The next day arrived quickly, and I had the best sleep I'd had in a while. With Song Song around, I felt secure and carefree. I woke up feeling energetic and rejuvenated.

Walking through the mansion's hallways with a smile, I encountered Song Song, who raised a questioning brow.

Before she could speak, I asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"The room had too much purple, but it was a good night's rest. I'm back in my best shape," she replied.

We walked together to the mansion's empty ballroom, which I had the servants clear out yesterday. I had also set up numerous arrays and protective barriers. Song Song looked around, sensing the barriers, and nodded. She then sat in a meditative position in the middle of the ballroom.

There was no need for words as I erected a barrier around her, protecting Song Song from outside influences. The barrier formed a black sphere the size of a car, blocking her vision, and I couldn't see inside.

"This is just a precaution," I said, knowing she could still hear me.

"Good, I like this cautious side of you," she responded, her Qi surging like a tidal wave, attempting to break through invisible walls within her body.

Song Song had officially entered the process of breaking through.

However, as soon as she began, I sensed a chill in the air, as if something was watching us. I turned toward the only window in the room but saw nothing. There was no time to dwell on it as the ballroom door opened by an invisible force.

No servant would do this, as I had warned them.

Immediately, I unsheathed my daggers and assumed a defensive stance. Though nothing appeared initially, it was clear that something had opened the door.

Then, eight figures emerged, each removing a strange ring artifact from their fingers. As soon as they did, the rings shattered into a thousand pieces.

The newcomers looked tired, disheveled, and smelled terrible. Whatever artifact they had used seemed to have severe conditions, just like my arrays. Something had to be sacrificed to make the effect stronger.

"Song Sia, what are you doing on this side of the battle?" I asked, trying to keep my voice nonchalant.

Despite their fatigue, I recognized these people. They were from the same group as Song Song, and I realized I had underestimated the number of spies in her group. There were eight women from Song Song's group.

"How did you gals get here?" I inquired, more to buy time than anything else.

There was no need to ponder why they were here. I immediately began analyzing everything that might give me an edge in this situation. Since they hadn't attacked while invisible, that must be one of the conditions on the artifact.

I cast a sound-canceling barrier around Song Song to keep her from being disturbed.

My new opponents were all around four to seven stars Qi Gathering Cultivators. They were stronger than me but looked exhausted and malnourished, likely due to the artifact's drawbacks. It must have required them to consciously keep it active, which explained their condition.

Had they been in the same room when we talked yesterday? That was creepy.

"Step aside, this does not involve you," Song Sia said.

For a split second, I considered accepting her proposal to get them closer and let their guard down. But they were already on guard, and cheap tricks wouldn't work on them. Especially not on Song Sia, who no longer seemed her dull self.

She'd be foolish to let me leave, as they knew I'd report to the Sect and they'd be made an example of. I didn't believe for a second that they'd let me go.

"No wonder Song Song failed to defend her cities. You probably faked your own deaths. How does it feel to have the blood of thousands on your hands as you abandoned your posts?" I asked calmly.

Song Sia frowned. My words had an effect on her, suggesting the niceness she had shown before wasn't just an act.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Good, I could use this.

Even without hearing anything, I could tell Song Sia was likely manipulated and, due to some misguided sense of justice, was trying to assassinate Song Song.

"Stand aside, or you will be put down," Song Sia repeated as she and her group advanced towards me. I stood in front of the barrier around Song Song.

"You sent too many people to handle just little old me," I chuckled despite the anxiety bubbling in my chest.

They had probably used so many because they were after Song Song. Despite their numbers, they only dared attack now. Even when Song Song was fighting monstrous beasts, they didn't intervene because they knew Song Song would abandon the fight to protect civilians and turn on them. Song Song had no weaknesses.

I formed a wind blade with Falling Moon Claw as they approached and shot it toward Song Sia. Since the whole thing was done through thoughts alone, there were no gestures or other warnings, and my move was fast enough that by the time someone sensed it, it would be too late.

Simultaneously, I ran to the other side. Song Sia, targeted by the invisible blade, was still looking at me.

Hadn't she sensed it? I thought she would, given she was from Song Song's clan.

