As Chunying completed her sentence, a cold silence spread across the hall. The tension was so heavy it felt as though the air itself had frozen.
Poison Elder narrowed her eyes and asked, "What do you mean, Chunying?"
Chunying's lips curved into a faint smile as she continued, her voice steady and sharp:
"What I mean is… we must create a war to remove our enemies—including the Alliance Leader."
Gasps spread through the room. Poison Elder slammed the table, his voice ringing with outrage:
"You want us to create chaos and war? Do you understand what you're saying? We are orthodox sects and clans!"
Chunying chuckled, the sound low and mocking, her cold eyes glinting in the dim lamplight.
"Orthodox? Righteous?" She laughed louder. "We all know how righteous we truly are."
Beads of sweat rolled down the foreheads of several elders. Her words cut straight to their hidden truth. Chunying raised her voice, calm yet poisonous:
"We are here for our benefit. We rule Murim because we show our usefulness and necessity to the world. And war… war is the best stage to remind the people why they need us. Why they need the Great Sects and Clans."
She let her words hang in the air, her gaze sweeping across the council.
"War also helps us eliminate our enemies in secret. With war, we can erase every hindrance—every sect that questions us."
Poison Elder's fists tightened. "Still, war is not easy to create. It takes preparation. We don't have time or power. If we start preparing, the Alliance Leader will uncover us, and heaven knows what will happen then!"
Chunying stepped forward, her expression sharp as a blade.
"Yes, war takes preparation. But…" Her eyes locked onto the Chief Elder. "…didn't our ancestors already prepare a war plot for us? For this kind of situation?"
The hall froze. Poison Elder's face drained of color.
"You… Chunying! How can you speak aloud about the forbidden secret?!"
The Chief Elder's cold gaze bore into Chunying, but Chunying stood her ground, her smile unwavering.
"I know. If this secret comes out, Murim will fall into chaos. But don't you think it's time we destroy this secret for good? This is our chance."
The Chief Elder's voice was grim, her tone like a sword cutting through the stillness.
"Even though we know the secret… what use is it? The Great Devil Sect is already beyond our control, and the Devil Matriarch's strength surpassed all predictions."
Chunying tilted her head, her eyes gleaming with cunning.
"And that is why I've prepared the perfect stage to use this secret. I just need your support and permission."
She then revealed her plan in hushed detail. One by one, the council members' expressions twisted with greed and calculation.
Suddenly, Zhen Qingsui snapped, slamming her palm on the table. Her cold, righteous voice cut through the darkness:
"Don't you all think this is wrong? We are righteous sects and clans! How can we face our ancestors after death? So many innocent people will die just for our benefit!"
Chunying turned toward her, her voice like venom.
"And what then, Qingsui? Shall we just let the medium sects rise and surpass us? Let them control Murim while we fade into nothing?"
Her smirk grew sharper. "Don't worry about ancestors. They were the ones who started this Alliance. We're simply ensuring their methods don't go to waste."
"Shut up, Chunying!" Qingsui shouted, her eyes burning with fury. "Not everyone thinks like you! Others will oppose this madness!"
She looked around desperately, but the only thing she saw was cold, empty stares. Every elder in the room had already agreed with Chunying's proposal.
Her heart pounded as she turned to her master, the Chief Elder—the person she respected most. For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes.
But the Chief Elder only looked at her with icy authority and said,
"Qingsui… back off."
Qingsui staggered backward, her face pale, her head lowering as tears welled in her eyes.
The council voted. The majority agreed.
The Chief Elder's voice carried finality:
"Then the Council will proceed with Namgong Chunying's proposal. She will lead us. She will assign roles, and I expect everyone to fulfill their part in this great plan. Begin the preparations for war."
As everyone left, Chunying stood quietly in the emptying hall, her lips curling into a victorious smile.
But then—Zhen Qingsui stormed toward her, rage burning in her eyes. She grabbed Chunying by the collar, her fists trembling.
"How could you be so evil? I trusted you! I thought you were different! But you are the most vicious of them all!"
Chunying met her anger with mocking laughter.
"Vicious? Yes… that's the right word for me. But Qingsui, everything I did—I did for our benefit. For our survival in Murim."
Qingsui's voice cracked, her tears finally falling.
"Benefit? For our benefit, countless innocent lives must pay with their blood? How can you say such a thing and still call yourself a righteous martial artist?"
Chunying's eyes grew cold.
"Righteous? There is no righteousness in this world. Everyone plots for their own gain. Even you."
Qingsui trembled. "You…"
Chunying leaned close, her voice icy and cruel.
"Alright then, Qingsui. You're righteous, aren't you? But Wudang has already chosen to go along with my plan. Even your own master has."
Qingsui froze, her body trembling. Sweat rolled down her neck. Her lips quivered as Chunying pressed harder.
"If you want me to stop, then betray Wudang. Kill your own master, your sisters, and your brothers of Wudang. Can you do it?"
Qingsui's voice shook. "…No."
Chunying smirked coldly. "Then you're the same as me. Stop being childish. Open your eyes and see the true world."
She pulled away and walked out, her steps echoing in the hollow chamber.
Qingsui collapsed to her knees, tears spilling down her face as her entire world crumbled.
"The world I believed in… was a lie."
Qianlin, watching this illusion unfold, was stunned. Her heart pounded as the truth of corruption sank deeper and deeper.
She turned to the Devil Matriarch, whose face was twisted in fury and sorrow.
"I was foolish back then…" the Matriarch muttered, her voice heavy with regret.
Qianlin's trembling voice asked, "What is that forbidden secret? Chunying never revealed it. What was it that drove you to war?"
The Devil Matriarch's eyes burned with cold fire.
"That secret… was that the Murim Alliance itself created the Great Devil Sect—the strongest unorthodox power."
Qianlin's entire body stiffened. Shock after shock shook her mind. "What?!"
The Matriarch's voice was sharp, bitter, laced with rage.
"Yes. The Murim Alliance created it."
Qianlin's lips quivered. "Why…?"
The Devil Matriarch's gaze grew darker, her words cutting like blades.
"Because it would help them balance the world. To make light appear more majestic… you need darkness. The founders of the Murim Alliance already controlled the orthodox side. They wanted control of the unorthodox as well. So they created the Great Devil Sect—to use it as their weapon, to profit from war."
Her lips curled into a bitter sneer.
"But they never predicted someone like me would inherit it. I broke through the limits, surpassed their control, and shattered their schemes."
Qianlin's eyes widened with terror and sorrow, her heart thundering in her chest. The truth of the world was darker than she ever imagined.