Chapter 400: The Ancient and Modern Recorder (11)
Li Zhiyuan picked up Zhu Hao's storage ring. The cultivation resources inside made him click his tongue in amazement. He then looked at the beheaded skull that still stared with unclosed eyes. That skull still wore a strange bronze mask.
"Zhu Hao was able to conceal his aura... it must have been the work of this mask."
An item like this ought to have been handed over to the sect.
Li Zhiyuan removed the mask. A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. The mask turned out to be a lower-grade spiritual treasure.
Lower-grade spiritual treasures were rare. Even he possessed only two such treasures, one of which had been bestowed by an elder specifically for dealing with Zhu Hao.
After returning to the sect, Li Zhiyuan handed over Zhu Hao's storage ring.
"Just as expected. I never imagined Zhu Hao would have the audacity to attack and kill fellow disciples."
An elder of the Law Enforcement Hall was furious.
"Li Zhiyuan, is every word you have spoken the absolute truth?"
Some elders remained suspicious, unable to believe that Zhu Hao possessed such an ability as to silently kill eleven inner disciples in succession.
Li Zhiyuan said firmly, "That Zhu Hao practiced some unknown method that allowed him to completely shield his aura so that this disciple could not detect him. Whether or not the culprit is Zhu Hao, the items within the storage ring have not been touched by this disciple in the slightest."
Li Zhiyuan still concealed the information about the mask and fabricated the story of a special technique.
Clearly, the elders present would not easily believe Li Zhiyuan's words, for they had searched the entire storage ring and found no such special technique.
Just as the many elders were about to dig deeper, the woman seated in the highest position spoke. "This storage ring cannot be faked. The culprit is indeed Zhu Hao. Li Zhiyuan has helped the sect eliminate a major threat and has rendered meritorious service. He may be promoted to true disciple."
With the Sect Master's words, the others could only abandon further questioning.
Ruan Hongyao said to Li Zhiyuan, "The sect has always been clear in its rewards and punishments. Merit is rewarded, and faults are punished. There is no need to conceal the matter of Zhu Hao. Announce it to all disciples as a warning."
Zhu Hao's death concluded with Li Zhiyuan's promotion to true disciple.
The Heavenly Origin Sect continued to flourish.
After learning that the mask could help him conceal his aura, Li Zhiyuan did not follow in Zhu Hao's footsteps.
"The flower-picking thief Hua Qieyu of the northern regions was killed by an unknown expert. It truly gladdens the heart. That Hua Qieyu, relying on his superb aura-concealing technique, had ruined who knows how many innocent young women and provoked the wrath of both heaven and men. Who would have thought he would be silently killed? It is truly satisfying."
"Exactly, exactly. Just three months ago, the renowned Thirteen Great Bandits were also silently killed. One must know that when those Thirteen Great Bandits joined forces, even Spirit Sea Realm experts of major sects could do nothing against them. Yet when they died, there was not the slightest sound."
"Half a year ago, demons infiltrated the southwest and slaughtered an entire city, attempting to break through to the Spirit Sea Realm. That demon possessed a talent that allowed it to evade the Spirit Sea Realm experts dispatched by several sects, yet in the end, someone discovered its corpse left exposed in the wilderness."
"With such a terrifying aura-concealing method, could these cases not all be the work of the same person..."
Listening to their conversation, Li Zhiyuan silently added in his heart, 'It is indeed the same person.'
That was right. Ever since obtaining the mask, Li Zhiyuan had begun punishing evil and promoting good. His home had once been destroyed by demons, and he had been discovered by an elder of the Heavenly Origin Sect who was traveling outside and brought back to the sect.
Fortunately, his aptitude was decent, and he had been accepted directly as an inner disciple. The kindness in his heart had not changed with the passage of time.
Upon learning the uses of the mask, he chose to conceal it. He would use the mask to accomplish more things and give meaning to his life.
By now, ten years had already passed.
Relying on the mask, he had done many things, yet he chose to hide his achievements and fame, brushing off his clothes and departing once the matter was settled.
Yet Li Zhiyuan did not change at this time.
He continued to do good deeds in obscurity.
Twenty years later, Li Zhiyuan successfully broke through to the Spirit Sea Realm.
At the Spirit Sea Realm, the things he could accomplish increased even further. Quite a number of deeply sinful demonic figures died at Li Zhiyuan's hands.
The more good deeds Li Zhiyuan performed, the more he was hated by those who did no good.
Another thirty years passed.
Some demonic figures noticed the clues and took the opportunity to set an ambush for Li Zhiyuan... In the end, Li Zhiyuan still chose to keep the appointment. Relying on the mask's ability to conceal his aura, he forcefully killed that fierce demonic figure.
Yet this had been a death trap aimed specifically at Li Zhiyuan from the very beginning. With the death of the demonic figure, Li Zhiyuan had nowhere left to hide. He was already surrounded by an inescapable net. Even though his cultivation was profound and he managed to break out of the encirclement, he still suffered irreversible injuries.
Li Zhiyuan lay beneath a tree. He removed the mask from his face and touched it with his palm.
"Thank you..."
Yet in the end, he was still going to die. Directly ahead lay the Heavenly Origin Sect. He could faintly make out the outline of the sect.
Li Zhiyuan held the mask in both hands, covering it over his chest, and lay beneath the ancient tree as he quietly passed away.
After Li Zhiyuan's death, the bronze mask that had previously shown no movement suddenly began to tremble, and a brilliant light flared up.
The mask actually leapt from a lower-grade spiritual treasure to a high-grade spiritual treasure. This was simply inconceivable...
The brilliant light from the bronze mask was especially conspicuous within the forest.
...
Liu Yizhi was merely an ordinary outer disciple of the Heavenly Origin Sect who had only recently joined. He could not compare to those wealthy young masters who had joined the sect at the same time and who constantly had pills for cultivation.
Coming from a poor family, it was already fortunate that he had been able to enter the Heavenly Origin Sect. Here, talent was worthless. He was a genius, yet who among those who could join the foremost sect of the Wooden Scenery Dynasty was not a genius?
If Liu Yizhi wanted to cultivate faster and advance to higher realms, he had no choice but to venture deep into this forest to gather spirit herbs and spirit medicines. Danger and opportunity coexisted.
"What is that?"
After searching fruitlessly for half a day, Liu Yizhi was astonished to discover colorful light enveloping the area ahead. This reminded him of the descriptions of heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the ancient texts.
Liu Yizhi's heart raced with excitement. No wonder he had not encountered a single spirit herb or medicine today. It turned out a great treasure had been waiting for him here.
When Liu Yizhi carefully approached, the original brilliant light gradually faded. In the direction ahead, he discovered a middle-aged man in tattered clothes, his body mottled with bloodstains, leaning against a large tree without any movement. The only noteworthy thing was that the middle-aged man still held a bronze mask in his arms.
Mm... at a glance, it looked like a treasure.
Only after confirming that the middle-aged man was dead did Liu Yizhi dare to approach. The middle-aged man had left behind a storage ring. When Liu Yizhi opened it, the dazzling array of treasures left him wide-eyed with amazement.
Liu Yizhi saw the familiar attire.
"This... this is an inner elder of the sect!"