The small alley remained submerged in darkness, but the deathly silence had been shattered. The thick stench of fresh blood, mixed with the scent of ashes from the razed Black Dragon Stronghold lair, formed the characteristic aroma of the City of Chaos after a long night.
The corpse of Blood Shadow, the mid-stage Foundation Establishment Vice Cave Master, lay there. His triangular eyes were still wide open, overflowing with disbelief and unwillingness. He, a cunning old fox, could never have imagined he would die at the hands of a prey he utterly disdained, within the very trap he himself had laid.
The battle at One Thread Alley had also reached its end. Under Thiet Phu's command and the machine-like coordination of the Blood Fiend Guards, the remnants of the Black Dragon Stronghold were completely routed. A portion was slain, while the rest, upon seeing their commanding general dead, threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender.
As dawn broke, a piece of news even more earth-shattering than the fire at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion swept like a tempest through every nook and cranny of the City of Chaos.
The Black Dragon Stronghold... had been annihilated!
One of the three great hegemons of the City of Chaos had been erased from the map of power in a single night. And the name behind it all was a single one: The Vô Sect.
If the Vô Sect had previously only commanded wariness, this time, they had sown a soul-deep terror within the hearts of every faction in the city. Their stratagems were staggering, their strength terrifying, and their execution ruthless and decisive. The mysterious Lord bearing the character "VÔ", in the eyes of everyone, was no longer a newly arrived shark. He had become a True Dragon, slowly rising, intending to swallow the stagnant pond that was the City of Chaos.
At the headquarters of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion, the Blood Demoness stood silently by the window, gazing at the southern district submerged in chaos. Her silver fox mask could not hide the profound shock in her beautiful eyes.
"One night... only one night?" she murmured.
"To answer the Pavilion Master," a black shadow knelt behind her. "It is true. The stratagem of the Lord of the Vô Sect is far too terrifying. He used Blood Shadow's own scheme to strike back, transforming an ambush into a flawless counter-slaughter. This subordinate... this subordinate has never witnessed a scheme so intricate and ruthless."
The Blood Demoness fell silent. She recalled the meeting at the Rouge Pavilion, remembering those profound, terrifyingly calm eyes. She knew she had underestimated him. That man was not just an old fox. He was a monster wearing human skin.
"Pass down my command. All forces of the Phantom Shadow Pavilion are to pull back and defend; no one is permitted to provoke the Vô Sect. Furthermore, send a generous gift to the Nameless Tavern, stating that my Phantom Shadow Pavilion congratulates the Lord on eradicating a menace for the City of Chaos."
She had made an incredibly wise decision. Facing a fierce tiger that had just gorged itself, the best choice was not provocation, but retreat and a display of goodwill.
Within the safe house in the blacksmithing district, Tran Kien—or Faceless—was quietly healing his injuries. The battle with Blood Shadow, though concluded cleanly, had depleted nearly all of his Primordial Chaos Qi.
Thiet Phu entered, his face bearing an undisguisable fanatical zeal and reverence. "Lord! A great victory! A total victory! Over one hundred and fifty remnants of the Black Dragon Stronghold have submitted. Their entire territory and wealth in the City of Chaos now belong to us!"
Tran Kien merely gave a faint nod. "Is the aftermath cleaned up?"
"To answer the Lord, it is. Every trace has been erased. The Phantom Shadow Pavilion has also just sent congratulatory gifts."
"The Blood Demoness is indeed a clever woman," Tran Kien said. "She knows when to advance and when to retreat."
He stood up, walking to the window and looking out. The City of Chaos, after a night of blood-rain, seemed a bit "cleaner." The chessboard here had truly concluded. Through stratagems learned from tomes and experiences bought with blood, he had transformed from a nobody into the true hegemon of this city of sin. Yet, his heart only held a sense of weariness. He did not enjoy these schemes, but he knew that in this world, to protect what he cherished, this was the only path.
"Thiet Phu," he spoke. "I leave all matters in the City of Chaos to your management. Continue executing our plans. Expand the Nameless Tavern, win over hearts, and train the new seeds. I want the Vô Sect to be more than a faction that knows only slaughter; it must become a true kingdom in the shadows."
"Then what about the Lord?" Thiet Phu was astounded. "You are not staying?"
"No," Tran Kien shook his head. "This City of Chaos, to me, is merely a stopping point. My chessboard does not lie here."
He gazed toward the south, toward the distant Imperial Capital. His gaze became profound and cold. Two years. He had been away for two years. He now possessed a faction, and he possessed strength. It was time to return.
"I shall depart tonight," he said. "I entrust everything here to you. Remember, our objective is not the City of Chaos. It is the entirety of this world."
With that, he offered no further explanation. He donned his black cloak and bamboo hat. The dull black saber, wiped clean, was quietly strapped to his back.
The Faceless Lord, the new king of the City of Chaos, having just ascended his throne, once again silently vanished into the darkness, as if he had never existed.
He left behind a legend, and an underground faction that was beginning to take root, awaiting the day it would truly rise and shake the entirety of Dai Viet. The road to the Imperial Capital lay wide open before him.