Slave Empire [Complete] - 5

Volume 3, Chapter 28: The Loss of
Eagle's Sorrow Ridge in Xigang.
Eagle's Sorrow Ridge is the only way from the Iron Mine Camp to the mountain tribes in the mountains. Five miles southeast of the valley inside the Iron Mine Camp is a fork in the road, one leading to Jubao Town and the other to the Alang Mountains. Eagle's Sorrow Ridge is only five miles away from the Alang Mountains.
"Even monkeys cannot climb it, and eagles feel sorrow when they fly across." Due to its treacherous terrain, high mountains, narrow roads, and towering cliffs, the local mountain people jokingly say that even eagles are worried when they fly across, hence the name.
Scouts sent towards Jubao Town discovered a large contingent of the Free Army moving towards Eagle's Sorrow Ridge ten miles outside the Coal Mine Camp
. Xie Zhan immediately followed Qiu Lei's orders, leading most of the Second Battalion and the Xigang reinforcement company, totaling more than two thousand men, to occupy the advantageous terrain of Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, blocking the road to the Alang Mountains from a high vantage point. After setting up defenses at key points and piling up rolling logs and stones, they waited for the Free Army to come and die.
Hearing that the Free Army had expanded to tens of thousands, Xie Zhan was not worried. Over the past two days, he had personally familiarized himself with the terrain around Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, knowing it inside and out. Given the treacherous terrain, he was confident that his mere two thousand men could hold out against the elite Yulong army of one hundred thousand for ten days to half a month.
Along the way to the Alang Mountains, there were many similar treacherous passes; a few hundred men could choose strategic locations and simply push down rocks and logs to stop large armies. This was why the Gaoshan tribes' rebel army had been able to linger in the mountains for nearly twenty years, causing the Yulong army to repeatedly fail in its campaigns and suffer heavy losses, forcing them to adopt a policy of blocking supplies.
Inside the iron mine camp, a company commander led two squads of Yulong soldiers for defense. The inner valley walls were only a dozen or so zhang wide and a little over four zhang high. Unless a surprise attack was launched, even an attack by several thousand men would not be completed in a day or two.
To prevent the Free Army from using trickery, Xie Zhan specifically ordered that no matter what happened at Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, the garrison at the Iron Mine Camp should not go out to reinforce it—this was Qiu Lei's special instruction. If the Iron Mine Camp were lost, the Free Army could bypass it and advance on West Port, leaving only a naval squadron and a weak 3,000-strong guard force to defend West Port. If Qiu Lei's direct battalion and the elite First Battalion were forced to return to defend West Port, the battle situation would become more complicated.
Qiu Lei was hailed as one of the rising stars of the Qiu family, and his military strategy was certainly not weak. He sent a squadron to reinforce Xie Zhan precisely to prevent the Free Army from launching a surprise attack on West Port via the Iron Mine Camp.
With the fighting strength of his direct battalion and the First Battalion, although only 3,000 men, he was confident that even if the entire Free Army came to meet them, they could remain undefeated. He would be even happier if the standoff and entanglement occurred midway between West Port and Jubao Town, or even right there in Jubao Town. Once the navy and the eastern reinforcements arrived, the Free Army, even if it had wings, would be met with a barrage of arrows.
There was simply no reason for another defeat in this battle.
Midnight was almost over.
Three miles ahead of Eagle Sorrow Ridge, the torches of several hundred Free Army vanguards finally appeared—
"They're here!" Xie Zhan clenched his fists, waiting to avenge the humiliation of the previous defeat.
Just then, "Report! Several thousand Gaoshan tribe rebels are approaching from the direction of the Alang Mountains, less than ten miles from here," a Yulong Army soldier hurriedly reported.

Qiu Lei was discussing West Port's defenses with the naval captain, Qiu Denghui.
Except for a few remaining on the ships, the naval squadron had been deployed to the city. Several thousand guards had also received orders, most of them stationed at various points along the city walls, strengthening patrols. All the major and minor gangs within the city had received warnings from Qiu Lei: no unusual activity was permitted within three days, or they would be eliminated by the Yulong authorities. Of course, all of this was a precautionary measure.
"Urgent report! Several thousand members of the Free Army and several thousand members of the Gaoshan tribe's rebel army are attacking Yingchou Ridge from both sides!" the messenger hurriedly reported.
"Gaoshan tribe?" Qiu Lei was somewhat puzzled. Half a year ago, the Gaoshan tribe was severely weakened and no longer able to launch an attack. Why would they now be involved with the Free Army, interfering in their affairs?
According to Xie Zhan's report, Yingchou Ridge's terrain slopes from south to north. Even with just over two thousand Yulong soldiers defending against an attack from the Free Army from the north, it would take more than a hundred thousand men to take it in a few days. However, if the Gaoshan tribe attacked from the south, they would be attacking from above. Attacked from both sides, even if the Gaoshan tribe's rebel army was not strong and the Yulong army was well-trained, they would likely suffer losses over time. Once
Yingchou Ridge was breached, if the Free Army decided to flee to the mountains, it would only take half a day for twenty to thirty thousand men to transport large quantities of supplies across Yingchou Ridge, hold the position, and be like a dragon returning to the sea—a future threat!
"Order Qiu Changzheng, Pearl Farm, and the Eastern Route Army to immediately launch a full-scale attack on Jubao Town, and beware of ambushes on both sides. Prepare your personal guards! I will personally lead the operation." Qiu Lei decisively gave the order.
The appearance of the Gaoshan people disrupted the original plan of encirclement. Fortunately, the Xigang Army led by Qiu Changzheng, the Pearl Farm Army, and the Eastern Route Army departing from Lingbao Pass were all only about thirty li away from Jubao Town. A preemptive strike would allow them to catch the Free Army, a big fish. However, the navy and Keelung reinforcements had not yet arrived, leaving them with slightly fewer troops.
"Denghui, I entrust Xigang to you." Qiu Lei patted Qiu Denghui on the shoulder. He was quite familiar with the abilities of this young disciple from a collateral branch of the Qiu clan.
Qiu Denghui was said to be a mixed-race child born to a disciple of the same generation as Qiu Lei and a Japanese woman. In his twenties, he was short in stature, intelligent, and his martial arts had already reached the level of a seventh-rank master. However, due to his background, he was not given important responsibilities. Originally a squad leader in the Jade Dragon Navy, Qiu Denghui unexpectedly led a warship and five assault boats to sink the flagship of a Liang Navy captain during a battle between the Jade Dragon and Liang navies, earning him a great merit and promotion to company commander.
