The existence of the Shadow Assembly and the shocking extent of its infiltration spread through the Alliance like a sudden plague. What it provoked was not united resistance, but escalating suspicion and discord. The already precarious three-race mutual trust, under the impact of this undercurrent, finally showed clear cracks.
The first to make trouble were some of the more conservative and xenophobic factions within the Human Race. A group of Human Race elders, led by Lei Xiao, the Sect Master of Tiangang Sect, challenged in the Alliance Council with great fanfare.
"Everyone! That the Shadow Assembly villains were able to infiltrate so silently, even managing to control a figure like Elder Situ Ming, shows how secretive their methods are and how profound their harm!" Lei Xiao's voice rang like a bell, his gaze sweeping over the Monster and Sea Tribe representatives present like lightning, "According to currently uncovered clues, many Shadow Assembly strongholds are located in desolate, uninhabited wastelands, overlapping with certain foreign races' activity areas! Who can guarantee that some forces haven't tacitly agreed, or even... secretly supported this?"
He didn't name anyone directly, but his pointed gaze and tone had already directed the spear of suspicion toward the Monster Race and Sea Tribe. After all, most Monster Races lived in mountains, forests, and marshes, while the Sea Tribe occupied the vast ocean—these places were indeed more easily hidden for secret strongholds.
Upon these words, the council chamber erupted in an uproar.
One fiery-tempered Demon King immediately slammed the table and rose, demonic energy surging: "Old Lei! What do you mean by that? Insulting us indirectly? Did our Monster Race children shed less blood than you humans in fighting the Demon Calamity? Why should your internal traitors be blamed on us?"
A Sea Tribe elder who looked like a Tortoise Prime Minister also slowly spoke, his voice carrying the depth of ocean tides: "Sect Master Lei, you are mistaken. The Shadow Assembly is a public enemy of the three realms, and its member composition is complex—Human Race cultivators are also numerous. Now that a great enemy confronts us, unity should be paramount. Baseless suspicion truly grieves the sincere and delights the enemy."
However, once the seeds of suspicion were sown, they easily took root. Though Lei Xiao's rhetoric was extreme, it precisely catered to the deep-seated unease and sense of superiority many human cultivators harbored toward other races. Soon, similar rhetoric began spreading throughout the mid and lower levels of the Alliance.
"Did you hear? That overseas liaison point that was raided was near the Mermaid tribe's territory! What a coincidence?"
"Several Monster tribes have recently sealed off their territories, not allowing outsiders in—who knows what they're plotting?"
"Not of my race, their heart must be different! We should never have engaged in this three-race joint governance!"
Rumors swirled. Correspondingly, strong backlash and antagonistic feelings also arose within the Monster and Sea Tribes.
"The humans want to remove us once they're done! Relying on their numbers, they want to squeeze us out!"
"Hmph, their own internal mess has rotted through, and they want us as scapegoats!"
"If they don't trust us, why should we kiss up to them? Better to fight independently!"
The cultivators of the three races who had worked closely together in post-war reconstruction now found the atmosphere when meeting on missions had become subtle and tense, with cooperation efficiency greatly reduced. Some originally planned joint operations to purge the Shadow Assembly were also progressing slowly or even suspended due to mutual vigilance and obstruction.
The Alliance Council almost fell into paralysis. Any discussion of any agenda eventually turned into arguments and recriminations between humans and the Monster/Sea Tribes. Mu Qingfeng and Mu Xue tried their best to mediate, but against the raging waves of suspicion, their voices seemed so weak.
To make matters worse, the Shadow Assembly also seemed to sense the division within the Alliance and began to take advantage, stirring up trouble. They disguised themselves as cultivators of different races, creating several vicious conflict incidents that further exacerbated contradictions. Even some rumors of unknown origin specifically accused certain Demon Generals or Sea Tribe elders of being high-ranking Shadow Assembly members. Though no evidence was found, it was enough to add yet another crack to the already fragile relationships of trust.
That day, the Alliance Council adjourned again in discord. Lei Xiao swept out angrily, several Demon Kings and Sea Tribe representatives also left with displeased expressions. In the vast council hall, only Mu Qingfeng, Mu Xue, Ao Qin, and a few other core members committed to unity remained, along with the gloomily grave Tang Xiaoqi.
"Alliance Leader, if this continues, the Alliance... will cease to exist in name," Mu Qingfeng's voice was full of exhaustion and worry, "The Shadow Assembly hasn't been cleared, the Demon Lord still watches covetously, and we're already falling into chaos ourselves..."
Ao Qin coldly snorted: "Some people are just bewitched by the Demon Lord's machinations without realizing it! They only know to fight internally!"
Mu Xue sighed lightly, her clear eyes carrying worry: "Suspicion wounds more deeply than swords. If the situation isn't reversed quickly, without the Demon Lord making a move, we'll collapse on our own."
Xiaoqi listened silently, his fingers gently tapping the armrest. He watched the various figures outside the hall departing like strangers, even carrying faint hostility. His heart surged with helplessness, but more than that, a cold fury.
What the Demon Lord excelled at most was manipulating hearts, amplifying desires and fears. And the Shadow Assembly had precisely used the gaps between races and long-standing prejudices to successfully pry at the Alliance's foundation.
He knew that at this moment, any empty appeals or forceful suppression would be useless. Once trust was broken, rebuilding required time and opportunity, and time was precisely what they lacked most.
"They want evidence, don't they?" Xiaoqi slowly rose, his voice not loud, but carrying a sense of determination: "Then I'll give them evidence! Not evidence of mutual accusations, but ironclad proof that the Shadow Assembly is our common enemy!"
His gaze swept across those present: "My order—suspend all controversial joint operations. Merge the Law Enforcement Hall and Wartime Supervisory Office to establish the 'Darkness Purification Discipline Department,' commanded directly by me, with Liu Yun and Ao Qin as deputies, granted the authority to act first and report later! There is only one goal—spare no effort to excavate the Shadow Assembly's core, find the location and methods of their ritual! I will use the heads of the Shadow Assembly's core members and their shocking plot to smash awake those blinded by suspicion!"
"At the same time," he looked at Mu Qingfeng and Mu Xue, "stabilize what can be stabilized, contract defenses, focus on protecting key areas and the Demon Purification Institute. Before we expose the Shadow Assembly's core, minimize internal friction as much as possible."
This was a measure of necessity, almost dictatorial, yet also the only way to maintain basic order and concentrate forces to accomplish major tasks when the Alliance teetered on the brink of division.
The crisis of Alliance division hung like a sword over everyone's head. Xiaoqi knew he had to find the Shadow Assembly's weakness and deliver a fatal blow before that sword fell! Otherwise, the three realms might face an even more terrible internal strife and catastrophe than the Demon Calamity itself.