Looking at the statue, Master Seventh said, “Big Sib. Fourth Sib. Hurry up and offer respects.”

Xu Qing was just about to clasp hands and bow when the Captain suddenly said, “I don’t need to offer respects.”

Xu Qing blinked a few times and stopped to look over at the Captain. Master Seventh did the same, his eyebrows raised.

“What bull crap are you up to now?”

Eyes gleaming fanatically, the Captain looked at Master Seventh. “Master, you are the only existence in my world. You are the most paragonic being, surpassing anything and everything else. When I encountered that Grand Emperor before, I had no choice but to bow. But when I encounter you, Master, I also bow. And I’ve bowed to you so many times that, in my most deepest of hearts, you have long since surpassed any Grand Emperor. Therefore, any sincerity I show to other Grand Emperors nowadays is a sham. That’s why I say that I don’t need to pay respects. Only you exist in my heart, Master. Bowing to other people is literally pointless!”

The words flowed out of the Captain’s mouth very naturally, and didn’t betray any hint of insincerity. Apparently, these words came straight from his heart. And as he spoke to them, his face was lit with reverence. It seemed that, to him, his Master was the same as a Grand Emperor, or even a god.

The veneration on his face even seemed to contain a very healthy and appropriate dosage of admiration, the type a child would feel for a parent. In fact, his facial expression had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Hearing the Captain’s words caused Master Seventh to snort coldly. And his eyes seemed as cold as ever. However, someone who examined him closely would notice that his eyebrows had twitched slightly, and he seemed to be very pleased. What was more, his gaze had softened slightly as he looked at the Captain. Apparently, he knew that this apprentice of his had some faults. But when all was said and done, he had a good attitude. He knew how to respect his Master, which was one of the most important qualities and merits. It was a case of blemishes not obscuring the jade’s luster.

With such thoughts on his mind, Master Seventh coolly said, “You’ve grown up, haven’t you? You have a smooth tongue and like to jabber, but overall you behave well. Fine. I understand what you mean. If you don’t want to offer respects, then just forget about it.”

With that, Master Seventh turned to start looking for a specific skin mask.

Trembling with excitement, the Captain bowed deeply to Master Seventh, then flashed a pleased grin in Xu Qing’s direction.

Seeing this scene play out, Xu Qing felt his admiration for the Captain growing even deeper. He also realized that before he joined as an apprentice, the Captain must have been their Master’s favorite. After all, who wouldn’t approve of someone who could deliver such endless flattery at any time and place?

Considering that, Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed to the statue of the Grand Emperor, and then turned and bowed three times to Master Seventh. The solitary bow was one of respect toward an outsider. The three bows were a display of deep familial love.

Upon seeing that, the Captain chuckled.

The corner of Master Seventh’s mouth lifted slightly. Then he made a grasping gesture, and one of the skin masks flew off the wall and into his hand. It resembled a young man with a vicious facial expression. The mask emanated a deep longing to devour flesh, and seemed like it wanted to start eating Master Seventh’s hand.

“Big Sib, this one is perfect for you.”

Master Seventh tossed the mask into the air, and it flew toward the Captain.

The Captain grabbed it.

The mask immediately flipped around and wrapped up the Captain’s right hand. A moment later chewing sounds could be heard, as if the mask were trying to eat the Captain’s hand. The Captain flicked his hand, but the mask wouldn’t come off. At this point, most people would look horrified as they realized the mask was trying to eat them. But the Captain didn’t seem worried at all. In fact, he looked curious, and just let the mask do what it wanted.

“What a surprise. It wants to bite me?” The Captain seemed very amused, so much so that he lifted his hand to bring the mask closer to his face.

Noticing that, the mask unwrapped itself, revealing a hand covered in bite marks and blood. Pulsing with vicious greed, the mask lunged toward the Captain’s face. In the blink of an eye, it wrapped around the Captain’s face, becoming a true mask that covered his facial features. The Captain’s aura immediately skyrocketed, and his features changed to resemble a stranger. And he pulsed with something sinister and cold that made him seem like a different person. A tremor passed through him and he closed his eyes.

