Chapter 71: The Mask
Chapter 71: The Mask
The day of Dragon Raising Head.
The sky was as clear as if washed, and the green mountains were like painted eyebrows.
The Dragon’s Burial Ground was located in the northwest corner of Mount Li. A dense fog never dissipated for years, lingering over an area of a hundred miles.
This fog was called “Dragon’s Slumber Hidden Mist”. Within the thick fog, there existed a terrifying pressure known as “The Azure Dragon’s Gaze”. Anyone below the title rank who stepped into it would be instantly crushed into dust.
Before the fog wall, Li Yi gazed into the distance. First, he Focused his Mind, then he activated his Dawnlight Eyes. His sight crashed against an invisible barrier, only allowing him to vaguely see several towering, mountain-like forms.
Those were not mountain peaks, but the skeletons of six giant Dragons.
For magical beasts that reached the Heaven’s Revelation level, there were many whose true forms surpassed mountains in size. These six War Beasts were actually considered small.
“Never mind…”
Shaking his head, Li Yi gave up his futile attempt and looked around, quietly observing.
One by one, the “Golden Carps” came from all over. Their clothing and attire were different. There were Mages, and there were martial artists. Their ages were similar to Li Yi’s. Most wore expressions of pride, their eyes arrogant, as if the Six Strategies Qi was already in their grasp.
“Too much confidence is not a good thing,” Li Yi thought to himself without showing any emotion.
The thirty Golden Carps from Dawn Cliff had a guiding mentor. Li Yi recognized this person too. It was the plain-looking old man who played the tough role during the entrance.
Huang Yu. Superior Spell Seal. Planting Master. His cultivation was mediocre and he was not well-regarded, often assigned the dirty, thankless tasks that no one wanted.
This was the information Li Yi had heard.
“I wonder how many will survive…” Huang Yu let out a soft sigh as he looked at the figures all eager to get started.
This was the duty he hated the most.
Although he also understood that for Dawn Cliff, one genius was worth a hundred or even a thousand mediocrities.
Spell Apprentices, Practicing Mages and the like, no matter how numerous, were just cannon fodder. Only those at Sigil Mage level and above could become counterweights on the battlefield, and starting from Archmage, they were strategic assets.
Theoretically speaking, these sacrifices were absolutely worthwhile.
But human lives, after all, were not simple arithmetic.
“Don’t focus all your thoughts on competing for the Six Strategies Qi! Don’t think about making a startling debut either! And don’t have any thoughts about helping or saving others at all! Once you step into the Dragon’s Burial Ground, you are the prey. Every single person is a hunter!”
“No matter what you want to obtain, the first step is to survive!”
Huang Yu’s tone was serious. His last sentence carried a Psychic Blast and a chilling effect within his voice, which made Li Yi dizzy and lightheaded. It also cooled down many of the hot heads beside him.
“Next, I will introduce the opponents you need to pay attention to. Knowing them might give you an extra chance to survive!”
Everyone became solemn.
“The Silver Hand,” he flicked his finger, pointing in a direction. “Their warriors have a unique ‘Sword-Drawing Technique’. They draw their swords with a backhand motion, fast as lightning. When they strike, the ‘Sword-Drawing Technique’ is combined with a ‘Cleaving Strike’ or ‘Leaping Strike’. A single slash covers ten meters, leaving no trace of the kill! If you encounter someone who draws their sword with a backhand, be sure to keep your distance.”
“Tidal Sound Spirit Valley,” he pointed again at a group in deep blue robes. “They excel in water-element spells and ‘Elemental Tide’. Their characteristic is…”
One by one, he introduced them all the way through. Li Yi listened carefully and felt he gained a great deal.
“A sharp tongue but a soft heart. His words are harsh, but he genuinely cares for people,” Li Yi secretly admired. “This Mage Huang Yu is far better than those who talk about benevolence and righteousness while being hypocrites!”
“Huang Yu, long time no see!” A sinister, creeping voice floated over. “You… are still too conservative. Young people should strive against the current! Kill if you must kill, seize if you must seize! If you hesitate, how can you obtain the Six Strategies Qi?”
His voice seemed to carry the effect of “Charm Person”. Many Mages who heard it wore dazed expressions.
“Chou Qianshi, are you looking for death?” Huang Yu roared like a lion, like a morning bell and evening drum, shattering the strange charm effect.
Li Yi turned and saw a man in black robes walking leisurely, followed by a group of disciples also in black robes.
“Such hostility between old friends meeting after so long?” Chou Qianshi’s tone was playful, his voice sharp. “I just came to say hello. If you don’t welcome me, then forget it…”
After saying that, he led his disciples and turned to leave.
