan Qing didn’t miss this opportunity, sliding dozens of steps away in a blink. Although Ying Su was faster, as long as Yan Qing persisted until the Demon Gathering Land’s entrance, he’d win!

When Ying Su’s second attack missed, he finally realized what was happening.

"A dream of a bountiful harvest, reflected through the Red Dust Eye," Ying Su murmured. "I see, no wonder... it could only be this way."

A deep compassion showed on his face, his raspy voice questioning, "Do you still want to continue struggling?"

As the sole surviving royal family member, Ying Su had witnessed Ying Le’s full awakening of Divine Martial Bloodline.

From initial joy, through subsequent fear, agony, rejection, denial, to numbness—on multiple occasions, Ying Su lay in a pool of blood, watching Ying Le weep. Most of his bones were shattered by her, the pain so intense he wished for unconsciousness. The messenger’s strong vitality felt like a punishment. However, Ying Le, the perpetrator, appeared even more tormented, her alluring eyes swollen from crying. Once, she even handed him a dagger, hoping he could free her from endless torment.

That’s why Ying Su felt responsible... if he had gripped the dagger instead of discarding it, perhaps that would have been the best ending for everyone.

Alas, it was too late for all of that.

But even if he had chosen wrong, even if faced with purgatory, he would walk forward with head held high for his sister.

Yan Qing couldn’t help but glance at Ying Rushi, realizing her eyes had transformed into a sea of blood, the golden vertical pupils both eerie and majestic. When he locked eyes with her, he found himself entranced, almost freezing if not for her lightly pinching his collarbone.

Such wondrous power wasn’t unfamiliar to Yan Qing, having just acquired the same rank’s Tombstone Inscription. It was a might unmatched by mortals!

Divine Techniques!

Ying Rushi possessed a Foundation Establishment-level Divine Technique!

But while Yan Qing was nearly drained after using Tombstone Inscription once, what price did Ying Rushi have to pay to effortlessly unleash Divine Techniques multiple times in such a weakened state?

"Keep running, don’t look back." Ying Rushi held his neck tightly.

"With me here, no one can hurt you."