My Crazy Upgrade System

After Yi Tianyun put on the mask, Bai Shuihuang looked him up and down, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. Yan’Er’s eyes also went wide as she stared at him, as if she didn’t recognize him.

"What kind of mask is this? It’s so incredible! I’ve seen plenty of masks like this, but I can usually see right through them. This one of yours is difficult to see through, though. How peculiar," Bai Shuihuang said in astonishment. "Can you get me a few more of these? I’m willing to pay for them!"

"This... I only have one." Yi Tianyun shrugged helplessly. These Special Items were for his use only; he couldn’t give them to anyone else.

He could give away things like weapons, but items like this were a different story. They were special and couldn’t simply be handed over. It was just like the Evil Dragon Set, which he couldn’t give to anyone else to wear.

"What a shame. If I had a mask like this, I could go out and infiltrate other powers at will." Bai Shuihuang shook her head, clearly disappointed.

Yi Tianyun was a bit speechless. "Clan Leader," he said, "can’t you leave this kind of intelligence gathering to other members of your clan? For you to do it all yourself... isn’t that going a bit too far?"

Yi Tianyun never bothered with things like intelligence gathering himself; he just left it to his subordinates. They always did a more thorough job than he could, mainly because they had the numbers to collect a comprehensive amount of information all at once.

"I’m not just gathering intelligence. I want to get deep inside and completely eradicate any power that threatens the Phoenix Race!" Bai Shuihuang clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with killing intent.

The killing intent made Yan’Er recoil, and she huddled tightly against Yi Tianyun. She was extremely sensitive to such things and was immediately frightened.

"See? You even scared Yan’Er." Yi Tianyun patted Yan’Er’s little head. ’As the Clan Leader, she’s responsible for the Phoenix Race, so it’s not surprising she’d infiltrate enemy factions.’

He would do the same thing in her position, so he understood.

"I got carried away for a moment and forgot." Bai Shuihuang looked at Yan’Er and shook her head, then said, "Well then, let’s go now. Let’s see what they’ve come to say."

Yi Tianyun nodded. After he entrusted Yan’Er to Pu Ren and the others to play with her friends, he and Bai Shuihuang proceeded to the great hall outside.

The moment he stepped into the great hall, Yi Tianyun saw Ming Chen’s detestable face. He was sitting off to the side, sipping tea. When he saw them approach, Ming Chen’s eyes lit up, and he quickly stood to greet them. "To be welcomed by the Clan Leader in person! This is truly my honor!"

Another expert had come with Ming Chen. His cultivation was a bit weaker, at the second-layer Spirit King Stage, and he stood by without saying a word.

"Think nothing of it. What business brings you here this time?" Bai Shuihuang’s expression was indifferent, her tone neutral, making it impossible to guess her thoughts.

"Oh, no major business. I was in the outside world when I heard you’d resolved the matter of the Phoenix Cave, which made me quite happy. There’s nothing better than to see it resolved. But I wonder, was the Evil Soul killed? Or was it merely sealed?" Ming Chen smiled, a look of concern on his face. He even wore an expression of delight, as if he were genuinely happy they had solved their problem.

’This filled Yi Tianyun with disgust. What a convincing act. If he was really so happy for them, why did he demand such an exorbitant price in the first place? Why not just offer to help for free?’

"And what if it was killed? What if it was sealed?" Bai Shuihuang said coolly. "If I recall correctly, the clan elders told me you quoted a sky-high price, one we found completely unacceptable. So why have you come now?"

Bai Shuihuang couldn’t hold back and spoke her mind directly.

"Our asking price was perfectly reasonable. Dispelling the Immortal Fire and Celestial Yin Fire isn’t actually difficult; the real challenge is killing the Evil Soul." Ming Chen said with a faint smile, "If it were only a matter of dispelling the Immortal Fire, our price wouldn’t be high at all. But killing the Evil Soul... that requires a significant price. The elders we would send might even die in the process, so of course the cost would not be low."

"I’ve come this time simply to inquire about the outcome. If the Evil Soul has been killed, then it’s a joyous occasion for all. My congratulations to the Phoenix Race for ridding yourselves of a great menace."

"However, if it wasn’t killed and was merely sealed, then your troubles are much greater. I have observed it before; even if forcibly sealed, it will eventually break out again, and it will be even more ferocious than before. If it hasn’t been killed, we have a solution. We can even cut our price in half. After all, since you have already resealed the Evil Soul, the difficulty for us to resolve the issue would be slightly lower."

Ming Chen beamed at them. He didn’t look like an enemy in the slightest; he looked like a friend who wanted to help them solve the problem of the Evil Soul for good.

Knowing the truth, they felt nothing but revulsion. Even Yi Tianyun was thoroughly disgusted. ’Reduce the price by half? If we actually let them handle it, we’d be truly finished!’

At this, Ming Chen turned to look at Yi Tianyun and asked curiously, "And this friend? Is he a helper you’ve hired recently?"

In truth, Yi Tianyun had felt Ming Chen’s gaze sweep over him several times since he entered, as if trying to see through him. Thankfully, the Hundred-Change Mask provided a perfect disguise. Otherwise, things would have been quite troublesome.

While Ming Chen couldn’t tell he was Yi Tianyun, he could definitely tell he wasn’t of the Phoenix Race. That much was obvious at a glance. The Hundred-Change Mask could only alter his face, not his race.

It didn’t have that function yet. ’Who knows,’ he thought, ’maybe I’ll be able to draw an item like that in the future.’

Therefore, upon seeing that Yi Tianyun was human, and with the news spreading, Ming Chen immediately concluded that he was the hired help.

"Is there a problem?" Yi Tianyun’s tone was calm. Although he held a grudge against Ming Chen, he wasn’t about to lose his composure. ’The worst hasn’t happened yet, so I can afford to be calm for now.’

’If my cultivation were higher, I’d flatten Ming Chen with a single punch! I could team up with them to kill him now, but that would only bring the wrath of the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom down on us.’

Still, a few ideas were already forming in his mind.

"No problem, just asking. So, has the Evil Soul been taken care of?" A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant, his expression betraying nothing.

He kept asking about the Evil Soul because he was worried it had actually been killed. If it were, certain plans of his would be ruined.

"It’s dead. We’ve already dealt with it," Bai Shuihuang said coolly.

She wasn’t telling the truth. There was no need to be honest with an enemy.

"What? Dead!?" Ming Chen’s eyes filled with shock. The Cultivator who had come with him looked just as stunned, finding it impossible to believe that the Evil Soul had been killed.

Judging by their expressions, they were undoubtedly connected to the Evil Soul. Otherwise, why the profound shock?