A whole month after they left Soaring Heaven Sect, Yang Kai’s group finally set foot on the neutral territory at the heart of Tong Xuan Realm.
The so-called neutral territory was an area where the Human, Demon, and Monster Races coexisted, a sight that could not be seen anywhere else.
As soon as he set foot on this piece of land, Yang Kai noticed a few unusual energies flowing through the air.
Here he could sense clear traces of Demonic Qi which he was already familiar with as well as another type of Qi he had never encountered before, it should be Monster Qi. Demonic Qi and Monster Qi could not be absorbed by Human Race Masters, but they were the powerful energies that the Demon Race and Monster Race needed in order to cultivate.
After arriving here, Cang Yan and the others became more vigilant.
The neutral territory was, in a way, more chaotic than anywhere else in Tong Xuan Realm. The slightest carelessness could lead to catastrophe.
Traveling forward a few more days, everyone finally came across a towering mountain peak that ascended above the clouds.
A dozen or so kilometers outside this mountain lay the destination of their group’s trip: Floating Clouds City!
Cang Yan’s pace picked up a lot as he led the group forward, and after half a day, everyone arrived at Floating Clouds City.
After paying enough Crystal Stones, the group of people finally entered the city.
The moment they stepped into the city, Yang Kai clearly felt Cang Yan and the others relax.
Du Wan smiled slightly and explained, “Once one enters the city, they will be safe from danger. Floating Clouds City is jointly administered by all three Great Races and the City Lord is always a Saint Realm master, so no one dares act recklessly here.”
“Which race does the City Lord belong to?” Yang Kai asked curiously.
“This old master isn’t clear; Floating Clouds City changes its City Lord every three years. The master from the Human, Demon, and Monster Races decide who will hold the post of City Lord though a Martial Arts competition. It is because they select the City Lord this way that the tranquility of the city can be guaranteed. If one race was always held the position of City Lord, the other two races would certainly object.”
Cang Yan smiled and added, “As far as I know, the current City Lord is a master from the Demon Race, but don’t worry, because it’s related to the stability of the Three Clans, he won’t act unreasonably, that would throw the whole realm into chaos.”
“This old man and Mi Na are going to head to the Alchemist Guild here. Cang Yan, what about you?” Du Wan asked, “Would you like to come with us?”
“No thank you,” Cang Yan shook his head. Alchemists were a group of guys with eyes atop their heads, they didn’t care one bit that they were from Soaring Heaven Sect. If they were to enter the Alchemist Guild, they would no doubt suffer many disdainful looks and sneers. Worse, given Cang Yan’s hot temper, he may cause a falling out between them. If that really happened, even Old Man Du would be hard pressed to resolve things amicably.
Glancing over at Yang Kai, Cang Yan said, “Little Martial Nephew, if you want to go, you can follow Old Man Du. When the time comes, I’ll come find you.”
Mi Na also chimed in, “That’s right, you’re also an Alchemist, and it won’t be a problem if you come with us.”
She obviously wanted to stay with Yang Kai and continue learning Alchemy from him.
“You’re quite direct, little girl; do you perhaps like my little Martial Nephew?” Fei Yu grinned and teased.
Mi Na’s face went red, “Don’t talk nonsense, I wouldn’t like this bastard.”
Yang Kai was dumbfounded by this exchange and couldn’t stop himself from laughing lightly, eventually shaking his head, “No thank you, I’ll be staying with Martial Uncles and Martial Aunt for now.”
Du Wan gently nodded, “Then this old man won’t insist. Little Friend Yang, come here for a moment,” Saying so, he gently beckoned to Yang Kai.
Yang Kai walked over hesitantly, “What instructions does Old Man Du have for me?”
Du Wan smiled faintly before reaching into his Universe Bag and pulling out a small box with a mirror on top, “This is something I obtained many years ago; it should be of some use to you this time. En, it’s probably best you use it as soon as possible.”
“What is it?” Yang Kai looked curiously at the small box.
“You’ll understood when you see it,” Old Man Du smiled mysteriously before leading Mi Na towards the Alchemist Guild.
After Old Man Du and Mi Na left, Cang Yan turned around and said, “Let’s also go, we need to find an inn to stay at.”
Fei Yu snuck over to Yang Kai and whispered, “What did Old Man Du give you?”
“I don’t know.” Yang Kai shook his head.
Inside a certain inn, Cang Yan booked two rooms. Floating Clouds City’s inns were packed full of guests due to the upcoming blossoming of the Thousand Year Demon Flower, so managing to get two rooms in a single inn was quite difficult.
After some brief deliberations, it was decided that Fei Yu would stay with Yang Kai while the other three took the other room.
Yang Kai had no objections. In any case, he was used to living with Fei Yu. Although Fei Yu was a woman, there was a big generation gap between them, so Yang Kai naturally didn’t feel bothered by this.
After all the hurrying about, everyone finally had a chance to settle down.
Yang Kai sat down and took out the mirror box Old Man Du had given him, a somewhat confused expression upon his face.
He hadn’t expected that the moment they entered Floating Clouds City, Old Man Du would give him such a gift.
“Open it and take a look. I’m also quite curious what Old Man Du sent you,” Fei Yu smiled lightly.
Yang Kai nodded and was about to open it when he suddenly smiled wryly and said, “If you’re curious you might as well come take a look.”
In the next room, Li Wan and Fei Jian, who were listening in, suddenly wore awkward expression. Li Wan snorted and walked out, muttering indignantly, “This little Martial Nephew doesn’t know how to preserve his Martial Uncles’ face. I need to teach him a lesson in manners.”
