My marching rock band and I flew toward the barrier protecting the sect. We weren’t the only ones. The sky was filled with disciples in their red uniforms trimmed with gold. Those in Qi Condensation who didn’t have a flying tool ran through the maze-like pathways of the outer sect to reach a gathering spot at the base of the foothill. Various elders stood in mid-air directing the disciples under them where to go. Other than my over one hundred musicians (which excluded Pearlescent Rose’s band, who were busy with their own thing), there were thousands getting set up in phalanx and secret battle formations. It was easy to see that this sect had been preparing and planning for an attack for decades. Everything was coming together. Little Spring and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dagger flew toward us with their own teams. I nodded at the puppeteer. ::Did you already figure out the best way to send our special treasures to the secret location?:: “Yes, Elder Linlin. Everything is as you ordered.” As soon as Little Spring caught up with me, Xiao Bai jumped from his flying fan into my arms. ::Sister Lin!:: I grinned and patted the not-puppy on his adorable, fluffy head. “You missed me, didn’t you?” ”Yes!” Little Spring said. ”… I was talking to Xiao Bai.” He grinned. ”Him too.” Then he frowned and came closer. He pulled my hairpin out and waved it in front of me. “You forgot the hair thing. You probably didn’t take care of yourself either.” I scowled and grabbed it before putting my hair back up. “It was one time... probably. Anyway, no one cares how you look when you’re preparing for a damn war!” ”I’m pretty sure they do. Isn’t that some kind of important intimidation factor? That’s also why we wear uniforms.” I gestured to my band members. While they were still wearing red and gold, they had changed out of their standard sect uniforms for whatever personalized red and gold armor sets they had. None of them matched each other at all. “I’d say we’re wearing costumes rather than uniforms.” “Elder Linlin,” Vengeful Siren’s voice sounded next to my ear, “I worked on some divinations earlier. Our best chance for your plan to work is if you start around a half-hour after the barrier has gone down.” ::That’s too long. Do you know how many disciples we could lose in that time?:: “Less than the amount we’ll save if your plan works. I’ve been getting some very terrible readings when I do divinations lately.” ::Give it to me straight.:: “... A massacre will happen here if you fail. All our disciples will perish except for one.” Well, that sounded fucked. It also made me reconsider what had happened in my past life. Maybe the sect had survived the Scroll of Ten Thousand Evil Souls even without my band. Then the Leashed Claws and Harmonious Sound sects joined forces to finish wiping everyone out while they had their chance. This would have led to half the sect sacrificing themselves just to help Little Teasing Mouse escape. I glanced over at the rat girl. Her face had changed significantly. There were bags under her eyes, and she’d lost what little baby fat she still had. Her back was straight, and instead of looking just cute, she had grown tough. She was no longer the weak little girl she’d been before the training we’d put her through. Despite my betting against her, she’d appeared to have turned herself into an asset instead of a liability. At least I hoped this was the case. Goddamn it. ::What did your divinations say when you considered my involvement?:: “It’s hard to tell. I get too many differing readings. But it’s better than a massacre. I’m pinning this sect’s uncertain future on you and your plan.” ::Don’t do that. Pin it on Verdant Spring. He’s luckier than I am.:: ::Anyway, where do you want us to wait without getting in the way?:: ”Hold on. Let me divine that.” That seemed unnecessary, but whatever worked for him. After saying a few numbers I didn’t understand the purpose of, he muttered like he forgot he was talking to me. “I have to consider that we have more Qi Condensation disciples, but fewer people in the higher realms. Fortunately, within each realm, our cultivators are stronger. We’re also defending, which gives us some advantage, but since we’re on the field, it’s somewhat mitigated. We can assume that our sects will send out the Qi Condensation disciples first with a few Foundation Establishment disciples to lead them…” I winced. It would be better if sects sent out the strongest members they were willing to lose first, but no one did that. They always started with the youngest generation as a crucible to weed out the weak. It was idiotic, but that was how the cultivation world did things. He paused. “The outer sect’s scripture pavilion near the recovery unit.” ::Consider it done. Good luck, Elder Vengeful Siren. May you survive this war in good health.:: ”You as well.” He paused. “Did you know that the elders here used to watch as fewer disciples increased their realm every decade?” ::I heard about it from Senior Noxious Fangstrike.:: “This sect was slowly dying. But came along. Between your Dao of Rock and your cure for our contract bath, we all see a bright future ahead of us. I hope you stay alive long enough to see how we grow because of you.” … why did I feel he just raised a death flag for me? Wait. I could lower it! ::I wasn’t the only one involved. Besides, that cure is not fully tested. Make sure you don’t blame me for any unforeseen long-term side effects.:: “Don’t worry. If I see any sequelies, I’ll pin the blame for them on Senior Noxious Fangstrike. He won’t mind.” Now that I had a place to gather everyone, I used my master flying sword’s authority over its connected children to turn our group in the right direction. After a short time, I set us down beside the old scripture