Chapter 137: Growth-type: Phantom Mask
After landing, seeing Lin Chang’an’s dull and hollow eyes, Huang Shaohai revealed a hateful, cold smile.
“The thing I hate most is the gaze of you drifting cultivators.
Obviously you have nothing, yet you always believe that as long as you fight hard, you can obtain everything.
Today I’ll let you understand that some things are things you drifting cultivators could never reach in your lifetime, even if you stood on tiptoe.”
Just as the black claw suddenly struck toward his eyes, a fierce light flashed in Lin Chang’an’s pupils, and one hand suddenly grabbed Huang Shaohai.
“Not good!”
Startled and enraged, a point of blood light surfaced within Huang Shaohai’s pupils.
【Blood Spirit Thorn】
“Puchi!”
Blood splattered everywhere.
Lin Chang’an’s arm was severed, but Huang Shaohai, who retreated hastily in terror, clutched his own neck—already pierced through by the Gilded Needle.
“Damn it! You lowly drifting cultivators!”
His speech slurred, blood flowed out from his mouth, and at this moment Huang Shaohai had yet to react.
Lin Chang’an suddenly rose to his feet, startling Huang Shaohai into hurriedly activating his mana shield.
Yet Lin Chang’an did not attack.
Instead, he unleashed a series of talismans.
The talismans he cast were Vajra Defense Talismans, and his face revealed a ruthless expression.
“Explode!”
In terror, Huang Shaohai looked at the severed arm still gripping his wrist.
The Exploding Talisman inscribed on the arm flickered with firelight.
In the next instant, roaring flames engulfed him entirely.
The mana shield that Huang Shaohai had activated only served to compress the explosive force.
“Die!”
This time Lin Chang’an had truly gone all out.
He never expected that this side disciple would actually possess a Talisman Treasure.
He channeled the Killing Origin Sword Art with full force, and the blood-colored sword light slashed forward.
At the same time, the Gilded Needle, under the control of his powerful divine sense, swiftly pierced through Huang Shaohai’s body.
With the threat of a Talisman Treasure, if he tried to flee, he would only be a living target.
At this moment, the only path was to fight desperately.
“Daoist friend… this is a misunderstanding… spare me!
I know a secret about Core Formation, I can tell you…”
As the smoke dispersed, Huang Shaohai’s body was mangled with blood and flesh.
After being pierced through by the Green Bamboo Sword, he pleaded in horror again and again.
But what greeted him was a strike from the bloodied Green-Horned Ox behind him.
“Puchi!”
Blood splattered everywhere.
Huang Shaohai looked down in disbelief at the ox horn that had pierced straight through his chest.
“How… could I possibly…”
As the Killing Origin Sword Art’s sword qi shredded his life force, Huang Shaohai was filled with unwillingness.
He still had a Talisman Treasure.
He still had an ancient opportunity.
How could he die?
“Don’t be smug, the Palace of Blazing Fire won’t let you go…”
But the Green-Horned Ox bellowed angrily, directly flinging Huang Shaohai away.
When he hit the ground, the Green-Horned Ox stomped him madly.
“Oh right, I forgot to tell you, thank you for that Beast Spirit Pill.
Without it, my ox wouldn’t have broken through.”
At the moment of Huang Shaohai’s death, Lin Chang’an grinned with a sincere smile.
But upon hearing this, Huang Shaohai’s eyes widened.
He died with eyes open, staring dead at Lin Chang’an.
Before he sank into darkness, he seemed to recall.
His opponent had benefited from disaster, obtaining a premium Beast Spirit Pill from the Zhou Family.
…
“I almost didn’t make it!”
After quickly cleaning the battlefield, Lin Chang’an and the Green-Horned Ox hid inside a tree hole within the Poison Miasma area, secretly tending their wounds.
“If not for this Regenerative Body, today would have been my end.”
Inside the tree hole, Lin Chang’an revealed the relief of surviving disaster.
He was glad that all these years, he had continuously cultivated his Life-bound Spirit Plant.
His Regenerative Body was incomparably powerful.
The wound in his abdomen, pierced through by the Talisman Treasure, was visibly healing before his eyes.
Even the severed arm—his wound itched, clearly also beginning to recover.
“Even more fortunate that the Talisman Treasure was of a piercing type.”
If it had been a seal, a hammer, or some elemental-type Talisman Treasure, then today would truly have been the end for him.
The moment his opponent brought out a Talisman Treasure, he knew escape was impossible.
This thing was a dimensional suppression attack—unless he himself had one too.
So he had no choice but to gamble desperately.
At the moment his body was pierced through, he had used the Breath Concealment Technique to feign death.