However, Qiu Denghui's record against Japanese pirates and ronin was mediocre, with few achievements, which increased suspicion within the Qiu family that
he was not a reliable member. "Those who are not of our kind are bound to have different hearts." Who knows, this half-blood might betray the Qiu family one day.
"Relatives Commander, rest assured, with Denghui here, West Port stands." Qiu Denghui never showed the slightest dissatisfaction with the Qiu family, always maintaining a diligent and conscientious attitude.
Just as Qiu Lei led two hundred elite cavalry guards out of the city garrison, two incredibly graceful figures also quietly slipped away from the garrison towards a Demonic Sect stronghold within the city.
Moments later, a signal fire shot into the sky from a mountain near West Port, visible from twenty miles away .
******** ****
One mile outside the city wall of the Iron Mine Camp.
Ye Zhi Qiu led his direct battalion of seven hundred men, under the command of Gao Baisheng and Yang Rongbin, lying in ambush here. Chang Sheng Qiu's three hundred cavalrymen were left with Hua Ying Hong for maneuver. Behind them was Hai Tian Qing's First Battalion of three thousand men. Mo Yan, with dozens of experts from the intelligence group, lay in ambush half a mile ahead,
waiting for the opportune moment to strike. They were intimately familiar with the terrain of this area; once Xie Zhan led the main force to Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, they would occupy this location. As soon as a signal came from Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, their mission was to capture the Iron Mine Camp in the shortest possible time and execute Hua Ying Hong's plan to raid West Port.
The wagons, food, and supplies were all merely a smokescreen created by Hua Yinghong's grand retreat. Especially after his secret agreement with Xue Qianqian, Hua Yinghong's resolve to take Xigang was strengthened.
A direct assault on Xigang was not feasible. Even with a full-scale attack from the Free Army, they couldn't easily annihilate the formidable strength of the 5,000 Jade Dragon Army troops in Xigang, including the naval squadron, the direct command battalion, and the First Battalion. Even a victory would be a Pyrrhic one, utterly inadequate to handle the Jade Dragon Army's subsequent counterattack. Therefore, this battle was imperative, and it had to be won at the lowest possible cost. Mobilizing Qiu Lei's direct command battalion and the First Battalion away from Xigang became crucial.
Of course, how to block Qiu Lei's elite troops outside Jubao Town and how to prevent Qiu Lei from returning to reinforce Xigang during the attack were also important issues, but with the help of numerous experts from the Demonic Sect, these were no longer insurmountable problems.
If Qiu Lei remained inactive, patiently awaiting reinforcements, the Free Army would have no choice but to feign an attack and, together with the Gaoshan tribe, launch a pincer movement to capture Yingchou Ridge, transporting as many troops and supplies as possible into the mountains for future plans.
A signal was raised from the direction of Jubao Town, followed by another from Yingchou Ridge. The sounds of battle were deafening, clearly audible to Hai Tianqing, Ye Zhiqiu, and others several miles away.
Hai Tianqing made a gesture, ordering the operation to proceed according to the original plan!
******** ****
Jubao Town Camp.
Hua Yinghong received an urgent report from a disciple of the Demonic Sect, learning that Qiu Lei had ordered the direct command brigade, the First Brigade, the Pearl Field, and the eastern route army in the Lingbao direction, all deployed thirty miles away, to begin their operation. He breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the operation to proceed according to the original plan.

Nineteen miles west of Jubao Town, Panlong Ridge.
Xue Qianqian stood atop a peak, her long, cinched-waist skirt fluttering in the night wind, her jade-like figure exquisite and graceful, like a fairy riding the wind. Behind her were Xinru, Yilin, Ruotong, and nearly three hundred Demonic Sect experts. The
elite Jade Dragon Army of Xigang marched at an astonishing speed. Shortly after receiving the signal from Liwen and Jiaxin, Xue Qianqian saw a small squad of Jade Dragon elite cavalry galloping towards them, dismounting, and occupying a strategic location beside the official road a mile away. Soon after, a fiery dragon rapidly advancing on the main road rushed in, with nearly three thousand cavalry and infantry passing through. After traveling about a mile, the small squad of elite cavalry quickly descended the mountain in pursuit. In the distance, another small squad of Jade Dragon Army soldiers occupied the hilltops on either side of the official road, providing cover for the main force's passage…
Xue Qianqian watched with a growing sense of unease. Although the Holy Sect disciples were numerous and their martial arts were strong, they lacked truly skilled military strategists and experienced commanders, and even more so, they lacked a well-trained elite force like the Jade Dragon Army. Even if the Treasure Uprising gained a temporary advantage, they would likely find it difficult to contend with the Jade Dragon Army. If… recalling Hua Yinghong's not-so-handsome yet strangely charming face, and the captivating sensation of their hands touching and then separating, her heart fluttered.
Bearing the reputation of a "promiscuous woman" for over a decade, that was actually the first time in all these years that she had truly touched a man's skin. She didn't know why, in that instant, she had reached out and lightly struck him.
Xue Qianqian shook her head at her own delusion—given Liu Yufei's status as a princess of the Tang Dynasty and Hua Yinghong's position as the de facto commander of the Free Army, it was impossible for her to be used by the Holy Sect. Perhaps after this cooperation, they would become enemies.
The Jade Dragon Army had gone far away. Xue Qianqian was about to order the seizure of the hilltop that the Jade Dragon Army had just occupied when she heard the sound of hooves echoing from the official road in the direction of Xigang. A moment later, more than two hundred elite cavalrymen galloped over and quickly passed by.
"It's Qiu Lei who went there personally. I wonder if they can hold it?" For some reason, Xue Qianqian was somewhat worried about Hua Yinghong.
According to the secret agreement with Hua Yinghong, Xue Qianqian's Demonic Sect was only responsible for blocking Qiu Lei and the Jade Dragon Army at Panlong Ridge from the direction of Jubao Town until dawn when they returned. When the Free Army approached Xigang, they would act as inside agents to open one of the city gates, thus fulfilling their obligations.
It was already past midnight, and Xue Qianqian believed that with the strength of her men and their advantageous terrain, it would not be difficult to hold out for several hours and then retreat calmly.
"Proceed according to plan," Xue Qianqian calmly ordered. At

the iron mine camp, within the city wall of Gucheng
, the Jade Dragon Army, bewildered by the deafening battle cries from Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, stood nearly two hundred men on the several-zhang-long city wall, their powerful bows and crossbows drawn, ready to fire, as if facing a formidable enemy. A few zhang behind the wall, another four hundred Jade Dragon Army soldiers, fully armed, stood in formation, waiting to reinforce if the enemy breached the wall.
