novelraw Chapter 171: Got It
Chapter 171: Got It
The Bunny Heroine sat cross-legged on the ground, repairing the Seven-Step Buddha Recitation.
These past few days, the "Cangjian Villa Toolkit" in the warehouse had been consumed like water. Even if Yan Qing had the money to buy more, Great Qi wasn’t capable of infinite supply. Thankfully, before heading up the mountain, they had purchased plenty of Medicine Master's Gel to handle basic repairs. Even if they ran out of toolkits, just relying on the gel could sustain them for a while.
The disadvantages of material shortages and the monopoly by the various noble families showed in every aspect. In the game, maintaining a token cost just a little player energy, but in this world, it had become a major problem that every Messenger had to take seriously.
No wonder Emperor Taizu of Liang once used up the Hands of Hundredfold Refinement explosively—it was likely he had run out of repair items after continuous battles, but with enemies pressing in, could he afford not to use his tokens? Even Foundation Messengers had to fight with all their strength to survive.
And this was only maintenance during the mortal phase. After Foundation, it would likely become even more troublesome beyond imagination.
While the Bunny Heroine maintained her weapon, the others weren’t idle—they were all focusing on recovering from their injuries. Boreuo had over a dozen terrifying wounds, but he seemed to possess a healing token, so he healed up fairly quickly, only adding more scars to his body.
Beiyou had seven or eight wounds, mostly on his arms. He seemed used to using his arms as shields to absorb damage, so it didn’t affect his mobility or combat ability.
The worst off was the Blood Minister. He had only three gashes on his chest, but each one was deep enough to expose bone, with flesh torn apart. Even after taking Healing Pills, it barely stopped the bleeding. Sweat dripped from his sinister face in large beads—he clearly hadn’t suffered such serious wounds in a long time.
"Can you uncles still hold on?" the Bunny Heroine asked. "Want me to give you a few days off?"
There was no mockery or ridicule in her voice, because in the three recent battles, the Three Guardians had performed up to their roles.Luring away the White-Robed Demons wasn’t difficult, but the moment the Bunny Heroine attacked the Red-Robed Demon, all the demons would go berserk and focus her, their speed and attack rate increasing two to three times. In such a situation, even Yan Qing’s dodging skills were useless—without invincibility frames, no one could evade a full surround attack.
Even with the Bodhisattva Jade Pendant, Heartguard Mirror of the Mountains, and unlimited Spirit Jade supply, given the attack power of third-stage demons, Yan Qing couldn’t be sure the Bunny Heroine could survive such high-intensity focused attacks.
Attacking the White-Robed Demons first would permanently strengthen the Red-Robed Demon. Attacking the Red-Robed Demon first would enrage all demons. There was no shortcut here. It all depended on which situation the Messenger was better at handling. But no matter which, it required a rock-solid team—and aside from Medicine Master Wen, the Bunny Heroine only had the Three Guardians, whose alliance was barely holding.
Yet they met those expectations.
From the moment the Bunny Heroine unleashed the Thunderstorm Assault to the retreat from the Central Courtyard, they had resisted and blocked the demonic onslaught every step of the way, never once letting the Bunny Heroine fall into danger.
Even when their accuracy dropped to near zero, they could still body-block. They dodged and parried the demons’ attacks at great cost—taking the brunt of the onslaught.
Five demons. Medicine Master Wen, Boreuo, and Beiyou each held back a White-Robed Demon, while the fastest, the Blood Minister, was tasked with the hardest job—stalling the Red-Robed Demon.
Thus, the Blood Minister either came out unscathed, or terribly maimed. Had the Red-Robed Demon struck a bit deeper, the Great Guardian might have died on the spot.
It was hard to say whether to feel regret or relief.
"Tired already, brat?" the Blood Minister exhaled a turbid breath. "You giving up now?"
Medicine Master Wen ignored his tone and looked to Beiyou and Boreuo. "Can you guarantee your condition won’t worsen? If you’re going to decline, better to rest a few days first."