Even as she stared at me, Song Sia gathered Qi in her hand, caught the invisible wind blade, and crushed the attack.

I swear these Song Clan women were like monsters.

Despite Song Sia's defense, my attack had slowed her down enough for me to charge at one of her teammates on the left. My target's eyes widened, and before she could fully register what was happening, I stabbed her straight through the eye. The tip of my blade came out the back of her head, dripping blood onto the ground.

"A-Ahhhh!" she screamed, but I twisted the dagger, silencing her. Her body slumped to the ground as I pulled out my dagger.

There was no time to dwell on her young age or what she could have been. Two people were coming to attack me.

Surprisingly, despite killing one of their friends, the other five were charging at Song Song.

I didn't bother defending against whatever attack Song Sia was charging up. Instead, I crouched down, ready to intercept the five others heading towards Song Song.

The roof above me cracked, and Speedy smashed through, landing in front of me. Whatever attack Song Sia had prepared brushed against his shell harmlessly. This also helped me cover my subsequent actions from their view.

Rushing Bull Step!

I charged toward the five girls going after Song Song. At the same time, without looking back, I shot a barrage of Falling Moon Claw invisible slashes at Song Sia and the other girl behind me to keep them busy.

Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about hurting Speedy, otherwise I would have never used this kind of strategy.

Two of the five girls who had been ready to attack Song Song turned towards me. One had a dagger, and the other a sword. They swung their weapons without hesitation.

Instead of dodging, I went through their attacks, activating Dancing Jade Armor at the last second. The sword attack penetrated my armor due to a strange Qi surrounding the weapon, likely some technique, and left a gash on my side.

But none of that mattered as their eyes widened, realizing my real target wasn't them but the three girls attacking Song Song.

"Look out!" the dagger girl yelled.

But it was too late. While her friends sensed my approach, neither could turn around quickly enough to stop me. I used my daggers to stab one of the girls attacking Song Song in the back. My daggers pierced her kidneys, and she gasped in pain. Her eyes widened as I lifted her up, still skewering her with my daggers.

Immediately, the two girls who had attacked me before and the other girl to my left, whose friend I had skewered, screamed in rage and attacked me.

I used Dancing Jade Armor on my leg to block the attack from the girl on my left while turning around and using my victim's body as a shield against the two girls behind me.

Surprisingly, despite their rage, the two girls cut through their friend, trying to get to me with their blades. Before their attacks could reach, I let go of my daggers and turned towards the last girl. She hesitated but still swung her sword toward the dark barrier protecting Song Song.

I wasn't fast enough to stop her, but even as her Qi-imbued sword clashed with the barrier, only the sound of clanging metal rang out. She didn't have much time to act surprised. Having used almost all her Qi on her sword to increase her attack, she had little time to react to my move and even less defense.

Swiftly, I moved towards her, grabbing her from behind and putting her in a chokehold. Turning to the rest of her companions, I said, "If any of you move, I will break this girl's neck."

Though the exchange felt like an eternity, it happened in a split second.

Despite the care I saw in their eyes for each other, the girls didn't stop charging toward me.

With no weapon in hand, I tightened my grip and twisted the girl's neck like a screw. Using her corpse as a meat shield, I charged at her friends. They had grown accustomed to my strategies and stabbed through their friend to get to me. I used the Dancing Jade Armor Technique to defend myself. While that stopped two attacks, one sword pierced through my armor, sending a piercing pain followed by a nasty crack through my collarbone.

A tingling sensation ran through my arm as blood splattered on my face.

Shit, she must have hit a vein or something.

Time was running out. I needed to weaken the most dangerous force here.

Muttering under my breath, I activated some of the arrays in the room, filling it with a dark mist made from my Qi. The fog obscured vision and Qi sense, but since it was my Qi, I could sense everything that moved inside it.

Charging towards Song Sia, the biggest threat, I swung at her neck. She summoned two short swords from her storage ring, blocking my fist with one and stabbing me in the belly with the other.

"Shit," I cursed.

There was no time to think as the other girls were already attacking. Even as I used Dancing Jade Armor, some of their attacks got through.

Damn, at this rate, I was going to lose.