Chapter 656: Seeing Xiu Chen Again

‘If they had a concealment treasure like Xiao Yingluo’s Hidden Void Robe, they might actually be able to ambush me.’

‘And the last time I was hunting Duanmu Xi, I lost her halfway when she went into hiding. That was also because my Perception wasn’t strong enough!’

‘So, improving both my Perception and my ability to hide my presence has become a top priority. It’s time to spend some effort cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill.’

…

「Nightfall.」

A crescent moon hung in the sky, dotted with countless stars.

The entire Lake Heart Island seemed exceptionally quiet under the dim night sky.

Chen Cheng stood at the highest point of the cliff, reining in his aura and immersing himself in the Cultivation of the Concealment Secret Skill.

[Concealment Secret Skill Cultivation Progress has increased.]

…

An unknown amount of time passed.

From the Cold Pool not far away, a dark figure suddenly shot out with a faint whoosh of air, darting toward the edge of Lake Heart Island.

Upon reaching the base of the cliff where Chen Cheng stood, it suddenly dove into a thicket, poked its head out to glance up at the clifftop, then turned back and disappeared into the Cold Pool once more.

“Whoa! This beast’s Perception is incredible!” Chen Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly as he looked toward the Cold Pool.

That dark figure was none other than the overlord of Lake Heart Island, the Three-Headed Demon Python. Chen Cheng had noticed it long ago.

This Three-Headed Demon Python was extremely vigilant. Every time Chen Cheng neared the Cold Pool, he couldn’t sense its aura; he had only ever caught a glimpse of it from a distance when he first arrived on Lake Heart Island.

The Cold Pool was dozens of yards from the highest point of the cliff. A moment ago, Chen Cheng had pushed his Concealment Secret Skill to its absolute limit, so the Three-Headed Demon Python clearly hadn’t detected him, which was why it had dared to emerge.

However, when it reached the base of the cliff, only about twenty-some yards from him, it had obviously sensed his presence.

‘It seems my Concealment Secret Skill really needs improvement. And this Three-Headed Demon Python is far more powerful than other Tier Five Demon Beasts. It’s probably a legendary Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast.’

With that thought, Chen Cheng refocused on cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill, gradually losing all sense of self and his surroundings.

…

Around midnight, Chen Cheng felt a slight mental fatigue and stopped his Cultivation, summoning his panel to check his status.

[Skills: Secret Skill: Concealment (Small Success 365/1000) (Small Success Effect: Concealing Breath. Maximally suppresses one’s external aura. The effect depends on physical strength and the Cultivation Progress of the Concealment Secret Skill.)]

‘Whoa! I cultivated for three hours and only gained 31 progress points? This Concealment Secret Skill is way too difficult.’

Chen Cheng shook his head, clearly dissatisfied.

After all, he had cultivated the Cyan Heaven Dharma Aspect and was bolstered by a massive amount of pure Telekinesis. The strength of his Divine Sense was likely not much weaker than that of an Innate Realm Expert. He could go seven days and seven nights without sleep and not feel any mental fatigue.

Any other Martial Artist would probably be drowsy after just one hour of this Cultivation.

‘Whatever. This Concealment Secret Skill provides a massive boost to one’s practical combat abilities. No matter how hard it is, I have to master it.’

With that thought, Chen Cheng leaped a few times, his figure blurring as he shot into the distance.

He made his usual patrol around Lake Heart Island, finally returning to the mouth of the cave. Pushing his Concealment Secret Skill to its limit, he still couldn’t sense any trace of Xiao Yingluo.

He then leaped onto the terrace before Xiao Yingluo’s hidden room and focused his senses, but he still couldn’t detect her aura.

‘My Perception really is severely lacking!’

Leaping down from the terrace, he strode into the cave, his resolve to prioritize the Cultivation of the Concealment Secret Skill stronger than ever.

A short while later, near a Demon Rat burrow at the mouth of the cave, Xiao Yingluo’s figure materialized, a faint smile on her stunningly beautiful face.

‘My Hidden Void Robe suppresses my aura to the absolute maximum, and the effect is even stronger at night. Senior just walked past less than ten feet from me and didn’t notice my presence at all.’

‘But why was he looking for me? Was he worried about my safety, or did he have… other intentions?’

‘Could it be… he can no longer bear the loneliness and wants me, his Maid, to warm his bed?’

At this thought, Xiao Yingluo’s heart clenched, and she hastily suppressed her aura once more.

…

In the days that followed, aside from practicing the Iron Armor Demon Suppression Skill, Chen Cheng dedicated himself to restoring his mental energy and cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill.

As his proficiency grew, cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill became increasingly difficult. He would often feel mentally drained after just one or two hours of practice.

This was obviously a result of the immense mental toll it took.

Of course, as his proficiency increased, Chen Cheng’s Perception and Concealing Breath Ability improved dramatically. He thus persevered, cultivating tirelessly. It was a painful yet rewarding process.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

During this time, everything remained peaceful in the cave estate, and no outsiders had visited Lake Heart Island.

