Chapter 929: Newly Minted Sword Cultivator

Lu Ye had originally intended to wait for the bustling activity to die down before leaving Liyuan, but to his surprise, the area only became more lively instead of quieter.

He could no longer hide! It wasn't that he had been exposed; it was just that cultivators from the Myriad Demon Ridge constantly flew past, either nearby or directly overhead, and many of them were powerful Divine Sea Realm cultivators. Furthermore, other cultivators, searching for the flying swords that had escaped the secret realm, meticulously scoured every corner of Liyuan. Several times, they almost discovered his hiding spot. Under such circumstances, it was nearly impossible for Lu Ye to remain concealed in one place. And if his tracks were discovered by Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, the situation would become extremely complicated.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Ye made a decision. Since he couldn't hide any longer, he would simply stop trying! In the current situation, acting openly was less conspicuous than being secretive. However, before doing so, he needed to disguise himself. First, using his original appearance and identity was definitely out of the question. Lu Yiye's name was infamous among the Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators; even many powerful Divine Sea Realm cultivators considered him a thorn in their side. If exposed, his situation would be no better than Nian Yuexian's. The identity of Niu Meng was also unusable. He had previously entered Gushan Pass as Niu Meng, a fact witnessed by many Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators and also known to Ying Wuji. Therefore, he had no choice but to adopt a new identity.

After some thought, Lu Ye activated his spiritual power, changing the color of his Crimson Dragon Battle Armor to white. Next, he rummaged through his storage space and quickly found a mirror-like spiritual artifact. This artifact wasn't of high quality, perhaps at the level of a high-grade spiritual artifact. It was a defensive item that could resist and counteract some spell attacks, but it wasn't very useful to Lu Ye. However, it could indeed be used as a mirror.

Facing the mirror, Lu Ye activated one of the seven new spirit patterns he had obtained earlier. Among these, he was unsure of the Twin Lotus's effects, and One Point of Empathy had no suitable target for testing. However, he had experimented with all the other spirit patterns. The Thousand Faces was a spirit pattern capable of altering one's appearance. Its utility was undoubtedly immense, especially for Lu Ye at this moment; it was practically a miraculous technique to win by surprise. The appearance altered by the Thousand Faces spirit pattern was not illusory; it achieved its disguise effect by distorting the flesh and blood of the face. In other words, this change was real, not something akin to an illusion.

Reflecting in the mirror, Lu Ye projected the Thousand Faces onto his own face, controlling the spirit pattern's power to twist and reshape the distribution of his facial flesh and blood. A moment later, a handsome face appeared in the mirror. He pulled back slightly. The person in the mirror had a face like jade, eyes like bright stars, eyebrows like painted ink, and a tall, heroic bearing. Coupled with his white attire, he truly exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura, as if about to ascend to immortality. "Isn't that a bit too handsome?" Lu Ye frowned slightly. "Never mind," he thought. "This will do. It's just a new identity, and I can't be bothered with more trouble."

He put away his Pan Mountain Saber and then retrieved a long sword from his storage space to wear at his waist. A young, handsome sword cultivator was thus freshly "minted." In the Sword Sect secret realm, he had once told Kongkong that he was a sword cultivator, a statement that almost made Ying Wuji burst into laughter. However, if one were to scrutinize it strictly, he hadn't lied. Among the reflections of the Dragon Realm's essence, he had encountered numerous powerful sword cultivators. Lu Ye's consciousness had attached itself to them, training and growing alongside them. Now, his mastery of the sword dao was no less, and perhaps even greater, than his blade techniques. It was only because blade techniques were most suitable for him that Lu Ye hadn't abandoned his saber for a sword. Only by pursuing what best suited oneself could one reach greater heights; otherwise, one would merely be picking up scraps, forever unable to surpass those who came before.

After some thought, Lu Ye took out the sword gourd Kongkong had given him earlier and hung it on his waist. His Fourth Senior Brother had a similar appearance, though the sword gourd Lu Ye carried was smaller in comparison; his Fourth Senior Brother's was much larger. With his new disguise complete, Lu Ye calmly emerged from his hiding place and flew into the sky. Along his journey, he encountered many groups of Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators, but they had no interaction with each other. These Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators probably couldn't have imagined that a cultivator from the Haotian Alliance would be so audacious as to openly operate deep within enemy territory. This was essentially the principle of "darkness under the lamp" at play. Of course, Lu Ye's confidence stemmed from his preparedness; even if he were to face scrutiny or questioning, he had methods to deal with it. As long as he could leave Liyuan and this bustling area, he could then secretly return to Cangyan Pass. His journey proceeded smoothly, without incident.

