Chapter 309 : Undivided Attention
The Nine Abyss Sect clearly had more issues to uncover, so Zhu Baiyi and the others decided to stay and investigate. However, with too many people in their group, they didn't plan to remain at the small town's inn for long, fearing they might attract unwanted attention. Their concern wasn't about their identities being exposed and being unable to escape, but rather missing this rare opportunity—until now, the Nine Abyss Sect always seemed to have more information than others, and they genuinely wanted to see what the sect planned to do next.
The night passed peacefully enough. When they went out the following day, the sky remained gloomy without a trace of sunlight.
The disciples from both Xuanqing Sect and Crimson Blood Sect had been sent away, reducing their once sizable group to just four people. However, this reduction in numbers didn't weaken their strength—on the contrary, it gave them more freedom to maneuver.
On their first day after leaving the small town, Jiang Mo, the least experienced among them, asked: "What do we do next? The innkeeper said the gathering mission was issued by the Mission Hall, but we don't even know where the Nine Abyss Sect's Mission Hall is located. And even if we knew its location, we're like illegal residents... I mean, as infiltrators, we can't just go there, can we?"
Sect management was both strict and loose. A sect like the Nine Abyss Sect occupied an area at least the size of several cities. With such vast territory housing only tens of thousands of disciples, the population density was extremely low—one could walk around all day without necessarily encountering anyone. Yet simultaneously, every disciple was officially registered and possessed their own identity token. Much like modern identity cards, these weren't often checked in daily life, but when going to the Mission Hall to accept missions, identity verification was certainly required.
Sect Leader Zhu was formidable, and a Grand Achievement cultivator had many methods at her disposal, but she still couldn't directly alter the Nine Abyss Sect's internal records to add their names. Therefore, if they wanted to infiltrate the Mission Hall, their only option was to borrow someone else's identity.
This wasn't difficult—they had no moral qualms about killing members of the Nine Abyss Sect.
Thus, less than a day after Jiang Mo raised the question, Zhu Baiyi returned with four identity tokens.
The Nine Abyss Sect's tokens seemed to be made from locally sourced materials—crafted from black ore and polished to palm size. On the surface, the tokens looked ordinary, even somewhat ugly, and many people disliked wearing them. However, when infused with spiritual energy, they would reveal various information about their owner. Each token even contained a drop of the owner's essence blood, making it easy to detect any imposters.
Truthfully, faced with such tokens with built-in anti-counterfeiting functions, Jiang Mo wouldn't dare take action lightly. But Zhu Baiyi was clearly different—she casually distributed three of the tokens to the others: "Don't worry, I've already dealt with the essence blood inside. Just infuse some of your spiritual energy."
After following her instructions, the three immediately discovered that the tokens now emitted an aura very similar to their own, with no trace of the previous owners.
Yun Qingyue turned the token over in her hand several times, then looked up and asked: "What about the original owners of these tokens? Since they could accept the gathering mission from the Mission Hall, their cultivation must not be low. Their soul lamps should be under specialized supervision, so if..." If the token owners' soul lamps suddenly shattered while they were using these tokens at the Mission Hall, it would be no different from walking straight into a trap.
Of course, although Sect Leader Zhu held a high position, she certainly wouldn't do something so brainless. With a wave of her hand, she produced four unconscious female demonic cultivators from her sleeve space—regardless of cultivation level, all of them had unremarkable appearances.
Zhu Baiyi said: "This gives you a good look at their faces. Disguising yourselves as them shouldn't be difficult."
Cultivators often needed to conceal their identities when traveling, so most had some disguise techniques at their disposal. As she spoke, Zhu Baiyi lifted the veil from her face, instantly transforming into the appearance of the token owner she held.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo gave Zhu Baiyi an extra glance, as did Yun Qingyue, and finally even Qingyu—although Zhu Baiyi's disguise was convincing enough to pass for real, the three were clearly not impressed by her face-changing ability. Those meaningful glances were full of complexity. If she possessed such excellent disguise techniques, what was the point of wearing a veil these past days other than putting on an act?
Was she afraid her disguise would be too good for Peak Master Qingyu to recognize her?
Yun Qingyue frowned instinctively, her gaze lingering on her master's face, as if trying to read something there. However, Qingyu's expression remained calm, not allowing her disciple to glimpse her thoughts. Finally, Yun Qingyue was distracted when Jiang Mo tugged at her sleeve: "Senior Sister, how do I look?"
White Tigers had transformation abilities too. When she was younger, she had disguised herself as a little white cat, and no one could truly see through her identity unless they guessed. Now, changing her face wasn't difficult. By the time Yun Qingyue turned around, she had already transformed into the appearance of one of the demonic cultivators. The only difference was her golden eyes—clear, bright, and eye-catching—making her immediately recognizable.
Yun Qingyue gazed at her own reflection in those golden eyes, momentarily lost in thought, before raising her hand to point at Jiang Mo's eyes: "Your eyes."
Jiang Mo had noticed Yun Qingyue's brief distraction, and her golden eyes immediately sparkled with amusement. She then blinked, and those special golden eyes instantly turned black, with no flaw other than being exceptionally bright.
