Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 770 - 769: Hunting Plan

Zhang Han Cheng believed he had the strength for it.

Among the many guest elders in the Prince Manor, he was undoubtedly the foremost; over the years, the most dangerous assignments, the most formidable opponents were mostly handled by him, and he had never failed.

Being a Sword Cultivator was particularly suited for assassination tasks, and with the constraints of the sect lifted and with Master Duan’s help, he had mastered several unique assassination skills that complemented his Sword Strike Skill, enhancing each other.

As Master Duan said, if not for his forced departure from Quanzhen, being a True Disciple was the least he’d have been; this statement might’ve been an exaggeration, but not far from the truth,

Every generation has its outstanding talents. In their era, Zhang Han Cheng could stand on equal footing with personalities like Li Chuping and Yu Zhengxing.

Hou Niao might indeed be formidable; he couldn’t beat him in the Tongtian Realm, but with the man’s Flying Sword taken, even if he reforged it, it was impossible for him to return to his peak condition in a short time—such was the objective law of Cultivation, undeniable, while he was in the Golden Core Realm.

A Golden Core Sword Cultivator and a Tongtian Realm Sword Cultivator were not on the same level.

While Duan Wuqian was alive, the opponent he sparred with in the Prince Manor was him; despite numerous duels, although not too far apart, he never managed to defeat him, and that was a fact.

Thus, upon learning the approximate whereabouts of the man, Master Duan didn’t send those shrimps and crabs to their deaths but directly dispatched him, the trump card of the Manor, aiming for a swift and decisive strike, as the Prince Manor’s reputation could no longer afford any more turbulence.

He couldn’t make his move yet because he didn’t know exactly where the target was, nor could he search himself, as searching would expose him; the information came from the underground Cultivation forces, which had sold the information to the Daoist Sect, so now he needed to make a handoff with a visitor from the Daoist Sect.

The Daoist Sect was such a troublesome force, always dilly-dallying in their actions.

The agreed meeting place was in a small tavern in Horse Hoof Town. The moment Zhang Han Cheng stepped into the tavern, he knew who the Daoist Sect had sent to meet him.

It was a very young-looking Golden Core Cultivator, who was indeed young—around a hundred years old, with less than twenty years since his Core Formation.

Wu Sect Golden Core Daoist, Tang Yan; a person deeply connected with Hou Niao.

Overall, such an arrangement was quite reliable; at least their objectives aligned perfectly, both driven to eliminate Sword Cultivators, leaving no room for divided attentions or distractions.

At a table, the two began their first collaboration.

Zhang Han Cheng was very cautious, "Are you sure he is there? Or have you only confirmed the location of his Daoist couple?"

Tang Yan replied without changing his expression, "He is there, I can confirm it."

"Have you tried?"

"If I had tried, he might not be there anymore, and the Heavenly Heart Pavilion would have intervened; they first discovered his Daoist couple. We didn’t alert anyone and just investigated on the periphery. Through two workers at her flower shop, we confirmed that the flower shop has a male owner, who rarely makes an appearance and is in seclusion.

I’d like to ask, if you Sword Cultivators need to reforge a Flying Sword, shouldn’t you choose a secluded place for refining? This place fits the idea of ’hiding in plain sight,’ but seems to contradict the conditions needed for refining a sword anew? There’s absolutely no aura fluctuation, I once passed by outside the place and sensed nothing."

Zhang Han Cheng sneered, "That’s your bias against the Sword Sect, thinking Quanzhen Sect’s skills must be crude and noisy; in reality, we have sophisticated methods no less than those of the Daoist Sect."

Tang Yan didn’t want to argue, "Since that’s the case, there’s a good 80% chance he is in that flower shop. To avoid complications, we need to act quickly, otherwise if he leaves, it will be difficult to locate him again."

"We only have one chance, and we can’t involve the Heavenly Heart Pavilion here."

Zhang Han Cheng frowned, "He has chosen a good location, beneficial to him... What about the surroundings? Are there any notable people? His accomplices or others residing here incognito?"

Tang Yan confidently said, "Within a kilometer radius there are two Golden Core Cultivators, both from the Daoist Sect, and I have persuaded them to leave; you don’t need to worry about information leakage. However, there are more than twenty Tongtian Realm Cultivators, a mixed bag, so we haven’t acted rashly.

Beyond that range, we can’t observe; there are too many Cultivators, and some from the Heavenly Heart Pavilion reside there, and we can’t persuade them."

Zhang Han Cheng was well-versed in the art of assassination, "There’s no need to be restricted by this; failing the mission would be more fatal than being exposed. Now, I have two questions:."

"One, will Fellow Daoist Tang accompany me? And two, that woman, she’s also an uncertainty."

Tang Yan had clearly considered this already, "Actually, both questions are one and the same. I will not accompany you. The path of assassination values precision over numbers. I’ve preliminarily considered taking action when the woman goes out, you will act, and I will handle the woman, ensuring she doesn’t ruin the operation."

Zhang Han Cheng snorted, knowing that the Daoist Sect would toss the responsibility onto him, cutting off any chance for the Sword Cultivator to reunite with Quanzhen in case he survived; also keeping this leverage to throw between the internal affairs of the Shan Sect and Quanzhen during disputes.

During the last annual meeting, Quanzhen Sect’s internal conflicts became clear, irreconcilable; insiders like the Prince Manor harboring animosity toward Hou Niao were plenty, as were those covertly supporting him. This was a rift the Daoist Sect would certainly exploit.

Thus, the information would surely reach the Prince Manor; if they didn’t act, the Daoist Sect wouldn’t either. Just like now, everything was prepared for him, but the knife had to be wielded by the Sword Sect themselves.

Crucially, they had to go along with the Daoist Sect’s plan, which was an unpleasant feeling, but he had no choice. He knew how infuriated Master Duan was about Duan Wuqian’s death; and currently, the Prince Manor’s reputation was at stake, this was unfolding right now.

In the face of current troubles and future anxieties, the decision was made to resolve the present issues—it was a matter of necessity.

"Will this woman leave the house?"

"Of course, she leaves regularly, mostly for plant-related activities. She really treats this place as her home; I can restrain her, and then you make your move swiftly, strive not to alert the Heavenly Heart Pavilion."

Zhang Han Cheng closed his eyes and concentrated, "When?"

"Three days from now."

He suddenly opened his eyes, bursting with sharpness, "Are there others from your side placed in Sui Mo City?"

Tang Yan met his gaze, "Did you ask if anyone else was coming from your side?"

Their eyes locked, sparks flying, though they were collaborators now, it didn’t mean they were comrades; the grudges between Shan Sect and Wu Sect ran deep, too entangled to untie.

"Then, it will be in three days."