The first sign of battle appeared over the grass hills. A group of twenty or thirty mounted warriors was fleeing eastward as fast as their horses could carry them. A loose mob of over a hundred black robes on horseback chased after them, hollering and shooting arrows at their prey.

The fleeing group fought back bravely. They rescued those whose horses had been shot out from under them and launched arrows and insults back behind them. But it was a losing struggle and their pace was slowing steadily. They were being worn down by the enemy's superior numbers. Their horses were wounded and exhausted. The bandits were almost on top of them but their only choice was the run. There was little chance of winning against such a superior force.

“We are not too late!” Alisha cried out after seeing them.

Harsh Patel was still alive, bravely holding up the rear. Many were wounded, some were barely holding on. But there was still time and she urged her horse faster.

"They are about to get run down!" Zheng snarled.

"I see eight green robes! Bandit elders!" Someone else shouted.

"I will take them myself. You four, take everyone else and smash into the bandit regulars and relieve pressure on Harsh's squad." Alisha said.

“But my lord!”

“My lord, no!”

“This is an order!” She screamed over the noise of wind and hooves, “Go!”

Her captains dared not disobey and shouted out their affirmations.

They thundering toward the bandits. Swords were drawn. Spears and shields were readied. This was not the battle she wanted but it was now unavoidable. She always disliked fighting but she was ready if she had to. Even now, she did not want to put her captains in unnecessary danger against the elders, not when she could handle them herself.

Her group rapidly closed the distance with the incoming horses. Harsh turned his group towards her and so did the bandits.

She crested the final hill in a full sprint, her troops in a tight wedge formation with her and four captains at the front. There was an instant of eerie silence before they slammed into the enemy's northern flank, slashing through their loose and disorganized formation.

“Kill the bandits!”

“Give me your dog life!”

They shouted over the surprised bandits.

On the right edge, Captain Hari Patel’s long sword found a passing bandit rider’s throat. The aim was steady and true and the power was unstoppable. The force of impact took the man’s head off his shoulders. In an arcing motion, the sword tip danced towards the next victim and then the next. He was nimble like the wind, a handsome yet deadly tornado that ripped through the bandit ranks.

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Beside him, Captain Zheng Bai slashed his oversized sword that was more akin to a meat cleaver through bandits and horses alike. He was a giant of a man, almost as big as Gray. He used his strength well and there was no foe that could stand in his way.

On the left edge, Captain Hana Patel's slender sword flashed and danced. She lopped heads off with frightening accuracy. Her accuracy was her greatest strength and she reaped lives with every attack.

Captain Yan Wu wasn’t showy like the two Patels nor overpowering like Zheng. His sword was simply efficient. Each stab, stash, and block was executed to perfection. He let nothing past him, not even a speck of dust.

They were all guard captains, experts at the upper stage of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm. Hari and Hana were at the 9th Level of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm while the other two were already at the peak.

Together, they showcased their strength and skill as well as brutality. Anger and frustration at the bandits boiled over, lending even more strength to their attacks. The enemies they passed by and trampled were merely at the fourth or fifth level at most. The horses barely had any cultivation. It was not even a fair fight. Overwhelming strength was simply overwhelming strength.

The bandit elders finally reacted and the eight of them turned to the new arrivals.

"Now!" Alisha shouted, "Go!"

The captains turned south, aiming to kill more of the weaker bandits to relieve Harsh's group which was now being pinned down from three sides.

Alisha continued forward, directly at the eight bandit elders without slowing. There were many familiar faces among them. She had seen most of them in the past or heard descriptions, all except for one. A new, fresh face was out of place. It was not just his youth; his cultivation was also lacking. He was still at the 8th Level of the Spiritual Strengthening Realm. He was underpowered for an elder and yet he wore the robes and carried all of the signs of one.

She suddenly remembered him, Tang Duanmu. He was a genius of the Duanmu Clan a few years younger than her, a genius that was close to her in potential. At least that was what her father told her. She thought Tang Duanmu had gone south and joined a proper cultivation sect. He certainly had the ability to do so. She didn't expect him to be here but then again, it was hard to expect much reason out of the Duanmu Clan these years.

Alisha and the elders closed to within striking distance, with Tang Duanmu and another brave elder charging ahead of the rest. The other elder leaped ahead and turned his horse directly towards her as if intending on a collision. She obliged and did not slow down.

"Jade Hill Lord! Kill him!" The elder howled with his sword raised, ready to strike her down.

At the last moment, before the horses ran directly into each other, Alisha leaped from the saddle. A gust of wind covered her feet and propelled her forward. She landed with one toe on her horse's snout and with another burst of air, jumped forward at her foe.

“You dare!” The bandit elder shouted.

He brandished his sword and stabbed forward with vicious strength.

Yet Alisha did not withdraw a sword or a weapon of any kind to meet the attack. Instead, a single slender hand reached forward and caught the sword!

“What!” He shouted.

"Impossible!"

Other bandits that saw this were also shocked, including Tang. It seemed impossible. It was unbelievable. Their eyes fell on her bare hand which did not have a single speck of blood. There was a minuscule gap that separated skin from the sharp blade edge. That gap was filled with an intense concentration of spiritual energy.

Those smart enough realized with rising horror as such a feat could mean only one thing. Only a certain type of person could achieve this, the feat of controlling spiritual energy enough to exude it out of their body, a Spiritual Control Realm cultivator!