Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 12

Magic resistance: 0

[Demon Messenger - Blood Dragon Frenzy]: Gain 1 point of Blood for each kill. You can enter [Blood Rage] state at any time, increasing Strength, Attack, and Damage by 8. Maintaining Blood Rage for one minute consumes 1 point of Blood.

20 is already the limit for human attributes, yet her attributes are frighteningly high. Is she even human? And an eighth-level professional at that?

What exactly is a demon messenger?

Wait, she's Sky Star, Vanguard, Suo Chao?!

Chapter Twenty: Liu Sanlang's Do-or-Die Strategy

"Go quickly!!!"

Liu Hong immediately rushed out of the cabin, clumsily wielding the oars, and turned to run. This was no ordinary bandit soldier lacking fighting ability and morale, but the vanguard Suo Chao! He could fight Yang Zhi to a draw and would later become one of the Eight Tiger Generals of Liangshan!

I thought that after I put on the intelligence turban, my intelligence of 22 had already surpassed the human limit.

This guy's strength and physique are both at the human limit of 20! After activating the [Blood Rage] state, his strength directly soared to an inhuman 28.

The strength of a bear and a tiger is only around 24 to 28. This person's strength is as terrifying as that of a bear and a tiger. He is a true general of bear and tiger in historical records.

Who the hell would dare fight her?! Although Zhu Gui is a Fiend Star, he's only a level 3 thief, so he's probably only evenly matched with me and can't beat me.

It seems we shouldn't underestimate the Song army. Among a bunch of convicts and exiles, there might be a few experts hidden among them. If we underestimate them too much, we might die without even knowing how.

The bandits, seeing their invincible leader killed in a single axe stroke by this man, were terrified by Suo Chao. They wished they had two more legs and scrambled back to Liu Hong's boat in a panic.

"Where to run!!!"

Suo Chao roared and charged toward the ship. His tall and strong body sped away at an astonishing speed. With each step he took, the entire underground cavern trembled violently, and the underground river was startled into deathly ripples.

Liu Hong's heart skipped a beat, and his breathing gradually stopped. He saw the towering bronze pagoda instantly fill his pupils; the long river of blood tied to his shoulders covered the sky and the sun within their eyes.

Liu Hong had faced the terrifying charge of Zhang Zhao, this mountain of flesh, and that was already quite frightening.

But compared to Suo Chao's oppressive aura, Zhang Zhao's charge was nothing.

"call--"

Suo Chao fiercely swung his golden axe, sweeping it horizontally and using the hook on the axe blade to snag a bandit's clothes. With a strong pull, he lifted the bandit off the ground and sent him flying towards him.

In a flash, she lifted the robber by the back of the neck with her left hand as if he were a chick. With her right hand, she wielded her golden axe and swiftly severed another head from his neck.

"Brother! I'll steer the boat!!!"

Zhu Gui was also terrified, no longer as composed as he had been in the inn. He immediately snatched the oar from Liu Hong's hand, skillfully steered the boat, turned it around, and left the shore. He didn't care about Ghost Fanlou anymore; he just wanted to get as far away from this demon as possible.

As Suo Chao watched the small boat successfully leave the shore, he let out a series of blood-curdling roars, his legs curled up like springs, gathering strength, and once again stomped off the ground, his whole body soaring into the sky like a brass cannonball!

The gale whipped her blood-stained crimson cloak, making it flutter in the air like a blood-red dragon soaring through the cave ceiling.

Although Suo Chao's attributes are terrifying, Liu Hong cannot back down under these circumstances. No matter how strong Suo Chao is, he is just a weakling. Let's try fighting him first!

He immediately used [Telekinesis] to try to seize control of the Golden Axe. He needed to concentrate to cast his psionic spell, which took about three seconds.

In the second second, Suo Chao, who had leaped into the air, crashed down with earth-shattering power, cleaving the second bandit in two vertically with one axe. The blood-stained axe blade still had enough power to strike the hull of the ship!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"

The enormous impact of Suo Chao's fall was like a powerful earthquake wave, causing the entire ship to shake violently under her power and rage, almost capsizing it. Wood chips from the golden axe flew everywhere from the bow, and the entire river surface was stirred up by her monstrous strength, creating turbid waves several meters high.

"Four more."

Suo Chao glanced around the ship, immediately taking Zhu Gui, Liu Hong, and the other three as accomplices. He pulled the golden axe from the second bandit's corpse and the ship with both hands, preparing to launch a third decapitation strike.

Fortunately, Liu Hong's [Mind Control] finally succeeded, causing the golden axe to ignite with a ghostly blue demonic flame and fly towards him, vying with Suo Chao for control of this terrifying weapon.

"A psionicist? Is your intelligence in using psionic abilities superior to my brute strength?"