While Zhu Baiyi and Jiang Mo completed their transformations instantly, the master-disciple pair of Qingyu and Yun Qingyue were having considerably more difficulty.
The reason was simple—this master-disciple pair were too forthright in their actions. During the years Yun Qingyue had been causing trouble for the Nine Abyss Sect, she had never thought to conceal her identity. She always went openly, killed openly, and left openly, never considering any disguise. At most, she might wear a veil for the sake of keeping a low profile. Being suddenly asked to disguise herself as someone else was truly challenging.
In this situation, Jiang Mo couldn't offer much help, but Zhu Baiyi temporarily taught the master-disciple pair a transformation technique. This technique was her own creation, incorporating beastfolk heritage. Yun Qingyue learned it quickly, while Qingyu was considerably slower.
However, Yun Qingyue's learning wasn't without issues. Perhaps due to being a novice, her disguise had significant flaws.
Jiang Mo conjured a bronze mirror and held it before her Senior Sister: "Senior Sister, it's still not working. You only look about eighty percent similar. People who don't know her well might not notice anything, but what if we encounter someone familiar with her?"
Yun Qingyue also frowned, dissatisfied: "Let me try again."
Jiang Mo's eyes shifted slightly as she pulled her aside: "Come on, Sect Leader Zhu still needs to teach Peak Master. I'll take you somewhere else. We'll practice privately, and if that doesn't work, I'll help you."
Hearing this, Zhu Baiyi raised her eyes to glance their way, her gaze finally revealing a hint of satisfaction...
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Learning any technique depends on both talent and effort.
Yun Qingyue clearly had good aptitude, learning everything quickly, but in such a short time, she obviously couldn't perfect this new skill. After being led away by Jiang Mo, her multiple attempts achieved at most eighty percent similarity, with that last bit of inconsistency impossible to eliminate no matter what.
Jiang Mo scrutinized her thoroughly one more time, finally concluding: "Actually, if one doesn't look too carefully, probably no one would recognize the difference?"
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue frowned even more, and after two more unsuccessful attempts, her brows furrowed even tighter.
Jiang Mo couldn't bear to watch and instinctively raised her hand to press against Yun Qingyue's forehead, immediately receiving a somewhat surprised look in response. In that moment when their eyes met, Jiang Mo felt as if she'd been scalded and quickly withdrew her hand, hiding it behind her back: "Nothing, nothing, I just didn't want to see Senior Sister frowning." She then added: "This isn't a big deal, Senior Sister. You don't need to worry."
Yun Qingyue didn't dwell on her impulsiveness, but shook her head: "Cultivators have keen senses and excellent memory. Such a significant flaw can't be concealed forever. If our identities are exposed because of me, I'd be better off not going."
Jiang Mo kept her hands behind her back. Her mind had been filled with various scattered thoughts, but upon hearing these words, she was dumbfounded—she wasn't undertaking this journey for any quest rewards; she was going for her Senior Sister's sake. And now her Senior Sister was saying she wouldn't go?
No way—that wouldn't do. She had no interest in being an unwelcome third wheel!
Jiang Mo immediately grew anxious and said: "It's not that serious. This is just a small matter. I'll help you."
Hearing this, Yun Qingyue looked at her questioningly. Without delay, Jiang Mo promptly retrieved a set of cosmetics from her storage space. After some consideration, feeling this simple makeup kit wasn't sufficient, she bought a modern makeup set from the system mall, cracking her knuckles in preparation to show her Senior Sister her makeup skills: "Senior Sister, close your eyes. I'll help you make some adjustments."
Honestly, except for the Harmony Sect, makeup was rarely used by cultivators. First, their bodies contained no impurities, so they naturally possessed flawless beauty that needed no enhancement. Second, cultivators were diligent in their practice and rarely spared thought for such trivial matters.
Yun Qingyue naturally recognized rouge and powder, but she didn't recognize the other bottles and jars. Without asking, she simply closed her eyes.
Jiang Mo hadn't applied makeup for many years, but one advantage of cultivation was the increasingly refined control over one's body. Regarding both memory and physical skills, not only had she retained her former abilities, but after a brief review, they became even more proficient.
Considering the demonic cultivator's appearance and the flaws in Yun Qingyue's current face, Jiang Mo quickly set to work.
Makeup was a delicate task, but Jiang Mo's movements were evidently swift. After about one or two incense time, her hands stopped, and she began to carefully examine the overall effect of the entire face—the original eighty percent similarity, after her makeup concealment, had increased to ninety-nine percent. If any acquaintance of that female demonic cultivator were to encounter them now, they likely wouldn't detect any inconsistency.
Satisfied with the result, Jiang Mo breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Qingyue seemed to sense this and opened her eyes at that exact moment... Eyes like autumn waters, gaze like cold stars—with this action of opening her eyes, the previously unremarkable face instantly gained threefold in appeal.
Jiang Mo had not yet stepped back, and their faces were less than a foot apart.
Initially, she had no particular feelings about this disguised face and had maintained undivided attention while applying makeup. But when she met those familiar eyes, her heartbeat immediately accelerated pathetically, her gaze fixed on those eyes, unable to look away.
Unconsciously, she seemed to move a little closer, only to see those eyes shift away as the other turned her face to the side...