I Am the Chosen One

Inside the great hall.

A hideous mask obscured Shui Bing'er's beautiful face. Her limbs hung limply, a stark contrast between her current fragile state and the way she had slaughtered her way through the battlefield just yesterday.

Watching her, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but recall the shadow that could slip into the earth, which in turn reminded him of the Masked Man recently wanted by the Heaven Dou Empire.

The Heaven Dou Empire was willing to pay any price to hunt down the Masked Man.

Tianshui Academy had likewise offered a Spirit Bone as a reward for information regarding the Masked Man.

The reactions of these two powers left everyone wondering: what exactly had the Masked Man done?

"Breaking into the imperial palace and slaughtering the people of Tianshui Academy—this guy certainly looks like the kind of ruthless character capable of such things." Sword Douluo gritted his teeth against his pain, looking at the woman in the hall.

"No, the person wanted previously was Dai Xieyue; Rongrong told me. This... should be a second Masked Man," Ning Fengzhi said hesitantly.

The others were surprised to hear this.

"What do you think, Fengzhi?" Chen Xin asked.

Ning Fengzhi shook his head. "I don't know yet. It might have something to do with those ancient powers!"

Chen Xin nodded. "That is how I see it as well."

Although Shendu had not yet provided any explanation regarding the masks, they had already found a relatively logical origin for them: they came from ancient times.

If ancient times could produce demons, they could certainly produce other things as well.

Ning Fengzhi looked at the Talisman in his hand; it was simple yet mysterious. He suspected the Talisman was likely related to the ancient era as well.

"However, this person seems to be an ordinary human who only transformed after putting on the mask," Gu Rong remarked after a long period of contemplation.

"In that case, we only need to remove the mask to obtain his power. But there is also the risk of being possessed by the consciousness within the mask—that 'General' or whatever it is," Chen Xin added.

Ning Fengzhi agreed wholeheartedly.

He wanted to possess powerful strength to oppose the demons, and the power of the mask had piqued his curiosity.

It was a pity that no matter how powerful the mask was, it could not be used right now.

He understood that only the power one truly owned was real power; as for power that could not be controlled, he didn't want it, even if it were gifted to him.

If he could not control this mask, he would absolutely never put it on.

"In any case, let's remove the mask first!" Chen Xin proposed.

However, Ning Fengzhi shook his head and explained, "We tried many methods before, but it wouldn't come off. The mask must be fused with this woman."

Sword Douluo drew his sword and stepped forward, sighing, "You are too soft-hearted, Fengzhi."

As the words fell, he slashed the mask away, shocking both Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi.

Swish. A flash of sword light flickered, and the mask clattered to the ground, with bloody human skin still attached to it.

Sword Douluo picked up the mask and tossed it onto the table. "See? Isn't it off now?"

Ning Fengzhi looked at the mask in silence, then let out a deep sigh. "Uncle Jian..."

The woman, now missing her facial skin, lay on the floor with blood pooling around her.

"Sigh, it is a life, after all." Ning Fengzhi still felt a pang of reluctance.

However, to his surprise, he could still hear a faint heartbeat from the woman who had been flayed.

"Save her."

Ning Fengzhi's eyes brightened. If she could be saved and regain consciousness, he could obtain specific information about the masks.

"Uncle Jian, thanks to your intervention!" he said, bowing gratefully toward the man.

Sword Douluo also looked over in surprise; he hadn't expected his casual strike to actually find a way to break the seal.

Several healing Spirit Masters gathered to treat the woman lying on the ground. Seeing the bloody flesh where her face had been, they couldn't help but feel a tremor in their hearts.

He was truly worthy of being a Sect Master; while he appeared gentle and refined on the surface, he was actually ruthless and cold-blooded.

As they felt this shock, their hands moved all the faster.

If he could obtain the power of the masks, perhaps he could resist the demons. And the Black Hand Gang could be established just in time.

At this thought, Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up. This mask was the perfect tool to help him build the Black Hand Gang. Could it be that he was truly the Chosen One, a natural-born Valmont?

His heart raced with excitement.

In the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, a thundercloud brewed atop a mountain peak thousands of meters high.

Previously, this had been a forest, rarely visited by anyone. After the Thunder Demon Zhong Su arrived, he transformed it into a plaza.

The once barren mountain soil had been replaced by marble flooring. Under Zhong Su's orders, a large number of clansmen practiced here.

"The power of thunder and lightning here is truly dense. I feel like my spirit power cultivation speed has increased significantly," Yu Tianxin said excitedly, sitting cross-legged on the marble. His spirit power circulated rapidly within him, and bursts of lightning coiled around his body.

Opposite him, the young Yu Tianheng was equally excited.

He looked up at the thunderclouds in the sky, where the demon's silhouette flickered. For the first time, he felt mesmerized by the other's strength.

If a single lightning field could increase everyone's cultivation speed this much, what kind of divine power did the demon truly possess?

With his blood surging with excitement, he turned and left the area.

"Tianheng, are you not going to continue your cultivation?" Yu Tianxin called out to him from behind.

"I am going to obtain my spirit ring."

"How can it be so soon?" Yu Tianxin felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing this.

Tianheng was a year younger than him, yet he had already taken a step ahead in terms of spirit power.

Damn it, you need to break through to level 40 sooner! he thought anxiously, accelerating the circulation of his spirit power until it rampaged through his body.

Similar scenes were playing out everywhere; the plaza was filled with people sitting cross-legged in cultivation, with the colors of lightning flickering incessantly.

Amidst the crowd, a dazzling beam of light suddenly erupted.

Rumble—

Everyone's attention was drawn to the spectacle.

Yu Luomian emerged from the lightning, laughing excitedly, "Hahaha, I have finally broken through to level 90!"

After so many days of training in the lightning field, he had finally cleared the hurdle of a Title Douluo to become a quasi-Title Douluo; all that remained was to obtain his spirit ring.

"Elder Yu Luomian has broken through to level 90! Doesn't that mean our family now has two Title Douluos? This is wonderful, the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family has grown even further."

"It is a pity that there is no longer a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, only Thunder City."

The expressions of those few dimmed.

Yu Luomian approached Yu Yuanzhen and said excitedly, "Big Brother."

Yu Yuanzhen patted his shoulder happily, "I shall go and hunt a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast for you immediately."

The two arrived at the thunderclouds in the sky and respectfully summoned the Old Ancestor.

After a short wait, Zhong Su descended, his body wreathed in lightning.

Servants of the gods, why do you summon Me?

Yu Yuanzhen said respectfully, "My Lord Zhong Su, Yu Luomian has broken through to level 90 and needs to obtain a spirit ring, so I hope to temporarily leave the family to take him to acquire it."

After speaking, the two waited nervously for Zhong Su's reply.