Meanwhile, that afternoon, inside the cavernous Hall of Insight, the enormous wooden door closed with a heavy thud behind the gathering of both foreign and familiar figures. The polished marble floor, burnished to a warm glow, stretched across the vast hall now filled with people.

Instead of the usual large, round oak table in the center, countless chairs had been meticulously arranged, each occupied by an esteemed guest shifting uncomfortably in their seat. Before each person stood a small lacquered table, already set with a steaming ceramic cup of fragrant green tea and a small ceramic bowl filled with delicately prepared delicacies.

Flickering crimson lanterns hung from the intricately carved wooden walls, casting a vivid yet calming radiance over the towering pillars of polished granite that lined the expansive space. The air was thick with reverent silence and the aroma of sandalwood incense.

"Thank you all for coming. First of all, I would like to apologize for the disturbance this morning," the speaker began, his commanding baritone voice echoing clearly. He stood from his seat with practiced poise, long silver hair cascading over the martial robes worn loosely over his wiry frame.

With a clean-shaven face serene and composed, he placed his hands together and slightly lowered his head respectfully to everyone present in a fluid motion.

"My name is Xia Zhenkang, the Elder responsible for security here in Kunlun," he introduced himself, surveying the gathered assembly with an unflinching gaze. "I will be the one to explain the current grave situation regarding the precarious matters plaguing the Jianghu.

"Now, before we proceed to the main topic, let me address this morning's incident—the unfortunate event that transpired, the reasons for its occurrence, and why we had no choice but to temporarily detain all of our disciples for questioning." Elder Xia paused, the weight of his words punctuated by the sudden stillness in the air as he scanned the guests and Elders from various prestigious schools and sects.

"First of all, I bear grave news that weighs heavily upon us all," he continued solemnly, steepling his fingers. "Last night, we managed to capture rats, which unveiled a alarming truth: many of these infiltrators had already insidiously disguised themselves as our own disciples, walking among us undetected.

"Their nefarious purpose..." he began again, his voice low but resonant, "was to launch a brazen attack not upon our Sect itself, but upon this very gathering." As the catastrophic implications sank in, the expressions of the Elders from the various orthodox schools and righteous sects darkened like thunderheads.

"We—the ones who tread the path of justice, who stand as steadfast guardians of the commoners, and who represent the pillars of the orthodox factions—are the unequivocal targets of this vile conspiracy."

If it was Kunlun, then it would be a Kunlun problem, which means Kunlun should compensate for the whole embarrassing thing. But the problem was the gathering; they attacked Kunlun despite knowing there would be a big gathering, which means slapping everyone's face.

With a flick of Elder Xia Zhenkang's fingers, the massive wooden doors behind him groaned open, the sound echoing like rolling thunder. Several stern-faced disciples entered, dragging an unconscious man whose limp body left a smear of crimson in its wake.

Elder Xia briefly surveyed the foreign Elders, his eyes missing nothing as he noted the tense silence and deferential demeanor. Satisfied, he gave a curt nod and ordered the disciples in a clipped tone, "Rip off his face."

"What in the heavenly realms...?" The sound of fabric brutally tearing pierced the stunned hush, the gathered guests recoiling in shock as they witnessed what appeared an unconscionable act of cruelty from the Kunlun Sect.

Some even thought that the Kunlun had finally lost its senses, but to their collective surprise, the "face" being viciously ripped away was not flesh and blood - but an intricately crafted mask.

"As you can plainly see," Elder Xia Zhenkang's steely voice rang out, "this is no ordinary human mask." His lips tightened into a grim line as his fists clenched, the embroidered silk of his robes straining over taut forearms. "Unfortunately, the innocent face used to meticulously create this exquisite likeness belonged to one of our own Outer Disciples."

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One of the guests, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes found his voice to challenge Kunlun's failings with a hard truth.

"This means the attack has been planned for an insidiously long time," he sputtered indignantly, "and yet you, Kunlun, didn't even realize this until now?" The rest of the assembled Elders glanced towards the Kunlun faction with questioning, doubtful looks.

If the supposedly unshakable Kunlun could not even safeguard its own disciples or anticipate such a brazen infiltration, could it still truly be considered one of the six strongest orthodox sects in the martial realm?

"Watch your insolent mouth, Fellow Martial Brother," came the razor-sharp retort, each consonant enunciated with withering precision. "Kunlun is not so utterly foolish as you suggest."

All eyes turned towards the source of the biting rebuke - Elder Fang Zhelan. His piercing glare at that man, as his finely arched brows knitted in displeasure.

"We have long been painfully aware of the vile machinations unfolding," he continued, each word carrying the weight of an executioner's blade, "but with the strange, murderous creatures continuing to rampage unchecked, trampling and massacring the defenseless common folk, our full attention and resources have been desperately divided."

