Chapter 948

"How about that? Now you can't see my face, can you?"

Murong Qing glanced at it and said, "It's indeed invisible, pitch black, but this probably won't make it easy to ignore. If a dark-faced person suddenly appears in the crowd, it's hard not to notice."

"Uh... I made a mistake. Let me adjust it again." Si Ming quickly changed his energy method, no longer absorbing light, but distorting it. "Now it should become a blurry mess, right?"

Murong Qing said, "It is indeed a blurry mess, but with a face completely pixelated, I don't think anyone would ignore it."

Si Ming looked in the mirror and indeed felt like he was being interviewed by a reporter. He joked to himself, "From now on, I'm Mr. Tang Maru, who wishes to remain anonymous."

Ji Shichen instructed, "If you don't want to be noticed, then conceal your aura, blend in with the crowd, and disguise yourself as an ordinary person. Especially since your Qi and Blood are exceptionally strong, you'll be recognized at a glance even if you're in a crowd. Also, don't distort the light too obviously; it should be softer. Don't make your face look like you're mixing mud, but rather like it's covered by a veil, giving people a hazy feeling, as if you can see clearly, yet also as if you can't. This is a different concept from looking like a 'blurry mess'."

Si Ming pinched his face in front of the mirror for a while and found that even if he understood the principle, it was very difficult to do. He had to adjust the angle of light refraction in each position little by little. He had to be precise enough to grasp every inch of skin and take into account the overall impression of the face. It was much more difficult than practicing a special skill.

He couldn't help but sigh. It really is true that one minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage. If it's so difficult for someone with his control over his body, it must be even more difficult for others. Just thinking about how those big shots spend months in front of the mirror to sculpt their faces just to show off in front of others makes him feel that he would be letting them down if he didn't express his amazement.

Indeed, those who are masters of showing off don't achieve it by chance.

Yu Shuying said impatiently, "We don't have that much time for you to slowly learn the 'face blindness skill.' If you're not comfortable with that, just change into this dress, and I'll do your hair. I guarantee no one will associate you with 'Mad Ink,' the one who could act like a hooligan on the battlefield between humans and demons, forcing the Demon King to personally lay an ambush."

"Then forget it." Si Ming decisively refused.

After some commotion, the group left the Mohist Knight Guard's secret hideout and came out onto the street, leaving only the aloof and dislike-troublesome Ling Huanxi to guard the house.

Apart from Si Ming, who had put on a beard, the others also disguised themselves to some extent, basically by using makeup to make themselves look uglier. After all, it would be easy for four beautiful women to attract attention if they acted together— Hualiu, who was responsible for relaying information, had already returned to the team.

After walking around the streets for a while, Si Ming was initially cautious and secretly on guard, planning to run away immediately if he was discovered. However, he soon found that no one cared at all, not even the constables and yamen runners patrolling the streets. On the contrary, Hualiu, with his outstanding figure and tall stature, attracted a lot of attention.

Yu Shuying explained, "You're only banned from entering the country, not wanted by the authorities. Besides, only the higher-ups know about this; the lower-ranking officers have no idea about it. The Nation of Valor government won't publicize it, since it would be embarrassing to say it out loud."

Si Ming, "I thought that once we entered wartime, Nation of Valor would be in a state of high alert, under strict martial law, and everyone would question any stranger they saw."

Yu Shuying said, "If Nation of Valor were at war with other human nations, perhaps it would be like this, but now the enemy is the Demon Race. We don't even need to worry about spies. We don't need to worry about demon Demon Beast that can't take human form, and ordinary people can't detect the powerful Demon Race who can take human form."

Si Ming thought about it and realized that it made sense, especially during the national war of resistance against Japan, when Nation of Valor didn't have to worry about other countries taking advantage of its misfortune.

The group infiltrated Nation of Valor to investigate the condition of the Divine Pillar and see if there were any signs that Remote Heaven Society take action. Si Ming had already obtained the exact location of the Divine Pillar from the two "debt collectors" named Mulajiang and Dai Tong. In exchange, he agreed to tell them the location where the Military School Profound Armor was "lost" afterward—not returning it directly was to avoid giving them any grounds for accusation.

"Have you heard? The Demon Beast army fell into the trap set by the Allied Commander-in-Chief Thunder King, and has been routed. It's said that the casualties were extremely heavy, with less than one-tenth surviving. The Soviet Union, France, and Russia are already celebrating their victory."

"No way, since we've already won, why hasn't the total war decree been revoked? We can't drink alcohol now, and we're not allowed to go out at night. I'm about to suffocate."

"Have you forgotten? We Nation of Valor didn't join the Allied Forces. At the joint meeting, General Ba Shenhuang personally refused Thunder King's invitation. So this victory has nothing to do with us. The fighting is still fierce on our front lines. I heard that another batch of troops was transferred there a few days ago."

"Sigh, General Ba's strength is undeniable, but he's too arrogant. If he hadn't refused back then, our war might be over by now."

"Alright, alright, let's say less, lest we get reported and accused of 'undermining morale.' Although our battle hasn't stopped, we haven't suffered a single defeat since the start of the war. As long as we keep winning, we'll wipe out those damned Demon Beast sooner or later."

Hearing the discussions on the street, Si Ming asked in bewilderment, "Even though Nation of Valor has entered a wartime state, how come they haven't even managed to control public opinion? Allowing this kind of news to spread will affect the morale of the troops sooner or later."

Murong Qing frowned and said, "No, Nation of Valor is indeed controlling public opinion. At least in the past few days, none of the newspapers I've collected have reported any related news. They are definitely blocking information."