She had the right to say that—among everyone present, aside from the Bunny Heroine, she was the only one completely unscathed. Compared to them, she had a better understanding of how to deal with demons: when to use a Defensive Token, when to dodge, when to block... Such precious experience could only be learned by those who often delved into Secret Realms. How could these Demon-Path Messengers, who came and went sporadically, compare to her?
Even in unfamiliar Secret Realms, she could maintain perfect control of her pace, never once putting herself in danger.
"Quite the opposite. Our condition is excellent," Beiyou smiled. "The more a beast is wounded, the fiercer it becomes."
"You uncles sure about that?" the Bunny Heroine said. "If you mess up, you’ll really get your wish—to reincarnate as livestock."
"This monk has rested enough." Boreuo, with a body like a mountain bear, stood up. "No need to use Thunderstorm. These mere wounds are nothing—just good to heat up the blood. Demons can recover too. Since we’ve decided to push through the Central Courtyard, we can’t give them time to rest."
Since the Three Guardians had spoken, Yan Qing naturally didn’t waste more words. He too wanted to clear the stage tonight, but he would’ve understood if they needed to rest.
Still, if he were in their place, he probably wouldn’t stop over such injuries either. They were just a step away from clearing the courtyard and earning their rewards—who could resist such close temptation? These were levels refined through countless iterations by the game designers. Even people outside the game couldn’t resist it—how could those within the game?
Once more at the Green-Glow Formation, Yan Qing gazed at the Red-Robed Demon’s Health Bar and Karmic Force Bar, deep in thought.
Unlike the Skull Tower that regenerated quickly, the Red-Robed Demon healed slowly. After being beaten three times by the Bunny Heroine, it was down to 16% health, and just 1% Karmic Force—deliberately managed by Yan Qing. If his guess was right, once the Karmic Force bar hit zero, something unprecedented would happen. He had to be fully prepared before triggering it.
So—should he inform the Three Guardians? If he took advantage of this moment...
The thought had barely surfaced when the Bunny Heroine in the screen gave a dialogue option.
"There’ll probably be a mutation soon. Be ready," she said casually, then looked to Medicine Master Wen. "Big Sis, prioritize your own safety."
Medicine Master Wen neither nodded nor shook her head—she simply spun her spear to indicate readiness.
Deception was impossible—unless he even fooled Medicine Master Wen. And the Three Guardians were sharp, with the Skull Tower as precedent—how could they be unprepared?
Besides, the Bunny Heroine wasn’t that kind of person.
Even if the Three Guardians were villains, evildoers, or future enemies, as long as they were allies now, there was no reason to sabotage them. They didn’t deserve the Bunny Heroine sacrificing her own dignity.
The five stepped into the formation again. Four drew away the White-Robed Demons. The Bunny Heroine alone confronted the Red-Robed Demon, triggering Thunderstorm Time!
The moment the Karmic Force Bar hit zero, the massive golden wound on the Red-Robed Demon’s chest blazed like the sun. As it let out a shrill scream filled with hostility, all five demons mutated simultaneously. Their bodies enlarged, sprouting two heads and four arms—each became a three-headed, six-armed monster with speed and strength far surpassing before!
"Fu Xiang, return my lover’s life!"
"Fu Xiang, you murdered the innocent!"
"Fu Xiang, I want you dead!"
Retreat, retreat, retreat!
The Bunny Heroine narrowly avoided the Red-Robed Demon’s claws, but the five massive demons closed in from all sides, carrying with them a storm of blood and death. Compared to them, she was like a fledgling beast—trapped in Heaven’s Net!
Yan Qing had calculated: to deal the final 16% to the Red-Robed Demon, he had to use the Accumulated Karma ability of Seven-Step Buddha Recitation—either wait seven seconds or let it walk seven steps for 150% critical damage. But in such a desperate situation, could the Bunny Heroine hold on for seven steps?
