Body Sect.
A wealthy merchant claiming to be from a border province of the Star Luo Empire quietly visited several core elders of the Body Sect, bearing lavish gifts.
The merchant had an ordinary face and wore luxurious clothes, yet there was an almost imperceptible chill and sharpness in his words and manner.
He was in fact a cardinal dispatched by Spirit Hall, skilled in disguise and deception.
He had come to the Body Sect disguised as a merchant in order to drive a wedge between the Body Sect and the Qilin Empire.
Though several elders were suspicious, they still received the merchant. After all, he could bring the Body Sect a substantial amount of funding.
Inside a secret chamber.
The cardinal first pretended that he had come to seek cooperation with the Body Sect.
Although impatience showed on the elders' faces, they ultimately held back and listened.
That was until the cardinal abruptly changed the subject and spoke of what interested them most at the moment.
"Esteemed elders may not know this."
The cardinal lowered his voice, his expression grave.
"The Qilin Empire has now grown immensely powerful and seeks to swallow the world whole. You have all seen the fate of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"It was called a reward, but it was truly annexation!"
"Ning Fengzhi was a hero all his life, yet now he can only live at another's mercy. The foundation of his sect has fallen entirely into the Qilin Empire's hands."
The previously impatient elders immediately exchanged glances and instinctively began paying close attention to the cardinal's words.
A glint flashed through the cardinal's eyes as he shifted the topic toward the Body Sect.
"I have heard that the Qilin Empire also places great importance on the Body Sect. That is hardly