Alternate Identity! Yanri!

Zhu Youning slowly walked out of Jiaolan Hall.

He stood on the plaza in front of the hall and looked around, finding that apart from the towering palace in the center, the surroundings were completely empty. Only a few palace maids carrying fine wine and delicacies, and eunuchs holding horsetail whisks, walked with cautious steps toward the interior of Jiaolan Hall.

Everyone here acted with utmost respect and trepidation, fearing that a single careless move might offend the imperial might and cost them their lives.

He looked up and saw the dense clouds churning in the sky, with dark currents surging beneath them.

Lowering his head, Zhu Youning looked down at his feet, unable to help but sigh in his heart.

This Jiaolan Hall was, after all, destined to be drenched in blood and carnage.

Tonight, Zhu Youning did not have Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian attend to him; instead, he intended to find two people to borrow something.

The thing he wanted to borrow was the Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art!

As for what exactly this Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art was, well, as the name implies, those who know, know!

It was a dual-cultivation technique unique to Black and White Impermanence. While not a peerless martial art, its uses were incredibly extensive.

Since Zhu Youwen was currently in Bian Prefecture, his disciples, Black and White Impermanence, were also there, and their tracks were not difficult to find.

That night, Zhu Youning donned a set of ordinary Liang soldier armor and wore an iron mask, meeting two strange figures in an alleyway.

These two were a man and a woman. The man was dressed in black, his complexion deathly pale, with eerie dark red eyeshadow painted on his face.

The other was a woman, dressed entirely in white, with a graceful figure. Although her face was also deathly pale and bloodless, it was adorned with dark red eyeshadow and dark red floral accents.

Both wore strange, tall hats on their heads.

The hat worn by the white one was inscribed with "Fortune at First Sight," while the one worn by the black one read "Peace Under Heaven."

These two were Black and White Impermanence.

Chang Haoling and Chang Xuanling!

At this moment, the White Impermanence, Chang Xuanling, seemed to have a belly full of anger waiting to be vented. Judging by her tone, she was quite dissatisfied with someone but dared not speak out, only able to grumble and curse in a low voice.

"That Zhu Youwen only knows how to treat us like beasts of burden!"

"Shh!" Chang Haoling hurriedly gestured for Chang Xuanling to be quiet, whispering, "Xuanling, keep your voice down. We can't afford to provoke Master."

Chang Xuanling's anger remained unabated. "To hell with 'Master'! He hasn't taught us much martial arts, just treats us like servants! We are his disciples in name, but in reality? We're nothing more than slaves! If he truly considered us his disciples, why wouldn't he teach us the Nine Nether Profound Heaven Divine Skill?"

"Little sister, you know that's impossible. He treasures that Nine Nether Profound Heaven Divine Skill! How could he possibly teach it to us?"

Chang Haoling actually harbored many grievances against Zhu Youwen as well, but being a cautious person, he kept his voice low.

"If Zhu Youwen were to hear these words of yours, I wonder what would happen?"

However, just as the two were badmouthing Zhu Youwen, a low, hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

"Who's there? Come out! Daring to eavesdrop on the Impermanence, are you tired of living?"

The sudden voice startled Chang Xuanling. She was not a person of good temper and immediately began to curse.

"Little sister, be quiet."

Chang Haoling was more alert and had already tensed up. He gave Chang Xuanling a signal with his eyes, and the two stood back-to-back, warily scanning their surroundings, their fingers quietly revealing their signature hidden weapons—the Spirit Edge Daggers.

These Spirit Edge Daggers were the unique weapons of Black and White Impermanence.

Don't let the pleasant name fool you; they were soaked in corpse poison. Forget about licking them—if an ordinary person were even scratched by one, they would perish instantly.

Although Black and White Impermanence were only at the Mid-Star Rank, even a martial arts expert at the Small-Heaven Realm would struggle to survive if they were careless enough to be struck by these weapons and infected with the corpse poison without the duo's unique antidote.

But Zhu Youning was not afraid in the slightest. The corpse poison of Black and White Impermanence could at most threaten a warrior at the Small-Heaven Realm; once they encountered someone above that level, the poison would be useless.

The voice just now was naturally emitted by him on purpose, intended to frighten the duo.

And Black and White Impermanence were indeed frightened by Zhu Youning.

Because the person who made the sound came and went without a trace, it was clear that his martial arts were far superior to theirs.

The alleyway fell silent, save for the anxious Black and White Impermanence, who paced slowly, circling back-to-back in an attempt to find Zhu Youning.

"No need to look; you won't find me."

The houses in this alley were undoubtedly those of wealthy families.

To guard against thieves stealing their wealth, the walls of such estates were usually built very high, which resulted in the alley being deep and dark.

In this deep, dark, and high alley, any sound would echo.

Hearing the voice echo once more, Chang Haoling's brows locked tightly. He gripped the Spirit Edge Daggers between his left fingers while his right hand silently grasped the hilt of his short sword, an invisible, heavy atmosphere gradually permeating the space.

The spirits of Black and White Impermanence were already highly strained.

At this moment, Chang Haoling's pupils suddenly constricted.

Because he saw someone.

Deep in the previously empty alley, a person stood silently. Because the alley was too dark, he could only make out a rough silhouette.

A chilling aura continuously emanated from this person; the individual himself seemed colder than ice.

At this moment, mist began to rise in the alley.

The fog grew thicker, nearly obscuring the moon.

A figure stood within the hazy, frigid mist, seemingly gripping a cold sword in his hand.

"Who are you?"

As Chang Haoling spoke, Chang Xuanling also turned her gaze toward the figure.

The two approached with extreme caution, finally catching sight of Zhu Youning dressed in the armor of a Liang Soldier. They cried out in shock, "Who on earth are you? How dare you play tricks in front of the Impermanence! Are you tired of living?!"

"Little sister, be careful!" Chang Haoling whispered a warning.

Zhu Youning did not speak, merely standing where he was.

He held a sword made of ordinary iron, yet the blade itself appeared anything but ordinary.

A chill—the feminine Northern Dark True Qi—swirled around the blade. Though the tip pointed obliquely toward the ground amidst the hazy fog, it shimmered with a water-like azure light, casting a cold, sharp shadow.

As Chang Haoling and Chang Xuanling watched this mysterious figure clad in Liang armor, they were suddenly struck by an abnormally icy sensation.

It was many times colder than ice!

The source of this frigid feeling was none other than the mysterious masked man in Liang armor standing before them.

By merely holding this simple stance, he and his sword had become a single, inseparable entity. He was unfathomable, appearing as though he could launch a lethal strike with the most direct method from any angle.

After a moment, Zhu Youning finally spoke.

"Concealing the sun, the yin flourishes while the day turns dark. You may call me... Yanri!"