Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

Hou Niao sat upright and rigid, coldly watching as more and more treasures spun around the Square Tower, completely overshadowing the glory that belonged to the Sword Sect, turning it into a grand Upper Realm Universe Artifact Exhibition.

This is the Daoist Sect's routine; they're most adept at this.

"Nineteen Aunt has already pushed Turing Cave Heaven into the Otherworldly Space, but exactly when she can squeeze out the Sword Tomb Cave Heaven is still uncertain. It could be soon, or it might be delayed until after the ceremony," Master Xu secretly transmitted his Divine Sense.

Hou Niao replied calmly, "Do not rush the timing! Even if we make a fool of ourselves at the ceremony, we must ensure two things: first, Nineteen Aunt's safety, second, the integrity of Sword Tomb Cave Heaven."

Master Xu nodded solemnly, fully understanding the reasoning behind this. The Sword Tomb Space, without a doubt, was the Sword Sect's sole aspiration. It represented the future, and how could the success or failure of one ceremony compare?

And then there was Nineteen Aunt, with a terrifying background. He certainly didn't want such a deity to have an accident on Dushan. Even if it wasn't a problem for the Jinxiu Sword Vein, he couldn't escape the blame. He couldn't imagine the Taigu clan would reason like humans.

"Rest assured, I've already reminded Zong and Yang, instructing them to follow Nineteen Aunt's commands completely, and not to rush things."

Looking at the tens of treasures in the sky above the Heavenly Altar, he frowned, "Sect Hierarch, the treasure presentation portion is about to end soon. Next comes the matter of destiny. Look at the cultivators below; I'm afraid we can't stop them unless each treasure has its own owner, otherwise, we cannot proceed with the next agenda."

He spoke correctly, with so many treasures floating in the air, who would still care about the Dushan ceremony? Until everything is divided, they won't give up; this is the mindset of all cultivators.

Hou Niao coldly laughed, "No matter, let them run wild. The happier they are now, the more they'll be disappointed later. I won't stop them now; just adding fuel to the fire. I'll fan the flames!"

The treasure exhibition gradually drew to a close; out of a hundred and six Daoists, ninety-one treasures had been presented, with fifteen Daoists remaining, including the Blood Transformation Sect from the Southwest and the Sword Sect, all having not found suitable inheritances for various reasons, unwilling to settle.

These Daoists are actually the backbone of the Loser Alliance. At least, their bones are hard enough not to think they'd be doomed without their own Preacher.

Ninety-one treasures slowly rotated in the sky, occasionally clashing against each other, forming a huge, colorful halo, even larger than the three hundred-foot Heavenly Sword Platform below. The cultivators below could feel the mysterious aura emanating from the treasures, making hearts race.

Everything that needed to be presented had been, and now the master needed to take charge. Hou Niao slowly walked onto the Heavenly Altar, knowing that his role as host was likely just show, satisfying everyone's expectations was fine, but if not, he'd probably be booed.

With the situation as it is, there were not many choices before him.

"Today's ceremony, I see it too, just one person from our sect talking nonsense, being the villain, so I'll carry on with the nonsense to the end then.

Ninety-one treasures, hanging there as they are, makes me anxious, afraid they might accidentally fall and hit someone, so the sooner they're divided, the better, and it saves everyone from worrying. So, I have a few questions that need everyone's collective choice."

He glanced at the people below the platform, "First, I want to know: who is qualified to talk about destiny? Daoist Zhi Xuan, are your treasures available for anyone to try, or do they target specific realms?"

Daoist Zhi Xuan was called out, as the initiator of the treasure presentation with Taiching's background, he couldn't avoid this question; originally thinking he'd leave such a thorny issue to Hou Niao, but didn't expect Hou Niao to deflect, not considering his role as host, instead kicking the ball back.

After slight communication with other Upper Realm envoys and reaching a consensus, he then loudly said, "Since the Sect Hierarch declines, shall I decide for him? Nascent Soul masters might not fancy these Golden Core artifacts of ours; if they were to act, others wouldn't stand a chance, so I believe the Nascent Soul seniors are not within the destiny."

Below the platform, hundreds of Nascent Soul Masters heard this and, despite some discomfort, couldn't say anything; under such a crowd, their status certainly wouldn't allow them to compete for treasures with disciples, which would be disgraceful, not the way of a teacher, even though these treasures were actually usable to them, superior to their own belongings, yet they couldn't say anything.

This was what Daoist Zhi Xuan could say, but Hou Niao couldn't.

Daoist Zhi Xuan clasped his hands, "Foundation Establishment disciples, my humble self will boast here, your realm can't handle it; if you actually can, the treasures in your hands wouldn't be fully utilized, merely wasting time. So, it's definitely the Golden Core fellow Daoists present."

The group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, in such occasions, had no voice, and there was nothing to argue against, Zhi Xuan's words were realistic and harsh, but this was the Cultivation World.

Hou Niao finally pushed this thankless problem away and continued to ask, "How to choose?"

Daoist Zhi Xuan laughed and said, "Are you the Sect Hierarch or am I? Very well, there are two thousand Golden Core cultivators here, a large number, so to save time, each person only has one chance, lasting one moment, after which no second chance, is that fine?"

No one objected, this was a tacit rule in the Cultivation World, you couldn't endlessly try, if one didn't work out, then try another, exhausting the chances. If that were the case, it would lose the meaning of destiny.

Humans have spirit, treasures also have spirit, this is a matter of matching affection, not like arbitrarily picking and choosing at a market stall, but some competent cultivators voiced dissatisfaction.

Daoist Zhi Xuan readily complied, "Of course, those with exceptional talent, you can try more, but remember, only after securing one can you try another, still within the one-moment time limit; the Cultivation World encourages geniuses, if you have the ability to claim all treasures, then I'd only have congratulatory intent, never going back on my word."

Everyone praised him, such treasure selection was actually common in the Daoist Sect, testing one's capability and the affinity with the treasures; often, if one couldn't take hold of it immediately, attempting again later was pointless.

In such occasions, exerting brute force is most forbidden, it's necessary for the treasures to willingly fall into your hands, that's destiny, not the result of forceful snatching.

Daoist Zhi Xuan pleasantly looked at Hou Niao, "Hou Sect Hierarch, this time the Sword Sect is really fortunate, two thousand Golden Core cultivators, your Sword Sect accounts for thirty percent, plenty of opportunities, maybe all treasures will belong to the Sword Sect?"

Hou Niao squinted his eyes, "Let me explain to everyone here, Sword Sect cultivators only hold affection for swords, have little interest in these external objects, apart from myself as the Sect Hierarch needing to accept the greetings of everyone else, others won't choose, leaving chances to our faraway friends as a token of Sword Sect's goodwill."