[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars":3,"chapter-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-168":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Immortal Path Among the Stars",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320100,4537,"Chapter 168: Mask","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>Since using the Entry-Level Purification Talisman, Wang Yu had completely washed away his aura, and on the subsequent journey, he encountered no wolf packs actively seeking him; even when he came across lone demonic wolves, they immediately fled far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as he leaped from tree to tree, he fiddled with a gray-white mask covered in strange black patterns, attempting to infuse it with a trace of magical energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The originally rigid mask softened into a limp, skin-thin texture the moment magical energy flowed into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even stranger, the black patterns on the mask began to shift and wander, constantly morphing into countless faces—old and young, male and female—but each face was blurred, and the moment it appeared, it dissolved into another’s features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Wang Yu could ponder what this object might be, the mask in his hand suddenly “pop!” turned into a wisp of gray-white mist and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, something suddenly appeared on his face—thin, damp, like a faint veil of mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu startled, immediately stopping, and climbed onto a tree branch to pull at his face with his hand—only to grasp his own cheek, the force making him grimace involuntarily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the strange sensation on his face remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Wang Yu reached into his robe with one hand and pulled out a silver copper mirror—the main mirror of the Mother-Child Floating Mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the mirror up to reflect his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the silver-white surface was slightly rough, it still faintly revealed the distorted visage of an ugly man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu shuddered, opened his mouth, and spat out a stream of pure spiritual energy into the mirror’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously blurry silver surface instantly became perfectly smooth, and the reflected face grew sharply clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bulging eyes, a grotesquely large mouth—it was unmistakably the internal disciple of the Demon Luo Sect he had just slain!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu’s heart pounded; he grabbed the mirror with one hand and frantically touched his own face with the other, only to discover that his five fingers sank half an inch into his skin before touching his true flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His real face had somehow gained an illusory overlay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu finally relaxed—but immediately grew curious, poking and prodding his face left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This illusory face seemed to exist like air—his fingers felt nothing when touching it, yet his senses perceived a faint dampness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sensations on his face and fingers were utterly different—as if the tactile feedback from his fingers had been forcibly twisted by the illusory mask—leaving Wang Yu muttering in wonder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Undoubtedly, this illusory face had been formed from the mask!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But why had it taken the form of that slain Demon Luo disciple? Could it change into other people’s appearances?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu’s mind shifted slightly, and another familiar face instantly surfaced in his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, the ugly man’s face in the mirror dissolved and vanished; after countless black patterns swirled, the unmistakable features of “Ding Yu” coalesced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It worked!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu rejoiced, studying his reflection from every angle; wherever his thoughts directed, the features adjusted to match his imagined form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shifted his thoughts again—the face changed once more, becoming “Zhou Chu,” then blurred again, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful visage like a celestial maiden: it was Yin Linglong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since his hair and clothing remained those of a man, the result looked absurdly mismatched, causing Wang Yu to chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Yin Linglong” in the mirror smiled back, her expression equally enchanting and alluring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu’s smile froze; he quickly rubbed his face with one hand, and his features blurred and reformed into his original appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He muttered “Overclock,” his eyes glinting as he scrutinized the illusory face—but no matter how he looked, he found no anomaly; his spiritual sense swept over it, detecting nothing unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Wang Yu was truly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This mask artifact is an incredible treasure—but how do I remove it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He muttered to himself, frantically rubbing his face with his fingers, yet unable to peel off the illusory mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he remembered something—he channeled magical energy into his fingers and grabbed his face with a firm grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face instantly turned cold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gray-white mask was violently peeled off his face; he immediately examined it with glowing eyes, flipping it over and over—but found no markings whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu carefully stowed the mask away, then resumed leaping forward, but his mind turned to the identity of the slain Demon Luo disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was of average strength, yet why did he carry so many valuable items? Even the green-glowing half-armor he wore had been tampered with—he must have held a high status within the Demon Luo Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The artifacts and other items he’d taken from this man should remain unused in this secret realm; if anyone noticed them, trouble would surely follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wang Yu pondered this, he lost interest in studying the giant puppet wolf, whose value seemed greatest; his urgency to reach the mountain range intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already decided: as soon as he entered the mountains, he would find a secure hiding spot and not emerge until he received the retreat order from the Golden Core elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he advanced dozens of li without encountering anything—even the demonic wolves, once ubiquitous in the dense forest, had vanished entirely. The mountain range ahead was now clearly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu was overjoyed, preparing to sprint into the mountains, when suddenly, from a distant direction, came a piercing, wailing howl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The howl rose like a ghost’s lament, followed by a thunderous, continuous roar—the massive trees collapsed in vast swathes, as if some terrifying behemoth were raging wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu froze, leaping to the treetops to glance toward the source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the dense forest ahead, over a dozen figures shot out—black-robed disciples of the Black Soul Sect, pink-clad Yao women of the Joy Palace, blue-robed disciples of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, and crimson-clad disciples of the Sunset Sect—all fleeing like their pants were on fire, swarming toward the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, from the forest, a terrifying aura erupted skyward—and a colossal blue wolf, entirely shrouded in green light, leapt into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant wolf was over three zhang long, sporting two iron-like tails; its grotesque head bore a pair of blood-red demonic eyes, fixed with endless fury and slaughter upon the fleeing group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Evening emergency—likely won’t make the second update tonight; don’t wait up, everyone.)\u003C\u002Fp>",1065,"2026-06-20T15:44:30.991Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6607b18574392ee02089cbc55991a8945b5c5abf23d000cf1aec349d5335f0b2","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-169","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-167",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-immortal-path-among-the-stars-cover.jpg"]