Demon Sword Sect's Undercover-Chapter 538 - 537 Anhe Anhe

"I’ve always been working hard, senior. Over the years, within my capabilities, I dare say no other Daoist from the Anhe Daoist Sect has done more than I have!"

Hou Niao said this with confidence because it was the truth. Regardless of his wishes, he had been entangled with the Wu Sect for years and reconciliation had become impossible.

Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "I know, I know everything. From the debates in the Southwest to crushing the pirate forces supported by the Wu Sect in the Lizhi Sea, no one among the cultivators in the Tongtian Realm has outperformed you.

That’s why I didn’t contact you. Since you were doing so well, why add to your burden? Why make you constantly worried?"

He extended his hand, "Tea?"

Hou Niao chuckled awkwardly, "No tea, only wine..."

Xiao Zhen shook his head, "So you still want to draw your sword and chop me down, huh? But that’s also to be expected. Without such temperament and disposition, you couldn’t handle such grand affairs. Times of chaos are the stage for people like you."

He took a sip of the wine and continued, "Initially, I thought to myself, just let it be, pretend to know nothing and allow you to be Wu Sect’s nemesis. With the backing of the Shan Sect behind you, the higher you climb, the more Wu Sect suffers, and I could just enjoy the success from behind the scenes...

But I did not expect to meet you here. Is this the will of heaven?"

Hou Niao listened quietly. He needed to make an accurate judgment about everything before him. He was well aware of the character across from him, a centuries-old monster, who could not be simply classified as good or bad.

Xiao Zhen went on, "I took the initiative to reveal all this for several reasons.

First, to completely eliminate the unease in your heart. On the Jinxiu Continent, everything stops at the Nascent Transformation, so no one else will know your secret. This will allow you to cultivate with greater peace of mind,

Second, even if Anhe needs your service, a relationship more akin to homesickness and friendship is much more solid than one of subservience. This is particularly true at higher realms, where no one wants to be constrained by some unreliable oath. That’s the nature of a cultivator.

Coercion only leads to backlash."

Hou Niao nodded. What the Master said was very clear, a true reflection of the ways of the world.

"Thirdly, do you know the real reason I came to the Chu Sect?"

Hou Niao looked puzzled. He waited for Xiao Zhen’s explanation; without it, he couldn’t be at ease with the Master’s sudden decision to clarify everything now.

It could be a gesture of goodwill, but it could also be a threat.

"I came to the Chu Sect for the strife over the True Discipleship of the Anhe Daoist Sect," Xiao Zhen stated bluntly.

"Anhe Daoist Sect is in disarray, with the internal strife escalating, just a step away from civil war. In all aspects and areas, including the matter of greatest concern—the inheritance of the True Discipleship—there’s only thirty years left to bring it to the agenda.

The decline of Anhe is due to a decrease in its own strength, with reasons both external and within the Anhe Daoist Sect. As an elder, I bear an unavoidable responsibility for this."

This was the first time Hou Niao had heard such a profound analysis of the deeper causes of Anhe’s internal chaos, especially from an elder like Xiao Zhen, which made it very credible.

"A very important point is the lack of continuity in our successors, with a decline in disciple quality. Many excellent talents have been recruited by the Wu Sect, making it difficult to find a few truly outstanding disciples who can convince everyone.

Under the current circumstances, the Wu Sect is taking advantage in all ways possible, wooing and dividing, adding unpredictability to the struggle for the True Discipleship of the Anhe Daoist Sect. There are even Wu Sect disciples who have defected to our sect, hoping to obtain the position of True Disciple, and we can’t find many who can contend with them."

He sighed, "One misstep leads to another, and the situation continues to worsen. This is why I came to the Chu Sect. Since the surrender faction of Anhe can bring in Wu Sect disciples as reinforcement, our independent faction can also seek suitable allies.

Within the Daoist sects of the Continent, there are not many strong enough and willing to support the Anhe Daoist Sect. For example, in the Southeast region, all three major Daoist sects, Qi, Zhou, and Guo, support the Wu Sect. The only one with a neutral stance is the Chu Sect. I’ve been old friends with Master Yuan, so my visit here is to see if there are any Chu Sect disciples willing to switch allegiance to Anhe Daoist Sect?

It’s a challenging task because the Anhe ship is now battered and torn, not a vessel that truly visionary cultivators are willing to board. And those that do want to come aboard are not the ones I find satisfactory. So, I haven’t gained much over these months..."

Hou Niao listened and suddenly understood the proposal Tan Xiao had mentioned to him before; Xiao Zhen had been here for months and a True Disciple like Tan Xiao must have clearly understood his intention, so his words were not empty talk.

However, such a matter is easier said than done, and for him, supposedly lying low, it made his situation as awkward as that of a servant of three surnames.

"If not for the issue of the True Discipleship, I probably wouldn’t have met you, and your identity issue would have died down.

But since fate has allowed me to see you, why not go along with the will of heaven?"

Xiao Zhen had something else he did not fully express because he was not certain about it. Through the changes on the Jinxiu Continent over the past decades and the outcomes of various wishes, he had a premonition that the Heaven and Earth Chains binding the Continent seemed slightly loosened.

This was not just a gut feeling, as the results of prayers from various countries, Daoist traditions, and powers had led to miraculous occurrences previously thought impossible, such as the Earth Spirit Pearl of the Winged People’s tribe.

For him, skilled in mysterious arts, there was even a sense that the key to breaking all these barriers was somehow related to the Anhe Daoist Sect?

Thus, the True Discipleship of the Anhe Daoist Sect was endowed with new significance, prompting much speculation.

In such a scenario, as one of the five Nascent Transformation elders of the Anhe Daoist Sect, he naturally hoped to secure a position for his own people and indeed he had the right to do so. At least among the five True Disciples of Anhe Daoist Sect, he had the authority to decide on one.

Finding the right candidate was a major issue. There were none suitable inside Anhe, and trusting someone from outside was difficult. Now, encountering someone who had been sent out during the Pulse phase and kept under the radar, he suddenly realized he might have another option.

Loyalty? Not a big issue. His confrontation with the Wu Sect to the death already demonstrated that. Talking about anything else is false; only life and death can clearly reveal a person’s ideological inclination. He might not be completely loyal to the Anhe Daoist Sect, but as an Anhe man, his heart is undoubtedly with Anhe.

Capability? Exceptionally good. To be able to disrupt the Wu Sect’s maritime force in the Lizhi Sea single-handedly, leaving it fragmented and gasping for air, is not something just anyone could achieve. The younger generation of the Anhe Daoist Sect lacks such a formidable and influential figure.

With these qualities, that’s enough.

All he needs is one more ladder...