Chapter 450: Mask of Deception
Chapter 450: Mask of Deception
Ji Xinghuo fled in the shadows, his speed much slower than flight. After traveling over a dozen kilometers, he entered an underground cave and emerged in the darkness, activating his Star Realm Leap. A few seconds later, he was swept away in a white light.
The next second, he reappeared in a desolate ruin over 150 kilometers away.
Once again, he hid in the shadows, remaining still.
His electromagnetic sensing covered the area of the previous battle, revealing a large pit on the ground and a shuttlecraft in the sky.
It was piloted by Titancore.
All means of transportation on Black Ring Star were locally produced and couldn't be used in the Star Realm.
The Rock King Clan produced, maintained, and operated these technological marvels.
Including the orbital satellites.
Ever since Kong Ling approached him, Ji Xinghuo suspected that she wasn't alone. She had accomplices, and there was an organization backing them, providing precise location intelligence. Otherwise, how could she have pinpointed his location from hundreds of kilometers away?
The Naturals were innately fast, but their perception abilities were lacking. Even as a Sky Surveyor, Kong Ling hadn't displayed any exceptional talent in this area.
The orbital satellites were the prime suspects!
Furthermore, Kong Ling, Titancore, and their master all hailed from the distant "Solitary Dragon Domain". How did they know he was on Black Ring Star?
Someone on the planet must have encountered him, and the news spread.
Satellite positioning and intelligence gathering required the involvement of the local powers, and the Rock King Clan, in charge of maintaining the planet, was the biggest player on Black Ring Star.
They couldn't escape suspicion.
"Rock King Clan..."
Ji Xinghuo muttered to himself. He indeed had a grudge with the Rock King Clan, having killed Rock King Ke, but they didn't know who the murderer was. Could it be that his recent appearances in the Quiet Wasteland, coupled with Rock King Ke's death here, had led them to their guess?
Jin's whereabouts before the Dragon Extinction Rite weren't a secret.
And after becoming the Annihilation Jin, he had returned to Black Ring Star.
Of course, all of this was just speculation.
Ji Xinghuo couldn't be sure that the Rock King Clan had identified him as Rock King Ke's killer, nor did he have any evidence to prove that Kong Ling and Titancore were connected to the Rock King Clan.
"This shuttlecraft is a clue."
Ji Xinghuo waited quietly.
The enemies on Black Ring Star likely had more accomplices. If they discovered that Titancore was dead, they might rush over.
Or, by following the shuttlecraft's return journey, he might be able to find them.
That was why he hadn't destroyed the shuttlecraft.
Titancore should have had valuable items on him, but Ji Xinghuo had left them all behind. Uncovering the mastermind behind this plot was more important.
Only now did he have the time to open the interface of the Myriads Star Pupil.
【Spiritual Source Energy +15336】
【Spiritual Source Energy +18153】
The spiritual source energy he gained from killing Kong Ling and Titancore surprised him. It was a substantial amount, equivalent to the energy he would gain from killing Earth Devouring Insects in the Quiet Wasteland for an entire day.
It was more than he had ever gained from killing any other monster or enemy.
"If there was a large group of Heavenly King-level enemies, all of them Star God believers, and they engaged in a chaotic battle or were defeated one by one... the efficiency of harvesting spiritual source energy would be..."
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but speculate.
However, he soon shook his head. Sixth-stage powerhouses were considered high-end combat strength in the Star Realm. Unless the True Dragon Dynasty was embroiled in a civil war or a war with an equally powerful foreign enemy, it was unlikely that so many Heavenly Kings would gather in one place.
Even if such a battle occurred, joining it would be extremely dangerous.
Hunting monsters was still the safer option.
Suddenly, the shuttlecraft hovering in mid-air according to his electromagnetic sensing exploded. It had self-destructed from within.
"Hmph."
Ji Xinghuo coldly snorted.
If the shuttlecraft had returned automatically or been retrieved by someone else, it would have been normal. But the fact that it self-destructed on the spot instead suggested a problem.
The people behind the shuttlecraft didn't want any clues to be traced back to them through the shuttlecraft, so they chose to destroy it.
And the only ones capable of doing so were undoubtedly the Rock King Clan.
Ji Xinghuo looked up at the sky. Even in the daytime, he could vaguely make out a faint light in the north—the star gate space station of Black Ring Star, slowly rotating as usual.
"This is troublesome."
A worried expression appeared on his face.
If the Rock King Clan had indeed colluded with outsiders and the Star Shepherd, even if they didn't dare to let the Star Shepherd enter the star gate under everyone's watch, they could still secretly ambush him near the star gate in You Guicheng.
As long as he appeared at any stronghold or base and was seen by the Rock King Clan's guards, he would be in danger.
Moreover, there was an even worse possibility.
How dare the Rock King Clan betray the Titanium-Cobalt Family, collude with outsiders, and secretly target him? It was absolutely not because they suspected he had killed Rock King Ke. Even if they could confirm that he was the murderer, they wouldn't have the guts to betray the Dragon King.
The Rock King Clan might just be following orders, obeying the commands of the higher-ups in the Titanium-Cobalt Family.
Perhaps, that "master" didn't even exist.
"As expected, where there are people, there is intrigue," Ji Xinghuo thought, recalling Titancore's words. The power struggles within the Titanium-Cobalt Family were intense, and someone had wanted to take him out as soon as he entered the family.
