Chapter 102: Late
"That would be perfect... The members of the Transient Guild only care about the mask, not the person, anyway... Even if they know that there's a different person under the mask, as long as the mask hasn't been destroyed, they would still accept the substitute...
“Also... it's strictly prohibited to leak the identities of guild members... so that makes it even more difficult for anyone to find out that I've been replaced..." Luo Meng said with a relieved smile, but his words were cutting off intermittently, and he seemed to be in a very feeble state.
An extremely thin wisp of black mist slowly seeped out of his shoulder, then began to sway from side to side like a strand of seaweed.
"I can't maintain this form much longer... Fellow Daoist Liu. If you have any other questions... then ask them now before it's too late..." Luo Meng said with a wry smile as he turned to glance at the wisp of black mist emerging from his shoulder.
Another wisp of black mist began to seep out of his calf as he spoke.
"There's nothing more I want to ask you. If you have dying wishes, then go ahead and tell me. I won't turn them down as long as they're within the realm of my capabilities," Han Li said with a shake of his head.
Luo Meng looked up at the heavens as he murmured, "Just keep your promise to protect my people... I wouldn't dare to ask anything more of you... If my Luo Clan can make a resurgence someday, I would be... ecstatic..."
His voice gradually grew feebler and feebler, and his body also began to warp and fade, dissipating into wisps of black mist that quickly disappeared.
Han Li was a little dazed as he stared at the spot where Luo Meng's soul had just vanished. He couldn't help but be moved by Luo Meng's devotion to his people, even in death.
Only after a long while did he return to his senses, and he made a grabbing motion to draw the cow mask into his grasp.
This time, the mask maintained its substantial form and obediently flew into his hand.
A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face as he inspected the strange patterns on the mask in a slightly absentminded manner.
……
Close to a month later.
In a region of the sea countless kilometers away from Dark Veil Island, dark gray clouds filled the entire sky, and ferocious gusts of wind were howling incessantly, sweeping up enormous waves.
A streak of azure light pierced through the waves like a peerlessly sharp sword, slicing the waves apart and sending large volumes of water splashing in all directions.
Within the streak of azure light was Han Li, whose facial features were concealed behind the blue cow mask that he was wearing, but his sharp and piercing eyes were visible through the eye holes on the mask.
On the surface of the sea several dozen kilometers up ahead was a round island with a radius of no more than half a kilometer. Looking at the island from afar, it resembled a green leaf that was bobbing up and down in the waves, and that was his destination.
Han Li slowed down slightly, and after flying for close to another 10 kilometers, the island gradually became clearer in his field of view.
There were many sea fig trees growing all over the island, forming a vast expanse of lush greenery. The massive canopies of the trees were intertwined together to form a giant canopy over the entire island, with countless branches that were as thick as adult human arms layering on top of one another to form a sturdy wooden wall.
Countless thin and long lateral roots were trailing down from these dense masses of branches, and they resembled the beard of an elderly man as some of them extended into the soil down below, while others trailed down into the seawater.
Han Li flew over the island before drawing to a halt in mid-air and inspecting the island from afar. The ground on the island was littered with gray bird feces, but not a single seabird could be seen in the forest.
Furthermore, the only sound that he could hear came from the whistling of the wind through the branches of the sea fig trees, and the entire island was abnormally quiet.
Right at this moment, a cold voice rang out beside Han Li's ears.
"Wyrm 15, why are you entering the island?"
Han Li was slightly taken aback by this voice as it had come from the mask that he was wearing rather than from the island.
He didn't delay any further as he descended onto the island.
The soil on the island was very soft and loamy, and each step that Han Li took would leave a footprint beneath him. He traversed through the gaps in the dense forest to arrive at the center of the island, leaving a trail of footsteps in his wake.
At the center of an island was a massive sea fig tree that three people could link their arms around. All of the lateral roots hanging down from its branches had been cleared away to vacate a rather spacious area.
There were several figures in the area, and they were either standing or seated around the trunk of the tree.
Han Li cast his gaze toward the group, and his attention was immediately drawn to the red-robed man seated directly in front of the giant tree.
The man was wearing a crimson dragon mask that also had many strange runes engraved onto its surface, and the number "3" was engraved onto the glabella of the mask in strange characters.
This man was Wyrm 3.
Han Li's heart stirred slightly as he made this realization, but he didn't say anything.
Wyrm 3 only took a casual glance at Han Li before withdrawing his gaze, displaying no intention to speak with him.
Han Li naturally wasn't going to initiate any conversation, either, and he turned his gaze toward the others.
One of the figures gathered around the tree was slightly hunched over and was wearing a loose-fitting purple robe and a blue goat mask, upon which was engraved the number "9".
The figure was resting on their haunches, staring at something on the ground, not even bothering to cast a single glance in Han Li's direction.
