Chapter 30: Spear Locks the Azure Heavens, Wrath Rises Like Thunder!

Time flies like an arrow, and the days and months pass like a shuttle.

Ten years have passed since Yang Qingyuan agreed to Wangquan Baye’s invitation to join the "Mask" organization.

During these ten years, Yang Qingyuan’s life was quite tranquil. Besides his daily cultivation, he would occasionally wander around Dao City or go out to have fun with Wangquan Zui, who would come to find him from time to time.

The retaliation he imagined would come from the Xiao family never happened. Perhaps it was because over the years, they had gradually realized that Yang Qingyuan was becoming increasingly close with Wangquan Baye and his group.

One day, inside a cave in the mountains.

Two dazzling beams of light suddenly illuminated the dim cave. Almost instantly, the snake demon lurking within was locked onto by these lights.

A moment later, beneath the source of those lights, a young man’s voice slowly echoed.

"Alright, Qingyuan, I’ve locked onto the target for you. The rest is up to you."

"Understood, thanks. Majestic as the mountains, vast as the stars; the spear locks the azure heavens, the fury stirs the thunder!"

Rumble!!

Against the backdrop of lightning, accompanied by a calm voice from above the cave, a bolt of thunder suddenly descended from the sky!

It first pierced through the mountain with lightning speed, then precisely pinned the exposed snake demon to the ground.

"Well, ten points! That was much more accurate than the last time."

"You have the nerve to say that? If you hadn't stayed up all night for several nights refining that replica of the Wangquan Sword, leaving you unable to keep your eyes open, there’s no way I would have missed."

In the sky, a graceful young man slowly descended.

He had handsome, refined features and carried himself with elegant composure. Dressed in white and gold robes, he exuded an aura of dignity. This young man was none other than Yang Qingyuan, now fully grown.

Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. Under the influence of time, Yang Qingyuan had matured from a young boy into a dashing youth. At this moment, he was working with Li Quzhuo to track down and slay this malevolent snake demon.

Yang Qingyuan gestured lightly, and the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear, which had been pinning the corpse, reacted as if it had a mind of its own, flying swiftly back into his hand.

"Your technique with that spear is getting smoother and smoother."

As he spoke, Li Quzhuo deactivated the target-tracking function of his "Thousand-Machine Boy" mask, and the beams of light faded away.

"It’s alright. After all, I’ve been honing my connection with this spear for so many years now."

Yang Qingyuan shrugged, shaking the drops of blood from the tip of the spear. Like any magical treasure, a weapon requires the nourishment of its master’s spiritual power. Through years of such nurturing, the bond between the weapon and its master deepens, making resonance more likely. Once resonance is achieved, the relationship becomes even closer, allowing the user to unleash the true power of the artifact.

"How about it? The treasure I refined for you isn't bad, is it? Oh, I suppose it can't really be called a treasure, since it has no functions other than changing its weight. But that was what you asked for, after all..."

"Yes, yes, you're the best. Thank you."

Yang Qingyuan gave a helpless smile and glanced at the snake demon below, which had been charred by the lightning attached to his spear.

"Tsk, how miserable. It’s turned to charcoal; surely it’s done for."

"Miserable? Compared to the hundreds of people it devoured, it had a rather decent end."

"That’s true."

Li Quzhuo nodded, then stretched his arms and let out a yawn.

"Alright, mission accomplished. We should head back; the boss is waiting for us to assemble."

"Hmm, before we parted last time, Baye said he had something important to announce. Do you know what it is?"

"How would I know what the boss is thinking? But we’ve been roaming the land, upholding justice and slaying demons for the past two years, covering almost every inch of the Dao Alliance’s territory. For us, the Dao Alliance has no more secrets. So, I suspect the boss’s next target will be the four great demon kingdoms."

"He’s already planning to approach that 'Circle'..." Yang Qingyuan muttered to himself.

"I know what you want to say, but this is the original purpose for which we formed the Mask. Isn't that why we all gathered here, not just the boss?"

"I’m not trying to stop you, it’s just that with our current strength..."

Halfway through his sentence, Yang Qingyuan sighed helplessly. "Never mind. Let’s go gather."

"Right."

Li Quzhuo shrugged. He knew that Yang Qingyuan was different from the rest of them, always the conservative one in the organization. But such things were natural for a team; everyone had a different personality and a different way of looking at problems, so disagreements were perfectly normal.

The two chatted as they flew toward their destination. Before long, they arrived above an abandoned temple.

"I really don't know what Baye is thinking. He always chooses these dilapidated temples for meetings, and he insists on using those incredibly cringey code phrases..."

"Calm down, stay calm. You know his aesthetic—you can tell just by looking at the mask he chose..."

"Fair point. By the way, who is the contact person this time?"

"It should be Xiao Zui, right?"

"..."

Yang Qingyuan’s mouth twitched. Just as he was about to say something, the space around them trembled, and a massive, bizarrely carved stone statue rose up before them.

"Who goes there? What is your business in my temple..."

A majestic, booming voice emanated from the stone statue, as if it were a true deity speaking.

"Wangquan Zui, you know your illusions don't work on me. Why do you insist on testing them every time we meet?"

As Yang Qingyuan’s weary voice faded, the giant stone statue froze for a moment, then shattered like a broken mirror, vanishing into thin air.

Amidst the falling fragments of the illusion, a beautiful young woman stepped out, pouting. Ten years had passed, and the once delicate little girl had grown into a lovely young lady.

"How boring, it’s always like this! Brother Li Quzhuo and the others fell for it, why are you always completely unaffected?"

Yang Qingyuan glanced at Li Quzhuo, who still looked dazed, and gave the back of his head a light, annoyed tap.

"Ah! Who hit me?!"