The Imperial Convocation did not bring clarity.
It brought tension so dense it felt like the Immortal Realm itself was holding its breath.
Vahn returned from the convocation with confirmation of what he already knew. The Empire would not stop the war. It would regulate it. Frame it. Observe it like a controlled burn and step in only if the flames threatened to spread beyond acceptable borders.
Azure Dragon Sect understood that as well.
Which was why the next phase began the very moment the convocation adjourned.
---
The first massacre happened in the city of Lanhir.
Lanhir was not a fortress. It was a transit city, a place of docks and markets, where spirit ships refueled and caravans changed hands. Its only value was logistics.
That was why Azure Dragon Sect chose it.
The attack came at dawn.
No declaration. No warning.
