Chapter 218: Hero Mask

Little Nora said, "I know lots and lots of languages, so I can definitely help Big Bro."

Huang Quan replied, "I can sing."

"I have the Vajra Feathers, so I can help Big Bro."

"I can... I can sing."

"I can cultivate, and I'll keep getting stronger. I'll definitely be able to help Big Bro."

"I can... sing."

"I can also fuse with Big Bro and help him gather things whenever he's busy."

Little Nora looked at the silent Little Huang Quan, his beak practically pointing toward the sky.

Yu Xian tapped Little Nora on the head and chided him with a smile. "You mustn't bully girls, understand? Little Huang Quan is a good child, so you should get along with her."

Little Nora took Yu Xian's words as praise and nodded happily. "Got it, Big Bro."

Little Huang Quan looked at Yu Xian with an aggrieved expression, her drooping brows forming an inverted V. "B-Big Brother... am I really that useless?"

Yu Xian reassured her with a smile. "Of course not. No one ever taught you properly before, that's all. Once I find a path that suits you, you'll become more and more capable and eventually grow into an incredibly powerful adult."

By now, Huang Quan had put her absolute trust in Yu Xian. Her fighting spirit immediately flared to life. She wanted to grow into a powerful adult who could be useful to her Big Bro.

Afterward, as Yu Xian continued roasting meat for Little Nora, Little Huang Quan stood nearby and watched his every movement with burning intensity. Noticing what she was thinking, Yu Xian smiled. "Want to learn?"

Little Huang Quan nodded. "Yes. Then I can roast meat for you in the future, Big Bro."

Yu Xian did not discourage her enthusiasm. "I'll look forward to tasting your cooking. Come, I'll teach you."

He patiently taught her how to mix seasonings, marinate the meat, thread it onto skewers, and roast it. After demonstrating several times, he let Little Huang Quan handle some of the steps herself. Little Nora, who had originally been responsible for only eating, began to feel uneasy, worried that Little Huang Quan would become more useful than him in the future. Wouldn't that make me lose face?

The more he thought about that, the harder he found it to sit still. He quickly finished the meat in his hand, ran over to Yu Xian, and said, "Big Bro, I want to learn how to roast meat too."

Yu Xian agreed with a helpless smile. "All right!"

These two little ones have already started competing. Who knows where this rivalry will eventually lead?

Yu Xian taught them for an hour, after which they could both roast meat on their own. In truth, Little Nora already knew this. His claim that he wanted Yu Xian to teach him was mostly an attempt to compete for attention.

Little Nora roasted meat with one hand while eating from a skewer with the other. Just as he finished, Little Huang Quan handed him roasted meat, and he accepted it. Once that skewer was gone, he went straight back to eating the meat he had cooked himself.

Seeing that the two little ones were getting along well, Yu Xian finally took out the ghost mask and carefully examined the material it was made from. Although Little Huang Quan was now the ghost mask's owner, she had not forged it herself. It had been created by one of the Water Ghosts that made up the Yellow Springs Water Ghost.

As the saying went, solitary yin could not flourish, and isolated yang could not give rise to life. Technically, the Yellow Springs Water Ghost should have been called the Yellow Springs Water Ghost Collective. They were all yin spirits filled with vast amounts of impurities. Consequently, even after reaching Star rank, their strength remained limited, and advancing any further was extremely difficult.

However, one particularly intelligent malicious ghost among them devised a solution. Since pure yin alone could not flourish, they would seize the yang energy of the living to balance it.

Thus, the malicious ghosts designed the ghost mask. They sought living beings who possessed admirable qualities, tore out their hearts, and sacrificed them to the mask to obtain what they called "solitary yang." If yin and yang were combined, their potential would increase dramatically.

In theory, the ghost mask would have eventually fused perfectly with the Yellow Springs Water Ghost Collective. They would then have refined their second Star Divine Artifact. Unfortunately for them, while their plan looked perfect on paper, reality brought them Yu Xian, who wiped them out.

The ghost mask was now unquestionably a dangerous Star Divine Artifact. An ordinary person would lose their mind the instant they put it on, and even Little Huang Quan found the strange artifact difficult to control.

