Beneath the Mask: The Mystery of the Fragments and the Council's Shadow

Dai Mubai's breathing gradually steadied. Under the combined purification of the Chaos Azure Lotus and Lotus Flame, the black traces of corrosion around the wound on his chest slowly faded, revealing tender pink flesh. Tang San withdrew the palm pressed against his back, fine beads of sweat forming at his temples. Continuously purifying such concentrated dark energy had taken a tremendous toll on his Soul Power.

"He's safe for now." Lin Ye infused the last wisp of Golden Crow Fire into the wound. His fingertips trembled slightly as he withdrew his hand. "But he needs rest. The dark energy has already invaded his meridians. It'll take at least half a month to clear it out completely."

Oscar hurriedly handed over a Full Recovery Sausage. Looking at Dai Mubai's pale face, he said worriedly, "That mysterious man was too strange. His power... was unlike either the Shadow Pavilion's dark sorcery or a normal Soul Master's Soul Power. It was more like... pure spatial energy?"

Xiao Wu crouched beside Dai Mubai, gently wiping the blood from his face, her eyes reddening. "Why did he want to snatch the Dark Crystal fragments? Hadn't they already lost their energy?"

Tang San didn't answer. His gaze fell on Dai Mubai's scattered storage bags. He reached down and picked up a Dark Crystal fragment they had brought back from the southern swamp. The black on its surface had faded, leaving only the grayish white of an ordinary stone. He truly couldn't sense any energy fluctuations from it.

"But he knew the fragments existed." Tang San squeezed the fragment, his knuckles turning white. "He even knew which nodes we'd dealt with. That means... he's been watching us all along."

The conclusion sent a chill down everyone's spine. To keep them under surveillance without any of them noticing, their opponent's ability to conceal himself had probably reached the peak of the Titled Douluo level, and might even have touched the divine realm.

Tai Long hoisted the unconscious Dai Mubai onto his shoulder. "Let's leave first," he said in a muffled voice. "We can work out a long-term plan when we get back to Heaven Dou City. It isn't safe here."

Tang San nodded and glanced toward the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers. The wind element was still pure, but he couldn't shake the feeling that a pair of eyes was hidden behind the canopy that had just fallen still. He raised a hand and recalled all his Blue Silver Grass, leaving a concealed energy marker on the ground. It was a tracking signal specially made by the Balance Council; if anything unusual happened, it would immediately send word back to Heaven Dou City.

The journey back was even more oppressive than the trip there. Dai Mubai's unconsciousness weighed on everyone's hearts like a massive boulder, while the masked man's mystery and strength made them waver for the first time in their path as Balance Guardians.

"Do you think..." Oscar hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "Could that masked man be... someone from within the council?"

The speculation made the air freeze in an instant.

Xiao Wu was the first to object. "Impossible! Sect Master Ning and Sect Master Yu personally screened everyone in the council. How could anyone..."

"Why is it impossible?" Tang San cut her off, his voice low. "The masked man knew our route, knew the fragments existed, and even knew the order in which we dealt with the nodes. Only the council's core members knew all that."

Lin Ye frowned. "You mean there's a mole in the council?"

"I'm not sure, but we have to investigate." Tang San looked toward Heaven Dou City, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The Balance Council hasn't been established for long. Although Sect Master Ning and Sect Master Yu are there to oversee it, its members come from all sorts of factions. People's hearts are complicated; there's no guarantee none of them have ulterior motives."

They traveled the rest of the way in silence. Three days later, they returned to Heaven Dou City and settled Dai Mubai in the council's dedicated medical facility, where attendants were assigned to care for him. Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Ning Fengzhi and Yu Luomian hurried over when they heard the news. After learning of the attack on Dai Mubai and the mysterious man's attempt to seize the fragments, both elders looked exceptionally grave.

"Such a thing happened?" Ning Fengzhi held the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, the light at its tip flickering. "Only five people knew the council's route: Sect Master Yu, you, Tang San, and me; Elder Qian Bin, who was responsible for compiling intelligence; and... Li Mo, the clerk who recorded the node coordinates."

Faint arcs of electricity gathered around the place where Yu Luomian's left arm had been severed. He was clearly furious. "Qian Bin is an old subordinate of mine. He's followed me for more than thirty years and would never betray us. Li Mo... he's a young Soul Master who joined the council within the past two years. His Martial Soul is a Paper Crane, and he's skilled at delivering messages. He's usually quiet and hardly noticeable."

"Bring Li Mo here," Tang San said in a low voice.