Seeing the golden axe fly away from his right hand, Suo Chao sneered, suddenly gripped the axe handle tightly, and used pure brute force to fight against Liu Hong's mind control. His 28 Bear Tiger Strength easily suppressed Liu Hong's equally inhuman 22 Intelligence, and he was unable to take away her weapon at all!

Seeing her husband at a disadvantage, Pan Jinlian quickly moved forward, her two white fox tails, dipped in rouge, crossed and wrapped around the golden axe. She pulled hard, and the couple worked together to barely restrain Suo Chao, preventing her from drawing the vicious weapon and from leaping and slashing again.

It seems that even high-level warriors cannot escape the predicament of having limited attack methods and being unable to handle supernatural situations.

Seeing that Liu Hong and his companion had barely managed to subdue Suo Chao, Zhu Gui's handsome face turned fierce. He pulled out a short knife from his pocket and slashed at Suo Chao's helmet. Sparks flew and clanged, but he couldn't break through the defense.

Wu Dalang, limping on one leg, struggled to lift the wooden crossbow and shoot an arrow. The arrowhead slipped on the smooth brass scales, its flight path deflected by the scales, grazing Suo Chao's chest before flying off at an angle, failing to penetrate even a fraction of an inch.

Impenetrable to blades and arrows. A physical defense of 20 is terrifying.

Even with some knowledge of armor, Liu Hong felt utterly hopeless when facing armored soldiers for the first time. No wonder having armor in one's home was considered treason and could lead to execution. In the era of cold weapons, breaking through the defenses of armor was extremely difficult, especially the precious armor of a general.

Seeing that he couldn't get the weapon out of Liu Hong anytime soon, Suo Chao simply released the Golden Axe and let Liu Hong take it.

She twisted her waist and turned around, then punched Zhu Gui in the head!

"boom!!!"

The vanguard's strength was so terrifying that, without the aid of weapons, he could send Zhu Gui flying with a single punch using only his ruthless brass gauntlets. Zhu Gui's elegant, dark green body flew three or four meters like a kite with a broken string before crashing into the underground river. Her delicate body splashed three or four times on the water's surface, and her dripping blood splattered all over the boat. Her fate was unknown.

Although Liu Hong seized the Golden Axe, he was astonished to find that it weighed at least fifty pounds! Zhang Ming could only use his thirty-pound iron rod for a few minutes before his arms would ache unbearably. This thing could only be lifted; it was impossible to swing it properly. It was ridiculously heavy.

But it doesn't matter, Suo Chao is unarmed right now! A martial arts practitioner once said that there is a chasm between wielding weapons and being unarmed.

Liu Hong understood that the six-pound broadsword couldn't cut through Suo Chao's armor, so he simply swung the thirty-pound iron rod and smashed it towards Suo Chao's head! He tried to use pure force and kinetic energy to inflict blunt force trauma and break through the armor!

Even Suo Chao dared not be hit on the head by this blunt weapon. He took a step back to temporarily avoid Liu Hong's sharp edge. Liu Hong smashed Suo Chao's head three times with his staff. His momentum was fierce, but his moves were chaotic and he couldn't even touch the corner of Suo Chao's clothes. Instead, he gave his opponent time to draw the waist knife at his waist.

"Boom!!!"

As Liu Hong raised his iron rod high and brought it down for the fourth time, Suo Chao nimbly dodged to the side. Before he could raise the rod again after it hit the ground, Suo Chao suddenly appeared in front of Liu Hong and swung his knife to strike!

At this moment, Liu Hong also became fierce. He decisively threw away the overly heavy iron rod and drew a short knife from his waist, launching a desperate counterattack. The two knives slashed downwards and upwards, leaving two snow-white afterimages between the two men.

Relying on her brass armor, Suo Chao did not dodge. When her waist knife slashed down, the entire ship heard the muffled sound of flesh and bone tearing apart. The sharp blade cleaved through flesh and blood like tearing open the pulp of a ripe melon, and a waterfall of blood burst open from Liu Hong's right shoulder to his left rib.

Liu Hong instantly unleashed the Double Heavenly Gang Slash, a signature ability of the chivalrous man. With the energy-saving collar reducing energy consumption, it only required a little spiritual energy to explode in his pupils, causing two overlapping galaxies, each carrying one hundred and eight dim stars, to shine wildly on his waist knife!

In an instant, two dazzling star rivers enveloped the blade and slashed upwards with a thunderous roar. The sound of the breastplate shattering was heard, and the sharp shrieks of starlight tearing through the air rose and fell. Suo Chao's brass breastplate first blossomed with numerous terrifying spiderweb-like cracks, and then the entire breastplate was split in two by the blade's light. Every shattered and flying metal fragment reflected the flowing starlight. The entire breastplate was torn open by the Heavenly Gang Slash!