Yet the ghost mask was bound to Little Huang Quan. If it were damaged, her vitality would also suffer severely, and her life could even be endangered.

Troubled, Yu Xian asked, "Auntie, what do you think I should do with it?"

Eternal Purity replied, "First, you can form a blood pact with Huang Quan and fuse with her. Then use the Six Dings' Divine Fire to reforge the ghost mask while infusing it with Faith. This will cleanse away all the malicious thoughts left behind by the Yellow Springs Water Ghosts and transform the ghost mask into a Hero Mask."

It instantly clicked for Yu Xian. Eternal Purity's approach was indeed feasible. The mask had been forged entirely from materials of supreme yang and exceptional hardness. Meanwhile, the Six Dings' Divine Fire corresponded to the six most yin-aligned Ding combinations: Ding Mao, Ding Si, Ding Wei, Ding You, Ding Hai, and Ding Chou. [1] Reforging the ghost mask with the Six Dings' Divine Fire would bring its yin and yang into balance, thereby changing its nature.

The ghost mask had accumulated an enormous amount of "solitary yang." However, this yang energy had been obtained through slaughter and was thus saturated with overwhelming resentment. Only the trust and faith of the countless people within Yu Xian could wash away those impurities and cleanse it.

At that point, the ghost mask would be reborn. Not only would it become more powerful, but it would also cease to have any negative influences on its wearer.

Yu Xian estimated that once the ghost mask became a Hero Mask, wearing it would greatly increase his strength. Normally, one plus one should equal two, but with the Hero Mask, the equation could become one plus one equals three.

He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to Little Huang Quan. After explaining everything about the Primordial Blood Pact to her, he asked, "Little Huang Quan, are you willing to become my companion?"

Little Huang Quan exclaimed in astonishment, then turned to Little Nora with shock all over her face. "So, fusion isn't his ability!"

Yu Xian and Little Nora were both speechless. Shouldn't she be more concerned about the Primordial Blood Pact itself? Why is she more interested in whether fusion is Little Nora's ability?

However, Little Huang Quan quickly came to her senses and immediately nodded, agreeing to become Yu Xian's companion.

After completing the blood pact with Yu Xian, she turned to Little Nora and happily said, "Now I can fuse with Big Bro too, and when he's busy, I can help him gather things."

Little Nora ate the roasted meat Little Huang Quan had made. "Fine, but I'm definitely still more useful than you."

Although he did not sound entirely confident, he still stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

Little Huang Quan happily continued roasting meat. Sitting beside them, Yu Xian watched their interaction with joy and relief, while a growing sense of responsibility gradually took root within him.

He now felt like a father. He was no longer responsible only for himself; he had to protect both little ones. That meant he had to become stronger and more dependable.

At dawn, the two little ones fell asleep sprawled across Yu Xian's thighs. Little Nora's drool continuously dripped from his leg onto the ground.

Yu Xian held the ghost mask in his hand. Glancing down at the ground, he thought, As expected... the Forbidden Fruit has probably fallen into the Ancient Cosmic Dragon's hands.

Through his eyeball bubbles, he had already searched the entire world fragment. Not even the most concealed location could escape his eyeball bubbles. He was therefore completely certain that the Forbidden Fruit was neither in the sky nor anywhere on the surface. As for underground, that was the Ancient Cosmic Dragon's territory. However, the Ancient Cosmic Dragon's strength remained unknown, so going there personally would be far too dangerous.

As Yu Xian considered his options, a thought occurred to him. He remembered the overbearing Spartan warriors. He had no fondness whatsoever for people who killed others at the slightest provocation. Perhaps he could have them lead the charge and test the waters first.

1. In Daoist cosmology, Ding Mao, Ding Si, Ding Wei, Ding You, Ding Hai, and Ding Chou are the six Yin Fire stem-branch pairs in the traditional 60-year Chinese sexagenary cycle. In Daoist magic, these six pairings form the Six Dings' Divine Fire, an infamous holy flame carrying deep Yin properties. ☜