A short while later, a young man in a gray robe followed a guard into the council hall. He looked about twenty, with a small, slender build, round spectacles and thin fingers. Ink still stained the spaces beneath his fingernails. He did indeed look like a clerk who spent his days buried in books.

"Greetings, Sect Master Ning, Sect Master Yu, Lord Tang." Li Mo kept his head lowered. His voice was faint, and he didn't even dare meet their eyes.

Tang San stared into his eyes, quietly circulating the Chaos Azure Lotus's power. He could clearly sense the fluctuations of Li Mo's Soul Power: a level twenty-six Soul Grandmaster. He really was just an ordinary Soul Master. His heartbeat was steady and his breathing even; there seemed to be no flaw at all.

"Where were you at noon the day before yesterday?" Tang San suddenly asked, his tone even.

Li Mo was momentarily taken aback, then hurriedly answered, "My lord, I was in the archives sorting node records. Elder Qian can vouch for me."

"Until what time?"

"Until late at night. I had to deliver the latest node report to you the next day, so I worked a little overtime." Li Mo's answer was clear and orderly. He could even name the other clerks he had encountered at the time.

Ning Fengzhi gave the guard a look. The guard immediately understood and turned to leave, evidently to verify Li Mo's words.

Silence settled over the council hall. The only sound was the wind passing through the eaves outside the window. Li Mo kept his head lowered, his hands nervously wringing together. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary young man standing before his superiors.

"Do you know where those Dark Crystal fragments came from?" Tang San suddenly changed the subject.

Li Mo shook his head. "I only know that you brought them back from the southern swamp. I heard... they were remnants of the Shadow Pavilion?"

"Do you think anyone would snatch those useless fragments?"

"Well..." Li Mo hesitated. "Perhaps... for a collection? They did belong to the Shadow Pavilion, after all. Maybe someone thought they were unusual."

The answer was perfectly ordinary; there was nothing wrong with it.

Just then, the guard hurried back and whispered a few words in Ning Fengzhi's ear. After listening, Ning Fengzhi shook his head at Tang San. Li Mo had told the truth; several people had indeed seen him in the archives that day.

"It seems we were being suspicious for nothing." Yu Luomian sighed and waved Li Mo away. "You may go. Carry on sorting the records."

"Yes." Looking as though he had been granted a pardon, Li Mo lowered his head and hurried out of the council hall. As he turned, light reflected off his lenses, concealing the flash of coldness in his eyes.

Only after Li Mo had left did Ning Fengzhi speak in a low voice. "We asked about Qian Bin too. He spent the entire day handling applications for the reconstruction of Gengxin City. There was nothing suspicious."

"Could it really not be someone from the council?" Oscar scratched his head. "But how would he know so many secrets?"

Tang San said nothing, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table. The scene of the masked man's disappearance replayed again and again in his mind. Strange as that black smoke had been, the energy fluctuations left behind when it dispersed bore a subtle resemblance to the faint traces of Li Mo's Paper Crane Martial Soul.

"Li Mo's Martial Soul is a Paper Crane, correct?" Tang San suddenly asked.

"Yes. It's very fast and good at delivering messages over short distances, but its attack power is almost nonexistent." Yu Luomian nodded. "What is it?"

"Paper Cranes belong to wind, and wind and space share the same origin." A flash of realization crossed Tang San's eyes. "What if his Martial Soul has mutated, or he's hiding a Second Martial Soul?"

The possibility stunned both Ning Fengzhi and Yu Luomian. It wasn't impossible for a Soul Master to hide a Second Martial Soul. When joining a new faction, in particular, people often kept a trump card in reserve.

"I'll investigate his background." Ning Fengzhi stood, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's light flickering. "His records say he's an orphan whose awakening was registered at a Spirit Hall branch in a remote town. But that branch was destroyed by an explosion during the war. His records could very well have been forged."

"I'll go to the medical facility and check on Dai Mubai." Lin Ye rose. "If he's awake, perhaps he can give us more clues, such as the masked man's voice, build, or other characteristics."

They split up, leaving only Tang San and Xiao Wu in the council hall.

Xiao Wu walked over to Tang San and gently took his hand. "Don't worry too much. We'll get to the bottom of it."

Tang San clasped her hand in return. Feeling its warmth against his palm, he gradually calmed the agitation in his heart. "I'm not worried that we won't find out. I'm worried about... why the masked man is collecting the fragments."

He took a fragment from his storage bag and placed it on his palm. "Although these fragments have lost their energy, their material is unusual. The Shadow Pavilion refined them from ore from the Dark Plane. If someone gathered all the fragments, perhaps they could..."

