"We're almost at Liuyue Hall. Everyone, suppress your aura," Yue Zhao said in a low voice. "If we get discovered, retreat to Wushuang Sect immediately. Don't hesitate for even a second."
Si Wanning and Yu Songnian both nodded.
Yue Zhao's cloak treasure activated at full strength, shrouding all three of them in shadow.
Si Wanning had her own concealment technique. Her aura vanished, and her figure melted into the darkness.
The three moved silently toward Liuyue Hall.
Yue Zhao sent a telepathic message to the others.
"Based on what we learned earlier, there are ten clansmen in the Shi Tribe who practice a unique cultivation art. They're called the Mirror Masters, each ranked by strength. The one stationed here at Liuyue Hall is Mirror Master Four, a Mahayana-stage powerhouse. We can't afford to provoke him. The plan's simple: stay out of his sight and sneak inside the hall."
Both Si Wanning and Yu Songnian nodded again.
Their movements grew even more cautious. Their hearts pounded so loud it was painful. Even their breathing became shallow and silent. Their concealment methods were decent, but against a Mahayana cultivator? It was still risky. If his divine sense swept past them, they'd be finished.
The three slipped closer under the cover of night. The path ahead was quiet, smooth, uneventful. When they finally reached the entrance, they were just about to breathe a sigh of relief—
A terrifying wave of divine sense suddenly crashed over them.
The next instant, every layer of their concealment shattered. Their figures were fully exposed.
"Shit!" Yue Zhao cursed inwardly.
He spun around—
A cold, expressionless man stood behind them, staring icily their way. And right in the middle of the man's chest was a huge mirror.
The three exchanged a quick glance.
A Mirror Master!
That had to be the one guarding Liuyue Hall!
A Mahayana-stage powerhouse!
"Run!" Yue Zhao barked without hesitation.
But before they could even move, a wave of guards poured out from the hall, surrounding them completely. Their expressions turned grim. What the hell was going on?
Their stealth wasn't that bad, was it? How'd they get spotted the moment they arrived?
Were they really about to fail and just teleport back to Wushuang Sect like this?
"Mirror Master hasn't attacked yet. Wait. Let's see if there's still a chance," Yue Zhao said through spiritual transmission.
The others quickly agreed.
"My master wishes to see you," Mirror Master Four said calmly.
Master?
Yue Zhao's expression tightened. The mission itself was secondary. Their main goal was to investigate Yu Songnian's bloodline and find a way to resolve his inner conflict. If they returned now, the mission would count as a failure. And once a mission failed, they'd have to wait a long while before taking another one.
They couldn't afford that delay. Not until the very last moment would Yue Zhao give up.
Mirror Master Four was already terrifying enough as a Mahayana cultivator. And he had a master above him. That master had to be one of the Shi Tribe's true elites. Maybe… just maybe, it was the royal bloodline Yu Songnian had been searching for!
Yue Zhao's mind raced, but his face carried a friendly smile. "We accidentally wandered in here, we'll be leaving right away. There's no need to bother your master over something so minor, right?"
Mirror Master Four's expression didn't change. He simply said, "My master wishes to see you."
Then he took a step forward, and his spiritual power turned into chains that wrapped around the three of them.
"Don't resist," Yue Zhao said quickly through his mind. "Even if we have to teleport back later, we can at least take a look at whoever's behind all this."
The others nodded.
Mirror Master Four pulled them along, leading them straight into Liuyue Hall.
As they walked, they noticed several other Shi Tribesmen nearby. But strangely, not a single one looked at them. Everyone just stood silently at their posts, motionless.
Were the Shi Tribe always this disciplined?
The deeper they went, the more anticipation filled their eyes. Even if this mission failed, at least they'd find out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Next time, they'd be better prepared.
Mirror Master Four brought them into the grand hall, then suddenly dissolved the chains and walked out without another word. He even took all the guards with him.
The three stared at the group of foreign races in front of them, their faces full of surprise. These must be the performers for the upcoming celebration. But why the hell did he just dump them here? What was that supposed to mean?
The others in the hall also began whispering, glancing curiously at the newcomers. Were these the "acquaintances" Senior Yun mentioned earlier?
Yue Zhao and his companions didn't dare move recklessly. They stood still for a while, then used spiritual sense to check their surroundings. And to their shock, the hall was completely empty. Everyone else was gone. If they wanted to leave now, nothing was stopping them. What the hell was going on?!
Si Wanning and Yu Songnian instinctively turned to Yue Zhao. He'd always been their backbone, their steady hand.
Now, sweat dripped down Yue Zhao's forehead. He racked his brain, desperately trying to figure out the Mirror Master's intentions—but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't make sense of it!
There were only foreign races left here, yet that Mirror Master said his master wanted to see them. Where was this "master," then? Could it be one of these foreign races?
No, that made no sense. There had to be another reason behind all this!
Damn it, his head was about to explode!
"Are you guys rare species that got captured?" Si Wanning suddenly asked, curious.
"Second Sister!" Yue Zhao almost jumped.
This was obviously a trap! How could she just start chatting with them like that?
"It's true," an Elf girl replied softly.
Si Wanning nodded seriously. "Then do you know the truth? The performance's just a cover. After it's over, they'll drain your bloodlines through a blood sacrifice."
"Second Sister!" Yue Zhao panicked.
Was she trying to get them all killed?
Si Wanning gave him a calm look. "Senior Brother, we've already been discovered. The mission's probably going to fail anyway. Might as well learn as much as we can before that happens."
Yu Songnian nodded. He'd already accepted that success wasn't likely this time. At least if they gathered information, it'd make the next attempt easier.
Yue Zhao paused for a moment, then gave up arguing.
Alright then.
Screw it. No more overthinking.
If they had to restart this mission later, so be it.
===
Hey darlings~ ✧.ヾ(｡>﹏<｡)ﾉﾞ
I finally made a Discord server! Sorry if it looks a bit messy or awkward, I've never actually made one before lol.
The main reason I made it is… I just really wanna interact with you all! Maybe I just wanna share updates about my life, something funny I found, or my little thoughts/impressions on the chapter I'm currently translating (aka tiny spoilers wkwkwk) ヾ(≧▽≦*)o And a bunch of other stuff too~
I mean, I can't really do that on Webnovel, right? And AO3 is kinda similar…
Also, since I started uploading on AO3 after hitting the project limit on Webnovel, I kinda ended up with two separate "reader groups" (you know what I mean, right? >w<). So I thought, why not bring everyone together in one cozy place? Plus, it's easier to chat about translations or Webnovel stuff in general.
I'd be super happy if you joined 🥺
75sprU6DdD
See you there~ ✧*.