Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 503 - 502: Getting Ready to Act

Hou Niao walked slowly, listening intently, as he couldn’t discern too obviously who was speaking, making it impossible for him to respond or ask questions.

These enforcers from the Six-Ear Palace, numbering about twenty or thirty, were mostly cultivators of the God Sensing Natural Realm. Given the unpredictable nature of the Daoist Sect’s methods, he didn’t even have a chance to look up. Surely, driven by mere curiosity, he couldn’t risk exposing this rare chess piece, could he?

He found the situation somewhat amusing—it was an undercover meeting an undercover, quite ridiculous.

He hoped to obtain more information, such as who were escorting You Chaoen: how many people? Were there any traps? What about the life or death of Xu Shanren? And so forth...

However, this particular spy from the Six-Ear Palace only provided him with that bit of information until they completely missed each other, disappearing from sight.

Hou Niao was not entirely satisfied, as he was treated merely as a tool, a pure assassin; yet he was also very pleased, because everything was so professional and meticulous. Clearly, the undercover was quite confident in their information, speaking in a definite tone throughout without a moment’s hesitation.

He did not hesitate, so Hou Niao did not hesitate either.

No matter how much he worried, the task still had to be done—there was no turning back now, right?

There wasn’t much of interest for him in the Heavenly Master’s Treasure Hall. Once outside the Heavenly Master Temple, he took out the map of Jianye, compared it carefully, and began selecting the appropriate spot to act between the two points.

Zhaohua Heavenly Pond, also located within Jianye City, is one of the countless assets of the Qi Sect. It was said that the water of the Heavenly Pond is miraculous, offering various benefits for cultivators, able to cleanse the marrow and mend veins, and to heal injuries, designated exclusively for internal teaching and never open to outsiders.

It was said that not every cultivator within the Qi Sect could enjoy the benefits of the Heavenly Pond; one had to queue, receive merits, use connections, and have a certain status, among other requirements.

The Six-Ear Palace was in the south of the city, while Zhaohua Heavenly Pond was in the west. They couldn’t possibly walk there over land, only fly. The distance was about twenty li, and considering the speed restriction over urban areas, it would take less than thirty breaths.

Would they take a circular route? He wasn’t sure, so he could only look for opportunities to start and land; whether to act in front of the Six-Ear Palace or in front of Zhaohua Heavenly Pond was not a choice that needed consideration.

After considering the potential scenarios, including the environment in front of the Six-Ear Palace and the location of Zhaohua Heavenly Pond, he made his decision.

Two nights later, outside in a suburban yard, Daoist Lu was the first to speak,

"There’s something I need to tell you. Among those Qi Sect cultivators responsible for protecting You Chaoen this time, there’s a True Disciple from the Qi Sect, who is also the Daoist in charge of this operation."

This was information from an underground force, complementing what the spy had provided.

The mission was gradually becoming clearer, from the initial confusion and anxiety to a moment of clarity.

He wanted to end it all quickly, regardless of the outcome.

Taking out the map, he explained to the two death soldiers their ambush positions, "From the Six-Ear Palace to Zhaohua Heavenly Pond, there are countless routes and unpredictable paths. All we can determine is the opportunity of takeoff and landing, and I choose the takeoff from the Six-Ear Palace."

Daoist Shan questioned, "Shouldn’t it be more logical to choose Zhaohua Heavenly Pond? Inside the Six-Ear Palace are all law-enforcing Daoists. If something happens, their response will be very quick, and nobody uninvolved; it’s different at Zhaohua Heavenly Pond. The monks there are from various parts of the Qi Sect, not necessarily willing to intervene easily in incidents, at least there would be momentary hesitation.

Additionally, as people often relax their vigilance as they draw closer to success..."

Hou Niao explained, "That is common sense, and most people would think as you do, so I choose to do the opposite.

In case of an attack outside the Six-Ear Palace, indeed, they would react much faster, but we actually have only one chance to act, so their speed of reaction doesn’t matter much—whether a hundred or so people rush out from the Six-Ear Palace or just a dozen from Zhaohua Heavenly Pond. The only difference that matters is whether we can escape."

Daoist Shan laughed wryly, "This is really risking our lives for money."

Hou Niao shook his head, "Not necessarily! Whether we act outside the Six-Ear Palace or Zhaohua Heavenly Pond, our chances of escape are not great. What I am asking you to do is not really to assassinate but to attract their attention. The final strike will be mine.

After that, if you want to live, just surrender. For people like you, the Qi Sect might not be too interested."

This was a decision they had to make themselves. To seek freedom, one must take the risk; Hou Niao was not too harsh about this. It was a fair trade, the nature of their job. Taking his Spirit Stone meant being prepared to risk their lives, without room for pity.

Seeing them remain silent, he continued explaining his plan, "In attacking at the Six-Ear Palace, the advantage is that their take-off speed will be slower, which benefits our attack. Eliminating the possibility of them flying in the opposite direction right from the start, and also excluding the densely populated city to the north of the Six-Ear Palace, our best ambush spot is to the northwest of the Six-Ear Palace, where several large buildings are suitable for us to hide."

These two being death soldiers, had their own set of skills, the type that cultivates through combat, so such circumstances were not too much for them.

Hou Niao did not arrange an escape route for them; such characters all had their own ways, the methods on which their survival relied.

"Will there be any Golden Core cultivators appearing?" Daoist Shan raised this concern.

Hou Niao was certain, "No, this is a test of the abilities of cultivators from the Tongtian Realm, which is why I came, not some Golden Core or Nascent Transformation; but if my first attempt fails and the incident becomes public, then, for their own reputation, the Qi Sect might react differently. This is the rule of conduct between powers, an unspoken understanding; you should know that in the Shan Country, there are also many Qi Sect cultivators. If everyone takes drastic actions, Jinxiu Continent will no longer have any communication."

Daoist Lu, who rarely interjected, commented, "There might eventually come such a day when so-called tacit understandings are meant to be broken. Once a tacit understanding has endured for too long, it becomes a shackle that binds."

Looking at Hou Niao with a puzzled gaze, Daoist Lu smiled lightly, "Think about the matter of powers sending undercover spies among each other; it has been happening constantly for hundreds of years. If it doesn’t lead to some terrible consequences, who would make a big fuss about it?

There’s only one scenario where if the powers think chaos on the Continent is imminent, their first action would be to eliminate potential threats around them. The Qi Sect would do so, and your Shan Sect too.

However, these kinds of troubles don’t matter to us small fry."

The three fell silent, the plan was clear, and from now on, the three of them would not leave each other’s sight. This was also the rule; no trust was unconditional, only rules are ever-lasting, all for their own safety.

Hou Niao looked up at the starry sky, his heart becoming calm. By this time tomorrow, everything would be clear.