The elder tried to pull back his sword but it was firmly held down. It did not budge no matter how hard he tried and his efforts merely removed any possibility of retreat.

In that precious moment, Alisha launched her attack. Her hand around the sword tugged hard, bringing them closer together. The elder lost his balance and could not stop his forward momentum. At the same time, her other hand extended and closed into a fist.

Bang!

There was a burst of air as the fist made contact. The spiritual energy and force contained within the punch exploded out violently like a tornado. The whole side of his face was caved in an instant. His head was knocked back at an unnatural angle and his body was sent spiraling away with several spurts of blood.

The heavy damage wasn't just from her slender fist but her spiritual energy. Right before she hit, the layer of spiritual energy transformed and filled with sky-attribute spiritual energy compressed into a small ball. Upon impact, all that power was released in an instant of devastation. This was the true ability of the Jade Wind Firsts, one that only a Spiritual Control Realm cultivator could showcase.

Alisha landed lightly on the ground like a dancer and whirled to face the second approaching elder. It was Tang Duanmu and his face was frozen in shock.

She leaped towards him.

“Tang’er, run!” The first elder’s voice shook the battlefield.

Tang jerked the reins to stop his horse but Alisha was almost on top of him. He reared his horse and leaped backward. His horse’s entire torso and the head were now directly in the way and blocked her way.

Alisha's fist turned into a claw and sank into the beast's head. Blood spurted out as its head was crushed. She then vaulted over the falling animal and launched forward acrobatically with a kick.

Crack!

Her feet connected not with flesh but with the flat side of Tang's sword. He flew away like a limp blade of grass, landing with a heavy thud some distance away. He didn't get up or utter a sound but she sensed he was still alive. He had managed to block at the last moment and save himself from certain death. He was truly a talent but it was a pity he had to be born to the Duanmu Clan.

Four more bandit elders charged at her, interrupting her musings.

"Kill the lord!"

"Kill him!"

Swords flashed as they roared like angry bison. They surrounded Alisha, slashing and stabbing from all sides.

She dodged as best she could but many attacks still landed. Except… the sharp blades supported by immense strength that could behead great wolves with a casual swing could not leave even a single mark. Attacks that landed on her clothes glanced off harmlessly while those that hit unprotected flesh suffered the same fate. They could not even ruffle her veil. She was completely impervious to sword and steel!

Out of the eight elders that started out, only six could still fight. Tang was knocked out while the first one she had fought was probably dead. Yet the six elders persisted. They all took turns and kept up their annoying attacks. Although they couldn’t do much, neither could she for the moment. One against one, a Spiritual Control Realm cultivator would always win against anyone at the Spiritual Strengthening Realm no matter what. This was not the case of her lonely self at the first level Spiritual Control Realm against six upper-stage Spiritual Strengthening Realm experts. Their combined spiritual energy and physical stamina were slightly greater than hers even if they lacked individual strength as well as skill. In these cases, it depended greatly on strategy and technique.

Without an immediate victor, battle see-sawed back and forth for a while. Alisha continued to dodge and weave while the elders did their best to maintain the encirclement. Her Jade Wind Fists were sublime and completely dominated their elementary Duanmu Sword Style. As the fight dragged on, more and more elders suffered strikes from wayward punches and kicks. Although the power behind them was not as strong as one that took out the first victim, they could not be disregarded. The damage slowly piled up and they were starting to get pushed back.

On top of that, her guard captains were still continuing their rampage. Harsh had now joined with the other four and together, they were slaughtering the helpless bandits like caged flying chickens. Their combined strength was no less fearsome than the bandit elders and with the elders preoccupied, there was nobody that could stand up to them.

“Xing! What do we do?”

“We can’t hold on like this!”

“Brother!”

The elders shouted at each other over the noise of battle. The situation was turning sour. Their people were being butchered but they could not go to their aid.

First Elder Xing Duanmu acted decisively. “Retreat! I’ll protect the rear. Grab Tang’er and Yonglei and go!”

“But…”

“Go!” He screamed.

“Yes!”

The bandit elders joined together and picked up Tang Duanmu and the limp body of the other elder. They called out to the remainder of their forces and began retreating, with the elders covering the rear.

Alisha now faced the first elder who remained behind, blocking her way. She charged at him and he fell back. Spiritual energy pulsed tangibly as they clashed, fist against sword. She pushed him back steadily and chased him through the tall grass. She held the upper hand definitively but he always managed to block her attacks in one way or another.

Xing Duanmu was the oldest and also the strongest of the bandits. His experience and shrewdness far surpassed anyone on the battlefield. Yet, he was performing far better than expected. She couldn't even find a substantial wound on his body and his sword remained intact even after clashing with her fists countless times.

It didn't make sense. A single Strengthening Realm cultivator should not have been able to match up to a Control Realm cultivator. This kind of realm hopping combat ability only existed in legends and only belonged to those with the most powerful treasures in the world. The first elder was no such person so there was only one other possibility.

Alisha quickly disengaged. Xing Duanmu kept running. She looked on as he dashed away after the fleeing bandits.

He definitely was at the first level of the Spiritual Control Realm. The old man must have achieved some kind of enlightenment in the last few years of his life. Such breakthroughs were not unheard of. The human spirit was mysterious and the most unpredictable when one approached death. It all depended on one's luck, one's divine fortune.

“My lord! My lord!” Captain Zheng Bai called as he galloped over.

Alisha was nursing a pair of hands that were red and bruised from the battle. Being able to block swords didn't mean it didn't hurt. When the guard captain arrived, she quickly hid her hands away from view.

“Yan, what's the situation?” She asked.

“The bandits have all retreated. Our people are safe now.”

“Losses?”

“Still trying to figure that out but close to twenty."

Alisha winced. It was far more than she was prepared for.

"But we killed over forty of them. They were so eager to run away, they left some of their wounded behind." Zheng said.

She felt a flash of anger in the pit of her stomach at his nonchalance. She wanted to reprimand him but held her tongue. She didn't want to dampen morale after a victory, despite the losses.

She chose to ignore him and continued staring at the fleeing bandits.

Zheng sat on his horse awkwardly and was finally saved when Captain Hana Patel rode up. Hana glanced at the lord and then towards the west and realized something her partner had not.

“My lord, what happened? How did they manage to escape from you?” She asked, her voice incredulous.

“What do you mean?” Zheng asked.

“You pig-brain, with our lord’s strength and that situation, none of the elders should have been able to escape!”

“Oh…”

Alisha didn’t reply until all the bandits disappeared over the horizon. “That Xing Duanmu, he managed to fight me evenly. He gives me a bad feeling.”

The two captains looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

She finally turned around, “Take care of the wounded. Let’s go back.”

“Yes!”