Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 357 - 357 356 Quanzhen Man

357: Chapter 356: Quanzhen Man 357: Chapter 356: Quanzhen Man Hou Niao had reduced the lighthouse on the cliff to rubble, yet the Daoist Chao did not appear.

Clearly, this fellow knew he was in the wrong, so after learning that the Sword Cultivators were unharmed, he had slipped away—a deep schemer indeed.

Quanzhen Sword Cultivators in a frenzied state were a type of highly troublesome humanoid creatures within the Cultivation World.

There was no need to confront them head-on.

“Fine porcelain does not clash with coarse tiles.”

Hou Niao felt a tinge of regret in his heart.

He had originally wanted to take advantage of the situation to finish off this fellow with a single sword stroke.

Who would have thought that such an arrogant Daoist could actually be so flexible in character?

Without a doubt, those four thieves were the hired henchmen he had summoned.

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that, having arrived at Sangmu Island just a few days ago, they encountered such a meticulously planned ambush?

He had suspected that the Wu Sect was colluding with pirates, but he had not expected the connection to be so close-knit that in just a few days, they could mobilize four Loose Cultivators to attack.

If there had been more time, wouldn’t there have been even more of them?

The wide reach of the Daoist Sect’s influence had once again taught him a lively lesson.

Unfortunately, he was not currently within the Daoist Sect.

They say demons are insolent, yet he fails to see where exactly that insolence lies.

The purpose of this journey was to deliberately create some friction with the Wu Sect so that he would have an excuse to visit Sangmu Island often, but Daoist Chao was too cunning and simply left him no opportunity.

His venting had caused quite a stir, drawing many pointers and whisperers from nearby mortals.

With no interest in lingering, he left in displeasure.

Sword Cultivators gave off the impression of being impulsive and hot-tempered, and he hoped to be viewed in such a light himself, as it would make it easier to silently take advantage of others.

The return journey was boring.

He did not take the same direct route as before, instead making a wide detour.

He did this firstly to catch a glimpse of a few famous islands nearby, and secondly to avoid being intercepted by anyone with such intentions.

Pride won’t fill your stomach, so caution is still necessary.

If people really assembled a team to surround him, he wouldn’t dare say he was sure to win with his current strength—which was another reason for his regret at not having clashed with Daoist Chao.

He genuinely wanted to know just what level a Daoist Sect Cultivator at the God Sensing Realm was actually at.

The investigation could, for the time being, be considered concluded.

Primordial Power was a matter that touched upon realms too high; passing this clue on to Li Chuping wouldn’t give him the slightest bit of psychological pressure.

That was his standard for action—he would absolutely not provoke enemies whose Realms were vastly superior to his own.

As his flight was with the intent of sightseeing for amusement, his course naturally came closer to those popular island routes.

Such a journey thus became less lonely; Cultivators began to appear more frequently, with chance encounters becoming common.

Upon reaching the first popular island of the journey and starting for the next, he completely blended in as part of a sightseeing tour.

The number of Cultivators who came to Linhai Country to view the sea was not small.

The Jinxiu Continent had only two oceans, the Lizhi Sea and the Tianjin Ocean; travelling from Mirage City to the Lizhi Sea was one of the quite popular routes.

This was because Mirage City flourished in trade, and there was no shortage of scenic islands within the Outer Sea.

Members came from all over the Jinxiu lands, and were not limited only to the Southwest countries.

Low Realm Cultivators could not travel such distances, but for those who had reached the Tongxuan Realm, reading ten thousand books is not as useful as traveling ten thousand miles.

Going on journeys was a part of their Cultivation.

Those by the sea ran up to the mountains, while those inland ran towards the sea—it seemed to be a prevailing trend; considering the topography of the Jinxiu Continent, there were far more inland states than coastal ones, which makes one realize how popular a place like Mirage City must be.

Each year, after consolidating their power for a while, Tongxuan Cultivators whose Realm had just been established would no longer be able to suppress the surging desire to traverse the world in search of knowledge.

They would set out from all over the continent, heading for various legendary pilgrimage sites.

Of course, places that were too dangerous were out of the question, unreachable; and they did not wish to go to places that were too comfortable either, as that would not reflect the pursuit of a Cultivator.

But having newly grown wings that allowed flight, and being unable to control an eager heart, some regions with a moderate level of danger became the preferred choice for new Tongxuan Cultivators.

The exotic scenery within two thousand miles off the coast of the Lizhi Sea and the thousands of bizarre islands became must-visit locations for Cultivators at this stage of their journey.

Consequently, a new industry chain was born, dedicated to providing services to this large group of Cultivators who had advanced into the Tongxuan Realm for less than ten years, offering routes, safety, culture, shopping, among other conveniences.

Not everyone was born in the countries of the Southwest, nor was everyone a Hou Niao; for most new Tongxuan Cultivators, they weren’t entitled to rule over an island in the near sea off Lizhi, unless they were bold enough to become pirates here.

So, where there was demand, there were services.

Compared to aimlessly flying alone in the vast and unknown sea areas, joining a group was a good idea.

After all, most Cultivators who came here were just touring; there was no need to exhaust themselves for half a year or a year.

Just like Hou Niao, who had been in the Lizhi Sea for five or six years, he only dared to claim a rudimentary understanding of this sea.

Most of the island and sea territories were still unfamiliar to him, let alone these fleeting visitors.

The “Albatross” was the name of their travel group, led by an old Cultivator from Lizhi Sea.

The group also included about a dozen young Cultivators from different parts of the continent, and it was formed in Mirage City.

Hou Niao perhaps joined midway and certainly, the more, the merrier for the guide Cultivator.

During his solo travels, he had encountered many similar travel groups.

The reason he chose Albatross was not that it was special, but because its itinerary matched his plans more closely.

He didn’t have a compelling reason to join; partly because of the warm invitation from Old Cai, the guide, and partly because he didn’t want to exhaust himself either.

Traveling alone, cultivating, encountering, and interacting all came with troubles and were more likely to attract covetous eyes.

A group was different; no pirate gang would dare to mess with them easily.

These people might not be familiar with the sea, but they were no strangers to battling.

He wanted to relax a bit.

Recently, the tension had been a bit high.

It had been a grueling journey since leaving Blue Mountain Island, followed by a massacre upon returning to Mirage City, then to the Thunder Triangle for Thunder Forging training, and upon his return, he investigated a mystery on Sangmu Island and had an encounter with pirates…

Over the years, it seemed he was always on the run—recovering from injuries, fleeing, killing, drawing thunder…

This pace could not continue indefinitely; he needed a period of complete relaxation, without too much consideration.

The mystery of Primordial Power?

Who was manipulating all this behind the scenes?

Was it really the hidden hand of the Wu Sect?

He didn’t know.

Where was his swordsmanship headed?

Did he need to replace Earth Element Escape, or when should he replace it?

Why, despite the heavy price he had paid, was he still dissatisfied with his Flying Sword Skill?

Maybe his strength in the Flying Sword Skill was already above the standard of his fellow Sword Cultivators of the same period, but he didn’t feel a unique, overwhelming power.

So, what was missing?

Or were his standards just too high?

All these questions left him in a state of confusion.

Such a state was hardly desirable; he needed to adjust.

Therefore, joining a group was the best option.

He needn’t worry about a thing; just follow along—that was an experience of a different kind.