Hero Mask

"I know lots and lots of languages. I can definitely help Big Brother." "I can sing." "I have the Adamantine Feathers ability. I can help Big Brother." "I can... I can sing." "I can cultivate. I'll get stronger and stronger in the future, so I can definitely help Big Brother." "I can... sing." "I can also merge with Big Brother and go gather things for him whenever he's busy." "..." Little Nora looked at the silent Little Huangquan, its beak pointed almost straight up at the sky. Just then, Yu Xian lightly tapped Little Nora on the head, scolding with a laugh, "No bullying girls, understood? Little Huangquan is a good kid, and you should get along with her." "Understood, Big Brother," Little Nora said, taking Yu Xian's words as praise and nodding happily. Little Huangquan looked at Yu Xian with an aggrieved expression, her downturned brows drooping. "B-Big Brother, am I really useless?" "How could that be? Little Huangquan, you just never had anyone to guide you in the past. Once Big Brother finds a path suited to you, you'll become more and more useful, and eventually you'll grow into a super awesome adult," Yu Xian consoled her with a smile. By this point, Little Huangquan trusted Yu Xian completely. Her fighting spirit flared up at once; she was going to become a super awesome adult who was useful to Big Brother! Afterward, as Yu Xian resumed roasting meat for Little Nora, Little Huangquan stood beside him, watching his every move with shining eyes. "Want to learn?" Yu Xian asked with a smile, seeing right through her thoughts. Little Huangquan nodded and replied, "Yes! That way, I can roast meat for Big Brother to eat in the future." "Then I'll look forward to your roast meat. Come, I'll teach you how it's done." Rather than dampening her enthusiasm, Yu Xian patiently taught Little Huangquan how to mix the seasonings, how to marinate the meat, and how to skewer and roast it. Once he had walked her through the process a few times, he let her handle several steps herself. Little Nora, who had previously been content just eating, began to feel a bit worried. What if Little Huangquan became more useful than it in the future? Wouldn't it lose face? The more it thought about it, the more restless it became. Finally, it quickly wolfed down the meat in its grasp, scrambled over to Yu Xian, and said, "Big Brother, I want to learn how to roast meat too!" "All right!" Yu Xian chuckled helplessly. These two little ones had gotten into a competitive race. Who knew where it would end? He spent an hour teaching both of them, after which they were able to roast meat on their own. In truth, Little Nora already knew how; asking to learn from Yu Xian had mostly been an attempt to vie for affection. Before long, it was holding skewers over the fire with one hand while eating from a skewer held in the other. As soon as it finished one, it smoothly accepted a roasted skewer Little Huangquan handed over, wolfed that down, and then went back to eating the meat it had roasted itself. Seeing that the two little ones were getting along well, Yu Xian finally took out the ghost mask and carefully inspected its material. Although Little Huangquan was now the ghost mask's master, she had not refined it herself. It had been forged by one of the Yellow Springs water ghosts. As the saying went, lone yin does not flourish, and sole yang does not grow. Strictly speaking, the Yellow Springs water ghosts were a collective entity. All of them possessed bodies of yin spirits, muddied with massive amounts of impurities. Because of this, their strength remained limited even after breaking through to the Star Rank, and advancing any further was exceedingly difficult. However, among the Yellow Springs water ghosts was a very clever wraith who conceived a solution: since their inherent nature was one of lone yin that could not flourish, they could seize the yang energy of living beings to balance it. Ultimately, the ghost mask was designed by this pack of wraiths. They sought out living beings blessed with virtuous qualities, harvested their hearts, and sacrificed them to the ghost mask to acquire what they termed "sole yang." By uniting yin and yang, their potential would skyrocket. In theory, the ghost mask would eventually merge seamlessly with the Yellow Springs water ghosts, at which point they would refine a second Star Divine Artifact. Unfortunately, reality fell far short of their grand ambitions. They had crossed paths with Yu Xian, and