Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 98 - 98 97 Wilderness Pursuit 3

98: Chapter 97 Wilderness Pursuit 3 98: Chapter 97 Wilderness Pursuit 3 Hou Niao stopped and simultaneously recalled his nose dog, sensing that something was amiss.

Ahead was a deep ravine stretching for several miles, tens of yards wide and over a dozen yards deep with wild grass and shrubs as tall as a person; such terrain was uncommon in the wastelands of Yinling, and he could detect a hint of a monster’s presence.

“Why have we stopped?” Xiang Zhiwen asked casually.

Hou Niao replied, “There is a demon hidden within, harboring ill intentions.

I feared for my nose dog’s safety, so I called it back.”

Xiang Zhiwen nodded, “Hmm, your vigilance isn’t bad, knowing that proceeding might lead to a group beating; this here is Grass Dragon Valley, I think I’ve been here five or six times?

How about you, Dou Gong?”

Dou Gong was also relaxed, “No less than ten times!

I’m always wandering around this region, elder brother, your territory isn’t here.”

Xiang Zhiwen chuckled, “Alright then, since it’s your territory, you’re in charge.

What’s going on here?

It seems our friends from the Demon Clan aren’t too welcoming of us?”

Dou Gong snorted, “This place is a gathering spot for the demons of Yinling.

They are not like humans who have specific towns and markets, but they do need a place to barter and exchange what they consider treasures,”

“The location is secluded, with deep grass and long ravines.

They probably think that trading here won’t let humans see the treasure’s glow, attracting those who would kill for it.”

All three of them laughed at the notion of monster treasures.

To humans, the best treasures were the monsters themselves—their flesh, bones, and fur!

As for those treasures they spoke of, nothing more than items taken from human Cultivators, which only appeared shiny to them and were otherwise unremarkable…

Dou Gong shook his head, “These creatures don’t grasp the concept of dates.

Their so-called transactions don’t take place on fixed days, roughly related to the waxing and waning of the moon; today is the day of the full moon, so it should also be their day of transaction.

The three of us turning up like this, wouldn’t we be seen as robbers?”

He spurred his horse forward a few steps, “Who’s in charge here?

Show yourself!”

Patrolling Yinling all day long, from morning to night, would wear them out, whether they were just seven or eight people, or even seventy or eighty; through prolonged dealings, both sides had gradually formed a certain tacit understanding, and in most cases, they managed to coexist without intruding on each other’s turf.

This balance would only be disturbed by excessive actions, such as Cultivators killing without reason, or demons rampaging through villages and forts.

No sooner had Dou Gong’s call ended than a strong figure emerged from the bushes—a robust and majestic Cow Demon, still somewhat inarticulate in speech, the transformation of its brow ridge evidently ongoing.

This process might be completed swiftly or could span years.

“It turns out to be Lord Dou…

What official business brings you here?”

Dou Gong didn’t beat around the bush—being polite with these creatures was of no use; they couldn’t understand it anyway,

“We are here to pursue a malevolent demon passing through.

We wish to borrow this path; may Niu Er grant us this courtesy?”

The Cow Demon spoke in a gruff voice, “Our Demon Clan has a rule, if you’re a friend, we will surely give face, but there are three of you…”

The Demon Clan was inflexible in their ways, especially the lower-level demons like this one, rigid in thought.

It recognized Dou Gong because of previous fights and dealings, but why should it extend the same courtesy to the others?

It also harbored its own little calculations; letting human Cultivators swagger through its territory without offering a stern word, would become a target of ridicule among other demons.

Dou Gong said nothing more, as Xiang Zhiwen had already stepped forward.

In a place like Yinling, dealing with any faction required an absolute show of strength—one could not afford to appear weak.

This was a characteristic of the demons, and to suppress them, one had to be even tougher.

Xiang Zhiwen, of course, understood this principle.

Only recently, the focus of his Patrol had shifted away from this area; had these foolish demons come to underestimate him?

“Which demon brother wants to get to know me?”

This is the rule of Yinling, their so-called “recognition” actually means to have a fight.