Did the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King know about these matters?
Ji Xinghuo pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.
These conspiracies and schemes directed at him were frustrating.
Ji Xinghuo weaved through the shadows, his electromagnetic senses guiding him away from any passersby. It took him several hours to leave the Quiet Wasteland and cross the hundreds of kilometers of ocean to reach an uninhabited island in the southern hemisphere.
Scanning the small island with his electromagnetic senses, he confirmed the presence of only low-level monsters with no signs of hunters.
Finding a spacious cave, he emerged from the shadows.
Qinghong, Doomsday, and Jiuyou revealed themselves, standing guard nearby, aware of the current situation.
Ji Xinghuo built a campfire and fed Qinghong and Doomsday.
"At this time, we must not expose our tracks."
"Nor can we go hunting."
"And we definitely must not risk going to the Star Gate in disguise, no matter how confident we are." Ji Xinghuo pondered, "If I were the enemy, I would definitely anticipate this move, and they would assume that I would notify the Dragon King for help, so they wouldn't dare to delay for too long."
"Regardless of the identity of the Star Shepherd blocking the Star Gate, they wouldn't be able to wait indefinitely."
"Time is on my side."
"As long as I stay hidden, I'll be safe!"
Having decided on his course of action, Ji Xinghuo relaxed and gently stroked Qinghong's head, thinking, "I'm in no rush anyway. Even if I have to go to Chaoge Continent, I can delay it. Let's see who has more patience."
However, even as he concealed his tracks, he remained cautious.
A soft, transparent mask appeared in his hand, and Ji Xinghuo examined it, sensing the energy emanating from it.
It was the Mask of Deception from Tianqi First Star.
This was the key to Kong Ling's ability to disguise her aura and launch a surprise attack, and now it was in his possession.
"Is there any special mark on the mask?" Ji Xinghuo inspected it carefully but found no abnormalities.
Logically speaking, the Mask of Deception couldn't be a deliberate bait set by the enemy. Kong Ling intended to buy time, waiting for Titancore and the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King to arrive so they could attack together. She never expected that she would die.
After confirming this multiple times, Ji Xinghuo affixed the Mask of Deception to his face.
A cool sensation washed over him.
The soft, transparent mask melded with his skin like water, and Ji Xinghuo immediately understood how to use it, infusing it with starlight to activate its power.
Instantly, his aura was completely suppressed.
The intensity of his electromagnetic field, mental fluctuations, and energy nature—all traces of his evolution, starlight, and abilities—were diminished to less than one-ten-thousandth of their original strength, resembling an ordinary person who had not undergone any evolution.
If anyone were present, they would not suspect that the person before them was a legendary powerhouse.
With a thought, Ji Xinghuo entered stealth mode.
This was an ability granted by the Mask of Deception, and combined with his aura suppression, he became even harder to detect.
However, stealth and aura suppression did not render him completely invisible; he could still be discovered by powerful sensing methods.
The true strength of the Mask of Deception lay in its ability to "deceive."
In other words, disguise.
Ji Xinghuo deactivated his stealth, and with a thought, his aura began to climb, progressing from that of a normal person to an extraordinary being, and finally settling at the first stage of the legendary realm. His electromagnetic field, starlight, and energy fluctuations all stabilized at this level.
Compared to his true strength, this aura was very mediocre, and the nature of his electromagnetic starlight had changed as well.
The sharpness and dominance associated with an Electromagnetic Overlord were completely absent.
He was now an ordinary legend.
At the same time, Ji Xinghuo's facial features began to shift, taking on a cold and rugged appearance, and his height increased to over two meters, making him more robust. He still appeared as a True Dragon Man, but his looks and physique had transformed into that of a completely different person. Aside from the faint dragon veins he possessed from birth, he carried no other dragon aura.
He was neither a Dragon Master nor a Dragon Warrior.
Ji Xinghuo unsheathed a long spear and donned his dragon-patterned battle armor.
With this appearance and aura, anyone would identify him as a "Giant Warrior" who had advanced through the paths of the "Martial Artist" and "Giant Spirit Warrior."
"A fine weapon."
Ji Xinghuo gripped the long spear in his hand.
This was the weapon of Cang Huo Gui, a Super-Ability Three-Star.
During his time in Titanium Ring City, he had seen many people carrying identical long spears, and that was when he learned its name—the "Heavenly Fire Dragon Tooth Spear." It was highly popular in the True Dragon Dynasty, crafted by various Dragon species families, not exclusive to the Flame Dragon family.
The Heavenly Fire Dragon Tooth Spear could be used openly without fear of being linked to Cang Huo Gui.
He stored away other identifiable equipment—Thunder Rain, Ling String's Song, and the Tantalum Silicon Battle Armor—into his Dimensional Stomach.
The Mask of Deception could also create illusions, but Ji Xinghuo found it to be of little use. Disguise and metamorphosis were sufficient, and it consumed very little starlight.
"This should be safe enough."
Even if discovered, he still had the Ultimate Dark Sphere to create a "Dark Domain" and escape through Star Realm Leap.
Even if a Star Shepherd appeared, he could ensure his survival.
After altering his appearance, Ji Xinghuo rested briefly in the cave, recalled his three battle pets, and used the Mask of Deception to conceal their energy auras. Then, he slipped into the shadows and quietly made his way to the northern hemisphere under the cover of night.
(End of Chapter)
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