Xuan Tiangong was the first to speak, his voice calm but edged with danger.
"So… Linghui is also dead?"
Hong Shunbao of the Beggar Sect sighed heavily and nodded.
"Yes. He is gone."
Linghui had originally come from the Heavenly Pavilion. Though he lacked talent in illusion arts, he possessed a brilliant mind. That genius led him to leave the Pavilion and join the Beggar Sect, where he quickly became an Elder and the leader of the Xinyang City branch.
A capable man. A loyal man.
And now—another victim of the massacre.
"My condolences to both of you," the Alliance Leader said quietly. He knew very well how valuable Linghui had been. His death was a loss not only to his sect… but to the entire Murim Alliance.
Hua Jianxing closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts before speaking.
"How much do we know about this organization?"
Namgung Jinhai, the Alliance Leader, answered with a grim tone.
"Not much. Almost nothing. But the two survivors… they know what happened."
He glanced around the table.
"When they were found, both were unconscious. The physicians believe it was due to extreme exhaustion and hunger. But they are awake now—clear and stable."
"They are on their way here as we speak. Once they arrive… we will finally learn the truth."
The great doors of the hall opened with a deep groan.
Two figures stepped inside—weak, pale, but standing.
Hao and Soho.
They bowed deeply.
"We have arrived… by the Alliance Leader's order."
Namgung Jinhai nodded.
"Let them enter."
The two survivors walked forward. Even though they tried to remain composed, their bodies trembled. The combined presence of the Ten Havens—each a mountain of power—was suffocating. Sitting before them was an assembly of legends, men and women whose names alone could silence an army.
Hao's eyes drifted across the hall… until they stopped on a face he recognized.
Abbot Mingyuan.
The Abbot met his gaze with a gentle smile, but Hao's expression darkened. His jaw tightened.
To him, this man was the one responsible for his master's death—a poison that had taken everything from him.
Mingyuan spoke softly, as if addressing a child he had known for years.
"How have you been, my child?"
Reluctantly, stiffly, Hao bowed.
"I… am well."
He lowered himself into the seat assigned to him, forcing his expression back into neutrality. Beside him, Soho sat down as well, still trembling from the overwhelming pressure in the room.
The hall fell silent, every eye fixed on the two survivors.
The truth of Xinyang City was finally about to be revealed.
The Allinsec Leader exhaled slowly, his expression turning serious.
"Then speak," he said. "Tell us what happened — and how much you know."
Hao and Soho exchanged a heavy look.
Hao stepped forward.
"We were searching for the missing son of the Baek Family," he began. "To gather information, we went to Xinyang. There… we met Linghui. He told us that someone is coming within two days and reveal everything."
Hao's voice grew tense.
"That's when he told then about the scarred woman… and how she gathered the entire Murim forces in one place — and massacred them. Linghui, Soho, and I managed to capture one of their soldiers. From what we learned… their organization has five Bloods and at least five thousand soldiers."
Hao paused, trembling slightly as the memory resurfaced.
"And from what we've seen so far… the Five Bloods… they're all in the Heaven Realm."
The room erupted into silence.
Every person in the hall froze — but none more than the Ten Heavens.
In the last hundred years, only one person had ever ascended to the Heaven Realm — the Empire's General. Power on that level was so overwhelming that every major force watched each other closely. If someone reached the Heaven Realm, the world always knew first.
A Heaven Realm master was a walking army.
But five of them appearing out of nowhere…?
That was beyond terrifying.
The Allinsec Leader steadied himself.
"What about their leader?" he asked quietly.
Hao shook his head. "We don't know. We tried to ask… but the prisoner died instantly. It was like a curse."
The Allinsec Leader nodded grimly. "I see. You may go."
Hao and Soho stood, bowed deeply, and left the room in silence.
For a long moment, the room remained frozen in silence.
Then Tang Wuye was the first to speak.
"To think… there are Heaven-Realm experts we never even knew existed," he said, disbelief heavy in his voice.
Zhang Qinghe nodded. "And two of them appeared in the same city. That alone is alarming."
Then Bai Lianxin spoke softly, yet her words carried the most weight.
"I'm not worried about the five Heaven-Realm expert," she said. "I'm worried about the one who commands them. A leader capable of controlling five Heaven-Realm warriors… how powerful must he be?"
Everyone slowly turned to look at each other.
The Allinsec Leader thought the same.
Even the Ten Havens, despite their strength, would never willingly serve anyone. Someone who reached the Heaven Realm could live five hundred years and stand as a force equal to an army. Such people bowed to no one.
So why were five Heaven-Realm experts following another?
Unless—
He realized all their eyes were now on him. They were thinking the same thing.
The Allinsec Leader exhaled and finally spoke.
"I believe their leader… might be the fourth Transcendent-Realm Martial Artist," he said. "It's not confirmed yet, so there's no need to worry for now."
The Alliance Leader fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.
I am a Transcendent-Realm expert as well… and even I have spent years striving to surpass the Emperor. And now—
He paused.
"Now it seems we have another monster to worry about."
Long Qingshan frowned. "Then what should we do?"
The Allinsec Leader's voice hardened.
"We prepare for war. They didn't just kill Murim soldiers. They killed the Emperor's men as well. They have made both the Murim Alliance and the Empire their enemies."
Then Hwangbo Minsuk asked the one question everyone avoided.
"If they killed everyone knowing they would have to face both the Alliance and the Empire… doesn't that mean they are already fully prepared for such a war?"
The silence that followed was heavier than before.
The Alliance Leader exhaled slowly, forcing calm back into his voice.
"Even if they have prepared for war… if we stand together, we can win any battle."
His gaze shifted toward Hong Shunbao.
"We need to find where they're hiding. Can your Beggar Sect track them down?"
Hong Shunbao nodded, folding his arms. "We've already begun gathering every scrap of information about that organization. Nothing they do will stay hidden for long."
The Alliance Leader looked around the table at all ten Havens.
"I know many of you don't like each other. Some of you have grudges older than empires… but these are difficult times. I need your cooperation."
Not a single person spoke. The silence was heavy, but no one objected.
"Good," he continued. "Then let us move on to the next matter."