It isn’t just for show, it’s the real deal, with no regard for injury or death; once you get past this trial, you earn the right to pass through here.

A Six-Horned Deer Demon suddenly sprang out from the side and whispered a few words into the Cow Demon’s ear, and Niu Er brother split his mouth into a wide grin,

“I was wondering why you looked so familiar, turns out it’s the famous Mr.

Xiang from Yinling!

Everyone in Yinling knows Mr.

Xiang, of course, you’re a friend, and this road is yours to borrow!”

Clearly, among these demons in the valley, there were some who recognized Xiang Zhiwen; this wasn’t surprising.

Strength was the guarantee for mixing in Yinling, and as a Patrol Envoy, Xiang Zhiwen had his own legend here.

From behind, Hou Niao finally understood what was happening and what was said; from the bottom of their hearts, these demons didn’t want to let them pass.

They could not, however, resort to brute force yet, so they decided to judge the three separately.

If even one wasn’t considered a friend, the other two obviously couldn’t just abandon their companion.

This way, their objective would be achieved.

He didn’t understand why they didn’t want them to pass.

Was it just about face, or was there really something fishy going on here?

Xiang Zhiwen had made it through, and next it was his turn.

He knew that even if he didn’t step forward, his two senior brothers had methods to make these demons bow, but he couldn’t always rely on his seniors.

Since he had joined the Patrol, he had to follow the rules of the Patrol.

He stepped forward two paces, “I’m new here, would you like to make a friend?”

This time, it wasn’t going to be so easy.

Demons might be rash, straightforward, perhaps they couldn’t outplay humans in schemes and stratagems, but they had an instinctual sense of realms, strength, and familiarity—out of the three humans, one was at Bridge Connection, another at Fasting, and the weakest was this Essence Builder.

Thus, if they wanted to stop the humans, they would target the Essence Building Cultivator!

Still quite cunning, after all.

Niu Er couldn’t very well take action himself, that would be going too far, as he was on a similar level to Xiang Zhiwen; hence, he gave a backward glance, and a white-foreheaded Wolf Demon from the wilderness came forward—this Wolf Demon might not have reached the realm of starting to ossify like Niu Er, but it had astonishing combat power.

After all, there’s a fundamental difference between herbivores and carnivores.

With the power of this white-foreheaded Wolf Demon, it could firmly handle a Fasting Cultivator—this wasn’t an empty boast, but a fact proven in real combat.

Xiang Zhiwen and Dou Gong exchanged glances, their hearts brimming with anger.

These creatures really needed a beating every three days to keep them in check, but right now they couldn’t say anything, as it involved the dignity of a cultivator!

But as their eyes met, they understood each other’s intentions: since they weren’t shown any respect, they would find an excuse later to unleash a massacre—it was nothing extraordinary, just a daily occurrence in Yinling!

The sky was growing darker, the sun had not yet set, but the full moon was already hanging on the tree branches, a perfect scene as if the celestial wolf was howling at the moon.

The white-foreheaded Wolf Demon began to advance with small, quick steps, running faster and stooping lower as it drew near—signs of an impending attack.

But Hou Niao didn’t flinch, he seemed completely oblivious!

Three zhang away, with a fierce roar, the Wolf Demon leapt high into the air, its huge mouth wide open, set against the full moon as it hurled itself down from the skies!

Simple, effective, claiming the upper hand with the initial cry!

The wolf’s head is the toughest part of its body, immune to swords.

To split open a wolf’s head, you need the force of an axe or a heavy sword; seeing Hou Niao neither dodge nor flinch, but instead perform a straightforward, powerful strike, Xiang Zhiwen and Dou Gong knew something was wrong—their strategy had failed!

If the sword were to be knocked askew, how could humans possibly overcome demons in the ensuing struggle?

Just as they were about to react, blood suddenly splattered in mid-air, and the tough wolf’s head was split in two right through the hardest part of the skull!

It was as if the full moon itself had been splashed with fresh blood!

Indeed,

…every year on this night the moon’s glow is brighter, a cloud appears holding the power of demons.

Nothing compares to a Shan Sect swordsman, under a moonlit sky, casting dance-like shadows.