230: Chapter 229: Divine City Turmoil 13 230: Chapter 229: Divine City Turmoil 13 Hou Niao was not aware of all these changes; his position was somewhat distant from the Quanzhen Taoist Flag, unlike from a high vantage point on Lake Heart Island where one could overlook the entire situation.
Moreover, his current concerns were not with the other Taoist Flags; being alone, he could not transform into thousands to save the world, so it was best to do what he could within his abilities.
He was examining a bee in his hand, a slender-waisted bee.
He took out the bee corpses from the Treasure Gourd he had obtained in Suqiu and compared them, confirming that despite slight differences, they certainly shared the same bloodline and species.
This was the ultimate reason he spared Dong Fangfei.
In fact, when he swung that sword, he could have thrown his sword with a ten out of ten chance of taking the woman’s life.
The reason he did not do so was to find out the origin of these slender-waisted bees.
This woman was not a cultivator from the Wu Sect, but came from the Southeast Daoist, making a transaction possible.
It was this thing that might have deviated during breeding.
Cultivating living creatures is often ; you can’t completely control every single one of their patterns.
Sitting cross-legged in breathing control, the battle actually did not take much out of him, because the slender-waisted bees would not bite him; he knew how to deal with these terrifying little creatures.
As a banner guard, he could not stray too far from the flag, nor could he have contact with his fellow sect members; he couldn’t even make any preparations for battle within this area, such as digging pits, setting traps, or creating locks to snare people, etc.
He also did not need to engage in such despicable acts.
This rare opportunity for real combat was something he wanted to experience thoroughly.
When he set off, there were nine idle disciples left in the Wu Sect.
He had eliminated one, Dong Fangfei, and there would certainly be battles at other flags as well.
In this case, he might experience up to three or four more battles, especially considering that his location might be deliberately targeted.
In the two battles he fought, he felt the most dangerous was the first one, with Wei Kuiyang, who was very strong.
He had the element of surprise on his side; his understanding of battle made him uninterested in waiting for his opponent to fully unleash their abilities before making a move, as that would be a disrespect for his own life.
Everyone has their ultimate moves, various and strange; to experience such adrenaline each time is seeking death.
One day, curiosity will be the death of you, so his strategy was to suppress as much as possible, ending the battle before the opponent could fully demonstrate their abilities.
Dong Fangfei was an exception, because her trump card was also his trump card; this was a coincidence, and there would not be a second time.
How to pass this hour?
He chose to sharpen his sword.
The reason he was able to kill Wei Kuiyang smoothly was that his Sword Consciousness was far beyond the legal cultivation’s understanding of sword cultivators.
Normally, a sword cultivator who birthed Sword Consciousness could not adjust the trajectory of their thrown sword by more than three inches; this was common knowledge.
Wei Kuiyang’s response was also based on this common knowledge, and he even flashed an extra foot of distance; but he did not expect that Hou Niao and his Lonely Sword had developed a strong resonance through the Soul Realm, which was his trump card.
In the wait, the third Daoist crossed the lake, still with floating robes and fluttering sleeves, fully capturing the poise of a true Daoist cultivator.
Unfortunately, such flair did not score any points in combat.
Hou Niao rose to his feet, slowly drawing the Lonely Sword, thinking that today he would let the Lonely Sword indulge to its fullest.
…On Lake Heart Island, various factions remained silent, the forum becoming more and more bizarre, completely exceeding the normal pace.
From the beginning, the Southwest forum on Tao commenced amid confusion, with one surprise after another, leading people to continuously adjust their expectations.
The Buddhist Sects of Gaochang and Xinye, along with the inactive stance of the Taihao Sect, created the first variable to the disadvantage of the Demon Sect.
The emergence of True Disciples from the Wu Sect, coupled with the strong forces of the Southeast Daoist, was the second variable, also to the detriment of the Demon Sect.
Taihao Sect’s sudden attack on the Quanzhen Taoist Flag was an unexpected third variable that disadvantaged both Wu Sect and Quanzhen; the situation began to get interesting.
Quanzhen Sect’s hidden master’s final surprise attack on Anhe Taoist Flag was successful, winning five consecutive battles; this was the fourth variable, bringing misfortune upon Wu Sect.
The direction of the wind was changing, and although the ultimate outcome remained unclear, it was certain that Wu Sect’s expansion faced resistance; Quanzhen Sect did not display the overwhelming dominance of the Demon Sect’s leader, its turnaround was simply due to the meteoric rise of a single disciple.
No one knew how many more hidden disciples Quanzhen Sect had.
If it was only this one, everyone could accept that, but if there were a group of disciples , each realm possessing similar core strength, then Quanzhen Sect would surely dominate when forces were reshuffled on the Continent.
In the Cultivation World, the higher you go, the more significant personal power becomes.
The struggle for Anhe Taoist Flag tugged at everyone’s heartstrings, not because the Quanzhen disciple was so heaven-defying as to instill fear, but what’s the point of winning a hundred battles if you don’t reach Tongxuan?
You’d still be an ant in the end.
Fights of such a low level usually did not warrant much attention; what the Upper Cultivators and Great Cultivators present cared about were deeper issues.
Next to the Lake Pavilion at the western end of Lake Heart Island, seventy monks sat upright, their eyes closed in chanting, as if everything happening outside was unrelated to them; it’s not that they truly saw through the situation but rather that they could do nothing.
Rather than fretting, they chose to chant their scriptures.
Five Biqiu Monks were sitting in a circle inside the pavilion, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere because the situation was beyond their expectations.
Monk Yuan Jue wore a look of worry, “The scenario we most wanted to see was Wu Sect’s overwhelming victory, completely suppressing the Demon Sect, and then, at the right moment, we would help out.
We can’t let Wu Sect do whatever it wants in the Southwest.
Alternatively, if the Demon Sect had the upper hand, it would fall to us to suppress the Demon’s influence and maintain the current fragile balance in the Southwest.
The worst is the current situation, where both sides are even; Wu Sect has slightly more depth, but the Demon Sect is immovable in critical places, making our Buddhist Sect seem inconsequential.”
Monk Kong Jian shook his head too, “Taihao Sect is too presumptuous, they meddled without our knowledge, and even chose the most suitable Quanzhen Taoist Flag, ingratiating themselves with both Wu Sect and Quanzhen.
Their skill in playing both sides is truly remarkable.”
Monk Kong Wen added, “They also stepped on us in the process.
Now, with the thirteen nations attending the Southwest Cultivation Conference, it seems we from the Buddhist Sect have come just for a walk through.”
Monk Yuanxing had a thought, “Why can’t we join in like Taihao Sect?
If Taihao Sect can take over the Quanzhen Taoist Flag, we too can choose one flag to show the Buddhist Sect’s stance!”
Everyone brightened up at the idea; it was a good one indeed.
Monk Yuan Jue pondered for a long time, “Taking Wu Sect’s flag would ruin our agreement; taking Quanzhen’s flag would put us directly against Taihao Sect, and although we are not afraid, it would be completely pointless;
Taking one from the four Demon Sect’s flags would make us look like we are taking advantage of others’ misfortune, and the Demon Sect might not appreciate it; so it seems there’s only one flag we could take?”
Kong Jian slapped his palm and smiled, “Exactly, taking the Anhe Taoist Flag would have the same effect as taking the Quanzhen Flag, wouldn’t it?
Wu Sect would be thankful to us since they wouldn’t have to continue an unwinnable battle with gritted teeth anymore.
Quanzhen would be thankful to us because we would have provided them with a respectable way out.
This shares the same ingenuity as Taihao Sect’s move to take the Quanzhen Taoist Flag.”