The morning after the Coalition's retreat, Jin Ye awoke to the sound of drums.
Not war drums — the Demonic Sect's welcome parade.
A black-sailed fleet of flying war barges drifted in over the Skyward Leaf Sect's mountains, banners snapping in the wind, carrying at least two hundred cultivators in matching black robes with embroidered skulls.
At the front of the lead barge stood Sect Leader Zhen Mo, a tall man with slick black hair, a permanent smirk, and the energy of someone who'd stab you and then ask for your business card.
"Skyward Leaf Sect!" Zhen Mo shouted, voice amplified by demonic Qi. "I come in peace! And also to destroy our mutual enemies! Mostly that second part!"
The "Alliance" Meeting
Inside the main hall, Zhen Mo lounged like he owned the place.
"This war is a golden opportunity," he said. "You have the mysterious nap-killing technique. I have overwhelming numbers and a total lack of moral restraint. Together, we are unstoppable."
Mu Shun leaned in to whisper, "Senior Brother… if we do this, the Alliance will brand us as a demonic faction."
Jin Ye sipped his tea. "Good. Saves me the trouble of pretending to be righteous."
Elder Ping, who had been unmuzzled for the meeting, looked thrilled. "Finally! Someone around here speaks my language."
The Joint Plan (If You Can Call It That)
Zhen Mo produced a huge scroll titled: "Operation: Tea Break."
Jin Ye naps in the Coalition camp.
Everyone falls asleep.
Demonic Sect takes their stuff.
Profit.
Mu Shun stared. "That's it?"
Zhen Mo nodded. "Why overcomplicate?"
Night Raid
That very night, Jin Ye, Zhen Mo, and a small squad infiltrated the Coalition camp.
The enemy had wards, barriers, sentries, and a patrol schedule so strict it could've been written by paranoid accountants.
Jin Ye simply strolled in, yawned, and activated Instant Nap Zone.
Within seconds, the camp turned into the quietest war zone in history.
Swords clattered from limp hands. Cultivators collapsed into their soup bowls. Even the barrier array scribed on the ground flickered out as its keeper faceplanted mid-meditation.
Zhen Mo whistled. "This is… beautiful."
The Looting Problem
The Demonic Sect wasted no time hauling away weapons, spirit stones, cultivation manuals, and, inexplicably, a massive golden statue of a tiger.
Mu Shun wrung his hands. "Senior Brother, we can't take everything! It'll look like—"
"It'll look like we won," Jin Ye said, tossing him a bag of spirit stones. "Hold this."
The Unexpected Outcome
By sunrise, the Coalition's camp was stripped bare.
When the sleeping cultivators awoke hours later, they found banners from both the Demonic Sect and Skyward Leaf Sect planted in the center of the wreckage.
The story spread fast.
By noon, taverns across the Eastern Continent were buzzing about the Joint Demonic-Skyward Alliance Victory.
By evening, the Coalition's remaining leaders had issued an emergency statement:
"We will not negotiate with war criminals. We will destroy them."
[Heavenly System Log]
User: Jin Ye
Cultivation: Qi Condensation – 7th Stage
New Title: "War Hero (For the Wrong Side)"
Title Effect: All righteous factions treat you with hostility; all demonic factions treat you like a beloved drinking buddy.
The War Hero Reception
Back at Skyward Leaf Sect, Zhen Mo threw a victory feast.
Tables groaned under the weight of roasted spirit beasts, wine jars the size of bathtubs, and an entire cake shaped like the Coalition's headquarters.
Zhen Mo raised a cup. "To my favorite accidental warlord!"
Jin Ye clinked cups. "To my favorite useful distraction."
The Problem No One Mentioned
Mu Shun finally got a moment alone with Jin Ye after the feast.
"Senior Brother… do you realize the entire Eastern Continent thinks we're now a demonic alliance?"
Jin Ye leaned back in his chair. "Good. Makes it easier to know who to ignore."
"But what if the Heavenly Alliance sends their elites after you?"
Jin Ye smirked. "Then I'll nap in their capital."