Thousand Faces sank slowly to the bottom of the lake, his figure swallowed by the water.

This time, he did not hesitate.

He placed his real fake body here.

Then, with practiced movements, he began to construct a teleportation formation.

His caution had reached a level far beyond before. He did not rely on a single escape route. Instead, he found four different locations—four terrains with similar spiritual fluctuations—and deployed small teleportation formations in all of them.

Four decoys.

Four exits.

Yet the endpoint of all teleportation formations was the same.

A cave to the east of Netherfall Pass.

He did this deliberately.

To confuse perception.

To mislead divination.

Even if someone discovered that he possessed the Thirty-Six Supreme Celestial Fiend Methods, it would still be nearly impossible to locate his true fake body.

"In this way," Thousand Faces murmured softly, bubbles rising from his lips, "even if that woman and I fall into Ethan's hands again… I can still escape."

His eyes gleamed behind the mask.

He arranged the formation carefully, embedding it into the terrain itself.

Once the formation was disturbed—touched, damaged, or even brushed by hostile intent—he would feel it immediately.

This was the Shocking Formation.

A holy-grade formation.

A legacy from ancient times.

It possessed no offensive power.

No defensive power.

To others, it was worthless.

Like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

But to him, it was priceless.

"This formation is really useful."

Thousand Faces smiled beneath the mask, genuinely satisfied.

This was one of the formations Onyx Orchid had taught him.

Used correctly, it could turn death into survival.

"This is an ancient relic," the Cowardly Mask's voice echoed in his mind.

"Although it cannot be used against enemies, it is very useful to you."

Thousand Faces ignored the tone and focused only on the content.

He was cautious because he had to be.

The last time he fought Ethan, something felt wrong.

The other party might have discovered clues about his methods.

Whether Ethan had truly seen through the Heaven and Earth Reversal Method did not matter anymore.

What mattered was preparation.

If Ethan did not discover his secret, all the better.

If he did—then these arrangements would still guarantee survival.

Ethan could do nothing to him.

After completing everything, Thousand Faces left the lake, his figure dissolving into the water like a phantom.

Moments later—

Another figure sank silently to the bottom of the lake.

Ethan.

The lakebed greeted him with familiar formations—almost identical to the other three locations he had already explored.

But this place was different.

Very different.

One of the bodies placed here carried a mysterious power and aura that the others lacked.

Ethan's gaze sharpened.

"So this is it," he thought.

"Your real fake body."

"Alicia," Ethan whispered in his mind.

"Holographic eye."

The panel unfolded before him.

[Name: Alarming Formation]

[Level : Holy-Grade Formation]

[Function ; No offense, no defense. Any disturbance or damage will be immediately perceived by the creator.]

"Thousand Faces…" Ethan chuckled softly. "You really are full of good things."

He put the panel away, genuinely impressed.

This formation seemed useless at first glance.

But in reality, it functioned as a real-time alarm.

Extremely practical.

"Is there any way to take what's inside without triggering it?" Ethan asked calmly.

Alicia's voice answered.

[Not for now, Sir.]

[This formation is based on space laws. Only by touching the Law of Space itself can this formation be bypassed.]

"The Law of Space…"

Ethan nodded slowly.

That was Emperor territory.

He was not there yet.

Still—

That did not mean he had no options.

"This Thousand Faces really is my lucky star," Ethan muttered with amusement.

He withdrew from the lakebed.

Nearby, inside a secluded cave, Ethan sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Small teleportation formations.

Thousand Faces had them.

So did he.

All trophies from previous battles.

In his hand was a formation compass obtained from Iris—a small teleportation formation usable as long as sufficient spirit stones and crystals were provided.

Maximum distance?

Near Netherfall Pass.

Perfect.

Ethan arranged the formation calmly, stabilizing the compass, then returned to Netherfall Pass from another direction. He found a suitable hidden location and set up the other end of the teleportation formation.

After completing everything, he returned to the inn.

He sat at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a slow sip.

The tea was warm.

Steady.

Everything was ready.

Now, he only needed Thousand Faces to take the bait.

Ethan put the puppet away.

"Onyx Orchid," he said softly, "continue releasing your aura. Let's head outside the city and wait."

He placed the teacup down and vanished from the room.

When he reappeared, he was already outside Netherfall City.

"The one accompanying Thousand Faces is an Ultimate Supreme," Onyx Orchid warned.

"Be careful. Even with divine power, you are still only an Intermediate Supreme."

"I know," Ethan replied calmly.

Confidence did not mean arrogance.

Every Ultimate Supreme had terrifying trump cards.

Caution was not weakness—it was survival.

Ethan followed the system map and arrived at the golden fishing spot.

It was a valley surrounded by mountains.

Waterfalls poured down from the cliffs, mist drifting through the air. The sound of rushing water echoed endlessly.

At the center lay a lake as clear as polished gemstone.

Yet it was strange.

Near the waterfalls, the water was crystal clear—you could see the bottom at a glance.

But toward the west, the color darkened.

Then reddened.

Not because of the water itself.

The soil beneath was red.

The mud was red.

Thin mist drifted up continuously from that half of the lake.

Ethan landed by the shore and felt the environment carefully.

He dipped his fingers into the water.

It was warm.

"There's magma flowing beneath," he concluded, "and Mystic Marrow Tempering Lotion below. No wonder the temperature is high."

Giant flame loaches lived here.

Ethan had no interest in the Mystic Marrow Tempering Lotion.

It was a treasure of heaven and earth, but it was useless to him now.

No need to collect it.

He took out his fishing rod and wooden basin.

Fishing mission time.

The bait was ordinary herring.

The favorite food of flame giant loaches.

Plop.

A strip of herring sank into the lake.

Time passed.

Ethan noticed a huge creature moving along the bottom of the lake. It was a giant flame loach.

Breaking through the mud below, the creature swam upward, following the scent of herring meat.

However, the giant flame loach was a fourth-level monster beast.

A/N:

Sorry guys, only two chapters today.

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

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.