Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 320 - 320 319 The Red Sea Demon

320: Chapter 319: The Red Sea Demon 320: Chapter 319: The Red Sea Demon Hou Niao spoke in a calm and unperturbed voice, “It’s very quiet, perhaps because it’s a bit remote here?”

Duanmu Chai and Li E looked at each other, already making their judgments; they had been cultivating in the Lizhi Sea for a long time.

Their sources of information were diverse, and their networks wide-ranging, whether through official channels or more dubious ones, they had their own ways.

They had heard about the situation on Crab Claw Island, which related to two pirates often active in the nearby seas—the Black and White Fiends.

But their information was rather vague and inconclusive.

Now, seeing that Junior Brother Hou’s attitude was one of indifference, it was clear that he didn’t care.

This was a characteristic that a Quanzhen Sword Cultivator should have, never backing down in the face of adversity.

What they needed to do was to give a warning in advance, to help lay out some groundwork in the surrounding sea areas, and leave behind a means of contact in case of emergencies.

The rest had to be handled by the cultivators themselves; this was the significance of their presence here.

There was nothing particularly interesting about Crab Claw Island itself, having been visited countless times by numerous cultivators.

It had no hidden secrets nor any special fortunes or treasures, just ordinary, much like most other islands.

The Sea Clan did not have the habit of leaving treasures behind for humans to find.

Duanmu Chai and Li E didn’t even go on the island but took Hou Niao around the island for a few loops.

After a few circuits, the two landed on a bare reef not far from Crab Claw Island,

This was a small cluster of reef rocks, around the size of a dozen tabletops, found in abundance around Crab Claw Island, revealed at low tide and submerged at high tide.

Li E passed his hand over the reef and brought it to his nose to sniff.

The two exchanged a glance and nodded,

Duanmu Chai pointed at the ground below, “Sea Demons often appear here.

Have you noticed, Junior Brother Hou?”

Hou Niao was taken aback and his face turned red with embarrassment, but he wasn’t the type to refuse to admit defeat.

“I have not.”

Duanmu Chai nodded.

It was not unusual for the Sea Clan to linger near islands in the Lizhi Sea.

It also didn’t necessarily mean they had any schemes in mind.

In fact, peaceful coexistence was the norm.

While humans and Demons can coexist peacefully, one must be informed.

Blind and ignorant fearlessness is not desirable.

Li E tried to smooth things over, “The aura is quite faint, and the Realm is not high.

It’s not easy even for us to identify.

Junior Brother Hou has just arrived and is unfamiliar with the sea conditions.

It’s understandable that you may have missed something.”

One played the good cop, the other the bad cop, their coordination was seamless.

Duanmu Chai huffed, “Leaving aside the shellfish beds and shipping routes, how can we tolerate others snoring beside our bed?

It’s not a question of whether it’s possible but whether there’s the effort.

What, do you need us to help you root it out?”

Hou Niao was ashamed, “Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother, but I’ll handle it myself.”

Duanmu Chai’s tone shifted, “To the east of Crab Island lies Huangshi Island and Dazhou Island, to the south is Immortal Island and Cloud Mist Island, and to the north is Gufeng Island.

The masters of these islands may not be fellow disciples of our Quanzhen Sect, but they’re friends nonetheless.

I have already informed them, and when you have time, you might wander around and have a look.

It’s always good to make a few friends.”

Hou Niao humbly took the advice to heart, that was the real issue at hand.

The saying goes that a single tree does not a forest make, nor does a single flower bring spring.

If left to himself to network over a wide area, it would not only take a long time, but others may not even be interested in making his acquaintance.

He was currently in a critical stage of his Cultivation and could not spare so much time to expand his connections, so in truth, Senior Brother Duanmu, despite his seemingly commanding manner, was warm-hearted and took good care of his junior brothers.

The area around Crab Claw Island contained more than just these few islands; there were even some closer ones that Duanmu Chai didn’t mention, subtly hinting at something.

Cultivation requires perceptiveness, the ability to infer from one case to many, to hear a single word and understand a whole story, as this is a fundamental skill for survival.

Before he left, Li E spoke in a very euphemistic manner, “Junior brother, as sword cultivators navigating the world, our swordsmanship is sharp and a reliance, yet the strength of our cultivation is the foundation that determines many aspects;

it could be said that everything from swordsmanship to tunneling to various supplemental skills requires the support of cultivation.”

He observed Hou Niao’s sword control was acceptable and not weak among sword cultivators of the same realm, but his cultivation was indeed lacking.

“You could barely block a sword strike from Senior Brother Duanmu using just thirty percent of his strength, and this simply won’t do.”

Hou Niao nodded, “Thank you for pointing that out, senior brother.

I will put more effort into improving my cultivation.”

Duanmu Chai glanced at him and said indifferently, “Sometimes, speaking up doesn’t bring shame.

At times, all that others are waiting for is just an attitude from you.”

The two of them took off on their flying swords, coming abruptly and leaving in haste, evidently, they had other important matters to attend to.

Hou Niao didn’t ask further, understanding that if his senior brothers chose not to discuss it, they obviously thought his current strength was insufficient for certain actions, which was just the reality and not shameful.

After the two senior brothers completely disappeared into the skyline, Hou Niao lowered his head to look at the reef plate beneath his feet.

Were there sea demons lurking around here?

He admitted that he had put all his attention on cultivation and had neglected some areas, such as the nooks and crannies surrounding Crab Island.

The sea water was flowing.

In his memory, unless these demons were spotted at that moment, any traces would be carried away by the sea water—where could he even begin to look?

Imitating Li E’s actions, he felt under the reef plate’s waterline, then brought his hand up to his nose, but regrettably, he discovered nothing.

Could he have touched the wrong spot?

Examining the part of the reef plate below the waterline carefully, he finally found a trace amidst the countless crisscrosses.

He dug around, identified it, and felt a faint demonic aura rippling, very weak and still fading.

This indicated that the sea demon had appeared no more than a day ago, and he could not help but admire his two senior brothers’ perception; the gap was all-encompassing, with experience, understanding of sea demons, and sharp senses underpinned by profound cultivation.

Just as his senior brothers had said, he needed to find this sea demon, clarify its intentions and origins—even if it meant coexisting peacefully, he at least could not let the Demon Clan take him for a fool.

He was someone who couldn’t keep things hidden inside, especially near his own island; without certainty, his heart always felt uneasy.

Hence, he did not return to the island but sat on the reef to practice breathing control.

Because of his recent interaction with sea gulls, he had gained considerable knowledge about these birds, which was his forte, as true on land as it was at sea.

It was like he became one with the environment around him, as if he were a sea bird himself.

He thought it would take some time to find this mysterious creature, yet unexpectedly, deep into the nighttime…

He felt something and opened his eyes.

Through the dark waters, countless black dots were swimming below; slowly, these specks drew closer to the surface, like thousands upon thousands of tadpoles.

Hou Niao felt his ignorance.

In front of the myriad strange sea creatures, he was simply a layman.

Even though he often perused the tomes regarding the Sea Demon Clan of Lihai, he did not seem to have seen such small creatures before?

One finger in length, how could such creatures survive in the vast ocean?

Suddenly, a large mouth appeared in his line of sight, opening wide, sucking in the tiny school of fish without missing a single one.

Then, the strange fish lifted its head, revealing a fish head with a human face that looked fearlessly into his eyes.