Yang Ru quite approved of Zou Tian’s actions, both in the original plan and the way he’d commanded everyone. His training and being away from the sect had done the young man good. Becoming more confident in his abilities and more assertive were both improvements that would serve him well.

The first round of attacks had done its job, forcing three of the nine Nascent Souls to focus on his group instead of on Master. Even better, after Zou Tian ordered the second round of attacks, the three enemies flew forward, removing them even further from Master.

Of course, that meant the three were headed for the juniors, and after they dealt with the current volley, they’d surely attack.

“Retreat!” Zou Tian yelled. “Retreat, now.”

Good. He hadn’t got caught up in the excitement of the fight, instead keeping calm and making the correct call.

All was going according to plan, and the group reacted immediately. Jin LiJuan, her menagerie, and Yang Xiu were the first to tear Teleport talismans, returning to the agreed upon fallback location—the compound.

Compared to Foundation Establishment realm cultivators, those still at Qi Gathering reacted slower, moved slower, and even thought slower. They were still all reaching for their talismans.

One issue the plan hadn’t covered was who should stay back to make sure that all the juniors got away safely. Zou Tian probably assumed that he’d be the obvious choice for that job. Yang Ru disagreed.

The two looked at each other, a glance that spoke volumes. Each staked their claim to be the one to stay behind, and neither gave an inch.

“You’ve done well leading,” Yang Ru said, “and you’re still needed in that role. Ensure that everyone evacuates to the main sect if any Nascent Souls pursue.”

“You can do that just as easily.”

“I can, but you’re commanding this mission. It’s your job.”

Zou Tian hesitated for an instant, but only for an instant, before cupping his hands. An instant later, he disappeared.

While the two of them resolved the matter, the group’s volley had landed, unfortunately not doing enough to disrupt Master’s suppression. That was mainly due to the interference of the three Nascent Souls, who had deflected a good number of the attacks and were now targeting the shield produced by the pylon.

For a moment, Yang Ru believed that their distraction would end up being pointless, but on the roof holding Master and the Nascent Souls, Yuan Yaozu ambushed an enemy. The man fell.

Good. Maybe two against five would give Master a chance.

In the meantime, though, the pylon’s shield was getting blasted by strike after strike. The entire building shook. Any formation not crafted by Master probably would have already failed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

One by one, the juniors tore their cards, as Master called them, and disappeared. They were slow, however, and the incoming Nascent Souls were fast. Whether the shield lasted until the last of them evacuated would be a near thing.

All the guards except their captain were gone, and other than him, only a few stragglers were left. Yang Ru waved Huang Yimun away, and he cupped his hands before tearing his card.

All the while, attacks boomed into the shield. It would fail. Soon.

Only Yang Ru and Ren Ning were left, though, and the former villager finally had his talisman in hand, having had some issue finding the correct one. As he tried to tear it, however, it slipped from his hand and fell to the surface of the roof. He immediately dove after it.

Boom! Crack!

Two pylons split in half. The shield failed. The Nascent Souls’ next attack would be deadly.

Yang Ru had a decision to make—save himself or protect Ren Ning.

For someone who considered himself the sect’s protector, that wasn’t a choice at all.

Horrified, Kang Lin watched the fight unfold. First, Master got captured by the enemy force, and she knew, just knew, that he was about to die. Instead, in what was either the stupidest move she’d ever seen or the bravest—probably both—Zou Tian ordered the juniors to attack the enemy.

A group of less than three dozen low level cultivators, most still in the Qi Gathering realm, launched a volley against nine Nascent Souls. Were they crazy?

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Seriously, only an insane or suicidal person would do something like that. The only thing that stood between them and complete annihilation was a static shield that was meant to provide just enough protection to give them a chance to flee.

Somehow, though, the attack worked. The Nascent Souls were distracted from killing Master, and the leader dispatched three of them to take care of the cause of that distraction. Which was both good and bad.

On the plus side, Master was left with only six Auras suppressing him. Though Kang Lin didn’t know what good the reduction would do. Grandfather had explained to her that six was enough to completely quell even Master.

Then there was the bad. One Nascent Soul was way too powerful for several Foundation Establishment realm cultivators to handle, and it didn’t even matter how many lower realmed allies they had supplementing them. With three, they’d be killed soon.

Suddenly, though, the situation changed radically. Yuan Yaozu appeared and killed one of the six Nascent Souls. Master could fight against only four, and Grandfather was sure that six were enough to suppress him. What Master could do against five, though, was anyone’s guess.