"Pfft!!!"

A jet of blood gushed from Suo Chao's chest, forcing him to take two steps back. Blood flowed continuously from his chest and lips, and he even spat out a fragment of his internal organs, suffering a serious injury.

Liu Hong was also seriously injured. He knelt on one knee and quickly stuck his knife into the boat plank with his right hand for support, which prevented him from falling.

Chapter Twenty-One: Commanding the Demon Hulu in Naval Battle

"The chivalrous Heavenly Gang Slash? To be able to injure me to this extent, you've got some skill! I'm even starting to like you a little, but unfortunately, you're a criminal."

Suo Chao wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes fixed on Liu Hong. Excitedly, she stood up again, brandishing her sword in one hand and clutching her wound with the other, standing like a nightmare before the crowd. Blood gushed from between her fingers, raining down on the ground, but she seemed unfazed, raising her sword to sever Liu Hong's head.

Liu Hong was severely injured. Her pupils began to dilate, and the scene before her eyes became unclear. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stand up. If she had not taken away Suo Chao's bloodthirsty and terrifying golden axe earlier, this attack, which she had delivered with a small waist knife, would probably have been chopped in two by the axe.

At this moment, Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian were so frightened by Suo Chao's terrifying killing intent that their limbs trembled and they foamed at the mouth. However, they still rushed in front of Liu Hong, trying to protect their loved ones. Pan Jinlian even went crazy and stood in front of Liu Hong, trying to use her tail and body to block the knife for her husband!

However, to Suo Chao, they were nothing more than ants. Killing one or three was just a matter of swinging his sword a couple more times.

Just at this critical moment, the small fishing boat beneath the four people suddenly began to twist and deform. The planks creaked and groaned, and four ferocious and enormous beast claws, like the limbs of a crocodile, suddenly grew from the sides of the boat. Their surfaces were covered with hard scales that gleamed with a cold, bluish-gray light in the firelight.

The bow of the boat instantly elongated, forming a broad, flat crocodile head. Huge nostrils spewed out two terrifying jets of water, and a pair of lantern-sized eyes stared wide open, radiating a cold and ferocious gaze. In a mere half-second, this small fishing boat had transformed into a ten-meter-long giant crocodile! Suo Chao and Liu Hong, both on the boat, were standing on the smooth, unguarded back of the crocodile!

"Roar!!!"

The ten-meter-long crocodile let out a deafening roar; the terrifying sound wave exploded into columns of icy water several meters high on the surface of the water, and then the entire crocodile began to roll in the underground river in a deathly manner. The centrifugal force generated threw all four people on its back into the underground river!

"Brother Liu Hong, don't be afraid! This crocodile is my demon, I'm here to save you!"

Zhu Gui, who was the first to be knocked into the water by Suo Chao, moved like a nimble fish, rolling up her dark green skirt and tying it around her waist, revealing a pair of snow-white, shapely legs that traced alluring curves underwater. She immediately embraced the seriously injured Liu Hong and climbed back onto the boat that had transformed into a crocodile.

Zhu Gui took a deep breath and jumped into the water again. With one hand he carried Pan Jinlian, who was floundering on the surface of the water, and with the other hand he grabbed Wu Dalang, who was already limping and drowning. He rescued the two of them and brought them back to the crocodile's back, but he let Suo Chao sink to the bottom of the river.

"To be able to turn inanimate objects into crocodiles... So it's you, Drought Crocodile? Your head is worth a hundred taels of silver!"

Suo Chao, who was thrown into the water, immediately recognized Zhu Gui thanks to his extremely special ability.

Unperturbed, she first grabbed the golden axe, which had also been flung away and sunk into the water, retrieving her weapon. Then, using all her strength, her tall frame dragged the fifty-pound armor and the fifty-pound weapon as she swam in the water! The terrifying sight made Zhu Gui's heart pound with fear, and his earlier thought of engaging in a water battle was completely dispelled—even my crocodile probably couldn't withstand a single blow from that axe.

But at that moment, Suo Chao's movements were too large, and her pectoral muscles suddenly squeezed the wound, causing her right chest, which had been torn open by the Heavenly Gang Slash, to gush out a huge column of blood from the bottom of the water, instantly staining the entire river surface blood red.

Suo Chao, who had lost too much blood, turned pale and her eyes rolled back. She almost fainted and was forced to stop swimming. She hurriedly covered her wound and dared not move. The weapons and armor, which weighed more than 100 pounds, still held her tall body and sank to the bottom of the water.

"Quickly, go rescue the emergency responders!!!"

At this moment, the Song soldiers on the shore also realized something was wrong. Ignoring the other fleeing thieves from Guifanlou, one group shot arrows at the crocodile, while another group took off their armor and weapons and jumped into the river like dumplings being dropped into boiling water to rescue Suo Chao.