Most of the black-robed disciples revealed snake-like, threatening and malicious expressions as they turned away.
“These people are from Abyssal Erhai. They are the ones you need to pay the most attention to! Since ancient times, Miaojiang Gu arts have been notorious for their weirdness and strangeness. And since the War of a Thousand Realms, Gu arts, Infernal Magic, Abyssal Magic, Necromancy and other unorthodox arts have gradually blended together, becoming the ‘Heterodox Arts’ of Abyssal Erhai! Remember, if you encounter anyone playing with bugs or snakes, don’t be polite. Kill them all without exception!”
The words “Kill them all without exception” were forceful and resounding. It seemed Huang Yu and Abyssal Erhai had some deep, unspoken hatred.
Dong!
While he was speaking, the majestic sound of a large bell came faintly from deep within the Dragon’s Burial Ground.
In its echo, silver ripples like pulsating novas spread out like waves. They swept over the figures and then reversed, returning back.
For an instant, Li Yi felt a sense of being seen through.
Also, whether it was an illusion or not, the ripples seemed to linger on his body a little longer.
“Illusion? Doesn’t seem like it…”
Rubbing his chin, a sense of alarm rose in his heart. He took a few steps, his figure shifting sideways like a ghost.
Behind him, a massive, square-faced man seemed ready to bump into him but ended up hitting nothing but air, stumbling himself.
“Are you blind?” the burly man growled angrily, swinging a hand the size of a palm-leaf fan towards him.
A slender hand firmly grabbed his elbow, steady as a mountain.
“I don’t want trouble. You’d better not either…” Li Yi said slowly, word by word.
The man tried to break free, but couldn’t move for a long moment. He was merely a rather strong Mage, not a martial artist. Competing in strength with Li Yi was somewhat beyond him.
“Hmph!”
When Li Yi released his grip, the square-faced man shook his hand and found his elbow already red and swollen. He snorted resentfully and walked away.
Li Yi showed no expression. He knew that his obtaining a “Golden Carp” spot while half a step into his cultivation had certainly provoked a lot of discontent.
“It’s coming!” Huang Yu noticed something and said slowly, “Check your equipment once more. Adjust your breathing. Maintain your optimal state!”
“Yes!”
Before his voice faded, a dazzling white light, as if carved onto the thick fog, emerged, displaying a number — “Fifteen”.
“The last opening lasted only ten days!” Huang Yu was taken aback, and a look of worry appeared on his face. “Fifteen days? I’m afraid this means another storm of bloodshed…”
As the white light shimmered, the dense fog suddenly parted, leaving a narrow, long passage.
“Go in!” Huang Yu sighed.
The eight hundred people didn’t follow much Order, trickling in sporadically in batches.
Boom!
Suddenly, a young figure burst apart like a balloon, turning into a bloody dust.
“When will fools like this ever stop?”
Listening to the discussions, Li Yi knew they were some young Mages trying to cheat by either suppressing their cultivation or hiding their aura, attempting to pass off fish eyes as pearls.
Such people never survived.
On the narrow path, the fog on both sides turned into thousands of tendrils, coiling and reaching out, rising and falling, wrapping around one figure after another.
One by one, magic circles appeared beneath the feet of the people beside him, and they vanished without a trace.
Li Yi was also surrounded by fog. After being wrapped in layer after layer, his feet shone brightly, and the scenery before his eyes blurred and shifted.
…
On a desolate hill, a burly figure appeared. Fog swirled around his body, concealing his form, while a lion mask covered his face.
He looked around and suddenly noticed a person ahead with their back to him. Though obscured by the mist, their figure vaguely suggested a woman with curves.
“Little girl, are you alone?” The lion-masked man paused, then chuckled. “A woman dares to enter the Dragon’s Burial Ground? How about sticking with big brother instead?”
The woman whirled around. The lion-masked man saw her face, and his expression changed drastically, his eyes filled only with shock and fear.
“Scram!”
The woman’s one word sent the lion-masked man fleeing in panic.
Looking closely at her mask, it shifted like clouds and mist, faintly revealing a dragon-like form. It was a “Mirage” mask!
The woman looked at herself in a mirror, her gaze flickering as if in thought.
“My cultivation is Mist Robe Battle Aura. And this mask… is ‘Mirage’! They say there are patterns to these masks. Those with superior masks are often more powerful as well. It seems that’s not just talk.”
She was deep in thought when a figure appeared behind her.
For some reason, their mask still hadn’t fully formed, twisting and changing continuously.
The Mirage-masked woman looked carefully, and her eyes suddenly widened in astonishment.
“This person…”