While that situation was playing out, the three Nascent Souls neared their target, blasting away at the shield as they did. Luckily, Zou Tian wasn’t foolish. As soon as his group had launched their second attack, he called for a retreat.

By the time the Nascent Souls breached the shield, all the Rising Tide Sect members would hopefully be long gone.

Over the course of about a second, most of them disappeared. Most. Not all.

A Qi Gathering realm cultivator dropped his talisman and fumbled on the ground for it. It was unlikely he’d escape before being attacked, and there was equally no way he’d survive. No one below the Nascent Soul realm could.

And, of course, Yang Ru, the big idiot, was the one who took it upon himself to stay until the last of his sect members had left.

For a moment, Kang Lin had some hope that he would see reason. As the heir to the sect and an A ranked talent, he was so, so much more important than some random junior with trash tier ranked spiritual roots.

Yang Ru would one day likely rule the entire continent, if not more than that. The junior would … Kang Lin didn’t even know. Not much of anything important, that was for sure.

But Yang Ru was Yang Ru. The chances of him abandoning his sect mate were exactly zero. His entire reason for being was to protect just such people. It was crazy and stupid and completely against everything that cultivators stood for, but it was part of what made him so special, what made him worthy of praise.

He made his move, his only defense his own meager shield and a talisman held in his hand, probably Master’s variable shield, as he stepped protectively in front of the junior.

No help would arrive in time. Her sect mates were en route, but they were still seconds away. The junior had found the talisman and was about to tear it, but it was too late. Even if he did Teleport away, Yang Ru wouldn’t have time to react and get away.

Neither could Master nor Senior Brother Yuan Yaozu do anything. Master was still kneeling under the weight of five Auras, being guarded by the Poison Claw Sect member.

They likely didn’t even know what was happening, didn’t realize the danger.

Against a Golden Core, Master’s talisman would probably stop any damage from one source, but without an active Aura, the technique had little chance of doing more than slightly diminishing a Nascent Soul’s attack. Yang Ru had only tenths of a second, maybe less, to live, and no one could do anything about it.

No, that wasn’t actually true. She held another Teleport card in her hand. She could intercede. Her.

Kang Lin didn’t even stop to consider what she was about to do. She powered up her shield with as much qi as she could cram into it, pulled a variable shield talisman from her pocket, and tore both talismans.

It was funny. The her of a couple of months prior would have performed the same act but for very different reasons. No longer did she feel that her life was essentially worthless compared to hers, but that didn’t stop her from sacrificing herself.

She arrived in front of Yang Ru just before the Nascent Soul’s attack. There was a blast and pain, so much pain, and then—

As Yang Ru tore a shield talisman, knew he was about to die, and he was at peace with his decision. He called himself the sect’s protector, but deep down, he’d always wondered whether, when the time came to choose between saving himself and defending a sect mate, he’d actually be brave enough to do what was right.

Master had said that sacrificing oneself for a sect mate was the only valid reason to willingly face death. It was not a fate to be sought, which Yang Ru hadn’t, but it was an act that would be remembered. The Hall of Heroes would gain a second member that day.

Behind him, Ren Ning finally activated the talisman, Teleporting to the compound.

Good.

Yang Ru smiled. At least his sacrifice wouldn’t be for nothing. For a sacrifice it was. The Nascent Soul had released his attack. Even though Yang Ru held the card ready to tear, there was simply no time.

All he could do was charge his shield and brace himself for impact.

Just as the strike was about to land, though, someone appeared in front of him. His eyes widened. Kang Lin.

The attack hit, launching her into him and knocking both of them all the way to the other side of the roof and off. Disoriented from the impact, he fell uncontrolled, landing several stories down with an oof.

That had hurt.

Frankly, it was likely only because of his Body Cultivation that he was still alive.

A horrible thought struck him. Kang Lin had taken the full force of the Nascent Soul’s assault, and she didn’t even have the advantage of any Body Cultivation.

Yang Ru looked frantically around until spotting her several yards away. There was blood. So much blood. She was on her side, though, facing away from him, so he couldn’t tell if her chest moved.

If there was even a sliver of life left, all he had to do was get to her. He stood, shaking off his many aches, and limped toward her as fast as he could while pulling a Major Healing Pill from his ring.

His enhanced senses didn’t detect any breathing. No heartbeat. But he ignored the lack.

She had to still be alive. She couldn’t be…

He couldn’t even bring himself to think about it.

Yang Ru crouched down next to her and still couldn’t hear any sign of life from her. He tried sticking the pill in her mouth, but nothing happened. Her … body started to cool. Her corpse.

Kang Lin was … dead.