It is time

Three days later, I had 120 wraiths and became convinced that leading the surprise attack was actually the safest place to be.

This happened when I realized I didn't have to LEAD the attack. I could merely send forth the wraiths, and maybe sometimes shout them a command or two from a safe distance.

In the meantime, I could hide inside the tunnel, and since all the cultivators will be in the main part of the attack, there will be no one to call me out as a coward.

I wasn't a coward. I was a perfectly reasonable person who liked to live and didn't like to fight.

However, when the day came, my dreams, as they often did, shattered.

"Fen Kuang urged me to let him help you in the fight. He swears that his remaining wounds and a lack of an eye won't impede him in a fight. Since one cultivator won't change things much, and there are others who can replace him in his leadership position, I permitted him."