"Enemy attack!" a soldier on the city wall's watchtower sounded the alarm. Suddenly, countless torches blazed up a mile away, and from a distance, it seemed there were no fewer than several thousand people.
The Jade Dragon Army, already intimidated by the Free Army's overwhelming force, was further alarmed by the watchtower's signal: "Enemy approaching within one hundred paces!"
More than three hundred Free Army soldiers, shields raised, formed dense ranks of thirty men each, and slowly approached the city wall in a semi-crouching posture and with synchronized steps. Taking advantage of the Jade Dragon Army's attention being drawn to the distant firelight, the first few ranks had already entered within range of their crossbows!
"Fire!" the Jade Dragon Army captain hurriedly ordered.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Nearly a hundred Jade Dragon soldiers in the first three ranks on the city wall unleashed their already drawn bows and crossbows, the arrows whistling through the air.
After the first three ranks finished firing, the archers and crossbowmen bent over and redrawn their bows, simultaneously creating firing angles for the three ranks behind them.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Nearly a hundred Jade Dragon soldiers in the last three ranks also fired their already drawn bows and crossbows.
This volley of arrows would be a disaster for an unprepared attacker—the continuous rain of arrows gave the attackers no respite from their charge, unless they ran out of arrows—the Jade Dragon Army had prepared ample supplies for the Fishnet Plan and had no worries about running out of arrows.
Unfortunately, the Free Army's capture of the weapons camp was extremely fruitful; the shields held by Gao Baisheng's company of Free Army soldiers were all made of fine steel, and the arrows, aside from a series of clanging sounds, caused virtually no damage. The shield formation continued to advance slowly.
Ninety paces, eighty paces, seventy paces—
when each archer on the city wall had fired six arrows and the crossbowmen three, a loud "Fire!" rang out from Gao Baisheng's mouth. The three hundred Free Army soldiers simultaneously thrust their shields into the ground, quickly transferring their bows from their right hands to their left, nocking arrows, and without aiming, swiftly fired them towards the city wall and beyond! Then they threw down their bows, still holding their shields in their left hands, while their right hands drew their general's swords in unison!
At the same time, the thirty shield bearers in the front row suddenly changed their posture, using their shields and weapons for protection, leaping vertically, covering more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) in a single bound. The rain of arrows that the Jade Dragon Army had been firing at the Free Army soldiers on the city wall was all dodged behind them!
Most of the three hundred arrows fired by the Free Army landed on and behind the city walls. Whether they struck people or struck the walls and the ground, the small paper packets wrapped around each arrowhead burst open, instantly filling the city walls and the area thirty or forty paces inside with a pleasant, yet drowsy, scent.
"Drowsiness incense! Hold your breath!" the Jade Dragon Army captain shouted. This powder, extracted from the drowsy herb, was harmless and often used to aid sleep. The antidote was simple: either fuming with the stench of the island's common "stinky grass" or splashing cold water on the head. However, they hadn't anticipated the Free Army's method of attack, and in their haste, they hadn't prepared such a substance.
The scene at the weapons battalion repeated itself: a large number of Jade Dragon soldiers fell unconscious after being affected by the drowsy incense. This time, the incense was much stronger than the hundred or so arrows fired by the weapons battalion; the number of fallen soldiers on and behind the city walls was likely more than three hundred! A few skilled and physically strong individuals barely managed to hold on, let alone draw their bows or load their crossbows.
Only twenty or thirty people remained on the city wall, mostly officers and guards with considerable skill and high alertness. They immediately sensed something amiss upon smelling the sleeping incense and instinctively held their breath and circulated their internal energy, only slightly affected. The
sleeping incense arrows had proven remarkably effective in the battle at the weapons camp, so Hua Yinghong imprisoned all the captured Jade Dragon Army soldiers and guards, and issued a strict gag order to the participating Free Army, reserving this "secret weapon" for the crucial assault.
Treasure Town was rich in resources, and sleeping incense powder was extremely common. Medicine merchants even sold this powder as a precious specialty to the Hua Long Continent, using it to treat insomnia and making huge profits. Hua Yinghong ordered Mo Yan's intelligence group to secretly collect large quantities of sleeping incense powder for use in the war, thus pioneering the use of "chemical warfare."
If this one move gave the Jade Dragon Army a chance to catch their breath, and the two hundred or so men behind the city wall who hadn't been affected by the sleeping potion rushed up to reinforce them and stabilize their position, the outcome of the battle would still be uncertain.
The Free Army then unleashed its next killing move: Mo Yan led thirty intelligence experts of rank five or higher. Seeing the sleeping potion take effect, they threw down their shields, leaped five zhang (approximately 10 meters) at a time, covering the distance of sixty or seventy paces in just five or six leaps, and reached the city wall. They then leaped more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) into the air, their toes barely touching the wall before springing up another two zhang (approximately 10 meters). In mid-air, weapons flashed, and the force of blades and swords rained down on the city walls!
All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The company commander and the remaining twenty or thirty experts were still fighting the sleeping potion when the Free Army's elite assault team had already attacked! In their haste, they tried to parry with their weapons, but the difference in skill was too great; they were no match for them. The dead and the retreating were immediately captured, allowing Mo Yan and his men to successfully climb the city wall. In just a few moves, they were all killed and firmly defended the city wall. Before the Jade Dragon Army captain could even send out an emergency signal,
hundreds of Free Army soldiers rushed over, shouting loudly!

Ten miles west of Jubao Town lies a narrow passage called "A Line of Sky. "
This is the most treacherous spot between Xigang and Jubao Town. The official road is flanked by towering stone cliffs, hundreds of feet high, as if a divine axe had cleaved the mountain in two. The road itself is no more than thirty feet long and three feet wide. During the day, one can only see a sliver of sky when passing through, hence the name "A Line of Sky."
Qiu Xiaoyun's garrison in Jubao Town originally had ten scouts on each of the peaks beside the narrow passage. These were eliminated by the intelligence group and special forces the day after the Free Army captured Jubao Town. A small squad of Free Army soldiers from Liu Litao's brigade was stationed on each side to act as a barrier against an attack from the Yulong Army of Xigang. Now, twenty experts from the intelligence group and two squads of special forces under Ba Tian's command reinforced the peaks on both sides.