Zhu Gui was so frightened by the vanguard that he dared not fight anymore. He immediately ordered the fishing boat, which had turned into a crocodile, to take the four of them and escape through the intricate underground waterways.

Where are the pharmacies and doctors around here?

Pan Jinlian looked at her seriously injured husband and asked anxiously.

"Don't be afraid! Walk one mile ahead, and there's another Ghost Fanlou. Go up the tunnel, and you'll find the best pharmacy in Daming Prefecture!"

Zhu Gui, who was extremely familiar with the underworld, drove a crocodile there.

"That's too far! I'm afraid my husband won't be able to hold on until then!"

In her panic, Pan Jinlian took off her outer garment and used it as a bandage to tightly wrap the wound on Liu Hong's chest. However, the dripping blood instantly stained it red and continued to seep out. Seeing this, Pan Jinlian was greatly flustered, and her pupils dilated in shock.

In her panic, two fox tails suddenly burst into flames. The first tail burned with a bewitching pink flame, while the second burned with a vibrant green flame.

Since growing a second tail, Pan Jinlian has awakened her bloodline and is gradually reviving into the nine-tailed fox spirit of her ancestor.

While at the Zhang residence, she had already instinctively mastered the ability to fight with her tail.

At this moment, her spellcasting ability is also recovering; the first tail represents charm, and the second represents healing.

A ball of emerald green foxfire burst into flames on Liu Hong's chest. To the astonishment of Zhu Gui and Wu Dalang, Pan Jinlian exhausted all her spiritual energy in one go, transforming it all into emerald green foxfire, which actually caused the huge wound on Liu Hong's chest to slowly heal.

"Healing abilities? Sister-in-law is truly amazing!"

Zhu Gui admired Pan Jinlian's abilities repeatedly, his beautiful eyes darting around.

These three are interesting. They were wanted for rebelling against the government and robbing the rich to help the poor. They are three heroes.

Unexpectedly, Liu Hong's combat power was so exaggerated that he was able to severely injure Suo Chao. The two-tailed fox demon's talent was also very rare. Even a dwarf would know some archery skills.

What is most commendable is that these people are extremely brave. After the vanguard rushed onto the ship, not a single one of them begged for mercy or surrendered. They all fought to the death.

I originally just wanted to make some money off their intelligence, but now it seems these three are worth befriending.

At this moment, Liu Hong also slowly woke up, his face pale due to excessive blood loss.

Seeing that Liu Hong was unharmed, Pan Jinlian breathed a sigh of relief and was finally completely at ease.

"Boss lady, how did the fishing boat you sold me turn into a crocodile?!"

Liu Hong looked at the crocodile beneath him and asked the question he most wanted to know.

Your race is [Demon], and you have the [Demon Messenger] special ability. What does that even mean?

"Brother didn't know? This thing isn't common, but it's not exactly rare either."

Zhu Gui was somewhat surprised and quickly explained.

“About three hundred years ago, during An Lushan’s great rebellion, hundreds of millions of desperate Han people prayed to all the gods they could find, and some of them answered our prayers.”

"From then on, people could try to make a pact with a demon from another world. You give the demon benefits, and the demon will fight for you, giving you a huge boost in combat power. Demon, ghost, ghost, Yama, god... call it whatever you want."

"For example, my demon's ability can turn any inanimate object into a crocodile of the same size to assist me in battle."

He can transform a ten-meter-long fishing boat into a giant crocodile for combat, or a grain of rice into a small crocodile for reconnaissance.

However, every time he transforms, he consumes a tenth of my life.

Zhu Gui whistled. The ten-meter-long crocodile beneath their feet vanished, transforming back into the fishing boat.

"Even Vanguard plays with demons, but I guess the price she pays for activating demonic power is the lives of others—because this woman is practically Liang Zhongshu's loyal lackey, eager to do any dirty or tiring work, as long as she can legally kill to support her demons."

Liu Hong nodded, having witnessed Suo Chao's ability; indeed, killing one person only allowed him to maintain his ability for one minute.

It seems that the more powerful the demon, the greater its consumption.

At this moment, his vision was already able to see Zhu Gui's specific demonic power, unlike before when there were a bunch of question marks. It seemed that he would have to see the power activated with his own eyes to see it displayed.

[Demon Messenger - Ferocious Crocodile]: Consumes one-tenth of its life force to allow a demon to possess an inanimate object, transforming it into a crocodile of the same size for one hour. (Maximum length: 10 meters)

"However, demons, like ghosts, are beings from another dimension or another space. Under normal circumstances, we cannot see them. They must attach themselves to other people to be seen."

Zhu Gui gave a brief introduction to the demon.

"Then, how do I acquire these demons?"