The Grandmaster's Mask

A white-clothed girl with a face that seemed both childlike and pure now wore a solemn expression. Her entire body was enveloped in a strange silver glow, which only made her appear more mysterious and uncanny.

The most surprising thing was that the white-clothed men and women following behind her all had looks of extreme trepidation on their faces. Not a single one of them dared to whisper or murmur to each other. The gazes they cast toward the girl’s back were filled with reverence and awe.

Among them was the willful young woman who had appeared on the sandy beach, along with her cultivation partner. But the arrogance was completely gone from their faces. They did not dare to breathe too loudly, just like everyone else, and appeared exceptionally well-behaved and docile.

Suddenly, the elfin girl at the front stopped walking. The entire line behind her naturally came to a halt as well.

This was because the area ahead had suddenly opened up, revealing a deep green pool of water. In the center of the pool, several black rocks jutted out from the surface. Growing on these rocks were over a dozen glossy, jade-like objects that resembled Ganoderma lucidum, standing out conspicuously.

“Is it here?” the elfin girl asked in a crisp voice after examining the pool for a moment with some interest, without turning her head. Her voice sounded exceptionally delicate and youthful.

“Yes, Grandmaster. The top-grade demonic beast, the Emerald Water Crocodile, is hiding in the pool. During a previous herb-gathering trip into the restricted ground, a disciple of our sect was devoured in the belly of this creature. However, another disciple managed to escape with their life,” said a slightly older woman as she stepped forward from the group of Moon-Masking Sect female disciples behind her. She bowed very respectfully to the elfin girl as she reported.

“Grandmaster?” If any disciple from the other six sects had heard this, their jaws would likely have dropped to the ground in shock.

According to custom in the cultivation world, where seniority was determined by cultivation level, such a title could only be used for a Core Formation cultivator from the Moon-Masking Sect! But wasn’t this forbidden land supposed to be unable to admit cultivators above Foundation Establishment? What was going on here? Looking at the expressions of the other Moon-Masking Sect disciples, they did not seem surprised at all. They had apparently already known the secret.

“Mm. Understood. You may withdraw.”

The elfin girl then gave the order in an offhand manner, revealing a look of worldly competence that was utterly incongruous with her age.

She then turned to the others and said, “Prepare yourselves! I will lure the Emerald Water Crocodile out of the water shortly. Then, you will attack in pairs using the newly completed joint attack secret technique, the ‘Yin Yang Entwining Art’. With an offensive power comparable to a Foundation Establishment disciple’s full-strength blow, killing this beast will certainly not be a problem. After that, we will proceed to the next nest of a top-grade demonic beast and continue to sweep through these spirit herbs that no one dared to pick before!”

The girl’s voice was not loud, but her words were full of confidence. None of the male and female disciples showed any hint of doubt; they all assented.

Upon seeing this, the elfin girl turned around. Opening her delicate mouth, she slowly spit out a thumb-sized, pink ring. As it met the wind, it swelled, transforming in the blink of an eye into the size of a human head. It emitted a low humming sound, dazzling radiance, and appeared extremely intelligent!

From the way this ring had appeared, the light it gave off, and the immense spiritual power it contained, it could be said with certainty that this was a genuine magic treasure.

Could it be that this girl was truly a Core Formation cultivator?

Not long afterward, from deep within the secret cave that was over ten zhang beneath the ground, a loud boom was first heard. This was followed by several roars akin to the bellowing of a water buffalo, filled with fury. But then, a continuous series of rumbling thunderclaps sounded, and after a few more spirited bellows, the roars quickly weakened. Then, all sorts of loud crashes and sounds of explosions came without cease, until the roars were finally completely submerged within them, never to be heard again.

Several hours later, the elfin girl led the male and female disciples of the Moon-Masking Sect out from a hidden cave entrance. The male and female disciples behind her were all brimming with excitement and exuded an air of spring breeze.

This was hardly surprising. The chance to slay a first-grade top-tier demonic beast was not something they, as mere novices at the Qi Condensation stage, could easily encounter. Now, having effortlessly killed that terrifyingly ferocious Emerald Water Crocodile without much effort, how could they not remain excited to this moment?

Of course, if the elfin girl hadn’t used her ring magic treasure to withstand the brunt of the beast’s attacks, they could not have finished the battle perfectly without a single injury. Thus, the looks of reverence they directed at her silhouette only deepened.

The girl, however, paid no heed to the gazes of the men and women behind her. She still walked ahead with a calm expression, as if killing a first-grade top-tier demonic beast was no great matter to her.

In a few moments, this group of Moon-Masking Sect disciples had vanished into the nearby dense forest, swallowed from sight.