This place cannot be lost. Hua Yinghong, Liu Yufei, and Liu Ju, with over thirty cavalrymen, watched from the other side of the passage.
The Yulong Army of Xigang was very familiar with the terrain of Yixiantian (One Line Sky), and had long anticipated that this was the best strategic location for a defensive attack. They knew the Free Army was prepared, so instead of directly charging into the main road, they sent two small squads of elite cavalry to dismount half a mile away and attack the mountain peaks on either side.
Hundreds of torches rose rapidly up the hillside, gradually slowing down and going out when they were fifty feet from the summit.
"Rockets!" Hundreds of rockets flew from the peaks on either side of the main road, igniting the prepared haystacks. The defensive battle at Yixiantian had begun!
**** ********
Mid-morning, outside the south gate of Xigang.
Qiu Denghui stood on the city wall, looking at the Free Army soldiers densely packed with torches in formation on the open ground four hundred paces away. He couldn't help but gasp—
the width and depth of their formation alone indicated no less than four thousand men, and further away, torches stretched endlessly, indicating an unknown number of more.
A little over an hour ago, a signal came from a communications post every ten li (approximately 5 kilometers) that the Free Army's main force of nearly ten thousand men had passed through the Panchang Pass and was heading straight for Xigang. Qiu Denghui inquired about the terrain; after passing the Panchang Pass, the main road offered no natural defenses except for some low hills. Xigang City, besides its less than one thousand naval personnel, only had three thousand largely useless guards who dared not risk an attack.
After urgently sending a report to Qiu Lei that "Xigang is in dire straits, ten thousand men are attacking," Qiu Denghui concentrated his six hundred regular Yulong naval soldiers and two thousand guards at the south gate, three hundred naval soldiers and five hundred guards at the east gate, and five hundred guards at the north gate.
"Hopefully, this can hold out for a few hours," Qiu Denghui said with a wry smile. Xigang City faced the sea to the west, hence only three gates. The east gate, leading to the main road, was the highest and most fortified, followed by the south gate, and then the north gate. This deployment was a last resort.
If Qiu Lei's 3,000 elite troops had returned to Xigang in time, they could have crushed the Free Army in one fell swoop. However, the Free Army had only taken two hours from Xie Zhan's urgent appeal to capturing the Iron Mine Camp and then marching thirty miles to the walls of Xigang. This clearly indicated that they had planned their move carefully, and their fighting strength was not the rabble and easily defeated force that had been imagined. Could Qiu Lei return to reinforce them as he wished?
The number of Free Army troops in front of the South Gate was steadily increasing, but after a quarter of an hour, they still hadn't begun their attack, seemingly gathering strength for a decisive victory!
Qiu Denghui's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to order the East and North Gates to strengthen their defenses, he suddenly heard a deafening shout from the East Gate: "The Free Army will prevail! Long live freedom!" A signal shot into the sky—
the East Gate had fallen!

Volume 3, Chapter 29: Flames of Freedom Everywhere
Why did the East Gate, the most difficult to breach, fall so quickly?
The capture of the iron mine camp didn't take Hai Tianqing and his men long. Mo Yan and thirty other experts firmly held their positions on the city wall, while three hundred elite troops from the direct command quickly advanced. Another volley of sleeping arrows was fired at the rear of the city wall, and the remaining two hundred or so Jade Dragon soldiers, though prepared, were greatly affected and unable to retaliate.
Once the city gates, barely wide enough for three or four people to walk side-by-side, were opened, the Free Army surged in like a tide and quickly took control of the entire iron mine camp. The Jade Dragon soldiers who were unconscious were fortunate; they were quickly bound into bundles. Those still capable of resistance were immediately hacked to death.
Hai Tianqing, Ye Zhi Qiu, and others didn't linger, leading their direct command, the First Battalion, and Wei Buqun's Company of the Second Battalion—a total of four thousand seven hundred men—directly towards Xigang. Six thousand reserve soldiers from the two battalions, under the command of their temporary commanders, followed shortly after.
In Qiu Denghui's eyes, it was indeed a continuous stream of tens of thousands of Free Army soldiers heading towards Xigang.
At the south gate of Xigang, only Wei Buqun's squadron stood in formation at the front, possessing real combat capability; the rest were newly armed reservists. The truly elite direct command battalion and the First Battalion, totaling over three thousand men, quietly followed Hai Tianqing and Ye Zhiqiu around to the east gate, lying in ambush about two hundred paces away.
Jiaxin and Liwen, leading over a hundred elite disciples of the Demonic Cult, had already laid in wait inside the east gate, not far from the city gate itself. After establishing contact with the Free Army battalion via signal, they immediately launched their attack, suddenly splitting into three groups: one rushing towards the city gate, and two leaping up the steps at either end of the gate!
Although the Jade Dragon Army was well-trained, how could they be a match for the Demonic Cult's experts? Soon, the Jade Dragon defenders near the city gate were scattered, and the Demonic Cult disciples opened the city gate wide, seizing the high ground!
Upon seeing the signal, Hai Tianqing and Ye Zhiqi led over three thousand Free Army soldiers in a surging tide, quickly surrounding the Jade Dragon Army and guards at the East Gate. Without a word, they unleashed a hail of arrows, then swiftly ended the battle.
Guided by the Demonic Cult disciples led by Jiaxin and Liwen, the First Battalion of the Free Army entered the city, advancing towards the South Gate from both the city walls and the streets!
Ye Zhiqi, however, led his direct battalion of seven hundred men, guided by several Demonic Cult disciples, and quickly traversed the entire city, heading straight for the West Port Wharf as planned—the five naval warships and twenty assault boats there were specifically ordered by Hua Yinghong to be seized.
Zhenbao Island was surrounded by water; without a navy, the Free Army would be powerless. Shipbuilding was not a quick task, so seizing them from the Jade Dragon Navy became the best option.
Hai Tianqing's first battalion of three thousand men, along with over a hundred disciples of the Demonic Sect and thirty experts from the Restoration Society, clashed quickly with Qiu Denghui's seven hundred elite Jade Dragon Navy soldiers and two thousand guards at

Eagle's Sorrow Ridge.
Xie Zhan noticed that the Free Army, three miles ahead, hadn't attacked the camp but instead split into two groups, taking up positions on the hills on either side to hold their ground. Judging by the torches, there were at least three or four thousand men. He heard the
deafening battle cries coming from the Iron Mine Camp, but after a quarter of an hour, all was silent. In the distance, he could see a large number of torches moving towards the Iron Mine Camp.