Fei Jian didn’t say anything and simply hurried to keep up.
Cang Yan just shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face, and followed behind his fellow brothers.
Inside the room, after everyone gathered, all of them stared towards the mirror box in Yang Kai’s hand, obviously wanting to know what was inside.
Under their gazes, Yang Kai opened the mirror box and found a thin as a cicada’s wings sheet.
This sheet was made from some material Yang Kai had never seen before and was slightly cold to the touch. There were some places on it that had holes cut out and at first glance, it resembled the peeled skin from a person’s face, a somewhat gruesome image.
“So that’s it!” Cang Yan expression changed, “Old Man Du’s insight is truly sharp.”
“Is this thing used to disguise one’s appearance?” Yang Kai also understood the function of this thing.
“Put it on and have a look,” Fei Yu urged.
Yang Kai nodded and covered his face with the thin mask. The next moment, he felt something stretch across his face and penetrate into his skin while giving off a cool sensation.
He didn’t know what his current appearance was, but from the changes in the expressions of his Martial Seniors in front of him, it was obvious that his current face was definitely quite different from before.
“This…” Li Wan’s jaw dropped, a look of disbelief appearing on his face.
Fei Jian’s eyes also bulged.
“Is the change really that big?” Yang Kai smiled helplessly.
“See for yourself!” Fei Yu waved her hand and condensed a mirror out of water in front of Yang Kai. Looking into that mirror, Yang Kai was instantly startled.
The face in the mirror was that of a complete stranger, moreover, it had a completely different style from his own. To put it bluntly, this face was pretty, with skin as white and flawless as a woman’s.
“Who is this gigolo?” Yang Kai expression dimmed, stretching out his hand and pinching his face, the image in the mirror perfectly responding to his actions.
“Impressive!” Cang Yan couldn’t help complementing, “This artifact is really a treasure, not only can it modify your appearance, even your life aura has changed!”
“With this, we don’t need to worry about you exposing your identity,” Fei Yu smiled, “We really need to thank Old Man Du, he’s solved a big headache for us.”
Since Yang Kai was going to Ascending Heaven Cliff to condense the Thousand Year Demon Flower’s medicinal liquid, it would be difficult for him not to be noticed by others, and if his performance was too outstanding, it would definitely draw unwanted attention.
Fortunately, this artifact that Old Man Du gave him solved this problem perfectly.
With a simple disguising technique, Cang Yan and the others would be able to change Yang Kai’s face as well, but such a disguising technique would still easily be seen through by masters on their level, and it would not be able to camouflage Yang Kai’s life aura.
But now, they didn’t have to worry about any of this.
Even if Yang Kai’s performance was incredibly eye-catching, he would have to worry about being stared at afterwards because the one the world would be searching for would not be Yang Kai’s original appearance.
“Old Man Du really has a lot of good things,” Cang Yan sighed, last time Du Wan had taken out a cyan stone that could only be acquired from the Starry Sky and this time he had easily put out a high grade disguising artifact, Alchemists were really a group with amazing levels of wealth.
Especially high-level Alchemists; most times, if they wanted anything, they didn’t even have to act personally, as long as they put out a message, many powerhouses who wanted the request Alchemy services from them would do their best to fulfil this request.
Whether it was the former cyan stone or this disguising artifact, they should have been rewards Old Man Du received in exchange for performing Alchemy over the years.
“Little Martial Nephew’s new look is really pleasing to the eye,” Fei Yu smiled tenderly, “Martial Aunt really likes this kind of face.”
Although Yang Kai’s former appearance wasn’t ugly, it wasn’t flawless like his current one. Years of fighting and strenuous hard work had given him a fierce and valiant look, one appropriate for a seasoned warrior, wild and heroic.
But now, he was incredibly handsome to the point where it was world shaking, this kind of flawless visage was the type that could win the favour of any woman in the world.
Yang Kai’s expression was indifferent though, and after thinking about it for a moment, he quickly circulated his True Qi and focused on his face. In the next moment, his appearance squirmed slightly and the mask he was wearing took on a slightly different look.
“En, perfect,” Looking in the mirror, Yang Kai nodded with satisfaction.
“Why did you change it? You looked so handsome before. This isn’t bad either, but it’s not as good as the previous one,” Fei Yu pursed her lips and complained.
“Not having the slightest flaw is the biggest flaw,” Yang Kai shook his head. “This appearance is more natural.”
Listening to him saw this, Fei Yu thought about it and nodded after a moment, agreeing with Yang Kai’s point of view.
“Good, we really need to thank Old Man Du for this one day, with this artifact in hand, we can really let loose,” Cang Yan said, taking a deep breath before continuing, “Tomorrow, I’ll go to Ascending Heaven with Li Wan and Fei Jian to check out the situation. It shouldn’t be long now so I think there will be many people making such a choice. Having the lay of the land in advance will allow us to make better preparations. Fei Yu, you stay here in the city with little Martial Nephew and pay attention to his safety. Although Floating Clouds City is relatively peaceful, it doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.”
“I know.” Fei Yu nodded sternly.
After a brief discussion, everyone went back to their own rooms.
Yang Kai didn’t remove the disguising artifact from his face, but instead kept it on in order to familiarize himself with it.
When the night fell, in the sky over Floating Clouds City, one old and one young man suddenly appeared. The old man was somewhat hoary-haired and plain clothed while the young man next to him was at most in his early twenties; however, the latter’s eyes were nimble and smart, curiously glancing around the noisy Floating Clouds City.
The old man also stood mid-air and swept his gaze around, a faint glow appearing in his aged eyes after a while, seemingly silently recalling some long lost memories of this place.
