Fighting and Fighting

Fragments of the two foreigners' lives blossomed, though Li Ye had no interest in their personal histories.

He was mainly curious about their mission this time.

Sure enough, the images he wanted appeared.

Time unknown, in a secret chamber, the two foreigners stood respectfully before a man with his back to them.

The man had a tall and straight figure, wore a hair crown, and possessed a powerful aura; he seemed to be giving them instructions.

Could this be the Holy Son they spoke of?

Which sect in the Great Jin Kingdom does this Holy Son belong to?

Li Ye thought to himself.

However, this Holy Son should currently be within the borders of the Great Gan Empire as well, perhaps not even far from him.

After the Mysterious Person spoke to the two for a moment, he slowly turned around, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.

He was clean-shaven, looked dignified, and radiated an imposing aura.

He then unfurled a map, which Li Ye recognized as a map of the Divine Concealment Sect.

Was this faction from the Great Jin Kingdom plotting against the Divine Concealment Sect?

What could they be plotting against the Divine Concealment Sect for?

Their appetite was simply too large.

No, the map of the Divine Concealment Sect in the middle-aged man's hand was incomplete.

Li Ye spotted the discrepancy.

The vision ended there. Li Ye felt annoyed that he couldn't read lips and didn't know what the other party had said.

But he felt that the other party must be plotting for something within the Divine Concealment Sect.

As for what exactly, it remained unknown for now.

The two foreigners were merely stepping stones sent by the other party.

"Did the middle-aged man intentionally bring an incomplete map, or is it because he doesn't have a complete one?"

"If it's the latter, then was the middle-aged man's original intention to have his two subordinates come and scout out the complete layout of the Divine Concealment Sect before plotting something?"

Li Ye guessed in his heart.

Whoosh!

A mist of light surged out from the Corpse Incineration Furnace, diving into Li Ye's body in the blink of an eye.

His body immediately erupted with a series of crackling pops, as if it had undergone years of hammering and tempering. His tendons, bones, meridians, and internal organs grew stronger at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His entire vitality became incredibly vigorous, and his aura surged violently.

Before this mist of light was even fully absorbed, a second mist of light rushed out from the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

Li Ye's cultivation improved even faster. The breathing technique of the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art began to circulate on its own. The sound of thunder roared, surging and undulating like the tides of the vast world, absorbing the energy of the light mist.

Before long, streaks of crimson electric arcs erupted from within Li Ye's body like great dragons, circling around him. The radiance was blinding, brilliant and immortal.

He clearly felt his strength growing; his physique and cultivation technique were both strengthening. His five viscera were like those of a newborn baby—crystal clear and almost entirely free of impurities.

"Huh, no more impurities."

"Does this mean my physique has been tempered to the extreme? I should be able to break through to the Qi Gathering Stage next time, right?"

Li Ye thought, feeling excited.

At this moment, the power of the two mists of light had been fully absorbed.

Li Ye checked his current cultivation level; he possessed roughly seven thousand catties of immense strength.

If he were to execute the Swift Wind Leg, it might even double.

It was truly worthy of being the essence of cultivation from two newly deceased Qi Gathering Stage experts.

Li Ye sighed in admiration.

Whoosh!

Just as he thought the rewards for this time had ended, another mist of light surged out from the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

However, this mist of light did not dive into Li Ye's body; instead, it floated in mid-air.

This is...

Li Ye was moved. The mist of light was not cultivation, nor was it a divine ability or a technique.

Instead, it was... a magical artifact, wrapped within the mist of light.

To be precise, it was a precious bead.

Li Ye held it in his hand, and a piece of information surfaced in his mind:

Star Bead: It can cover a space of up to one hundred zhang according to your will. Within the range covered by the Star Bead, all sound is isolated.

Following that was a chant for controlling the Star Bead.

Li Ye was stunned.

The Corpse Incineration Furnace could actually produce magical artifacts?

Was it because the magical artifacts of the two foreigners were thrown in and burned, causing them to transform into this Star Bead and imbuing it with new abilities?

Li Ye guessed that this was very likely the case.

"As my cultivation improves, the commotion caused by my training grows larger and larger."

"With the Star Bead, I can perfectly conceal the anomalies during my training, thereby avoiding some unnecessary trouble."

"This magical artifact is exactly what I need."

Li Ye exclaimed in admiration, then silently recited the incantation for the Star Bead in his heart.

The next moment, the Star Bead transformed into a ray of light, burrowed into Li Ye's body, and vanished.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, another mist of light shot out from the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

Li Ye's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he shouted in delight as if it were the New Year.

He subconsciously reached out to grab the mist, and suddenly, there was a mask in his hand.

Shapeshifter Mask: By wearing it, you will possess another face.

A piece of information appeared in Li Ye's mind.

Another face?

What did that mean?

Could this mask change one's appearance?

Li Ye subconsciously placed the white mask in his hand onto his face.

Hum!

A miraculous scene occurred; after the mask made contact with the skin on Li Ye's face... it disappeared.

Immediately after, Li Ye's facial features twisted slightly, transforming into the appearance of another person.

Eighteen or nineteen years old, with sharp, arrogant brows, eyes like cold stars, a high nose bridge, and thin lips—he looked dashing and refined, yet completely different from Li Ye...

"What a treasure. Although it isn't some powerful offensive divine artifact, it allows me to take on another identity."

"It is exactly what I need."

"However, why did the Corpse Incineration Furnace give me a mask? Is it because the two foreigners acting as spies were skilled at disguise?"

Li Ye guessed.

So far, he had gained a considerable understanding of the Corpse Incineration Furnace.

The playboy youngster was skilled at manipulating women, so the Corpse Incineration Furnace bestowed upon him the ability of Words Manifest Reality.