"Contact the Iron Mine Camp!" Xie Zhan sensed something was wrong and immediately gave the order.
The signal flew, but there was no response.
"Damn it! The Iron Mine Camp has fallen, West Port is in danger!" The autumn night was chilly, but Xie Zhan broke out in a cold sweat. He was well aware of the deployment of this "Fishnet Operation." Qiu Lei's direct battalion and the First Battalion had all gone out, leaving only a thousand naval troops and reserves in Xigang. Judging from the Free Army's momentum, nearly ten thousand of them had headed towards the Iron Mine Camp.
Xie Zhan didn't know how the Free Army could capture the Iron Mine Camp and annihilate six hundred elite Yulong troops in a quarter of an hour. He only had two choices: one was to stick to the original plan, hold firm at Yingchou Ridge, and let the Free Army cause trouble. Even if they captured Xigang, they would be surrounded and annihilated by Yulong Army reinforcements before they could establish a firm foothold. The other was to abandon Yingchou Ridge, break through the defenses three miles below, and pursue the majority of the Free Army.
Xie Zhan always believed that the Battle of Panchang was just a successful trick by the Free Army. In a direct confrontation, his Second Battalion could definitely defeat a Free Army force several times its size. After all, these slaves had only been armed for a few days.
After weighing the options, Xie Zhan chose the second path. He left a thousand Yulong soldiers to guard the ridge, mainly to prevent attacks from the Gaoshan tribe's chaotic army, while he led more than a thousand elite soldiers down the ridge to attack the mountain where Lin Zhi was located.
He had no choice. The Battle of Panchang had resulted in the loss of over nine hundred men, yet neither the Qiu family nor Qiu Lei had punished them, merely because they needed manpower. Now, with the iron mine camp fallen, the six hundred Jade Dragon soldiers guarding it were certain to be annihilated, adding another major crime to his list. Even more serious was the significant threat to Xigang. If anything went wrong, even if he carried out his original plan and ultimately wiped out the Free Army, he would certainly face retribution later. The merits he had accumulated fighting pirates and the Gaoshan tribe's rebel forces might not be enough to save his life.
Even if it was a high-stakes gamble, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed—
the three-mile journey, under the Jade Dragon Army's rapid advance, was but a blink of an eye. What should have been a battle for the Free Army's ridge assault had turned into a fierce battle for the Jade Dragon Army's escape route!

The second regiment, consisting of two battalions and six thousand Jade Dragon soldiers who had set out from Lingbao Pass, were originally waiting thirty miles from Jubao Town as ordered by Qiu Lei. Upon receiving the order to close the net ahead of schedule, they immediately regrouped and marched forward.
The Second Regiment Commander, Qiu Yu, did not come in person, but instead authorized his subordinate, the Second Battalion Commander Qiu Shuibian, to lead the troops. Qiu Shuibian was a young and handsome disciple of a collateral branch of the Qiu family, skilled in rhetoric and eloquent in military strategy and tactics, seemingly possessing the demeanor of a scholar-general, but in reality, he was a complete incompetent. However, because he was adept at reading people and always knew how to flatter appropriately, he was quite appreciated by Qiu Yu.
Qiu Shuibian disregarded Qiu Lei's warning to "be careful of ambushes," and led his large army swaggering along the official road. The road was flanked by only some low hills of twenty or thirty feet high, not treacherous, easy to attack but difficult to defend; any ambushes would be quickly discovered and eliminated.
When the army was about twenty-three or four li from Jubao Town, less than ten li away, they would leave the hilly area and enter the small plain formed by the Wanquan River's alluvial deposits, where they finally encountered trouble—
a special operations squad under Ba Tian had been operating in this area since morning, tasked with delaying the enemy from Lingbao by any means necessary. After completing his mission to eliminate Yulong's spies at noon, Batian, on Hua Yinghong's orders, led his one hundred most elite special forces members to meet him.
"Damn it! This time, we'll teach those bastards a lesson!" Batian was extremely satisfied with Hua Yinghong's arrangement for him to lead the special forces team—each mission was unique, allowing him to fight and kill with gusto, and he could devise all sorts of bizarre methods to deal with the enemy, perfectly suited to his personality.
"The boss is the boss." After a series of battles, Batian genuinely respected his sworn brother, Hua Yinghong. He had no desire for power; he couldn't possibly manage a battalion of three thousand men like Hai Tianqing, Lin Zhi, or Liu Litao.
Batian was very pleased with the interception plan and traps designed by the special forces team. This time, there was ample time, unlike the rushed situation during the Battle of Panchang. The hunter-turned-special forces members had the opportunity to fully utilize their ingenuity based on the terrain, giving the Yulong army from Lingbao a good "surprise."
In a mountain hollow, ten cavalry scouts of the Jade Dragon Army, carrying torches and clearing the way half a mile ahead, suddenly heard the twang of bowstrings from their left and right. About thirty arrows pierced the air. As they hastily raised their shields to block, their horses were already struck!
"Hiss!" The horses reared up, throwing several Jade Dragon scouts off their mounts. Several other skilled riders, though not falling, were carried forward by their wounded and aching horses—
this marked the beginning of a nightmare for the Jade Dragon Army—
**** ********
Pearl Farm direction. A thousand Jade Dragon soldiers, following the flat road, smoothly arrived at the north gate of Jubao Town, forming an iron triangle formation four hundred paces away.
Leading the troops was Company Commander Qiao Xuan, the elder brother of Qiao Han, the platoon leader of the coal mine battalion who had died in battle. Qiu Xiaoyun was severely wounded, mostly unconscious for the past few days, and even when conscious, unable to speak; he was essentially half dead. Brothers
fight together, fathers and sons go to war. Upon learning of his brother's death in battle, Qiao Xuan was filled with rage, wishing he could wipe out the entire Free Army. However, after the Free Army occupied Jubao Town, their momentum was overwhelming, and Qiao Xuan was already grateful they hadn't launched a full-scale attack on Pearl Farm. How could he dare to act rashly? Now, with the Jade Dragon Army besieging Jubao Town from three sides, Qiao Xuan's courage swelled. He left only a thousand guards to defend the camp and mobilized all the elite
Jade Dragon Army troops from Pearl Farm to attack Jubao Town. The north gate city wall was pitch black, without a single light or figure. It seemed the Free Army was completely unaware of the Jade Dragon Army's attack from Pearl Farm.
Of course, Qiao Xuan wasn't foolish enough to believe the Free Army was truly oblivious; they were undoubtedly hiding in the shadows, preparing a fatal blow.
