Chapter 177 - 174: Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill
Chapter 174: The Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill
The azure Qiankun Bag was covered in ancient, intricate patterns. As fresh blood dripped onto the bag, these patterns began to writhe and shift. Soon, all the crimson blood was completely absorbed.
The next moment—
HUM!
A strange ripple emanated from it. The binding process was complete. Ye Xing could finally sense the space within the Qiankun Bag.
The space inside the Qiankun Bag was vast, as large as eleven or twelve rooms. The combined space of Ye Xing’s three Lower-grade Qiankun Bags wasn’t even a third of the size of this Mid-grade Qiankun Bag.
This Mid-grade Qiankun Bag was filled with items: Gold Coins, gold tickets, elixirs, Gemstones, Spirit Grass, and even a weapon rack. The rack held an array of Weapons—sabers, spears, clubs, and staffs. The sharp blades glinted coldly, clearly all top-grade armaments.
In addition, there were clothes, other miscellaneous items, and a bookshelf. The bookshelf was lined with volumes, most of which were Martial Arts Manuals collected by the Thousand-faced Man, Hu Yinjiu, over many years. Ye Xing immediately directed his intention to begin browsing the collection on the shelf.
As an Innate Realm expert, the Thousand-faced Man Hu Yinjiu’s collection was extensive. At a glance, there were well over a hundred Martial Arts Manuals. The lowest among them were Profound-tier Manuals, and there were even more than a dozen Earth-tier Manuals.
As Ye Xing rummaged through the collection, he suddenly spotted an old, yellowed Secret Manual in a corner of the bookshelf.
’The Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill!’ Ye Xing was overjoyed and hastily pulled the Secret Manual from its place.
The cover of the Secret Manual was yellowed with age. He opened the *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill*, and lines of text immediately filled his vision.
The *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill* was an ancient and rare auxiliary-type Secret Manual, and it was the very technique that had made the Thousand-faced Man, Hu Yinjiu, famous. Relying on its powerful concealment and disguise abilities, Hu Yinjiu had managed to evade the Cold Moon Palace’s pursuit on multiple occasions.
The *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill* worked by opening and linking numerous acupoints on the face, allowing one to alter their facial muscles and freely change their appearance. One could take on the face of anyone they had ever seen, or even adjust their features at will—handsome, ugly, crooked, or symmetrical. Of course, changing one’s appearance consumed True Qi. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, there was no need to maintain a different face.
’Getting my hands on the *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill* is definitely cause for a major celebration. With this, my chances of escape will increase dramatically, and killing my enemies will become much easier too. Imagine changing my face to look like someone close to an enemy and then launching a surprise attack... the feeling would be unbelievably satisfying. It’d be a guaranteed critical hit. Even a powerful enemy could likely be taken out if caught completely off guard.’
Martial Arts Manuals could be divided into many categories. Inner Power Manuals, for example, were used specifically for the Cultivation of True Qi. A good one could double cultivation speed, accelerate True Qi recovery, and make one’s True Qi purer and more abundant. Inner Power Manuals were the foundation, whereas External Skills Manuals were primarily for combat. External Skills were divided into four main categories: Lightweight Step Technique Type, Body Technique Type, Defense Type, and Attack Type. Lightweight Step Technique Type manuals focused on movement, crucial for both escaping and pursuing. Body Technique Manuals improved flexibility in close-quarters combat. Defense Type manuals included skills like the Iron Cloth Shirt and Golden Bell Shield, which could render one impervious to blades and spears. Finally, Attack Type manuals consisted of skills like Sword Skills, Saber Skills, and Fist Skills—Cultivation Skills that could multiply one’s damage output.
In addition to Inner Power Manuals and External Skills Manuals, there was also a special category of auxiliary-type Secret Manuals. These manuals didn’t directly increase one’s combat power, but when used well, they could often produce unexpected results. The *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill* was a prime example of such a manual.
As Ye Xing was flipping through the pages of the *Thousand-Faced Disguise Skill*, a sheet of parchment suddenly slipped out from between the pages and fluttered to the ground.
’Huh? What’s this?’ His curiosity piqued, Ye Xing immediately picked up the parchment. It was yellowed and old, its edges torn with many missing corners. It clearly wasn’t a complete sheet, but rather a fragment of a larger piece.
Ye Xing unfurled the parchment fragment. Drawn on it was the terrain of a mountain range, and on the page were two words: "Hidden Map."
’Hidden Map? A map to what?’ Ye Xing was momentarily stunned, then an idea flashed through his mind, and he grew incredibly excited. ’Hidden Map... could this be a Treasure Map? Yes, that has to be it! The word before "Hidden" is on the missing part of the page.’
The Martial Arts Continent was home to the Hundred Countries of the Continent, where dynasties constantly rose and fell. Many nations, before their fall, would leave behind a hidden trove of treasure in hopes of one day making a comeback. Some Sects did the same upon their destruction, burying great fortunes to await a day when they could be re-established.
However, many never got the chance to stage a comeback, and their treasures remained untouched. As a result, the Martial Arts Continent had a long history of treasure hunters. In the ensuing scrambles, many Treasure Maps were torn to pieces, making the assembly of a complete map no easy feat.
’It’s a shame this is just a fragment. If only it were a complete Treasure Map!’ Ye Xing sighed to himself.
Every Treasure Map generally led to an astonishing fortune. If it was the map to a fallen nation’s treasure, the wealth would be even more staggering—enough to buy several Innate Realm Demon Beasts without an issue.
Unfortunately, this was only a fragment, a single torn page from a complete Treasure Map. Collecting all the pieces was incredibly difficult. Anyone who found a fragment would be unlikely to reveal it, hiding it away carefully instead. Only someone with exceptional power would dare to possess one openly. Those who lacked strength would live in constant fear of having their fragment stolen, which made reassembling a full map nearly impossible.
Even though it was only a fragment, Ye Xing still stored it away carefully. ’The odds of completing the map are slim,’ he thought, ’but there’s still a chance. And if I do manage to assemble it, I’ll strike it rich.’
All in all, his haul had been enormous. After stowing away Hu Yinjiu’s Qiankun Bag, Ye Xing dragged the man’s charred corpse out and buried it on the mountain behind his home.
By the time he finished with everything, night had fallen. Ye Xing hurried back to his room to continue his Cultivation.
Ye Xing didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest when it came to his Cultivation. ’Even though I killed an Innate Realm expert like the ’Thousand-faced Man’ Hu Yinjiu today, I ultimately relied on electrical power,’ he mused. ’Something like that has too many limitations and isn’t portable. I could only set up an ambush like that here, in my stronghold on White Cloud Mountain. Once I leave, I’ll have to depend on my own raw strength. Cultivation is still what’s most important.’