Seeing all this, Xu Qing’s eyes glittered with curiosity, and he cast his senses out to try to learn more about what was happening. He quickly discovered that, based on how deeply he knew the Captain, after putting that mask on, he didn’t seem familiar at all. In fact, if Xu Qing hadn’t witnessed the transformation himself, he would have no way of identifying him. With the mask on, the Captain’s aura had changed, but even more significant, his soul fluctuations were totally different.

“These skin masks with their immortal skills are inherently useful as disguises,” Master Seventh said to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded. At this point, the Captain’s eyes opened, and he looked coldly at Xu Qing. Then he shifted his gaze to Master Seventh.

Xu Qing’s facial expression didn’t change, but Master Seventh snorted coldly.

“Aren’t you done playing around? Or should I give you a good thrashing?”

The Captain chuckled, and as he did, his aura transformed again. Although it still seemed different, there were some familiar elements to it.

“Master. Little Junior Brother. This mask is really interesting. I can tell that it wants to fully fuse with my face. And it contains deep malice. I can also hear the sound of many men and women all speaking together, uttering two words that echo in my mind.”

“That’s the name of the immortal skill,” Master Seventh explained. “Speak the words, and you’ll be able to use the immortal skill. That said, the results will differ based on the level of cultivation base of whoever uses it.”

After a moment of thought, the Captain spoke the words.

“Heavenly Dog!”

The Captain shivered as the mask exuded a red mist that pulsed with incredible grandeur. The mist swirled out around him until he disappeared, then converged into the shape of a huge crimson dog. It salivated greedily, its eyes bright red, and its coarse breathing something that would strike fear into the heart of anyone who heard it. It looked like it was starving and was looking for someone to devour. 1

Xu Qing instinctively took a few steps back. The heavenly dog threw its head back and howled, causing the surrounding temple to shake. Then the dog faded from view, and the Captain became visible again. He reached up to take the mask off. There seemed to be no special process involved in taking it off, though there were thin red tendrils that stretched out between the mask and the Captain’s face as he pulled it away. It took some effort, but he managed to pull it off.

The Captain didn’t seem worried at all about the mask, and in fact, looked excited and happy.

“Master, this immortal skill is amazing! It even has a dimensional space inside. If there’s something it can’t digest, it’ll store it inside. This is perfect for me!”

Hearing that, Xu Qing nodded, fully convinced of how amazing the mask was.

Master Seventh laughed. “Yes, it’s indeed perfect for you.”

Master Seventh reached in a different direction and made another grasping gesture, causing another mask to fly toward him.

This one looked like an old man with a wrinkled face and a bitter expression. It was obviously completely different from the heavenly dog mask, as it didn’t show any signs of struggle or malice when it landed in Master Seventh’s hand. It just sat there quietly and let loose a soft sigh. Sensing that, Master Seventh shook his head slightly.

“Fourth Sib, your Elder Brother’s heavenly dog mask is the best one in this place. Sadly, this mask here isn’t suitable for you. Well, I’ll have to pick another one for you. What a pity none of the others are as good as these two.”

Xu Qing looked more closely at the mask. “Master, what kind of immortal skill is it?”

“Mercy.” Master Seventh sighed as he looked around at the other masks. He really didn’t like the idea of Big Sib getting such a nice mask while Fourth Sib got something inferior.

Meanwhile, the Captain offered the heavenly dog mask to Xu Qing. “Take it, little Junior Brother. It’s a nice immortal skill, but honestly, it’s not going to help me much.”

Xu Qing knew that the Captain was just trying to be nice, and it brought some warmth to his heart. After politely refusing, he looked at Master Seventh.

“Master, what does the immortal skill of mercy do?”

“It allows you to share half of the injury and pain of whoever you look at.” As Master Seventh provided the explanation, he continued to study the masks in the hopes of finding one better-suited to Xu Qing.

Meanwhile, the Captain chuckled. “Master, what are you wasting time for? Mercy is perfect for me! I’m very merciful.”

Master Seventh ignored the Captain’s gibberish. He knew that his senior apprentice specialized in fleshly body recovery. And he also knew that although his apprentices were always messing with each other, they actually had a very good relationship.

