The sword-wielding Five Elders and the mustache-wearing Five Elders stood on one side of the conference table, their gazes clear and resolute, radiating a normal aura. The other three—including the bald, the blonde, and the bearded Five Elders—were visibly different. Purple light flickered in their eyes, and void energy faintly flowed around their bodies.
"The Light Stone must never be given to the Lord of Nothingness!" the sword-wielding Five Elders said firmly. "That is a sacred artifact guarded by our ancestors with their lives, representing hope and light!"
The blonde Five Elders sneered. "Ancestors? Those weak predecessors died long ago. This is a new era, and the Lord of Nothingness will lead us beyond everything!"
The mustache-wearing Five Elders glared angrily at their controlled colleagues. "Do you still remember your oath? We swore to protect this world, not destroy it!"
"Protect?" the bald Five Elders scoffed. "This decaying world should have been cleansed long ago. Only in nothingness can true order be born!"
The atmosphere inside the conference room grew increasingly tense, and the two factions seemed ready to erupt into conflict at any moment. Lin Ye realized this was an opportunity, but also a tremendous danger.
"We must make a choice," Lin Ye whispered to Kizaru. "Either support those two Five Elders who remain lucid, or try to complete the mission alone."
Kizaru pondered for a moment. "Supporting them is very risky; we aren't sure if they're truly trustworthy. But acting alone is almost impossible to succeed, as those three controlled Five Elders are too powerful."
Just then, the bearded Five Elders suddenly turned his head toward the ventilation shaft. A strange gleam flashed in his purple pupils.
"There are intruders," he said coldly. "The Lord of Nothingness has already perceived their presence."
Lin Ye and Kizaru immediately realized