Chen Cheng was certain of this because he had left various subtle markers on the bodies of those he had killed.

The bodies of Organ Refining Realm experts were already incredibly tough, and combined with the dense, cold qi on Lake Heart Island, the corpses wouldn’t rot for months.

As for the island’s Demon Beasts, they had long been scared out of their wits and remained hidden in their territories, too afraid to emerge, let alone touch the bodies of the Martial Artists.

On each patrol, Chen Cheng would inspect the markers on the corpses. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he could be fairly certain that no one else had landed on the island.

「This day.」

The night was as black as ink.

As usual, Chen Cheng stood atop the highest point of the cliff, cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill.

[Concealment Secret Skill Cultivation Progress has increased.]

…

As midnight approached, Chen Cheng felt a slight mental weariness, but he pushed on nonetheless.

Suddenly, a cool, refreshing sensation flooded his sea of consciousness. Chen Cheng’s eyes shone, his mind becoming unprecedentedly clear and lucid.

In the ink-black night, he could clearly perceive every subtle movement more than a hundred feet away.

Understanding dawned on him, and Chen Cheng smiled.

‘So this is the Concealment Secret Skill at the Great Success Level? It’s truly as profound as I imagined!’

Just then, a faint whoosh of air sounded. A dark figure shot out from the Cold Pool, paused for only a brief moment at the base of the cliff, and then sped off into the distance.

It was the Three-Headed Demon Python. Clearly, it hadn’t sensed his presence.

Chen Cheng, however, sensed it perfectly. Even from over two hundred feet away, he could gauge the richness of its blood and qi.

‘The richness of this Three-Headed Demon Python’s blood and qi is at least three times that of an ordinary Tier Five Demon Beast. It’s definitely a Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast.’

‘Another Demon Heart for the taking. Excellent!’

The smile on Chen Cheng’s face widened as he summoned his panel.

[Skills: Secret Skill: Concealment (Great Success 1/10,000) (Small Success Effect: Concealing Breath…)

(Great Success Effect: Transformation. Alters physical features and transforms one’s external aura. The effectiveness of the Transformation depends on physical strength and the Cultivation Progress of the Concealment Secret Skill.)]

At the Great Success Level, the Perception and Concealing Breath abilities of the Secret Technique improved dramatically, and it also gained the Transformation Effect.

It was truly the perfect tool for ambushes and robberies!

A light breeze blew past, and the black cloth covering Chen Cheng’s face slowly drifted away. Instantly, his skin, Major Tendons, and bones shifted slightly, and his appearance transformed completely.

With a few nimble flashes, Chen Cheng arrived at the edge of the Cold Pool. But when he saw his reflection in the water, he couldn’t help but frown.

It was a face of extreme beauty, with pale, flawless skin, elegant phoenix-like brows, and eyes like stars. It was a heart-wrenching, pitiable beauty; even the most gorgeous woman in the world would feel plain in its presence.

It was, unmistakably, the face of Master Xiu Chen.

‘Sigh… I subconsciously changed my appearance, and it turned into Master Xiu Chen’s? No, this won’t do. I have to change again!’

His face slowly morphed, at one moment becoming gentle and scholarly, then rough and heroic, then calm and worldly-wise…

After shifting through several different faces, it finally settled back into the visage of Master Xiu Chen.

It wasn’t that Chen Cheng particularly liked this face, but the others just didn’t feel natural. They had the right form but lacked the spirit, feeling… off.

In contrast, his impression of Master Xiu Chen’s face was the most profound. He was intimately familiar with her every expression of joy, anger, and sorrow, so the transformation felt perfectly seamless.

‘Whatever, it’s a fake identity anyway. If even I can’t believe I look like this, there’s no way anyone else will be able to connect this face back to me.’

‘From now on, the person going on a killing spree in this cave estate is Master Xiu Chen. What does that have to do with me, Chen Cheng?’

A wicked, strange smile spread across his face. With a few flickers of movement, Chen Cheng arrived at the mouth of the cave.

From twenty feet away, he sensed a faint, almost imperceptible, abnormal aura to his left, right beside the entrance to a Tier Four Demon Rat’s burrow.

‘Whoa! So this is where Xiao Yingluo has been hiding?’

‘The most dangerous place is the safest place… She really knows how to hide!’

As Chen Cheng paused, the aura clearly wavered for a moment!

Chen Cheng couldn’t be bothered to expose her, so he just smiled and strode into the cave.

Only after he had entered the passage leading to the hidden room did Xiao Yingluo reveal herself, casting a look of bewildered suspicion into the cave.

‘Did Senior sense where I was? That shouldn’t be possible!’

‘Wait, Senior didn’t seem to be wearing his usual black mask. It’s a shame it’s too dark to see clearly!’

‘Is he finally planning to show his true face? If so, I’m actually quite looking forward to it!’