pavilion, where I first picked up a copy of the sect rules. With one order, everyone moved to stand in their starting positions. Little Spring and Hidden Dagger had their units land next to us. A group of beast tamers and poison body cultivators riding spiritual tools stopped above us. They crossed their large, muscular arms. Frankly, if I weren’t confident in my own awesomeness, I might have been intimidated. A woman with black hair and panther ears jumped down and bowed. “Elder Linlin! I’m Cajoling Catnip, the leader of the Lion Guards. We were assigned to protect you by Elder Golden Pride.” Oh shit! I’d been so busy I’d forgotten that she’d agreed to do that. It would have been nice if she had sent them to train with us earlier — or given me a heads up — but I’d still take the extra help. Everyone here already wore their defensive tools and protective talismans, but those wouldn’t be able to stop all the attacks that would come our way. “Welcome to the most important mission of your life.” She smiled. “You can count on us.” “I’m sure I can. Just make sure your team stays at least twenty feet away from the band unless you absolutely have to come closer. And don’t step in front of us or you’re going to have a bad time.” Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. “I’ll handle it, Elder. Just give us a heads up if you decide to change directions suddenly.” I nodded. Then I noticed the battlefield. This spot had an incredible vantage point, where I could easily see the fields below us. The three armies had amassed. On the enemy side, half wore black uniforms with dark red accents, while the other half looked ethereal in green. A few of the more important figures stood out in their long white or ebony robes they put on over their standard uniform. Neither side looked like they wanted to work closely together. Behind the orthodox disciples, the massive ships continuously shot powerful ballista bolts at a single hexagon. When it started to lose its blue color, the ships stopped attacking. The absence of noise from the constant blasts made everyone grow silent. Either the enemy had run out of spirit stones or the specialized ballista bolts. Some of our disciples below cheered. A team of four Nascent Soul cultivators appeared in front of the barrier. I recognized Alchemist Iron Fang and Fairy Ice Lotus Flower, but not the other two. The last time I saw them was at the Alchemy Convention just over two years ago. One after the other, each Nascent Soul used their powerful techniques on a single hexagon, the same place the ships had been hitting. Iron Fang, the last one to go up, flew closer while consulting a formation master’s compass. He looked down at us with cold eyes and formed a hand seal. An earthly law I wasn’t familiar with gathered into a spear in front of him. The massive illusory pattern of a wolf enveloped it. My eyes water just looking at it. The alchemist pointed forward with two fingers. The wolf lowered itself into a pouncing position before disappearing with the spear. Its blade suddenly appeared stuck in the barrier. It had moved so fast it looked like teleportation. A massive crack quickly spread through the blue hexagons. Then it slowed down. For a brief second, the barrier seemed to hold... until it shattered. Cheers rang out from the orthodox disciples’ camp. Shit. I didn’t know that guy was a half step into Immortal Bone Creation. He hadn’t looked that strong at the Alchemy Convention. Then again, I’d only seen him for a few minutes in line. If things ended up going south, then Noxious and Resentful Shadow Snake would also have to deal with this fucker on top of the two Immortal Bone Creations sect leaders. If my plan didn’t work, then we were seriously fucked. He glared down at the sect so intensely that it made my heart pound. I recognized that hate-filled gaze tinged with bloodlust. Just what did this sect, or Noxious, do to him? Whatever it was, it had to have been bad. This fucker was tempted to massacre us all! That was something an orthodox cultivator would normally never consider! It would be damn easy for him, too. And none of us below Nascent Soul had anything that could defend against an earthly law. Not even I could. Fortunately, Iron Fang couldn’t go through with it. If he did, then every single Nascent Soul in the Irrepressible Beast Blood Sect would reciprocate with their own slaughter. Fairy Ice Lotus Flower delicately touched his arm. He sighed. They nodded to each other in understanding. All four Nascent Souls vanished, likely returning to their ship to take spirit replenishing pills to ready themselves for when it was their turn to fight. I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I’d held and clenched my red robes. The Qi Condensation disciples below began running across the field toward each other. They clashed in the center. The red and gold side, with its myriad beasts, pushed the others back. Their roars and war cries could be heard even from where I stood. Within a short few minutes, dozens died from ranged attacks, and hundreds were injured. There were so many disciples down there that I’d met during my time here. Some had gone to our rock concert and cheered us on. There was that guy who sold me herbs. I could even pick out a few of the poison body cultivators I saved when I discovered their sabotaged pills. Many of the test subjects who gladly helped us develop the new bath formula had their beasts out and were running side by side to catch up to the main combat force. Every one of those disciples was fighting for this sect. At this point, no one could save everyone. But I would try to prevent as many deaths as possible. Little Spring flew over to me and nervously bit his lip. ::Sister Lin! Are we heading down now?:: ::No. We’re waiting for ten more