Chapter 354: Mask

Yuanchu Mountain, the backend of Dongtian Pavilion.

It was still the seemingly ordinary room. From the painting of Patriarch Cang Yuan hanging on the wall, two small black dots flew out, growing larger as they went. These were the phantom of Qin Wu and Meng Chuan.

"Patriarch Cang Yuan's control over space has reached an incredible level," Meng Chuan remarked, turning to look at the painting with admiration. If a powerful being like Patriarch Cang Yuan existed in this era, the Monster Realm would be foolish to attack; it would be a death wish. Unfortunately, despite humanity's long history, Patriarch Cang Yuan was the only one who truly intimidated countless worlds.

"Meng Chuan," Venerable Li Guan said, pushing open the door and entering from outside.

"Venerable One," Meng Chuan greeted, bowing.

"With your Bloodblade Disk, your flight speed far surpasses what it was before," Venerable Li Guan said. "It seems you'll be able to clear out all the demon monarchs beneath our Great Zhou Dynasty within a few months."

Meng Chuan nodded. He had already cleared more than half in the past few years, so the rest would naturally be quicker.

"Even though your speed was considerable before, you only eliminated tens of thousands of demon monarchs a year," Venerable Li Guan continued. "While the demon race searched for your identity, it didn't fundamentally shake their foundations. Now, at your current speed, you can clear all underground territories of the three great dynasties in three or four years, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of demon monarchs annually! The demon race will surely go mad."

"The demon world's history is far older than ours, and while they haven't produced a powerhouse like Patriarch Cang Yuan, every era has seen at least several Emperor-level beings. Historically, there have also been more than ten mighty figures at the Five-Tribulation and Six-Tribulation realms. The demon world's heritage is extremely profound."

"If they truly spare no cost, I believe they'll find a way to uncover your true identity," Venerable Li Guan said, looking at Meng Chuan.

Meng Chuan's heart tightened. The more he learned, the more he understood the profound heritage of powerful worlds. It was only because they were separated by a world that the demon race's actions were somewhat restricted.

"Therefore, when you go out, you must be even more careful about keeping your identity a secret." Venerable Li Guan turned his hand and produced a gray mask. "This is a rare treasure, the 'Phantom Mask,' used for disguising one's identity. It can block detection and disguise your aura. Even Emperor-level beings would find it difficult to bypass its barrier to uncover your true face. Wear it whenever you are active outside."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded. He was well aware of the methods of powerful beings; the Boundless Domain could detect lifespan and perceive entangled resentment. What if there were even more sophisticated methods? If he openly revealed himself and displayed his power, the demon race might indeed uncover his true identity.

"With this mask, you can now go to the aid of various places," Venerable Li Guan sighed. "Millions of demon monarchs repeatedly attack cities every month, and even Fourth Heaven and Fifth Heaven demon monarch teams occasionally lurk and launch sneak attacks, sometimes resulting in the death of Marquis Godfiends. Your current speed is exceptional, making you the most suitable person for rescue missions."

"Understood," Meng Chuan nodded, taking the gray mask. His True Essence easily permeated it, and he brought it under control before gently putting it on his face. His aura immediately changed. It became somewhat sterner, and even a few strands of white hair appeared at Meng Chuan's temples.

"Haha, these few strands of white hair are quite interesting," Qin Wu chuckled from the side. "Godfiends have long lifespans and can usually maintain their youthful appearance. It's only in their later years that they uncontrollably show signs of aging, and their hair begins to turn white. With these strands of white hair... the demon race will speculate that you are an ancient Marquis Godfiend who has awakened." For instance, Aunt Meng, who originally appeared as a middle-aged woman, only became incredibly aged after severe injuries. If a Godfiend's hair starts turning white, it truly indicates the later stage of their life; even a Marquis Godfiend would only look like that after surpassing four hundred years of age.

"Very good," Venerable Li Guan nodded approvingly.

"Then I shall take my leave," Meng Chuan said, bowing to the two Venerables.

"The news of you becoming a Marquis Godfiend has been kept secret by us and never made public. You must also continue to keep it a secret," Venerable Li Guan instructed. "Alright, go."

Meng Chuan nodded, walked out of the room, and then transformed into a streak of light, swiftly departing.

Li Guan and Qin Wu stood at the doorway, gazing into the distance.

"Solving the problem of a million demon monarchs now rests on Meng Chuan's shoulders," Li Guan said.

