Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mysterious Mask

Su Yi returned to his small cottage and closed the door. The light around him instantly dimmed a bit. Reflecting on the day’s events, he couldn’t help but take out the white mask from his pocket.

Both conflicts today revolved around the Lie family, yet their responses were different. The uncontrollable murderous intent during his confrontation with Lie Tie had not appeared when clashing with Lie Zhi and the others. Perhaps it was all just coincidence, but isn’t it said that bold discoveries require careful verification?

Maybe the key lay in this white mask. After all, the first time he touched it, a strange sense of aversion had surged within him.

It was an unusual feeling, for Su Yi was deeply shocked to realize that neither the murderous intent nor the aversion belonged to him. That was truly chilling!

Clearly, it was him, yet the emotions arising in his heart were not his own.

Could they belong to the original owner of this body? Su Yi wondered boldly.

Ever since Su Yi crossed over and possessed this body, nothing unusual had happened—he felt as though he were the body’s rightful owner. There had been none of those tales of two souls battling for control or the body acting out of his grasp.

If there was any difference, it was only the original owner’s memories. These appeared in Su Yi’s dreams, flickering like stars in a fog, but upon waking, they remained elusive and indistinct. The original owner’s life was still shrouded in mystery.

But if that were truly the case, why hadn’t anything happened in the past three years, and only now had it surfaced? Could it be that it took three years for recovery?

He knew almost nothing about souls, so perhaps he simply hadn’t noticed. Yet now, his strength was severely damaged—he was nearly a cripple—shouldn’t that affect his soul?

Damn it, enough! The more he thought, the more his head hurt. Su Yi scratched his head and cursed quietly, shaking off these wild guesses.

He looked at the mask in his hand. It seemed best to start with it. If this mask was tied to his strange emotions, he wasn’t sure whether it triggered them or suppressed them. Hopefully, it was the latter.

Su Yi certainly didn’t want to become a puppet controlled by unknown emotions. In some ways, a soul that had possessed another body was even more concerned about such matters.

Knowledge is power, Su Yi sighed. If he were well-versed in matters of the soul, he wouldn’t be so helpless now. Still, perhaps this white mask could show him the way.

He turned the heavy mask over in his hand, then slowly placed it on his face. The cold sensation pressed tightly against his skin, causing a sudden stir in his heart—as if a thought flashed by—but when he tried to recall it, nothing came.

He opened his eyes slightly; through two narrow slits he could see what lay before him, though the view was limited. After all, they were just slits, not holes. Such limited vision was hardly convenient.

Su Yi couldn’t help but wonder what mindset the mask’s creator had.

As expected, when he let go, the mask slid off his face. He touched its rough surface, thinking—he couldn’t see clearly with it, nor keep it on comfortably. Was it really just a decoration?

Wait—just a moment! Suddenly, a thought sparked in Su Yi’s mind. He finally remembered what had flashed through earlier!

Hadn’t the black-robed elder told him about soul imprints? Storage cards had such imprints, and by extension, storage rings and other rare treasures likely did as well!

So far, Su Yi had only seen soul imprints on storage cards and rings, but the world is vast and strange—perhaps such things existed elsewhere too.

Looking at the mask in his hand, Su Yi swallowed nervously. Even with this idea, his faith in the ordinary mask was pitifully thin.

Let’s just try it, he thought. Su Yi placed the mask back on his face and sent out a wave of soul sense. At that moment, something astonishing happened!

The white mask suddenly exerted a powerful suction. No—it wasn’t a physical force, for his face felt nothing unusual. It was… soul—yes! A soul-level attraction!

A strong pull seized his soul sense, and surged along it, flooding into Su Yi’s mind and merging swiftly with his soul!

Startled by this uncontrollable event, Su Yi tried to remove the mask, but to his surprise, it was now tightly affixed to his face!

That sensation… as if the mask had become part of his body.

Or perhaps… part of his soul.

Suddenly, Su Yi felt a wave of relief—yes, immense relief. His soul felt lighter. Whether his soul’s lightness affected his spirit, or his spirit’s lightness influenced his soul, all the previous unease and fear vanished without a trace.

It was as if he stood in the void. Everything felt empty and transparent; his soul seemed to float beneath a sky woven of black and white, half white and half black, each side shining with a faint glow, giving a hazy impression.

Everything was void… Su Yi murmured. Nothing seemed important anymore.

The mystery of his origins, what happened three years ago, the girl he saved a year back, the man who crippled his fighting spirit, the woman who rescued him, Mei Ya, the scorn of others, Di Yuan’s threats—and then… nothing, nothing at all.

Su Yi didn’t want to think, nor care to think—he wished only to remain standing in this void.

It no longer mattered whether he removed the mask. Life and death seemed trivial. Where he was, what he was doing—was it worth considering? Never mind, he thought. Better not to think. Let him stay here.

To an observer, Su Yi would have appeared frozen, unmoving. Upon closer inspection, his muscles were so relaxed they seemed ready to dissolve at a touch. If someone stood beside him, they would be shocked to find—

Though Su Yi was right there, he felt like an insubstantial shadow, within arm’s reach yet impossibly distant, objectively present but utterly untouchable.

Like the moon in the night sky—so close you could almost reach it, yet high above and elusive—imbued with an uncanny, mysterious aura.

If anyone used soul sense to probe him now, they would be terrified. Though Su Yi was right beside them, the probe would feel as though it swept through empty air, yielding no response. If anything, it would seem as though they’d seen a ghost.

Suddenly, Su Yi’s body trembled violently!

He felt as if something struck his mind, a thunderous boom, and abruptly he was ejected from that mysterious, void-like state. Thoughts flooded into his mind, and gradually, Su Yi recalled what had happened.

Damn! The realization made him break out in cold sweat. This mask was truly sinister—it had nearly sent his consciousness who knows where!

As he regained his senses, Su Yi hurriedly tried to remove the mask, but it was still tightly adhered to his face. Each attempt felt like tearing at his soul, causing sharp pain!

Would it never come off? He panicked. Was he doomed to wear this mask forever—invisible to the world?

Su Yi wailed inwardly. He didn’t want to become the masked man…

After calming himself, he felt reassured that he hadn’t slipped back into that void state. At least he had a night to spare. With that, his thoughts grew clearer.

He had put on the mask by releasing a thread of soul sense, which now still connected the mask to his mind. If he withdrew it…

Su Yi’s spirit brightened. Focusing intently, he suddenly pulled back his soul sense, and the mask, as if losing its anchor, fell off. Su Yi caught it in his hand, joy springing to his heart. “Just as I thought!” he exclaimed.

No sooner had he spoken than a cold, hoarse voice drifted from a corner of the room: “Little one, it seems you’ve gotten your hands on something quite remarkable…”

His mind reeled. Su Yi spun around to face the intruder, his pupils contracting sharply!

Martial Dao Pinnacle 25—Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mysterious Mask. End of update!