The Eternal Sin-Chapter 30: Mask Conceals the Evil Heart.

Two hours earlier.

The spirit rice fields were almost completely burned through. What should have been a sea of emerald stalks had turned into a wasteland of blackened earth and smoldering ash.

A heaven-shattering explosion had just torn through the center of the fields, the deafening sound still echoing faintly as thick columns of smoke billowed wildly into the sky.

At the epicenter of the explosion, a pit ten meters wide yawned open in the earth as if a giant fist had punched through the soil. The ground around it was charred pitch black, red-hot embers glowing like dying stars as intense waves of heat continued to radiate outward.

Swoosh!

A figure was flung from the smoke like a broken doll.

The Golden Buddha masked cultivator’s body slammed heavily onto the hard earth, rolling several times before coming to a stop. He lay there in utter misery. The front of his robes was torn, but the injuries there were shallow. His back, however, was a different story entirely. Beneath the concealment clouds clinging to his body, his hair had burned away in patches. Skin and flesh were mangled beyond recognition, and white bone could be seen where the explosion had eaten straight through him.

Pain unlike anything he had known invaded him. It felt like being drowned in boiling oil. The excruciating agony blurred his vision and shook his consciousness, as though even breathing was an unbearable burden. He truly believed that a strong gust of wind could finish him off.

He attempted to move, forcing his will downward into his limbs, urging them to respond, to pull out healing pills, to do anything at all.

For a time he could not move. Only after a bitter struggle did his left arm twitch and begin to lift toward his storage pouch, yet stopped halfway, unable to reach it.

His heart sank as he looked down.

His left arm was gone.

It had been burned into gray ash all the way to the elbow, along with the sleeve. The sight shattered what little composure he had left.

A hatred vile and murderous surged from the depths of his heart, poisoning every thought as his eyes darted through the smoke, searching for the one responsible.

Before that hatred could find its target, danger descended once more.

Three figures burst out from the rolling dust clouds without warning. Their movements were decisive, fists glowing with tiger shaped essence, carrying the intent to kill.

The Golden Buddha masked cultivator’s pupils shrank.

Three clones moved without distraction. Heavenly Tiger Fist descended together from three angles, sealing retreat and cutting off hope.

The Golden Buddha masked cultivator wanted to roar curses into the heavens, to vent the madness clawing at his chest. Yet the reality before him allowed no such indulgence. There was only one option left.

He fled.

Spiritual essence surged dangerously through his meridians as he forced his movement technique to activate. His body blurred, barely evading the killing blows as he shot away from the clones like a dying bird struggling to fly.

While retreating, his divine sense moved with extreme urgency. Healing pills and vitality replenishing liquid burst from his storage pouch and flew into his mouth one after another. Medicinal energy flooded his battered body, barely keeping his life thread intact.

Behind him, the clones chased relentlessly, clinging like a monkey’s tail.

Meanwhile, several dozen meters away, another figure slowly pulled himself up from the ground.

Jiang Chen’s clothes were scorched and bloody. Burns covered parts of his body, but compared to the Golden Buddha masked cultivator, his condition was almost laughably light. The top grade Yellow Rank talisman had detonated with horrifying force. However, Jiang Chen had been prepared.

He glanced once toward the fleeing figure.

Then he slapped a talisman onto his leg. The characters for Swift Wind flared brightly before sinking into his flesh. His body blurred as he vanished into the smoke, his speed nearly doubling in an instant.

Rather than giving direct chase, he circled ahead, cutting across the fields. The spirit fields burned everywhere, waves of heat warping the air. For the Golden Buddha masked cultivator, it became a nightmare maze. He twisted and turned to avoid walls of fire, unaware that he was being herded exactly where Jiang Chen wanted him by the clones.

The clones attacked with unnerving coordination, alternating between close combat strikes and low grade offensive talismans. Fire, wind, and blade shaped energies exploded one after another, all looted from the Jade Heart Plantation cultivators Jiang Chen had killed earlier.

