Chapter 72: The Faceless Butcher’s Mask

My shock intensified as I watched my sister pick up a mask from nearby and don it.

It wasn’t for any other reason than the mask she now wore was identical to the one the Faceless Butcher sported—a blank, featureless expanse.

What was happening? Why had my sister suddenly transformed into the Faceless Butcher?

“Since this world rejects me, then I shall forge a shield of flesh and blood, ensuring all heretics vanish!”

With the flat white mask obscuring her face, the subtle tremor of vulnerability in my sister’s voice vanished, replaced by an unnerving chill.

Her blood-stained gown clung tightly to her form, outlining a silhouette that sent shivers down my spine.

****

Snapping out of my daze, my vacant gaze sharpened once more.

I was still standing in the field Li Fenghua had led me to, the glistening, blood-red gem clutched in my hand.

What exactly were those scenes I had just witnessed?

My brows furrowed as my eyes fixed on the crimson jewel.

Had I only seen those images once, I wouldn’t be as concerned as I was now.

Previously, when I helped Li Fenghua escape Brother Li’s grasp, I had overexerted my energy dealing with the zombies in the mall, causing me to fall into a dazed state.

During that hallucination, I had seen my sister with silver hair and a white dress.

To see it again now… this matter was far from simple!

My grip tightened around the red gem, my eyes shimmering with confusion as I pondered the visions.

If my sister truly was the Faceless Butcher, then beyond her healing abilities, she possessed another hidden power: the ability to sever or divide.

This hidden ability hadn’t awakened yet, but it was certainly possible in the future.

“Brother, we’ve finished collecting the crystal nuclei.”

“Oh, good.”

As I was deep in thought, my sister’s voice suddenly chimed beside me, causing me to instinctively turn my head.

Her face was radiant with a brilliant smile, her eyes sparkling like distant stars. The adoration in her gaze as she looked at me was impossible to conceal.

She was using her jacket to hold the collected crystal nuclei. As she approached, the crisp clinking of countless crystals colliding instantly brought me back to reality.

After a brief acknowledgment, I swiftly banished my complex thoughts, preparing to leave the area with my sister.

Even though I had taken the red gem, the field still harbored traces of the divine treasure’s aura.

It was likely that many more zombies would rush here, one after another, in its wake.

Therefore, this was no place to linger.

“You did well. These crystal nuclei will be more than enough for our journey.”

Seeing her expectant expression, as if waiting for praise, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly and shake my head. I then reached out a hand to stroke her hair, showering her with compliments.

However, the moment my hand brushed against my sister, my vision suddenly plunged into darkness.

“Brother, save me. Don’t abandon me.”

My sister, with silver hair and a white dress, reappeared before me. This time, her face bore an expression of profound sorrow. As she looked at me, tears welled in the corners of her eyes, unable to be held back. They rolled down, shattered into fragments upon hitting the ground, and then vanished.

What was happening? Why had my sister become like this? And why did these visions constantly plague me?

Standing before my sister, watching the sorrow etched on her face, a flicker of pain crossed my own eyes.

I then reached out, intending to touch her.

But just as my hand was about to reach her cheek, the scene before me fractured like a spiderweb, shattering into countless pieces.

I reopened my closed eyes to see my sister’s worried expression. This time, her hair was black, and her eyes were dark.

It had happened again—another strange vision.

“Brother, your hand!!!”

As I stared at my sister, lost in thought, her expression suddenly turned to alarm, and she cried out to me anxiously.

Hearing her words, I looked down at my hand.

My left hand, clutching the red gem, was now emitting a strange crimson glow. The gem itself seemed to melt, gradually sinking into my palm.

Watching the red gem merge into my palm, I felt no panic.

This unusual phenomenon was merely my body absorbing the divine treasure.

“It’s nothing. I’m just absorbing this red gem. It will disappear in a moment.”

After reassuring my startled sister, I fixed my gaze on the melting gem, my mind beginning to ponder its properties.

I had no idea what effects this divine treasure possessed, and its grade couldn’t be discerned from its appearance. The only way to find out was to try it.

With that thought, I closed my eyes, continuously sensing the images the red gem imparted to my mind.

In the darkness, a shimmering seed descended from the sky. Upon landing, it rapidly germinated, transforming into a swaying sapling.

I watched the scene, quietly awaiting what would follow.

Similar to the visions that accompanied the awakening of an ability, using a divine treasure also triggered such imagery. It was during these moments that divine treasures were graded.

Generally, ordinary divine treasures were used solely for leveling up.

However, some special ones could indirectly enhance a specific aspect of an ability user.

If it merely boosted strength or an existing ability, it was considered a low-grade divine treasure.

A mid-grade treasure, on the other hand, activated a hidden ability within the user. As for a top-grade one? It could grant an ability user three special abilities directly!

Regarding the activation of hidden abilities… an ability user’s powers weren’t limited to just one, but at the initial awakening, only a single primary ability was activated.

Other potential abilities remained concealed within the body.

However, if a mid-grade divine treasure was used, these hidden abilities would be instantly activated.

Of course, if an ability user had no hidden abilities, a mid-grade divine treasure would simply cause them to level up again.

As for my own situation—awakening two abilities simultaneously after rebirth—I had never even heard of such a thing.

In the ten years of the apocalypse, quite a few divine treasures had been discovered, but most were low-grade. Only three or four mid-grade ones had appeared, leading to fierce contention among various factions.

Each time a mid-grade divine treasure emerged, it inevitably resulted in rivers of blood.

Yet, the sapling before me now distinctly proclaimed that this red gem was no ordinary treasure; it had clearly transcended the low-grade category.

At this realization, my emotions surged. If it was a mid-grade divine treasure, it would undoubtedly make me even stronger!

The sapling continued its rapid growth, but during this process, a multitude of black spots suddenly appeared.

The black spots covered the sapling’s leaf veins, greedily corroding the green branches and leaves.

Thus, as the sapling grew into a towering tree, its trunk and leaves were riddled with dense black spots.

…What did this mean? Could my activated hidden ability be poison?

As I pondered this, the tree underwent another transformation.

The towering tree, once completely covered in black spots, rapidly shrunk, eventually reverting to its original seed form, falling to the ground.

Then, the seed germinated and continued its growth from where it had left off.

This time, however, as the black spots reappeared, the sapling seemed prepared. Countless leaves suddenly flapped, fanning all the black spots away.

After subsequently growing into a majestic tree, it was entirely free of any black spots.

Watching the scene unfold, I was inwardly startled, and a bold idea gradually surfaced in my mind.

If my guess was correct, then…

I finally had a plausible explanation for why I kept seeing my sister with silver hair and a white dress.