He sent out a sentry of shield-wielders carrying ladders, shields raised for protection, slowly approaching the city wall two zhang to the left of the gate. The shield-wielders, spearmen, and archers followed, approaching from a hundred paces away.
The sentry had moved a hundred paces, fifty paces… thirty paces, but the city wall remained silent.
Seeing that the hundred men had already placed the ladders on the city wall, the first five had jumped onto the wall, and soon another five... thirty men were already standing on the wall, and more than twenty were climbing up the ladders. Qiao Xuan couldn't believe his eyes. They had stormed the city wall so easily. Had the Free Army all abandoned the town and fled?
"Charge!" Qiao Xuan saw forty Jade Dragon Army soldiers on the city wall, charging towards the city gate, and immediately gave the order.
"Kill!" The Jade Dragon Army shouted in unison, their iron triangle formation rapidly advancing, transforming into a long, orderly line at sixty paces away, charging forward! Judging from their formation, they intended to take the city wall in one fell swoop!
"Kill!" From the city gate tower, "Bang! Bang! Bang!..." more than a dozen Jade Dragon Army figures flew backward. Lu Jingwei, bare-handed, struck the shields of the attacking Jade Dragon Army soldiers with more than a dozen palms infused with the Blazing Sun True Qi in the blink of an eye. Although the Jade Dragon Army soldiers were well-trained, how could they compare to the powerful internal energy of a ninth-rank master? Before even landing, they were blasted to their deaths in mid-air.
Liu Litao led over a hundred Free Army soldiers, charging out from behind Lü Jingwei. With a flash of his longsword, he cut down several men with unstoppable force. Soon, the forty or fifty Jade Dragon Army soldiers who had climbed the city wall were killed or wounded by Lü Jingwei and Liu Litao's men. Some were forced to jump from the more than three-zhang-high city wall, and those with poor agility
immediately broke their legs! "The Free Army will prevail!" Countless torches were lit on the more than two-mile-long north gate city wall, and nearly a thousand powerful bows were concentrated within twenty zhang of the city gate, raining down arrows on the charging Jade Dragon Army!
In an instant, screams of agony filled the air! In the rapid charge and high-density fire at close range, even shield-bearers and swordsmen could not protect themselves well, let alone the spearmen and archers.
The Free Army's feigned attack was a calculated move, waiting for the Jade Dragon Army to abandon their defenses and charge! A high-density volley of arrows inflicted heavy casualties on over three hundred Jade Dragon soldiers!
The remaining two hundred or so archers fired another arrow at the city wall, but the Free Army was prepared. A cacophony of clanging arrows followed, most striking the shields, with only a few wounded due to inadequate protection.
"Retreat!" Qiao Xuan, realizing he'd fallen for the trap, shouted. The remaining six hundred or so well-trained Jade Dragon soldiers immediately halted their charge, their shield bearers quickly forming a dense formation for rear protection, while the spearmen and archers retreated rapidly.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!..." Taking advantage of the Jade Dragon Army's unstable formation, the Free Army unleashed a second volley of arrows. Less effective than the first, it still felled over a hundred Jade Dragon soldiers, primarily the poorly protected spearmen and archers.
"Boom!" The north gate of Jubao Town swung open, and Chang Shengqiu, who had been preparing for a long time, led nearly three hundred cavalrymen out at breakneck speed, closely followed by the Free Army soldiers of the Yunshalang Squadron under the Third Battalion, charging towards the Jade Dragon Army, which now numbered less than five hundred!
"Cavalry!" Qiao Xuan's face turned pale.
In such open terrain, if well-trained cavalry were to face infantry, the riders would use the momentum of their horses, and the horses would use the riders' power, turning it into a one-sided massacre. He hadn't expected that the horses captured by Qiu Xiaoyun after her failed reinforcement of the copper mine camp would be so quickly incorporated into the Free Army's army.
The Jade Dragon Army, which had barely managed to form a battle formation, was immediately pierced through by the Free Army cavalry, who charged in rows of twenty, tearing a large gap in the ground like a plow. After charging for more than twenty zhang, Chang Shengqiu, his longsword stained with blood, swung his cavalry, splitting the ranks into two groups that flanked the fleeing Jade Dragon Army. Qiao Xuan was in the left flank when Chang Shengqiu charged at him on horseback. Using the momentum of his horse, Chang Shengqiu brought down a fierce slash with his longsword. With no way to dodge,
Qiao Xuan swung his sword to meet the attack— "Clang!" Both were fifth-rank experts, one full of fighting spirit and imposing on horseback, the other with his morale shattered and panicked. The difference in skill was immediately apparent. Qiao Xuan's sword was knocked into the air, and he suffered internal injuries. He instinctively dodged Chang Shengqiu's next strike, but was slashed in the back by a Free Army cavalryman beside him. Then, countless hooves trampled him... With
Qiao Xuan dead, the Jade Dragon Army, surrounded, fought each other in disarray. The Free Cavalry were few in number and poorly trained; some could barely swing their swords on horseback, their postures extremely awkward. However, this was sufficient to deal with the Jade Dragon Army, who were currently disoriented and overwhelmed.
The thousand elite Jade Dragon soldiers at Pearl Field were annihilated in less than a quarter of an hour. This wasn't due to the Free Army's superior fighting strength, but rather their full utilization of the city walls, the advantages of skilled warriors like Lü Jingwei, and the counter-strategies of different troop types. Even under these circumstances, not a single Jade Dragon soldier surrendered; they fought to the death, inflicting dozens of casualties on the Free Army.
Ye Shouxin's thousand-strong squadron and a small platoon from Qin Zhong's squadron, having descended from the city walls, formed ranks and sped towards Pearl Field.
******** ****
A Line of Sky.
The burning haystacks on the mountainside illuminated the attacking Jade Dragon Army clearly. On each side of the mountain peak stood six hundred Free Army soldiers, including special forces. They only needed to defend a front less than thirty feet wide; beyond that were insurmountable cliffs on both sides, making their defense easy and straightforward.
The mountaintops were already piled high with rocks of various sizes collected over the past two days. Against the well-equipped, well-trained, and mostly highly skilled Jade Dragon Army, arrows were of little use. A boulder the size of a bowl, falling from a great height, could easily deter even fourth or fifth-rank masters from taking the brunt of the impact. A larger boulder would likely force even sixth or seventh-rank masters to dodge.
Admittedly, masters with powerful internal energy could shatter the boulder into pieces, but unless one had cultivated to the Innate Realm and possessed an inexhaustible supply of internal energy, who could have such a vast amount?