The same man who had initially voiced the insulting accusation let out a derisive snort, seemingly unphased by Elder Fang's wilting rebuttal.

"Heh, even so, that's no excuse for willfully sacrificing your own disciples as bait, is it?" he sneered, glaring across the hall with undisguised contempt. His sharp eyes glittered with a strange combination of loathing and pain directed squarely at the Kunlun contingent, as if this dire situation cut deeper than just politics or sect allegiances.

Elder Xia's gaze lingered on the vehement man, noticing the intensity burning behind those accusatory eyes.

'So... he's grieving...' Elder Xiao concluded. There was a rawness there, an anger that hinted at personal loss and tragedy tied to these recent tumultuous events.

"Enough," Elder Xia Zhenkang's firm baritone cut through the escalating tension like a blade. "We are all grieving from the devastation of the last war, its wounds still raw and unhealed. Not to mention the catastrophic appearance of the mythical Tower of Gods, which has wrought even greater loss and suffering upon our families and homes."

He paused, his indifferent eyes sweeping over the assembled Elders. At his words, emotional anchors seemed to resettle as every Elder and honored guest lowered their gaze in recognition of the shared trauma.

Every Orthodox sect and righteous school had indeed suffered staggering losses in that great conflagration. Still, they had steeled themselves against the inevitability of sacrificing lives in that just struggle. But the Tower's emergence had been entirely unforeseen - a maelstrom of chaos and ruin crashing over them all like a tsunami upon an unsuspecting shore.

Now, monstrous creatures rampaging unchecked through their territories, slaughtering the innocent in their wake, they could only grit their jaws and hope desperately for the aid of the Kunlun Sect.

"Let us continue and address the present crisis at hand," Elder Xia said after a strained silence, his gravelly voice the eye of the storm. "Everyone here surely understands the grave significance of this human mask we have uncovered and the truth it represents."

He lifted the ghastly artifact, holding it aloft so all could see the seamless facsimile of the hapless Kunlun disciple's stolen visage. "We have irrefutably confirmed that these vile infiltrators - these 'rats' gnawing at our roots - originate from the unorthodox factions and their ilk."

Upon hearing that, the expressions of the guests and Elders darkened like a thunderhead as some began nervously tapping the soles of their feet, the sharp shoes echoing through the tense hall.

Others massaged their temples or furrowed their brows, frustration etched in the hardened lines of their noble countenances.

The relationship between the Orthodox sects who followed the righteous path and the Unorthodox factions who embraced darker philosophies had always been akin to a furious blaze and the waters that sought to drown it.

Though there had been many minor skirmishes and clashes ignited by personal grievances in the past, this brazen act - an attempted attack on this very gathering itself - represented a far more overt, audacious provocation. It was virtually a declaration of all-out war.

"Those worthless scum! Lowly, dishonorable bandits!" One bearded guest erupted in fury, his booming voice shaking the very rafters as wisps of coruscating Qi radiated from his body in pulsing waves.

The focused killing intent in that room could have stilled the heart of a raging bull as his hateful glare bored into the unconscious infiltrator whose mask had just been torn asunder. "I knew their growth in strength and influence should never have been allowed to fester!"

"This means...another devastating war...under conditions already stretched to the breaking point..." another Elder murmured, voicing the sickening dread that pressed heavily upon them all like the weight of worlds. "I'm afraid we will not survive its consequences this time..."

The last great war that had engulfed the entire Jianghu - a conflict pitting the righteous Orthodox factions against the Evil factions - had exacted an immeasurable toll in blood and loss before the forces of light ultimately prevailed. But that hard-won victory had come at a staggering cost, leaving deep scars of trauma that had yet to fully heal.

"Please, do not be so quick to jump to conclusions that this audacious act heralds another all-consuming war," Elder Xia Zhenkang cautioned, his resonant voice restoring a semblance of calm over the incensed assembly. "I believe this infiltration may merely be one of their underhanded tricks - perhaps a calculated attempt to provoke us into overreaction or gauge the limits of our strength and resolve."

The attendees were no fools. IfXia Zhenkang spoke in such measured tones regarding this crisis, it likely meant the Kunlun had already gleaned valuable insights into the shadowy forces behind this brazen attack.

"As for definitively divining their true motives for targeting us in this manner," he added, steepling his fingers, "I'm afraid we must exercise prudence until more concrete evidence can be uncovered before making any unsubstantiated claims."

Frowns creased noble brows as eyes narrowed with skepticism and distrust. To the guests, Elder Xia's words seemed vague and circumspect, either unintentionally offering little concrete reassurance - or perhaps intentionally withholding crucial details.

"I understand the anger and outrage you must feel," Elder Xia continued solemnly. "But I can assure you, once this council has concluded tonight, we will waste no time in deploying a full-scale force to directly strike the location we believe to be the main stronghold of these treacherous infiltrators."