Chapter 1281: The Illusory Form Pearl
Chapter 1281: The Illusory Form Pearl
The army advanced to the foot of Shuangjing Mountain. The scene on Shuangjing Mountain appeared extremely peculiar.
The lower half of the mountain was filled with swirling snow, matching the weather outside. Spiritual consciousness could move freely without obstruction, which clearly showed that Sin Abyss had made no arrangements here.
However, near the summit, the scenery changed abruptly. That area had turned into a vast expanse of azure, with rippling water shimmering gently.
It looked as if a massive lake had been inverted from the sky, enveloping Shuangjing Mountain within it.
The moment anyone’s spiritual consciousness or any probing method touched those blue ripples, it had been instantly repelled, blocked completely outside.
This was obviously a phenomenon manifested by a spiritual array. Sin Abyss had already made thorough preparations.
Qingjun slightly raised her head and observed the array for a moment, then began calmly deploying troops and arranging formations, showing no sign of unfamiliarity.
In the past, she had been constrained by evil techniques and had never truly revealed her brilliance, yet she had never shirked her responsibility as a cultivator of Small Cold Domain. She had remained on the battlefield all along, having experienced nearly every battle against Sin Abyss.
Qin Sang carried out Qingjun’s orders with absolute precision. Naturally, no one else dared to object, and each took up their assigned role.
Just as Qingjun and the others were discussing methods to break the array, a female cultivator from the Tianxing Alliance suddenly stepped forward. "I have a plan. It might allow us to directly eliminate one of Sin Abyss’s Spiritual Infant cultivators."
The woman had a graceful figure and delicate features. Every movement and expression carried a refined charm. She wore a purple-red qipao, appearing gentle and dignified. A faint, lingering fragrance seemed to surround her, refreshing and captivating.
From her appearance, she seemed like a gentle young matron. Yet she was a genuine Spiritual Infant cultivator.
She had once shared a loving partnership with her husband, a pair admired like immortals. Unfortunately, her husband had failed to break through the Spiritual Infant bottleneck, and she had never remarried for the rest of her life. As a solitary widow, she inevitably became the subject of rumors.
"Madam Luo, what brilliant plan do you have?" Hearing her words, everyone turned to look.
However, her strength was not particularly outstanding among those of the same level. Her methods were ordinary, and throughout years of battle, she had performed steadily but without remarkable feats. This was the first time she had taken the initiative to step forward.
Madam Luo’s beautiful eyes shifted, and she looked toward Qin Sang, covering her mouth as she smiled. "I wouldn’t call it a brilliant plan. But I do have an idea. It depends on whether Daoist Qin is willing."
Her preserved youthful beauty and refined temperament far surpassed that of ordinary women. With a single smile, she radiated endless charm.
Hearing this, the others grew even more curious, casting somewhat ambiguous looks at Qin Sang.
Qin Sang himself was baffled. This was his first time meeting Madam Luo. He had never interacted with her before.
"Madam Luo, please enlighten us. If it can help, I will certainly give it my all."
Madam Luo nodded. "Your reputation is widespread, and your battle achievements are astonishing. In truth, most cultivators of Sin Abyss are still unfamiliar with you. If we strike unexpectedly, there will certainly be an opportunity. I specialize in illusion techniques. I possess an Illusory Form Pearl that can allow you to disguise yourself as me, while I take on your identity..."
As she spoke, she took out a blue pearl. It was the Illusory Form Pearl. Without further explanation, everyone immediately understood her plan.
Sin Abyss would not be overly wary of Madam Luo. If they could lure out an early-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator, then with Qin Sang’s strength, he would have a strong chance of taking the opponent down.
However, this required Qin Sang to disguise himself as Madam Luo, and both his demeanor and techniques could not reveal any flaws. Qin Sang’s expression twitched slightly.
"Madam Luo, I didn’t know you had such a method. I’ve never seen you use it before." Jinglin said in surprise.
Madam Luo lightly tapped the Illusory Form Pearl with her finger. Inside the pearl, a miniature version of herself appeared. Its expression was stiff, but its appearance was identical.
"This treasure can be used for disguise, but it has significant limitations. It is easy to expose, and it cannot be used on Daoists whose cultivation surpasses mine. As for those at the same level, their strength is not much greater than mine. Though some claim to challenge above their level, we all know there is still a gap, so the results are limited. This method can only be used once. I have kept it hidden as a trump card, waiting for the right opportunity. Now that Daoist Qin has appeared, someone exceptional enough to kill Old Devil Ye’s incarnation while being at the early stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm, it will surely produce extraordinary results!" Madam Luo smiled as she looked at Qin Sang.
"Daoist Qin, remember this. When the time comes, ask Daoist Leng to use the array to provide cover. The moment you encounter a Spiritual Infant cultivator from Sin Abyss, strike without hesitation. Do not allow them to grow suspicious. Also, we must carefully study each other’s mannerisms. If we reveal flaws in that regard, all our efforts will be wasted."
***
Qingjun led the army up the mountain. The two sides faced each other, and Shuangjing Mountain remained deathly silent.
Qingjun ordered the deployment of an array for final preparations, while also isolating the cultivators on the mountain from spying. Under everyone’s cover, Qin Sang and Madam Luo secretly entered a snow cave.
Qin Sang opened his mouth, about to say something, but saw Madam Luo raise her hand. A beam of white light shot out from the Illusory Form Pearl. It was her phantom.
The phantom flew toward him. Qin Sang’s heart stirred, and he suppressed the true essence within his body.
When the phantom merged into him, he felt nothing unusual. Only when he condensed water into a mirror did he realize his appearance had completely changed. He had become another Madam Luo.
However, his posture and expressions were too stiff and unnatural. Even without the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, anyone could tell it was fake.
Qin Sang subconsciously touched his chest. The sensation was unexpectedly soft, indistinguishable from the real thing. The illusion technique was truly exquisite.
He turned his head and noticed that Madam Luo had already taken on his appearance at some point and was now looking at him with a strange expression.
Qin Sang coughed lightly and examined her. "Daoist Luo, you look quite handsome."
Madam Luo covered her mouth and laughed. "Daoist Qin, you look quite beautiful."
The awkwardness eased, and the two began imitating each other’s mannerisms.
Qin Sang was easy to imitate. Madam Luo did not need to show many expressions. She only needed to act as a cold-faced gentleman standing beside Qingjun and assisting her in controlling the array. No one would suspect anything.
But Madam Luo’s accumulated charm was not so easy to replicate. Moreover, Qin Sang needed to personally infiltrate Sin Abyss’s camp to find a target, leaving no room for mistakes.
Fortunately, Spiritual Infant cultivators could already control every inch of their bodies with extreme precision. Qin Sang studied patiently, receiving Madam Luo’s full guidance, and improved rapidly.
Just as Qin Sang was practicing her gestures and expressions, Qingjun entered without notice.
Her gaze shifted, and she recognized that Madam Luo was actually Qin Sang. Her eyes lit up, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. "Junior Brother, you look quite charming."
"Thank you for the compliment." The real Madam Luo laughed so hard that she bent forward and backward repeatedly.
"To make the act convincing, this is my commonly used astra, the Qilin Hairpin. Like me, you cultivate wood-attributed true essence. Through the talismanic seal I leave behind, you can wield about seventy percent of its power without needing to refine it. Until the power of the seal is exhausted, you can activate it freely. Inside the enemy’s array, being cautious is only natural. They should not suspect anything..."
Madam Luo handed Qin Sang a jade hairpin. It resembled an ordinary phoenix-headed hairpin, except that one end was carved with a vivid, lifelike azure Qilin.