Devil Mask Master

11. Bloody Banquet

He had barely finished reporting the incident when he collapsed to the floor, fainting instantly. Several people rushed to help him.

"Attack?" Guo Jin was completely shocked.

"A sudden attack?"

"A group of masked people… who are they?"

"Could it be… the Devil Masks?"

"Devil Mask?"

The atmosphere in the inner hall grew noisy, filled with questions and fear. The mistresses immediately rushed behind their respective husbands.

"Our children! What about our children?" cried Mrs. Guo, who suddenly burst into tears upon remembering the young ones in the outer hall.

"Let me check on them!" Yu Shan exclaimed. "Mi’er, join the other madams! Remember to save yourselves if things truly turn dire. Do you understand?"

"My husband!" Jia Mi didn’t want to be separated from her husband, but she could only nod reluctantly.

"Good!" Yu Shan kissed Jia Mi’s forehead and led her to the line of ladies.

"Brother, Madam Guo, I entrust Mi’er to you. I’ll drive them off and look for our children." Yu Shan entrusted his wife firmly.

"Alright. Leave Mi’er to us. Be careful, Little Brother Shan!" Guo Jin said.

Yu Shan nodded, then sped away. From his light-footed movements, it was clear Yu Shan possessed a high level of martial knowledge and could not be underestimated.

Meanwhile, on the other side ....

Qing Yuan and the ten members of the Demon Mask Group had just arrived at the residence’s side courtyard. His plan was to attack from there.

However, he was taken aback when he heard the sounds of fighting from the banquet hall and the backyard.

Indeed, Qing Yuan had ordered the unit led by Yang Shui to attack the backyard, but they were supposed to wait for his secret signal. The young man grew furious, for he had given no such signal.

Qing Yuan had intended to personally lead the direct assault on the banquet. So who, then, had initiated the attack prematurely?

Could it be that Qing Wei had disobeyed his orders?

Confusion clouded Qing Yuan’s thoughts.

"Chief, what should we do now?" asked one of his men, standing closest.

"You all spread out! I’ll investigate the situation. I feel something is wrong. If you notice anything unusual, report back to me immediately!" Qing Yuan commanded.

"Yes, Chief!" his men responded in unison.

The masked figures scattered in all directions.

Qing Yuan himself shot toward the backyard, leaping into the air as though flying, then running swiftly across the roof tiles of the Guo residence. From above, he saw the chaos of many people fighting.

Rage flared within him, for he thought the members of the Demon Mask Group had overstepped his orders.

"Damn! What have they done?"

Qing Yuan drew one of his two swords and slashed at the neck of a man in black who was massacring Guo family guards. "Dare to disobey me? Then die by my hand!"

Qing Yuan furiously seized his opponent’s head and, with a merciless stroke, severed it clean from the neck. He executed the brutal act without even blinking, as though the cruelty had already become second nature to him.

There was nothing in his chest but the blazing fire of anger, a fury that fueled the dark side lurking within him. It swallowed his reason and transformed him into a Heartless Killer—a ruthless predator prepared to claim the lives of any who dared oppose him.

This chilling epithet was not unfamiliar. It was the very same nickname once carried by his teacher, Yang Hua.

Lifting the severed head high, Qing Yuan studied the bloodied mask that covered the lifeless face. His expression stiffened in shock. The mask was not the same as those worn by members of the Demon Mask Group.

“This…!” His eyes widened behind his own mask, sharp and burning with disbelief. “This is not our group’s mask!”

In that instant, a grim realization struck him. There were other forces at work here—another group, deliberately interfering, disrupting his plans, and sowing chaos in his territory.

Worse still, countless lives from the Guo Family residence had already been claimed before he or his men had even taken a single step into this m******e.

Did this not mean that he and his Demon Mask Group would be branded guilty of every atrocity committed tonight?

Qing Yuan’s face turned ashen beneath his mask. The weight of the deception pressed heavily on his shoulders. He had not bitten into the fruit of sin, yet he had been smeared by its sap. The taste of injustice was bitter beyond words.

“Bastards!” His furious roar tore through the courtyard. “So, there’s another group masquerading as us—imitating my Demon Mask Group?!” His eyes gleamed with cold light, trembling with rage.

In a fit of anger, he hurled the severed head across the courtyard. It soared into the air before crashing down upon a fleeing guest, who had been desperately trying to save himself.

The man froze as the grotesque object struck him. Seeing the bloodied human head rolling at his feet, his legs turned to water, his face drained pale, and his spirit shattered in an instant. He collapsed on the spot, only to be trampled mercilessly by the chaotic stampede of panicked guests. He perished in a gruesome, pitiful fashion—an unintended victim of Qing Yuan’s wrath.

Such was the tragedy of fate, cruel and senseless.

Qing Yuan himself had no idea that his impulsive throw had claimed another innocent life.

“I must know who these wretches are—the ones daring enough to ruin my plans!” His voice thundered with venom. “Wait for me, cursed pretenders. How dare you trifle with Yang Yuan! I will gladly escort every last one of you to the Valley of Hell, where you may kneel before your king!”

With determined steps, Qing Yuan strode deeper into the frenzied banquet hall, sheathing his bloodstained sword. His intention was clear: to slaughter every masked imposter who had dared claim his identity and hijack his night of conquest.

But Yu Shan and Shen Ming, his true prey, were still nowhere to be seen. He had no idea what they looked like, or how strong they truly were.

His beautiful eyes, sharp as blades, scanned the pandemonium around him. Blood sprayed, steel clashed, and screams tore through the night. “Hmm… where are those men named Shen Ming and Yu Shan? Should I call them out and challenge them openly?”