Just as Lu Ye felt his journey was going smoothly, a group of people suddenly approached from the front. Before they even got close, Lu Ye's heart tensed. He sensed a divine sense sweeping over him. Looking up, he saw that the leader was a woman in her early thirties, dressed in palace robes, with a graceful figure and considerable beauty. However, what caught Lu Ye's attention was not her beauty or figure, but her cultivation. This woman was undeniably a powerful Divine Sea Realm cultivator! Although he had encountered other individuals earlier, none were in the Divine Sea Realm, so Lu Ye had felt no pressure. Now, suddenly facing a Divine Sea Realm cultivator, Lu Ye wasn't sure if she could see through his disguise. Yet, using the Thousand Faces spirit pattern to change his appearance was a well-considered decision; it was, at the very least, far more reliable than wearing a mask. In the current situation, acting while wearing a mask would ultimately appear furtive and draw unwanted attention. Behind the woman followed a team of True Lake Realm cultivators, searching around. It seemed they were either looking for Nian Yuexian's traces or for those flying swords. As they approached each other head-on, Lu Ye quickly moved to the side, lowering his head and standing respectfully, prepared to wait for the group to pass before proceeding. He clearly felt the woman's gaze linger on his face for a moment, but it quickly shifted away. They passed each other.

Just as Lu Ye let out a long breath, he heard a delicate voice from within the group of cultivators. "Senior Aunt, this person is all alone. If he accidentally runs into that venomous woman, he's surely doomed, isn't he? I hear she's killed quite a few people this time. Why don't we bring him along?"

"Why bother with him? In this situation, if he still dares to act alone, it's either due to greed or arrogance. If he dies, he deserves it," another voice responded.

"But he is, after all, from the Myriad Demon Ridge…"

"I think you just find him handsome and can't bear to see him come to harm," the first speaker scoffed.

"I didn't say that! Don't talk nonsense," the girl who had spoken earlier said, her face flushing slightly.

As they spoke, the woman stopped and said, "Indeed, he is from the Myriad Demon Ridge. Since we've encountered him, let's take him with us."

"I'll go tell him," the girl's voice chimed in again.

Not far away, Lu Ye felt his head swell. He never imagined that making his face handsome would lead to trouble. If he had known, he would have chosen a more ordinary appearance. As he looked up, he saw a female cultivator flying towards him. Her figure wasn't particularly full, but her chest was conspicuously ample—like heavy fruit hanging from a slender branch—immediately catching Lu Ye's eye. Seemingly sensing Lu Ye's gaze, the woman's face flushed slightly. She stopped about three zhang away from Lu Ye and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Junior Brother." Her cultivation was at the True Lake Seventh-Layer Realm, significantly higher than Lu Ye's, and she was also older. Addressing Lu Ye as "Junior Brother" was naturally appropriate.

"Is there something you need, Senior Sister?" Lu Ye returned the bow.

"My Senior Aunt wants you to come speak with her," the woman said, gesturing towards the distance.

Lu Ye knew what she intended. He wanted to refuse, but seeing the Divine Sea Realm cultivator's gaze from afar, he could only reluctantly agree. "Alright."

Accompanying the woman, Lu Ye approached the Divine Sea Realm cultivator and bowed. "Greetings, Senior."

The Divine Sea Realm woman frowned. "Which sect's disciple are you? And which pass are you from? Don't you know that a Haotian Alliance Divine Sea Realm cultivator is causing chaos here in Liyuan, making it extremely dangerous? How dare you act alone?"

Lu Ye immediately put on a look of profound shock. "A Divine Sea Realm cultivator causing chaos? This junior was unaware! I only heard that many opportunities suddenly appeared here, so I thought I'd try my luck." This explanation wasn't problematic. After all, many flying swords had indeed flown out of the Sword Sect secret realm earlier, and during the two days Lu Ye had been hiding, he had seen some Myriad Demon Ridge cultivators searching around.

The Divine Sea Realm woman's frown deepened. "How could you not know?" News dissemination in Kyushu was extremely fast and convenient. If this young man was indeed a Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator, there was no reason he wouldn't be aware of the recent intelligence. This made her somewhat suspicious.

Lu Ye, having already prepared his words, replied, "Reporting to Senior, this junior comes from Wushuang Continent and only recently arrived in Kyushu. I am not very familiar with the situation here."

"You're from Wushuang Continent?" The group stared at him with exclamations of surprise. The integration of the Cloud River Battlefield realms meant that many cultivators from Wushuang Continent had appeared in Kyushu. This was no secret, and most cultivators had heard about it. However, Kyushu was vast, and the cultivators from Wushuang Continent were scattered across various regions, making it difficult for ordinary people to encounter one. This was why Lu Ye claiming to be from Wushuang Continent sparked their curiosity. After all, he was a cultivator from another realm, and they were momentarily curious to see what differences there might be compared to Kyushu cultivators.

"Precisely," Lu Ye nodded. "Previously, this junior joined the Myriad Demon Ridge faction, though I haven't yet joined the Provincial Guard. Senior should know some things about Wushuang Continent. Compared to it, Kyushu is vast and boundless. This junior thought it wouldn't be too late to explore more of Kyushu before joining the Provincial Guard and serving the Myriad Demon Ridge. I passed through this area earlier and heard there were many opportunities, so I came to try my luck. This junior is a sword cultivator, and naturally, I feel a longing for flying swords and the like."

"I see," the Divine Sea Realm woman nodded, though it was unclear if she truly believed him. However, Lu Ye's words were flawless, leaving no obvious loopholes.

"Well, now you know there are not only opportunities here but also great dangers," said the woman who had brought Lu Ye over earlier. "There's a venomous woman from the Haotian Alliance with very high cultivation, who's been killing people all over Liyuan recently. You should come with us. With Senior Aunt looking after you, it will be much safer than being alone."