Chapter 489: Face Paint

A moment later, Lu Ye sat waiting in a private room at the merchant guild.

A steward responsible for transactions entered. He courteously bowed before asking, "What would you like to buy, honored guest?"

"A spirit artifact for disguise."

Lu Ye stated his requirement.

He had considered this as early as his time in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, because there, the various Myriad Manifestation Ridge sects had circulated his image, causing him to be easily recognized and subsequently targeted wherever he went.

The reason he hadn't purchased a disguise artifact at that time was mainly because he always carried Amber with him.

It was well-known that 'Sect Annihilator Lu' had a white tiger monster beast by his side. Thus, even if he managed to disguise himself, as long as he carried Amber as a distinguishing feature, anyone who saw them would link him to 'Sect Annihilator Lu,' making the disguise pointless.

However, things were different now. In the Myriad Beast Domain secret realm, he had obtained a spirit beast bag. So, in the future, if he needed to conceal his identity, he could simply put Amber into the spirit beast bag and then use a disguise artifact to change his appearance. Who would then know he was Lu Yiye of the Blood Sect?

He had been in the Cloud River Battlefield for many days now, and so far, no one had recognized his identity. This was because the Cloud River Battlefield and the Spirit Stream Battlefield were two entirely different worlds; being influential in the Spirit Stream Battlefield didn't mean he could do as he pleased in the Cloud River Battlefield.

In this vast battlefield, talented individuals emerged constantly, and no one would specifically seek out a newly promoted Cloud River cultivator.

But Lu Ye had a feeling that as his strength improved, the Myriad Manifestation Ridge would definitely target him again, so finding a way to change his appearance sooner was a sensible precaution.

"A spirit artifact for disguise..." The steward looked troubled. "Your request is difficult to fulfill, honored guest."

"Out of stock?"

"Honored guest, you may not know this, but spirit artifacts that can disguise one's appearance, and even alter one's aura, are generally not sold publicly in the merchant guild. If you truly wish to purchase one, you can check the Heavenly Secret Treasure Repository. These special artifacts can usually only be acquired with merit points, but they are also very expensive."

Lu Ye truly hadn't checked the price of such artifacts. Hearing this, he asked, "How expensive are they?"

"They start at over ten thousand merit points!"

That truly wasn't cheap. Although Lu Ye had many merit points, spending over ten thousand merit points on such an artifact was debatable in terms of cost-effectiveness, as he had only considered the idea and it wasn't a must-buy.

"Moreover, such artifacts are generally quite fragile," the steward added, observing Lu Ye's expression. He then continued, "If you merely wish to conceal your appearance, I recommend you purchase a set of disguise masks. Each set contains various types, which you can wear according to your preference and mood. They are also not expensive, and even if damaged in combat, the loss wouldn't be significant."

"Disguise masks?"

"If you wish to see them, I can fetch them for you."

"Go fetch them!"

"One moment," the steward said, and turned to leave.

A moment later, he returned carrying something resembling a vanity box. He placed the box in front of Lu Ye, then pressed the buttons on either side. With a click, the box opened, revealing its contents to Lu Ye.

The upper half of the box contained a mirror, polished bright enough to reflect a person clearly, while the lower half held, layered, exquisite mask-like objects, which seemed to be the "disguise masks" he mentioned.

Lu Ye's gaze swept over them. There were eight masks in total. The topmost was a demonic ghost mask with a green face and fangs, the second was a white-faced fox mask with a pointed snout and slanted eyes, and the masks below also varied in style and appearance.

"You can try them on, honored guest," the steward enthusiastically recommended. "These items only require a small amount of spiritual power to maintain when worn on the face and feel weightless. Compared to disguise artifacts, the energy consumption for wearing these masks is almost negligible."

Lu Ye briefly examined them, then took out the white-faced fox mask with the pointed snout and slanted eyes and placed it on his face. Without needing much adjustment, the mask adhered to his skin.

A cool sensation spread and soon vanished. If not for the mask requiring a tiny bit of spiritual energy to maintain its adhesion, Lu Ye wouldn't even feel anything on his face. He turned his head to look around; his vision was completely unobstructed. He then looked down at the mirror in the upper half of the box. A white face with a pointed snout and slanted eyes appeared. The fox's two slanted eyes had heavy purple eyeshadow beneath them, giving it an eerie, ghostly look.

This item was quite interesting. It was evident that the creator of these masks had put great effort into them; every pattern was meticulously carved.

More importantly, there were eight masks in the set, allowing for variety.

Lu Ye removed the fox mask from his face and put on another. Looking down into the mirror, it showed a seductive female image with plump, cherry-red lips and an eerie, enchanting style.

Amber, squatting nearby, let out a faint, suppressed chuckle.

Lu Ye expressionlessly removed the seductive female mask, placed it back in the box, and patted the box. "How much is it?"

The steward instantly brightened. "Not expensive at all, just three hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones."