The Jade Dragon Army, renowned for its strength, only managed to advance up the slope to within thirty feet of the summit before being routed by the Free Army's leisurely barrage of rocks. Both sides suffered the same fate, leaving behind about twenty corpses on each side.
"You bastards, we'll give you some steamed buns!" some special forces soldiers shouted arrogantly, eliciting laughter from the crowd.
"Assemble the experts and prepare strong shields," Qiu Lei ordered, having arrived at the narrow pass. He dared not recklessly send men into the dark official road ahead without clearing the dangers on either side.
Soon, twenty sixth-rank experts from the Direct Subordinate Battalion and the First Battalion, including the battalion commander, deputy commander, some company commanders, and guards, along with thirty fifth-rank experts, gathered. Each wielded a thick, high-strength steel shield and a thick-backed sword in their right hand, and led by Qiu Changzheng, they pressed towards the left-hand peak.
Upon entering the attack range at the peak, they were met with a hail of over a hundred large boulders! But these experts easily deflected the boulders with a slight application of their inner energy using the "Disarm" technique, remaining unharmed.
If Hua Yinghong could see this, he would be astonished by the strength of Qiu Lei's Jade Dragon Army: in a direct confrontation, these fifty experts alone would be enough to give the Free Army a hard time, and this was only a portion of the strength of the Direct Subordinate Battalion and the First Battalion!
"Brothers, be careful! These are experts!" Seeing the tide turning against them, the special forces squad leader, whose Jade Dragon Army experts had already advanced more than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) in the blink of an eye, and were only thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters) from the summit, had a wicked idea flash through his mind. He shouted, "Brothers! Smash them all!" He then ran to the side, gathered dozens of special forces members and ten intelligence team experts, and carried dozens of large rocks, each weighing over a hundred jin (approximately 50 kg), into his arms!
This wave of rocks numbered over five hundred, raining down like a storm. Although the Jade Dragon Army experts used shields and thick-backed swords to employ the "disarming" technique, they were still thrown into disarray, their true energy greatly depleted.
However, they had now advanced another ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Another twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters) and they could reach the summit for a chaotic battle. Although the Free Army's ordinary soldiers outnumbered them, how could they possibly match the Jade Dragon Army's experts? Once they captured this side of the summit, they could fly across to the other side, scatter them all, and then cross this treacherous official road.
"Brothers! The enemy is closing in! Smash them!" the special forces squad leader shouted.
"Kill!" Even the Jade Dragon Army soldiers on the opposite peak roared in response, their shouts echoing through the mountains for a long time.
Another five or six hundred rocks rained down, but this time, to the Jade Dragon Army experts' surprise, the situation was much more serious—these rocks were significantly larger than the ones that had been thrown before. Each one, even when skillfully "disarmed," carried immense force, making it extremely difficult. Dozens of rocks were incredibly powerful just from the sound of them flying! Even more astonishingly, a dozen or so large rocks were clearly imbued with the true energy of experts, their soaring sounds terrifying!
With no way to avoid them, these Jade Dragon Army experts had no choice but to reluctantly meet the impact with their "disarming" techniques—
"Bang! bang! bang!" The muffled thuds continued, and dozens of Jade Dragon Army experts were struck until they coughed up blood, hastily retreating downwards before any more rocks were thrown. More than a dozen skilled fighters were unfortunately struck and seriously injured by a massive boulder, and were subsequently killed by falling rocks, remaining forever on the slope.
"The Free Army will prevail!" Cheers erupted from the summit.
Qiu Lei was furious. The Free Army, with its superior position and advantageous terrain, had rendered his own formidable strength useless, and had even lost over a dozen skilled fighters in vain.
He couldn't think of a better solution for the moment, and was at his wit's end—
"Urgent report! The iron mine camp has fallen, and tens of thousands of Free Army troops are at West Port!" a messenger urgently reported.
"Ah!" Qiu Lei was shocked upon hearing the report, and couldn't help but grit his teeth: "Xie Zhan is truly incompetent! Three thousand elite troops couldn't even hold such a dangerous place as the iron mine camp."
But now was not the time to assign blame; Qiu Lei couldn't help but regret not listening to General Qiu Haoran's advice. Knowing the Free Army was so cunning, Qiu Lei had positioned his First Battalion and Direct Battalion in Xigang. If he had simply allowed Xie Zhan to hold Eagle's Sorrow Ridge, and the navy and the Eastern Route Army had joined forces, the Free Army would have been trapped and annihilated no matter how much they struggled.
One wrong move, and the whole game was lost.
The current passive situation was entirely due to his underestimation of the Free Army's strength and his eagerness for quick success.
Qiu Lei regretted his actions, but his face remained impassive. He ordered, "Order Qiu Denghui to hold the line and await reinforcements! All troops, listen up! Return to Xigang immediately!"
If they returned in time, they could crush the main force of the Free Army at the gates of Xigang, just as well.
"Qiu Denghui, don't let me down!" Qiu Lei couldn't help but place his hopes on this mixed-race boy.

(Volume 3: The Flames of Freedom, Chapter 30: An Unexpected Assassination,
Eastern
Route Jade Dragon Army)
Several wounded warhorses had only galloped a few feet when they were tripped by the tripwires firmly tied to the roadside trees and stones, falling heavily to the ground. The scouts who had previously escaped the fall were thrown even more violently from their horses this time. Fortunately, they were well-trained, and with a graceful somersault in mid-air, they landed gracefully on the road, only to find themselves falling straight into a pre-dug pit—
"Ah!" The pit was already filled with sharpened branches as thick as fists. Several scouts fell sideways, letting out only a piercing scream before falling silent. One or two landed feet first, their feet pierced by sharp branches that penetrated half a foot deep, before they fell onto the sharpened branches again. Their chests were pierced an inch or so, but not fatally. Even with their well-trained, iron-willed nerves, they did not immediately faint, but couldn't help but let out one piercing scream after another!
"Hey, Ah Gou, that was a bit too cruel. But hearing those Tuwei bastards scream like ghosts is actually pretty satisfying," Ba Tian whispered to a special forces soldier in the distance.
"Captain! The real show is yet to come," the special forces soldier named Ah Gou whispered in response.
The four scouts who had fallen to the ground had just gotten up when the crossbow bolts went off, and they immediately collapsed. These special forces soldiers were originally skilled hunters, and with further training, at such close range, they were almost deadly, taking down their targets with a single crossbow bolt.
