“Do you dare to take off your mask?”
Gu Ming was about to explain, but Mu Ningxue cut him off without hesitation. Gu Ming’s heart skipped a beat, and he fell into a heavy silence.
“Why should I trust someone who doesn’t dare to show their true face?”
Mu Ningxue’s brows furrowed slightly, a look of determination flashing in her eyes. Once she confirmed that Gu Ming was indeed the Demon Cult’s Fifth Heavenly King, she would strike him down without mercy.
Gu Ming looked up helplessly and sighed in his heart. ‘Another 1,000,000 High-grade Spirit Stones gone…’
The Disguise Mask possessed an advanced function.
Once equipped, the owner could chant an incantation for Space Retrieval, transferring Spirit Stones from their Storage Bag to a specific spatial coordinate. Then, by chanting a second, slightly longer incantation, they could complete a total transformation.
However, this advanced function had a fatal flaw. If the second incantation was recited incorrectly, the disguise would fail. To try again, the user had to restart from the first incantation and feed it the required Spirit Stones once more.
It was a somewhat useless feature, so Gu Ming rarely used it. But given the current situation, he had no choice but to rely on this expensive function to handle her.
With a thought, Gu Ming began chanting the first incantation internally.
As he started, cold sweat began to bead on his forehead. He could clearly feel the Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag vanishing at an alarming rate. After finishing the first chant, 1,000,000 High-grade Spirit Stones were simply gone.
Gu Ming couldn’t afford to care about the cost now and immediately began the second internal chant. As the second incantation took effect, he felt a warm sensation envelop his face. His facial structure was being rewritten bit by bit.
Mu Ningxue stared intently at Gu Ming for a long time. Her brow furrowed deeper as she said coldly, “Hey, don’t think you can get away with this by staying silent. Believe it or not, I’ll kill you right now.”
Gu Ming remained unresponsive.
Mu Ningxue grew anxious, her heart filled with conflict. For a moment, she couldn’t make up her mind. Her previous bold accusations were half-guesswork and half-bluff.
Were the Jade-Faced Young Master and the Demon Cult’s Fifth Heavenly King the same person?
She didn’t know for sure. However, as long as she saw the true face hidden beneath the mask, she would know.
In the Goddess Cultivation Technique, there was a special divine ability regarding sight called the Divine Eye. This ability was exceptionally powerful, capable of seeing through the truth of all things. If cultivated to its peak, no demon or ghost under the Heavenly Dao could hide from it.
However, this divine ability was as difficult to cultivate as climbing to the heavens. Even the Divine Maidens of the Divine Maiden Palace through the generations had only managed to reach around Level 6 at most. Mu Ningxue was merely a beginner.
In fact, from the moment Gu Ming appeared, Mu Ningxue had been using the Divine Eye to peer at the face hidden under the mask, but every time she tried, her vision would blur. She knew it was the mask’s doing; it was actively blocking her scrutiny.
This was why she was so obsessed with making Gu Ming remove it. She believed that without the mask’s interference, she could see through the Jade-Faced Young Master’s true identity, even if he used common disguises.
“I’ll count to three. If you remain silent, I will slit your throat without hesitation,” Mu Ningxue said grimly.
She stared at Gu Ming and began to count.
“One.”
“Two.”
“…”
Just as she was about to shout “three,” Gu Ming finally spoke.
“Fine. Since it is what you wish, I will take off the mask.”
As he spoke, Gu Ming turned around and slowly pulled the mask away. Once it was removed, an incredibly average face was revealed. It was a common face—the kind that would never be noticed in a crowd. However, there was a long scar running across his right eye.
Mu Ningxue’s eyes widened slightly. She had already activated her Divine Eye. Her vision did not blur, nor did the silhouette of a second face appear.
It seemed she had misunderstood him.
Mu Ningxue panicked slightly, and the long sword held against Gu Ming’s neck lowered.
Her Master had once told her that the Goddess Cultivation Technique was unique. By practicing it, the cultivator’s sixth sense would be enhanced. Therefore, she should always trust her suspicions and her intuition.
And yet, had her intuition failed her now?
Seeing the panic on Mu Ningxue’s face, the corner of Gu Ming’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. He pointed at the scar on his face and spoke through gritted teeth.
“The Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult is my sworn enemy. He not only destroyed my family but also disfigured me. I swore an oath—as long as he lives, I cannot rest!”
“To that end, I have focused on lurking within his territory, waiting for the day I can have my revenge.”
“But, in the end, I am still too soft-hearted.”
He raised his chin slightly, a look of profound sorrow on his face.
“Watching the righteous heroes being captured by him one by one… I simply cannot stand by and do nothing.”
“Divine Maiden.”
Gu Ming lowered his head and touched the scar on his face.
“I don’t blame you. It was right for you to be suspicious. After all, I am just an ugly, insignificant nobody. I grew conceited just because I received a little praise and started thinking of myself as some great hero.”
“I was wrong.”
“I shouldn’t have had such delusions.”
“An ugly freak like me should just go back to the trash heap where he belongs.”
“Enough!” Mu Ningxue suddenly shouted.
Every one of Gu Ming’s words pierced Mu Ningxue’s heart. He made her feel like a peerless villain who had committed a terrible crime. Her conscience was suffering so much that she had to stop him from speaking further.
If he continued, she would want to bury herself alive.
‘Mu Ningxue, oh Mu Ningxue… the man risked his life to save you, and you questioned if he was the Fifth Heavenly King. Are you even human?’
How could the Jade-Faced Young Master be that Fifth Heavenly King? That guy was a total pervert.
Mu Ningxue cursed herself repeatedly in her heart. When she looked up, her expression stiffened, and her eyes flickered with guilt.
Gu Ming was looking at her with a pitiful expression, like a child who had done something wrong and was waiting for his mother’s punishment.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Mu Ningxue bowed to Gu Ming and apologized.
“I don’t ask for your forgiveness, but please believe me—I had a reason. I just can’t tell you what that reason is.”
“Mhm. I understand. Then, I forgive you.”
“Huh?”
Hearing Gu Ming forgive her so easily, Mu Ningxue was caught off guard. She instinctively looked up, only to see him putting the mask back on.
Gu Ming seemed to realize something was off and hurriedly said, “This isn’t the place for talking. We need to leave before the reinforcements arrive.”
“You’re right,” Mu Ningxue agreed, nodding.
Gu Ming glanced at the gloves in Mu Ningxue’s hand and reminded her, “Put those gloves on. They can help you recover your Spiritual Power quickly. Once the reinforcements arrive, I won’t have the strength left to save you.”
“Understood.”
This time, Mu Ningxue did not hesitate. She obediently put them on.