“A Talisman Treasure? What the hell is Huang Shaohai?
Has the Palace of Blazing Fire gone mad?”
Lin Chang’an cursed.
When had Talisman Treasures become something so common?
Even the Three Major Sects only bestowed them upon genius disciples about to reach Core Formation.
From the moment he was targeted, he had considered fleeing.
But with the Earth Dragon Beast tracking him, he never even got the chance.
Who would have thought he would almost capsize in the gutter.
The Green-Horned Ox lay exhausted to the side.
Under his Evergreen Art, its injuries were also rapidly healing.
“But this Huang Shaohai!”
Huang Shaohai’s corpse, unrecognizable as human, lay nearby.
From his abdomen, the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine spread out, devouring his flesh and mana.
Or rather, devouring its host’s blood and power.
“This is a Life-bound Spirit Plant!”
Upon seeing the plant, Lin Chang’an fell silent.
“This was the cultivation method the Palace of Blazing Fire obtained after soul-searching a Wang Family member.”
At first he had thought Huang Shaohai cultivated some poison art.
Unexpectedly, it was actually the same type of method as his own.
Only, they each used a different Life-bound Spirit Plant.
At this moment, the withered leaves of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine within his dantian seemed to sense something.
It suddenly flickered out from his body.
“This is!?”
From the bottom of the withered leaves of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine, a tendril slowly rooted itself into the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine.
The next moment, countless of Huang Shaohai’s memories surged within Lin Chang’an’s sea of consciousness.
The Palace of Blazing Fire, the Three Major Sects of Yue Kingdom, centuries of accumulation.
Though Huang Shaohai’s status had been lacking, he was still a direct bloodline of the Huang Clan.
The internal relationships between the cultivators of the Palace of Blazing Fire, along with cultivation methods, secret arts, and resources…
These were the true wealth of the Palace of Blazing Fire!
They might not necessarily be recorded inside jade slips.
And from the time he obtained this ancient cultivation method within the sect and began cultivating, to later becoming what he was now.
The Palace of Blazing Fire’s conspiracy regarding Tianxuan City.
And also the reason why he possessed a Talisman Treasure.
……
After a while.
At this moment, Huang Shaohai’s corpse had already been completely devoured, leaving behind only the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine spirit plant.
Lin Chang’an slowly opened his eyes, revealing an expression of sudden realization.
“So that’s how it is… Huang Shaohai was ordered to create chaos, while also being tasked with surveillance.
Truly killing two birds with one stone.
Over the years, he fed his Life-bound Spirit Plant with the flesh and blood of drifting cultivators.
And this Talisman Treasure, which had already consumed more than half its power, turned out to be something his father begged from Huang Tianxiao, at the price of sending half of the resources obtained from robber cultivators each year…”
After learning everything from the memories, Lin Chang’an shook his head.
He had seen the collusion between black and white before, but this time it happened directly to him.
“This Huang Tianxiao is indeed a figure.
For the sake of Core Formation, he would not let go of any opportunity.
He even arranged for sect disciples to gather resources for him.”
The main issue was that the resources of Yue Kingdom were scarce.
Even for one of the Three Major Sects like the Palace of Blazing Fire, obtaining Core Formation resources was not easy.
Although Huang Tianxiao was a sect prodigy, the sect itself was deeply entangled with countless factions, and he was not the only prodigy.
What’s more, with an additional share of resources for Core Formation, there would be one more layer of assurance.
No one would ever dislike having too much.
“Though the losses this time are not small, the harvest is also quite significant.”
Lin Chang’an calculated silently.
His defensive artifact, the Green-Horned Ox’s armor, and the Second-rank Fiery Flame Formation had all been destroyed.
Even the Green Bamboo Sword was heavily damaged.
“But the greatest harvest is all this foundational knowledge about the Palace of Blazing Fire.”
Lin Chang’an sighed with emotion.
He had to thank Huang Shaohai for his generosity, actually passing on everything he had learned in his lifetime to him.
“Just this one Talisman Treasure that can still be used twice is enough to make up for everything.”
A fiery red talisman appeared in his palm, illuminating his face in the dark cave.
At this moment, he revealed an excited smile.
With a Talisman Treasure in hand, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator would have to avoid him.
“And then there’s Chen Wen.
Previously I underestimated you, yet you dared to collude with robber cultivators.”
Having learned everything from Huang Shaohai’s memories, a flash of cold light appeared in Lin Chang’an’s eyes.
In the world of cultivation, those who erred had to pay the price.
“Enjoy the last of your remaining days.”
With Lin Chang’an’s calm gaze, a Spirit Stone in his palm had already been drained dry.
With a casual toss, he drew out another one.
