Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 418 - 418 417 The History of the Sword

418: Chapter 417: The History of the Sword 418: Chapter 417: The History of the Sword Red Moon Castle, all divisions gathered.

As expected, Wu Division turned out to be the worst-performing among all divisions—the greatest losses, the smallest gains, and they even lost their team leader.

However, the performances of the other teams were not spectacular either.

Overall, the mission achieved its purpose in dispersal but limited rogue cultivators were eliminated, and even fewer key targets were eradicated.

Such was the case with the cultivators in the Tongtian three realms; not even one of the two Golden Core Great Cultivators was dealt with, so, it seemed, no one could be blamed.

Bai Shen Sect was too arrogant and also underestimated the solidarity of the rogue cultivators, which was the main factor leading to this result.

To use the words of another prosecutor from Shan Sect, prolonged peace and distance from war had caused Bai Shen Sect to lose its former glory.

In fact, it wasn’t just Bai Shen Sect that had been negligent in war.

During this operation, Hou Niao’s performance was barely satisfactory; he was so low-profile that it seemed completely out of character, having lost his usual sharpness.

Li Chuping took him aside and said, “This isn’t your style!

If you had done your best, Wu Division wouldn’t have suffered such heavy losses.

The Bai Shen Sect has quite some complaints about us, especially about you!

Mediocre, inactive, self-contained, unambitious…”

Hou Niao remained silent.

He was no longer the passionate young law enforcer he once was, nor did he believe he had to play the role of savior in every mission.

Plain and simple was his way of cultivation.

It was habitual criticism.

Li Chuping found that every time he encountered this man, he couldn’t help but scold him a few times; he himself found it somewhat mystifying.

Quiet, low-profile, and observant was his intent.

The conversation turned back around, “I know, you’re worried about causing trouble for Wang Shouzhong!

Hmph, you people, all day long you shirk your real duties, taking pride in deciphering superior’s intentions, completely lacking the spirited vigor of sword cultivators.”

Hou Niao bowed his head in acknowledgment.

After all, his superior wasn’t foolish and knew why he was inactive.

If he had stood out, the other prosecutors would immediately suspect him, not to mention if any grudges were formed, someone might seek out Wang Shouzhong for revenge in the future.

If you’re going to help, you have to do it right.

For him bearing the name of Wang Shouzhong, being ordinary and incompetent was just perfect, going beyond that would be too much.

While Li Chuping scolded, he didn’t treat him as an outsider.

Among the five prosecutors who participated in the operation, this one was genuinely an old acquaintance.

“Talk about it.

What’s with that sword cultivator?

And how come three people from your Wu Division disappeared?”

Hou Niao played dumb, “Capital Commandant, I’m wronged!

I wasn’t even at the scene; how would I know what happened to them?

Maybe they flew too fiercely and fell to their deaths?”

Li Chuping glared at him, “Do you think I’m a fool?

I’ve spent a lifetime as a spy; do I lack such judgment?

Everyone split up to pursue; where could you have gone except follow the sword cultivator?

Don’t bring up Cao De’an; could such a simpleton change your mind?”

Hou Niao hadn’t planned to deceive him.

In his view, the best way to get closer to his superior was to share his little secrets—carefully chosen, of course, to appear loyal and have someone to share the blame when things go south.

“Hehe, I knew I couldn’t fool you, sir.

Three men—the sword cultivator killed two of them and ended up half-dead himself.

I just dealt with the last one, Cao De’an.”

But I’m telling the truth, at that time I thought this person’s swordsmanship was extraordinary, vaguely resembling our Shan Sect’s swordsmanship, and I suspected he was a renegade from Quanzhen.

Our people, of course, should be handled by ourselves; how can we let others do it?

His situation was quite special, having killed at least three Bai Shen cultivators.

If we handed him over, there was no way he could be returned to us.

To avoid troubling you, leader, I took care of it all myself.”

Chuping Li was speechless, “You mean, I should thank you for this?”

Hou Niao, curious, asked, “Leader, this person is indeed not a sword cultivator from our Shan Sect.

I am very curious, why have I never heard of other Sword Sect Daoists on the Jinxiu Continent?

Or is it just that I am uninformed?”

Chuping Li thought for a moment, “From the northern territories?

Surnamed Shi?”

Hou Niao smiled, “Exactly, it seems you know of their origin?”

Chuping Li sighed, “There are some things better left unsaid, secrets only revealed at certain positions of power, typically reserved for those with a Golden Core.

But times are changing, and the rules are relaxing; since it’s come up, there’s no need for secrecy.

“Sword Sect, in the proper sense, should be a Daoist Sect that can use flying swords.

In this sense, Jinxiu Continent indeed has only one Sword Sect, which is our Shan Sect Quanzhen.

However, there are many sects that practice swordsmanship on the Jinxiu Continent, among which, this northern Shi family’s Golden Bloodline is quite special.”

This is an ancient history, briefly put, “Golden Bloodline is a form of self-promotion in the culture of the northern tribes.

Many large tribes rely on it for inheritance.

To be precise, there are countless ‘Goldens’, just an alternative form of family pride without actual significance.

The Shi family is just one of countless Golden Bloodlines in the Northern Grasslands.

Their uniqueness lies in the fact that, beginning at some unknown time, someone in their clan developed a very powerful sword technique and this has been passed down steadily, which is quite an achievement.

It is said by the elders that the origin of Shi swordsmanship predates the awakening of Jinxiu’s spirit and is roughly contemporary with the founding of our Quanzhen Sect.

So, there is also a theory that Shi swordsmanship might be a branch of Quanzhen swordsmanship, or perhaps, the origins of these two schools of swordsmanship were originally one and the same?

It’s too distant to verify, but personally, I think it’s likely just a coincidence; after all, we can cultivate flying swords, but they cannot.

This is the fundamental difference.”

Hou Niao contemplated, “I see.

I noticed that although he doesn’t use a flying sword, his sword handling seemed quite unique?

Moreover, his physique is exceptionally robust, comparable even to those practicing Body Cultivation.”

Chuping Li nodded, “That’s exactly the characteristic of their swordsmanship, excelling in close combat robust attacks.

Because they lack flying swords, they miss out on a lot of versatility, and they seem not adept at spells, hence they have developed some body cultivation abilities and used divine skills to compensate for their lack of tactics.

Overall, it’s somewhat hybrid; possessing the basic proximity foundation of swordsmanship and the transformative abilities of divine skills from Body Cultivation, combining them into one.

They also have a significant reputation in the northern lands.

This lineage does not establish nations but passes down through the clan; however, on the grasslands, the Shi family is also quite large, with their numbers in the hundreds of thousands, so their strength is not weak, comparable to some minor nations’ cultivation powers.

The person you encountered must be a Shi cultivator.

I wonder if he came here due to misfortune or was just passing by and got caught up?

Your handling was somewhat rash, but given the urgency of the situation, you can’t be entirely blamed.

This approach is fine, I will leave a record at the Sikong Mansion, and there won’t be any trouble.”

Hou Niao then smiled, “That’s good, I was worried we might be in a hostile relationship with them.

After all, those dealing in lime and those dealing in flour don’t mix well…”

Chuping Li glanced at him, “Is Quanzhen Sect so intolerant?”