Chapter 385 - 373: Skeleton Valley

Chapter 385: Chapter 373: Skeleton Valley

Inside the stone house, Li Yuan took the Profound Nether Bead from the jade box and slowly spun it twice on his fingertips.

The dark cyan bead felt smooth and unassuming, its Spiritual Light flowing with extreme restraint.

The item usually looked no different from an ordinary Spirit Stone, but sealed within was a trace of Golden Core Level aura. Once activated, it could be released for a short time, making those nearby mistake it for the presence of a Golden Core Cultivator.

One of the mission’s core requirements was to activate this bead during the attack.

The panel had previously displayed the entry for this bead. It was blue-grade, and its effect was to allow one to experience a rough sense of the next major realm’s abilities. The condition to make this effect permanent was to break through a major realm.

The value of the equipment was beyond doubt. The problem, however, was that equipping the bead would place it into an equipment slot.

For the mission, the bead had to exist in its physical form to be manually activated, releasing the Golden Core aura. If its physical form vanished upon being equipped, the mission would be impossible to complete.

Li Yuan placed the Profound Nether Bead back into the jade box, closed the lid, and put it into his storage pouch.

He got up and pushed the door open, just in time to see Chen Yi walking along the small path in the courtyard.

"Have you made your decision?" Chen Yi asked, stopping at the doorway.

"I’ll take it."

Chen Yi nodded and walked into the stone house.

The two sat down at the table. Chen Yi took out three items from his storage pouch and placed them on the table one by one.

A jade slip, an animal-hide Scroll with a portrait painted on it, and a palm-sized mask.

It was hard to tell if the mask was made of metal or jade. It was cool to the touch and its surface was completely devoid of patterns, as smooth as a mirror.

Chen Yi picked up the jade slip first.

"The operational plan. The target is Skeleton Valley, one hundred and eighty li northeast of the Ghost Mist Forest. The Dark Abyss Association has a medium-sized outpost there. According to our intelligence, it’s guarded by three to four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators."

He handed the jade slip over. Li Yuan extended his Divine Sense into it and scanned the contents.

A topographical map, a speculative sketch of the outpost’s layout, and a brief record of the Demon Cultivators’ activity patterns. The information wasn’t exhaustive, but the framework was clear.

"Three requirements." Chen Yi held up three fingers. "First, kill every Demon Cultivator in the outpost. Leave no one alive. Second, use the Profound Nether Bead to release a momentary burst of Golden Core Level aura to make the Dark Abyss Association think a Golden Core Cultivator acted personally. Third, dispose of all the bodies without leaving a single trace."

Li Yuan put down the jade slip, his gaze falling on the animal-hide Scroll.

Chen Yi unrolled the Scroll.

The portrait depicted a middle-aged man with a gaunt face, prominent cheekbones, and a scar by the corner of his left eye. Beside the image, tiny, neat script densely annotated the man’s height, build, aura characteristics, behavioral habits, and even described the way he walked.

"This man is Zhou Tong, an external contact for the Dark Abyss Association, at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. He was secretly intercepted and killed by the Sect three months ago. The news was completely suppressed, so the Dark Abyss Association doesn’t know he’s dead yet."

Chen Yi’s finger tapped the mask.

"You’ll wear this to disguise yourself as Zhou Tong and infiltrate the outpost. The mask can alter the wearer’s appearance, aura characteristics, and body shape, making you look identical to Zhou Tong."

Li Yuan picked up the mask.

It was lighter than he had expected. The moment his fingertips touched it, the panel popped up.

[Detected equippable item: Mask (Intact)]

[Equipment Entry Preview: Illusory Face Disguise (Green)]

[Effect: When disguised, the effectiveness of the disguise is increased by 30%. Allows for independent disguise; the greater the disparity in Divine Soul (the stronger your Divine Soul is compared to the target’s), the more effective the disguise.]

[Permanence Condition Preview: While using this Magical Artifact, successfully deceive three Foundation Establishment Cultivators (0/3).]

’A green entry. A thirty percent boost to the disguise effect, and it’s linked to the disparity in Divine Soul. My Divine Soul has been polished to perfection by the Concentrating Soul-Invoking Skill and tempered by five Divine Sense Lines; its strength far surpasses others at my level. This means the mask’s disguise will be more than just a notch better in my hands than in a normal person’s.’

’The permanence condition is simple, too. All I have to do is successfully deceive three Foundation Establishment Cultivators.’

"There’s one thing I need to make clear beforehand," Chen Yi added.

"The mask only changes your external features; it can’t simulate Demonic Qi. The key is to get them to lower their guard in the first moment."

Li Yuan nodded and placed the mask on his face.

An extremely subtle change spread from the skin on his face across his entire body. It didn’t feel like being covered by something, but more like his body itself was undergoing some sort of adjustment. However, the exact nature and extent of this adjustment could only be fully realized while wearing the mask.

"When the mission is complete, the Profound Nether Bead is yours," Chen Yi said, standing up. "The mask is an extra bonus, not part of the payment."

Li Yuan put the animal-hide Scroll into his storage pouch.

Chen Yi paused at the doorway without turning back.

"Proceed with caution."

After the door closed, silence returned to the stone house.

Li Yuan sat at the table, running through every step of the mission in his mind.

’The Sect is having a Foundation Establishment Cultivator fake a Golden Core aura to attack a Demon Cultivator outpost. The objective must be more than just clearing out a base.’

’It’s inconvenient for a Golden Core Cultivator to act personally, yet they need to create the illusion that one did. This implies a more complex scheme is at play here.’

’What that scheme is, and why they’re doing it—I have no way of knowing, nor do I intend to dig any deeper.’

’As long as I get paid.’

「That night, at Midnight.」

Li Yuan left the marketplace, his triple-layered concealment fully active as he sped northeast along the edge of the Ghost Mist Forest.

A distance of one hundred and eighty li wasn’t far. At his current pace, it would take him just over an hour at full speed. But he didn’t take the shortest route, instead tracing an arc around the forest’s edge to approach Skeleton Valley from the east.

As dawn approached, the target area entered the perceptual range of his Dark Evil Insight.