Although the simulator only provides one-time experience cards, that doesn’t mean these experience cards are of low value. On the contrary, some of them have value so astronomical it reaches the ends of the earth.
For example, the 【Three Sovereign Artifacts】 currently held by Zhou Xuan, which are helping him manage the ten thousand cultivators of Central Continent.
Another example is the 【Outer Path Seventh · Heaven Has Eyes】 that Su Bai just took off and placed on Bai Changsheng’s forehead right now. It possesses abilities such as breaking illusions, detection, absolute prohibition, and more. On top of that, Su Bai has even developed some new applications for it.
When 【Heaven Has Eyes】 swept across, a flood of information instantly appeared in Bai Changsheng’s mind:
【Feng Ba, self-styled as the Heaven-Deceiving True Person.】
【In his early years, he lived among the mortal marketplace, deeply fascinated by and studied 23,142 kinds of mortal trickery and swindles. During his cultivation journey, he obtained half of the 《Scripture of Deception》, and later created his own divine ability — 一 Deceive.】
【Relying on mastery of every trick and scam in the world, he successfully formed his Golden Core and became a True Person. There is no deception art in the world that he does not understand.】
【Three days ago, because a certain True Lord promised him a reward — if he tailed Yuheng Star and dug up her background, the True Lord would refine a “Infant-Shattering Pill” for him. This pill can increase the success rate of forming a Nascent Soul by thirty percent, which greatly tempted him.】
Bai Changsheng relayed all the obtained intelligence to Su Bai without omission.
Su Bai’s eyes shifted slightly. She took one step forward, raised her hand to signal Wu Ji to pause for the moment, and looked straight at Feng Ba.
“You are not using any clone or puppet at all.
It’s merely a small wisp of thought combined with divine ability enhancement, used to interfere with people’s perception — making their eyes and divine sense deceive themselves into thinking they see you, while in reality the spot beneath your feet is completely empty.”
At this point, Su Bai couldn’t help but clap her hands in admiration, a faint appreciative gleam flashing in her eyes:
“With only a Golden Core cultivation, you toy with True Lords. The heroes of this world truly are as numerous as carp crossing the river.”
An existence like a mind projection has no real body present, so naturally there is no question of whether it can be killed or not.
Finally, a change appeared on Feng Ba’s face. Originally, he had only come to probe the background of this relatively unknown Yuheng Star because of the Infant-Shattering Pill in some True Lord’s hands. Who would have thought that the seemingly cultivation-less woman standing beside her was actually the real terrifying big shot.
But so what? He had toyed with more than one Nascent Soul True Lord before. Very few people could see through this move of his, and in all his years since debut, not a single person had ever managed to catch his true body.
“Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight. This one shall take his leave first.”
Seeing that there was no hope of gathering intelligence this time, Feng Ba voluntarily dispersed the mind projection.
The essence of deception: never deceive a tough opponent or a smart person.
Wu Ji frowned slightly and lifted her long halberd a little, but was stopped by Su Bai raising her hand. Only after Feng Ba completely vanished did she glance at Wu Ji beside her and slowly speak:
“It seems that even inside your 【Extinguish Yang】 organization… not everyone is of one mind.”
At the same time, ten thousand li away, inside a private room of a restaurant on an island —
A young man dressed in the luxurious attire of a rich young master slowly awoke from his brief rest.
“Just who is that woman?”
“In the current world, the number of people who can see through my deception art can be counted on ten fingers — and every single one of them is a top existence like a Nascent Soul True Lord. So why have I never heard of this woman’s name?”
Feng Ba knitted his brows tightly, murmuring to himself.
Since he began his career, relying on this one deception art he had moved unhindered: he had infiltrated the Longevity Heaven of Northern Plains to steal the Heavenly Wolf treasure, swapped in as a cultivator to enter the Azure Emperor Divine Palace, and had even once gazed from afar at that Mysterious Heaven Venerable without being detected.
After thinking for a moment, he took out a bamboo tube from his bosom. Inside were several wooden sticks inscribed with words like Minor Auspicious, Minor Ominous, Major Ominous, etc. — it was a fortune-telling treasure he had stolen from the Longevity Heaven secret vault, used to divine the direction of his own upcoming luck.
He closed his eyes, shook it several times, then casually drew one — Major Ominous.
