Chapter 124: Unveiled

Next day!

On the secluded mountain peak.

Standing quietly at the edge of the cliff were seven figures, and a huge blue bird, their eyes fixed at the mountain path ahead.

Swish!

A figure suddenly appeared before them.

"Junior greets the esteemed Grandmaster!"

The seven experts bowed in perfect unison.

Rhain simply nodded.

"I have summoned you all today because our arrangement has come to an end."

The seven experts exchanged surprised glances.

"Master," the old man in grey robes stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Is there no other task for us? We are more than willing to serve you further!"

There is no need," Rhain shook his head lightly. "I have already decided to leave Mirravele City. I had come here in search of peace, but after all this...sigh!"

Rhain’s eyes scanned all seven of them, "You have followed my commands perfectly, and as promised, I will give you your rewards."

With a flash of light, seven light shout out from his spatial ring, and hovered before the seven experts.

They were seven bottles filled with Epic Grade pills that Rhain had been preparing for last three days.

The seven experts reached out with, and carefully grasped the bottles. They popped the corks almost simultaneously with eager hands.

Whoosh—!

An intoxicating medicinal fragrance rushed to their faces.

They looked down, and were momentarily unable to react.

Each one contained ten luminus, perfectly round pills, their surfaces adorned with the leaf like pattern of flawless Pill Vein.

"G-Grandmaster... this... this is too generous!" one of the experts stammered.

For cultivators at the Core Formation Realm, advancing even a single minor realm could take decades. For some, their talent was entirely exhausted, meaning they would remain stagnant for the rest of their natural lives.

But these ten flawless Epic-Grade pills in their bottles held enough pure essence to forcefully push them up by one, perhaps even two minor realms!

It was an opportunity that could transform their lives completely.

"You earned it," Rhain replied. "I don’t like owing anything to anyone. You all may leave now. We part ways here."

They looked reluctant, yet one by one, all of them bowed their heads before Rhain.

"We thank the esteemed Grandmaster for this supreme grace! May the gods bless your path!"

"Go!" Rhain waved his hand.

They stood up, taking a final glance of gratitude before leaving.

Rhain also turned around, preparing to leave.

"Master!"

Vulcan, who was the only one that didn’t leave, called him from behind.

Rhain turned around and looked at Vulcan with a confused expression, "Why didn’t you leave, Vulcan? I have already gave you your reward. You are free to go. Or do you need something else?"

Vulcan looked hesitant and nervous, as if he was unsure whether to say it or not, but he finally stammered, his voice laced with deep apprehension. "Master, I... I know you are leaving... but I have something I must confess."

Rhain stared at Vulcan with an unblinking gaze, "Speak."

Vulcan took a deep, shuddering breath, as if bracing himself for death.

"Master... I know that the face you are wearing right now... is not your true identity."

Rhain’s expression didn’t change.

Not a single muscle on his face shifted.

But inwardly, his mind was spinning rapidly.

’He saw through the Faceless Emperor Mask?’

Faceless Emperor Mask was an Epic-Grade artifact. Even City Lord Cassian, a Level 7 Core Formation expert, hadn’t noticed a single flaw.

How could Vulcan, who was at the same realm, possibly see through it?

"Oh?" Rhain’s voice dropped an octave, "And how exactly did you come to that conclusion?"

Hearing the coldness in Rhain’s voice, Vulcan’s whole body shuddered, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Please, Master! Do not misunderstand! I did not pry into your secrets intentionally!" Vulcan pleaded hastily.

He desperately pointed a trembling finger toward the massive blue eagle standing beside him.

"It wasn’t me! It was Kiki!"

SCREEECH!

Kiki let out a soft coo, tilting its massive feathered head to the side as if it was very proud of finding Rhain’s disguise.

"Kiki communicated to me through our soul-link that the space around your face was constantly rippling with an artifact’s energy," Vulcan explained breathlessly. "Master, I swear to the heavens, I have not breathed a single word of this to anyone else! And I never will! You saved Kiki’s life and granted me the path to the peak of Core Formation! Even if someone were to flay the flesh from my bones, I would take your secret to the grave!"

Rhain didn’t say anything for a while, and just silently observed Vulcan.