in the end, he wiped them out. At present, the ghost mask was undeniably a dangerous Star Divine Artifact. An ordinary person who put it on would lose their sanity in an instant, and even Little Huangquan could barely keep such a bizarre Star Divine Artifact under control. To make matters worse, the ghost mask remained bound to Little Huangquan. If the mask were damaged, her vitality would be severely harmed, and her life might even be endangered. "Auntie, how do you think I should deal with it?" Yu Xian asked, troubled. Zhenwo Changjing replied, "You can establish a pact with Huangquan first, then merge with her, and use the Six Ding Divine Fire to recast the ghost mask. In the process, infuse it with the power of faith to cleanse every trace of evil intent left behind by the Yellow Springs water ghosts, thereby transforming the ghost mask into a hero mask." In an instant, Yu Xian realized that Zhenwo Changjing's proposed method was entirely feasible. The materials used in the mask were all of supreme yang and hardness, whereas the Six Ding Divine Fire was composed of the six Heavenly Stems bearing the heaviest yin: Ding-Mao, Ding-Si, Ding-Wei, Ding-You, Ding-Hai, and Ding-Chou. Recasting the ghost mask with the Six Ding Divine Fire would harmonize its yin and yang, fundamentally altering its attributes. At the same time, the ghost mask had amassed an enormous quantity of "sole yang." The problem was that this yang energy had been obtained through slaughter, naturally carrying towering resentment. Only by washing it with the trust and faith of the countless people residing within Yu Xian could such filth be thoroughly cleansed. When that time came, the ghost mask would be reborn. Not only would it become far more powerful, but it would also cease to produce any negative backlash for its user. Yu Xian estimated that once the ghost mask became a hero mask, putting it on would grant him a massive boost in strength. What would normally be a 1 + 1 = 2 effect might well yield a result of 1 + 1 = 3 through the hero mask. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to Little Huangquan. After explaining everything about the Primordial Blood Pact to her, he asked, "Little Huangquan, are you willing to become my partner?" "So merging wasn't its own ability after all!" Little Huangquan was dumbfounded, turning to stare at Little Nora in astonishment. Yu Xian and Little Nora were both left speechless. Shouldn't Little Huangquan's focus be on the Primordial Blood Pact itself? Why was she more preoccupied with whether that had been Little Nora's personal ability? Soon, however, Little Huangquan came to her senses and immediately nodded in agreement to become Yu Xian's partner. The moment she finished forming the blood pact with Yu Xian, she turned to Little Nora and declared happily, "I can merge with Big Brother too, and go gather things for him whenever he's busy!" "Fine, but I'm definitely more useful than you," Little Nora muttered around a mouthful of Little Huangquan's roast meat, putting up a stubborn front despite lacking confidence. Little Huangquan cheerfully went back to roasting meat. Yu Xian sat beside them, watching the two of them with amusement and gratification while a burgeoning sense of responsibility took root in his heart. He felt like a father now. He was no longer just on his own; he was responsible for the safety of these two little ones. That meant he had to become stronger and far more dependable. At dawn. The two little ones had fallen asleep sprawled across Yu Xian's lap, with Little Nora's drool steadily dripping down his leg onto the ground. With the ghost mask held in his hand, Yu Xian cast a brief glance toward the earth beneath him and thought, *Just as I suspected... The Forbidden Fruit has likely fallen into the hands of the Ancient Cosmos Dragon.* He had already searched the entire continent using his eyeball bubbles. Not even the most hidden nook could escape his sight, so he was a hundred percent certain that the Forbidden Fruit was neither in the sky nor across the land. And underground... was where the Ancient Cosmos Dragon made its lair. Yet the Ancient Cosmos Dragon's strength remained unknown, making a personal visit far too perilous. As Yu Xian turned the matter over in his mind, an idea struck him. He thought of the domineering Spartan Warriors. Having no fondness whatsoever for those brutes who killed people on a whim, he wondered: why not let them serve as the vanguard first?