Feng Ba frowned slightly. He took out a purple-gold incense stick that was already half-burned, lit it, bowed reverently several times, then quickly extinguished it. Wisps of purple smoke that looked almost like dragons but not quite rose and poured into the top of his head.
He shook the bamboo tube again and drew another stick — still Major Ominous!
A trace of shock and confusion appeared on Feng Ba’s face.
This treasure was called Calamity-Dispelling Incense, another luck-related rare treasure he had pilfered from the Longevity Heaven secret vault. Once lit, it could turn danger into safety and bring endless good fortune.
Paired with the fortune-telling bamboo tube, the two complemented each other perfectly and had always been invincible.
Feng Ba lit the Calamity-Dispelling Incense again. This time he let it burn until nearly half its length was gone before pinching it out, watching a large cloud of purple-gold smoke sink into the crown of his head.
Then he shook the bamboo tube once more.
Although the Calamity-Dispelling Incense had the power to avert misfortune, each use shortened its remaining length. Last time, when he escaped from the tomb of a certain Spirit Transformation Heavenly Venerable, the incense had already been greatly consumed.
Now every use meant it grew shorter.
But no matter how precious the treasure, if one’s life was gone, what use was any treasure?
Suddenly, the bamboo tube in Feng Ba’s hand was yanked away by an inexplicable force. He opened his eyes in confusion — and met a pair of smiling-yet-not-smiling beautiful eyes.
“Young friend, what exactly are you expecting?”
Feng Ba’s mind shook violently!!
The next instant, two more figures appeared out of thin air in the private room.
Wu Ji moved swiftly, binding Feng Ba tightly so he couldn’t move. Bai Changsheng stretched out her small hand and gently placed it on the young man’s head. Her red lips parted slightly, and she softly uttered two words:
“Soul… Search…”
Half an hour later, after tossing aside the now lifeless, unconscious pile of flesh that was Feng Ba, Bai Changsheng reported all the intelligence she had extracted from his memories.
Wu Ji’s expression remained unchanged.
Su Bai rubbed her chin, a glint of sharpness flashing in her eyes, seemingly contemplating something.
As the saying goes: there are thieves who steal for a thousand days, but no one can guard against thieves for a thousand days. The moment Feng Ba accepted the mission and allowed himself to be used as a tool by that True Lord, he had already set foot on the path of death.
However, this deception art was indeed strange and exquisite. If it had been any other Nascent Soul True Lord, even if they saw through the trick, the methods available in this world would still make it extremely difficult to locate Feng Ba’s true body.
But unfortunately for him — Su Bai was “cheating.”
【Outer Path Seventh · Heaven Has Eyes】 — this technique does not exist in this world, yet it specifically counters deception-type divine abilities.
“Martial True Lord.” Su Bai suddenly spoke, looking toward Wu Ji. She pointed at what was now just a lifeless heap that used to be Feng Ba, smiling brightly.
“How about giving this person to me?”
Wu Ji nodded without refusal.
Seeing this, Su Bai’s smile grew even wider. She signaled Bai Changsheng to properly store Feng Ba away, then continued:
“Martial True Lord, could you please pass a message to Friend Gu for me? I’d like to make a deal with him — a transaction concerning the internal affairs of 【Extinguish Yang】.”
After hearing Su Bai’s words, Wu Ji neither immediately agreed nor refused. Instead, she brought the two of them back to the secret branch of 【Extinguish Yang】.
It wasn’t until three days later that a message came through Su Bai’s communication artifact — from Gu Wanqing.
Just as Su Bai had anticipated, 【Extinguish Yang】 was not a monolithic organization. More precisely, after absorbing the remnants of the forces whose sects and clans had been exterminated by the Azure Emperor Divine Palace, their original ideals had already shifted in response to the political demands of the majority of cultivators.
If their original ideal was simply “overthrow the tyrannical rule of the Azure Emperor Divine Palace,” then now they had quietly added another clause: “lead the cultivators of the five domains toward a better future.”
The first places them in the position of saviors and supporters of the weak; the second places them in the position of rulers.
After a concise, clear conversation that laid out each side’s interests, Su Bai set down the communication artifact, looked at Bai Changsheng beside her, and the corner of her lips curved slightly.
“Next, the two of us are going to have quite a good show to watch.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.