Chapter 94 - 89: Ghost Face Mask, Widespread Panic

Chapter 94: Chapter 89: Ghost Face Mask, Widespread Panic

At this moment, Jiang Hao had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. This was especially true after he put on the grimace mask, roaming about like a ghost in the night.

Upon leaving the cave, he looked up at the sky curtain over the Inner Sect, which was slowly dissipating bit by bit, and instantly made an estimation. "There is still some time before the Inner Sect opens, at least a month or two."

This meant he still had time to cultivate. However, the prerequisite was finding a suitable place to cultivate—ideally another cave abode with a Spirit Pool.

The Ancient Emperor Sect was undoubtedly the best place for cultivation. With the accumulation of endless years, there was absolutely more than just the one Spirit Pool he had discovered. Such Spirit Pools were likely scattered throughout the entire Ancient Emperor Sect.

But before choosing a new cultivation spot, he wanted to see what realm those peerless freaks had reached to establish a point of comparison. After all, once the Inner Sect opened, those people would be his biggest competitors.

Before long, Jiang Hao began wandering through the Eighteen Peaks. Because he had adopted a new identity, he didn’t conceal his aura. Instead, he simply circulated the Concealment Art to alter it. Instantly, wherever the black-robed, grimace-masked figure passed, waves of commotion followed. This was especially true when he passed by the entrances of cave abodes, where the Cultivators inside invariably turned pale with shock.

"What a terrifying aura!"

"Who just passed by here? How could there be such dense Spiritual Power fluctuations?"

"A peerless freak!"

Inside one particular cave abode, dozens of figures sat cross-legged in a Spirit Pool, all of them trembling with shock. Just a moment ago, while they were frantically cultivating, an astoundingly powerful aura had suddenly washed over them.

The aura was so terrifying that it made everyone’s hearts palpitate. It was incredibly soul-shaking, as if a primordial beast had suddenly appeared. Even more frightening was that the aura had paused outside their cave abode, as if observing the situation inside. Fortunately, the entity only lingered for a brief moment before quietly withdrawing, seemingly having lost interest.

"Could it be that a peerless freak is looking for a new Spirit Pool for cultivation?"

"Thank goodness he didn’t set his sights on our cave abode, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable."

The dozens of figures inside the cave breathed heavily, feeling as if they had just been given a new lease on life. The world-shocking fluctuations from earlier were far beyond the pressure they had felt before entering the Ancient Emperor Sect. It was even stronger than the auras those peerless freaks had emitted back then—truly unfathomable.

As Jiang Hao continuously changed locations, the entire Eighteen Peaks was sent into an uproar within a mere fifteen minutes. Countless Cultivators cultivating in their cave abodes sensed that aura. Some even rushed out of their caves just as the aura faded, only to catch a glimpse of a blurry black-robed silhouette.

At a certain moment, when a Cultivator inside a cave abode mustered the courage to step outside, the black-robed figure turned around and cast a glance at him.

That single glance made the Cultivator turn pale with fright, his eyes filled with unease. The black grimace mask was simply too soul-stirring in the night.

Seeing the look in the other party’s eyes, Jiang Hao pondered briefly and suddenly had an idea. "It seems that openly exposing myself to the public eye might yield unexpected results."

If everyone knew that a terrifying peerless monster wearing a grimace mask had appeared here, he could use this new identity to participate in the competition when the Inner Sect opened. At that time, with everyone’s attention focused on the terrifying Cultivator in the grimace mask, it would naturally reduce the attention placed on the person known as ’Jiang Hao’.

"I’ll do exactly that."

Sometimes in cultivation, one couldn’t rely solely on brute force; one also had to use their brain. Jiang Hao intended to forge an alternate identity to participate in the clash of prodigies. By doing so, he might be able to quietly build up his strength in the background.

With this thought in mind, Jiang Hao no longer hesitated. At every cave abode he visited, he deliberately flashed his grimace mask. Later, he simply walked directly into the caves, putting on a display and flexing his muscles in front of everyone before leaving.

For a time, the entire Eighteen Peaks was completely boiling over. The tranquility that had finally settled was instantly shattered by the grimace mask. Even the cave abode where the Nanling group was staying was not spared.

At a certain moment.

When Jiang Hao barged into a cave abode...

SPLASH!!!

Ji Qingxue and the others, who had sensed him beforehand, instantly felt their hairs stand on end. They abruptly stood up, clutching their Magical Artifacts as they stared at the masked figure with utmost vigilance. There was not only wariness in their eyes but also panic; the hands gripping their sword hilts trembled slightly.

"What terrifying power! A peerless freak!"

And one so strong that it made their hearts tremble.

As the two sides confronted each other from a distance, even Jiang Hao himself was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t carefully sensed the auras inside the cave abodes at all; he had simply dived headfirst into any cave where he hadn’t detected a peerless freak. He never expected to run into acquaintances here.

In that instant, both sides fell entirely silent. The palms of Ji Qingxue’s hands, gripping her sword hilt, were even soaked in cold sweat.

However, a short moment later, Jiang Hao slowly retreated and disappeared into the night.

Only after that figure left did the people from Nanling instantly relax, like deflated balloons, though their eyes were still wide with shock.

"The aura on that person just now...?"

"It was too terrifying. A horrifying existence at the Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage."

"It’s not just as simple as the Fifth Stage. It’s not like we haven’t seen Cultivators at the Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage before, but compared to the aura on this person, they are weaker by leaps and bounds."

"Could it be that kind of existence among the peerless freaks?"

As soon as these words were spoken, lingering fear gripped everyone’s hearts. Thank goodness that person hadn’t attacked them; otherwise, it would have been an utter catastrophe.