Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

On the Heavenly Sword Platform, several hours had passed, but only half of the people had collected their treasures, and with fifteen hundred people, it was somewhat time-consuming.

The cultivators' enthusiasm was no longer as intense as it was initially; now they were acting more out of rationality, and their pace was slowing down.

Ninety-one treasures, and only a dozen had been taken. The prospects were not very optimistic; the big pie was delicious, but not everyone could take a bite.

In fact, watching the Golden Core cultivators collect treasures was quite interesting. It involved a lot of elements and could be considered a unique learning exchange opportunity.

Some, in desperation, used forceful methods, but without exception, they all triggered retaliations from the treasures. If such situations occurred, they would automatically be deemed out of the game, leaving no room for negotiation.

Everything was based on the self-awareness of the treasures' spiritual sense; if it deemed the owner suitable, it meant they were fated, but if not, it would remain indifferent or even fight back.

There were also those who played tricks among them, like how Xiang Anshi managed to acquire the Water Dragon Chant, which was placed by Zhou Immortal Fairy Hong Xiu, making it hard to avoid associations; and then Daoist Zhan took Tianfeng's Rouge Button, and Tan Xiao acquired the Representation Map from Chu Sect Ye Bai...

It was all about taking one's own treasures, not letting the fertile water flow to outsiders. From their perspective, this was understandable, but to the thousands of cultivators present, it seemed somewhat fishy. If everyone played like this, then what was the point of their pretense?

The resentment was still spreading.

Ying Platform is the inheritance of Zhou Immortal, Anhe is the inheritance of Shangqing, Chu Sect is the inheritance of Chu Su, and Chu Su and Shangqing are like twins... These are all Daoist Sect inheritances, but they are actually different from the Taiqing Yuqing mainstream system. For example, in this plan, they were completely excluded, yet at the critical moment, they pulled such a move.

There is an open and secret struggle over the leadership of the Daoist Sect, which is actually a subtle gesture of goodwill from the three Daoist Sects to the Sword Sect; when the leader is overwhelmingly strong, the second-in-line stands still, and the third and fourth can only huddle together for warmth.

In the cultivation world, it's common to push and pull each other, no one can obtain absolute initiative, there's always someone holding back, and the stronger a force becomes, the more there will be holdbacks.

The relationships are very delicate; Hou Niao didn't explicitly ask for help, but these worldly Daoists knew precisely what to do, achieving their goals in the most inconspicuous way at the most appropriate time.

If the Daoist Sect were to be controlled by the Taiqing Yuqing system, what would happen to those Daoist Sects on the outskirts? With experienced foxes like Anhe's Xiao Master around, they could always hit you in your soft spot when you are complacent and carefree, not lethal, but enough to knock the wind out of you...

These are not fellow Daoists, but troublesome Daoists.

Of course, this doesn't mean they'll completely side with the Sword Sect. If the Sword Sect gains the upper hand at this moment, all the Daoist Sects would become sincerely united, as close as a family.

They are more like a balancing chip, leaning towards the weaker side.

This series of sneaky operations was truly killing without a knife, turning Taiqing Yuqing's generosity into sinister calculations, infuriating Zhi Xuan Jue Mingzi and the others into silence. They had not infrequently encountered such backstabs, and of course, they had backstabbed Shangqing even more often.

Through this grand ceremony, Hou Niao gained a deeper understanding of the Daoist Sect, which was also part of his growth, allowing him to grasp the continental situation more profoundly.

A figure approached beside him, followed by the voice he longed to hear, "Little Niao, I've handled your affair, but Turing Cave Heaven is destroyed."

Hou Niao didn't turn back, but merely reached a hand to grasp Little Peacock's hand, "Nineteenth Aunt, as long as you're alright, as for the Grotto Heaven, even if both are destroyed, it's no big deal. If Sword Tomb Cave Heaven is destroyed, the sky won't fall. The Sword Sect existed even when they couldn't nurture flying swords, didn't they?"

Little Peacock snorted, "But talking about it, it was really dangerous. I felt someone was externally controlling that Stone Sword, but somehow, suddenly everything went smoothly, inexplicably... Now Sword Tomb Cave Heaven has been elevated, Master Xu is inspecting it, Turing Cave Heaven is destroyed, and Eocene Cave Heaven is still stuck in otherworldly space, as if it's jammed?"

Hou Niao finally felt a sense of relief. In any case, this grand ceremony would not become a disgrace before all the continental cultivators. Despite the heavy price paid, it was worth it.

Little Peacock glanced around the scene, suddenly becoming very angry, "Little Niao, I want that Fire Flamingo!"

Hou Niao was somewhat puzzled, "What Fire Flamingo?"

Seeing where Little Peacock was pointing, he couldn't help but laugh, "That's Yuqing Jue Mingzi's Fire Peacock; turns out it's a Fire Flamingo, blowing smoke here."

Little Peacock angrily declared, "Though it's not a real peacock, I can't stand it, I want to capture it."

Hou Niao held her back, "Are you confident?"

Little Peacock snorted, "Under the bloodline, it's a piece of cake."

Hou Niao didn't want to stop her, as this was the business of the Holy Beast clan, and he had to respect it, "Then go ahead, but Nineteenth Aunt, remember two things: first, don't make it look too easy, as it might raise suspicion; second, after you succeed, don't return to the Sword Sect's ranks. I've mentioned before that no one but me in the Sword Sect will participate in treasure fate."

Little Peacock glared at him, "You're the only one around to do so many things! Don't worry, if I don't want people to find out, no one will, including you!"

Little Peacock, being smart, didn't immediately fly up but instead circled outside the Heavenly Sword Platform before slowly approaching the still slowly rotating Treasure Light Ring, which still had over seventy treasures, so it still looked grand.

She approached within a hundred meters of the Fire Flamingo, with no one contesting this so-called ancient Holy Beast with her; everyone knew very well that this creature was not just slightly spiritually aware, but truly possessed intelligence similar to humans. If its master had made prior arrangements with it, it certainly wouldn't follow anyone else.

Since the treasure acquisition began, no one had attempted to try, not even the Beast Taming Sect cultivators dared to approach, as they knew very well that they could only tame ordinary Demon Beasts, not ancient Holy Beasts. Using their so-called methods would only anger such a temperamental creature. Why bother?

She followed the Fire Flamingo from a hundred meters away, murmuring something that was actually cursing the Yuqing Daoist; as Hou Niao had said, she couldn't appear too relaxed, as it would arouse suspicion.

From afar, Jue Mingzi watched the female cultivator, knowing that the Fire Peacock was unlikely to follow her. Still, she was the first to dare target the ancient Holy Beast; what if?

The cultivation world never lacked for 'what ifs.'

But after half a moment, he relaxed a little, thinking she was an amateur and probably just thought the Fire Peacock looked nice, taking a random shot for fun.

Just when he relaxed and shifted his attention elsewhere, he suddenly heard an exclamation. When he turned back, he saw that the Fire Peacock was leisurely flying toward the woman, without a hint of hesitation.

What was going on?