Chapter 394 - 372: Probing for Treasure

Chapter 394: Chapter 372: Probing for Treasure

"Time for me to change, too!" After dealing with Mu Jie, Nie Yun nodded in satisfaction. With a flicker of his body, his Disguise Qi transformed him into Mu Jie’s likeness.

’Perfect timing!’

He stored Mu Yan’s corpse and Mu Jie into the Zihua Cave Mansion. Just as he finished, he heard the sound of rushing wind from above. Nie Yun knew the Manor Master must have returned after discussing the competition rules.

WHOOSH!

As expected, a figure descended from the sky and landed in the courtyard less than two breaths later.

"Mu Jie!"

"Manor Master!"

Nie Yun, in his guise as Mu Jie, walked over with a look of reverence and panic.

Nie Yun’s Soul Power was already higher than the Manor Master’s, and his Disguise Master Talent had reached the level of Divine Transformation. The man couldn’t see through the disguise at all.

"The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition this time will be a death trial. Here, take this!"

The Manor Master looked at the "Mu Jie" before him with a gratified smile, then took a jade tablet from his robes and tossed it over.

It was one of the five jade tablets the City Lord had brought out.

"What’s this?" Nie Yun feigned a look of confusion.

As an old monster who had lived two lifetimes, his skill at putting on an act had reached the level of Divine Transformation. The Manor Master would never have imagined that the Mu Jie before him had been replaced by someone else.

"This is a Talisman for entering the Lingxi Celestial Palace. As long as you hold it, the seals within the Celestial Palace will not only refrain from attacking you, but they will even bless you with their power. You must hold onto it!" he explained. Then, taking out another jade tablet, the Manor Master’s expression turned solemn as he instructed, "This is a map of the Celestial Palace’s interior that I secretly drew. After you enter, follow the path on the map to find the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring. Gain its approval and become the champion. Whether or not our Dieyi Manor can gain control of the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring this time is all up to you. You absolutely cannot let me down!"

"Yes, Manor Master! Rest assured, I will never let you down!" Nie Yun replied, feigning excitement.

"Good." Seeing "Mu Jie’s" reaction, the Manor Master nodded in satisfaction. "The Five Great Manors are forbidden from giving maps to their disciples. Memorize it, then destroy it immediately. Leave no trace. Also, since I’m doing this, the other Manor Masters will likely have given their own trusted disciples a secret advantage. However, with your strength, it shouldn’t be a problem. Remember, in a death trial, you cannot be soft-hearted. If anyone stands against you, kill them. Show no mercy! Otherwise, you’ll be the one to die!"

"Yes! I understand!" Nie Yun scoffed inwardly but quickly agreed aloud.

"You’ve met that peripheral disciple named Mu Yun, haven’t you? I’m going to place a mark on him now. Once he enters the Lingxi Celestial Palace, the mark will trigger the palace’s Restrictions. When that happens, find an opportunity to kill him. His potential will then be transferred to you!" the Manor Master instructed.

"Yes, Manor Master! I will definitely kill that Mu Yun without hesitation!" Nie Yun perfectly mimicked the murderous expression Mu Jie would have had, so flawlessly that even the real Mu Jie probably wouldn’t have spotted a flaw.

"Very good. If you can win the championship and secure control of the Lingxi Celestial Palace for Dieyi Manor, this Manor Master’s seat will be yours sooner or later! If you fail, you can expect the manor’s most severe punishment! Of course, don’t feel too pressured. As long as you perform your best, the championship is as good as yours! All right, that’s enough talk. I’m going to deal with that Mu Yun now. Spend the next two days consolidating your Cultivation and make sure you’re in peak condition for the trial!"

The Manor Master looked at the young man before him, growing more fond of him by the second. After giving a few more instructions and patting Mu Jie’s shoulder, he leaped into the air and flew off, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye. It seemed he was heading toward Lixuan Pavilion.

Lixuan Pavilion was precisely where Nie Yun was living.

’That guy is certainly eager. If I don’t hurry back, my cover will be blown!’

Seeing the Manor Master leave as soon as he finished speaking, Nie Yun didn’t linger either. He melted into the darkness and, with a few flickers, slipped back to his own residence.

Just as he entered the courtyard, he saw Mu Xia speaking with the Manor Master. Without revealing himself, he went over to the figure he had knocked unconscious, quietly woke him, and then tiptoed back to his room, where he released the Mu Jie he had under his control.

The current Mu Jie now had his appearance. He would have him receive that so-called mark in his place, making his enemies reap what they sowed.

"The Manor Master is here. Go and greet him. I’ve suppressed your Cultivation to the Ultimate Venerable Peak, so he won’t be able to tell. Remember your name: Mu Yun!" Nie Yun whispered into Mu Jie’s ear again, performing a soul hypnosis, before letting the puppet push open the door and walk out.

"Manor Master, what brings you here? You didn’t even send word!"

Mu Jie strode out and, following the script Nie Yun had prepared for him, spoke with a smile, showing no sign that anything was amiss.

"Haha, I just came to see if you’ve settled in. Some of the new peripheral disciples often have trouble adapting to the environment of the Ancient City," the Manor Master said amiably.

’If I didn’t already know about his scheme, even I might have been fooled by that smile.’

’What a crafty old fox!’

"Thank you for your concern, Manor Master. I’ve settled in very well!" Mu Jie nodded, a look of gratitude in his eyes.

