Inside the house, Lilith was fanning herself with the Soul-Dispelling Incense. Then she frowned and blurted out: "How so fast?"

  Stirling, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask: "My lady, what's so fast?"

  Lilith didn't say a word, being on high alert. Then, she looked towards the small courtyard outside the door.

  Stirling, seeing Lilith's expression, immediately understood and then took a few steps back.

  "This is troublesome." Lilith said, taking out an exquisitely crafted iron butterfly from her bag.

  Lilith turned a pin on the iron butterfly's head. Its two wings started to vibrate at a high frequency.

  "My lady, what is this?" Stirling asked, puzzled.

  "This is a communication butterfly. Tell Lady Alena that something is off track here."

  Lilith finished speaking and then placed the communication butterfly on the table. Upon hearing this, Stirling silently took another half-step back. He now realized that the person outside was very strong, already putting a lot of pressure on Lilith.

  Sure enough, the wooden door to the courtyard creaked open. A figure had appeared inside like a specter.

  Only a quick glance sent a shiver down Stirling's spine. His ears went quiet, and all he could hear was his heart pounding.

  Lilith's pupils contracted, but she suppressed her panic at once. Her clothes fluttered without wind, indicating she had activated her Virl-Malice. Even if shedding blood on-the-spot tonight, she will fight to the death to buy time for Lady Alena to arrive.

  Stirling retreated a few steps, muted, taking some white paper and a carving knife.

  Faced with the figure outside, Lilith had no time to notice Stirling's actions. She struck first, dashing out of the house like an arrow, rushing towards the figure outside.

  "Arrogant madman, how dare you run wild in our Yearning Palace territory?!" Lilith's clear voice rang out in the courtyard, making the roof tiles rattle. It was both a deterrent and a warning.

  But the person outside remained unmoved. With a slight wave of his hand, all the sounds weakened by nine-tenths. As if an invisible barrier had enveloped the entire area.

  From the inner door to the outside of the courtyard was only a dozen steps. Lilith drew on her strength and let it go in a flash, jumping and stabbing the figure at the gate with her sword.

  Lilith cultivated the Charming Maiden Cathode Skills of Yearning Palace. This technique, from the early Garbha stage to the Nascent stage, was a great practice method.

  Leaping into the air, Lilith unleashed the sword from the Charming Maiden Cathode Skills.

  Specks of cold light moved like butterflies in a garden, delivering quick sword strikes filled with Virl-Malice, targeting ten key points on the figure.

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  The newcomer didn't flinch. An iron bar in his hands was outstretched, perfectly catching each of Lilith's sword strikes.

  Loud sounds, like distant thunder, erupted in the courtyard. They shattered the Virl-Malice, scattering it and leaving craters in the ground.

  Stirling sat inside the house, listening to the noise outside. His face showed no change. He held his breath, wielding his graver with lightning speed, carving one breaking-malice rune after another onto a pile of beads.

  He kept refining the malice from the inner room using a reverse routine.

  [You have refined a trace of 7 Extreme Malice, lifespan +0.5 days]

  [You have refined a trace of 7 Extreme Malice, lifespan +0.5 days]

  ....

  On the wooden table in the inner room by the kitchen, the iron butterfly's wings flapped faster and faster. It seemed ready to take flight.

  The sound of the two clashing energies in the courtyard grew more and more intense. In just five minutes, a tiny figure smashed through the window with a loud bang. It landed in the inner room and then coughed up blood.

  Lilith's breathing was disordered; her wide sleeves were mostly torn, showing her in a sorry state.

  Her vision was more and more blurry, yet she turned her head to look around for something.

  But when she saw the empty room, a flash of anger crossed her face.

  Outside the courtyard, clear footsteps could be heard. The newcomer walked steadily, his relaxed vibe stemming from his strong confidence.

  He is a master of the Nascent realm, on a par with a peak samurai in the Blood-Boiling realm. His energy builds into a powerful force, creating an aura that reaches nine meters.

  This person in the realm was one of the strongest in the city. A hundred ordinary people in the Skin-Resurfacing realm would struggle to compete. So, these individuals are known as grandmasters.

  Lying on the ground, Lilith felt a sense of despair. After all, she was still wet behind the ears, somewhat overconfident in her abilities.

  If she had expected the enemy as broadly as possible and prepared for surprises, she wouldn't be in a corner.

  At this critical moment, a soft footstep reached Lilith's ears. Just as she was about to turn her head, she found her mouth being covered from behind.

  Luis Chilavert? Lilith strained her eyes to look up before finally spotting the newcomer.

  Stirling's face remained blank, neither sad nor happy. It was as if the person outside was nothing more than an ordinary person, not a Nascent Grandmaster.

  Lilith was confused and wanted to speak, but her mouth was covered, leaving her speechless.

  She didn't know Stirling was facing a dilemma too as he watched the figure coming closer outside.

  Should he kill Lilith? A nascent realm like Lilith could offer him tremendous benefits; it could even be fifty extra years of lifespan.

  Then he could frame the person outside, and who would know he was the true murderer?

  The iron-winged butterfly floated above the table already. It hinted that Lilith's helper could arrive at any moment.

  In this situation, Stirling realized that now was not the right time to kill and frame someone.

  Stirling thought. He decided to knock Lilith out first, then meet the person outside.

  Maybe he had wrapped her too tightly, or Lilith's injuries were too serious. Just as Stirling was about to act, Lilith's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

  Stirling was not quite at ease. He reached into Lilith's clothes. After touching the two soft spheres, Lilith still didn't react. This confirmed that the vixen was in deep unconsciousness.

  Setting Lilith down on the ground, Stirling slowly stood up. He stared at the figure outside the door with no fear.

  The person was cloaked in shadow, his face hidden. Still, Stirling sensed the figure was familiar, as if he had seen it before.

  "Son, please hand it over." The figure stopped in the courtyard and lisped.

  Too lazy to waste words, Stirling straight threw a flashbang, then immediately turned and closed his eyes.

  A muffled thud sounded, and Stirling opened his eyes, gazing at the courtyard.

  However, Stirling didn't hear the familiar scream that followed, and his heart skipped a beat.

  In the courtyard, the person remained motionless. Although the flashbang's white light had startled him, he seemed almost unaffected.

  Indeed, Stirling had little expectation of a flashbang this time. But seeing a formidable enemy unharmed, still amazed him.

  How did this guy do that?