The battlefield had turned into a graveyard of blood and ash.
Amid the carnage, Sima Ruyan, her clothes torn and her eyes swollen red with grief, stood trembling over the lifeless body of her fallen sister. Tears stained her face, yet her grip on her sword remained unyielding. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed. She looked up and her tear-filled eyes widened in disbelief—
The Queen of War appeared, her figure towering even in exhaustion, her robes tattered, her aura dim yet unshaken. Behind her, she dragged the broken form of another figure, her arm trembling from strain.
Ruyan's breath hitched when she saw clearly who it was.
It was the Devil Matriarch.
The Queen of War stepped forward, placing her free hand gently on Ruyan's shoulder. Her voice, though weakened, still carried authority.
"Ruyan… I have a very important task for you. This is of utmost importance and must remain a secret."
Ruyan fell to her knees, bowing her head.
"You saved my life, Alliance Leader. I will repay you however I can. The command of the Alliance Leader is supreme within Murim."
The Queen of War's tired eyes softened for a brief moment.
"Then take her… and hide her. Tell no one where she is. Even if I die, never reveal the place you conceal her."
Ruyan's eyes followed the weak body in her leader's arms. When recognition dawned, she recoiled in shock, her lips trembling.
"This… this is the Devil Matriarch… our sworn enemy! How can I hide her?"
The Queen of War's face turned grave, her bloodstained lips forming words heavy with conviction.
"You do not know the true enemy of this world. I don't have much time left. So I ask you only this—do you trust me?"
Ruyan clenched her fists, her eyes brimming with tears. She raised her head, her expression becoming resolute.
"Yes… and for righteousness, I will take any order. In the name of the Sima Clan, I swear it."
The Queen of War's lips curved into a faint, tragic smile.
"Then hide her… and never speak of this to anyone."
Suddenly, the Devil Matriarch stirred, her pale hand seizing the Queen of War's robe. Her bloodshot eyes glared weakly, her voice hoarse.
"Where are you going? I can still fight!"
The Queen of War's expression softened with pity as she gently pried the grip away.
"Then fight death first."
She tossed the Devil Matriarch into Ruyan's arms. Then, from her sleeve, she pulled out a blood-stained martial arts manual and pressed it into the Devil Matriarch's hand.
"If you survive… and fate allows… pass this down to a kind-hearted person."
Ruyan gasped. "Alliance Leader… where are you going?"
The Queen of War looked north, her face illuminated by the burning horizon. Her eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
"To stop the pursuers. Leave quickly!"
Her words brooked no argument. With one final leap, she shot into the sky, her figure vanishing into the smoke and flames.
The Devil Matriarch thrashed weakly in Ruyan's grasp, her voice filled with fury.
"Take me to her! Stop her! I can still—"
Ruyan cut her off coldly.
"I only obey the orders of my clan and the Alliance Leader."
With steely determination, she carried the poisoned Devil Matriarch to the ancient hidden chamber of the Sima Clan, a place she had discovered in the family's oldest scrolls. The stone corridors were cold, the silence suffocating. In the deepest chamber, she laid the Matriarch upon the center platform.
The Devil Matriarch's hollow laughter echoed.
"What is this place? A jail disguised as a sanctuary?"
Ruyan's face twisted with grief and hatred.
"The Alliance Leader commanded me to place you here. But don't think I will treat your wounds or ease your suffering. Because of you, countless people died… even my sister. I want to kill you myself, but the Alliance Leader's will is absolute. You will live. Yet here, in this place of silence, you will taste loneliness for eternity."
As she turned to leave, the Matriarch rasped, "Stop—"
But Ruyan closed the chamber door without hesitation. Darkness swallowed the Matriarch.
Inside, the Devil Matriarch tried desperately to purge the poison, to circulate her Qi. But her body was broken, her reserves depleted. Days turned into years, and slowly, death claimed her in silence.
Meanwhile, the outside world fell into chaos.
The Queen of War and Devil Matriarch were declared dead. The Great Devil War spiraled into madness. Unorthodox sects splintered, creating endless bloodshed. The Murim Alliance fractured under greed and betrayal, nearly tearing itself apart until the Great Clans and Sects made an agreement to preserve their control.
Zhen Qingsui was reluctantly appointed the new Murim Alliance Leader—under the binding condition that Namgong Chunying would serve as Advisor, while a member of the Jegal Clan would act as Strategist.
The Alliance soon launched a massive subjugation campaign against the weakened unorthodox sects. Countless small clans were wiped out. Yet the remnants of the Great Devil Sect—led by Tie Roumei and other surviving lords—banded together, forming the League of Five Great Evil Sects, repelling the Alliance in a bloody stalemate.
At last, peace was restored in name only.
Beyond Murim, the war with the Northern Tribes raged until the Ice Palace allied with the Empire, crushing the tribes and forcing their retreat. With victory, the Ice Palace sought recognition within Murim. Though approved by the Alliance, none could decide whether they belonged to the orthodox or unorthodox path.
Through it all, Namgong Chunying's schemes pressed relentlessly against the Sima Clan. She demanded Ruyan reveal the Devil Matriarch's location. But Ruyan—upright and loyal—swore upon the Sima Clan's name never to break her vow.
For this, the Sima Clan weakened, yet endured… until Chunying's later plots brought about their true destruction.
The illusion dissolved.
The Devil Matriarch's bitter laughter echoed like a curse. Her spectral face twisted with both pride and regret.
Sima Qianlin stood in silence, her expression pale, her eyes downcast, her heart drowning in grief and fury. The truth of her clan's destruction weighed on her shoulders like a mountain.