"Reforge the Shadow Gate?" Xiao Wu cried out.

"Not necessarily the Shadow Gate, but definitely a similar spatial rift." Tang San gripped the fragment tightly, its edges cutting painfully into his palm. "I'm afraid his goal is even more terrifying than the Shadow Sect Master's."

Just then, the Proof of Balance jade pendant suddenly grew hot. The point of light representing the wind node was flashing, and its flashes were growing faster and faster. It was a signal of an emergency!

"Something's happened in the Mist Forest!" Tang San's expression changed drastically. He grabbed the pendant and headed outside. "Xiao Wu, notify Lin Ye and Tai Long. We're going back immediately!"

When they reached the Mist Forest, the sight before them made everyone suck in a cold breath-

The Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers had fallen. Its enormous trunk had been severed halfway up, and black frost covered the break. Clearly, it had been destroyed by some sinister, frigid power. The surrounding wind element had turned violent and chaotic. Countless wind blades rampaged through the forest, slicing ancient trees to pieces.

Beside the ancient tree's remains stood the familiar masked man. He held another fragment in his hand, evidently found in the hollow of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers.

"You came, just as I expected." The masked man turned, his silver mask reflecting a cold light amid the chaotic wind. "I thought I might have to go to Heaven Dou City to fetch you."

"Did you destroy the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers?" Tang San's voice was icy. Blue Silver Grass danced wildly behind him, ready to attack at any moment.

"It was in the way," the masked man said casually, putting the fragment into his storage bag. "Besides, the last Wind Fragment was hidden in its core. I couldn't give up something so important for the sake of a worthless tree, could I?"

"What exactly do you want?"

The masked man fell silent for a moment, seemingly considering something. After a while, he suddenly raised a hand and removed the silver mask from his face.

When they saw the face beneath the mask, Tang San, Lin Ye, Xiao Wu, and Tai Long all froze, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

Beneath the mask was none of the faces they had imagined, but one they knew all too well: Li Mo, the council's clerk, that seemingly timid and harmless young Soul Master!

"It's you?!" Xiao Wu cried out.

Li Mo-or rather, the masked man-no longer wore his earlier timidity. In its place was a cold indifference, and even his voice had become steady and forceful. "Surprised?"

"Why are you doing this?" Tang San's voice carried restrained fury, and his Blue Silver Grass was poised to strike. "The council treated you well, and you understand the principles of the Way of Balance. Why help the Shadow Pavilion?"

"Help the Shadow Pavilion?" Li Mo gave a soft laugh, thick with mockery. "Do you really think the Shadow Pavilion fell because of you?"

He held out his hand, and a mass of black energy gathered in his palm. Countless fragments could faintly be seen spinning within it. "The Shadow Sect Master was nothing more than a pawn I sent out to draw your attention, so I'd have time to collect these fragments. As for the Shadow Pavilion... I founded it from the very beginning."

The news struck like a thunderclap, leaving everyone reeling.

"So you're the Shadow Pavilion's true master?" Lin Ye's Golden Crow Fire leaped violently. "Then the Shadow Sect Master from before..."

"Just a puppet consumed by dark energy." Li Mo's gaze didn't waver in the slightest. "I needed someone to open a rift for the Shadow Gate and gather enough dark ore for me. He happened to be suitable."

Towering waves crashed through Tang San's heart. If Li Mo was telling the truth, then every battle they had fought before had merely been part of his plan. What they had thought was victory had been nothing more than a result their opponent had deliberately bestowed upon them.

"What exactly is your goal?" Tang San's voice trembled slightly, not with fear, but with anger.

Li Mo didn't answer. He merely looked up at the sky as the mass of black energy in his palm grew larger and larger. "You'll know soon enough. Once I've gathered all the fragments, I can open a passage to 'that place.' When the time comes... the entire continent will thank me."

With that, his body turned to black smoke once more and vanished into the violent wind element. This time, Tang San and the others didn't pursue him, because they were all too shaken by the earth-shattering secret to move.

The remains of the Ancient Tree of Wind Whispers whimpered in the wind, as though mourning a fate of deception. The Proof of Balance jade pendant remained hot, and its points of light went out one by one. Clearly, Li Mo had already paid the other nodes a visit as well.

Tang San clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. He knew they faced an unfathomable opponent, a player who had been manipulating everything from behind the scenes from the very beginning.

And this game had only just entered its truly dangerous stage. The council's shadow descended, more suffocating than any dark energy.