HSSB809: True origins
Even if the other two fakes had not arrived afterwards, that tall, thin youth who had been the first to arrive might still have been exposed if he had stayed on for too long.
After all, his appearance still diverged rather greatly from Yan Zhaoge’s.
Anyone who had seen the actual Yan Zhaoge before or even an image of him would be able to know that he was just a mere imposter.
The same applied for that black-clothed youth who had arrived afterwards.
There was just this third person for whom there would be no problem continuing with this at all.
It was not just Whale Fishing City and the Xie Family. He could roam throughout the entire world using Yan Zhaoge’s identity.
So long as he did not meet someone personally acquainted with Yan Zhaoge, most would be hard pressed to identity him for a fake.
Yan Zhaoge cultivated in many different martial arts. Even if his martial arts were different from Yan Zhaoge’s, he would still be able to reason his way out of it.
This third person had originally been filled with confidence, having believed that he would be able to travel everywhere other than the Royal Reed Sea as him.
Considering proximity, by the time that the locals learnt that Yan Zhaoge had not left the Royal Reed Sea or had appeared elsewhere, he would already have long since left and headed for another place.
It was just that he had really been too unlucky, actually happening to run into Yan Zhaoge the very first time that he was impersonating him.
Looking at that Maoliang, even as he smiled bitterly to himself, a chill also arose within his heart.
Through his actions, Yan Zhaoge was preventing such occurrences from ever happening again.
Yan Zhaoge did not know how many there were like him or whether similar people existed.
His actions in Whale Fishing City today were equivalent to leaving behind a version of events.
If similar situations occurred in the future, he could attribute them to some demon under his tutelage having escaped yet again.
Yan Zhaoge appraised him rather interestedly.
For Yan Zhaoge, switching a live person was actually due to nastily recalling Journey of The West.
Having met two Maoliangs in his earlier travels, he had killed one of them and captured the other.
The soft bones of this creature were a precious supreme delicacy which had satisfied Yan Zhaoge, Feng Yunsheng and the other gluttons immensely over the course of their journey.
They had brought the live one along, locking it up inside the Myriad Dragon Palace to keep it fresh. That it would turn out to be of use here was an unexpected thing.
Speaking of this, rather than saying ‘Demonspawn, show your true form!’, Yan Zhaoge would prefer trying something along the lines of ‘Fellow Daoist, a moment’…
Looking at the other party, Yan Zhaoge smiled, “Oh, it shouldn’t be some treasure. It should be from some kind of pill?”
That person nodded frankly, “Right, I consumed a kind of form dispelling pill. Having offended you, I hope that you will forgive me. If you need any sort of compensation for me, I will agree to it as long as it is doable for me.”
Yan Zhaoge turned to look at the Northern Ocean Clone who retrieved a Shadow Shrinking Pouch, spending quite a bit of effort before finally managing to open it.
“The restrictions on this Shadow Shrinking Pouch should have been set by your seniors?” Yan Zhaoge smiled as he examined the contents of the Shadow Shrinking Pouch.
After a moment, he retrieved a pill bottle from within which he promptly sniffed. Then, he took a golden needle and pricked it within, analysing the changes within with his true essence.
A short while later, Yan Zhaoge said, “Intricate indeed. The one who concocted it is very skilled.”
“If I am not wrong, this pill has a limited duration. Each one can only hold on for a certain duration of time, after which it will have to be consumed again for the effect to be sustained.”
The other party nodded, “Yes, you’re right.”
Holding onto a pill, Yan Zhaoge asked, “There is one thing of which I am uncertain. It seems that all who consume this pill will only be able to change into the guise of a fixed person.”
“Consuming another afterwards, the effects will only be lengthened. There is no way to transform into another person?”
Hearing this, the other person was stunned, “He can tell so much about this Form Dispelling Pill without even consuming it?”
Seeing this person’s expression, Yan Zhaoge knew that he was right as he smiled and kept the pill before asking, “What’s the deal with that jade necklace?”
“Those two fellas aside, your background is not ordinary at all. Why is it that you have set your eyes on something from this small place?”
“Any one of you three would have been able to snatch the necklace without anyone in Whale Fishing City being able to do anything about it. Why did you think up such a plan instead?”
Yan Zhaoge laughed, “Oh, right. You’re not counted. You intended to impersonate me right from the start and go on doing so for a long time afterwards.”
The person before him knew how to act appropriate as the situation required as he honestly replied, “That necklace seems to be related to a secret treasure. I only just happened to gain an interest in it. The other two should have been aiming for it right from the start.”
“The Whale Breath Sect has set special mechanisms in Whale Fishing City’s Xie Family Manor. If one were to forcibly attack it, the Whale Breath Sect would immediately be informed. As their sect has an Immortal Bridge Martial Saint at the end of the day, no one wanted to cause too much of a disturbance lest it be detrimental to our actions thereafter.”
“Secretly switching the treasure, even with three of us fighting like there were just now, it would still not provoke the Whale Breath Sect into immediately sending multiple reinforcements over at least.”
Despite having said so, this person’s expression was rather relaxed.
Yan Zhaoge pointed at the sigil on his forehead, “How did you get this mark?”
The other party said, “It was left behind by a senior. I myself am not that clear on it.”
Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin, “So the Exalted Solar Luminary once interacted with experts of the Prime Clear lineage.”
His mere nonchalant words were like a shocking bolt of thunder in the ears of the other party.
The youth who had still been able to maintain his calm after falling into Yan Zhaoge’s hands despite looking rather low-spirited and defeated now gazed at him all wide-eyed and tongue-tied.
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “What? While the sword art you executed was a variant of the Immortal Ending Sword, if was definitely of the direct lineage, being a variation of the most orthodox Immortal Ending Sword Manual of the Prime Clear lineage. If not for having deep insights in the true Immortal Ending Sword Manual, how would it have been this intricate, yet with the sword art conveniently hidden?”
“Viewing your martial art, seeing how we have no former enmity, it must not have been to frame me that you impersonated me. Instead, it should have been to make it convenient for you to move about in the World beyond Worlds, or rather the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.”
“You can be considered a genius-level figure, possessing some natural arrogance. If you were not forced or had some goal in mind, how would you have needed to turn yourself into someone else?”
In truth, the three imposters he had met in Whale Fishing City had all been extremely outstanding in terms of talent and strength.
Despite all being of the mid Merging Avatar stage, their abilities were all above average for those of the same cultivation level.
There were the stronger even amongst the stronger, and this third person had been the strongest of them all.
How could a direct descendant of the Prime Clear lineage be an ordinary figure?
The Northern Ocean Clone had handled him with utter ease because the gap in their cultivation base was just too great, with the Northern Ocean Clone similarly being an extremely powerful existence.
Yan Zhaoge asked mildly, “The Earthly Sovereign’s decree states that descendants of the Prime Clear lineage are not allowed to set foot in the World beyond Worlds. Those who defy this will be directly slain. What is it that you have come here for, even bearing such a great risk?”
The shock on that person’s face gradually vanished as he gazed at Yan Zhaoge, “I had not thought that the highly renowned Solar Luminary Young Master is actually also a descendant of my Prime Clear lineage. I have truly been disrespectful.”
He calmed down, “Even though you are stronger than me, your cultivation base is not much higher than mine. If you are not someone who also cultivates in the direct lineage Immortal Ending Sword Manual, how would you have been able to see through my foundation?”
The corners of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth arched lightly upwards, “I am different from you. Like a certain someone, I’m different from you and different from you people.”
That person was rather taken aback, “You are a descendant of senior apprentice-granduncle Long?”