Chapter 116: Master

I stood atop the treetop, waiting quietly. When the stone slab showed no sign of movement, I leapt down. On the ground lay a trail of scattered footprints. I followed them forward until I reached a valley, where the prints vanished. The valley was strewn with rubble—surely the scoundrels from the Demon Spirit Sect had fled in there, and fast! Run as you might, I’ll give you a little more time, but once I catch up, I will make you suffer a tormenting death!

I pulled out Xu Qinghuan’s bracelet, my thoughts drifting back to the moment we first met—a sudden, inexplicable flutter in my heart. I had once believed that starting anew with Xu Qinghuan would help me let go of Liu Tingting. I vowed never again to let the one I loved slip away. I devoted more time to her, yet in the end, she still left me. When you love someone, fate will surely place them by your side. Holding the bracelet, I felt her absence keenly—but that only steeled my resolve. I tucked the bracelet close to my heart, determination to avenge burning brighter than ever. High Priest, it’s time to put an end to this.

I planted my foot on a jagged rock at the valley’s edge and pushed off, leaping to another boulder. A few such jumps carried me far without draining my true energy; I had to conserve it for the High Priest. As I pressed on, I checked my spatial ring—several thousand bullets remained, enough to deal with the Demon Spirit Sect’s minions. I took out the demon crystal I had obtained from the Gluttonous Divine Ox, hoping to absorb its energy to make confronting the High Priest easier. Suddenly, the rock beneath me crumbled—I jumped back quickly, but the crystal slipped from my hand and fell.

I landed and searched for the crystal. Fortunately, I found it, though it seemed cracked with many fractures on its surface. Gently peeling back the outer layer, I saw liquid oozing out. Could this be how to absorb the crystal’s power—by swallowing it directly? I decided to try. The liquid slid down my throat, faintly sweet with a coolness like mint. Just as I was savoring the sensation, a sharp pain shot through my body. I leaned against a rock, feeling a tempest churn within me. My dantian burned fiercely. I hurriedly controlled my spirit to check inside. As soon as my spirit entered my dantian, the pain ceased. There, black and white energies swirled rapidly together.

I stared at the cracked “shell” in my hand. Could it be that this thing had fused my demonic and true energies? If so, that would be marvelous. I tried gathering both energies simultaneously—true energy in my left hand, demonic energy in my right. The two orbs spun incessantly in my palms. I merged them into a larger orb, black with veins of white. I pressed the orb onto a stone with all my might. A thunderous explosion echoed as the rock shattered, leaving a large hole—the power was like a bomb.

“Who’s there?”

An old man’s voice came, strangely familiar. I was shocked—it was a voice I had heard for a year. If not Master, then who else? An old man stepped out from the hole I had blasted open. I retreated two steps and hurriedly gathered true and demonic energy. “Old Mo San, finally I’ve caught you. Prepare to die!”

I pushed forward an even larger orb, aiming it at Old Mo San’s chest. He hastily extended both hands and manipulated the orb as if kneading dough, dissipating its power and tossing it aside. I hadn’t expected his strength to have grown. I gathered true energy again. The old man then spoke: “Yun Fei, you’ve gone mad! You don’t even recognize your Master anymore.”

I hastily withdrew my energy. “What? Master?”

He stepped forward two paces. I stepped back three, and he paused, seemingly deep in thought. To guard against a sudden attack, I formed a protective shield. Old Mo San was the most despicable man I’d ever met. If he dared to move, I wouldn’t hesitate to blind him. I already had a revolver in hand.

“Yun Fei, have you seen Old Mo San before?” The old man’s serious expression made me doubt—was this truly my Master? Impossible. Old Mo San had said from the start that he wore a human skin mask, impersonating Master. How had I been so foolish to be fooled for a year? The thought made my blood boil. This time, I wouldn’t listen to his nonsense. I’d hit him first to test his strength. If I couldn’t win, I’d find another way. If I could, I’d beat him senseless and then kill him.

Resolved, I holstered the revolver in my spatial ring, clenched my fist, and struck Old Mo San’s face. Surprisingly, he didn’t dodge and immediately bled from his nose. Without hesitation, I struck again. This time, he caught my fist firmly. I swung with my other hand, but he grabbed that too. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free.

“Old Mo San, I’ve lost. If you want to kill me, just do it. Make it quick!” I realized I’d underestimated him. Maybe he had mutated as well—his strength was overwhelming. I accepted my fate but regretted not killing the High Priest before dying.

Unexpectedly, Old Mo San didn’t hurry to kill me. Instead, he watched me with interest and said something that stunned me: “Yun Fei, I really am your Master. You might have met Old Mo San before—he impersonated me to steal your Demonic Art.”

Then he released my hand. His words plunged me into deep thought. I couldn’t be sure who was telling the truth, or if they were the same person. “I don’t believe you!” I quickly drew the revolver and pressed it to his eye. “Don’t move, or I’ll blow it out.”

The old man seemed unprepared for my sudden attack but complied obediently, standing still without a word, almost unnaturally so. “Raise your hands above your head and squat down.”

He obeyed, raising his hands and squatting as I ordered. Then he spoke again: “Yun Fei, Old Mo San impersonated me. I know this—he’s a master of disguise and uses human skin masks. If you’ve seen Old Mo San’s true face, you should check whether my face is real.”

I had indeed seen Old Mo San’s true face. His words made sense, yet it could all be a ploy to distract me and seize me. Holding the gun in my right hand, I pinched the old man’s face with my left, tugging slightly. There was no deception—could he really be Master? I lowered the revolver. Unexpectedly, the old man made no move against me.

“Yun Fei, do you believe me now?”

“Master…” I knelt and bowed deeply.