minutes, then we’ll be moving out.:: ::That’s a long time to wait while people are dying.:: Did this kid realize that we all almost died already? Shit. He was only twelve years old... What the fuck was I doing bringing him into this? Just because he was the universe’s protagonist with a halo? What nonsense! Even the adults down there could die from a mere stray attack, let alone some Foundation Establishment child. I rubbed my aching eyes. Goddamn it. I thought I’d already come to terms with his involvement, but one look from an enemy like Iron Fang and I was already considering finding a different way. I grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. ::You shouldn’t be here. You should be back in the Indomitable Will Sect, safe and in training. This place. This war. It will give you nightmares for the rest of your life.:: He gave me a warm hug. I stiffened even more than I had been. ::Then I’ll just never sleep. Problem solved.:: Goddamn it. I returned the hug. Ha! This brat. He didn’t understand. I wanted to tell him to wait in his damn space but it was still inaccessible. ::You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Sister Lin. I’ll be okay. I’ll stay away from most of the fighting.:: ::What do you even know, huh?:: ::That my martial sister needs me, so I’m here.:: Fuck. The wind must have picked up and gotten some dust in my eyes. I clasped my hands behind my back and stood like the badass master I was as I blinked up at the sky. Once that damn sand grain left my eyes, I ran my hand through my hair, messing it up again, while considering our options. Little Spring quickly fixed it into a high ponytail and used his own spiritual energy to hold it in place, along with my hairpin. He grinned proudly at his handiwork. Shit. It was too late to make plans that didn’t include him. We had to follow through, no matter what. Even if it risked our lives. Little Spring gestured toward my flying band. Oh shit! Had they seen all that? Luckily, when I scrutinized them, they were all staring very intently at the battlefield or the ground. Good. That could have been embarrassing. He tugged on my sleeve. ::Since everyone seems a little tense and worried, I think a speech coming from you will encourage them.:: ::Me? Give a speech?:: I could lecture easily. I could even sing. But inspire people? That wasn’t what I was good at. ::It’s better than waiting around nervously for the next few minutes.:: He had a point. I flew above everyone, next to the Scripture Pavilion’s curved roof, and activated my ring. Golden armor surrounded me. Everyone’s eyes shot to me as I hovered there on my sword while definitely looking powerful and majestic. “Call out if you’re ready?!” “We’re ready to rock, Bandleader!” Dread Lotus said. The rest of the band cheered. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dagger crossed his arms and nodded to me. “The Shadow Team is ready!” “The Tagging Team is ready!” “My Lion Guards are good to go!” I grinned down at my units. ”As expected of the brave disciples I specially chose for this mission!” I flew a little higher. “While you’re out there, you might become scared, turned around, or confused. You may even think it’s hopeless, but it’s not. “Individually, we are weak; unable to touch a single hair on a Nascent Soul’s head. Even together, we’d be crushed under their impossibly powerful cultivation base.” I looked out at all the faces, seeing some of them nodding. Others looked like they had just realized that we all might die. “But when organized intelligently, with research and cunning, we can put an expert to sleep!” “Hell yeah, we can,” one of my bassists yelled. While they’d straightened out their loose playing, nothing would change their wonderfully wild personalities. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱 “At least when Elder Pearlescent Rose is with us,” Gold String Delicate Touch added, while flicking the glabella of the bassist and pointing to the spot he was supposed to stand in. “Today,” I continued, “we’re fighting in our own way, not just for the sect… but for all unorthodox practitioners to have a place in this world. “If we cannot win here, it will send a message to every righteous and demonic sect that the unorthodox path is weak. That you’re weak.” “We’ll prove them wrong, bandleader!” Dread Lotus said. “It’s unfortunate, but as we all know, only the strong make the rules. But there is strength in numbers when the numbers fight using methods beyond normal comprehension. And thanks to my genius self, we have that ability! Muahahaha!” What? No cheers? No applause? Not even a polite cough? A cricket sounded from the patch of leaves on the roof beside me. I sent a flick of spiritual energy at it, causing the bug to fly off the red tiles. ::I loved your speech. It was really the most perfect thing I’ve ever heard. But I don’t think these guys are all that inspired by it. It was definitely well thought out though!:: Goddamn it. Who was the brat who said I should give one in the first place?! I sent the kid a glare. He smiled back with a mischievous glint in his eyes. I held my hand up in the sign of the devil horns. “Flying Band of the Irrepressible Beast Blood Sect; time to move out! Let’s show them how we rock and roar!” Over a hundred voices yelled, “Rock and Roar!” I used my access as the leader of the band to make everyone’s flying sword lift into the air and turn to face the battlefield. ”Tagging Team! Let’s go!” Little Spring called out and joined his unit. ”Puppeteers of the Shadow Team! Head out!” Crouching Tiger Hidden Dagger shouted. “Lion Guards, defend but stay the hell out of their way!” Their unit brought out a squad of winged lions that flew beside us. Finally, it was time to start the fourth step of my plan — the mission’s execution.