One month.
One month after the long, blood-soaked night at the Golden Coin Pavilion, the City of Chaos seemed to have regained its fragile balance. But beneath that tranquility, violent undercurrents were surging fiercely, and the eye of the storm was none other than the mysterious character "VÔ".
The Crazy Sand Gang, the faction that had once lorded over the eastern district, was now like a snake that had lost its head. Gang Boss Manh Tam, severely injured at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, suffered a total collapse after his lair was raided and his Vice Boss killed. He spent his days drowning in wine and fury, completely ignoring gang affairs. The two remaining Vice Bosses openly fought each other to seize power, fracturing the entire gang into a state of chaotic division.
The Phantom Shadow Pavilion and the Black Dragon Stronghold, two old foxes, chose to lay low and observe silently after suffering losses on the chessboard at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. They desperately wanted to seize this opportunity to swallow the Crazy Sand Gang, but they were deeply wary of the mysterious "VÔ" faction and dared not act blindly.
The entirety of the City of Chaos was like a chessboard locked in a stalemate. All the pieces were in position, but no one dared to make the first move.
They had no idea that the one truly controlling the board was sitting leisurely in a renamed tavern.
Thiet Phu's tavern no longer looked shabby. It had been completely refurbished and renamed the "Nameless Tavern" (Vô Danh Quán). The place quickly became one of the most famous gathering spots for rogue cultivators—not for its fine wine, but because the intelligence here was always the fastest and most accurate. No one knew that every single waiter and cook here was a Blood Fiend Guard. Faceless's intelligence net had been cast silently and formlessly.
Within a secret chamber deep beneath the Nameless Tavern. Tran Kien, in the guise of Faceless, sat quietly at the head seat. Below him stood Thiet Phu and the ten most elite Captains of the Blood Fiend Guards. The atmosphere was incredibly solemn.
"Lord," Thiet Phu reported respectfully. "Exactly as you predicted. The two remaining Vice Bosses of the Crazy Sand Gang, Hung Bao and Ly Lang, have completely turned against each other. Hung Bao is hot-headed, possessing brawn but lacking brains. Ly Lang is sinister and cunning. They have begun rallying their subordinates and purging each other's factions. More than half of the Crazy Sand Gang's territory has already fallen into the hands of smaller factions."
"Excellent," Faceless nodded. His stratagem of "Sowing Discord" had been a flawless success. He didn't even need to strike; the enemy had weakened themselves. "But this is not enough. A snake, even if chopped into several pieces, can still bite. I want the entire Crazy Sand Gang completely erased from this City of Chaos."
"Then... should we strike?" Thiet Phu asked, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.
"Strike? Why must we strike?" Faceless sneered. "Do we not already possess two of the sharpest knives?"
He looked at the map of the City of Chaos, which was now densely marked with various symbols.
"Thiet Phu," he ordered. "Have our people secretly leak information to Hung Bao's faction, stating that Ly Lang is covertly colluding with the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and intends to sell out the entire gang. Fabricate some evidence. For example, have one of Ly Lang's trusted aides 'accidentally' drop a token belonging to the Phantom Shadow Pavilion."
"Simultaneously," he continued, "have another group disguise themselves as members of the Crazy Sand Gang and harass a few small outposts of the Black Dragon Stronghold. There is no need to kill; merely cause trouble and humiliate them."
This was precisely the stratagems of "Borrowing a knife to kill another" and "Creating something out of nothing".
Hearing this, Thiet Phu broke out in a cold sweat. His Lord's schemes were truly too terrifying. Step by step, they were lethal traps, forcing all opponents onto a chessboard where they had no choice but to jump in and slaughter one another.
"This subordinate understands!"
"Go," Faceless waved his hand. "Remember, the operation must be absolutely discreet. Our blade only appears at the very end to clean up the aftermath."
The grand play in the City of Chaos was pushed to its climax once again.
Hung Bao, after "discovering" that Ly Lang was colluding with the Phantom Shadow Pavilion, flew into a thunderous rage. He hesitated no longer, immediately leading his loyal subordinates to launch a blood-soaked purge. The civil war of the Crazy Sand Gang officially erupted. Blood flowed like rivers, and the entire eastern district was engulfed in smoke and fire.
At the same time, the Black Dragon Stronghold, after being repeatedly provoked and humiliated by "members of the Crazy Sand Gang," finally reached their breaking point. Blood Shadow, the skinny-faced leader, personally led his forces—not to aid either side, but to "quell the rebellion," utilizing the opportunity to swallow the entirety of the Crazy Sand Gang's territory.
Seeing the chaotic situation, the Phantom Shadow Pavilion could not sit idly by. The Blood Demoness led her people to join the fray, making the chessboard even more complex.
The entire City of Chaos had completely turned into a boiling pot of porridge.
And while all the fierce tigers were frantically biting and tearing at each other over the bait Tran Kien had tossed out, the army of Blood Fiend Guards, under his command, acted like phantoms. They did not participate in the major battles. They merely silently approached the low-level members of the Crazy Sand Gang—those who were utterly sick of the meaningless civil war. They did not use force. They used money, promises, and minor acts of grace.
"Brother, following those fools is a dead end. Why not come to our Nameless Tavern? There is wine to drink, a salary to be earned, and no need for senseless slaughter."
"Your family is struggling, aren't they? Take this money. Our Lord says that even people walking the martial world need a home to return to."
One by one. The faction of the Blood Fiend Guards grew not through heaven-shaking battles, but through winning hearts, silently rising from the ashes of their enemies.
One month later.
When the chaotic melee finally came to an end. The Crazy Sand Gang had been completely wiped out. The Black Dragon Stronghold and the Phantom Shadow Pavilion had managed to seize the territory, but they had also suffered incredibly heavy casualties.
To their absolute horror, they discovered a chilling fact.
All the low-level members and intelligence sources of the Crazy Sand Gang... were gone. They seemed to have evaporated from the City of Chaos entirely.
And the Nameless Tavern, that once insignificant little tavern, had at some point become the largest intelligence hub, controlling all the information circulating throughout the city.
It was only then that they truly realized. The ultimate victor of this chessboard was none of them.
It was the mysterious faction bearing the character "VÔ".
The fisherman had not merely caught the fish; he had seized the entire pond.