Chapter 66: The Disguise

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Disguise

While the couple wallowed in grief, Lilith stepped out of the shadow at once.

​Her striking black dress with subtle rose patterns instantly drew the couple’s attention. Seeing her veiled figure, they instinctively became alert.

​"Who are you?" Patriarch Dalian roared, his figure erupting like volcanic fire, sensing the immense, unknown threat.

​Lilith extended her hand toward the duo. Instantly, dark tendrils moved, entering their minds and bypassing all physical and spiritual defenses. Dalian’s erupting fire was extinguished before it could even reach Lilith. His powerful will was instantly subjugated.

​Only then did Vahn come out of his hiding, watching Lilith’s back with evident admiration.

​"Wow! Lilith! You’re domineering as ever!"

​Lilith snorted in response, a sound that held neither amusement nor anger. "Don’t speak nonsense. We need to finish this quick."

​Vahn simply smiled, perceiving the subtle shift in her aura. Though she acted cold on the outside, her action indicated a calculated efficiency.

​Afterward, they both became busy with their respective tasks.

​Lilith commanded the mind-controlled duo to stay still with eyes closed, without making any noise.

​Meanwhile, Vahn laid down beside Damien’s corpse, creating a sharp contrast. Damien’s hair was crimson red, Vahn’s void black. Damien’s face was sunken, bearing the marks of a debaucherous young master, while Vahn’s face was healthy and bright. They looked quite similar in height and stature, which was why Lilith thought this plan would work perfectly.

​"Hold still, there will be a little discomfort, but you’ll have to endure," Lilith instructed, her focus absolute.

​"Alright, Instructor," Vahn replied, his expression serious.

​She then proceeded to use one of her Forbidden Arts. It was called Face Stealing. Using this Secret Art, she had collected many faces into her collection over the millennia to hide her true, monstrous face from the world. And now she was going to use the same Forbidden Art to give Vahn the flawless disguise they really needed right now.

​A shimmering wave of shadow detached from the corpse and flowed toward Vahn. As the spiritual essence of Damien’s identity, features, and spiritual signature merged with Vahn, the process was invasive and jarring.

​Vahn’s body rippled, his physique subtly adjusted, and his face transformed into the exact copy of Damien Infernos, the recently deceased young master. The spiritual signature of the Infernal Clan now emanated from him, making the disguise perfect even to high-level spiritual senses.

​"This perfect disguise should hold for as long as you want," she mutter looking at Vahn’s new face.

Lilith studied Vahn’s new face: the spitting image of the deceased young master, Damien. Her eyes, typically cold, held a deep, unreadable intensity.

​"This perfect disguise should hold for as long as you want," she warned, her voice smooth and serious. "But once you remove it, you cannot get it back again."

She was looking not at Vahn, but at the face he now wore.

​"From today onward, you are now their son: Damien Infernos. And you’ll need to act like one, if you want to stay under everyone’s eyes. Understand?"

​Vahn nodded slowly after sitting up. He immediately adopted a subtle arrogance in his posture, already slipping into the role.

​He then curiously glanced back at the original Damien’s body. Where the face had been, only flesh and blood remained, the spiritual imprint completely stripped away by the Forbidden Art.

​His heart skipped a beat, not out of fear, but from a sudden, sharp realization of how Lilith had to live her life. To live by wearing someone else’s face, to constantly maintain a lie and hide her true self behind the mask of others, was truly not a good feeling. He felt like he understood her a little more, an unexpected wave of empathy strengthening the growing connection between them.

​He took a deep breath, pushing the sentiment aside. He had a job to do.

​"Understood, Instructor. Time to be Damien." Vahn rose to his feet, instantly channeling the spoiled, entitled air of a young master.

He then quickly stripped off his clothes, revealing his muscular physique and manhood to Lilith without shame.

After a small clean up, he seamlessly swapped his garments with Damien’s elaborate, high-quality red robes.

​Lilith, though a being of ancient power, was slightly flustered by his bold move.

She quickly turned her back, using the diversion to address the inconvenient truth of the corpse.

Pufff!

A silent command of her darkness art reduced Damien’s body to nothingness, eliminating all evidence of the fatal exchange.

​With the physical evidence gone, she moved to solidify the mental deception. She began manipulating the minds of the noble couple, her soft voice acting as a spiritual command:

​"Your son is not dead. He was saved by his Powerful Master who has taken him under their discipleship in a fortuitous encounter. You must treat him and his Master with absolute care. Be always grateful to his Master for saving his life."

​Hearing her absolute command, the couple’s mind were rapidly being rewritten. The confusion drained away, and their eyes soon regained their usual color, filled with the joy of a profound relief.

​"Son! You’re safe!" The woman instantly jumped onto Vahn, hugging him with powerful, maternal force, nearly suffocating him in her relief.

"Thank the gods! No, thanks to your Master. You’re truly fortunate!"

​Vahn’s lips parted with slight disbelief. He had acquired a family of just like that? The kind of family he yearned for day and night?

​But he quickly shook his head. No, this wasn’t real. Their love and care were a flawless spiritual illusion; he was only seeing the manifestation of Lilith’s mind control.

​Meanwhile, Patriarch Dalian, whose memory of the earlier humiliation was now replaced with profound awe and gratitude, bowed respectfully before Lilith’s veiled presence.

​"Thank you, Esteemed One, for saving my foolish son," Dalian said, his voice reverent. "We’ll forever be grateful to you for choosing him as your disciple."

​Lilith accepted the profound bow without acknowledging it, her focus entirely on the mission. She had successfully installed Vahn with a perfect, high-status identity and secured the absolute deference of a Golden Core Patriarch and his clan.