Chapter 263

Chapter 263

The next day at noon, Grandma Tie came to inform them that new identities had been arranged for them.

Their new identities were disciples of Suyun Peak.

Suyun Peak was an inconspicuous cloud peak within the Pleiades Valley. When Su Molan's mother, Su Yijie, was still the valley master, Suyun Peak was known for taking in disciples with mediocre talents. It was often referred to as the "retirement peak," where the elderly, useless, disabled, and weak were all placed.

When Su Molan activated the valley protection array years ago, most of the disciples from other peaks left, but Suyun Peak retained the most disciples guarding the valley, reportedly nearly seventy people.

Although Suyun Peak had many disciples, they were not well-regarded due to their mediocrity. They were often assigned tasks that required personal effort by the valley's disciples. For example, the middle-aged male cultivator who was sent by Grandma Tie to gather herbs from the medicinal fields was a disciple of Suyun Peak.

Grandma Tie suggested that they disguise themselves as disciples of Suyun Peak, which would make it easier for them to move freely within the Pleiades Valley.

Grandma Tie said, "I heard from the young master that you have shape-changing pills that can alter your appearance. Can you transform into someone else?"

Ning Yuzhou understood her intention and replied, "Yes, may I ask whom we should transform into?"

Grandma Tie waved her hand, and two portraits flew out, hanging before them and slowly unfolding.

The portraits depicted two disciples of the Pleiades Valley, one male and one female. The male had handsome features, while the female looked ordinary.

"This male disciple is Xu Haofei, and the female disciple is Wen Yashu. Xu Haofei is 308 years old and at the Primordial Void Realm. He is smooth-talking and gets along well with disciples from various peaks; Wen Yashu is 280 years old and also at the Primordial Void Realm. She is honest and timid. You will take on their identities from now on."

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou carefully examined the portraits and then took the shape-changing pills, transforming into their appearances.

After changing into the uniforms of the Pleiades Valley disciples, Grandma Tie gave them two spirit pills.

Ning Yuzhou caught them, smelled the pills, and realized they were age-concealing pills. These were rather obscure spirit pills that could mask bone age after consumption.

In fact, a cultivator's cultivation level and bone age cannot be changed. A simple investigation would reveal a cultivator's true bone age. In the cultivation world, when disguising oneself as another person, these factors must be considered.

"These age-concealing pills will hide your bone ages. As for your cultivation levels..." Grandma Tie looked at Wen Qiao. "Suppress your aura a bit. As long as you don't act rashly, no one should pay special attention."

When Grandma Tie arranged their identities, she tried to find ones that matched their cultivation levels, but there were too few disciples in the Pleiades Valley now, making it difficult to find perfect matches. Especially regarding their bone ages, the youngest disciples in the valley were over a hundred years old, so she had to use age-concealing pills to cover up.

"There's no need to worry," Ning Yuzhou said with a smile. "I have spirit pills that conceal cultivation levels. Unless it's an Emperor Yuan cultivator, no one can see through them."

Grandma Tie looked at him in surprise, her cold expression softening slightly. "That's perfect."

She pondered that according to the message from the young master, these two were quite capable. If they hadn't accidentally landed on the Pleiades Continent and needed to check the records of the Pleiades Valley, they might not have helped the young master so diligently.

Ning Yuzhou took out a flaw-concealing pill and had Wen Qiao take it.

This flaw-concealing pill was an ancient formula he discovered while studying the alchemy chapter. Such obscure spirit pills were considered minor paths among cultivators, and Ning Yuzhou treated them indifferently. Whenever he collected new spirit herbs and found a new formula, he casually refined a few bottles and stored them in the storage room of his space vine house.

Ning Yuzhou had refined many types of spirit pills, including several obscure ones. Although they weren't used frequently, they were handy when needed.

After Wen Qiao took the flaw-concealing pill, she suppressed her cultivation level to the Primordial Void Realm as instructed by Ning Yuzhou.

Thus, to others, she appeared to be a Primordial Void Realm cultivator.

Grandma Tie looked at their transformed appearances and hung the identity tokens of Xu Haofei and Wen Yashu around their waists.

"Grandma Tie, since we're taking on their identities, what about them?" Wen Qiao asked, implying whether these two could be trusted.

Grandma Tie replied indifferently, "You don't need to worry. Those with ill intentions will be dealt with one by one."

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou understood.

It seemed that Xu Haofei and Wen Yashu were spies planted by other forces in the Pleiades Valley. Grandma Tie knew this well. With the valley closed off and isolated, those inside couldn't leave, and those outside couldn't enter. She usually ignored these suspicious disciples, but now it was time to eliminate the spies.