The brother from the Earth Gate was skilled at grave robbing and digging holes, so he received a divine ability like the Hand of Earth.

The Night Roaming God possessed peerless leg techniques, so he obtained the Swift Wind Leg...

The things provided by the Corpse Incineration Furnace were all closely related to the corpses' lives before death; they were things extracted from their life imprints and further amplified.

It did not take Li Ye very long to finish handling all of this.

He buried the hole he had just dug, and after confirming it would not be discovered by anyone, he returned to his small courtyard to practice the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art.

And not long after Li Ye left, a dense swarm of small snakes appeared before the White Snake's grave.

The night passed without incident.

Li Ye, shirtless, practiced the Nine Heavens Crimson Thunder Art for the entire night.

His cultivation power had increased slightly once again.

He felt that if he burned two more foreigners, he would be able to break through the Qi Gathering Stage.

It was just a matter of where to find these foreigners.

"I haven't been down the mountain for over half a month. I wonder how Zhou Bao's goods are selling."

"I should go down and take a look."

Li Ye decided to head down the mountain.

Following the White Snake's display of great power yesterday, many parts of the once-prosperous North City had become dilapidated, with ruins stretching on and on.

The bustling Yihongyuan had also become desolate. On the second-floor corridor, a group of girls in bright clothing tried hard to solicit customers, but unfortunately, no one paid them any mind.

Passersby hurried past, fearing they might not be able to avoid the area in time.

With such a Great Demon having appeared, Yihongyuan would likely be unable to stay open much longer.

Li Ye hurried toward Zhou Bao's residence, drawing pointing fingers and whispers from the crowd along the way.

His appearance was, frankly, not very presentable. He wore a tattered, soot-blackened robe, and his long hair, tied up haphazardly, still gave off an unkempt vibe. His face was smudged with black patches here and there, the coal dust almost entirely obscuring his handsome features.

Li Ye did not care in the slightest. This was an image he had intentionally cultivated to avoid being recognized after coming down the mountain; he had dressed this way the previous two times he had ventured out as well.

Before long, Li Ye arrived in the southern part of the city.

Ahead, bursts of shouting and killing cries rang out:

"Stop!"

"Don't run!"

"Kill him..."

A group of burly men were fiercely chasing a man covered in blood.

Li Ye's expression sank immediately.

He recognized this man.

He was one of the subordinates who worked for Zhou Bao.

What had happened? Why was he being besieged?

The surrounding area was packed with onlookers watching the spectacle.

"Boss, save me!"

The man had also recognized Li Ye.

In all of Licheng City, there wasn't a second person with this getup.

Even the refugees had cleaner faces than the boss.

Li Ye felt conflicted; he did not want to expose his cultivation in front of such a large crowd.

However, since this man was Zhou Bao's subordinate, he could not simply stand by and do nothing.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He shouted at the crowd of onlookers, "Everyone, in broad daylight and under the clear sky, these thugs actually dare to commit violence in the street! It is truly detestable; we cannot just ignore this!"

The thugs were momentarily stunned, and the leader sneered, "What a naive little beggar. You want to meddle in other people's business, do you?"

"I'd like to see who is going to help you today. If no one does, I'm sorry, but you're going to learn exactly what happens to those who cross the Iron Saber Society."

As he spoke, he pointed his machete at Li Ye's neck and mimed a beheading motion, his expression incredibly vicious.

The onlookers also scoffed in derision.

"Where did this little beggar come from? You're already down on your luck, yet you still want to play the hero?"

"Madam, tell me, isn't this person ridiculous?"

A burly man said to the rather attractive, delicate-looking lady beside him.

Smack!

The lady looked toward him, raised her jade hand, and delivered a direct slap across the burly man's face: "Ridiculous your mother! In broad daylight, with so many people watching a group of thugs brutalize an innocent person, where is your conscience?"

"Chen Dayong, I must have been blind to marry someone heartless like you. I... I'm going to fight these thugs!"

Before the burly man could even react, he saw his usually delicate wife charging toward the crowd like a high-spirited little hen.

"Who would invite trouble like this? This little beggar is still too naive, trying to drag unrelated people into this mess. Ridiculous."

Another burly man remarked.

Then, he realized his own wife had picked up a brick and was closing in on the crowd.

Words Manifest Reality: Every woman believes what you say.

This scene takes a long time to describe, but it actually happened in the blink of an eye.

The moment Li Ye activated Words Manifest Reality and his voice fell, the women at the scene stood up, their sense of justice exploding.

The members of the Iron Saber Society were stunned.

The leader of the Iron Saber Society, who had just been mocking and threatening Li Ye, was dumbfounded.

Smack!

The next moment, he was struck in the face by a brick wielded by a fierce-looking woman, letting out a shrill, miserable howl.

As for the men who were worried about their own wives getting hurt, they charged over as well.

However, most of them were just trying to hold their wives back.

"Madam, don't be impulsive! The Iron Saber Society is powerful; we can't afford to offend them... You dare hit my wife? I'll fight you to the death!"

A sturdy man, while trying to persuade his wife, ended up getting into a fight with the members of the Iron Saber Society.

"You son of a bitch, where the hell are you touching? You dare take advantage of my wife? I'll cripple you!"

"Who made my wife cry?"

"The Iron Saber Society is hitting women! Brothers, fight these Iron Saber Society scumbags to the death..."

The scene instantly became chaotic.

"You stinking bitch, I'll hack you to pieces!"

The scumbag, having been smacked in the face with a brick, flew into a rage and swung the steel blade in his hand toward the woman.

Pfft!

The next moment, the cleaver was shattered into pieces by a single fist.

It was Li Ye, who had been hiding in the crowd, seizing the opportunity to make a move.