Chapter 94: The Hidden Faces I

Chapter 94: The Hidden Faces

Lothe studied the forest floor in silence.

The formation he had used against Situ Li had nearly destroyed his Soul Energy, but the experience had taught him something important. An Array didn’t need to be large or destructive to be useful.

Sometimes, the most valuable formations were the ones no one noticed.

Seana stood beside him, glancing toward the distant horizon. The military convoy had already disappeared beyond the trees, leaving only faint trails of dust in the air.

"We should move," she said. "If those people are heading in the same direction, we can’t afford to waste time."

Lothe nodded.

"We’ll move soon."

Seana turned toward him.

"Soon?"

Lothe sat down on a fallen tree and took out his Earth Spirit Brush, a small vial of Spirit Ink, and several sheets of Spirit Paper.

"We need disguises first."

Seana raised an eyebrow.

"You can create a disguise with an Array?"

"Not exactly." Lothe dipped the brush into the ink. "I’m going to use a combination of Illusion Runes, Concealment Runes, and a few spatial interference nodes."

Seana watched him curiously.

"Will it change our faces?"

"Not completely." Lothe began drawing. "Changing our physical features would require too much Soul Energy. But it can alter how people perceive us."

He carefully inscribed the first Rune.

The ink glowed faintly purple before settling into the paper.

Seana leaned closer.

"What does that one do?"

"Concealment. It hides our Qi signatures."

He drew another Rune beside it.

"This one interferes with visual recognition."

"And the third?"

"Minor perception distortion."

Seana tilted her head.

"So people will see us, but they won’t remember our faces?"

"Exactly."

Lothe connected the three Runes with a thin, precise line. The moment the pathway closed, the paper released a faint pulse of energy.

Ping!

[Three compatible Runes detected.]

[Qi connection established.]

[Concealment Rune + Perception Distortion Rune + Aura-Masking Rune successfully combined.]

[New Talisman created: Veiled Identity Talisman.]

Lothe’s eyes brightened slightly.

Then another notification appeared.

[The Host has recorded a new Rune combination.]

[Runic Grimoire updated.]

Lothe looked toward his Soul Manor.

Inside the Runic Grimoire, a new page slowly formed.

[RECORDED SCHEMATIC]

Name: Veiled Identity Talisman

Type: Concealment and Perception Array

Function:

• Conceals the user’s Qi signature.

• Distorts facial recognition.

• Interferes with aura detection.

• Causes observers to remember the user as an ordinary, forgettable individual.

Limitation:

• Powerful perception abilities may partially resist the effect.

• The Talisman cannot conceal direct physical actions or combat techniques.

Seana blinked.

"That’s actually useful."

"Of course it is."

Lothe held the Talisman between two fingers.

"Now, hold still."

Seana’s eyes narrowed.

"Why?"

"I need to activate it."

"Can’t I activate it myself?"

"You can."

Lothe smiled faintly.

"But I want to do it."

Seana immediately became suspicious.

Before she could react, Lothe flicked the Talisman toward her.

The paper struck her chest and dissolved into a thin layer of purple light.

A strange ripple passed over her body.

Her long black hair shortened slightly, becoming dark brown. Her face became less refined, her features appearing softer and far more ordinary. Even the elegant crimson robe changed into a plain dark-red traveling outfit.

Seana stared at Lothe.

Then she looked down at herself.

"What did you do?"

"I made you look ordinary."

"Ordinary?"

Seana touched her face, then glared at him.

"I look terrible."

"You look safe."

"That isn’t what I said."

Lothe pulled out a small mirror and handed it to her.

Seana stared at her reflection.

The woman looking back at her was still attractive, but her breathtaking appearance had been dulled. Her beauty no longer drew attention from every direction.

Seana’s expression gradually became thoughtful.

Then she looked at Lothe.

"Your turn."

Lothe activated the second Talisman.

Purple light covered his body.

His long dark hair shortened until it reached his shoulders. His sharp features became less striking, and his noble purple robes changed into simple black travel clothes.

Seana stared at him.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Lothe raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

She slowly walked around him.

"You look..."

"Handsome?"

"Strange."

Lothe’s expression fell.

"Strange?"

"You look like a lazy scholar who hasn’t slept in three days."

"That’s very specific."

"It suits you."

Lothe glanced down at himself.

Then he sighed.

"I suppose it’s better than looking like an ancient demon prince."