He rapidly restored his mana with Spirit Stones, while also treating his injuries.
This was the true might of the Regenerative Body.
As long as his source was not damaged and his mana was plentiful, his injuries could recover without limit.
……
After he finished receiving the memories, the withered leaf of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine, which had originally intended to devour the spirit plant, now showed rejection and disdain, directly burrowing back into Lin Chang’an’s dantian.
“Does it look down on it?”
Lin Chang’an shook his head.
Back when the Wang Family fled from Bamboo Mountain Marketplace, he already knew that the two major sects must have soul-searched captured Wang cultivators and obtained this cultivation method.
Unexpectedly, Huang Shaohai had actually cultivated it.
Others thought the most important thing was the cultivation method, yet they did not know that what truly mattered was the withered leaf that recorded the method.
“It is truly a matter of fate.
This ancient opportunity actually insists on delivering itself into my hands.”
Sensing the life force of his Life-bound Spirit Plant within his dantian, Lin Chang’an revealed a satisfied smile.
The Bloodthirsty Poison Vine lived by devouring the blood essence of living creatures.
It was extremely poisonous and could release the aura of devoured beings, thereby luring prey.
At this moment, recalling the records about the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine in his mind, Lin Chang’an silently pondered.
“A Life-bound Spirit Plant, after the death of its host, will transform into a special treasure.
And for me, the poisonous aspect of the Bloodthirsty Poison Vine is of little concern.
Instead, its ability to disguise itself with the aura of devoured creatures…”
Having thought of something, Lin Chang’an’s eyes revealed curiosity.
After it was subdued by the Immortal Vine, he willed it to move.
The next moment—
The Bloodthirsty Poison Vine released waves of black qi, its aura exactly the same as the deceased Huang Shaohai.
“Does this not mean that this is a treasure for disguise?”
Seeing this treasure, Lin Chang’an smiled.
Its value in alchemy might not be great, but this ability was extremely useful for him.
“Still, carrying around a vine like this doesn’t seem very convenient.”
With a slight frown, Lin Chang’an willed it further.
The poisonous vine began to coil, slowly forming into a black, hideous mask of intertwined vines.
Upon seeing the result, Lin Chang’an revealed a satisfied smile.
“The Bloodthirsty Poison Vine itself is not strong enough to be used as a combat artifact.
But in the form of this mask, it’s quite decent.”
“This is very similar to Yun Yao’s mask artifact.
It can completely transform into the mana aura of another person, thereby concealing one’s true self.
The only difference is that mine is growth-type.
As long as I continue nurturing this Bloodthirsty Poison Vine, it can keep growing.”
Lin Chang’an nodded to himself.
At present, with this mask, if he disguised himself, he could at most display the power of an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Once he exceeded that, he would be unable to conceal his true mana aura, and his identity would be exposed.
But since the mask itself was a Bloodthirsty Poison Vine, it could grow stronger by devouring blood and flesh, thereby raising its limit.
It could even devour flesh and transform into the aura of other cultivators.
However, at this stage, the bloodline of this Bloodthirsty Poison Vine could only preserve the auras of three people.
“In that case, let’s call it the Phantom Mask.”
Huang Shaohai probably would never have imagined, even in death, that the Life-bound Spirit Plant he had painstakingly nurtured would end up as Lin Chang’an’s growth-type artifact.
“With this mask, I can also do many things in secret.”
Looking at the mask woven of fine vines in his hand, Lin Chang’an silently nodded.
In the future, no matter what he did, it would be Huang Shaohai of the Palace of Blazing Fire who bore the blame, not him.
……
Several days later.
Lin Chang’an returned from the Cloudmist Mountain Range to Tianxuan City.
Along the way, in order to make his disguise convincing, he forcefully circulated his cultivation method, deliberately leaving his body injured.
His Regenerative Body was simply too powerful.
In just a few days, even his severed arm had already regrown.
That earlier use of the Blood Shadow Escape, burning his blood essence, had left his face pale.
He still needed time to recover.
“The Regenerative Body is my true reliance.”
“But Daoist Huang, what you owed me before, today I’ll collect a little interest first.”
The moment Lin Chang’an saw the Many Treasures Pavilion, his expression changed.
He immediately feigned a look of panic.
Many Treasures Pavilion.
“Daoist Wind!”
An urgent call made the shopkeeper with the surname Wind, who had been examining a spirit artifact, look up.
When he saw who it was, he cried out in alarm:
“Daoist Lin, what in the world happened to you!?”
Lin Chang’an’s face was pale, blood at the corner of his mouth, looking exactly like someone who had been gravely wounded in his vital essence.
