The instant the mask fitted over his face, a surge of icy power rushed through his limbs and bones.
Jiang Lin felt his bones creak softly as his muscles tightened and reshaped. It was as if an invisible hand had seized his entire body and molded it anew.
A moment later, the changes stopped. Jiang Lin lowered his head and looked at his hands. His skin had turned ashen, his nails had taken on a pitch-black sheen, and an eerie aura radiated from him.
What surprised him even more was that his vision had changed.
The shadows around him became astonishingly clear. He could even sense every detail in the dark corners, as though the shadows themselves had become an extension of his senses.
He tried stepping toward the shadow in the corner, and his body naturally melted into the darkness. His presence vanished completely—even he couldn't sense that he was there.
He stood in the shadow in silence for a moment, then raised his right hand.
He felt a power deep within the mask responding to his call. It was a strange connection, as if countless slumbering consciousnesses were awakening in the darkness, waiting for his command.
He said nothing, issuing a simple command in his mind instead: Appear.
A shadow in one corner of the valley began to writhe.
The shadows on the rock walls seemed to come alive, flowing silently out from every direction before converging in the center of the ground into a churning black vortex.
One by one, pitch-black figures slowly rose from the vortex.
They were five warriors dressed in black ninja garb.
They were tall, their bodies wrapped in tight black suits, as if they were solid forms condensed from the night.
Black masks covered their faces completely, leaving only a pair of blood-red eyes exposed.
The five ninjas knelt on one knee, heads bowed, silent and deferential.
They made no sound, but Jiang Lin could clearly sense the absolute, unreserved obedience radiating from them.
There was no need for words or gestures. With just a thought from him, these ninjas would carry out any command without hesitation.
Jiang Lin stepped out of the shadows and stood before the leading ninja, looking down at him.
The ninja remained perfectly still. The red light in his eyes burned steadily as he waited for orders.
"Stand up."
Jiang Lin spoke, his voice somewhat muffled by the mask.
All five ninjas rose at the same time, their movements perfectly synchronized and utterly silent.
Jiang Lin pointed to a head-sized rock in a nearby corner. "Cut it in half."
Before his words had even faded, the leading ninja vanished from the spot.
There was no rush of air, no footsteps, not even a lingering afterimage.
Jiang Lin saw only a flash of black. The rock split silently in two, its cut surface smooth and even, as if an incredibly sharp blade had sliced through it at great speed.
The ninja had already returned to stand before him, kneeling on one knee.
Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly.
Fast.
Far too fast.
At this speed, they were nearly as quick as an agility-type Soul Master of the same rank.
What was most frightening was that they had no aura at all. Moving through the darkness, they were like drops of water merging into the ocean, almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
Jiang Lin thought for a moment, then decided to test their strength in a direct fight. "Attack me."
The five ninjas didn't hesitate.
They scattered at the same moment, turning into five streaks of black light as they attacked Jiang Lin from five different angles.
Two throwing knives crossed toward him from the front. A shuriken spun in from the left, a chain snaked toward his ankle from the right, and the last ninja vanished from his sight entirely—slipping into the shadows to wait for the chance to strike a fatal blow.
Jiang Lin dodged the throwing knives from the front, slapped the shuriken aside, and pinned the incoming chain with one foot. At the same time, the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd swept behind him, forcing back the ninja who had just leaped out of the shadows.
The entire sequence flowed in one smooth motion, but he had already reached a judgment: an individual ninja was roughly as strong as a second- or third-ring Soul Elder. Their attacks focused on assassination and ambush; they weren't suited to meeting an opponent head-on.
But with good coordination, they could use the shadows to launch unexpected attacks. Together, the five ninjas posed enough of a threat to give even a Soul Ancestor a headache.
And the power within the mask told him this was nowhere near the limit of how many he could summon.
If he wished, he could summon more ninjas.
Each additional ninja drew some of the Soul Power from his body into the mask, but the cost was well within what he could bear.
"That's enough."
Jiang Lin waved his hand.
The five ninjas immediately stopped attacking and knelt before him again, their movements synchronized and soundless.
Looking at the five shadow warriors, Jiang Lin's lips slowly curled into a satisfied smile.
He removed the Ninja Mask. The icy power receded like a tide, and his body returned to normal.
But before the ninjas could vanish on their own, a pillar of fire pierced straight through them.
Along with the pillar of fire came Elder Chen's anxious question:
"Xiao Lin, are you all right? Who were those assassins?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Chen landed right in front of Jiang Lin.
Before Jiang Lin could explain, two more figures dropped from the sky.
Jiang Lin paused, then quickly understood. The Soul Power fluctuations from the battle must have alerted the three of them. They probably thought he was being assassinated.
"Hey, Lay-Flat Leopard, why didn't you leave one alive? I'm sure I could've pried the name of whoever sent them out of their mouths."
Seeing the scorch marks nearby, Dugu Bo assumed the five men had already been burned to ashes by Elder Chen.
Tang Yuan didn't say anything, but a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.
His cultivation was far higher than that of the two beside him, so he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
Those things... didn't look much like people.
Seeing the three men react in such completely different ways, Jiang Lin could only shake his head helplessly. After demonstrating the mask for them once more, all three immediately became intensely interested in the Ninja Mask.
After these little interruptions, Dugu Bo finally noticed that his medicinal garden—which had once been his pride and joy—was completely empty!
"This... Those poisonous herbs I cultivated..."
Dugu Bo felt a pang of regret, but also a little worried.
"Young master, you... didn't eat them, did you?"
"No, I didn't."
Jiang Lin shook his head. "But don't worry. I saved some seeds."
As he spoke, Jiang Lin seemed to remember something. "By the way, I have two possible ways to deal with your poison."
At Jiang Lin's words, Dugu Bo's eyes lit up at once.
"Is that true? What do we need to do?"
"The first method is very simple."
Jiang Lin sat down opposite Dugu Bo and raised one finger. "Your Jade Phosphor Snake Poison has already fused with your Martial Soul. Forcibly removing the poison would cripple your cultivation, so that approach won't work.
"So we'll change our thinking: don't remove it—move it."
Before you continue