Once they adapted to their new identities, Grandma Tie said, "In the Pleiades Valley now, besides me, there is another Emperor Yuan cultivator—Elder Wan. However, he usually cultivates in Xingyun Peak and rarely comes out. You don't need to worry about him."

Wen Qiao immediately understood that the other Emperor Yuan cultivator was not aligned with the Pleiades Valley and might also be a spy planted by the four major families. When Su Molan chose to reactivate the valley protection array, the four major families agreed, but that didn't mean they wouldn't plant spies to monitor the valley's situation.

Whether it was Elder Wan or the ordinary disciples, none of them were loyal to the Pleiades Valley.

It seemed the situation in the Pleiades Valley wasn't much better than outside. With Grandma Tie, a loyal Emperor Yuan cultivator, they could arrange a confrontation with another Emperor Yuan cultivator, ensuring that even if the valley was closed, outsiders wouldn't worry about any internal changes.

Wen Qiao shook her head inwardly, understanding why Su Molan had insisted they come to Grandma Tie first.

At night, Grandma Tie led them away from Chuyun Peak.

Grandma Tie was very familiar with the Pleiades Valley and led them through some remote paths, crossing almost half of the valley to reach a cloud peak.

Several cloud peaks rose within the Pleiades Valley, each serving a specific purpose. The transmission array was located in Chuanyun Peak.

Chuanyun Peak was deserted because the transmission array within had been deliberately destroyed a hundred years ago. Knowing its uselessness, no disciples from the Pleiades Valley visited it, saving them much trouble.

Arriving at the top of Chuanyun Peak, Grandma Tie performed a hand seal to open the protective array of Chuanyun Hall and led them inside.

The transmission array was in the hall.

The vast Chuanyun Hall was empty, and Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou immediately saw the transmission array in the center. It was indeed heavily damaged, and repairing it would take considerable time.

Seeing the neglected transmission array, Grandma Tie's eyes showed a hint of sorrow. She asked, "Young Master Ning, can it be repaired?"

"Yes, but it will take time," Ning Yuzhou estimated. "About half a month."

Grandma Tie's heart stirred, and her eyes lit up. Her hoarse voice said, "Then I'll entrust it to Young Master Ning. However, I have another request. Could you modify the transmission array to close the channels connected to the four major families, except for Heavenly Dragon Peak and No Return Sea?"

"Yes," Ning Yuzhou nodded. This was not a difficult task.

Grandma Tie finally breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully said, "Thank you both."

Then, Grandma Tie handed them a storage bag.

Since they were repairing the transmission array of the Pleiades Valley, the valley would provide the materials. Fortunately, Grandma Tie held a high position and could supply the necessary materials. She went to the treasure vault and filled the storage bag with all the array-related materials.

Iron Granny couldn't stay away from Chuyun Peak for too long, lest the disciples of Suzhou Valley discover her absence.

She left the two behind and provided them with a cloud beast before departing Chuanyun Peak.

At the foot of Chuanyun Peak, she set up a simple alarm formation, ensuring she would be alerted if anyone approached Chuanyun Peak, allowing her to investigate immediately.

After Iron Granny left, Ning Yuzhou casually set up a formation around Chuanyun Hall to prevent anyone from intruding during the process.

Having set up the formation, he emptied the storage bag prepared by Iron Granny and selected the materials needed for the repair.

Wen Qiao, seeing these materials, said joyfully, "It seems that although Suzhou Valley has declined, it still has a rich foundation. There are quite a few good things here."

Though she knew nothing about formations, under Ning Yuzhou's influence, she had gained some understanding of the materials used in setting up formations. She could tell at a glance that the items prepared by Iron Granny were excellent. Immediately, she rolled up her sleeves to help.

After preparing the necessary materials, Ning Yuzhou began setting up the formation.

Wen Qiao, unable to assist, stood guard beside him.

"Woof woof woof~"

Her skirt was tugged, and Wen Qiao turned to meet a pair of wet eyes.

The cloud beast, resembling a fluffy cloud, was tugging at her skirt, whimpering with hunger.

Wen Qiao patted her head and took out several spirit fruits from her storage bag, placing them in front of it. The cloud beast, smelling the fruits, buried its head and started munching.

Cloud beasts are low-level demonic beasts found on the Cloud Peaks of Suzhou Valley. They are named after their fluffy fur, which resembles clouds. Even if they break through, they can only reach the seventh level, making them of little value for cultivation. Practitioners rarely raise them as pets.

Due to their cute appearance and gentle nature, many female cultivators enjoy keeping them as pets. Before Suzhou Valley closed off, many who loved cloud beasts would come specifically to buy a few to keep as pets.

Iron Granny left this cloud beast to keep Wen Qiao company.

This cloud beast was about the size of an adult cat, with a white, fluffy body and shiny black eyes, making it quite endearing.

