Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 736 - 736 735 Heading North Alone

736: Chapter 735 Heading North Alone 736: Chapter 735 Heading North Alone In those three months in Kangba Left Banner, the first month saw Hou Niao drilled by the Fairy Dong, nearly exhausting his original stock of strength; the subsequent two months were spent training others, where the straightforward men of the Grassland were severely challenged, eventually realizing how perilous the outer world was and that their current strengths were but foolhardy dreams of founding a nation and establishing swordsmanship.

Some ideas began to subtly influence people’s thoughts once demonstrated by him, naturally, it wouldn’t yield immediate results, as the inertia of millennia-old traditions was immense, not something that could be easily reversed.

“Are we really not going to the Golden Court anymore?” Shi Le still felt some regret.

Hou Niao shook his head and smiled, “Not anymore, trust me, now might not be the right time.”

He knew what Shi Le was thinking, just as Shi Le clearly understood his actions; they communicated without words.

Shi Le wanted to change the foundational swordsmanship of the Golden Bloodline to his Body Sword Skill, but such a decision could not be made by him alone; above him were many at the Golden Core Level, and reaching a consensus was not so simple.

Hou Niao sought to change the Grassland swordsmanship heritage by integrating his own style, the underlying motive behind which was rather difficult to articulate.

Thus, both parties were testing each other’s limits, but time was limited, allowing them no chance for extensive contact.

Shi Le nodded; indeed, the timing was not right, too rushed.

He hadn’t even overcome his own challenges, not to mention those of his friends nearby, or the elders who held tribal power.

But did they still have ample time?

“When will Brother Hou come again?

Many brothers on the Grassland remain unsatisfied after these days of sword-fighting.”

“When the time comes, I will surely return.

Rest easy, the winds of change sweep across the Continent, and eventually, everyone will come together, whether you like it or not.

I hope we’ll still be friends by then.”

“We will be friends!

One good thing about us Grassland people is our keen eyes, for Central Plains people think we are not clever enough.”

Waving goodbye to these Grassland swordsmen, he leapt into the air with Fairy Dong and swiftly disappeared into the distance.

Soon after, Fairy Dong also prepared to say goodbye, “Hou Lang, are you sure you don’t want me to accompany you?”

Hou Niao rejected her outright, “No need, I’m afraid of being unable to pay back the interest!”

Fairy Dong giggled, feeling cheerful.

She had perfectly resolved her own matters, and was once again on this path filled with endless possibilities, which was much tougher than what those True Disciples of the Great Dao Sect had to offer, and her potential was boundless.

“Alright then, Hou Lang, save up and return…

If one day you come to the Southeast, you can contact me.

I’m not good in combat, but I can probably help with other affairs?”

Yanran smiled lightly and leaned closer, whispering in his ear, “I also will find a suitable Artifact for transformation.

Then, together, why don’t we display ‘the cunning of the fox and the ferocity of the tiger’?”

Watching her as she gracefully left and vanished beyond the skies, he couldn’t help but admire; it wasn’t about her playing the game well, but her understanding of what pleased men, letting go of pride, truly investing herself.

A person who made it this far in the Cultivation World alone definitely had extraordinary qualities.

For anyone who climbed up with their own efforts, he harbored great respect.

Picking the right direction, transforming into a beam of light, this journey had nearly lasted two years, and with just three years till the next Shan Sect annual conference, despite some dragging his feet, the gains were substantial, in the Northwest Xunfeng Valley, in the end-of-year Heavenly Heart Pavilion, in Kangba Left Banner, these seemingly sporadic traces formed a line, which albeit seemingly inconsequential on its own, appeared as if some unseen force was guiding him when linked together.

This was the highest realm of serendipity; not a particular treasure, not some resource, not Divine Skills and Secret Techniques, not the favor of a patron…but a line, a direction.

The greatest malice of being abandoned by the times is to tread the wrong path and, once awoken, to realize the regret too late.

Without further words, after days, he could see the towering Yaoguang Mountain Range in the distance, and in a few more days, he neared the Winged Tribe’s territory.

This was a paradise nestled shallowly within the vast mountains, where due to special environmental conditions, terraced fields spanning a hundred miles had formed in sharp contrast to the rugged mountains surrounding them.

Green mountains lush with vegetation outside, terraced fields shaded within, housing a Winged Tribe which was just one among countless large and small Winged Tribe settlements in the vast mountains.

Due to their proximity to the perimeter and their farming practices, their living habits had shifted from solely hunting – typical of mainstream Winged Tribes – to a semi-agrarian lifestyle.

With crops to harvest, their survival no longer depended on the luck of hunting—having food at hand made life much more affluent.

However, they were not very welcoming to outsiders.

Ten years ago, the tribe’s Saintess, escorted by three foreign cultivators, returned with the Earth Spirit Pearl, initiating changes to the soil conditions here—a process that was far from simple.

The details need not be elaborated upon as everyone progressed through trial and error.

The Saintess did so, and so did the three foreign cultivators.

The level of the Earth Spirit Pearl was too high, too high for even the Great Cultivation individuals of Jinxiu Continent to fully master, let alone the three Tongtian Realm cultivators who hadn’t even reached the Natural Realm.

Another significant problem was that the Earth Spirit Pearl had become embedded in the forehead of the Saintess Little Winged One and could not be removed, complicating matters when Earth Element Power merged with Life Power.

It couldn’t be disposed of like the Water Spirit Pearl by simply tossing it into water, unless the Saintess was buried in the ground.

The resolution process was full of errors, but with everyone’s efforts, the goal was finally achieved, at the cost of the Saintess Little Winged One remaining here forever in eternal rest.

She had paid with her life, a decision sealed the moment she courageously embedded the Earth Spirit Pearl in her forehead.

That’s why Hou Niao initially wanted to find her a husband, not wishing her journey in this world to be in vain.

In the end, nothing could be altered.

Luo Yewang later wrote him a letter detailing everything.

It was his sense of guilt and the reverence for life power that suddenly made him realize something.

After the death of the Saintess, allowing the Earth Spirit Pearl to function correctly, this Luo Second Brother and his close female friend, the Daoist Ying, left their sects to become Loose Cultivators who roamed the world freely.

The incident also affected a Monk Jialan, who, instead of leaving Zhao Neng Temple, chose the path of an Ascetic Monk, disappearing without a trace thereafter.

Three people, whose lives changed due to a single escort mission—who could truly say whether this was good or bad for them?

This tragic outcome has since led the tribe to vehemently reject foreign cultivators, no longer wishing to entertain visits from them.

The Earth Spirit Pearl, alongside the Saintess, was buried in her native land and disappeared from sight.