"A dying person doesn't need to know too much."

Ethan's voice was calm, devoid of any ripples.

"It's time to put an end to the grudge between you and me!"

After the words fell, he walked forward step by step.

Thousand Faces stared at the figure approaching him, his pupils shrinking violently. Fear that he had not felt in countless years surged from the depths of his heart. He instinctively dragged his battered body backward, scraping along the stone floor, as if distance itself could delay death.

But the cave was small.

And Ethan was fast.

"Thousand Faces," Ethan said coldly, stopping in front of him.

"Back then, you ambushed me in secret and tried to kill me."

"Now, you must pay with your life."

He stretched out his palm.

Divine power surged, rolling out like an invisible tide, sealing the surrounding space inch by inch.

"You want to kill me?!" Thousand Faces roared, his eyes suddenly turning savage.

"It's not that easy!"

Black lines rapidly crawled across his neck, spreading to his face like cracks in obsidian.

The Cowardly Mask activated.

At this moment, he no longer cared about exposure or consequences. If he did not fight to the death now, there would be no next moment.

"Right now, the only choice is to explode your body and let your soul escape through the teleportation formation!" the Cowardly Mask said rapidly inside his mind.

"I know," Thousand Faces replied hoarsely.

He understood the price.

If he failed to seize a suitable body before his soul dissipated, he would vanish completely. Even if he succeeded, his cultivation would collapse, his foundation shattered, and the Ultimate Supreme realm would forever become an unreachable dream.

But survival came first.

"Thousand Faces, don't resist stubbornly," Ethan said lightly as divine power tightened around him.

"I said—killing me won't be that easy!"

Thousand Faces roared, veins bulging.

"Explode!"

Nothing happened.

His expression froze.

"What…?"

"Explode!"

Still nothing.

He frantically stimulated his spiritual energy, forcing it to surge—yet it was as stagnant as dead water.

"You want to self-destruct in front of me?" Ethan smiled faintly, his eyes cold.

"You overestimate yourself."

"With divine power suppressing you, even the thought of self-destruction is a luxury."

Ethan looked down at him, as if gazing at an insect.

"You want to blow up your body and let your soul escape through the teleportation formation here, right?"

"It's useless."

"I've already seen through all your trump cards."

Thousand Faces' mind went blank.

Only at this moment did he finally understand.

Everything—from the moment he sensed the aura of Onyx Orchid's mask—had been part of Ethan's scheme.

The aura release… the bait.

The lake… the trap.

He had walked into it willingly.

"It's over…" the Cowardly Mask sighed helplessly.

"Why… why did we lose?" Thousand Faces muttered, his voice hollow.

"I'm afraid Ethan noticed my existence ten years ago," the Cowardly Mask continued.

"The mask on him has higher authority than me."

"As long as he wishes, I can never detect his aura."

"But he can lock onto me anytime, anywhere."

"This time, the hunter was never you, me, or the Deputy Pavilion Master."

"It was Ethan."

"We… were prey."

"Think of a way!" Thousand Faces shouted inwardly, despair flooding him.

"You are the ghost god Onyx Orchid!"

"I'm only a mask," the Cowardly Mask replied calmly.

"Once caught by a higher-ranked mask, the only ending is to be swallowed."

"I have no other choice."

The words crushed the last sliver of hope.

Thousand Faces' eyes reddened, his composure collapsing completely.

"I don't want to die yet…" he sobbed.

Then he cried out loud.

"Ethan! Please spare me!"

"I'll give you everything!"

"The incomplete stone tablet, the Thirty-Six Supreme Celestial Fiend Methods, Onyx Orchid's mask—I'll give you all of them!"

"I can abolish my cultivation and become an ordinary person! I swear I'll never threaten you again!"

"And Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets! I'm their undercover agent—I know many of their secrets! You'll fight them sooner or later, I can help you!"

He poured out every chip he had, his voice trembling, eyes filled with desperate hope.

Ethan listened quietly.

Then he laughed.

"Spare you?"

"If I hadn't had so many cards ten years ago, I would have died in your hands."

"Would you have spared me then?"

"As for your treasures," Ethan continued indifferently, "even if I kill you, they'll still be mine."

"You're a secret child cultivated by Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. Do you think you know more than their deputy master?"

Thousand Faces' face turned ashen.

"I'll be your cow or horse!" he cried.

"I'll do anything!"

"A cow or a horse?" Ethan shook his head. "You're not qualified."

Flames erupted from his palm, instantly engulfing Thousand Faces.

"Ahhh—!"

A shrill scream echoed through the cave.

Flames tore through flesh and soul alike. Thousand Faces writhed like a maggot in boiling oil, howling in agony.

"Ethan! I won't let you go even as a ghost!"

"Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets will never forgive you!"

"You'll regret this—!"

Ethan clenched his fist.

The flames intensified, devouring body and soul together.

In just a few breaths, Thousand Faces turned into a wisp of green smoke, drifting away and dissipating completely between heaven and earth.

Silence returned.

Three storage rings and a gray-blue mask floated in the air.

The Cowardly Mask.

Before Ethan could move, Onyx Orchid surged out of his body, forming a black humanoid figure identical to him.

Onyx Orchid opened his mouth and swallowed the Cowardly Mask in one gulp.

He licked his lips.

"I feel comfortable~"

After burping lightly, he dissolved back into Ethan.

Ethan clearly sensed Onyx Orchid's aura growing stronger.

The power he could borrow had increased.

And it wasn't finished yet.

Onyx Orchid's aura continued to rise steadily.

"It'll take time to fully digest this," Onyx Orchid's voice echoed lazily.

"I'm going to sleep."

"You can still use my power."

"Just don't die while I'm gone."

After Onyx Orchid finished speaking, he turned into a ball of black liquid, floated on Ethan's sea of consciousness, and fell into a deep sleep.

A/N:

Extra chapters

100 power stones - 1 Extra chapters

200 power stones - 2 Extra chapters

Massage Chair - 1 Extra chapters

Luxury Car - 2 Extra Chapters

Dragon - 5 Extra Chapters

Magic Castle - 15 Extra Chapters

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