Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 316 - 316 315 My Island

316: Chapter 315: My Island 316: Chapter 315: My Island The three tasks of Crab Claw Island had become familiar to Hou Niao through his cautious contacts.

It was not the season for the shellfish beds, the Sea Demons were nowhere to be found, and he had not yet flown far enough to reach the Thunder Triangle.

He was a person of great self-discipline in cultivation; he knew very well that once he entered the Thunder Triangle and began to study the Three Night Thunder Law Regular, it would be unlikely for him to settle his mind on practicing the Earth Element Escape.

This was not a problem that could be resolved by restraint alone; with his current Heart Realm, once he tasted the sweetness of the Thunder Law Regular, how could he seriously consider burrowing through the earth when the lure of the Thunderbolt Sword Skill was in front of him?

A gap in his defenses would emerge, his Earth Element Escape would be incomplete, and his Three Night Thunder Skill only just begun, leaving him grasping at both ends without success.

If danger were to arrive, what would he have to face it with?

He had to control his own desires.

A month passed, uneventful and bland.

Crab Claw Island seemed a corner forgotten by the world, with no friends, no enemies, not even a passing visitor.

One day, two figures flew over from the horizon of the Heavenly Sea, one in a black shirt, the other in a white robe.

As they flew, the one in black scoured the sea below and finally spotted their target, “Big brother, I see Crab Claw Island.

That Quanzhen Sword Cultivator sure is odd, picking such an island.

Brother, we’ve had quite the trouble finding him, going in such a big circle.

Once we find him, we must make him pay generously for all this trouble, or we can’t just let it go!”

The one in white robe snorted coldly, “Hou Niao, from the Quanzhen Sect, just over thirty, less than three years into the Tongxuan Realm.”

The one in black laughed, “Thought he could hide from us by running off to a remote place like Crab Island?

Too naïve!

I’ve heard that to stay clear of trouble, he did not skimp on efforts at old Zhu’s place.

He seems to have some assets; hopefully, he knows what’s good for him, so we, brothers, don’t need to trouble ourselves.”

The one in white robe was confident, “He will understand.

Anyone who knows how to manage knows that in the Lizhi Sea, the word of his Quanzhen Sect may not be taken so seriously.”

These two had a certain reputation in the Outer Sea of Lizhi, with real names unknown, because people in that line of work would never lightly expose their secrets; their exact identities are hard to pin down.

They might very well be self-proclaimed Island Masters of some desolate islands.

When it suited them, they’d become cruel visitors demanding protection fees, and if they couldn’t get those fees, they might become ruthless pirates.

Their roles changed depending on the circumstances, and this was also why the extermination of pirates in the Lizhi Sea never ceased.

Demanding protection fees was a delicate matter, and it could be counterproductive if the approach was wrong; moreover, revealing themselves would be troublesome.

The real professionals would first pick appropriate targets, avoiding strong cultivators and those who had been in the Lizhi Sea for a long time, since they’re hard to deal with.

The easiest targets were cultivators new to the Lizhi Sea.

Newcomers unfamiliar with the environment, unclear about the situation, with lower realms and limited strength…

People like Hou Niao and the other thirty-odd newcomers were perfect for extortion.

The two of them, often seen in black and white attire, were known as the Black and White Duos in these circles.

They made a living off the sea in Lizhi, acquiring resources in wealthier ways than on the mainland, such as stealing from shellfish beds, robbing merchants, plundering islands, and illicitly mining—a much richer range of options than available on the continent and the perfect destination for the fierce and wild cultivators of the southwestern countries.

The information on these newcomers was hardly a secret.

Mirage City’s Jiedu Mansion was like a sieve; no secret remained hidden as long as one was willing to pay the price.

These long-standing bandits had deep connections, making the idea of hiding on remote and obscure islands to avoid trouble practically impossible.

The Black and White Duos were not the only ones coming here to collect protection fees; they just happened to pass by.

There is always a first one.

The Quanzhen Sect was not an easy target for extortion.

In the thirteen southwestern countries, the Wu Sect and the Quanzhen Sect were the most troublesome powers to deal with—brave in battle, capable fighters, and especially vindictive.

So, it was rare for anyone to mess with them.

Especially Quanzhen Sword Cultivators, they had a particular trait—poverty!

But there are always exceptions, and lately, the two brothers were strapped for resources.

Considering the remote location and that not every Sword Cultivator was immune to threats, this person had shown generosity at the Jiedu Mansion…

In fact, this person was too inexperienced.

For an unpopular island like Crab Claw, no gifts were necessary to win people over; relations between the Quanzhen and Wo Sect could handle it.

This Sword Cultivator knew only one side of the issue and not the other.

He tried too hard and inadvertently revealed his assets and way of doing things, and that’s what drew the two of them here.

“Here we are.

I’ll go down and take a look first, senior brother, follow at your leisure.”

They seldom visited Crab Claw Island, as it wasn’t very lucrative; yet its distinct terrain was easy to recognize, so they wouldn’t mistarget.

There’s a routine in this line of work—never starting with violence.

In this world, apart from bandits, there are also the more refined thieves, and of course, the cultivator thieves.

The one in white robe stayed 500 feet up in midair, concealed within a cloud.

His attire blended perfectly with the surroundings, leaving no trace.

It seemed that this outfit had a particular purpose, and a true veteran would be incredibly clever in this regard.

The one in black lowered his altitude and swept over Crab Claw Island.

The lay of the land and everything on it became clear at a glance.

From what he could perceive with his Divine Sense, there were no signs of human Cultivators.

He needed to get closer; from a distance, cultivators had innumerable methods to evade detection by Divine Sense.

Continuously scanning with Divine Sense, he confirmed that there were signs of an Array’s energy fluctuating near the stone house, establishing that there indeed was a Cultivator stationed there.

Formations required support from Spirit Stones; when one leaves, their Array Plate and Spirit Stones would not remain behind.

He descended again to a clearing about several dozen yards from the stone house, keeping a safe distance.

Courage was one thing in this trade, but caution was also paramount; it was unwise to recklessly enter another’s Formation.

Using mana, he rapped lightly on the Barrier of the Formation three times.

This was the signal between Cultivators, asking, “I am a visitor, does the master welcome me?”

The Array promptly resonated back with a vibrant flash of spiritual essence; its message clear: Unwelcome.

The Cultivation World valued privacy, particularly in the places where Cultivators practiced.

Who would welcome unfamiliar visitors without outright intentions, and why waste their time?

The one in black, now sure that a Cultivator was inside the stone house, and having accomplished his purpose, laughed out loud:

“Daoist friend, why refuse people from thousands of miles away?

Out in the world, one more friend means one more path.

Locking yourself away here isn’t prudent.

Why not come out and meet, we may even become friends?”

No response came from within the stone house.

The one in black grew embarrassed but not annoyed, as this was typical behavior for newcomers, who thought that simply refusing entry could spare them.

How naive.

“Well, I also have some knowledge of formations.

Why don’t we have a friendly match in Array skill?

It would be a delightful conversation piece.”

As he spoke, he tossed a curious object toward the Formation descending upon it.