345 The Impostor’s True Identity
Qin Huai briskly exited the fortress. Flames ascended towards the heavens while a sharp blade clattered to the ground, giving rise to a cloud of dark fog. The poisonous mist swirled, causing the surrounding flora to wilt instantly.
“Could it be another poison king technique?” Qin Huai whispered. To his knowledge, that demon was incapable of pilfering the cultivation technique of a disguised individual. “Is he a member of the Blood Poison Gang?” he wondered aloud.
Three figures flickered in his mind: Wen Zonghao, Yin Rongen, and Huang Qiguang. Wen Zonghao was quickly dismissed due to the considerable difference in their physiques. That left the other two, his so-called brothers who seemed eager for his demise. Had they impersonated him to provoke animosity and reignite the conflict, all to seize an opportunity to eliminate him? Qin Huai continued to ponder over the possibilities.
Under the night sky, a fourth-level bone pattern realm expert was locked in combat with a masked individual, who was masquerading as Qin Huai. Meanwhile, the real Qin Huai, hidden a short distance away, eavesdropped on their conversation.
“The leader of the Blood Poison Gang is so clumsy,” he remarked. “If it were the real Qin Huai attacking, why would he don black clothes and reveal his identity?” The Thunderbolt Gang warrior’s sneer echoed in the night air.
Their fight raged on, incinerating everything within hundreds of meters. Blazes and poisonous gas consumed the landscape, reducing verdant grasslands to a barren wasteland. The fortress and surrounding structures were decimated in the process.
Suddenly, the fourth-level bone pattern realm expert of the Thunderbolt Gang was disarmed. In the nick of time, the expert used his hand as a blade, igniting a line of fire before him.
Whoosh!
The masked man remained unharmed, but his veil caught the flames. The bright blaze was striking against the darkness of the night.
Hidden in the bushes, Qin Huai’s eyes widened as he focused on the face revealed behind the black veil. His pupils constricted. Did the masked man’s face bear an uncanny resemblance to his own?
No! Qin Huai squinted, scrutinizing the face. It was undeniably similar to his own, but there were subtle differences. The likeness was about seventy percent. Unless one was intimately familiar with Qin Huai or had interacted with him on a daily basis, it would be nearly impossible to discern the real Qin Huai from the impostor.
“So it’s really you!” The fourth-level bone pattern realm expert of the Thunderbolt Gang unleashed his fire blades, transforming his palm into a fiery weapon extending more than a meter in length. The flames morphed into blades, whips, and spears, creating an insurmountable firewall.
Boom!
After dozens of moves, the flames blazed even higher, illuminating the faces of the two combatants. The Thunderbolt Gang expert abruptly retreated, flames igniting beneath his feet. His sword skimmed the ground like a pair of flaming wings, and in an instant, he put a considerable distance between himself and the impostor.
“Qin Huai, the Thunderbolt Gang will make you pay double for this!” he yelled, sprinting towards the river with incredible speed. The flames under his feet remained unquenched. As he reached the river, the heated bubbles turned to steam, trailing behind him.
The man disguised as ‘Qin Huai’ watched as the Thunderbolt Gang’s experts fled, but he made no move to chase them.
“Hu…” The impostor sighed, his gaze falling on the distant pier. A wicked smile curled at the corners of his mouth. He then raised his hand to his cheek and began to peel off his flesh, revealing his true identity.
From his hiding spot, Qin Huai’s eyes held a glimmer of understanding. The man was Huang Qiguang’s third brother, Meng Yuliang, a formidable fighter at the fourth-level bone pattern realm.
“This human skin mask is indeed useful, but it’s hard to breathe. We’ll have to ask the guys to modify it,” Meng Yuliang muttered to himself.
Thump, thump, thump…
Suddenly, his expression tightened as he glanced down. Several young blood-colored tigers and wolves, no taller than his ankles, with a white light spot between their eyebrows, gathered at his feet.
“Is this a new breed?” Meng Yuliang mused aloud, a look of delight spreading across his face. Each of these creatures could fetch tens of thousands of taels of silver. With ten of them, he could potentially make hundreds of thousands.
Whoosh!
However, to his surprise, all ten of the creatures suddenly rushed towards him. Meng Yuliang’s kind eyes turned fearful as he noticed the creatures’ lifeless eyes, radiating with a potent aura of blood and qi.
These weren’t breeds. They weren’t even living creatures!
Meng Yuliang’s heart pounded in his chest as he quickly launched himself away. However, the blood wolves and blood tigers were faster. They transformed into bloody blurs, pouncing on Meng Yuliang.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions resounded, and dust filled the air. Meng Yuliang emerged from the bloody mist, bloodied and battered. But before he could even catch his breath, another ten blood-red figures rushed towards him.
They were too quick!
Caught off guard, Meng Yuliang had no time to dodge before the blood-colored figures descended upon him. Terrifying explosions echoed in the air.
Boom!
“Ah!” Meng Yuliang roared in anger, a silver light suddenly enveloping his body, shielding him from the bloody explosion.
“Who…” he began, only to feel his skin prickling. A pair of hands tore through the silver light surrounding him, ten fingers pressing into his throat like sharp swords.
Meng Yuliang swallowed hard. He turned his head, recognizing his assailant.
“F-Fifth Master, why are you here?” he stuttered, his eyes filled with terror. He hadn’t expected that the first time he impersonated Qin Huai, he would be caught red-handed by the man himself.
What rotten luck!
But what puzzled him more was why the fifth master, known for his ruthlessness, had not killed him on the spot.