Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

Taking advantage of Yu Zhengxing looking for people, Hou Niao looked at Xiaoman seriously, "Xiaoman, thank you, this matter is very important! It is like this for all of us. You have made a great contribution, and I must reward you well. Tell me, what do you want?"

Xiaoman was very happy. She didn't want anything, as long as she could help Dushan, she was satisfied. Before she could speak, Hou Niao across from her gave her a surprised look and placed his hand on her head again,

"What's going on? They said you didn't sense the Qi, but why do I feel like you already have?"

Xiaoman felt a bit scared, "Just when that bad person died, I was holding this Stone Fetus and it felt like I was shocked, and I felt all warm inside, not cold anymore. Is that why?"

Hou Niao sighed, looking at her, "Congratulations, Xiaoman. From today, you are now a member of the Dushan Sword Sect. You will have the best mentors, countless senior brothers and sisters, and unlimited resources. Trust me, this is what you deserve."

The light and shadow in the great hall flickered, and Master Hai appeared in front of them. Hou Niao briefly explained the situation,

"Elder, please take this little girl to the scene. I need every trace from there. If you find anything, keep it quiet. We need to discuss it long-term."

Master Hai understood his meaning perfectly, wrapped his arm around Xiaoman, "Xiaoman, lead the way, take Grandfather to see, and from now on, just follow me. I guarantee no one in Dushan will dare to bully you."

As soon as she left, the Fire Flamingo rode in by Xiaokongque came rushing in, muttering, "You told me to stay far away, and now you've called me over. What exactly do you want?"

Hou Niao handed over the Stone Fetus, "Nineteenth Aunt, take a look at this, what is it?"

Xiaokongque casually tapped, and the Fire Flamingo beneath her obediently lay down beside her, its small eyes spinning restlessly. It submitted to the Nineteenth Aunt due to bloodline suppression, but it didn't regard anyone else.

Xiaokongque took the Stone Fetus and sat cross-legged on the spot, carefully feeling it. She understood Hou Niao's meaning but felt it needed further confirmation.

While Hou Niao waited, his bored gaze swept over the Fire Flamingo. Seeing its beauty, he couldn't help but reach out his hand; how could that fierce creature accept being petted for no reason? Even its original owner, Jue Mingzi, took decades of caring for it before having a chance to get close. Already frustrated by bloodline suppression, seeing someone walk into the net themselves, it didn't hesitate to give him a lesson.

As soon as Hou Niao's hand reached close, it pecked swiftly, though not having time to use the Taiyan Fire, it still had enough force, something no ordinary cultivator's body could withstand.

But it didn't expect that upon pecking, it felt as if struck by thunder. It wasn't ordinary lightning but the ancient supreme Thunder Intent, making it feel weak and unable to gather any strength or divine skills.

Hou Niao rudely grabbed its long neck with one hand, pulling its head over, smiling warmly but speaking with a voice as cold as ice,

"Since you're here, be polite! Do you know who I am? If you dare to harm anyone in Dushan again, I'll pluck your feathers for barbecue!"

With a casual fling, the Fire Flamingo fell limp on the ground, with no will to rebel; these people in this place were too fierce, especially this Hou Hierarch, whose ancient Thunder Intent restrained it perfectly. How could fire be faster than lightning?

Xiaokongque slowly opened her eyes, "If I'm not mistaken, this Stone Fetus should be a set with that Stone Sword in the Otherworldly Space, mutually dependent; a cultivator can use the Stone Fetus to manipulate the Stone Sword to bring other artifacts in or out of the Otherworldly Space, but there are many intricacies I can't understand, so I'm afraid I can't accomplish it..."

Hou Niao laughed heartily, "Leave it there, it won't run away, Nineteenth Aunt, why hurry? I'll find time to discuss it with several Masters, just to get familiar with the Space Great Dao."

He clearly knew where Xiaokongque's abilities lay, within the innate instincts embedded in the ancient bloodline of this body, rather than something obtained through continuous human learning. This was two different paths, so he couldn't expect Xiaokongque to understand the application of human treasures through learning. They would have to do it themselves.

Anyway, it's at least a direction for investigation.

To him, who did this matter was clear from the beginning when the Daoist Sect began presenting treasures. In the Cultivation World, there are no coincidences, only meticulous calculations to show off and suppress others.

He needed to do the same thing. That was the main theme of this ceremony. The Daoist Sect had already acted, and now it was his turn.

Like Master Xu, with a little unnoticed melancholy on his face, he returned to the Heavenly Sword Platform; a residual effect of staying at Sikong Mansion for too long, always wanting to lead others astray...

In the sky, only three people were still making their final efforts, but evidently, their efforts were having little effect, with no more Golden Core Cultivators coming up,

Daoist Zhi Xuan smiled and greeted, "Does the Hierarch have any interest in trying?"

Hou Niao replied matter-of-factly, "Certainly, I'm a Jinxiu descendant, and my Realm is appropriate. Today is my lucky day, how could I refuse so many people's goodwill?"

Each side had their own intentions; the Daoist Sect wanted to see this Hierarch make a fool of themselves, while Hou Niao intended to take advantage of the Daoist Sect... The Daoist Sect had confidence in their treasures, believing it's tough for even themselves to take each other's treasures without using forceful means, not to mention Hou Niao, a native Jinxiu cultivator.

The Sword Sect has never been a Daoist tradition good at this, a tradition continuing for hundreds of thousands of years, how could it change overnight?

Hou Niao flew into the mid-air, and the three cultivators didn't want to become the background of others. They weren't worried about the Hierarch Hou collecting treasures easily, but genuinely didn't want to get involved in the vortex of conflict between the Daoist Sect and Sword Sect; by now, who isn't clear about the direction of the ceremony?

Hou Niao cupped his hands in respect, "As a Jinxiu descendant, I, like everyone, am full of longing for the Upper Realm, including these treasures; ordinarily, a Sword Cultivator shouldn't be obsessed with external items, but since friends have delivered gifts to the door, how can I, as the Hierarch, be too pretentious?"

Trying is just for a laugh.

Under the watchful eyes, his body began to spin along with the aura of the treasures. Initially, there were ninety-one treasures here, now sixty-two remained, with twenty-nine taken away, indicating this fate was not easily gained.

From the perspective of difficulty, the twenty-some treasures from the Taiqing Yuqing system surely were more challenging and higher-end, while others followed the Daoist traditions in descending order; under the rule of not being able to continue after failing once, it's the only choice to start with easier ones.

But the Hierarch Hou didn't seem to think that way.

The first thing he chose was, "Daoist Zhi Xuan came from across the Universe, with deep affection and heavy feelings, I must accept your gift. Let's start with this Yin Yang Umbrella?"