Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 482 - 482 481 Pirate Summit

482: Chapter 481: Pirate Summit 482: Chapter 481: Pirate Summit “Senior Brother, three more have appeared, what should we do?”

Dugu Lan felt somewhat annoyed and conflicted regarding the person before her, an ambivalence that had been present since their first meeting.

Compared to Xiao Lan, her desire for control was somewhat stronger, so even though her heart fluttered at their initial acquaintance, upon realizing that Hou Niao, despite having potential, was difficult to grasp, she gradually gave up.

For women of her family, marrying was of two types, either to someone like Wu Weijiang they were currently wed to, with unparalleled family background and a true pillar of support—in which case they did not mind depending on him like a vine; or if marrying a loner, then it must be according to the Dugu Family’s wishes, much like marrying into their household.

Hou Niao clearly did not meet their criteria, with no background, no connections, and an independent and whimsical nature that made him seem utterly untamable.

However, their reunion thirty years later astonished her; this Senior Brother Hou was slowly turning his potential into reality!

Everyone has potential, in theory, but the vast majority never have the chance to realize it, involving many factors such as diligence, opportunity, temperament, experience, and so on.

Thus, most once-potential geniuses end up being ordinary, which is the norm in the Cultivation World, something deeply understood by those of her lineage.

If they could have foreseen that this Senior Brother would one day reach the peak of the Tongtian Third Realm within thirty years, with plenty of time to strive for the Golden Core, they would have secured him at all costs, but now it was too late to consider such things.

They had made their choices, and this Senior Brother Hou was just a step away from becoming a powerful figure in his own right.

A perfect miss.

So, her feelings were very conflicted, similar to her cousin Xiao Qiang, yet despite experiencing similar emotions, their outward reactions were polar opposites; Xiao Qiang chose to maintain a tenuous connection, whereas she opted to preserve the status quo.

…Hou Niao looked back and said, “What to do?

How would I know what to do?

The road is wide open; we each take our path.

If others choose to follow, can we really turn hostile over that?

What I mean is, could you two Junior Sisters be a bit more restrained?

With you flitting about alluringly, it’s no wonder people want to follow behind and enjoy the view?”

Making such an untimely joke in this situation, Dugu Lan struggled to contain herself.

She didn’t understand why she always felt so irritated and unsettled around this man—was it because of a lost opportunity, or some other reason?

Just as she was about to retort, Xiao Qiang stopped her, “Lan Sister, be patient and calm down.

I always feel something is not right; let’s wait and see.”

Her feelings were the complete opposite of her cousin’s; where Dugu Lan was inexplicably irritable, she found herself inexplicably pleased, as she noticed a slight difference in Senior Brother Hou’s behavior towards them after this reunion—compared to thirty years ago?

Thirty years prior, Senior Brother Hou had avoided them like the plague, which she could understand, given a lone cultivator’s caution to not become entangled in excessive family trifles.

But now, Senior Brother Hou had even begun to crack mundane jokes with them.

Why?

Was it because of his own increased strength?

Or was it because they were married, thus freeing him from any worry?

Was this his thing?

Their waiting paid off, indeed revealing something different.

In the following days, more and more inexplicable cultivators joined the trailing party, in groups of three or five, in pairs or fours…

These people didn’t speak; they converged from all directions and then tacitly followed behind, their numbers growing like a rolling snowball.

By the time they were almost at the Chasing Wind Bandits’ territory, there was already a formidable force of nearly a hundred people marching mightily!

This was no longer a case of trailing; from another angle, it looked like an orderly army, and their commander was none other than the person flying at the forefront.

Even someone as slow-witted as Dugu Lan had long since felt that something was amiss.

If they were just targeting the three of them, why would they need so many people?

Moreover, in the Lizhi Sea, who could possibly have the ability to gather a hundred Tongtian cultivators so effortlessly, without showing their hand?

It was likely that not even those so-called major powers could achieve this, right?

Xiao Qiang had already guessed something and couldn’t help but feel excited, “Sister Lan, look!

There are dozens of cultivators using Sword Control among them!”

In the Jinxiu Continent, the only Daoist tradition that practiced Sword Control was the Shan Sect Quanzhen!

Dugu Lan felt somewhat disordered, “I see them, I even recognize one of them.

It’s Zhang Yifan, Zhang Bigmouth, from Yujing.

What is he doing here too?”

Mentioning this man, Xiao Qiang also had some impression.

Born into the Marquis Mansion of Yujing, he was considered one of the more famous scions in Yujing City.

He was friendly and could strike up conversation with anyone.

He loved to joke, not shunning crude humor, and thus earned the nickname ‘Bigmouth’ in Yujing.

The situation was now crystal clear.

This was an organized, strategic, and decisive operation, aimed squarely at the Chasing Wind Bandits; the setup was clear: if we can talk, we will talk; if not, we will fight…

They hadn’t expected that their shipload of materials would stir up such a large battle in the Lihai, an encounter involving hundreds of people—something that, to the best of their knowledge, hadn’t happened on the continent in recent years?

The most crucial question was, how did Brother Hou achieve this?

They had headed to the seemingly modest residence of Guxian under circumstances that left them no choice; the incident had happened unexpectedly, so Brother Hou couldn’t have foreseen it in advance.

To simply say ‘Follow me’ and then to be able to muster such a presence at sea upon reflection was beyond their deep contemplation!

Was this Brother Hou seeking to proclaim sovereignty over the Lizhi Sea?

Their current position was a bit awkward—behind Hou Niao, yet at the forefront of the entire troop.

This was a position for two deputies, and even with their current status in the King Wucheng Manor, they didn’t feel worthy of standing there.

But, it seemed there was nowhere else to go?

The huge oppressive feeling from the nearly hundred silent figures marching behind them made them feel secure only when staying close to this man ahead, and also made them realize that the once ordinary patrol officer of Yinling had finally shown his prominence.

Ahead, vague fluctuations of strong spiritual machines were heard, suggesting that they were facing another equally enormous troop of cultivators.

Just by considering their current location, one could guess which power had arrived.

Hou Niao didn’t use his Divine Sense, but rather raised his right hand high, clenched it into a fist, and the entire troop began to slow down in unison, moving with coordinated precision.

At the same time, a cultivator hoisted a large flag and cast it into the air…

A flag tens of zhang in size, made from special materials, floated in the sky bearing an extremely simple emblem—a blue background with specks of white waves!

Xiao Qiang swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat and said softly, “It’s the Cang Pirates!

No wonder the Bai Family matriarch from Guxian randomly called him the head of the household.

It turns out Brother Hou has truly become the King of the sea here!”