Nie Yun’s Soul Power was so strong that he could control Mu Jie’s facial expressions, but the Manor Master was completely unable to detect it.

"That’s good to hear. It’s great that the peripheral disciples have a talent like you!" the Manor Master exclaimed, reaching out to pat Mu Jie’s shoulder. It looked like a gesture of encouragement, but in reality, a surge of Dark Force from his palm had already implanted the mark into his body without a trace.

"Thank you for your high praise, Manor Master. I am unworthy!" Mu Jie said with a flustered expression, as if excited by the Manor Master’s favor.

"Since you’ve settled in, I won’t disturb you any longer. Cultivate well and strive to make a stunning debut at the Holy Spirit Disciple Competition in three days!"

The Manor Master offered another word of encouragement, a satisfied smile on his face, and strode away.

"I will!" Mu Jie nodded as well.

The old man and the young man both looked extremely satisfied, and each was perfectly clear in his own heart as to why.

"Nie Yun, what was all that about? Did the Manor Master really come all the way over here at this hour just to say a few words?" Mu Xia, watching the strange interaction between the old man and the young man from a distance, couldn’t make sense of it.

’Did the Manor Master really lose sleep and run over in the middle of the night just to ask if Nie Yun was settling in okay?’

’If that’s really the case, he must have been bored out of his mind.’

"Hehe, there’ll be a good show to watch soon. Just you wait."

CREAK!

Just then, a sound came from the room. The door opened, and "Mu Jie" walked out.

"Hm?" Mu Xia jumped in surprise when this Mu Jie spoke with Nie Yun’s voice. But then she recalled Nie Yun’s miraculous abilities when he saved her brother in Guangming City and had a sudden realization. "You’re disguised as Mu Jie? Then that person is..."

"This person is Mu Jie, of course. We just swapped places," Nie Yun explained, then said, "This Holy Spirit Disciple trial is extremely dangerous. I don’t think you should go. It’s better if you return to the Zihua Cave Mansion for now. I’ll tell the Manor Master that you’ve already left."

"Alright." Mu Xia knew that even though her strength had increased significantly, she still wasn’t qualified to participate in many of these matters. She nodded. "You be careful, too!"

Nie Yun just grunted in acknowledgment. With a single thought, he sent Mu Xia into the Zihua Cave Mansion.

The Zihua Cave Mansion was its own Grotto Heaven, incredibly vast in size. Even another hundred people could fit inside without it feeling crowded.

’Just as I thought, that guy really did forget what happened earlier...’

Activating his Celestial Eye Talent, Nie Yun watched the conversation between the returning Manor Master and the shadowy figure, a smirk playing on his lips.

As soon as the Manor Master had left earlier, the figure he had knocked unconscious had quietly followed him. Of course, if that hadn’t been the case, Nie Yun wouldn’t have explained things so openly to Mu Xia.

The figure followed the Manor Master back to his room and reported on his surveillance. However, Nie Yun’s powerful Soul Power had erased a portion of his memories, so he had no idea what had actually transpired. In his telling, the night had been completely peaceful, with nothing out of the ordinary.

’Having strong Soul Power is really something else! Oh, right, I should take a look and see if this Dieyi Manor has any treasures...’

He sighed in admiration, and then a sudden thought made his eyes light up.

Nie Yun had now become a grandmaster of thievery, just like the Divine Thief Qianhuan. Wherever he went, he was sure to sweep the place clean of all its treasures. Since he couldn’t enter the Lingxi Celestial Palace yet (the jade tablet was only effective against the Restrictions inside the Celestial Palace, not the ones outside, so Nie Yun still couldn’t get in!), he might as well check out Dieyi Manor’s treasures and steal them while he was at it!

Dieyi Manor had existed for countless years. Although the Ancient City was more barren than the outside world, it was bound to have some treasures. Perhaps he could even find some Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water!

At this thought, a fiery passion lit up Nie Yun’s eyes. He leaped back into his room, activated his Celestial Eye Talent, and his eyes once again filled with a brilliant golden light.

Under the gaze of his Celestial Eye, the entire manor once again appeared before him, every detail laid bare.

’Huh? Why isn’t there one? Impossible. A manor this large can’t possibly be without a Treasure Vault!’

After scanning the entire manor, Nie Yun still hadn’t found any Treasure Vault, and he couldn’t help but find it strange.

’If a manor this large has no treasures, what do they use to support their disciples’ Cultivation?’

’Hm? What’s that? Could that be the Treasure Vault? It’s in the Manor Master’s room?’

He checked again, and a sealed-off basement suddenly appeared in his vision.

This basement was located directly beneath the Manor Master’s room and was constructed entirely of a special type of rock. As powerful as his Celestial Eye Talent was, he couldn’t see through it, so he had no idea what was stored inside.

However, judging by how securely it was guarded, this small basement was definitely hiding a great treasure!

’Well, since you’re not good people, I have no reason to be one either!’

Having deduced that this place held a hidden treasure, Nie Yun gave a faint smile.

He was like a termite now, devouring all the treasures of any place he came across. Since they were destined to become enemies sooner or later, there was no need to play the part of a good man!

’No wonder that Qianhuan fellow lived so comfortably. This life of stealing wherever you go is pretty damn satisfying!’

Recalling how Qianhuan could casually produce the most priceless treasures in his past life, a fiery passion burned in Nie Yun’s eyes once more. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)