After finishing the spirit fruits, the cloud beast hummed happily at Wen Qiao, wagging its short tail, showing great affection.

This was a very friendly demonic beast towards humans.

Wen Qiao scratched under its chin, and the cloud beast responded with sweet, cooing sounds.

Having established a good relationship with the cloud beast, Wen Qiao began to assign it tasks, sending it out every day to wander around and gather information from other cloud beasts in the valley, reporting back to her.

With a large number of cloud beasts in Suzhou Valley, they became Wen Qiao's informants.

"It seems we don't need Wen Tuantuan to keep watch; the cloud beasts in the valley can help," Wen Qiao remarked, not bothering to bring out Wen Tuantuan, who was currently refining demon cores in the space.

With the cloud beasts as informants, Wen Qiao had a clear grasp of everything happening in Suzhou Valley.

For example, she knew exactly which disciples were there, what they were doing, and any secret activities they engaged in.

To Wen Qiao's surprise, Iron Granny, after bringing them over, did not reappear but began secretly planning, targeting another Emperor Yuan realm cultivator in Suzhou Valley—Elder Wan.

Wen Qiao informed Ning Yuzhou about Iron Granny's actions.

After a moment of contemplation, Ning Yuzhou said, "It seems Iron Granny is about to make her move."

"Does she want to kill Elder Wan?" Wen Qiao asked in surprise.

Ning Yuzhou nodded, unsurprised by Iron Granny's actions.

If Su Molan hadn't encountered trouble, Iron Granny wouldn't have taken such risks. When Su Molan chose to disappear in the Black Wind Desert, she effectively placed herself in opposition to all cultivators in the Pleiades Continent.

To protect Su Molan, Iron Granny would not allow any further mishaps in Suzhou Valley.

Once the transmission array was repaired, Su Molan would return, and the other Emperor Yuan realm cultivator in the valley would become a threat to her. Iron Granny had to eliminate this threat beforehand so that Su Molan could stay safely in Suzhou Valley.

To avoid drawing attention from the four major families outside the valley, Iron Granny had to act covertly, choosing assassination to ensure that Elder Wan would remain in "seclusion" forever.

***

When the transmission array was nearly repaired, Iron Granny finally appeared.

Wen Qiao noticed that Iron Granny's face was extremely pale, her aura unstable, indicating severe injuries.

Her once youthful and tender skin now bore deep wrinkles, as if overnight, her vitality had been drained, revealing her true age. Her previously youthful appearance, preserved by her cultivation, now showed the marks of time.

"Iron Granny, are you alright?" Wen Qiao hurried over to support her.

Iron Granny's breathing was heavy. With Wen Qiao's help, she sat down on the ground in front of the transmission array, ignoring her injuries and asking, "How is the repair of the transmission array coming along?"

"It's almost done," Ning Yuzhou replied without looking up, busy with his work. "We need three more days."

"Three more days..." Iron Granny murmured, a faint smile appearing on her aged face.

Wen Qiao softly asked, "Granny, are you alright?"

Iron Granny's gaze fell upon her, filled with warmth. At this moment, she was no longer the ugly and strange old woman seen by the disciples of Suzhou Valley but a kind and amiable elder.

"I killed that old thing, Wan He," Iron Granny said with a smile. "Little Master is returning, and we can't leave any threats behind."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao knew Ning Yuzhou's guess was correct. Iron Granny had indeed secretly assassinated Elder Wan without alerting anyone in the valley. Elder Wan would continue to be "in seclusion" until his death was discovered.

"Your injuries..."

"It's nothing serious," Iron Granny waved her hand, speaking calmly. "I wasn't going to live much longer anyway. I'm glad I could do something for Little Master before I die."

Iron Grandma did not leave. She sat in the great hall, watching Ning Yuzhou repair the teleportation array.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Iron Grandma had been sitting here for three days. Apart from meditating to regulate her body, she spent the rest of the time staring at the teleportation array, her eyes filled with a hint of anticipation.

When Ning Yuzhou placed the last piece of material in its proper position, the teleportation array was finally repaired.

The repaired teleportation array had yet to be activated, but Iron Grandma was still moved to tears, her hoarse voice saying, "Young Master Ning, Miss Wen, thank you. When will Little Mistress return?"

Wen Qiao saw his face covered in sweat and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it away for him.

Ning Yuzhou slightly bent down so that Wen Qiao could reach his face. His eyes fixed on the person wiping his sweat, he smiled and said, "Once we activate the teleportation array, there should be a response on the other side. If Miss Su discovers it, she will surely rush back."

After hearing this, Iron Grandma personally retrieved spirit stones and embedded them into the designated positions on the teleportation array. Then, she infused it with spiritual energy to activate it.

The teleportation array lit up with a beam of spiritual light.