Kalina's thoughts moved rapidly.
Her mind gradually reached a conclusion.
'So that is what happened.'
The answer suddenly seemed very simple.
The Purple River Sect had already found a backer.
Not just any backer.
A Nascent Soul King.
More precisely...
King Kainaat and the Black Yin Flower Trading Company.
That explained everything.
It explained why the Purple River Lord had retreated without showing fear.
It explained why this King had appeared personally.
It also explained why the Purple River Sect had dared to not agree to her earlier demands without worrying about the future.
Kalina quietly sighed.
'Our intelligence was incomplete.'
This campaign had been planned carefully.
The royal faction had spent quite a lot of time and resources gathering information.
Every influential sect had been investigated. Every Lord had been monitored. Every possible reinforcement had been accounted for.
Yet...
Nobody had discovered this relationship.