Si Ming asked, "But why did the news still spread? It's only been five days since the allied forces annihilated the Demon Beast, yet the news is already known to everyone, young and old."

Yu Shuying sneered, "The answer is obvious. Someone inside Nation of Valor is deliberately spreading the news. If an outsider were to do this, there's no way they could do it so quickly. Only one of their own, and a powerful and influential one at that, could accomplish this."

"Has this man gone mad? There are indeed traitors in the world, but traitors only betray their countries for personal gain. What good would it do him if the country were occupied by the Demon Race? Does he expect the Demon Race to make him a puppet king?"

"There are only two possibilities. First, this person is a member of the Remote Heaven Society, deliberately trying to create chaos in the rear, forcing the front lines to mobilize more troops, thus weakening the protection of the Divine Pillar and making it easier for them to fish in troubled waters. Second, this person has a grudge against the Ba Shenhuang of War God, Ba Shenhuang, and wants to see Ba Shenhuang make a fool of himself, deliberately hindering the progress. Anyway, the allied forces have already won, and the Demon Race is destined to be defeated. Even if Nation of Valor loses one or two battles, it won't affect the overall situation."

Yu Shuying continued, "If I'm not mistaken, the enemy will try every means to make Ba Shenhuang's army lose. Although people are dissatisfied now, the news from the front lines is all about victory, and the situation looks very promising, making people feel that victory is only a matter of time. Even if they don't ride the coattails of the allied forces' great victory, it's not so bad. But if Ba Shenhuang loses, the situation will be completely different. The pent-up dissatisfaction will explode all at once, and the determination to win will be shaken. People will condemn Ba Shenhuang's arrogance and disregard for national affairs."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming couldn't help but feel sympathy. The hardest battle in the world is when your own people are dragging you down from behind. That's why there's a saying, "It's not the god-like opponents you should fear, but the pig-like teammates." But Ba Shenhuang wasn't facing incompetent teammates, but rather "actors" who had infiltrated his ranks, which made things even worse.

Throughout history, countless famous generals have died at the hands of their own people. Unable to defeat a renowned general on the battlefield, they resorted to treachery, sowing discord between the ruler and his subjects, using the enemy monarch to assassinate the general, and then marching their armies to conquer the enemy's kingdom. The most classic example is Li Mu, one of the four great generals of the Warring States period. He was undefeated on the battlefield but ultimately died unjustly. With Li Mu's death, the State of Zhao was destroyed.

Although in the Sea Continent, it is unlikely that a renowned general with extraordinary martial prowess would encounter a situation like "twelve golden tablets," and the monarch would not dare to truly force someone to their death, it is not difficult to sabotage and turn a sure-win battle into a sure-defeat one.

However, Si Ming only sighed for a moment. He had no intention of reminding Ba Shenhuang. Given his previous experience of being deported, he felt that there was a high chance of being rejected. He might even be deported again after speaking to him, and end up being ridiculed as a "dog trying to catch a mouse."

Although the war in Nation of Valor is important, the safety of the Divine Pillar is equally important. The former concerns the nation, while the latter concerns the entire Sea Continent. Si Ming doesn't want to lose the big picture for the small gain.

After a period of travel, the group arrived at the location where the Divine Pillar had appeared last year. This area had become a military-controlled zone, with a legion stationed there. Moreover, perhaps due to Si Ming's reminder, security had been significantly strengthened, with people patrolling everywhere continuously.

Unfortunately, due to the tense situation at the front, the only Spirit Transformation Grandmaster stationed there was transferred away. Without the threat of the Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, this small amount of security force was no match for Si Ming and his group. They soon arrived at the core area, where the Divine Pillar had appeared.

"Let's begin. I need ten minutes."

Ji Shichen summoned the Star Staff, formed hand Law Seals, and stepped out in the Steps of Yu, releasing circles of invisible fluctuations to investigate the anomalies in every part of the environment, including the space itself.

Si Ming and his men kept watch around the perimeter. The elite soldiers who were originally responsible for guarding the core area had been knocked down and were unconscious. Si Ming didn't care if this action would arouse the vigilance of Nation of Valor afterward. On the contrary, if Nation of Valor sent more experts to protect the Divine Pillar as a result, it would be exactly what he wanted.

The Nation of Valor garrison made contact every twenty minutes, and Si Ming and his men seized the moment when the contact ended to make their move. Therefore, they had plenty of time, and as long as nothing unexpected happened, they would not be discovered.

However, during Ji Shichen's treatment, Hualiu frequently looked back, revealing a hesitant expression, as if he had noticed something but was not quite sure.

Ten minutes later, Ji Shichen finished her reconnaissance, put away her staff, and said, "Nothing unusual. The Remote Heaven Society hasn't made a move yet, and the Divine Pillar is still ten days away from transferring to the Prime Material Plane."

Si Ming, "Let's leave first, and we can discuss the details as we go."

Shortly after everyone left, a piercing alarm sounded in the area. Many people could be seen leaping into the air to observe from above, but unfortunately, Si Ming and his group were already far away, and they found nothing.

On the way back to the base, Si Ming did not overlook Hualiu's earlier strange behavior and asked him about what he had noticed.

"It might be my imagination, but I sensed the presence of our own kind, faint and intermittent, as if it were sealed away."

Si Ming frowned and said, "After the Divine Pillar of Su State was cut down last time, a large cocoon appeared, and the Moth Emperor escaped from it. Could it be that this Divine Pillar in Nation of Valor is also suppressing something? Perhaps the King of Monsters?"

Yu Shuying thought for a moment and said, "That's possible. Perhaps the creator of the Divine Pillar simply did it as a matter of course, suppressing some difficult-to-kill entities below."