Stellar Transformation-Chapter 409: Episode 13 - 29 Infiltration

Chapter 13, Episode 29: Infiltration

On a street in the eastern district of Hei Wu City.

A short-haired, sunny-looking young man walked down the street with a constant smile on his face. However, the other people on the street consciously made way for him, because no one could sense any aura from the young man.

This young man was the transformed appearance of Qin Yu.

"I didn’t expect it to become more difficult to conceal my aura after cultivating the ’Nine-Transformation Dark Gold Body,’" Qin Yu mused with a bitter smile. The strengthening of sinews and muscles after cultivation wasn’t a big deal. After all, a strong body couldn’t be detected by others using Immortal Consciousness.

However, once the body was cultivated to a certain level, Power would inevitably arise.

Qin Yu’s body possessed the Nine Transmutations Force, which in fact permeated every part of his body. With such pervasive force, it was very easy for others to detect.

Therefore, Qin Yu had to absorb all the Nine Transmutations Force into the ’Black Hole’ and simultaneously stop the operation of the ’Nine-Transformation Dark Gold Body’ cultivation technique in order to not emit any iota of aura.

"This Black Hole is quite peculiar, indeed. Anything that enters it can’t be probed by outsiders’ Immortal Consciousness at all," a smile formed on the corner of Qin Yu’s mouth. In reality, this Black Hole could be considered a space passage, not entirely within the realms of immortals, demons, and beasts; naturally, it was difficult for outsiders to detect.

Qin Yu’s steps were not fast, but his destination was clear—the residence of ’Yu Pan,’ a master of the Dragon Clan. Finding information on his own, who knew how long it would take, but with the Dragon Clan’s resources, it would be much easier. They had their own intelligence systems on Hei Wu Star.

Wading through the crowd, Qin Yu walked for over two hours and covered nearly half the distance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, by the Emperor’s command, Bai Xin shall be executed atop Yellow Lion Mountain six months from now. For details, please see this announcement," a team of Imperial City Guards flew overhead, with the leader proclaiming loudly. As soon as the voice spread, a large number of people on the streets started to gather here.

A public execution?

Such an event was pretty rare on Hei Wu Star, reserved only for those guilty of extremely egregious crimes. This Bai Xin was not someone many on Hei Wu Star had heard of.

"Bai Xin?" Qin Yu’s figure blurred into an afterimage, and in two or three steps, he was in the place closest to the Imperial Guards.

A black crystal board was affixed high on the wall on the side of the road. On the crystal board were two lines of golden characters that continually flashed with golden light. It was still day, so the golden glow was not very conspicuous, but come evening, it would likely be visible from a great distance.

Qin Yu looked closely at the two lines of characters.

"Bai Xin, a member of the Hundred Spirits Bird clan, has defied the Emperor’s orders and committed the crime of rebellion. She will be bound atop Yellow Lion Mountain for six months, and then executed atop Yellow Lion Mountain on the third day of the eleventh month."

Qin Yu’s eyelids twitched.

"Six months of public imprisonment before execution and such a broadcast to the world," Qin Yu pondered for a moment and guessed the opponent’s intentions, "The Peng Demon Emperor is actually resorting to such methods."

Anger arose in Qin Yu’s heart.

Clearly, the Peng Demon Emperor wanted to lure Qin Yu and his two brothers to rescue Bai Xin. And the summit of Yellow Lion Mountain was undoubtedly a place of ’Sword Mountain and Fire Sea.’ Even if it wasn’t, the Peng Demon Emperor would have laid a ’Heaven and Earth Net’ in wait for the three brothers.

If Qin Yu and his brothers went there... they might very well be captured, or even killed.

But if they didn’t go, Bai Xin would be executed!

"Yellow Lion Mountain, Yellow Lion Mountain," Qin Yu murmured, and then his entire figure disappeared directly from the busy street; he had entered the Jiang Lan Realm.

"Huh, where did that young man go? Dare he use instantaneous movement amidst so many people? And just now, when the Imperial Guards dissolved the decree on the wall, there was still an energy fluctuation around, although slight. He could have easily been caught in a spatial crack and been gnashed to death alive."

The cultivators witnessing Qin Yu’s disappearance were surprised.

"Brother, let’s not bother with such reckless people. Who exactly is this Bai Xin to warrant a public execution?"

The crowd around them started discussing again.

...

Within the Jiang Lan Realm.

Hei Yu and his wife Bai Ling were discussing Bai Xin; they could not be at ease without rescuing her.

"Brother Yu, why don’t we sneak in now, look for an opportunity, and rescue Sister? Once rescued, we’ll return to the Jiang Lan Realm; there should be no danger," Bai Ling said, nearly frantic with worry.

Hei Yu shook his head: "You’re being rash, Ling ’Er. How can we sneak into the Imperial City? You talk of rescue, but with the tight security, how can we possibly accomplish that?"