Seana smiled.

"No, I liked that appearance better."

Lothe looked at her.

"Really?"

Seana immediately turned away.

"Don’t misunderstand me."

A faint smile appeared on Lothe’s lips.

"So you think I’m handsome either way."

"I didn’t say that."

"You implied it."

"I did not."

Lothe stepped closer.

"Say it."

Seana raised her hand and pressed a finger against his forehead.

"Keep talking and I’ll remove the Talisman."

Lothe wisely closed his mouth.

The two of them left the forest shortly afterward.

Lothe used [Void Step] sparingly, placing anchors ahead of them and teleporting in short movements. This allowed them to travel quickly without draining his Qi.

After several hours, the trees began thinning.

The forest gradually gave way to a damaged highway, where military vehicles had recently passed.

Seana glanced at the tire tracks.

"They’re heading toward the center."

"Then we follow them," Lothe replied.

They continued along the road, moving carefully and avoiding any large groups of zombies or mutated beasts.

Neither of them knew exactly what waited ahead.

But they both understood one thing.

Whatever had attracted Situ Li and the others was dangerous enough to threaten the entire region.

——————————

Inside the Military Convoy

The military convoy continued moving toward the center of the country.

Even after traveling for several hours, none of the vehicles slowed down. The soldiers had been ordered to maintain their speed unless they encountered an obstacle too dangerous to deal with immediately.

Fortunately, the journey had been relatively peaceful.

A few groups of zombies had appeared along the road, but they were quickly dealt with by the soldiers stationed at the front of the convoy. Most of the zombies were ordinary creatures, and even the stronger ones were unable to withstand the combined firepower of the military vehicles.

Inside one of the armored vehicles, Nyren sat quietly beside the window.

Her silver hair flowed gently over her shoulders, while her pale-blue robes swayed with every movement of the vehicle. She stared at the ruined city passing outside, her expression calm and distant.

Across from her sat Oren, who was resting his head against the side of the vehicle with his arms folded.

Adrian Blackwood sat nearby, carefully polishing the metal edge of one of his short swords. His brother, Asher, remained silent beside him, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his own weapon.

Several other young cultivators from the four great sects occupied the remaining seats.

The atmosphere inside the vehicle was calm, but no one was truly relaxed.

Everyone understood that they were heading toward an ancient ruin that had already swallowed an entire expedition team.

After a while, Adrian broke the silence.

"Do you think Lothe and Seana are alright?"

The moment Seana’s name was mentioned, Oren’s relaxed expression changed.

The lazy look in his eyes disappeared, replaced by warmth and concern.

He had tried not to think about it during the journey, but the question immediately brought those thoughts back to the surface.

Seana had disappeared with Lothe shortly after the academy incident.

No one knew where they had gone.

No one even knew whether they were still alive.

Oren lowered his gaze.

"They should be fine," he said after a moment. "Seana is strong."

His voice was calm, but the worry hidden beneath it was obvious.

Nyren continued looking through the window.

Her expression remained composed, though her fingers had tightened slightly against her robe.

They should be alive.

She remembered the final moment she had seen Lothe.

The spatial distortion.

The destructive energy.

The way he had disappeared before anyone could stop him.

She had never been able to forget it.

Adrian looked between the three Ashfords.

"Well, they should be okay," he said, forcing a relaxed smile. "Both of them are much stronger than they were before. If anyone can survive in this world, it’s those two."

Asher glanced at him.

"You sound confident."

"I am confident."

Adrian sheathed his sword.

"Lothe is strange, but he’s not weak. And Seana is even more troublesome than he is."

A faint smile appeared on Oren’s face at the mention of his Seana’s name.

Then the smile vanished.

"Still, they disappeared without leaving any clues."

No one answered.

The vehicle continued moving.

Then—

The entire convoy suddenly trembled.

A strange pressure swept across the road. It was different from the aura of zombies or mutated beasts. It carried no obvious hostility, yet the moment it spread across the convoy, every soldier inside the vehicles felt as though an invisible hand had closed around their throats.

Several soldiers began breathing heavily.

Some reached for their chests.

Others struggled to remain conscious.

Nyren’s expression changed.

She immediately released a wave of Ice Qi.

A cool aura spread through the vehicle, flowing into the soldiers’ bodies and stabilizing their breathing. The pressure around their chests slowly eased.

Oren looked toward the ceiling.

"What was that?"​