To the Supreme Elder question, Sect Master smiled lazily.
But his next words cut deeper than any blade, "If I subdued you earlier," he said, voice almost amused,
"How could I have eradicated the pests hiding in this sect?"
Supreme Elder heard the word Pests. Earlier he told Dogs to the latter's faction's elders, and the latter roared like some kind of righteous man but he used the same kind of language to all of Supreme Elder faction, the elders, the hidden loyalists.
This wasn't a simple battle, this was an execution. Supreme Elder's mind spun, cold sweat dripping down his back. He looked around the battlefield where his loyal elders were being systematically suppressed, defeated, slaughtered under the chaos of battle.
A scheme. This entire scene was crafted, woven like an invisible net.