While chaos was slowly descending upon the Desolate Heaven Empire, somewhere else, all hell had broken loose.
Once, the Heaven Sword Sect had been known as a place of serenity.
A sect where swords were tempered by discipline rather than ambition, and where disputes were settled through duels—not factions and shouting.
That Heaven Sword Sect no longer existed.
Since the end of the war against the Demonic Forces, the sect had quietly—but unmistakably—split apart.
There had already been a crack in their unity, ever since Elder Han and the Anti-Sect Leader faction began pushing to remove Tian Yuheng.
It had only grown worse as more and more disciples chose sides between the Bai Clan and the Li–Zhao Alliance.
Inner halls became divided spaces. Even the training grounds carried tension thick enough to taste.
There was no longer respect for the sect itself.
Many cared more about which alliance someone belonged to than the fact that they were fellow disciples of the same sect.