Standing not far away from the purple-robed figure was a tall and broad man wearing a blue tiger mask, but he seemed to be more approachable and gave Han Li a slight nod.
Han Li didn't say anything as he cast his gaze toward the number "6" on the man's mask, and he returned the nod of acknowledgment.
To the left of the tree was an elegant woman in a mesh dress with an owl mask on her face. She was leaning against the trunk of the sea fig tree with her slender arms crossed in front of her chest, and as she turned to glance at Han Li, he caught a glimpse of the numbers "2" and "1" on her mask.
Behind her, on the other side of the sea fig tree, a head that was wearing a blue eagle mask that bore the numbers "2" and "5" poked out from behind the tree to take a glance at Han Li, then promptly ducked back behind the tree again.
There was also a thin figure hanging off a branch on the right side of the sea fig tree, and they were wearing a monkey mask with the number "8" engraved upon it.
Upon sensing Han Li's gaze, the thin figure also turned to look at Han Li with their yellow eyes through the holes on their mask.
Below the monkey-masked figure was a thin man wearing a blue robe and a bear mask. He was seated in an upright position, meditating with his eyes closed, and the numbers "1" and "3" were engraved onto the glabella of his mask.
Perhaps it was due to the rules of the Transient Guild or for some other reason, but no one was conversing with anyone else, and even Wrym 3 wasn't saying anything to anyone.
Han Li quickly picked a spot to sit at, then closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Eight days passed by in the blink of an eye, and no one else turned up during this time, but neither did anyone leave or speak.
The atmosphere was a very strange one.
On the morning of the eighth day, right as the first ray of light from the rising sun shone down upon the island, Wyrm Three suddenly raised his head slightly, then stood up from the ground as he declared in a rather rigid voice, "Time's up..."
Everyone quickly also stood up upon hearing this, and the thin monkey-masked man who had been seated on the tree branch this entire time immediately jumped down as well.
Right at this moment, a streak of light suddenly sped toward the island from afar, then plummeted out of the sky like an asteroid before crashing down onto the island.
The entire island shuddered violently, and all of the tree branches rustled incessantly.
The streak of light faded to reveal a burly figure wearing a boar mask.
As soon as he set foot on the island, he immediately rushed urgently toward the center of the island, snapping all of the branches and lateral roots in his path like a wrecking ball.
After arriving in the clearing, the man briefly inspected his surroundings, then yelled at the top of his lungs, "Which one of you is Wyrm Three?"
He then swept his gaze across everyone present without any inhibitions before his gaze finally settled on the red-robed man.
"So you're Wyrm Three. Hurry up and announce the mission, I still have things to do after this," the boar-masked man said in a loud voice.
"You're late, Wyrm 32," Wyrm 3 declared in a cold voice.
"Give it a rest, I'm only late by a few minutes. Hurry and announce the mission. I don't have any time to waste here," the boar-masked man said in an impatient voice with a dismissive wave of his hand.
All of a sudden, a sense of foreboding welled up in Han Li's heart, and he reflexively took a step backward.
In the next instant, a layer of red light suddenly appeared over Wyrm 3's body, then transformed into a crimson inferno that enveloped him from head to toe. A scorching heatwave then erupted from his body, forcing everyone to rush back in retreat.
Immediately thereafter, he abruptly lunged forward with his one hand outstretched before him like a blade, aimed directly at the boar-masked man's chest.
In the face of Wyrm 3's abrupt attack, the boar-masked man reacted extremely quickly, taking a step back as he made a hand seal to conjure up a layer of white light over his body.
At the same time, a white octagonal shield appeared before him.
The shield was riddled with rhomboid patterns, and there was a layer of dazzling white light radiating from its surface, giving off bursts of law fluctuations.
Even though the boar-masked man was quite rushed in the defensive measures that he was adopting, Han Li noticed that the law fluctuations emanating from his shield were even more powerful than what Han Qiu had been able to muster up.
A dull thump rang out, and to everyone's surprise, there was no resounding clash. Instead, the outcome of the battle was decided after just that single clash.
To everyone's shock and horror, Wyrm 3's hand had already pierced through the octagonal mask and plunged straight into the boar-masked man's heart.
Plumes of white smoke were rising up from the hole on his chest, and the muscles around it had already been completely liquefied, dripping down from his body like molten lava.
"For openly defying the guild's orders and arriving late, Wyrm 32's membership status has been revoked," Wyrm 3 said in a cold voice as he slowly withdrew his hand.
As soon as his voice trailed off, the runes on the boar mask began to glow with dazzling light, following which the mask disintegrated into powder before dissipating into nothingness.
A face that was twisted in shock and agony was revealed beneath the mask, and it seemed that even up to the instant that the boar-masked man met his demise, he was still unable to believe that he had been unable to withstand even a single attack from his assailant.
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