The Twelve Divine Aspects secret techniques of the White Bone Dao were said to be the White Bone Venerable God's method of protecting the Dao. Those who received this technique, the Twelve Masked Ones of the White Bone Dao, were also mid-to-high level members of the White Bone Dao, second only to the Messengers and Elders in status.
But by now, only four remained.
Rat Mask and Dog Mask had died earlier in the battle at Maple Forest City, specifically at the Maple Forest City garrison.
Ox Mask, Horse Mask, Sheep Mask, and Rooster Mask were wiped out in a single battle by Zhu Weiwo at Unredeemable City.
Tiger Mask was killed by Li Jianqiu, who had just broken through the Heaven and Earth Gate on the battlefield, using his Dao Sword techniques in the mountain territory controlled by the Double Serpent Society in the Mo Kingdom.
Even Pig Mask, the most feared and craziest among the Twelve Masked Ones, had unexpectedly died in a small town below Jiacheng in the Sunlight Prefecture of the Yang Kingdom.
Eight of the Twelve Masked Ones were now gone.
Only Rabbit Mask, Monkey Mask, Dragon Mask, and herself remained.
She increasingly felt that the higher-ups did not care about their lives.
Even if they had profound cultivation and extraordinary combat strength, in the eyes of the higher-ups, they were perhaps just slightly stronger chess pieces—it wouldn't matter. The problem was that the "chess pieces" were running out, while the situation grew more dangerous, and soon it would be her turn.
No, she was already in danger right now.
She was not afraid of death originally, but after fleeing Maple Forest City, her fear of death had grown day by day.
She did not want to die.
Her ability to survive was not based on herself alone, not just her own efforts.
That was why she was particularly unwilling to die.
Now she was walking through the territory of the Yang Kingdom, concealing her appearance with a long cloak.
Her hands hung at her sides, and on the slender index finger of her right hand, a "green line" was wound, with a small bell dangling from the end.
It swayed as she walked, making no sound.
The reason this "green line" deserved special mention was that it was not an ordinary line—it was a tendon, violently extracted from a cultivator and processed with secret techniques.
The original owner of this tendon was a cultivator from the Dao Academy of the Zhu Kingdom's national road. Driven by pure passion, he had dared to pursue relentlessly.
Snake Mask used his tendon to hang the bell, of course, to display her cruelty.
And perhaps what she herself had not realized was that it was actually due to her own fear that she wanted to intimidate those who were hunting her.
Being transferred to the Eastern Domain, she had initially felt relieved. She had truly had enough of the pursuit by the Zhu Kingdom under the name of national vengeance.
But after learning of Pig Mask's death, she could no longer feel at ease.
This might be evident from her excessively vigilant eyes.
However, walking on the road, she was not conspicuous at all.
In today's Yang Kingdom, panic and vigilance were truly common emotions.
Everyone who had to walk on the road tried to wrap themselves up as tightly as possible.
Snake Mask had even seen several corpses lying right by the roadside. No one cared, and maggots bred on their own.
When there was no one to even bury the dead, it was a sign of a nation's collapse.
Compassion was something Snake Mask certainly did not have.
So she walked on the road, her steps light.
This temporary order would be completed quickly, and she would leave. She would not be like Pig Mask, thinking of avenging anyone.
Her enemies had already died in Maple Forest City.
Where were there any more enemies?
She gently shook her index finger, the green line suspending the bell, swaying silently.
The bell hung from a human tendon was, of course, not a simple thing.
The White Bone Dao had twelve White Bone Masked Ones, with Rat Bone Masked Ones at the head.
Rat Mask was dead, but his possessions remained.
As the head of the twelve Bone Masked Ones, the reason he died in battle at Maple Forest City was not only due to Fang Dahu's fearless bravery and the perfect coordination of Zhao Lang and Wei Yan. There was another major reason: the life-bound magical artifact he had refined from the Rat Bone Divine Aspect had always been stored at the White Bone Dao headquarters because it was too dangerous, meaning his combat strength was incomplete.
Even an organization like the White Bone Dao considered it dangerous...
And it was now in the hands of Snake Bone Masked One.
It was this small bell that made no sound when shaken, called the Plague Bell.
It had another name: the Source of the Plague.
It was what had created the plague now raging through the Yang Kingdom.
The one who made the decision was the Holy Lord, the one who formulated the plan was the White Bone Messenger, the one who executed it was Pig Bone Masked One, and now Snake Bone Masked One had taken over.
To be precise, the true Plague Bell was a pair—Mother and Child Bells.
The Mother Bell created the plague, and the Child Bell absorbed the plague energy.
The Mother Bell of the Plague Bell had completed its mission, and the one in Snake Bone Masked One's hand was the Child Bell.
White bones exposed in the wilderness, no chicken crowing for a thousand miles. The death energy, resentment, and the expanded plague energy that arose from it—this was what the Netherworld's Venerable God wanted to obtain.
"Dragon Mask is only loyal to the Holy Lord. Monkey Mask is cunning and crafty, connected to everyone. Rabbit Mask is utterly devoted to the Messenger. Elder Lu's thoughts are unpredictable, and the Holy Maiden... what does the Holy Maiden think?"
Snake Bone Masked One thought indifferently.
She used to not think about these messy matters, but now she had to, had to think more.
The current White Bone Dao was not the same as before.
It would never be the same again.
...
Jiang Wang missed the Blessed Land Challenge on June fifteenth.
He slept for a long time, sleeping very deeply. He had long been prepared for the loss of merit and had no regrets. His only regret was missing another opportunity to fight the strong.
In theory, at his current realm, going without sleep for a while was not a big problem. But first, he had spent ten days and nights saving Green Goat Town, then entered the city alone with his sword, and beheaded City Master Xi Munan and a team of extraordinary guards.
His body and mind had reached a certain limit, and he had to rely on sleep to recuperate.
Dugu Xiao moved a chair to sit outside the door, refusing to leave no matter who tried to persuade her.
No one knew that with her martial arts, which she had only just started practicing, what she could actually do if real danger occurred.
When Jiang Wang woke up and went out, it was hard to say there was no comfort in his heart.
But he only asked: "How are things in the town?"
"They're mostly under control now. People are still dying, but new cases are very rare." She finished speaking happily and said, "Master, you're awake?"
"Mm." Jiang Wang reached out and gently patted her thin shoulders. "Go rest. I'll handle the rest."
Dugu Xiao's eyes immediately lit up. This was the first time Jiang Wang had shown such an affectionate gesture toward her.
"Master, did you kill City Master Xi?" Her voice was also lighter as she said, "Everyone says it's very satisfying!"
"Satisfying?" Jiang Wang did not feel proud of this, but only wanted to sigh. "When Sun Ping died, it was also very satisfying in the city."
Dugu Xiao sensed the inexplicably low emotion in Jiang Wang's tone and couldn't help asking, "Sun Ping?"
"You should remember this name." Jiang Wang walked past Dugu Xiao. "He was the true hero."
"If Master says so, then he must be."
Jiang Wang shook his head and said nothing more on the matter.
Actually, Dugu Xiao didn't care about the plague, didn't care about any heroes, and didn't even care about the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the Jiacheng city region.
She was doing her utmost just to prove her own value, so she wouldn't be abandoned again. She had no energy left for anything else, nor did she want to care.
This was her.
The invisible but real "disease" she carried.
How was it not another kind of "plague"?
How could she be "healed"?
"Accompany me to the town," Jiang Wang said.
"Okay, Master!" Behind him, Dugu Xiao skipped with joy.