The elder stood in silence for a moment, his weathered face calm but his eyes sharp.
Then he spoke, his voice carrying the weight of many years. "People are always hypocritical. The only thing that differs is the degree of hypocrisy they show. A sect like this… they were simply more blatant in the contrast between the face they showed themselves and the face they showed the world."
Lin Mu let out a faint breath, his expression softening just slightly. "That is true."
The silence between them stretched for a few seconds, filled only by the faint groans of the wind over the pavilions and the rustling of the last few survivors being dragged away by strike team cultivators.
Then Grand Elder Huo spoke again.
"I must admit," he said, his gaze steady on Lin Mu, "I was surprised to learn that you and Elyon had already eliminated every elder… and even the Patriarch himself. To cleanse the leadership so quickly and without raising alarms was not something I expected to be possible."
