Chapter 1635: Scouting Shadows

The two men sat cross-legged in the deep earth, their auras vanished as if they were corpses. Resting on their knees were small bronze rings, no larger than a copper coin, resembling the buckles of green-armored plates. These rings flickered with a faint light before going dark again.

After a moment, one of them released a trace of aura. ‘They’ve left.’

The speaker was Kong Qianchu, his youthful, handsome face focused. Beside him sat Min Bufu, Zhao Haiyang’s other confidant. They had arrived early and positioned themselves on the direct path to Ghost Sound City, hiding themselves away. They surmised that Li Yan and Mu Guyue would almost certainly pass through here rather than take a long detour, which would only increase their chance of exposure.

Since the targets were on a mission, they would undoubtedly use disguises—a standard procedure for scouts. Finding them by sight alone would be difficult. However, they had another method.

The identity tokens issued by the Moji Dao Sect contained a secret “backdoor” known only to Void Refining cultivators and above. As long as the token was on the person—even inside a standard storage ring—a specialized artifact could detect it. The range was about a thousand li. This was a fail-safe used by the Moji Dao Sect to find or rescue captured scouts, or even to eliminate them to prevent the leak of classified information.

The Moji Dao Sect’s methods were profound; even items in storage rings could be detected unless the storage treasure was of an exceptionally high grade. Li Yan’s token was kept in a standard storage ring because it was used frequently in camp; he hadn’t placed it within his unique “Soil-Speck” treasure.

‘We can pursue them now,’ Min Bufu said, seeing the rings go dark. Now that they had confirmed their targets, they could carry out their orders and return quickly. Kong Qianchu agreed. They changed their appearances—though they remained an older and a younger man—and rose to the surface.

Li Yan and Mu Guyue, now appearing as two young cultivators, flew through the air at a moderate pace, occasionally whispering to each other. Passing cultivators barely gave them a second glance.

‘The probes are frequent here,’ Mu Guyue’s voice rang in Li Yan’s mind. ‘Several Divine Senses have scanned us repeatedly.’

Her disguised aura was aggressive and fierce, while Li Yan’s, based on the water element, was subtle and feminine.

‘We are unfamiliar faces coming from the east,’ Li Yan replied. ‘It’s natural they would focus on us.’

Although they were being watched, no one had stepped forward to block them. This meant they had merely drawn attention, not suspicion. Mu Guyue had also anticipated this; after all, infiltrating enemy territory was a standard part of life for the Demon Race.

Furthermore, the Moji Dao Sect and the Mocha Palace were ancient rivals. They were intimately familiar with each other’s tactics. Infiltrating each other’s territories was something neither side could fully stop. What they could do was strictly prohibit outsiders from approaching military forts or key areas within the cities.

In the Beacon Camp, every scout was trained in the characteristics of ghost cultivation. The Moji Dao Sect even provided ghost techniques for them to study or even practice, though every detail—when they received it, what type it was, and for what purpose—was meticulously recorded.

By understanding these techniques, a scout could better hide their true nature. A Nascent Soul cultivator who had studied such arts could create a convincing illusion even without practicing them. For the Beacon Camp, there was an even simpler method: the Ghost Transformation Pill.

This was the pill Li Yan and Mu Guyue had taken. It not only changed their aura but provided a powerful layer of concealment. As long as they didn’t engage in combat, they would appear to be genuine ghost cultivators. Even someone a full realm higher would need a thorough investigation to see through the disguise.

This pill was the result of thousands of years of refinement by the Moji Dao Sect’s master alchemists, specifically for the use of the Beacon Camp. The Mocha Palace knew of the pill but had no way to counter it. Since a pill’s effectiveness was tied to the user’s cultivation and magical power, the results varied.

While the Mocha Palace had Body Integration and Void Refining experts, they couldn’t be used as mere guards to scan every person constantly. It was simply impractical. Thus, the pill had its place.

However, the pill was useless in other parts of the Immortal Realm because it was specifically designed to mimic ghost energy. In a normal environment, appearing as a ghost cultivator would only make one stand out like a beacon in the night.

Li Yan and Mu Guyue had started taking the pills during their journey; one pill lasted about four days. Armed with the experience of their predecessors, they weren’t afraid of being exposed by standard scans. Most people who got caught were exposed because they initiated a fight or acted suspiciously.

Since Li Yan’s goal was simply to enter Ghost Sound City and find the Return-Home Trade House, he believed that as long as they acted normally, there was a fifty-percent chance of staying hidden. Outside of Ghost-Severing City and Ghost Sound City, non-military cultivators were allowed to roam, though the Moji Dao Sect enforced stricter controls because their territory lacked a singular defining characteristic like ghost energy, making it harder to screen people.