Bai Ling’s eyes reddened; she had already cried several times over this issue.

Hei Yu sighed and hugged Bai Ling into his arms.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside. Bai Ling immediately sat up straight, and Hei Yu also looked towards the door. Upon recognizing who was coming, a smile appeared on his face: "Big Brother, do you have news about Sister Bai Xin?"

Qin Yu nodded and sat down on a chair.

"Really? Big Brother, when do we go to rescue Sister?" Bai Ling hurriedly asked.

Qin Yu shook his head, a tinge of worry on his face: "I just went out and hadn’t seen Yu Pan yet when I discovered that the Peng Demon Emperor has already announced something to the whole world!"

"Big Brother, what’s it about? Does it have to do with Bai Xin?" Hou Fei walked in from outside.

The three brothers lived close by, so Hou Fei knew to come over as soon as Qin Yu returned from the outside world. Hearing Hou Fei’s question, Qin Yu nodded: "Yes, it’s about Bai Xin. The Peng Demon Emperor has announced to the world that Bai Xin will be executed atop Yellow Lion Mountain in six months!"

"Executed?" Bai Ling was startled, and Hei Yu also looked at Qin Yu in shock.

Qin Yu nodded.

Bai Ling urgently said, "Big Brother, we must rescue Sister. We have to do it within six months, or else she will be executed."

"A public execution?" Hei Yu pondered, "Sister Bai Xin is not exactly a great villain. If the Peng Demon Emperor wanted to kill her, he could have done it directly; announcing it to the world and setting the execution six months later definitely hints at a plot."

Qin Yu nodded: "Yes, before executing Bai Xin, the Peng Demon Emperor plans to bind her atop Yellow Lion Mountain for six months. First, she will be bound for six months, and only then will she be executed."

"Damn it, being bound atop Yellow Lion Mountain for six months is clearly a trap meant for us to walk into!" Hou Fei grew somewhat angry, and Qin Yu felt helpless.

Hei Yu and Bai Ling exchanged glances.

Hei Yu stood up and addressed Qin Yu and Hou Fei: "Big Brother, Monkey, I know that the Peng Demon Emperor must have set up a Heaven and Earth Net waiting for us this time. All of this is caused by our attempt to rescue Sister Bai Xin, who doesn’t even have much to do with you, Big Brother... This time, to rescue Sister Bai Xin, I can go alone."

"Cut the crap." Qin Yu’s eyebrows twitched as he gave Hei Yu a cold look, "Little Black, you tell me... If I were in this situation, would you just stand by and watch?"

Hei Yu was taken aback.

"You silly Mixed Feathered Bird, ha ha." Hou Fei joked playfully on the side.

"Alright." Qin Yu let out a slight sigh and said, "Since it’s six months, the closer to the end, the stricter the surveillance will get. It’s likely to be tight at the beginning too; I’ve decided to rescue Bai Xin in one and a half months."

Hei Yu, Bai Ling, and Hou Fei all looked at Qin Yu.

"If the Peng Demon Emperor dares to do this, he must be fully confident that he can catch us. Our biggest reliance in rescuing Bai Xin is the Jiang Lan Realm!" Qin Yu expressed his thoughts to his brothers, "This time, if we are unable to escape after saving Bai Xin, we’ll directly enter the Jiang Lan Realm."

"We don’t need to concern ourselves with what happens in the outside world, just focus on cultivating within the Jiang Lan Realm. After all, the outside world holds little allure for us. Once our powers reach their peak, or we even ascend and survive the Divine Tribulation to reach the Divine World, the Peng Demon Emperor will naturally be unable to do anything to us," Qin Yu said with a calm smile.

Qin Yu was prepared; if they couldn’t escape, they would enter the Jiang Lan Realm and cultivate to the peak before anything else.

With the Jiang Lan Realm, Qin Yu wasn’t worried about the Peng Demon Emperor being able to do anything to the three brothers.

"Right, if we can’t escape after rescuing Bai Xin, we’ll just go into the Jiang Lan Realm. Damn it, this bastard Peng Demon Emperor, who doesn’t dare to provoke us in the Immortal, Demon, and Demon World, we’ll deal with him once we’re in the Divine World. Once we reach the Divine World, without his Inheritance Treasure, I’d like to see him act so arrogantly!" Hou Fei raged indignantly.

Hearing Hou Fei say this, Qin Yu, Hei Yu, and Bai Ling all began to laugh.

"Right, we’ll deal with him once we’re in the Divine World," Qin Yu said with a chuckle.

******

Above Hei Wu Star, there were only two major cities, Hei Wu City and the Imperial City. Other places were mostly plains, mountains, swamps, oceans, and so on; certain small areas may be inhabited, but the population was extremely sparse.

Atop Yellow Lion Mountain.

