155: Chapter 154 Sneaky [Extra update for Alliance Hierarch Dragon Battle in the Wild] 155: Chapter 154 Sneaky [Extra update for Alliance Hierarch Dragon Battle in the Wild] The Yinling Demon Clan was very anxious, as they were somewhat unclear about the movements of the Quanzhen Sect.
Were they initiating a great human-demon war in Yinling, or was it just an isolated case targeting the giant rat clan?
If they were to fight back, the involvement would be massive, far beyond what the Yinling Demon Clan, and even the Shan Country Demon Clan, could face alone.
If the confrontations continued , the inevitable outcome would be chaos throughout the entire continent, and no race would want to bear such responsibility.
Since the birth of sentience on the Jinxiu Continent, such misunderstandings had occurred many times, and each time the resulting turmoil had brought disaster to all beings of the entire continent.
Thus, everyone gradually gained experience and developed a certain degree of tolerance.
Regardless of which side it was, they would think twice and cool down before fully committing to all-out war.
The giant rat clan was somewhat unwelcome in Yinling, so the strategy of the Demon Clans was to restrain their young as much as possible during this time, avoiding unnecessarily provoking those hotheaded Quanzhen Sword Cultivators, which provided a relatively relaxed external environment for the entire White Ribbon River levee project.
Despite this, the riverside construction site, bustling with thousands of people, could not afford the slightest negligence.
On this day at dawn, when all was quiet, the laborers, exhausted from a day’s work, had all sunk into slumber.
Several cultivators were stationed at four corners of the camp, on the alert, and among them was Hou Niao, who was circulating spiritual energy through his pure Dantian, when a sudden sensation struck him, and he gazed into the distance.
He then floated up silently and merged into the darkness.
Moving forward several miles, under a twisted tree, stood a solitary figure, solemn and familiar.
Hou Niao approached slowly, chuckling softly, “An unexpected visitor in the dead of night turns out to be a fellow Daoist.
What is it that brings the Daoist to visit at such a late hour?”
Turning around, the figure in Daoist attire was none other than Chong Ling.
Looking at Hou Niao with surprise, “I saw you last year in Fufeng City, a mere minor official in the city, skilled in law but negligent of the underlying principles, a body with a Pulse yet ignorant of what cultivation is?
A year later, you rose three ranks, and now with Grain Avoidance Cultivation amongst the masses, you count as quite accomplished.
Casual as it may be, wherever you go, you should be honored as the esteem of a county governor, your cultivation also of solid quality,
Impressive, I almost regret that I should not have let you come all the way to Shan Country to keep a low profile, but would rather have had you directly join a Daoist Sect, which would have been a fitting place for you.”
Hou Niao humbly replied, “It’s all thanks to the Daoist’s grace.
If it weren’t for the Daoist’s supervision in Fufeng, I wouldn’t be in such a situation; just a man with mediocre talent trying not to drag the sect down, I’m certainly not worthy of being called talented and virtuous.”
The Daoist Chong Ling sighed, “But you haven’t changed, just as uninhibited as when in Fufeng City, devoid of reverence!
In just a short year, how many disasters have you caused?
Exterminating the entire giant rat clan and uprooting their foundation—if you were in the Anhe Daoist Sect, no one could save you.
Expulsion from the sect would be the least of it.”
Hou Niao smiled wryly, “But Anhe doesn’t have Yinling, does it?”
Chong Ling shook his head and sighed, “Yet Anhe has rivers crisscrossing, with Water Demons rampaging even more than the Yinling Demon Clan.
With your temperament, could you endure that?
So, I think it was right to send you here after all.”
Hou Niao was speechless.
He felt some gratitude towards the Anhe Daoist Sect and Daoist Chong Ling, although he never showed it, but he was very clear where everything he had now came from.
To say he earned it all on his own would be a bit of self-aggrandizing.
Without the prayers of Anhe forcing him up Liang Mountain, without someone to guide him onto the path of the Shan Sect Quanzhen, and without the initial resources provided by Daoist Chong Ling, he would still be messing around in some unknown place.
Most importantly, the core key to his achievements in cultivation, The Purple Mansion Vortex, also came through the prayers of Anhe.
Even if it wasn’t the initial intention of the Anhe Daoist Sect, the undeniable fact was that he benefited from it.
One should be grateful, which is the very least standard of being human.
Thus, even though he felt somewhat at home within the Quanzhen Sect, he never forgot his origins and mission.
“You seem to know quite a lot about my situation.”
Chong Ling smiled and remarked, “I am in Liuyang, right next to the Da Feng Plain of Shan Country, facing the Quanzhen Sect branch in Jin City.
How could I possibly be clueless?
Especially since you, my dear, are such a worry, with Tianxiang Building before and Suqiu behind, I hadn’t planned on visiting you so soon, waiting until you had firmly established yourself.
But seeing how you’ve been stirring things up, I feared that if I came any later, I might not see you at all.”
Hou Niao gave a wry smile, “For your age, you really don’t mince words.”
Chong Ling fixed his gaze on him, “It’s not a matter of mincing words, but the truth!
Even if you did such things in the Anhe Daoist Sect, you’d still have to face the backlash and retaliation from interest groups behind the scenes.
It’s the same with the sect, but the Quanzhen is even worse: they are more direct and uninhibited!”
Hou Niao smiled faintly, changing the subject, “Did you come to find me because there’s a mission?”
Chong Ling shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the plains, his Divine Sense not missing any anomaly.
He didn’t want his arrival to endanger his subordinates, although with his capabilities it was virtually impossible for anyone here to detect his presence.
“I just happened to be passing by and knew you were here, so I thought I’d drop in to see you.
I told you before arranging for you to come here that I wouldn’t give you any tasks for the first three years.
This is important for you, and my word stands.
But what I didn’t expect is that you yourself would jump in so merrily.
Don’t you realize how irrational this is for someone keeping a low profile?
You should have been more discreet, to the extent where everyone would have forgotten about you.”
Hou Niao sighed inwardly.
He didn’t want to tell Chong Ling that he too wished to keep a low profile, but he felt seen through by the Capital Commandant in Jin City, and that was the reason for his contrarian actions.
The leader of the espionage and internal affairs, with the Spiritual Book in hand, was always a thorn in his side.
“You said it yourself, to keep a low profile when lying low.
You understand this principle, and so does the Quanzhen Sect.
If I were to be high profile and cause trouble, wouldn’t that make me less suspicious?
Besides, it fits with my way of doing things, more natural, seamless, right?”
Chong Ling pondered for a moment and then agreed, “That makes sense!
But it might also attract troubles from within the Quanzhen Sect.
Alas, there is no perfect strategy in the world, just make sure to think everything through.”
Hou Niao shrugged, “I can only take it one step at a time.
I’m aware of the internal conflicts within the Quanzhen Sect you mentioned, and that getting involved could be dangerous.
But it could also be an opportunity to make a breakthrough.
Otherwise, I really wouldn’t know what else I could do to help the Anhe Daoist Sect.”
Chong Ling nodded with satisfaction, “It’s good to be willing, but don’t force yourself.
The only way you can truly help us is to first increase your own realm.
Tongxuan is a threshold—if you can’t cross it, you’ll forever be an ant.
I’d rather not put you to use than risk having you subjected to the sect’s enforcement.”
To tell the truth, as a superior, Chong Ling was quite understanding, not giving him tasks that could endanger his safety.
Hou Niao was very appreciative of this.
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any promises.
Hopefully, by the next time I see you, I’ll have an opportunity to record some achievements.”