The Master's Mask Unveiled Again-Chapter 996 - 995: Thoroughly Declaring Defeat

Lu Mian’s actions were nothing short of an unbearable humiliation for Jing Heng.

Deep down, he always looked down on girls, believing they were useless—unable to bring profit to the family, nor train in the kind of formidable martial arts that men could master.

But just as he carried these thoughts into the battle against Lu Mian, within less than ten minutes, he was decisively defeated.

And it wasn’t just a defeat—it happened in front of so many disciples of the Chixia Sect, in such a shameful manner, brutally trampling his dignity into the ground.

Jing Heng knelt on the ground, veins bulging from his arms and neck as he desperately gathered his internal energy. He tried with all his might to straighten his back, to shake off the foot pressing down on him. However, no matter how much strength he used, that foot was like a massive stone weighing a thousand pounds, mercilessly grinding down on him.

How could this be? She was just a little girl barely out of childhood—how could she possess such immense power?

He struggled again, with even more force this time, but this seemed to have provoked the owner of that foot. The girl bore down with a heavy pressure, unintentionally or otherwise, effectively breaking the vital energy Jing Heng was stubbornly holding onto.

Pftch!

Jing Heng’s internal energy shattered, and a mouthful of scalding blood spewed from his throat, splattering onto the ground.

"Hiss—"

The sound of gasps filled the surroundings.

Even Jing Heng himself was incredulous, his face pale as he stared at the bloodstain on the ground, his eyes filled with shock and denial. He even tried hard to swallow back the metallic taste rising in his throat.

This isn’t me!

This is not at all reflective of my true strength!

He was a renowned expert, a name on the rankings—how could he fail to defeat a wretched little girl!

The disciples of the Chixia Sect, witnessing this scene, erupted into an uproar. Some couldn’t even bring themselves to look directly and turned away like timid quails.

Many were shouting things like, "Impossible!"

How could their near-godlike pillar of the Chixia Sect suffer such an utterly humiliating defeat under the foot of that girl?

"Sect Master! At this point, you can’t hold back against her anymore!"

"This damn girl has treated you like this—fight back! Tear her head off!"

These disciples, unwilling to accept what they saw, tried to make excuses for Jing Heng.

Kneeling on the ground, Jing Heng expended the last of his strength before shamefully turning his face away.

Did they think he didn’t want to tear the head off this wretched girl?

The problem was, he couldn’t beat her! He couldn’t beat her!

This girl was like a demon, with extraordinary strength and endlessly shifting techniques. Her attacks were ruthless and unrelenting. Even a seasoned veteran like him, with years of practical combat experience, could not keep up.

This was far beyond the abilities a twenty-year-old girl should have!

Jiu Ping, lying limp on the ground with a ashen face, muttered through trembling lips, "So... she really can break the Strength Tester..."

"Senior Jiu Ping, what are you saying? Wasn’t that done by Senior Mo Fan?"

The moment Mo Fan’s name was mentioned, he waved his hands frantically. "Not me! Don’t talk nonsense—I didn’t do it!"

Jiu Ping let out a long breath. "It was Lu Mian."

The group recalled the steel-structured device that had been smashed to pieces in the small training ground, and despair consumed them.

At this point, it was clear—Lu Mian had crushed everyone in the Chixia Sect with absolute power. She was making a point to this decaying sect—to never look down on any girl. Girls were never merely the appendages of men.

The greater their contempt for Yuanyuan in the past, the more ruthlessly she stripped them of their self-esteem now.

Respect is mutual. Even if the man beneath her foot was Sui Yuan’s father, she would not allow him to bully her.

The hall fell silent except for the occasional cough from Jing Heng. The atmosphere was stifling and intolerable.

Hong Junhua clutched his bloodstained head, unable to cope, and fainted on the spot.

Xi Mei let out a pained cry, deeply worried for the son growing within her womb.

But this wasn’t the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing was yet to come.

Lu Mian pressed down with even greater force, her voice chillingly cold as she spoke. "Take me to the Underground Palace."

This was an order, not a negotiation.

Sharp, decisive, and direct.

Jing Pei and Jing Che, standing nearby, were completely dumbfounded.

When compared to disarming the countless traps in the Underground Palace, Lu Mian really had no need to infiltrate it—she could just beat everyone into submission. It was faster and far more efficient.

Jing Che thought Lu Mian’s earlier remark—"A useless waste"—fit him perfectly. Indeed, he was utterly useless. What had taken him years to fail at, she had resolved in under half an hour.

Jing Che couldn’t help but shiver as a chill ran through him. He felt deeply alarmed.

Yesterday, he’d actually dared to throw a chair at Lu Mian. If she hadn’t gone easy on him, even if he didn’t die, he would have been permanently crippled.

His younger sister, stripped of her clan’s protection, seemed to have found an ally far more dependable and resolute...

Pinned beneath Lu Mian’s foot, Jing Heng was powerless and had no strategies left. Before Lu Mian could crush his spine, he nodded in utter humiliation.

This single motion was his admission of defeat.

——

Meanwhile, in the Underground Palace of the Chixia Sect.

Sui Yuan was confined in a small room. It had a bed and table with all basic necessities, resembling a modest single room, save for the cage-like iron door.

The only light came from a dim lamp, casting faint illumination. The air was stagnant and damp, laced with the smell of decay.

In truth, where she was held was nothing more than an underground cage—a place the Sect Master used to imprison people he wanted hidden from view.

Sui Yuan still couldn’t suppress the ache in her heart. To be locked up like a criminal by her biological father—how could anyone feel okay about that?

She was completely out of place in the Chixia Sect. Every time she set foot on this land, all it brought her was pain.

Sui Yuan leaned against the iron bars, the icy cold seeping into her bones and chilling her heart as well.

In the suffocating silence of the underground cage, the only sounds were Sui Yuan’s sighs and a faint, irregular breathing sound.

You had to listen very closely to notice it.

Sui Yuan’s body jolted with alarm. Was it her mother?

She gripped the iron bars, peering desperately into the dimness, but her angle of view was limited. She couldn’t see anything, only hear labored, almost imperceptible breaths.

The other person sounded like they were in immense pain. Every breath seemed to tear at their chest, making even an outsider’s heart clench with worry, afraid the next breath might not come at all.

Sui Yuan remembered Jing Che’s words and, trembling with excitement, called softly into the darkness, "Mother, is that you?"

The Underground Palace remained silent, even the breathing sound disappearing.

Just as Sui Yuan thought the other person wouldn’t reply, she suddenly heard a hoarse voice.

Freezing cold and full of mockery.

"What now? Did Jing Heng come up with *another* new trick this time?"

!!!

That voice!

Even though it was hoarse and weak, Sui Yuan recognized it immediately.

She leaned forward excitedly, trying to locate the direction of the sound.

"Mother, it’s me! I’m your daughter!"

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