The Mask Falls

“Perfected the technique? Hmph. That’s nothing more than the wild fantasies of those two old monsters. Have they never considered how long this Primordial Magnet Divine Light technique has circulated throughout the Starfall Sea? Has anyone ever truly mastered it? Of course, the two of them were fortunate enough to discover a small Primordial Magnet mountain at the bottom of the sea and move it back to Heaven Star City. But that aside, how could the Primordial Magnet Divine Light ever be cultivated with borrowed external objects? I suspect this technique was a deliberate joke invented by its creator. What technique in this world can truly counter all Five Elements? Moreover, with their level of cultivation, they are already rare existences in this realm even without practicing this method. Truly superfluous!” Grand Immortal Profound Yin said dismissively.

“I hope what you say is true, Senior,” Crimson Flame replied, still somewhat concerned but unable to say otherwise.

“Still, aside from Fairy Ziling and the other female cultivators, it is slightly surprising that two other people managed to escape the Eighteen Heavenly Corpse Generals,” Profound Yin said, stroking the few sparse hairs on his chin, a glint of something strange in his eyes.

“Indeed. Fairy Ziling had the Sublime Sound Sect’s sect-guarding treasure, the ‘Wood Dragon Stele,’ on her person, which allowed the three of them to withstand the Heavenly Corpse’s attacks. But the other two were a bit peculiar. I caught a glimpse of them from afar. They released numerous puppet-like mechanical dolls. Their attack power was negligible and their defense was poor, but they could control over a hundred of them at once. That was truly bizarre.” The old monster Crimson Flame nodded in agreement, also puzzled.

“Forget it. Those two are just small fish. Not worth bothering about. If it weren’t for the limited mana I can control in this possessed form, along with certain other restrictions, I wouldn’t have let those juniors slip away so easily either. But as long as the primary target, that unfilial disciple, didn’t escape, that’s what matters. That stolen fragment of the Vast Sky Chart—I still need to find it through him.” Profound Yin’s tone was indifferent, as if he hadn’t given Han Li and Qu Hun, who had escaped, a second thought.

Seeing this, Crimson Flame dropped the subject. Shortly after, he took his leave from Profound Yin, transforming into a dark cloud and flying away into the sky.

Profound Yin watched the black dot of Crimson Flame’s form disappear on the horizon, a cold, mocking sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Then, he slowly extended a palm and opened his fingers.

In the center of his palm lay a small, few-inch-long strand of white spider silk.

Profound Yin gazed at the spider silk, a peculiar, inscrutable expression in his eyes.

“Blood-Jade Spider... I never thought I would see you again. Heaven truly does not leave me without a path. I still have a chance!” Profound Yin muttered to himself, before suddenly throwing his head back and letting out a wild, maniacal laugh. The sound shook the surrounding Elder Zhao and the others, their faces turning pale as they wobbled unsteadily in the air.

“Enough! Return to the island!” Profound Yin’s laughter cut off abruptly as he barked the order.

Then, he made a grasping motion in the air, and the floating middle-aged cultivator flew automatically into his hand. Carrying the man with one hand, he led his entourage away from the area.

…

Han Li, naturally, knew nothing of what had transpired a hundred li away. After burying himself deep underground for a full month, he finally emerged from the earth, jittery and paranoid.

After carefully using his divine sense to confirm that there truly was no ambush nearby, he wasted no time in leading Qu Hun toward Heaven Star City.

This expedition had thoroughly wrecked him; he had barely escaped with his life.

The most frustrating part was that he had risked so much and hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the Divine Thunder Bamboo.

He suspected it had fallen into the hands of Grand Immortal Profound Yin. His chances were completely gone. Crestfallen, he flew back to Heaven Star City.

Heaven Star City was as bustling as ever. The Star Palace cultivators guarding the gates still addressed him as ‘Senior’ with the utmost respect.

But Han Li, having just narrowly escaped death, could not lift his spirits. He entered the city with a face full of gloom.

When he reached his cave dwelling on the thirty-ninth floor, he was a bit taken aback.

Floating serenely within the restrictions at the entrance of his cave was another voice transmission talisman. Han Li’s face darkened.

Frowning, he flipped his hand and produced his restriction token. With a somewhat reluctant flick, a beam of green light shot from the token into the restriction. The transmission talisman immediately transformed into a streak of fire, following the green light out and arriving before Han Li.