The Mocha Palace, being composed of ghost cultivators, was more tightly knit and aggressive toward outsiders, yet more inclusive of their own kind. This was how they survived in the Immortal Realm.

As they approached Ghost Sound City, the number of patrolling squads decreased, but the hidden Divine Sense probes grew more frequent. According to their intelligence, Void Refining experts were definitely in the city, and while Body Integration experts were possible, they hadn’t been seen in years. The two sides had reached a stalemate; without overwhelming force, neither would launch a full-scale assault on a major city.

Most of the probes were from Nascent Soul and Spirit Transformation cultivators, with very few from Void Refining experts, who focused on the most sensitive areas of the city. As for Body Integration experts, they were far beyond such trivialities. The higher the cultivation, the less one cared for the lives of others; they were solely focused on their own path and the preservation of their legacy.

The pair noticed that the cultivators they encountered now seemed less tense. Even under the somber sky, there was a sense of relaxation. After all, even if an enemy appeared here, ninety-nine percent of them wouldn’t dare strike unless it was a suicide mission.

They reached a massive river with churning, emerald waters. Ghost Sound City was only three thousand li away. The river was a sprawling five or six hundred li wide, flowing from south to north. Bizarre-looking water demonic beasts and unintelligent creatures occasionally surfaced in the waves. The beasts would scan the sky with Divine Sense before submerging, while the wilder animals would leap at the passing cultivators or let out territorial roars.

The water radiated a bone-chilling cold that felt as though it could freeze anyone who fell in instantly.

‘I’ve heard the Yaksha and Water Ghost clans live in these rivers, and they keep many demonic beasts,’ Mu Guyue sent via voice transmission. According to her records, this river hadn’t always been like this; it had once been an ordinary waterway.

‘The army legends say their techniques can transform an entire region into a watery graveyard or a mire. The Moji Dao Sect has suffered much at their hands…’

Li Yan’s voice suddenly cut off. He continued to fly without any change in pace or expression.

‘What is it?’ Mu Guyue asked instantly, her tone remains calm.

‘It seems we are being followed, but then again, it feels different.’

‘Are you referring to that older and younger pair?’ Mu Guyue asked. She, too, had felt a slight sense of unease and was already searching for the source. Li Yan’s observation confirmed her suspicion: four hundred li behind them, a bald old man and a young man were following their general path. They looked like a grandfather and grandson, or perhaps a master and disciple. The old man was a mid-stage Spirit Transformation expert, and the youth was in the late stage of Nascent Soul.

‘That’s them. Though our paths are different, our general direction is the same. Over the last two thousand li, their Divine Senses have brushed against us twice, seemingly by accident. And that youth… I suspect his cultivation is hidden, though I can’t be sure.’

Li Yan’s tone was cautious. He had sensed something off and watched them for a while. The youth’s cultivation felt hazy, as if it were masked by something, but he couldn’t be certain his perception was correct. There were countless treasures and arts for hiding power, and Li Yan was not an immortal; his senses were powerful, but not infallible.

‘Change direction,’ Mu Guyue said, a sharp light in her eyes.

Behind them, several cultivators were flying over the emerald river. Among them were the two men, who appeared to be observing the demonic beasts below as they flew at an unhurried pace.

‘They’ve turned south. That’s not the way to Ghost Sound City,’ Min Bufu, still appearing as the old man, sent via voice transmission without looking up.

‘That’s not surprising,’ Kong Qianchu replied. ‘They’re on a mission to find Hong Luo Dao. Perhaps they found a lead before they left.’

He didn’t believe the two ahead had detected them. Their scans had been infrequent and seemingly accidental. Furthermore, he had spent a fortune to acquire a specialized concealment art from an auction. They were elite military scouts; tracking someone was what they did best.

Zhao Haiyang valued them because they were the best in the Beacon Camp. They had analyzed the intelligence and knew that Li Yan and Mu Guyue were from a lower realm, possessing exceptional combat power and experience. They didn’t underestimate their targets; in fact, they had studied their files meticulously.

Li Yan’s survival in the Death-Wind squads spoke of a terrifying combat strength, so they treated him as a late-stage Spirit Transformation expert. They believed this was more than enough respect.

However, when it came to the art of infiltration and tracking, neither Kong Qianchu nor Min Bufu would ever admit that Li Yan could be better than them. This was the pride and confidence of elite scouts who had survived countless “Death-Wind” assignments themselves. They believed that in a squad, Li Yan and Mu Guyue were likely the “muscle”—the ones meant for heavy combat or defense while others handled the subtle work.

In their eyes, that was the role Li Yan and Mu Guyue played.