The council hall was brightly lit. Representatives of the eight sects sat in a circle, each wearing a different expression. Some lowered their heads in silence; others whispered among themselves. The air was thick with oppressive silence. Chen Wuya stood in the center of the hall, one hand pressed to his chest. The tattoo there was still burning, its heat spreading through his meridians and into his limbs. He neither sat nor spoke, merely gazing quietly ahead.
Bai Zhi stood half a step behind him to his left, her fingers resting on her sword hilt as her gaze swept the room. Mo Feng leaned against the wall, his mechanism pack at his feet and a charcoal pencil in hand, ready to take notes at any moment.
Footsteps sounded outside. Zhao Tianying strode in, the Iron Halberd slung over his shoulder and his cloak still fastened. He swept his gaze around the room, then slammed the halberd's shaft against the floor. His voice boomed like thunder. "The Blood Moon is approaching, and the Central Plains face calamity! Three hundred elite men of my Sky Eagle Escort Agency will arrive beneath Azure Edge Mountain tomorrow to await orders!"
The hall fell silent.
Before anyone could recover, Han Tianba shoved open a door on the other side and entered. With the Overlord Spear in hand, he kicked aside a chair blocking his way, strode to the center, and shouted, "Twenty thousand brothers of the Greenwood—who doesn't want to live? Who isn't willing to fight? Today, I swear here—answer the call, obey orders, and never retreat a single step!"
As his words fell, the spear tip struck the ground, making the floor tremble faintly.
Several sect leaders exchanged glances, yet no one spoke. Some cleared their throats softly; others lifted teacups to conceal their