There was a series of loud cracking sounds, followed by the twisting of metal and then a tin like pop. The many Formation Plates in the Formation Machine had reached their limits, shattering, warping, and a few even getting launched into the air. Flipping like coins and then clattering to the ground. Only a few moments later, the stifling mist that smothered every sense faded away. At the same time, many of the guards realized they had been fighting with each other. Their bleeding wounds were caused by their own friends and they all looked around the room with murder in their eyes.

A group of stronger cultivators, in charge of the guards on this level, were near a corner of the room. They had been lounging and taking advantage of the slaves when the commotion started. For them, it was just like some thick fog had showed up and then their path was blocked by an energy wall. They’d grouped up and broke down wall after wall, their strength being the main reason the formations were broken so quickly. The area they were in was also the place on the floor with the most unfreed slaves still locked in cages. Sage had to go around the strongest of them to make the most of his time, so the walled off areas locked in not only the stronger enemies, but also cages with prisoners in them.

The formations had faded away and the many Slavers were still in a somewhat dazed state. They still didn’t know who their enemy was. Sage wasn’t going to volunteer such information, but it was only a matter of time until they figured it out. With that in mind, he launched the anchors on his Web Bracers and then brought out some reinforcements. A tall and lanky man with wide shoulders, long arms, and thin spindly fingers appeared next to him. This man had a large and long, hooked nose as well as a little streak of blue hair at his temples. There was also a young girl with snowy white hair and piercing blue eyes standing next to the large nosed man.

King and Ruanfu. With the accelerated time in the Inner World along with a world of untapped resources, Ruanfu had just broken through into rank 4. Her ‘father’, King, had also recovered his cultivation and rose to level 55. From what Sage had discovered from his surveillance activities, there were only three Core Formation cultivators in this compound. Two of them had only just broken through, level 51s, and then there was the oily leader who hit level 53. All three of them were usually found on the third floor and leading the festivities. That meant nobody on this floor should be their match and even Ruanfu should only have trouble with two or three of them.

“Wow, we get to come out and play again!”

“This is not the sort of place you should be taking children to.”

A Horde Halberd appeared in Sage’s hand, “I know. Sorry, King. If I didn’t bring Ruanfu she’d never forgive me for missing a chance for fun. We’re here to save those people in the cages, so be careful.”

The white haired girl, now looking to be in her early teens, dashed forward. Both her and her father had an odd running style. They leaned forward and held their arms straight and at their sides, but back behind them. The innocent looking girl wore an elaborate set of white robes, a multi-layered outfit with trousers and shirt, and a sort of dress over the top of them that was slit on either side to the waist. She leapt into the air, spinning like a top. Her left leg swept out like a scythe towards one of the Slaver’s necks. The man brought up his hands to try and defend, but then Ruanfu’s knee bent and she brought her foot back. Her hips rotated in mid-air and her right leg capturing all her spinning momentum and smashed against the Slaver’s side like a wrecking ball. There was a loud cracking sound and the man flew to the side, smashing into one of his comrades and sending them both skidding across the ground.

King ran off in a different direction, but his style was far less direct. Instead of a frontal assault, he merely ran past the Slavers. After passing by, he waved his hand and cuts appeared on the Slavers. They weren’t deep, nor were any limbs severed, it looked more like a quick slash of a dagger. Blood was drawn and channels were opened in their skin. None of the cuts were deep enough to be fatal, but they were far from kind. Instead, King struck at their weak points. Slicing tendons, slitting throats, and puncturing arteries. Sage had copied most of his general knowledge books into the Memory Sphere used to train the Demonic Beast Birds that were given the Human Seal. One of those books detailed human anatomy and King had spent quite a bit of time studying it. His eyes were very sharp, and striking with precision was quite easy for him.

Sage spun the Halberd around with a windmill like motion a few times, willing it to grow larger with each sweep. The haft extended as he swung it out and the axe blade lopped off one of the Slaver’s feet, passing right through the man’s ankle like there was no resistance at all. The weight had increased for the swing and it created a loud whoosh as it swung past. Sage had of course been the one to instill the fighting techniques and formations into the ancestral memories of the Hoplites. He had studied a few spear arts, saber arts, shield arts, and of course polearm arts before doing so. He even combined in a few moves from the Wave Breaking Paddle technique he learned in his youth. He was far from being an expert with such a weapon, but he could be considered proficient. Especially since he was handling people far below his rank.

All three of them quickly started taking out the lower ranked Slavers nearby them, working to reduce their numbers before the two stronger groups on the floor made their way over. Each group had a trio of rank 4s, and they took turns leading the patrols on the floor. Three of them would sit in their little lounge area at the corner of the floor, while the other three each lead a team of guards to make their rounds. They now of course realized who had caused the disturbance and were organizing the guards near them into a force. Some of the weaker ones were already sent to the stairs to call for support. The floor beneath and above them were both packed to the brim with more men. Small magical tools were seen flying into the stairwells now as well. There were no more force walls blocking them like there was earlier.

One of those tools even originated from Sage’s hand. It flew out to a window and up into the air before bursting like a firework. Green sparks shot through the sky and the Jade Horde outside the compound started to act. Crossbow bolts filled the sky, flight after flight of them launched from Stumblebows towards the central compound. The majority were stopped by the walls, but quite a few of them flew through the many paper windows and doorways. So many arrows were unleashed that the building was rapidly turning into a porcupine. The wood started to grow weak from the many impacts and the many small blades thudding into it.

“Hey, Sheng!” said the white haired girl while kicking another Slaver away, “Bring out Wanqian Lei. He needs to see how awesome I am!”

King heard what she said from a few dozen yards away and he perked up, “Good idea, bring out the Green Eyed Kingfisher, Yellow Legged Swallow, Diamond Hornbill, Two Headed Iron Owl, and the Gold Clawed Swift!”

Sage nearly stumbled when he heard this exchange. The halberd slipped in his hands and one of the Slavers ducked under it. The man’s eyes lit up and he dashed forward, the saber in his hands lighting up with a red light. Too bad for the Slaver, Sage had more than one weapon. Sage waved his left hand a few times and a barely visible cable fell into place over the Slaver’s head. His right hand swung the halberd and it caught the cable between the axe head and the spear point, acting as a fulcrum pull the cable taut. A line of red appeared on the Slaver’s neck, digging even deeper into the man’s throat and stopping him in his tracks.