Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 640 - 640 639 Facing Pressure

640: Chapter 639 Facing Pressure 640: Chapter 639 Facing Pressure Lan Zaitian had frozen on the spot, unable to argue back or fight, truly at his wit’s end, with a stifling frustration that he couldn’t vent.

Hou Niao paid him no attention, having said what needed to be said, and was unable to wake someone feigning sleep; his gaze shifted beyond Lan Zaitian, toward the back of the Qinglong Festival Hall,

“Elder sirs, I wonder whether the junior has made himself heard?”

The back of the hall fell silent for a long while before three elderly Daoists each with long beards covering their faces and eyebrows reaching their shoulders emerged.

The only differences among them were the colors of their beards: one black, one silver, and one mottled.

These were the traditions of the Ancient Langzhong Sect, which had a fondness for growing beards, not to mention that within those beards lay some secrets of cultivation not to be spoken of to outsiders.

All were of Golden Core cultivation, and they were the stabilizers for the local cultivator community.

It was precisely because of these old men’s presence that the Mu Shuai Mansion always felt like it had sturdy wings; yet, in reality, once their Nascent Transformation ancestor immortal had departed, nothing could be changed.

The black-bearded Daoist stroked his beard and smiled, “Young friend has a way with words, unmatched in debate; I wonder if what you proclaim with your mouth can be matched by actions?”

Hou Niao smiled wryly.

In the Cultivation World, after all, one had to show true skill through action; although he did not understand why such a trivial matter had to fall upon a disciple of the Natural Realm, and why this issue couldn’t simply be resolved by any aforementioned Judge or Assistant, now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to brace himself and step forward.

Extending his hand, he said, “I am keen to witness the marvelous ways of the Ancient Langzhong lineage.”

The black-bearded Daoist faintly smiled, not believing he was taking advantage of the young.

It was merely that both sides needed a better understanding of each other; Pingliang State had been operating by its own rules for many years, with an unspoken understanding with the higher echelons of Yujing Shan Sect.

They did not accept overpowering behavior from upper cultivators appointed from Yujing City, but if it were a normal personnel adjustment, they would follow the guidance.

In each State Mansion of Shan Country, none of the top three officials could surpass the Natural Realm; none were Golden Core.

This was also a tradition of Shan Sect, so for Sikong Mansion to take control of Pingliang State smoothly, they needed to proceed within the bounds of the rules, unable to send the likes of Li Chuping or Judge Cheng Wan, for that would be overpowering by sheer strength but wouldn’t win the true allegiance of the locals.

This agreement was also part of the original covenant between Shan Sect and the Ancient Langzhong Sect’s Nascent Transformation ancestor.

Although the ancestor had long since passed, Shan Sect still had not violated the pact.

With a quiver of his spine, nine Bright Lights appeared behind him like a Peacock Display, the very technique that made the Ancient Langzhong Sect famous: Ming King’s Screen.

The Ancient Langzhong Sect was but a minor sect with limited resources, and its disciples harbored an unrepentant dedication to the heritage left by their ancestors.

They were always reluctant to accept new skills from the Outer Path, holding tight to their own ways.

This was both their strength and their limitation, and it also included their character.

Ming King’s Screen was a unified cultivation method of skill and technique, where skill was it, technique was it, and practice was all it required.

It spared many needless dilemmas over choices, where upon entering this path, everyone focused solely on mastering this technique.

The wonder of this technique lay in that, when initially practiced, it could produce hundreds of Bright Lights, dazzling behind the cultivator in a variety of colors, very beautiful but insubstantial, meant only to dazzle the eyes of the beholder.

It was the most basic application of skill at the Tongxuan Realm, with negligible practical combat effect.

However, as one’s cultivation improved and Realm advanced, becoming more skillful in applying these techniques, the number of Bright Lights would diminish.

The fewer the lights, the purer and sharper they became.

With every light reduced, its power increased, becoming ever more lethal.

When a Langzhong Sect cultivator managed to refine the Peacock Display technique down to a single Bright Light, they would have entered the Nascent Transformation Realm, with a tremendous surge in strength.

