Smoke lingered over the courtyard, mingling with the scent of scorched stone and blood. The sect had survived the raid—for now. But Kai felt no triumph. The true threat hadn't passed.
It had only begun.
The central tower of the Crimson Phoenix Sect loomed ahead. Once a place of wisdom and tradition, it now stood like a silent monument of suspicion.
Kai ascended the marble steps two at a time.
Liang Chen followed close behind, along with Shen Mei and a few elite disciples. They were bloodied, battle-worn—and deadly serious.
They entered the Hall of Elders.
The space was dim, lit only by a few hovering spirit orbs. Ancient scrolls lined the curved walls, and statues of past sect leaders looked down from above. At the far end, a semi-circle of high-backed seats faced them.
Only four elders were present.
Master Yun, the fire-browed strategist who once taught Kai elemental control.
Elder Fei, whose silence was legendary.
Elder Jien, frail but sharp-eyed.
And in the center—Grand Elder Huang.
His presence was a void in the room. He sat unmoving, fingers clasped before him, eyes half-lidded. But Kai sensed it clearly: a change. His spirit aura had shifted. Darker. Heavier.
"Elders," Kai said, voice calm but thunderous, "I've returned from the Obsidian Path. What I found there made one thing clear—our enemies are not just at the gates. They're among us."
Silence.
Then, Elder Fei spoke. "The rogue sects have been testing our borders for months. We held them back. Your return is timely, but—"
"Timely?" Kai snapped. "We were infiltrated. Today's raid wasn't just an attack—it was coordinated from inside. A disciple sabotaged our defense runes."
He stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Grand Elder Huang.
"And yet the leadership says nothing."
Huang slowly opened his eyes. They glowed faintly—too faintly—with spirit light.
"I have done what was necessary," he said. "The sect is on the brink of collapse. Unity requires... sacrifice."
Kai's stomach twisted.
"You made a deal."
The room fell still.
Master Yun's brow twitched, as if he too had only recently learned of it. Elder Jien looked away.
Kai's voice dropped, colder than steel.
"Who did you bind us to?"
"The Shadow Flame Sect," Huang replied.
Gasps erupted.
"They offered an alliance," the Grand Elder continued. "Power. Resources. A guarantee that our disciples would not be harmed. In return, we surrender one mountain peak. A fraction of autonomy. A small price—compared to annihilation."
Kai's fists trembled.
"You're wrong."
Huang rose, his spiritual aura pressing down like thunderclouds. "Watch your tone, boy."
But Kai didn't bow.
He let his own aura flare, the Ascendant Flame burning to life around him.
"No. You watch."
The flames didn't threaten. They declared.
"We don't survive by kneeling. We rise by burning away the rot."
The orbs above flickered under the pressure of clashing energies.
Master Yun stood.
"Enough! This cannot become civil war within our walls."
But the damage was done.
Lines were drawn in that room—not of power, but of will.
And Kai knew… if they were to survive the war ahead, the Crimson Phoenix Sect needed more than strategy.
It needed a reckoning.