Night. The night in the City of Chaos was never truly silent, but tonight, it bore an eerie, deathly stillness. The wind howling through the alleyways carried the stench of rusted iron and fresh blood, yet there were no sounds of brawls or curses. The eye of the storm was the Nameless Tavern.
The small, weathered tavern had extinguished all its lanterns, resting silently in the darkness. But within its walls, and atop the surrounding roofs and alleys, killing intent had condensed to the point of becoming almost corporeal.
Blood Shadow stood upon a neighboring roof, his triangular eyes glinting with a venomous light. The silence of the Vô Sect, in his eyes, was a blatant provocation.
"A bunch of newly risen rats dare to flaunt their meager skills before a master. Tonight, I shall show the entire City of Chaos who the true master of the shadows is."
Behind him, nearly two hundred of the Black Dragon Stronghold's most elite experts were in position. "Attack!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Hundreds of arrows and throwing knives, imbued with bone-chilling spiritual energy, rained down upon the Nameless Tavern from all directions like a lethal downpour.
BOOM! CRASH! BANG! The entire wooden structure shuddered violently.
"Kill!" Following the initial barrage, Blood Shadow roared. Over fifty vanguards, like famished tigers, charged headlong into the building.
But as they breached the entrance, an unexpected sight met them. The interior of the tavern was utterly empty.
"Disaster! It's a trap!" Blood Shadow realized in horror.
But it was already too late.
At that exact moment, from the surrounding perimeter, hundreds of black shadows clad in battered armor silently emerged. Leading them was Thiet Phu, clutching his massive horse-chopping saber, his gaze as cold as frost. The Blood Fiend Guards!
They did not roar. They merely raised their bows and notched their bolts in silence. "FIRE!"
A simple, chilling command. This time, the rain of arrows was not a probe, but a slaughter. The Black Dragon members outside were blocked by their own comrades within the doorway, turning them into literal living targets.
Agonized screams rang out without end.
"Damn it! Retreat! Break through the encirclement!" Blood Shadow roared madly. He knew he had lost. Every one of his movements had been calculated by the opponent.
But would the Vô Sect give them that chance?
"SLAUGHTER!" Thiet Phu bellowed, the first to leap from the roof. The horse-chopping saber in his hand transformed into a hungry tiger, lunging directly into the heart of the enemy formation. The remaining hundred Blood Fiend Guards followed like a black tide, crashing down from all directions.
A true slaughter commenced. The Blood Fiend Guards, having been tempered anew, fought with extreme discipline and efficiency, resembling a perfectly lubricated machinery of death.
Elsewhere, atop the highest pavilion of the Rouge Pavilion, the Blood Demoness stood silently, gazing at the sea of flames and the carnage. Beneath her silver fox mask, the corners of her mouth curled into a complex smile. "The Lord of the Vô Sect... is indeed an old fox even more cunning than I. It was a wise choice for my Phantom Shadow Pavilion to stay out of this chessboard."
As the battle reached its most frantic peak, Blood Shadow, the instigator, showed no desire to fight. He quietly retreated, intending to exploit the chaos to flee.
But just as he backed into a dark alleyway, a silhouette stood there, waiting for him. A figure draped in a black cloak and a bamboo hat, clutching a dull black saber.
The Faceless Lord.
"Vice Cave Master," Tran Kien spoke in his raspy voice. "The play has not yet concluded; why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"It's you!" In Blood Shadow's eyes, there was a mixture of terror and ultimate venomous resentment. "You orchestrated all of this!"
"You aren't entirely stupid," Tran Kien replied. "Now, I offer you two choices. One, surrender all remaining Black Dragon Stronghold outposts in the City of Chaos and get the hell out of here. Or two..." He slowly raised his saber. "Die."
"Arrogant!" Blood Shadow roared. He had no path of retreat left. With a howl, black mist erupted from his body as he lunged toward Tran Kien.
Tran Kien did not take a single step back. He charged forward.
There was no radiant saber light. No heaven-shaking momentum. Only two black shadows, crossing paths within the dark alley.
Swish. A minuscule sound echoed.
The two men came to a halt, back to back.
A long moment passed. Blood Shadow trembled, looking down at his chest. There, a small wound, as thin as a single thread, had appeared. The wound was not deep, but an upright, brilliant saber intent had surged through it, completely shattering his heart and meridians.
"Saber... intent..." he murmured, his eyes overflowing with disbelief.
Thud. The corpse of Blood Shadow, the Vice Cave Master of the Myriad Snake Cave, collapsed to the ground.
Tran Kien silently sheathed his saber. He did not spare a glance at the corpse beneath his feet. He raised his head, looking up at the frigid crescent moon.
He knew the chessboard in the City of Chaos had truly concluded.
The fisherman had not only torn the net, but had also slain the alpha shark of the pack.