Elsewhere, scenes of disciples from various sects killing demonic beasts to seize spirit herbs were unfolding. Occasionally, conflicts erupted over the spirit herbs. But strangely enough, even after conflicts broke out, there were very few instances of people actually being killed. Generally, as long as the weaker side retreated, the dominant side would not press too hard. Instead, they would hastily pick the spirit herbs and leave, hurrying on to the next location.

Most people understood this situation well. This was mainly because everyone had limited time left. Wasting it on bloody conflict was less worthwhile than going somewhere else to see if they could find another opportunity. The real time when everyone would have to fight to the death to rob each other of the herbs on their persons would be on the final day, when everyone was fully laden with their gains. That day would most certainly be bloody, unlike the first two days when one could easily let their opponents go.

Han Li was also somewhat aware of this. So, taking advantage of these two days when the disciples of various sects could still restrain themselves, he madly rushed from one location to another. Whenever he encountered a mid-grade or higher demonic beast on the way, he would immediately use his movement technique to take a detour, unwilling to be delayed by them even for a moment.

It was unknown if Han Li was incredibly fortunate, but aside from the first herb-gathering cave where he had encountered that rare poisonous insect demonic beast, the giant centipede, the four locations he visited consecutively afterwards had no guardian demonic beasts. He was able to effortlessly pluck the spirit herbs without expending a single ounce of extra effort. This sent Han Li into a frenzy of joy! If things continued to go so smoothly, collecting enough spirit herbs would certainly not be a problem.

By now, the third day within the forbidden land was mostly over. Han Li was rapidly leaping through the treetops. Two low-grade demonic beasts, Iron-Armed Apes, that he encountered along the way were bisected into several pieces with just a few casual waves of his hand, their bodies completely dismembered.

Currently, Han Li was hurrying to his final destination for the day, a small stone hall near the mountaintop. It was rumored that not just one, but several types of spirit herbs and miraculous plants were planted there, and the Celestial Spirit Fruit, which he needed most, was among them.

However, although the Celestial Spirit Fruit’s maturation period had not yet arrived, a few of the other varieties were already ripe for picking. Therefore, Han Li speculated that there must be a guardian spirit beast. It was even possible disciples from other sects had arrived first.

But Han Li didn’t mind, and he even somewhat hoped someone else had gotten there first to help clear the path for him, saving him the extra trouble. After all, such a person would certainly not be interested in unripe spirit herbs!

Just as Han Li was happily lost in his thoughts, he finally spotted the shadow of the stone hall in the distance. It was indeed not very big.

But before he could even approach the place, the sounds of fierce fighting reached him.

Han Li was inwardly pleased. It seemed someone had indeed come to help clear the way for him. His movements immediately turned strange and elusive, and after a few flickering motions, he silently drew near the stone hall.

On the open ground in front of the stone hall, what Han Li saw was not a scene of a mighty man battling a demonic beast as he had anticipated. Instead, a square-faced man in black clothes and bare feet was manipulating a large silver sword, pressing down on a slender, green-clothed girl until she could scarcely breathe.

The girl’s only means of defense was a yellow, shining silk handkerchief. But its luster was dim, and it was completely suppressed by the large silver sword, struggling to hold on.

On the ground off to the side lay a red giant wolf, split in two, and a white, juvenile vulture, its head severed from its body. Blood flowed freely from them, filling the air with a pungent stench. It seemed they had both died not too long ago.

Seeing all this, Han Li’s mouth involuntarily dropped open in silent shock. This wasn’t because he found it strange that the two were fighting here, but because the green-clothed girl was the shy young woman who had once sold him the Gold Bamboo Brush. This surprised Han Li greatly!

The reason being, when the disciples of the various sects were gathered outside the forbidden land, Han Li had already noticed that the girl’s cultivation was very shallow, only at the tenth layer. So, in his mind, once she entered the forbidden land, she would either have already perished, or she should be hiding somewhere.

Yet here she was, deep within the belly of the crescent mountain, fighting for her life against a sword-wielding Giant Sword Sect disciple who clearly wasn’t someone to be trifled with. How could this not shock him?

“Little girl! It’s still not too late to back off now. You should know, I’ve been holding back all this time. But I, Yan, am not unwilling to kill women; I am not incapable of killing them. If you still insist on pestering me, I will make you end up just like that white vulture!” The barefoot man said impatiently, his cold face uttering words filled with murderous intent.

He had been pestered by this Spirit Beast Mountain girl who had come out of nowhere for nearly half an hour, and his last shred of patience had long since burned away. If the other party still refused to see reason, he would have no choice but to kill her.

The girl’s face was pale. But she gritted her teeth and still stubbornly said, “If you refuse to give me those few Blazing Sun Fruits inside, I will never leave, even if it costs me my life!”