Chapter 29: Battlefield

The battlefield was drenched not in blood, but in silence.

The storm that had shattered the Southern Army's siege lines lingered only in the memories of those who survived it. Charred armor, burnt flags, and broken weapons lay scattered across the hills surrounding Lee-oh's territory. Yet, despite the Southern Army's retreat, there was no celebration inside the sect's walls.

Lee-oh stood on the stone balcony of the central sect building, his robe fluttering slightly in the late afternoon wind. His gaze, sharp and unreadable, was fixed on the maps laid out before him—maps of kingdoms, trade routes, hidden valleys, and potential enemy footholds.

Daey-ib stepped forward, his arm in a sling, his once-pristine gear now scarred by flame and blade. "We won. But why do you look like we've lost?"

Lee-oh's voice was low. "Because we didn't win. They pulled back too easily. They didn't even commit their full force."

Daey-ib frowned. "A feint?"

Lee-oh nodded. "Or worse—a diversion. They're buying time."

Just then, a notification blinked into Lee-oh's mind.[System Alert: Large-scale economic movement detected in the Western Trade Route.]

He tapped the air, and holographic charts unraveled before him, showing resource shortages, inflation spikes in allied territories, and sudden surpluses—but only from one region: the West.

"They're bleeding us dry... economically," Lee-oh muttered. "They're redirecting trade and flooding our markets."

Daey-ib gritted his teeth. "Then we flip it. We do what we've always done. We capitalize."

A pause.

Lee-oh looked up, a glimmer of that cunning tycoon fire reigniting in his eyes. "We will crash their market from the inside."

The next few days were a whirlwind. The sect's crafting factories worked double time, pumping out premium potions, upgraded weapon enchantments, and exotic pills—all sold at undercut prices to flood the western markets. Their alliance network, once a trap to exploit the sect, now became a conduit for sabotage. Villages and minor sects loyal to the alliance began to flock to Lee-oh, drawn not just by wealth, but by stability.

But as profits skyrocketed and factories buzzed, another message pulsed within Lee-oh's system.

[System Notice: Unusual movement detected from Eastern region. Unknown cultivators crossing borders. Stealth signatures detected.]

Lee-oh froze.

The East had been quiet.

Too quiet.

"We're being encircled," he whispered.

That night, while the sect slept under the illusion of prosperity, a blade gleamed from the treetops near the mountain's edge.

In the shadows, a figure whispered into a crystal communicator. "Phase Two is ready. Begin infiltration."

Back in the command chamber, Lee-oh activated the sect's surveillance formation—an invisible net that covered the entire region.

But as it scanned the perimeter, the formation glitched—an anomaly, a breach.

Someone—or something—had already gotten inside.

And then, a system message appeared:

[INTRUDER DETECTED: Hostile Unknown. Target: Core Pillars.]

Lee-oh's eyes widened. "They're not attacking the walls... they're attacking our heart."

A scream echoed in the distance.

Daey-ib rushed out of his barracks, unsheathing his blade. "They're here!"

Lee-oh turned to the council, his voice thunderous: "Sound the emergency code. Activate the Inner Core Defense Formation."

The sky above the sect darkened again—but not from war.

It was betrayal.

Just as the formation activated, a familiar energy signature pulsed inside the sect—one that shouldn't have been there.

Lee-oh's eyes narrowed.

"...No. Not him."

A figure stepped out of the shadows inside the sect's treasury vault—a trusted ally from the early days of the sect's rise, someone they all believed dead.

Smiling.

Holding the seal of the Eastern Emperor.

And then the system chimed:

[Core Protection Breach: Countdown to collapse — 3 hours.]