Sage of Humanity-Chapter 491 - 489: Masks

A moment later, in a compartment of the mercantile union, Lu Ye sat waiting.

A manager responsible for transactions came in, courteously performed a bow, and then asked, "May I know what esteemed guest wishes to purchase?"

"A Spiritual Artifact that can alter appearances."

Lu Ye stated his requirement.

He had considered this matter long ago during his time at the Spirit Stream battlefield because back then, all the major sects of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge had disseminated his image, making him easily recognizable wherever he went, subsequently making him a target.

The reason he had not purchased an appearance-altering Spiritual Artifact at that time was mainly due to Amber.

It was well known that Lu Ye the Sect Destroyer had a White Tiger demon beast by his side, so even if he managed to disguise himself, as long as he was still accompanied by Amber, this identifier, anyone who saw him would associate him with Lu Ye the Sect Destroyer, making the disguise somewhat futile.

However, things were different now. Inside the secret realm of the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain, he had acquired a spirit beast sack, which meant that he could completely conceal Amber inside the sack whenever necessary and use the appearance-altering Spiritual Artifact to change his identity. Who then could recognize him as Lu Yiye of the Righteous Blood Sect?

Having been at the Cloud River battlefield for many days, no one had yet recognized him, as the Cloud River battlefield and the Spirit Stream battlefield were two entirely different worlds, and excelling in one did not mean power in the other.

In such a vast battlefield, where talented individuals abound, no one would specifically search for a cultivator who had just ascended to Cloud River.

But Lu Ye had a feeling that as his strength increased, the forces from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would definitely continue to target him, making it prudent to consider changing his appearance sooner rather than later.

"A Spiritual Artifact that can alter appearances..." the manager showed a troubled expression, "Esteemed guest's request is hard to fulfill."

"No stock?"

"Esteemed guest might not be aware, but these kinds of Spiritual Artifacts that can alter appearances and even change one's aura are generally not for sale at the mercantile union. If you truly wish to purchase one, you might want to visit the Heaven's Augury treasure vault. These special artifacts are usually only obtainable by spending merits, and their prices are quite high."

Lu Ye had never actually checked the prices of these Spiritual Artifacts; upon hearing this, he asked, "How expensive?"

"It starts at ten thousand merits!"

That was truly not cheap. Although Lu Ye had many merits, spending over ten thousand merits on such an artifact was a decision that needed careful consideration. After all, it was just an idea he had, not an absolute necessity.

"Moreover, these kinds of Spiritual Artifacts are generally fragile and could easily be damaged if affected during a fight," the manager added, observing Lu Ye's reactions, then spoke again, "If the esteemed guest only wishes to conceal your facial appearance, I recommend purchasing a set of masks. Each set includes various types, which can be worn according to preference and mood, and they are inexpensive. Even if damaged during a fight, the loss would not be great."

"Masks?"

"If esteemed guest wishes to see them, I can fetch them."

"Go fetch!"

"Please wait a moment," the manager said and turned to leave.

He soon returned carrying an item resembling a makeup box, placed it in front of Lu Ye, then pressed buttons on either side of the box. With a click, the box opened, and the contents immediately caught Lu Ye's eyes.

The upper half of the box was a mirror shining brightly enough to see one's reflection, and the lower half was layered with masks as delicate as masks, appearing to be what was referred to as masks.

Lu Ye scanned over them; there were eight masks in total, the one on top being a ghastly green-faced mask with fang-like features, the second being a sharp-nosed and droopy-eyed white fox-face mask, and the masks below also varied significantly in style.

"Esteemed guest might try them on. Wearing one only requires a minimal amount of spirit force to maintain its fit, feeling almost weightless. Compared to a Spiritual Artifact for altering appearance, wearing a mask consumes almost negligible energy," the manager enthusiastically recommended.

After briefly examining them, Lu Ye picked up the sharp-nosed, droopy-eyed white fox-face mask and fitted it to his face. It adhered to his skin without needing much adjustment.

A cool sensation came over him; soon, it vanished. If not for the slight amount of spirit force needed to maintain its fit, Lu Ye would not even feel anything on his face. He looked around; there was nothing obstructing his vision. Then, looking down at the mirror on the upper part of the box, the sharp-nosed, droopy-eyed view with thick purple eyeshadow appeared, giving off a spectral charm.

This was rather interesting; it was clear that a lot of care had been taken in crafting these masks. Every pattern on the mask had been meticulously carved.

More importantly, a set included eight different masks, offering a variety to choose from.

Lu Ye removed the fox-face mask from his face, picked another mask, and looked in the mirror. The image presented was that of a woman with alluring, cherry-red lips, her appearance seductively enchanting.

A muffled laugh could be heard coming from within Amber, who was crouching at the side.

