Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 484 - 484 483 Tense Situation

484: Chapter 483: Tense Situation 484: Chapter 483: Tense Situation A moment of silence passed, and face finally yielded to reality.

The Daoist Gao Tianqi from Qi Sect nodded.

“Brother Guo’s words are sensible.

What insights do the rest of you brothers have?”

Zhou Sect’s Daoist Bao Wen was confident, “We can’t fight a melee battle; that’s the sword cultivators’ specialty.

They love to take advantage of surprise attacks, and if they burst forth in the chaos, we will be at a major disadvantage.”

He paused, then sneered coldly, “But the Cang Pirates have their weaknesses too, an inherent weakness.

That is, the group only has one leader.

Has anyone heard of a second-in-command amongst the Cang Pirates?

Before there was Duanmu Chai, but now he’s long gone from the Lizhi Sea.

That’s our opportunity to strike at the enemy’s key point!”

Gao Tianqi’s expression flickered slightly, “Are you suggesting we challenge him, Brother Bao?

Turn this melee into a dramatic fight between leaders?

To settle matters that way?”

Bao Wen narrowed his eyes, “These heretics can’t tolerate direct provocation.

They do not understand the concept of ‘endurance for a moment of anger, seeking a vast and open world.’ If we propose the challenge, they will certainly accept, thirsty for a fierce fight.

I have information that, among them, the most powerful individuals are indeed strong, but mainly in their melee abilities, stirring up trouble in muddy waters.

If you pull them out for a one-on-one, they often can’t play to their true strengths.

The only exception is the chief, Hou Niao.

His strength is a cut above the rest, equivalent to a top core disciple from a major sect, with even the potential to become a true inheritor; however, his weakness lies in his Realm being insufficient.

He’s only in the Second Realm of Tongtian.

If we engage in a war of attrition against him…”

Shi Guangzu raised his eyebrows, “Are we fighting to hold the fort, or deciding the match in separate bouts?”

Gao Tianqi had a ruthless nature, “We can’t decide the match in separate bouts.

In that case, the leader would definitely win one bout, which would be pointless.

Even if the Cang Pirates lose this time, as long as this man is around, there will always be a day when they can rise again.

It’s better to fight to hold the fort.

That way, he won’t be able to withdraw voluntarily, until he is completely exhausted.

We have more than a dozen skilled hands here, each possessing the means of top core disciples.

In terms of strength, we’re far superior to those lost souls.

As long as there’s no melee, they’ll have no opportunity to exploit, striving to…”

Striving for what?

He didn’t say it, but it was clear; they aimed to kill the chief of the Cang Pirates in one battle, causing the group to inevitably fall apart.

It’s the downfall of a one-man group, just like Yu Daoguang’s Cang Pirates back in the day.

With Yu Daoguang’s death, the group immediately changed leadership, leaving no trace behind.

The rule of fighting to hold the fort is, one attacks, and one defends; succeed in attacking and you become the defender.

This really tests a cultivator’s endurance in battle.

Except for the ultimate victor, everyone will fail, with the only difference being how many bouts one can withstand.

With the chief’s abilities, it is very possible for him to hold for several bouts, but his energy will inevitably be depleted.

As long as they plan well initially, draining him before delivering the final blow, how could he, as the leader, retreat without fighting in the presence of so many cultivators?

That creates the possibility for a final kill.

The Daoist Sects are very adept at this game, which is about making reasonable use of the rules.

No one can really fault them for that.

After deliberating, it was agreed that Zhou Sect’s Bao Wen would issue the challenge.

With his meticulous and cunning mind, capable of speaking eloquently and bending when necessary, he was the perfect person for the task.

…

The two pirate groups positioned themselves two thousand zhang apart, standing off against each other from a distance where the faces of each person were clearly visible; considering the actual state of attack ranges for their Realm usually within three hundred zhang, such a distance was more than sufficient.

It was like armies facing off in the mortal world, holding their ground, waiting for the generals to clash, or for an all-out charge.

In most cases, if a melee does not form at the onset, then the likely course is to compete with the generals first, then the soldiers, which is somewhat different from mortal combat.

A fierce melee is the last resort, as neither side had reached a point of life-or-death desperation, the Continent had not descended into chaos, and most importantly, even though both factions had numerous cultivators from orthodox sects with Daoist beliefs, the majority were genuine pirates.

The most significant trait of pirates is their desire for wealth.

They have a limited tolerance for death and cannot be expected to fight to the death when the tide is against them.

This characteristic applies to both sides.

Bao Wen alone, with his sleeves fluttering, graceful and poised, spoke, “I am Bao Wen from Zhou Sect.

Would Chief Hou grant me a word?”

Hou Niao knew that the moment to decide the rules of combat had arrived.

Now by his side, it wasn’t just the Dugu sisters, but also a group of key pirates, including several fierce real pirates and a few standout sword cultivators from his own sects.

These individuals, including Fang Yazi who was not present, were all minor leaders within the Cang Pirates, simply lacking Hou Niao’s charisma.

They could only command the portion of pirates that were directly under them.

“Hold your positions, everyone.

Without my order, do not initiate combat.”

One big pirate, nicknamed “Blood Sea Butcher,” seemed to disagree, “Why should Lord Hou do as they say?

These so-called noble sect disciples fear most a chaotic battle to the death, with bodies too delicate.

I bet that if we mix it up, they will surely lose without a doubt.”

Hou Niao couldn’t coldly dismiss his sentiment; this man had a dozen or so brothers who were good fighters and feared nothing, even death.

Having him present helped maintain control, but if it were someone else, it might not be the same, although Fang Yazi had a good relationship with him.

“Brother Tu speaks wisely.

If the opponents were all disciples from Daoist Sects, then we could just rush them together, killing with abandon.

But don’t forget, Brother Tu, that most of the enemy are seasoned thieves from the Lihai Sea, who aren’t afraid to fight a melee, and aren’t some of them your old friends?”

Blood Sea Butcher fell silent, knowing that the casualties in a melee were unpredictable.

The clever ones might be fine, but those brothers who liked to gamble with their lives would have a hard time.

However, he had to express this stance, as it was a pirate’s principle.

Zhang Dazui, also a cultivator of the Natural Realm and representative of Shan Sect sword cultivators, advised, “Junior brother, be careful.

These Daoist folks love to play mind games.

They are actually trying to draw us into separate confrontations.

Though we’re all eager, it’s a fact that our overall strength isn’t as deep as theirs, and our advantage in melee battles will be suppressed.

Junior brother, be wary not to fall into their trap.”

Hou Niao nodded, “Senior brother, rest assured, I will not let this unfold as they wish.”

As he was about to step forward, he saw the Dugu sisters by his side hesitating, clearly feeling uneasy about drawing such a large force over for their cause.

He offered a reassuring smile, “You’ve seen it yourselves; this battle is actually irrelevant to you, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Thus, it’s not you who have dragged us into this, but us who have implicated you.

In truth, whether or not the goods can be recovered, this alone is sufficient for you to explain yourselves at the Prince Manor; who could possibly blame you?

I’ll do my best, and let’s hope for a good outcome.”