He closed his eyes, then lifted his right hand to remove the mask. When it came off, it revealed how pale Meng Hao’s face was. The power of the mask was shocking. Were Meng Hao’s Spiritual Sense not as powerful as it was, then he would never have been able to maintain control of his own mind.
In the short period that he had wielded the power of the mask, he realized that he had lost half of a sixty-year cycle of longevity.
The price of wearing the mask was extremely high.
Meng Hao turned to Xu Qing, his face pale. Biting down on his lip, he softly said, “We’re safe now. No one will know your secret.”
Xu Qing stared blankly at Meng Hao, her eyes filling with tears. She was a simple person, but she knew the price Meng Hao had paid to protect her secret.
He had killed a Ji Clan member, and had thus provoked great calamity. In order to not implicate his Sect, he had forsaken it…. Now, he had no choice but to become a wanderer. He would never be able to return to the Southern Domain, nor would he be able to hide from the Ji Clan.
Furthermore, he was only a Core Formation Cultivator….
Xu Qing bit down on her lip, but couldn’t hold back the tears. They slid down her face, and yet, never touched the ground; Meng Hao lifted up his hand to wipe them way.
“Don’t cry,” he said, smiling. “There’s a long road ahead. Who knows when it is that we will meet again.” His face was pale as he smiled, which served only to imprint his words deeper in Xu Qing’s heart.
“I’m leaving now,” he continued. “This place will be collapsing soon.” He looked deeply into her eyes, knowing that after he turned to leave, they would be as separated as if one was alive and the other dead. Even if he made it out with his life, who knew how many years would pass before he could return.
When he was able to return, who knew if the beautiful woman who stood in front of him now, would still be the same as before.
But Meng Hao had no regrets. Ji Hongdong had to die. Be it for Xu Qing, or for himself, only Ji Hongdong’s death could assure their continued life.
Even if he hid Ji Hongdong’s body within the blood-colored mask, Meng Hao knew it would do no good against the power of the Ji Clan. In fact, the consequences might be even more severe.