From the southeast, a swift figure blocked the White-Robed Demon—it was Medicine Master Wen. She thrust her spear into the ground, forming a tripwire that brought the demon down!
From the northeast came a Vajra roar. Boreuo blocked the White-Robed Demon with brute force, even as two punches shattered his defensive barrier, sending him flying like a cannonball—but he had bought two seconds!
In the west, Beiyou lured one White-Robed Demon into attacking, then ran to another, causing them to block each other. Though his defensive shield was shattered and his arms gashed to the bone, he successfully stalled two demons!
Lastly—Blood Minister!
The Red-Robed Demon’s hatred for the Bunny Heroine was unwavering, unaffected by anything else. So the Blood Minister leapt onto its head, thrust his hand into its eye socket, and crushed the dried remnants inside!
Yet the Red-Robed Demon didn’t stop moving. With six arms, it swatted at him like a mosquito. The Blood Minister had already jumped in front of it, pulling a chain from the ground—the end looped around its feet!
Such aimless traps weren’t affected by the Chaos-Warding Mind Maze!
He had used this trick thrice before to stall the Red-Robed Demon. But this time, something went wrong—its strength was overwhelming. No matter how hard the Blood Minister pulled, it wasn’t affected. Instead, it yanked the chain and pulled him in, smashing down with three hammer-like hands!
The Blood Minister flipped back like a swallow, but still got clipped—his shield nearly shattered!
But it was enough. Thanks to him, the Bunny Heroine was nearly at the safe zone. Even if caught now, she’d only endure one attack. Though the Heartguard Mirror of the Mountains might not survive, the Blood Minister had fulfilled his duty. Now it was her turn to take the risk.
Yet at this moment, the Blood Minister did something no one expected: he jumped back onto the Red-Robed Demon’s head, looped the chain around its neck, and pulled tight!
If the Red-Robed Demon ran, it would choke itself. It had to stop, swatting madly at the pesky fly atop its head!
The thunderclap of its slaps echoed through the courtyard—but the Blood Minister escaped a second early. Just five steps from the safe zone, a breath away.
But when he looked at the others’ faces, he saw only alarm and fear!
Without hesitation, he dove forward to dodge—a slap landed where he’d just been, leaving an inch-deep handprint.
No excitement filled him—for he remembered the Red-Robed Demon had six arms. Four had slapped, one had just struck—but where was the sixth?
Even as he tried to flee, it was too late!
*Pa!* A thunderous smack exploded beside him. He stared at the hand that landed to his right—stunned.
The Red-Robed Demon had missed!
Yes, its attacks could miss too!
Joy hadn’t yet bloomed in his heart before a nearby White-Robed Demon slapped him twice, shattering his shield and swatting him like a fly into the ground. With the others already gone, he became the demons’ sole target.
"My husband—my son—don’t leave me——"
At the moment of Seven-Step Buddha Recitation’s conclusion, the Red-Robed Demon let out a cry that seemed both sorrowful and grieving. Its body ignited into golden flames, leaving only a red robe behind. The other White-Robed Demons cried "Master!" and disintegrated into dust, leaving behind four white robes.
It appeared to be the same mechanism as the front hall—defeating the Red-Robed Demon caused the others to perish as well, saving a lot of effort.
Outside the formation in the courtyard, the group gasped for breath. Beiyou’s arms were nearly crippled, Boreuo was coughing blood nonstop, and Medicine Master Wen’s palms were torn.
The Blood Minister refused Boreuo’s hand, rising shakily on his own. His face was bloodied from being dragged across the ground, his ceremonial cap gone, hair disheveled—his once sinister countenance now a mess.
"Wait—do I get second pick of the loot?" he asked Beiyou and Boreuo.
"Yes," they both nodded.
"Brat, do I qualify for second pick?" he asked the Bunny Heroine.
She turned away and muttered:
"Got it."