Without a change in expression, Lu Ye took off the enchanting woman mask, placed it back in the box, and patted it, "How much?"

The manager's spirit immediately perked up, "Not expensive, only three hundred twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones."

The price was indeed not expensive; averaging it out, each mask cost only forty mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Recalling his initial days at the Spirit Stream battlefield, when he was financially embarrassed and even haggled with the merchant manager. Now, with substantial wealth, he was past the stage of nitpicking over every detail. He promptly took out three hundred twenty mid-grade Spirit Stones, settling the transaction.

After securing the box, Lu Ye said, "I'll take a top-grade room."

He was unsure if the youth who had been following him was still lingering around secretly; to be safe, it was better to stay here for the night before leaving.

However, unless that person was foolish, he likely wouldn't continue to stake out, as who didn't have a few powerful fellows within their sect or friends to call upon? Since he also didn't know Lu Ye's full capabilities, continued pursuit here would likely end with Lu Ye summoning others to deal with him thoroughly.

For some uncertain gains, it was not worth such a risky move.

Under the manager's arrangements, Lu Ye quickly moved into a guest room on the third floor.

Compared to the outdoors or spirit grounds, the accommodation environment within the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union's guest room was undoubtedly much better. Lu Ye ordered some food to be brought over, and after he and Amber had a hearty meal together, he began his cultivation.

The spirit energy gathering array was set up, with top-grade spirit stones placed in several key positions to enhance the concentration of spirit force in the room. A dragon scale was also placed within the array. As the array operated, a faint blood Qi was released and absorbed by Lu Ye and Amber.

At Dragon Spring, Lu Ye had obtained a total of five dragon scales, each imbued with blood Qi that was significantly more intense than the initial one.

Lu Ye gave one of the scales to Amber to swallow and refine on its own. He still had four scales, one of which was reserved for Giant Armor. As a physique cultivator, the blood Qi in the dragon scales was undoubtedly very beneficial to him.

While cultivating and reading, Lu Ye suddenly received a message through his battlefield marking. He looked down in astonishment to find that it was Xia Qianqian who had messaged him.

He wondered what someone from Cloud River Level 9 Realm would want from him.

"What is it?"

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"Are you in West 16 Heaven's Augury City?" Xia Qianqian asked.

Lu Ye instinctively wanted to ask her how she knew, but after their separation in the Ten Thousand Beasts Domain, he and Xia Qianqian had not been in touch. It was unreasonable for her to be able to track his whereabouts.

Lu Ye even suspected that she might have implanted some secret technique on him to track his movements.

However, it soon dawned on him how she could have known his location.

"Did Zhou Hai tell you?"

Just today, when he was entering the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union, he happened to run into Zhou Hai. Only Zhou Hai knew his current whereabouts, and it was clear that Xia Qianqian had been in contact with him.

"Right, are you still there?"

"I am."

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

She didn't specify the matter and ended the transmission after speaking.

Lu Ye frowned, unclear about the reason she was seeking him out.

Xia Qianqian was undoubtedly nearby, and just two hours later, Lu Ye received another message from her. After a quick exchange, Lu Ye gave her his room number.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Lu Ye got up to open it, and standing outside was indeed Xia Qianqian.

The woman walked in without hesitation, looked around, took a sniff, and said with a meaningful tone, "I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"What?"

Lu Ye had no idea what she was talking about.

"Nothing," Xia Qianqian pursed her lips and smiled. She had heard that there were some very special services in the Heaven's Augury Mercantile Union that male cultivators particularly liked.

"You specifically came to find me. What's the matter?"

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

Lu Ye was surprised.

"What help could I offer at Cloud River Level 3 Realm?"

"It's precisely because you are at Cloud River Level 3 Realm. If your cultivation were too high, you really wouldn't be of much help."

"Let's hear it."

After Xia Qianqian explained the situation, Lu Ye understood what kind of help she needed from him.

Simply put, it was to help in a fight!

A few of her fellow sect members had accidentally discovered a newly formed spirit ground. However, several other people had discovered that spirit ground at the same time. The spirit ground was only a small one of low grade, able to accommodate no more than five people. With so many from both sides, coexistence was impossible. Moreover, their respective sects had grievances against each other, inevitably leading to a fierce battle. After a round of fighting, their strengths were fairly matched, and in the end, there was no victor.

This posed a difficult situation.

Eventually, both sides sat down to negotiate, agreeing to invite helpers and gather five people on each side to fight again and decide the ownership of the spirit ground. However, due to the approximate equality in strength between them, one condition of the agreement was that the helper's strength must not exceed Level 5 of Cloud River Realm.

Xia Qianqian's fellow sect members had messaged her to find someone to assist.

Had Xia Qianqian been given enough time, she naturally could have found a better candidate, but there was a time limit on their agreement. Finding a suitable helper within the limited time was not easy.