For many years, Yellow Lion Mountain had been the place where successive Peng Demon Emperors executed mortals who had committed heinous crimes. At the summit of Yellow Lion Mountain, a black pillar stood, and many criminals were bound to this pillar before their execution.

And now, Bai Xin was tied to this pillar. She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for nearly a month. At her level, she normally wouldn’t need to eat or drink, but Bai Xin’s Nascent Soul was completely restricted, rendering her unable to use even a trace of energy.

Without energy inside her body, Bai Xin had been continuously hungry.

However, being a Seventh-level Demon King, her physical body was extraordinary and not that of a mortal. Even if she was constantly hungry, her physical body would at most gradually wither without her dying. After all, her soul was powerful enough to exist independently of her body. It was just unfortunate that even her soul was now bound.

Bai Xin’s hair was unkempt, looking like a beggar exposed to the wind and sun atop the mountain for a month, she was in a very sorry state.

"Death?" Bai Xin sighed deeply in her heart, "If only I could have died earlier."

Bai Xin longed for death, but now her life and death were out of her control. She could only endure her days, confined to the mountaintop, exposed to the wind and sun, surrounded by onlookers.

Yes, onlookers.

At the foot of Yellow Lion Mountain, a large crowd was watching Bai Xin. Those publicly executed were generally significant figures, and many people would gather to see these important individuals meet their end.

Even the infamously known Bai Xin had attracted many people.

"Bai Xin is such a big shot, and there’s even a formidable array set up around her, which not even demon recognition can penetrate," a person at the foot of the mountain muttered helplessly.

"Who knows... But to be executed at the summit of Yellow Lion Mountain, she has at least made a name for herself in the immortal, demon, and monster worlds. That’s much better than being a mediocre nobody," a middle-aged man remarked with a sigh.

Cultivators, many of whom seek fame, often don’t care about life or death. After the Peng Demon Emperor’s actions, Bai Xin’s reputation had indeed spread, and many people even envied her.

In a small nook halfway up Yellow Lion Mountain, someone was lurking in the shadows. It was none other than Qin Yu, who had been scouting Yellow Lion Mountain for three days straight. Through observation with his eyes and by initiating conversations with people, Qin Yu had come to understand almost everything about Yellow Lion Mountain.

"Ao Ku, the Demon Emperor, takes the lead, with three other so-so Demon Emperors under his command. The actual day-to-day guardians are those poor thirty Imperial Guards. And at the mountain summit, there is a big formation surrounding Bai Xin." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Qin Yu already had a daring plan in mind.

This was the only method Qin Yu could think of.

...

"Ah, Brother Wang, life really is quite dull. While the four of them, including Lord Ao Ku, rest comfortably, we brothers have to change shifts every hour."

"Stop complaining, or we’ll suffer if we’re discovered."

Two Imperial Guards were chatting idly as they kept watch over Bai Xin. They worked in groups of five, with six groups in total, changing shifts every hour.

"Pretend to be a Ninth-level Demon King. With my current strength... Ao Ku might detect me if he uses immortal consciousness. Well, I’ll have to take the gamble."

Not far away, someone was watching these two Imperial Guards.

Over the past few days, Qin Yu had figured out the timing of the changing of the guards for each group. The next shift would soon be for these two men, but so far, Qin Yu hadn’t spotted any Imperial Guards who were alone; they were mostly in groups of two or three.

"I refuse to believe that Ao Ku always uses demon recognition to check," Qin Yu thought to himself, and Hei Yu suddenly appeared beside him.

"Little Black, we’re going to kill one each of them soon, use the Soul Searching Technique to obtain their memories, and then switch shifts to enter the formation," Qin Yu communicated through spiritual communication.

Hei Yu nodded.

"At the summit of Yellow Lion Mountain, only Ao Ku has a soul realm stronger than ours. The other three Demon Emperors aren’t anything special. As long as Ao Ku doesn’t check, no one will realize we’re imposters. If he does discover us, we’ll have to resort to force."

"Understood."

Hei Yu nodded again, then Qin Yu and Hou Fei dashed towards the two nearby Imperial Guards as fast as lightning. These two Imperial Guards were both Ninth-level Demon Kings, but they were powerless against Qin Yu and his companion. Immediately, Qin Yu collected the bodies of these two guards into the Jiang Lan Realm to ’destroy the evidence’.

Qin Yu and Hei Yu’s appearances and statures changed rapidly, transforming into those two men.

"Li Yan, it’s time for the shift change, hurry up," a voice called from a distance.

"Got it, I’m coming, Brother Wang, let’s go. It’s time for the shift change." Qin Yu responded, then said to Hei Yu beside him. The two impostors headed towards where the others were gathering.

(Today’s three Chapters are complete. There will be three more Chapters tomorrow, just to make up for yesterday’s, hehe.)