The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable
Chapter 294 - 293: Forbidden Artifact, the Mask
"No, no!!"
The assassin’s pupils shrank to pinpricks as an overwhelming sense of death washed over him. He whipped his head toward Qin Ya, only to find the man’s eyes already locked on him. As their gazes met, one was filled with terror, the other with cold indifference.
’So his perception range isn’t just three meters!!’
In his final moments, the assassin had a sudden epiphany, but it was far too late. Endless Thunder Spears instantly engulfed him. There was no pain. Under such a ferocious assault, he lost consciousness in a mere instant...
BOOM! Dust and smoke billowed up, obscuring the crowd’s line of sight. But that didn’t stop them from probing the battlefield’s aftermath. Instantly, dozens of strands of Divine Thought swept over the area!
HISS... The moment they saw the battlefield, countless people sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
On the battlefield, an enormous crater, hundreds of feet wide and dozens deep, had been blasted into existence. Wisps of lightning still danced within it, a clear sign of the attack’s lingering power. In the center of the pit lay a charred husk, so blackened and riddled with holes it was unrecognizable as a body, reeking of burnt flesh.
"Holy hell, the assassin is dead."
"That turnaround was way too fast! Just a moment ago, he was being completely suppressed by the assassin. In the blink of an eye, the assassin’s been turned into a charred husk."
"The power of that attack was incredibly close to the limit of the Sky-Controlling realm."
"I’ve always heard that while the Thunder Mysteries are a conventional type, their Attack Power is second to none among all the mysteries. It turns out to be true!"
"Thunder Mysteries, Mysterious Speed... and rumor has it that back in Hai Kou, he even used the Mysteries of Wind and a Frost Ability. Just how many different mysteries has he comprehended!"
"That level of comprehension is just terrifying."
"Hmph. He’s biting off more than he can chew. The more he comprehends, the more he’ll regret it later!"
The crowd’s discussion continued in waves. Shangguan Bei’s expression, however, had turned utterly grim, the killing intent in his eyes boiling over. As if sensing it, Qin Ya, fresh from killing the assassin, turned his icy gaze directly upon him.
As their eyes locked, the killing intent in Shangguan Bei’s gaze instantly vanished, replaced by a sudden chill that crept into his heart and made him shudder. Qin Ya’s very existence felt like a thorn in his side, leaving him completely on edge.
’To think even that couldn’t kill him. Dammit.’
Shangguan Lie clenched his fists, his eyes filled with frustration.
"Qin Ya, this isn’t over between you and the Shangguan Family." Shangguan Bei gave Qin Ya one last, deep look before leaving with Shangguan Hao and the others.
Seeing this, the rest of the onlookers gradually dispersed.
Qin Ya’s brow furrowed as killing intent surged within him. He let out a soft, cold laugh. ’The Shangguan Family... after provoking me again and again, you can’t blame me for being merciless.’
It was painfully obvious who had sent the assassin. The Shangguan Family’s actions had thoroughly enraged Qin Ya. Originally, he had only intended to execute Shangguan Ze Yun for attempting to steal the Spiritual Weapon Ting Xiao outside Liubo Island. But now, he no longer thought that way. He decided it was time to teach the entire Shangguan Family a profound lesson!
He walked to the edge of the crater. Before him, the residual lightning behaved like the most loyal of servants, submitting wherever he passed before slowly dissipating.
He walked up to the charred husk that was the assassin’s corpse and waved his hand indifferently, turning the body to dust. Lying in the pile of ash was a grotesque Ghost Face Mask, glowing faintly.
With a flick of his hand, he pulled the mask into his grasp.
"It survived the Thunder Spear assault completely unscathed. The material of this mask must be extraordinary. On top of that, its Concealing Ability is incredible—it even managed to fool you, Ting Xiao. Could this mask be a Spiritual Artifact?"
"No, it’s not a Spiritual Artifact. I don’t sense the presence of a spirit within it. This should be... a Forbidden Artifact!" Ting Xiao said with some surprise.
"Forbidden Artifact?!" Qin Ya’s brow furrowed. The name was unfamiliar to him.
"That’s right. A Restriction Device." Seeing Qin Ya’s confusion, Ting Xiao quickly explained, "Forbidden Artifacts are different from Profound Soldiers or Spiritual Artifacts. They are special containers used to seal away peculiar powers. These containers themselves are called Forbidden Artifacts!!"
"Are you saying this mask has some kind of mysterious power sealed within it?"
"Yes," said Ting Xiao.
"Heh, then let’s test this power out."
With a faint smile, Qin Ya’s curiosity was piqued. He placed the mask over his face. Instantly, he felt a peculiar power envelop him, forming a unique Space around his body.
This Space completely cut off his aura, sound, and everything else. However, Qin Ya could sense that the Space was very fragile; an ordinary attack could easily penetrate it and hit him.
"Kid, you’ve really struck gold! Who knows how old this mask is, but for its power to involve Space itself... amazing." The blade of the Ting Xiao Sword trembled slightly as it voiced its admiration.
"This mask is truly magical."
With a thought from Qin Ya, the power retreated into the mask, and his body reappeared. With another thought, the power was instantly drawn out again, forming the independent space.
Qin Ya’s figure flickered, vanishing and reappearing in place. After several repetitions, he had completely mastered the mask’s power. Even for someone as composed as him, a joyful look graced his face.
’With this mask, I have one more trick up my sleeve.’
Qin Ya smiled and stored the mask in his Storage Ring. A moment later, Sunx Qing returned. He approached Qin Ya, bowed respectfully, and said, "Young Master Qin, thank you for coming to my aid."
"It was nothing. Do you know who attacked you?"
Sunx Qing frowned and shook his head. "The attacker was completely cloaked in a black robe and had some kind of treasure that blocked Divine Thought. I couldn’t see his face. All I remember is being grievously wounded by a single palm strike."
"Mm." Qin Ya nodded, not finding it surprising.
Shortly after, Lin Liyu returned, his expression grim. Clearly, his pursuit had not yielded a good result. He walked over to Sunx Qing and asked, "Chief Sunx, how are your injuries?"
"Thanks to Young Master Qin’s Elixir, it’s no longer serious."
Lin Liyu nodded and snorted coldly. "That troublemaker’s Cultivation is quite high. Though he’s no match for me, he’s still a Celestial Human. He managed to escape even after taking a direct palm strike from me. Damn him! I will catch him."
"To take a palm strike from Tower Master Lin and still have the ability to escape..."
"Yes. The man appears to have a high-grade Defensive Profound Soldier. My palm strike didn’t injure him severely, which is why he got away. I blame my own carelessness," Lin Liyu said, resentful.
"There’s one more thing," Qin Ya said with a cool smile. "After you left, Tower Master Lin, I was ambushed by an assassin." He then pointed to the corpse in the massive crater nearby. "This can’t be a coincidence, can it?"
Lin Liyu and Sunx Qing glanced at the ruined Four Seas Auction House, a cold glint in their eyes. Beyond his anger, Lin Liyu felt a lingering fear. Qin Ya was, after all, the Worldwide Business Association’s most esteemed guest. If something had happened to him, the consequences would have been more than he could bear.
"Young Friend Qin, rest assured. Even if I have to turn Lieyang City upside down, I will find out who is behind this and give you a proper account of the matter."