Chapter 7: The Pale Shadow City
Ash City loomed on the horizon like a colossal metallic beast, lurking between the barren wastes as if awaiting its next prey. It was not merely walls and stones; corroded steel plates fused with the bones of colossal beasts formed its structure, defying ash storms and even death itself.
To Fang Li, the city was only shades of gray and black. His monochrome world made the city lights appear as irritating white splotches, lifeless, soulless. Deprived of smell, he wandered through a pencil-drawn canvas, utterly detached from everything around him.
"System, activate 'Intrinsic Stealth' mode," Fang Li ordered internally, his voice steady.
[Activating mode…]
['Crushed Star Arm' will be hidden behind a visual illusion; your energy frequency will be adjusted to appear as a third-rank cultivator.]
[Warning: Your mind is at hour 15 of 'Forced Awareness.' Auditory hallucinations may appear. Avoid killing anyone simply for breathing too loudly.]
Fang Li ignored the warning, walking toward the guards. His black cloak draped over his lean, power-laden frame, shadows and gray mist aiding his stealth.
"Stop! Identity and entry fee!" one guard shouted, bronze armor gleaming.
Fang Li extended his left hand, presenting a small pouch containing refined Ash Essence. "Independent traveler, seeking work at the auction." His voice was dry, like aged timber.
The guard glanced at the essence, then into Fang Li's ashen eyes. A strange shiver passed through him, as if the Reaper himself had brushed by, yet he only gestured him inside.
"Enter… Ash City asks no questions about the past, as long as you can pay for your future."
The moment Fang Li stepped inside, the cacophony of the city struck him. The sounds were painfully sharp—vendors, clashing swords, thousands of footsteps hammering his mind like relentless hammers.
[Alert: 'Raw Materials Market' detected 200 meters ahead.]
[Suggestion: Merge 'Spirit Mask' to conceal your features before entering the auction. A cultivator in the alley sells stolen tools.]
Fang Li moved toward the alley. Darkness enveloped the walls, coated with sticky black resin. Behind a table sat an old, dwarf-like man, cluttered with spiritual junk.
"I need something to cover my face… to hide my spirit."
The old man squinted with greed. "I have demon-skin masks, and some from Spirit Silver… but they're costly."
Fang Li extended his right metallic hand. With a glance, the system leaked a fraction of Crushed Star Arm's energy. The table trembled; scraps of junk levitated toward his hand like iron filings.
The old man paled. "You… a metallic cultivator?"
"Don't ask. Just give me what I want."
He picked up a gray, grotesque mask carved from wood grown over a mass grave.
"This is the 'Mask of Forgetting.' It hides your face, and anyone who looks at you will forget your features as soon as they turn away."
[System Check: Material compatibility 88%.]
[Merge Option: Fuse mask with facial nerves.]
[Result: Anyone below 'Ash Builder' rank cannot recall your face. Cost: Loss of smiling or any facial expression.]
Fang Li smirked darkly. Smile? I forgot how long ago I even did that.
He ordered the merge. Cold needles pierced his skin, attaching to muscles and nerves. The wood melted, fusing with his flesh, until mask and face were one—no more human features, only a smooth gray surface, with two lifeless eyes glowing faintly.
[Merge Successful. You are now: The Faceless Man.]
Fang Li approached the Black Star Auction Hall, guarded by cultivators of 'Smoke Condensation' rank.
In line, whispers rippled behind him:
"Did you hear? Today's auction has the 'Ash Dragon Heart.' It can elevate a cultivator from 'Smoke Condensation' to 'Ash Builder' in a single night!"
Fang Li's eyes widened beneath the mask.
[New Target Detected: Ash Dragon Heart]
[System Analysis: Merging this heart with your Cauldron will break the 'Cauldron Ignition' ceiling, immediately reaching the next rank, while purging 50% of negative merge residues.]
He whispered to himself, unheard by anyone: "Restore colors?"
[Perhaps,] the system replied. [But the cost will be rivers of blood in this hall. Are you ready to turn the auction into a sacrificial ground?]
Fang Li smiled behind his wooden mask—an unshown smile, trembling only within his soul.
"System, I did not come to buy… I came to merge the entire city into my plan."
He took the first step into the hall, while his biological clock ticked in his mind, warning that nervous collapse was imminent, and that madness was a hair's breadth away.