This price was indeed not expensive, averaging out to only forty mid-grade spirit stones per mask.

Recalling his early days in the Spirit Stream Battlefield, when he first entered the Heavenly Secret Merchant Guild, he had been short on funds and had haggled with the selling steward. Now, he was wealthy and past the stage of petty bargaining. He readily produced three hundred and twenty mid-grade spirit stones, and the transaction was complete.

After putting away the box, Lu Ye said, "I'd like a superior room."

He didn't know if the young man who had previously followed him was still secretly watching. To be safe, he decided to stay here for a night before leaving.

However, as long as the person wasn't foolish, they shouldn't continue to stake out Lu Ye. After all, everyone had powerful fellow sect members or friends, and he didn't know Lu Ye's background. Continuing to stake out here would most likely result in Lu Ye calling someone to deal with him.

For some uncertain benefits, it wasn't worth taking such a risk.

Under the steward's arrangement, Lu Ye quickly settled into a guest room on the third floor.

Compared to the wilderness or spirit lands, the accommodation in the Heavenly Secret Merchant Guild's guest rooms was undoubtedly much better. Lu Ye also ordered some food and had a good meal with Amber. Only then did he begin his cultivation.

A spirit-gathering formation was set up, with top-grade spirit stones placed at several key points to increase the spiritual energy density in the room. A dragon scale was also placed within the formation. Under its operation, a faint aura of blood energy emanated, to be absorbed by Lu Ye and Amber.

Beneath the Dragon Spring, Lu Ye had obtained a total of five dragon scales. The blood energy contained within them was significantly denser than the one he had originally.

Lu Ye gave one to Amber for it to absorb and refine. He still had four pieces, one of which was for Ju Jia. As a body cultivator, the blood energy in the dragon scales would undoubtedly be of great help to him.

While cultivating and reading, a message suddenly arrived through his battlefield imprint. Lu Ye looked down to check and was surprised to find that it was Xia Qianqian sending him a message.

He wondered why a ninth-level Cloud River cultivator like her would be looking for him.

"What's the matter?"

"Are you in Heavenly Secret City West Sixteen?"

Xia Qianqian asked.

Lu Ye instinctively wanted to ask her how she knew. After the Myriad Beast Domain secret realm, he and Xia Qianqian had parted ways and hadn't contacted each other since. There was no reason for her to know his whereabouts.

Lu Ye even began to suspect if she had planted some tracking secret art on him.

However, Lu Ye soon figured out how she knew his location.

"Did Zhou Hai tell you?"

When he entered the Heavenly Secret Merchant Guild today, he had happened to meet Zhou Hai. Only Zhou Hai knew his current location, so Xia Qianqian had clearly contacted him.

"Yes, are you still there?"

"I am."

"Wait for me, I'm coming to find you!"

She didn't say what exactly she needed and ended the message after speaking.

Lu Ye furrowed his brows, unable to figure out what she wanted from him.

Xia Qianqian was undoubtedly nearby. Just an hour later, Lu Ye received another message from her. After a quick exchange, Lu Ye gave her his room number.

A moment later, a knock sounded at the door. Lu Ye rose to open it, and indeed, Xia Qianqian stood outside.

The woman didn't stand on ceremony, walked straight in, looked around, and then sniffed, saying meaningfully, "Hope I'm not interrupting anything good?"

"What?"

Lu Ye had no idea what she was talking about.

"Nothing," Xia Qianqian said with a faint smile. She had heard that the Heavenly Secret Merchant Guild offered some very special services that male cultivators tended to enjoy.

"You came all this way to find me, what's the matter?"

Xia Qianqian's expression turned serious, and she said, "I came to ask for your help."

Lu Ye was surprised.

"I'm only at the third level of the Cloud River Realm. What help could I possibly be to you?"

"It's precisely because you're at the third level of the Cloud River Realm that I need you. If your cultivation was too high, you really couldn't help."

"Tell me more."

After Xia Qianqian's explanation, Lu Ye finally understood what kind of help she needed from him.

In short, it was to help with a fight!

A few of her sect mates had recently stumbled upon a newly formed spirit land, but several other people had discovered it at the same time. The spirit land was only small and not of high grade, capable of accommodating a maximum of five people. With so many on both sides, coexistence was naturally impossible. Moreover, their respective sects already held grudges against each other, so a fight ensued. After a round of fierce competition, their strengths proved to be nearly equal, and the battle ended in a stalemate.

This made things rather difficult.

Eventually, both sides sat down to discuss, agreeing to each invite helpers to gather five people and fight another battle to decide the ownership of the spirit land. However, because the strength of both sides wasn't high, there was a clause in their agreement that the invited helpers' cultivation must not exceed the fifth level of the Cloud River Realm.

Xia Qianqian's sect mates then sent her a message, asking her to find someone to help.

If Xia Qianqian had enough time, she could naturally find better candidates, but their agreement had a time limit, making it quite difficult to find suitable help within the limited time.