Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 368 - 368 367 The Momentum of Collapse

368: Chapter 367: The Momentum of Collapse 368: Chapter 367: The Momentum of Collapse “Nine rounds determine the winner, then, honor the bet and accept the loss!”

Before the crowd, Old Peng announced the rules of the demonstration: no avoidance of life and death, honor the bet and accept the loss.

For cultivators, this was simply part of their experiences while traveling abroad, nothing to be surprised about.

Those who had ascended to the Upper Realm and achieved Tongxuan had never relied on mere luck—each one excelled among their peers and had extraordinary talent, with even stronger sects backing them; the only things they lacked were experience and cultivation.

Yet, they didn’t consider themselves weaker than the pirates because they were the regular troops, while the opponents were mere bandits, with a completely different foundation.

No one opposed still, but dissent had begun to form within the ranks, likely because some were dissatisfied with the method of demonstration, lacking in novelty, and because it didn’t represent everyone.

Nine people, deciding who would participate was an issue; on Bamboo Island, there were Lady Bamboo and Phoenixtail Bamboo, and nearly thirty individuals from the tour group needed to select seven—who would be up and who wouldn’t, there was no fixed standard to follow.

Old Peng and Old Cai were merely guides, with no authority to make decisions for these wealthy clients, and cultivators were the group least likely to concede to each other.

There’s no first in literature, nor second in martial arts, and no agreement among cultivators—it was approximately like that.

After some debate, the eventual method fell in line with the most common understanding of their world: whoever had the strongest backing and the most powerful sect would participate.

In the absence of a universally acknowledged standard and without time to determine the strength hierarchy through competition, this was the only viable approach.

The Qi Sect and Zhou Sect from the Southeast region, the Jin Sect from the Northeast, the Zhao Sect and Yan Sect from the North, the Qin Sect and Yue Sect from the Northwest.

In theory, the Shan Sect from the Southwest should have also counted as a powerful and first-class nation’s strength, but due to opposition from several fairies, many things had gradually been influenced, leaving Hou Niao in a state where nobody inquired after him.

No one mentioned him, nor did anyone speak of the Shan Sect’s sword cultivators; if he didn’t speak up for himself, he would naturally become like a clump of air.

Of course, it wasn’t just the Shan Sect Quanzhen who were overlooked; the Chu Sect, Lü Sect, and a few other major national forces also did not get the opportunity, as even among the big nations, they had to distinguish between strong and weak.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to take on responsibilities, but with nine rounds to determine the outcome, what could he possibly achieve on his own?

The outcome had been clear since the rules were made—there was nothing worth struggling for.

From his perspective, in this kind of situation, if they wanted to drive away the Pirate Group, the best method would’ve been to seize the initial high spirits upon arrival and surge forward united, overwhelming the opponent with their numbers.

Perhaps they indeed lacked coordination and unity of heart, but the advantage in numbers would compensate for that, as long as they were willing to pay the price.

The two guides had adopted a very peculiar method, and he could roughly guess their thoughts—it was only that the world of cultivation was too pragmatic.

Everyone was out for themselves, and that didn’t seem so wrong, did it?

The cultivators of Bamboo Island lacked strength, and by occupying such a geomantically auspicious location, it was the very source of disaster; without self-awareness, they pinned their hopes on the selfless support of others—not worth empathizing with if they survived this time but not the next.

After finalizing their discussions, the demonstration began immediately; Phoenixtail Bamboo was the first to take the stage, and as part of the host side, this was their duty.

Her opponent was an unknown pirate, and their realms were comparable; the fight was also quite intense…

but in Hou Niao’s eyes, it was conventional and lacked anything remarkable, with most of the competition being about the depth of cultivation.

Phoenixtail Bamboo was adept in Barrier Formations, her Myriad Bamboo Formation combined with her Wood Element system, making for a perfect synergy between offense and defense;

The opponent’s skills were rather mixed, and at first glance, there was no discernible inclination toward any particular Daoist lineage.

This was a consistent feature of pirate combat.

They were reluctant to reveal their true lineages, so they would incorporate various strange and untraceable skills to conceal their origins, not wanting to cause trouble for their own sects.

Such battles tended to be quite dull: intense yet lacking in excitement.

If nothing changed, undoubtedly, the Phyllostachys would have the last laugh, determined by the characteristics of her skills.

The greatest strength of the Wood Element in the Five Elements is its endless supply and eternal life.

Old Cai sidled up to him and whispered, “Daoist, what do you make of this demonstration?”

Hou Niao chuckled, “The bamboo cultivators lack a decisive strategy, and the pirates probably aren’t going all out.

It’s a draw on both sides, and the outcome isn’t important.

What’s strange is their attitude toward battle.”

Old Cai nodded, “The Cang Pirates have been harassing Bamboo Island for many years.

Their intention likely isn’t to destroy Bamboo Island but to seek cooperation, to let the cultivators of Bamboo Island play a leading role publicly.

Hence, the pirates are not giving it their all, for fear of harming the other party and undermining the foundation for their cooperation.”

Hou Niao smiled faintly, “Yes, they want to cooperate, but they have no intention of collaborating with a tour group.

They might let the cultivators of Bamboo Island off the hook, but I’m afraid they’ll be swift and commanding with us.”

Old Cai looked somewhat embarrassed.

He still felt he needed to explain, “Daoist, you are the only one from the group who comes from the southwestern region and presumably knows about the Lizhi Sea.

I won’t hide certain things from you.

We don’t want to get involved in maritime disputes, but we can’t control the thoughts of those new tour members.

They are customers, and we are just the service providers.”

Hou Niao nodded in understanding; of course, he knew that the two guides weren’t entirely to blame.

They were compelled by survival.

When the travel group collided head-on with the pirate group, nothing could change the course of events.

Old Cai sighed, “Our only concern is to minimize the losses of the group members.

That’s why we insisted on a demonstration to determine the winner and loser; there’s simply no other way.”

Hou Niao was not impressed, “I understand your feelings, but I don’t agree with your approach.

It doesn’t ensure anything; casualties will still occur, and the results may not be satisfying.

In the end, it’s a conclusion where you lose both substance and face.

You can’t guarantee there won’t be accidents during the demonstration, you can’t guarantee these group members won’t go on a rampage if their pride is injured, and even if you manage to bring most of them back safely, you wouldn’t be able to continue in this line of work.

You end up gaining nothing.”

Old Cai was puzzled, “Then, Daoist, do you have any better suggestions?”

Hou Niao looked at him, his expression meaningful, “I don’t have a good solution, but if it were up to me, I wouldn’t try to please everyone.

Either completely abandon pride and lead everyone away directly, which is now impossible, or get involved regardless of the casualties to at least gain a good reputation.”

Old Cai was speechless; this was a sword cultivator’s way of thinking, “Isn’t that too radical?”

Hou Niao shook his head, “It’s not radical; there are no other options!

Pardon my bluntness, Old Cai, but you have been in this profession for too long and have lost many things inherent to cultivators.

Hence, you always give in, compromise, hoping to please everyone, only to end up with nothing in the end.

You underestimate the spirit of cultivation in these group members!

Most of them come from the most powerful countries on the continent, owning the pride of their Daoist lineage and a tradition of daring to fight.

If they don’t dare to stand up when they outnumber the others, how can their lineage continue to stand in this world for a thousand years without falling?

Just watch.

If the pirates are sensible, all is well.

But if they dare to pursue violence, it will be a chaotic battle!

Do you really think your agreement is binding?”