As the chase dragged on, Jiang Chen flicked out two spirit stones and began absorbing them.

Two more clones condensed at his side and joined the hunt without delay.

Five against one.

The Golden Buddha masked cultivator was already at his limit. He forced out treasures one after another to block incoming attacks, but it was just a short term solution.

His combat style relied heavily on techniques honed through years of relentless practice, not on external treasures. But in his current state, even attempting to circulate certain methods would place an extreme burden on his damaged meridians, risking death. Simply maintaining his movement technique was already a blessing from the heavens.

In the end, there was nowhere left to run.

A heavy blow from one clone crashed into his shoulders, dislocating them instantly. Another struck his spine, sending him crashing forward. His body slammed face first into the ground, mud seeping through the gaps in his mask.

His vision dimmed.

In his final moment, resentment flooded his heart so violently that he vomited blood. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Then a final Heavenly Tiger Fist descended.

His chest was crushed into the earth.

He was dead.

The corpse twitched once before igniting from within. Jiang Chen hurriedly plucked the Golden Buddha mask and the storage pouch before the fire consumed them.

Jiang Chen watched as the ashes faded into the air. ’Even in that terrible shape, he still managed to destroy two of my clones.’

A hint of approval crossed his eyes, quickly followed by resolve. ’I need to master a movement technique. I am not slow by any means. I already possess the speed of a peak stage beast. But even initial mastery of a movement technique would make me far more dangerous. Relying on treasures alone is not a long term solution. Nevertheless, external treasures like talisman have their uses. Everything depends on the circumstances one is in.’

He searched the pouch for remaining pills and treated his own injuries methodically. Roughly an hour later, most of the burns on his body had healed.

Only then did he carefully examine the contents of the storage pouch.

Inside were detailed maps of the Jade Heart Plantation. Each cultivator’s assigned target was clearly marked, along with the identities of major figures stationed there. Even individual escape routes were recorded in detail.

A recording disc caught his attention.

When Jiang Chen activated it, his expression gradually grew serious. Information poured into his mind, including hidden details about the Golden Demon masked cultivator. Backgrounds, hierarchies, and their relationships.

There were also hundreds of spirit stones, bundles of herbs, and a diary containing cultivation insights. Jiang Chen ignored them for now.

He closed the pouch.

’Perfect.’ Jiang Chen stored away his silver mask and donned the Golden Buddha mask.

Now back to the present.

Outside the formation, the Buddha masked cultivator, no, Jiang Chen, sat cross legged on the ground.

Under the guidance of Masked Cultivator Fifteen, Jiang Chen studied formation hand signs with intense focus. His fingers moved again and again, subtle adjustments made each time as Number Fifteen corrected angles, timing, and spiritual flow.

Several times, Jiang Chen mischanneled his spiritual essence or divine sense. A dull pain stabbed into his chest or mind as minor backlash struck him. Blood coated his lips, but he did not utter a single complaint, learning diligently.

Inside his heart, Jiang Chen was joyful.

’This is a rare opportunity.’

He had dabbled in formations before, but only at a surface level. Now, with direct guidance, his understanding deepened rapidly. He knew he was still immensely far from being a formation master, but he was no longer ignorant.

At that moment, two figures walked quietly from behind distant trees. Silver devil masks marked with even numbers concealed their faces as they stopped behind Jiang Chen, gazes fixed on the formation barrier.

The Golden Demon masked cultivator noticed them and frowned. "Elder brother, did you call subordinates over as well?"

Jiang Chen gave them a brief side glance and said calmly, "It was my doing. Just in case things spiraled out of control."

The Golden Demon masked cultivator did not pursue the matter further.

Not long after, Masked Cultivator Fifteen let out a breath. "That’s it, Team Leader Buddha. You’ve grasped it fully. Now let’s gamble on success."

"I really hope this works." Jiang Chen sighed emotionally, but the deeper meaning in his tone escaped the listeners.