The Serpent's Fang Sect was crumbling, and they didn't even realize it yet.
Kael and Jin Mu moved swiftly through the darkened wilderness, their next target already in sight. The Serpent's Fang Sect had dozens of outer strongholds—training camps, supply hubs, hidden safe houses. But they all relied on one crucial thing, communication. If the sect master couldn't get word from his men, if he was left blind and uncertain about the chaos spreading through his own forces, his paranoia would do more damage than any blade.
Jin Mu wiped the sweat from his brow as they reached a rocky outcrop overlooking their next objective, The information hub of the serpent fang sect. It was one of the smaller, yet more critical locations. This was where urgent orders were transmitted across the sect's territory via encrypted jade slips and messenger birds.
Kael crouched low, eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Destroy their ability to communicate, and they won't know who to trust anymore."
Jin Mu studied the outpost's layout. It was built into the side of a cliff, making a direct assault risky. Guards patrolled the only entrance, while defensive formations shimmered faintly along the rock walls.
Jin Mu frowned. "This one's going to be harder to crack. Even if we take out the guards, the jade slips inside are bound to be protected."
Kael smirked. "Then we don't take them out. We use them."
Jin Mu's eyes widened. "You're not planning to destroy their messages… you're going to rewrite them."
Kael nodded. "Imagine this. A disciple receives an urgent order from his sect master—but the message is slightly… altered. Maybe it tells him to retreat when he should attack. Maybe it tells him his commanding elder has betrayed him." He chuckled darkly. "Before long, they'll start questioning everything."
Jin Mu exhaled. "That's downright evil."
Kael grinned. "I prefer the term 'efficient.'"
They moved swiftly. Kael took the lead, slipping through the shadows like a phantom. When a guard turned the corner, Kael struck before the man could even scream, a swift, silent kill.
Jin Mu moved behind him, quickly catching the falling body and dragging it into the darkness. "You make it look too easy."
Kael merely smiled as he stepped over the threshold of the outpost. Inside, rows of jade slips hovered in the air, each linked to a different sect location. Several disciples sat in meditative stances, preparing outgoing messages.
Kael's fingers twitched. He could erase every message here, but that would be too obvious. No, he wanted them to read the messages and believe them.
Jin Mu got to work first, grabbing a jade slip and rewriting the command embedded in it. "This one was meant for a supply transport squad. It originally said to move to the Blackwood Marshes, but now it says to… abandon the shipment and return to headquarters."
Kael nodded approvingly. "Perfect. Keep going."
One by one, the true orders were overwritten with subtle but devastating modifications. Kael made sure to include just enough truth in each one so that when the sect members received them, they wouldn't suspect a thing.
When they finished, Kael gave the order to retreat. As they vanished into the night, the first wave of chaos was already set in motion.
By morning, supply shipments would be missing, patrol teams would be sent to false locations, and crucial reinforcements would never arrive. The Serpent's Fang Sect wasn't just fighting an enemy anymore.
They were fighting themselves.
By the time the sun crept over the horizon, the Serpent's Fang Sect was already on the verge of internal collapse.
Disciples arrived at designated locations only to find no supplies, no reinforcements, no orders that made sense. Patrol squads reported missing shipments, sect elders barked conflicting commands, and paranoia spread like a plague.
The messenger outpost raid had done more than sever communication—it had turned every member of the sect into a potential enemy.
At the heart of the chaos, Sect Master Luo Yuantang sat in his grand hall, his face twisted with rage.
A trembling elder knelt before him. "Sect Master… the supply convoys never arrived at the checkpoints. And… and one of the Blood Fang Elders has accused the Third Elder of treason."
Luo Yuantang's knuckles turned white as he clenched his armrests. "Accused of what?"
The elder swallowed nervously. "One of the jade slips you sent contained an order to eliminate rogue disciples within the sect… but the Third Elder never received it. Instead, he received an order to mobilize his forces elsewhere."
Luo Yuantang's breath hitched. "That's impossible. I sent no such—" He stopped himself, realization creeping over his face like a slow-moving shadow.
His orders had been altered.
Someone had infiltrated their communications, twisting his commands into weapons against himself.
His heartbeat quickened. Who was left to trust?
Elders were already questioning each other, disciples were afraid to follow commands, and the longer this continued, the greater the chance that his own people would turn on him.
Luo Yuantang's aura erupted, sending a shockwave through the grand hall.
"I want every disciple accounted for. Every order checked. Anyone caught spreading doubt—kill them on sight."
But the fear was already too deeply rooted.
Kael had made sure of that.
Far from the sect's headquarters, Kael and Jin Mu sat atop a cliffside, watching the first rays of dawn illuminate the valley below.
Jin Mu let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "I almost feel bad for them. They don't even know they've already lost."
Kael smirked, tossing a spirit stone into the air and catching it lazily. "They'll figure it out soon enough. Right before they die."
Jin Mu exhaled. "What's next?"
Kael leaned back, watching the clouds shift. "We keep pushing. Hit another outpost. Wipe out their remaining strongholds. By the time we reach their headquarters, there won't be a sect left to defend."
Jin Mu grinned.
The Serpent's Fang Sect was finished. They just didn't know it yet.