Chapter 333: Truth

Mud bubbles gurgled in the swamp. Thin mist swirled, and dense tree shadows loomed.

Tan Hao headed straight west. His pace was not fast, nor was his escape technique particularly refined, which seemed inconsistent with his cultivation level. The masked man and Qin Sang followed him with ease.

The masked man was very patient. After leaving the stone island, he did not rush to act, but silently trailed Tan Hao into the desolate depths of the swamp. Or rather, he was cautious. The masked man was also in the early Foundation Establishment stage, and his aura was stronger than Tan Hao's. Although he had the advantage of preparation, even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. It was best to wait until he was absolutely certain before making a move. One strike, one kill. He was waiting for the moment Tan Hao lowered his guard.

Tan Hao was not entirely without vigilance; he left some hidden restrictions during his flight, but both the masked man and Qin Sang easily discovered and avoided them.

The deep night was silent, making the swamp appear even more eerie.

Fifteen minutes later, the masked man pursued Tan Hao into a patch of woods and suddenly stopped. He had lost track of Tan Hao. The ancient trees in this forest were not dense, and the surrounding area was clearly visible. Moments ago, Tan Hao's aura had moved continuously, directly to this spot, and then vanished abruptly without any warning. The masked man released his spiritual sense and searched, but found nothing. A night breeze began to stir, and everything seemed normal. Tan Hao seemed to have disappeared into thin air, vanishing so completely that not a single trace was left behind.

Not far behind, Qin Sang was lurking in a treetop, covertly observing the scene. Due to the distance between them, Qin Sang had also not noticed how Tan Hao disappeared. Like the masked man, he couldn't tell if Tan Hao was merely hidden somewhere or had used other means to evade their pursuit and had already fled far away.

"I underestimated Tan Hao..." Qin Sang secretly frowned, pondering for a moment. He did not rush to reveal himself, choosing instead to remain a silent observer. The masked man surely had some tricks up his sleeve.

As Qin Sang expected, the masked man searched but failed to find Tan Hao. However, he showed no signs of anxiety; instead, he sneered subtly and took out a round, mirror-shaped artifact. With two fingers of his right hand held together, spiritual energy surged as he rapidly drew on the round mirror. Strange runes merged into the mirror, which began to emit a glow. Gradually, the light became more dazzling, resembling a full moon. However, the masked man concealed all this light, preventing any leakage.

The final stroke fell. The masked man uttered a low command, "Rise!" The round mirror flew from the man's palm in response, soaring directly into the sky and becoming a bright moon embedded in the night. The surrounding mist was dispelled by its 'moonlight'. Pure light spread everywhere, instantly illuminating the surroundings as brightly as day.

The next moment, the man sharply turned his head to the left and saw an extremely faint, illusory shadow slowly moving between two ancient trees. Who else could it be but Tan Hao? Tan Hao had used some unknown method to conceal himself in the darkness, his aura perfectly hidden, and was slowly attempting to escape. At that moment, he was precisely at the edge of the 'moonlight'. If the masked man had been any slower, he would have escaped. Unfortunately, there were no "ifs."

Tan Hao had prepared a contingency plan in advance, but he hadn't expected an ill-intentioned person to be following him, or for his arrangements to be so easily thwarted. Suddenly revealed by the round mirror, Tan Hao was startled, and the hairs on his back stood on end. He knew clearly that whoever could follow him here silently and easily expose him must have a cultivation level far superior to his own.

Tan Hao dared not look back, not even knowing whom he had provoked. His figure abruptly transformed into a streak of light, and he fled for his life with all his might. Although he knew in his heart that the possibility of escape was almost zero, he could not give up as long as there was even a sliver of hope.

Watching Tan Hao's escaping light, the masked man surprisingly did not immediately give chase. His eyes flickered with surprise and the anger of being made a fool of; he was almost provoked to laughter by the scene before him.

"Damn it, he's only at the Qi Refining stage!" the masked man cursed aloud.

No wonder the masked man was so furious. Qin Sang also hadn't expected that when Tan Hao used his escape technique with full force, his true cultivation level would be revealed as only the thirteenth layer of Qi Refining. If he had known Tan Hao was only at the Qi Refining stage, the masked man could have easily captured him back on the stone island. Why would he have bothered to cautiously follow him for so long?

What had helped Tan Hao disguise his aura was that peculiar mask. Even Qin Sang had been fooled by Tan Hao. Qin Sang had seen artifacts or spells that could conceal one's aura, such as the 'Spirit Evasion Art', but this was the first time he had encountered an artifact that could perfectly disguise one's cultivation as a higher stage. This mask was truly peculiar. Even Qin Sang, who was in the middle Foundation Establishment stage, had not detected anything amiss. He wondered if those experts in the late Foundation Establishment stage had noticed, but since Tan Hao dared to participate in the auction and secret market, he must have been very confident in the mask's abilities. It certainly wouldn't deceive the eyes of Core Formation cultivators, but Core Formation cultivators wouldn't lower themselves to trouble someone like him.

This kind of disguise was actually easily broken and did not enhance Tan Hao's own strength. Just as now, once Tan Hao engaged in combat, his true capabilities would immediately be exposed. However, on the stone island, under the rules of Yinshan Pass, cultivators were very restrained and rarely engaged in conflict. Tan Hao also wouldn't proactively cause trouble, which was why his disguise hadn't been exposed until now.

Unable to maintain the mask, his face was now exposed to Qin Sang's view. It was indeed Tan Hao! Compared to his time at Guiyin Sect, he appeared much more mature and older. Qin Sang was already seventy, and Tan Hao was only a few years younger than him, yet he looked like a middle-aged man around forty, appearing older than Qin Sang. For cultivators, this was normal. If Tan Hao never managed to establish his foundation, his aging process would accelerate over the next two decades, eventually turning him into a white-haired old man. But Tan Hao was already over sixty and had still not established his foundation. His chances of doing so in the future were very slim.

Compared to his appearance at Guiyin Sect, Tan Hao's looks hadn't changed much, and Qin Sang recognized him at a glance. Tan Hao's former youthful vigor was completely gone. His face bore a weariness that wasn't there before, and his eyes held an unconcealable fatigue, which filled Qin Sang with a sense of melancholy. The path of cultivation, pursued by immortal cultivators, was truly elusive and ethereal. They were, in essence, also among the myriad beings struggling to survive in this world.

The masked man continued to curse for a few more moments, then calmly waited for Tan Hao to put some distance between them before leisurely giving chase. In his eyes, Tan Hao's treasures were already as good as his. Behind him, Qin Sang also silently caught up, secretly summoning his ebony sword. He had originally intended to let the masked man probe Tan Hao's abilities, but now that was unnecessary. If the two engaged, Tan Hao wouldn't last more than a few rounds before being killed by the masked man.