The City of Chaos, after a month of being submerged in smoke, fire, and blood-soaked purges, finally returned to an incredibly bizarre state of peace. But this was not the peace of order; it was the deathly silence of a mass graveyard after a tempest.
The Crazy Sand Gang, the faction that had once lorded over the eastern district, had completely collapsed from the inside out. The two Vice Bosses, Hung Bao and Ly Lang, under Tran Kien's manipulation, had plunged into a mutual slaughter. The result was Hung Bao falling to Ly Lang's venomous scheme, dying without an intact corpse. But Ly Lang didn't win either. Right after seizing power, he faced a rebellion from the old subordinates loyal to Manh Tam and Hung Bao, ultimately losing his life in a filthy alleyway.
A mighty gang, in the span of merely a month, had crumbled into dust. Their territory was torn apart by smaller factions. The lucrative gambling dens and taverns became ownerless pieces of meat, triggering countless minor skirmishes and killings.
The Black Dragon Stronghold and the Phantom Shadow Pavilion, the two remaining tigers, greatly desired that fat piece of meat, yet they dared not act openly. The battle at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the subsequent chaotic melee had cost them dearly. Furthermore, the rise of the mysterious "VÔ" faction—the one that had effortlessly assassinated a Crazy Sand Gang Vice Boss and looted their treasury—hung over their heads like an invisible saber, forcing them to remain deeply wary.
The entirety of the City of Chaos fell into a bizarre paradigm. The remaining tigers were injured; they could only snarl and probe each other, neither daring to strike first.
They had no idea that while they were hesitating, a shark had silently swallowed all the small fish and the scraps left over from the battle.
At the Nameless Tavern, in the underground secret chamber.
The atmosphere was incredibly solemn. The nearly one hundred Blood Fiend Guards, after a month of operating in the shadows, had completely transformed their auras. The wildness and indiscipline were gone, replaced by a profound sharpness, composure, and an absolute, unwavering loyalty.
Faceless remained seated at the head, his bamboo hat obscuring most of his face.
"Lord," Thiet Phu reported respectfully, his voice unable to conceal his excitement. "The plan was a flawless success. The Crazy Sand Gang has completely dissolved. We have subdued more than half of their low-level members. Their intelligence sources and smuggling routes in the eastern district have also fallen into our hands."
"Excellent," Faceless nodded. "Any movements from the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and the Black Dragon Stronghold?"
"To answer the Lord, they are both lying low. But they have dispatched many eyes and ears to monitor us."
"Let them monitor," Faceless sneered. "A dead prey will never be as enticing as a living one. Now, we shall show them an even fatter prey."
He looked at the map of the City of Chaos. His finger didn't point at the territories of the Black Dragon Stronghold or the Phantom Shadow Pavilion.
He pointed directly at the territory of the dissolved Crazy Sand Gang.
"Thiet Phu," he ordered. "Starting tomorrow, the Blood Fiend Guards will no longer hide in the shadows. Step out openly. Under the name of the 'Vô Sect' (Vô Môn), take over the entirety of the Crazy Sand Gang's territory. Those who have occupied it, if they submit, they may remain. Those who resist..."
He paused for a moment, his voice turning cold as ice.
"...Kill them without mercy."
This was an incredibly overbearing move! It was no longer a scheme in the shadows, but an open declaration of war to the entire City of Chaos!
"Lord!" Thiet Phu was horrified. "Doing this... won't it turn us into the collective target of both the Phantom Shadow Pavilion and the Black Dragon Stronghold?"
"Do you think that even if we do nothing, they will leave us be?" Faceless asked in return. "The reason those two tigers haven't struck is because they are wary of each other. But once they recover, or if one of them feels they have enough strength, their first target will definitely be us—a newly risen faction."
"Rather than sitting and waiting passively, we might as well take the initiative," he said, his eyes glinting with profound calculation. "This is the stratagem of 'The Guest Usurping the Host'. We shall turn ourselves into the new masters of this chessboard."
"But... our strength..."
"Our strength right now is indeed insufficient to confront both factions head-on simultaneously," Faceless admitted. "Therefore, we need an 'ally'."
"An ally?"
"Indeed," Faceless nodded. He looked back at the map, pointing at the headquarters of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion. "The Blood Demoness is incredibly cunning and pragmatic. Her goal is profit. The Black Dragon Stronghold, however, is arrogant and ruthless, desiring to monopolize the City of Chaos. Between these two tigers, there will always be conflict."
"Thiet Phu," he brought out a brocade box. "Take this and secretly meet with the Blood Demoness. Tell her this is a small introductory gift from our Vô Sect. We have no intention of contending for hegemony; we only desire a peaceful corner to develop in the eastern district. We are willing to share three parts of the profits from our gambling dens with the Phantom Shadow Pavilion. In exchange, when the Black Dragon Stronghold makes a move against us, the Phantom Shadow Pavilion only needs to... stand by and watch."
This was the stratagem of 'Befriending the Distant State while Attacking the Nearby One'. Temporarily stabilizing the Phantom Shadow Pavilion to concentrate all efforts on the immediate enemy: the Black Dragon Stronghold.
Thiet Phu opened the brocade box. Inside was not gold or silver, but a faint pink medicinal pill radiating a bizarrely enchanting fragrance.
"This is the 'Crimson Visage Pill', an ancient formula pill with the effect of nourishing and preserving one's youth, which I found in the legacy of the Blood Hand Demon General. To a woman who loves beauty like the Blood Demoness, this is far more valuable than tens of millions of Spirit Stones."
Step by step, everything had been calculated with absolute perfection. Looking at his Lord, Thiet Phu's heart was filled with nothing but utter reverence, ready to prostrate himself entirely.
"This subordinate obeys the command!"
The next day.
An earth-shattering piece of news once again shook the City of Chaos. A new faction, calling itself the "Vô Sect," led by a mysterious Lord bearing the character "VÔ", had openly emerged. They subdued the remnants of the Crazy Sand Gang and took over the entire eastern district.
This action was no different from a declaration of war. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the reactions of the Black Dragon Stronghold and the Phantom Shadow Pavilion.
But strangely enough, although the Black Dragon Stronghold was incredibly infuriated, they did not strike immediately, seemingly holding some apprehension. The Phantom Shadow Pavilion remained completely silent, as if this matter had absolutely nothing to do with them.
The entire City of Chaos fell into a bizarrely eerie stalemate.
No one knew that this chessboard had completely fallen into the hands of a single grandmaster. That grandmaster was quietly waiting for his prey—the Black Dragon Stronghold python—to lose its restraint and lunge into the trap that had been set.
The big fish... had already begun to swallow the small fish.