Vulcan kept his head bowed, not daring to meet Rhain’s gaze.

Finally, Rhain broke the silence. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Are you willing to follow me?" Rhain asked.

Vulcan abruptly raised his head.

He was expecting a punishment.

He had never thought that Rhain would suddenly ask a question like this.

But there wasn’t a single ounce of hesitation in his eyes.

"Master! I have already sworn that my worthless life belongs entirely to you! If you wish, I am willing to follow you to the ends of the world!"

"Words are cheap, Vulcan," Rhain stated indifferently. "If you truly wish to follow me, then you must swear a Heavenly Vow. Swear upon your soul and your cultivation."

Without missing a single beat, Vulcan fiercely bit down on his thumb.

A drop of dark red essence blood surfaced.

Using his blood, Vulcan swiftly drew a complex, glowing rune in the air and raised his massive hand toward the heavens.

"I, Vulcan, swear upon the Heavens, my soul, and my Core Formation cultivation! From this day forward, I acknowledge the Master as my sole lord! If I ever harbor a single thought of betrayal, or disobey his commands, may the heavens strike me down, annihilating my body and shattering my soul into eternal nothingness!"

BOOM!

The blood rune was branded directly into Vulcan’s spiritual sea.

Heavenly Vow was established.

Seeing this, Rhain finally felt relieved.

"Good.’

If it were anyone else standing on this peak, the moment they revealed they had seen through his disguise, Rhain would have killed that person without wasting a single second.

But he decided to spare Vulcan.

Through his actions, Rhain could clearly tell that Vulcan was a deeply righteous and incredibly loyal person who valued grace heavier than his own life.

Furthermore, Rhain was preparing to head to the Inner Province soon.

Inner Province was a vastly larger, far more treacherous stage than the Outer Frontier.

Having a late-stage Core Formation Realm expert as a loyal bodyguard and follower would undoubtedly make his life easier.

And now, with the Heavenly Vow bound directly to Vulcan’s soul, it was fundamentally impossible for him to ever betray Rhain.

The moment he even entertained the thought, the heaven’s curse would instantly obliterate him from existence.

But today’s incident also warned Rhain.

His Faceless Emperor Mask is useful, but it’s not absolute.

There are beings like Kiki who can easily see through his disguise.

He had to be more careful in the future.

Rhain slowly raised his hand.

His fingers gently brushed against the surface of his face.

With a single thought, the power of the Epic-Grade Faceless Emperor Mask receded.

The idignified visage of the middle-aged Grandmaster Alchemist rippled and melted away like water.

In the blink of an eye, his true appearance was revealed.

A remarkably handsome young man with sharp, striking features, dark grey eyes, and an aura of indescribable calmness. His untamed dark hair shifted gently in the mountain breeze.

"So... young...?" Vulcan was dumbfounded.

He had expected the Master to be an old monster who simply preferred a younger appearance, or perhaps a scarred veteran hiding his disfigurement.

But the sheer, unbridled vitality of youth radiating from the boy standing before him was impossible to fake!

He was genuinely a teenager!

The supreme Grandmaster Alchemist who casually refined flawless, pill-veined Epic-Grade elixirs...

The ruthless overlord who effortlessly summoned a miniature sun and vaporized a three-century-old titan clan into ash in a single night...

It was just a teenager who was no more than eighteen or nineteen!!!

How could it be?

But then a sudden thought crossed his mind.

In the inner province, there are many tales of incomprehensibly powerful beings.

Entities so unfathomably powerful that when their mortal bodies perished, they could defy the laws of the world, retain their memories, and reincarnate to live a second life!

Vulcan looked at Rhain, and a light of realisation flashed in his eyes.

He must be a reincarnated Saint! Yes! Only the reincarnation of an ancient saint could possess such monstrous talent in both Alchemy and Cultivation at this age!’

He was utterly convinced that his choice today was the single greatest fortune of his entire life.

Following him guaranteed a glorious future.

"This subordinate greets the Master!" Vulcan knelt down, and lowered his head on the ground.

Rhain glanced down at Vulcan, and spoke in a deeply authoritative voice, "Stand up, Vulcan!"

"From today onwards," he declared, "you are my first subordinate."