"Given his cultivation talent, he might bring even more surprises, perhaps even reaching the invincible Creation Realm," Qin Wu said, hopeful.

"He hasn't even reached the Creation Realm; being invincible in the Creation Realm is still a long way off for him," Li Guan chuckled. "However, Junior Brother Qin Wu, if you could advance two more steps, you too could be considered invincible in the Creation Realm."

"Difficult," Qin Wu simply replied. Invincible in the Creation Realm? Old Man Yin Yang was at that level at his peak. Of course, if an Emperor-level being or a Soul-level Eight-Layer cultivator appeared, the war would end completely. But both of those achievements were even more challenging.

Meng Chuan first returned to Jiangzhou City. As Meng Chuan landed in his small courtyard, his Boundless Domain sensed Liu Qiyue, who was cultivating the Phoenix Aerial Arts in the sky above. His wife also possessed a way to block detection, but within the range of his Boundless Domain, he could easily perceive her.

"A'Chuan," Liu Qiyue called, her figure tracing an arc through the sky before landing in the courtyard, her face beaming with joy.

"Your movement technique?" Meng Chuan was somewhat astonished. When his wife flew across the sky, her trajectory possessed a breathtaking beauty. "Qiyue, have you had a breakthrough?" He had often watched his wife practice the Phoenix Aerial Arts in the past, but none of those times compared to this.

Liu Qiyue smiled and nodded, "Mhm."

"Law Domain Realm?" Meng Chuan's eyes lit up.

"Yes, it's all thanks to the Phoenix Aerial Arts you gave me, A'Chuan," Liu Qiyue said. "This is definitely the perfect ultimate art for a Phoenix God-body."

"That's wonderful! Once your Essence Soul breaks through, Qiyue, you'll become a Marquis Godfiend!" Meng Chuan was quite excited. Becoming a Marquis Godfiend meant his wife would have a lifespan of five hundred years, and in most cases, her normal strength would be sufficient to handle many troubles. There would be no need for her to be forced to use 'Phoenix Nirvana' when demons attacked cities.

"Breaking through my Essence Soul can't be rushed. Oh, A'Chuan, Yuanchu Mountain wrote to me about your breakthrough to Marquis Godfiend, telling me to keep it a secret and not disclose it publicly," Liu Qiyue said.

"I'll have to keep a low profile," Meng Chuan said. "Because as I hunt more demon monarchs underground, the demon race will become even more desperate to uncover my identity."

Liu Qiyue nodded, then smiled brightly. "I'll go prepare something for you to eat."

"Great, I haven't eaten a single bite in over three months; I've been craving real food for ages," Meng Chuan chuckled.

After a delightful meal, the couple chatted for half an hour.

"Are you going out again today?" Liu Qiyue asked.

"It's just past noon," Meng Chuan replied. "I'll go hunting for three hours and then return."

"Be careful," Liu Qiyue urged.

"Don't worry," Meng Chuan said with a smile, then instantly vanished.

Wearing the 'Phantom Mask,' Meng Chuan, with his temples streaked with white, rode his Bloodblade Disk, searching and hunting demon monarchs underground.

*Whoosh.*

A streak of light darted through the earth. With the Bloodblade Disk, the resistance from soil and rock was significantly reduced for Meng Chuan, almost to the point of being negligible; it was the world's suppression that most affected his speed. Underground, Meng Chuan maintained a speed of one hundred ten li per flash. It would take less than a hundred breaths to traverse the Great Zhou Dynasty underground, from south to north or east to west.

He scanned repeatedly, conducting a meticulous search of different areas at the same depth, ensuring that at least ninety-five percent of the regions were explored. The moment a demon monarch's lair was detected within three li, his True Essence threads within the Boundless Domain easily slew any Third Heaven demon monarch. He continued his search without pause. Although demon monarchs were distributed at various depths underground, their numbers were significant enough that after a full three hours of searching,

"Four hundred and thirty-three demon monarchs," Meng Chuan muttered, shooting up from the ground and looking down at the land. He flew towards Jiangzhou City as twilight descended, calculating his half-day's harvest.

"To hunt this many in half a day means I'll be able to eliminate around eight hundred demon monarchs in a full day of normal hunting," Meng Chuan mused, nodding to himself. "That's two hundred to three hundred thousand demon monarchs a year, clearing the land territories in three to four years, which is roughly what I estimated. Venerable One was right; I believe it won't be long before the demon race becomes desperate."