Chapter 1634: Stealthy Path (II)

As the primary commander of the second defensive line, General Niu was perpetually burdened by military affairs. Furthermore, as a Body Integration expert, any significant movement on his part would be noticed immediately, potentially triggering a clash between the high-level powers of both sides.

Consequently, he had issued this personal task: either locate the woman’s specific hideout or eliminate her directly. He promised a substantial personal reward for anyone who could confirm her whereabouts.

Looking at the mission details, Zhao Haiyang couldn’t fathom why Li Yan and Mu Guyue would accept it. The location was right on the doorstep of Ghost Sound City. Any mistake in concealing their presence would result in a ninety-nine percent chance of death.

Furthermore, Hong Luo Dao was no easy target. She had managed to kill a Void Refining expert—General Niu’s disciple—and reportedly emerged from the battle without significant injuries.

‘My Lord,’ the young man, Kong Qianchu, spoke up, his eyes shimmering. ‘This mission is incredibly dangerous. The chance of them “falling” in action… is quite high.’

Kong Qianchu was Zhao Haiyang’s confidant. He knew exactly what his master was thinking. Zhao Haiyang narrowed his eyes and spoke.

‘I will issue a mission shortly. You and Min Bufu will follow them. My current rotation at the front lines ends in six days. If you find no opportunity to strike, keep a close eye on them. Do not lose them. If you can kill Li Yan, do so. Do not worry about Mu Guyue seeing you; once I arrive, I will simply rewrite her memories.’

Zhao Haiyang was currently on duty at the forward Beacon Towers and couldn’t leave for another six days. But as a Vice-General of the Beacon Camp, he could easily issue a mission to the vicinity of Ghost Sound City.

Kong Qianchu and Min Bufu were both elite scouts in the late stage of Spirit Transformation, masters of tracking and concealment. If Li Yan and Mu Guyue had been part of a squad, it would have been difficult to intercept them. But since they had ventured out alone, they had made themselves easy targets.

‘As you command!’ Kong Qianchu bowed.

Zhao Haiyang then spent some time finalizing a plan to meet the two of them in eight days, regardless of their success. As elite scouts, they were meticulous. Even though they believed dealing with Li Yan and his companion would be simple, they still crafted a detailed plan, as was their habit.

Soon, Kong Qianchu and a middle-aged man, Min Bufu, were moving quickly through the military camp. Both had changed into civilian attire. They reached a massive tent guarded by soldiers. Before the guards could speak, Kong Qianchu presented a command token.

The guard scanned the token and nodded silently. The two men entered the tent, which was filled with various transmission arrays of different sizes. They approached a small array, handed a jade slip to the operator, and stepped onto the platform in silence.

Several tens of thousands of li from the first defensive line, in a grove of stunted Populus euphratica trees, a faint light flickered at the base of a tree. Kong Qianchu and Min Bufu emerged as the spatial ripples faded. They immediately scanned their surroundings with high vigilance. Finding everything normal, they relaxed slightly.

This was a one-way transmission array. Such arrays were used to prevent enemies from infiltrating while allowing friendly forces to deploy outside the city in secret. However, one-way arrays were often unstable at the exit point due to their simpler construction, and most cultivators avoided them unless necessary.

To get ahead of Li Yan and Mu Guyue, Zhao Haiyang had ordered them to use this secret array. The two scouts had risked the danger to ensure they arrived first. Under normal circumstances, Li Yan and Mu Guyue would have already passed this point, but they were in enemy territory and had to move with stealth. They couldn’t afford to fly at full speed. Thus, Kong Qianchu and his companion were certain they were now ahead of their targets.

After confirming their direction, the two figures faded into the greyish twilight and vanished.

Under the somber sky, wind and sand whipped across the landscape. On a desolate hill of jagged rocks, Li Yan withdrew his Divine Sense. Opposite him, Mu Guyue was still probing the area. They were now four days into their journey. Along the way, they had encountered many people—scouts and spies from both sides, as well as patrolling soldiers. Some were only at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm, but Li Yan and Mu Guyue had avoided them all, leaving no trace of their passage.

‘There are many cultivators nearby now,’ Mu Guyue sent via voice transmission after finishing her scan. ‘They aren’t patrols, and they aren’t hiding their auras. According to the map, we are within ten thousand li of Ghost Sound City.’

They were now deep within Mocha Palace territory. The number of cultivators increased, and unlike the hidden skirmishes at the border, these people moved openly. Although the environment was thick with Yin energy and the world was perpetually dim, the atmosphere here was surprisingly relaxed compared to the high-alert state of the Moji Dao Sect’s borders.

‘Indeed. We can’t keep hiding like this,’ Li Yan replied. ‘I’ve sensed several powerful auras in the shadows. Likely the Divine Sense of enemy Void Refining cultivators. They undoubtedly conduct periodic, overlapping scans. If we keep moving like ghosts, we’ll only draw more attention.’

Mu Guyue agreed. Each of them produced a dark-red pill and consumed it. Within moments, as their magical power circulated, their appearances and auras began to shift.

Ghost cultivation techniques weren’t always about being eerie and cold. Like the “Night Yasha” art practiced by the man Mu Guyue had killed, some were violent and aggressive. Soon, two ordinary-looking young men emerged from the rocky hill and took to the sky.

Shortly after they departed, two figures were talking deep underground. They had used Earth Evasion to hide a thousand li beneath the surface, completely shielding their Divine Sense and presence. These were Kong Qianchu and Min Bufu. As elite scouts, they had spent significant amounts of contribution points and spirit stones to acquire specialized concealment techniques from the Moji Dao Sect. Unless someone conducted a meticulous, inch-by-inch search, they were virtually impossible to find.