Just as he was about to say something, Xu Qing spoke. “Master, that skill is actually very suitable for me.”

“Since when are you merciful, little Ah Qing?” the Captain asked, sounding surprised.

Master Seventh’s eyes also glittered with curiosity.

“I have a friend who’s very merciful,” Xu Qing explained earnestly. “That mask looks ideal for that friend.”

His D-132 heavenly palace vibrated, and the extremely bored and despondent head vanished from inside, then plopped onto the ground in front of Xu Qing. The head rolled over a few times, then looked around blankly.

“What’s going on?”

Before the head could gain its bearings, Xu Qing stomped it, causing it to explode.

Both the Captain and Master Seventh were stunned.

“That’s your friend?” the Captain asked, looking at the bloody sludge on the ground.

Xu Qing nodded. Meanwhile, the sludge slid back into the shape of the head. Scowling on the verge of tears, the head looked at Xu Qing.

“What did I do wrong, exalted one?” the head wailed. “I didn’t even curse you today!”

Face completely expressionless, Xu Qing waved his hand, sending the head back into the heavenly palace. Then he looked at the Captain and Master Seventh, both of whom had very strange expressions on their faces.

“That’s my friend,” Xu Qing said solemnly, “who is very merciful.”

The Captain blinked a few times and Master Seventh cleared his throat. Then Master Seventh handed the mask of mercy to Xu Qing.

“Since Fourth Sib’s friend is so merciful, this mask should be a perfect fit!”

Xu Qing accepted the mask, thought for a moment, then said, “Master, I have some other friends who are also very merciful. Since an individual can only get one mask, is there any chance there are other immortal skills of mercy in this place that they could use?”

Xu Qing’s suggestion caused the Captain’s eyes to glitter. Master Seventh mulled the matter over, then looked around at the masks. Finally, he shook his head. .

“Based on all of the things I’ve experienced through the years, I’ve learned that it’s worse to push things too far than to not push them far enough. That’s especially true of immortal skills. Each one contains significant karma, and their strange creation method contains mysterious cursing magics. You really shouldn’t casually take too many of them.

“If all of those friends of yours take a mask, then in the final analysis, they’ll be bringing all of that karma onto you.

“That’s even more the case if they’re not human. There’s really no way to know what would happen if all that karma came to rest on you, or what hidden curses might be within the immortal skills.

“My suggestion is that you wait for the next time you find a place like this. Then get someone you don’t like to try something out like you’re suggesting. If they survive, and don’t suffer any repercussions, then you’ll know it’s safe, and you can just steal the immortal skills from them.

“Or if you don’t feel like stealing them, then at least you know it’s generally safe. Remember, immortal skills can’t run away, and this isn’t the only operations palace out there.”

Xu Qing had learned quite a while ago that Master Seventh always liked to do things the safe way. Therefore, he completely agreed with the advice, and realized he could learn a thing or two from his Master in that regard.

On the other hand, the Captain didn’t agree at all, but didn’t dare to say anything out loud. Master is getting a lot more cowardly as he gets older.

After taking the immortal skills, they didn’t waste any time. Master Seventh led Xu Qing and the Captain out of the hall. Once they were outside, the mutagen caused the flesh to start growing back over the entrance. In the blink of an eye, that distorted face was back, and it opened its mouth and started howling. Master Seventh looked at the face, then glanced up at the black, mirror-like sky above them.

“It won’t be long before the red moon awakens. I have the feeling the two of you won’t obediently go back to the camp, will you? Ah, whatever. There’s plenty more good fortune to be had in Forbidden by the Immortal. Be careful and don’t do anything too rash.

“In a moment, I’ll go ahead by myself to make some preparations. After you explained the situation to me, I did some of my own research, and have a good idea of what’s coming.”

1. The heavenly dog is an actual creature from Chinese mythology. It’s mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It’s sometimes said to be white, other times red. There are some common idioms associated with it, such as “heavenly dog eating the moon” or “the heavenly dog can’t eat the sun.” ?

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