Han Li flicked his finger, and a speck of white light struck the talisman. The fire blazed up, and then a charming, feminine voice began to speak from within.

Upon hearing the voice, Han Li was momentarily stunned, but then his face twisted in anger.

It was that Madam Fan!

After having made him suffer such a huge ordeal, she still had the audacity to come knocking on his door!

The anger Han Li had been suppressing for days exploded within him.

A fist-sized fireball materialized in his hand with a red flash, ready to be hurled at the talisman to destroy it.

But the woman’s next words gave him pause, making him hesitate.

After a moment, Madam Fan’s words faded away. Han Li casually extinguished the fireball in his hand, rubbed his chin, and fell into deep thought.

To be honest, he was a bit surprised that those three female cultivators had managed to escape with their lives.

But right now, he had no good feelings whatsoever for these Sublime Sound Sect members.

However, the other party’s message talisman had invited him to meet at a certain inn. It had also mentioned the Divine Thunder Bamboo again, hinting that they still had some in their possession. This, coupled with his lingering anger, stirred his interest.

Finally, after some deliberation, he decided to go take a look first.

If they still wanted to ask him for revenge or assistance, he would simply refuse. At worst, he could offer a price far above the market rate to purchase the bamboo.

He believed that besides himself, no one else would have much use for such a small piece of Divine Thunder Bamboo.

After all, besides being used to refine special magical treasures, such rare wood-type materials were generally used as the primary material for crafting other treasures. From Madam Fan’s description, that particular section of Divine Thunder Bamboo was at most a few inches long. Even if used to refine a dagger, it wouldn’t be enough after removing the impurities.

With this in mind, Han Li’s spirits lifted. He led Qu Hun and flew toward the inn.

Half an hour later, Han Li appeared inside a guesthouse called ‘Longxing Inn’. He and Qu Hun walked side-by-side toward a room on the third floor.

The inn was very well-appointed. The first and second floors housed mortals, while the third floor was reserved exclusively for cultivators temporarily staying there.

Han Li easily found the room the other party had mentioned. The door was covered in a thin, white light, clearly signaling that whoever was inside had set up some restrictions as a minor security measure.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

It seemed these fair maidens had also become birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring, just as shaken as he had been.

Han Li lightly shook his head, casually flicked his finger, and a spot of white light struck the restriction, causing ripples to spread across the surface.

No sound came from within, but a moment later, Han Li sensed a strand of divine sense fly out from the room. It rapidly swept over him and Qu Hun before immediately retracting back inside.

The white light on the wooden door flickered, and the restriction vanished. Then, Fairy Ziling’s cool, clear voice sounded from within.

“So it’s the two seniors who have come. Please, come in. We sisters have been waiting for several days.”

Hearing this, Han Li pushed the door open with an impassive expression and slowly walked inside with Qu Hun.

The furnishings inside were very simple. Besides a redwood table and a few antique rattan chairs, there was nothing else.

But what surprised Han Li was that there were no Sublime Sound Sect sisters in the room at all. Instead, standing in the middle of the room was a strange young woman wearing a face full of languid indolence.

This girl was dressed in yellow clothes, with skin like white jade and large, clear, and bright eyes. She was looking at Han Li with a slight smile on her face.

“You are... Fairy Ziling?” Han Li asked after a moment of shock, his face full of hesitation.

Although he had never seen Fairy Ziling’s true appearance, the legendary, peerless grace of Fairy Ziling couldn’t possibly look like this, could it?

This yellow-clothed girl, while somewhat handsome and pleasant to look at, was definitely not worthy of such a grand reputation. Could this not be her true face?

Han Li blinked, somewhat puzzled.

“Senior seems a bit surprised! Is Wang Ning’s appearance a disappointment to Senior Han? Unfortunately, this is indeed this concubine’s true face!” The yellow-clothed girl seemed to sense Han Li’s surprise, explaining calmly with a light smile.

“True face?” Han Li stared intently at the girl’s features for a long moment before shaking his head and saying nothing.

Although he couldn’t see anything wrong with this girl’s appearance—she didn’t seem to have cast an illusion technique on her face nor did she look like she was wearing makeup—he still couldn’t believe this was Fairy Ziling’s true face.

After all, there were countless strange treasures in the world. Having one or two that could change one’s appearance and conceal one’s true identity was hardly a strange thing.