Seeing Shopkeeper Wind, Lin Chang’an hurriedly sent a voice transmission:
“Daoist Wind, quickly! I have urgent business with Daoist Su and Daoist Song.”
Seeing Shopkeeper Wind hesitate, Lin Chang’an pressed anxiously:
“It’s the Palace of Blazing Fire’s conspiracy.
When I went out this time, I encountered that robber cultivator—the Poison Demon!”
“Daoist Lin, wait a moment, the young lady and Daoist Song will be here right away.”
Hearing this, the old man surnamed Wind’s face changed.
He dared not delay and immediately used a Voice-recording Talisman to contact the two of them.
Moments later, Su Miaoyin and Song Tingfeng both arrived at the top floor of the Many Treasures Pavilion.
“Daoist Lin, what on earth happened to you, how are you half-dead already!?”
Seeing Lin Chang’an’s miserable appearance, Song Tingfeng cried out in shock.
“Daoist Song! Daoist Su!”
Seeing the two of them, Lin Chang’an revealed a look of lingering fear.
“When I came out from the Cloudmist Mountain Range, I ran into a robber cultivator.
And that robber cultivator turned out to be Huang Shaohai of the Palace of Blazing Fire…
That person seemed to have cultivated some demonic art, becoming neither man nor ghost.
He was actually fighting against people of the Palace of Blazing Fire.
Then I was discovered…”
With sorrow, Lin Chang’an recounted how Huang Shaohai had completely lost his conscience, not only plundering drifting cultivators, but even preying upon his own sect’s disciples.
Song Tingfeng and Su Miaoyin both listened with stunned expressions.
Was this real?
“That man even roared madly, shouting that he would no longer be Huang Tianxiao’s dog, and that the Huang Family’s Ancestor was utterly shameless…
In the end, I only barely managed to escape.
During the battle, I risked my life to obtain these communication slips between Huang Shaohai and robber cultivators within the city.
Among them were also those connected to the Palace of Blazing Fire.
After I saw them, I didn’t dare delay even for a breath…”
Lin Chang’an produced a bloodstained storage pouch.
Inside, there was an enormous pile of jade talisman slips.
When Su Miaoyin and Song Tingfeng saw this, they were both deeply shocked.
These jade slips could not be forged, since they all required a cultivator’s own mana to inscribe.
“Senior Sister, I’ve seen the drifting cultivators who were killed before.
My spirit beast is very familiar with the Poison Demon’s mana aura.”
Song Tingfeng summoned his spirit pet—it was actually a spirit mouse.
To the side, Lin Chang’an clutched his chest, looking gravely injured.
But inwardly he thought with satisfaction: this was more real than real.
With the Phantom Mask (Bloodthirsty Poison Vine), even the aura he created was so true that even if Huang Shaohai himself were resurrected, it would still be false.
“This Huang Tianxiao is truly a shameless villain!”
“And these robber cultivators, there are actually so many of them…”
After confirming the authenticity, Song Tingfeng was utterly shaken.
From these slips, it became clear that within Tianxuan City, so many cultivators had secretly forged ties with the Palace of Blazing Fire.
There were Qi Refining cultivators, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators.
“And there’s also this Earth Dragon Beast.
That man was utterly ruthless, using this beast to track us drifting cultivators…”
Lin Chang’an endured the pain as he produced the Spirit Beast Pouch of the Earth Dragon Beast.
These were all his spoils of war, but for greater value, sacrifices had to be made.
“I’ve seen Huang Shaohai before, but who would have thought this man would record every matter in such meticulous detail?
It’s truly baffling.”
Su Miaoyin furrowed her brows tightly, unable to understand such behavior.
“Senior Sister, this person cultivated demonic arts.
If his mind wasn’t unsound, he wouldn’t have secretly murdered fellow disciples.”
Song Tingfeng also frowned, but ultimately attributed it to the influence of demonic cultivation.
To the side, Lin Chang’an also nodded, speaking with hatred:
“This man was absolutely abnormal.
When I encountered him, he was even raving that that old dog Huang had tricked him with some ancient cultivation method, turning him into this thing.
He even said that once he formed a Core, he would storm the Palace of Blazing Fire.”
Lin Chang’an clutched his chest, speaking weakly.
Though it sounded absurd, with the evidence laid bare, once dozens of robber cultivators were captured, the absurd would become ironclad proof.
And Lin Chang’an would be the great meritorious hero of Tianxuan City.
At this moment, Lin Chang’an silently gave thanks.
Though Huang Shaohai’s character had been lacking, he had been rich and generous beyond measure.
Not only had he gifted him a Talisman Treasure, he had also passed along so many secrets of the Palace of Blazing Fire.
How could Lin Chang’an let such kindness go to waste?