It was said that under such a Bright Light, nothing could withstand, beyond all forms and substance.

This Daoist with black whiskers had compressed the Bright Light to nine strands — a sign of burgeoning power, but Hou Niao was unsure how far this put him from the Nascent Transformation Realm.

The Bright Light slashed down swiftly, its momentum like lightning, startlingly fierce.

Hou Niao knew he couldn’t dodge, this wasn’t a life-or-death struggle but more of a mutual demonstration of skills, you couldn’t handle it with wilderness combat techniques.

Darting around the Blue Dragon Hall would only lead to ridicule.

The Splendor of Dharma, filled with peculiar strength, could not be evaded, so the only choice was to meet it head-on.

The Flying Sword danced forward, colliding with the falling Bright Light, then automatically circled back; the brilliance of that Bright Light faded away, losing its ferocity.

Just with this exchange, he could roughly discern the power comparison between them.

In terms of cultivation, he was at a disadvantage, naturally, considering the difference between the Natural Realm and the Golden Core Realm, but the gap wasn’t significant.

The Dantian he possessed was strangely vast, like a valley that could not be filled — an insatiable big-bellied man.

After decades of cultivation, even he wasn’t quite sure of the extent of his own cultivation level.

On the other hand, the old Daoist with black whiskers was limited by the inherent constraints of the Ancient Langzhong Sect, which meant his foundation wasn’t exceptional.

He surmised that within the same Golden Core level, the Daoist was relatively weak, hence he was able to cope.

The Bright Light had form but no substance, and in this aspect, it couldn’t surpass the Flying Sword.

Thus, in the collision, he was not at a disadvantage, but this was just the beginning.

Seeing that Hou Niao’s Flying Sword could withstand his Bright Light, the Daoist with black whiskers was not surprised.

The Shan Sect was a famous Great Demon Sect on the continent, its foundation far deeper than that of the Langzhong Sect; there was no doubt about that.

How could someone trusted to serve as Capital Commandant of a province be weak?

There would surely be extraordinary aspects to him.

But he had nine strands of Bright Light!

The next moment, his shoulders shook.

This time, two strands of Bright Light descended simultaneously, one from the left and one from the right, aiming to pincer him.

Hou Niao inwardly smiled wryly.

If they were evenly matched, he would straightforwardly employ the Sword Light Division technique, and such Light Splitting Joint Attacks wouldn’t pose any threat to him.

However, was his opponent not exploiting the fact that his Realm wasn’t sufficient?

What could he do?

It would be discourteous not to reciprocate.

He was not a person who only defended and never attacked; his Flying Sword struck fiercely, disregarding the dual Bright Light assault, and slashed back.

At the same time, he drew his longsword, producing two sword flowers that dissipated the Bright Lights into nothingness.

It was a rudimentary method, but highly effective.

His sword technique was extraordinary, invincible within arm’s reach.

Although the Bright Lights were fast, their descent lacked agility.

Looking at the trajectory of the light, one could tell where they would land.

Such rigid Bright Lights lost their unpredictability; now they rose and fell while the sword light danced and charged.

His actions may have seemed chaotic, but there was order in his chaos, and for the moment, he didn’t find himself at a disadvantage.

The Daoist with black whiskers was somewhat vexed; Hou Niao’s reactions were not very ‘cultivation-like’.

Seen through the eyes of the mainstream Daoist Sects, it was just peasant’s rough play, with none of the unrestrained elegance expected of a cultivator.

But if it was a Demon Sect’s Sword Cultivator, then it would seem quite normal, wouldn’t it?

They always valued practicality and never cared for grace.

By now, he had activated all nine strands of Bright Light — two for defense and seven for offense.

He had no other strategies at that moment; this highlighted the characteristics of the Ancient Langzhong Sect.

They were overly focused on tradition, and once their primary method was countered, they found themselves in disarray.

He had another technique, far more vicious, but he wasn’t sure if he should use it in such circumstances.