Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 493 - 493 492 One Husband Holds the Pass 8

493: Chapter 492 One Husband Holds the Pass 8 493: Chapter 492 One Husband Holds the Pass 8 Bao Wen remained silent, returning to the ranks of the Chasing Wind Bandits.

He had to admit, the sword cultivator played his hand extremely well, defeating not just his skill, but his spirit too; more importantly, it cast a shadow over the subsequent battles.

“It’s my fault, without the Saiqin, I don’t even have the courage to fight to the death…”

Guo Yanzhi, who was always fiercely independent and sharp-tongued, unexpectedly patted his shoulder in an uncharacteristic gesture,

“Junior brother, by unleashing the Yao Chicken, you have already proved your determination; it’s just that the opponent was too powerful.

Don’t see him as just a sword cultivator, but his breadth of knowledge is indeed vast.

If it were me, I would have done the same as you.

Your retreat saved not just you alone!”

This was the bare truth.

If Bao Wen had died in this battle, the rest of them would have had no way out either.

It was a fight to the death, with the sect’s honor at stake—either to die or to emerge victorious.

But with Bao Wen’s return, the sword cultivator, with his extraordinary talent for psychological warfare, immediately disrupted their defensive alliance.

This was an overt plot; they clearly knew it, yet they had to accept it, even feeling grateful.

Gao Tianqi still wanted to say something, but seeing the attitudes of Guo Yanzhi and Shi Guangzu beside him, he also knew that speaking would be in vain.

He simply closed his mouth, since losing face would be a collective disgrace anyway.

All beings cherish life, with death being the only hardship since ancient times.

How many have seen through this through ages?

Guo Yanzhi spoke very earnestly, “Senior brothers, since things have come to this, I’ll say a few more words.

If you find reason in what I say, think it over carefully; if you think I’m talking nonsense, then just pretend I’m farting.

Hou Niao, ever since the conflict between the two parties began, has fought eight battles undefeated.

Judging from the battles, we can’t simply regard him as a mere sword cultivator anymore.

His combat experience is so rich, his methods are countless, and he doesn’t fall half a step behind even in front of us Daoist cultivators.

Everyone, it’s time to put away your pride.”

None opposed, evidently agreeing with his assessment.

Just considering the battle with Bao Wen alone, they themselves were not capable of turning seven Saiqin against their master, which was almost inconceivable.

Guo Yanzhi lowered his voice, “Let’s not talk about this for the moment.

In my view, our long-standing reliance on mana wear-down might not be so reliable.

I’ve looked at it from all angles, and I don’t see any sign of him struggling with mana.

If he truly were under mana strain, it would have shown during battle.

Either he has some extraordinary skill, a unique Dantian, or he possesses a special miraculous object for replenishment…

My friends, if we are pinning our hopes on him not being able to hold out, I’m afraid this time we might face a major embarrassment.”

Gao Tianqi furrowed his brows, “What do you mean?”

Guo Yanzhi enunciated each word clearly, “We must prepare for the possibility of defeat.

The purpose of cultivation is longevity, not face.

My suggestion is, for the next few battles, give him enough time to recover, fight fair and square.

Even if we ultimately lose, the Chasing Wind Bandit’s honor remains intact, it’s just a temporary retreat, far from Lihai’s doomsday.”

Shi Guangzu clapped his hands, “Exactly.”

Gao Tianqi looked around, knowing that opposing alone was meaningless.

He sighed and nodded in agreement.

The sword cultivator had managed to swing the situation back in his favor just by sparing Bao Wen a way out.

If this was a strategy the sword cultivator adopted due to a shortage of mana, then he undoubtedly succeeded, because they from the Chasing Wind Bandits did not dare to bet.

If this was an act of goodwill for peaceful coexistence shown by the sword cultivator confident in his strength, they might feel unwilling, but they had to accept it.

The battlefield fell into a rare silence, giving a much-needed break from combat, which greatly boosted the confidence of the Cang Pirates.

Dugu Lan couldn’t understand, “Why have they stopped challenging?

To let such a good opportunity slip by—is it due to some other consideration?”

Zhang widely opened his mouth to explain, “Because they’ve become timid!

The Daoist Sect is just like that, no matter what they do, they always leave themselves a way out.

Therefore, issues that could’ve been resolved from the start had they fought with all their might turn into drawn-out battles, wasting mana; now, seeing that exhausting mana doesn’t seem effective, they opt for a contest of temperament and grace.

Even if they lose in the end, they still have something to save face.

And I bet they won’t fill all twelve spots.

They’ll definitely leave one vacant and then magnanimously concede…”

Dugu Lan was even more puzzled, “Why leave a spot open?

What if the last one succeeds?”

Zhang snorted with a scoff, “Succeed?

He still has to face eleven Cang Pirates, succeed at what?

It’s better to leave someone out—it allows for mutual face-saving, and in the future they can use this as a pretext to find an opportunity to regain face.

It’s killing two birds with one stone, a win-win scenario.”

With a clap of his hands, the big banner he held swayed from side to side, the characters on it beginning to transform, “Flying Sword hits the buttock—wake up!”

…

The next to come forward for the challenge were Shi Guangzu, Gao Tianqi, a Thunder Strike Warrior from the Guo Sect, and a Qi Specialist from the Qi Sect.

Shi Guangzu needs no introduction, his Thunderbolt Skill was awe-inspiring and unrivaled in ferocity; a path like the Thunder Sword’s is straightforward and righteous, defined by the Thunder Skill.

Once the Thunder Force kicks in, the stronger prevails.

Hou Niao’s understanding of thunder was not inferior, except he hadn’t used it all along, keeping it as his most important trump card; with experience in killing three Daoists from the Guo Sect in the sea, he was very familiar with the Guo Sect’s Daoist method.

It was a head-to-head bombardment.

Hou Niao took thunder strikes and sword hits, Shi Guangzu took sword strikes and thunder hits.

In the end, it was about who could endure more.

The result was simple.

Although Hou Niao was charred black but still standing, Shi Guangzu couldn’t handle the unparalleled sharpness of the Flying Sword and had to be carried off.

This was a very orthodox, very classic Thunder Sword duel, without any intrigue or cautiousness, bringing the fight back to what cultivators were supposed to be—hot-blooded and exhilarating to watch for both parties.

The victor wasn’t arrogant, and the defeated wasn’t disheartened.

That’s the essence of cultivation.

Such a battle sowed the seeds of coexistence between the two bandit groups.

Hou Niao did this intentionally, as he had realized the harm in completely defeating the Chasing Wind Bandits.

If both sides suffered, it would only play into the hands of the Huya Bandits, benefiting the Wu Sect.

The art of combat is to strike at what must be struck and to win over whatever can be won over.

Considering the current situation, dealing with the Wu Sect was already a tough job; he didn’t want to drag the Southeast Daoist Sect into this.

Wouldn’t it be better to keep a chance for a future encounter?

Especially when there were many smart people in the opposing camp.

Gao Tianqi was a different type; Hou Niao could intuitively sense his pride, as well as a veiled hostility towards the Shan Sect Sword Cultivators.

This aligned with the fact that the Qi Sect was closest to the Wu Sect of the Southwest.

With this person, there was nothing much to say—direct confrontation was best.

Neither intentionally friendly nor deliberately provocative, it was purely a skills contest on the Daoist path, and nobody held back.

This was Hou Niao’s longest battle in nearly ten fights, and ultimately, without revealing his trump card, he laughed last.