Hearing the desperate screams of the ambushed scouts in the pit, Qiu Shuibian immediately sensed something was wrong. The order to "prepare for battle" had barely been given when the six thousand Jade Dragon Army soldiers, well-trained, deployed on both sides of the hillside half a mile away, preparing to seize the high ground for engagement.
This textbook-perfect response, however, encountered a major problem—the Jade Dragon Army soldiers rushing up the left slope were only a few feet away from reaching the summit. Even with torches lit, visibility was poor in the darkness, and the ascent to the high ground was urgent. Someone tripped over a branch, pulling on a thick rope—
a loud crash echoed from above as a wooden stake supporting several large crossbeams collapsed. The crossbeams, along with hundreds of stones piled on top, tumbled down, accelerating rapidly and carrying sand and stones, crashing down on the Jade Dragon Army climbing the mountain!
In an instant, hundreds of the densely packed Jade Dragon soldiers were killed or wounded. Looking up the mountain, they saw indistinct figures moving about. A squad leader immediately shouted, "Archers, fire!"
Archers halfway up the mountain drew their bows and fired towards the summit, suppressing the "enemy's" attack. But the figures didn't flinch; even when hit by arrows, they swayed back and forth.
Ba Tian and his men watched from afar, their stomachs churning with laughter. Those "figures" were nothing more than straw figures propped up on the mountainside to scare people; they were probably riddled with arrows by now.
On the right slope, the Jade Dragon Army suffered a similar fate, with nearly a hundred dead or wounded, their archers expending a considerable amount of arrows, leaving the Jade Dragon soldiers walking with extreme caution.
Upon reaching the summit and discovering they were just straw figures, some Jade Dragon soldiers were so enraged they nearly vomited blood, swinging their swords in fury—
"Whoosh!" The felled branches triggered a hidden mechanism, and several twisted branches nearby launched sharpened wooden sticks with astonishing elasticity and speed, catching several more Jade Dragon soldiers off guard and killing or wounding them!
Many similar incidents followed: some Yulong soldiers were injured by traps during their searches… others were wounded by sharp wooden sticks fired from small mechanisms… when torches were lit and many people gathered, a dozen or so crossbow bolts would rain down from the hillside ahead, each time resulting in several or even a dozen casualties… and so on. The number of casualties was not large, but the psychological pressure on the Yulong army was immense—
imagine someone constantly wielding swords and fighting unseen enemies; anyone would become frustrated and even driven mad… The Free Army special forces were like ghosts, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, utilizing everything at their disposal to inflict heavy blows on the Yulong soldiers.
Hua Yinghong's first instruction to the special forces was: “War is about using all available resources to achieve your goals. Special operations are about achieving your ultimate goal with the least manpower and at the lowest cost.” The Free Army had previously used every possible method—fire, intoxicating incense, etc.—in their battles, which was unimaginable for the Yulong army, accustomed to real combat and victory through sheer strength.

Upon hearing the soldiers' report, Qiu Shuibian hesitated for a long time before ordering Qiu Lei to signal "ambush" and halt the advance. In less than a mile, his elite Yulong Army soldiers had lost nearly four hundred men without even seeing a glimpse of the enemy. He didn't want the Second Regiment's soldiers to suffer further losses without explanation.
Everything would have to wait until dawn.

Panlong Ridge.
Qiu Lei led over a thousand Yulong elite cavalrymen, nicknamed "One Line Sky," back to rescue Xigang, rushing up Panlong Ridge. The situation was urgent, and the infantry had to follow later.
Zhenbao Island was isolated overseas, and its horses were not native. All horses had to be transported from Yulong, at enormous cost. Furthermore, the island's complex terrain was unsuitable for cavalry warfare, so cavalry was scarce; typically, a large battalion was only equipped with a small squad of elite cavalry. Qiu Lei's direct battalion was no exception. The fact that they could muster over a thousand cavalry, including his personal guards, was thanks to Xie Zhan's Second Company, which, due to their lack of expertise in siege warfare, had not brought horses when attacking the iron mine camp.
On flat, open terrain, these thousand-odd elite cavalrymen might not necessarily lose against tens of thousands of infantry, unless the enemy had a large number of spearmen and crossbowmen. However, on this hilly official road, the cavalry's effectiveness was greatly reduced, except for its speed of movement.
The terrain of Panlong Ridge is somewhat like a winding intestine, forming a continuous, irregular "S" shape. In daylight, the official road can be seen as a giant dragon winding and coiling among the mountains.
At a treacherous spot in the middle of Panlong Ridge, with a deep abyss on the left and a steep slope and ridges dozens of feet high on the right, the Jade Dragon elite cavalry, having already occupied the high ground and covered the main force's passage without incident, and now in a hurry to return, were less vigilant.
Just as the Jade Dragon elite cavalry approached the crucial bend of the "S" shape—
"Attack!" A clear female voice came from the right hillside. In the night sky, the woman's voice drowned out the thunderous hooves, carrying no murderous intent, but rather a captivating, intoxicating quality—it was the voice of Peach Blossom Fairy Xue Qianqian.
Nearly three hundred demonic cult disciples appeared atop the right-hand hillside, unleashing a hail of rocks like locusts!
Caught off guard, although the Jade Dragon elite cavalry reacted quickly, swiftly using their shields to block and deflect the flying stones, the demonic cult disciples were all highly skilled warriors. Their concentrated inner energy, combined with the force of the falling rocks, caused the Jade Dragon elite cavalry to stumble and fall, dozens dead or wounded on
the spot! "Changzheng, lead a small team to attack the ridge! The rest of you, charge forward!" Qiu Lei, in the middle of the column, decisively ordered. This spot was only a few dozen feet wide, easily traversed by fast horses in a matter of breaths. Although the falling rocks would inevitably cause casualties, they couldn't afford to worry about that now, for the sake of saving Xigang.
The Free Army's ambush here was clearly intended to delay Qiu Lei's return; they were determined to capture Xigang, so it was unwise to linger here.
As the main force charged again, dozens of rockets pierced the air from the summit, not aimed at people, but at a bend about ten feet ahead—where
a raging fire erupted. By the light of the fire, the Jade Dragon elite cavalry, galloping ahead, saw that the once flat official road, more than two feet wide, was now piled with mud and rocks, covered with bundles of straw and dry branches. It seemed that a lot of oil had been poured on it, and the rockets had quickly ignited it, creating a fire dragon several feet long and more than ten feet high that stretched up the right-hand slope.
"Whoa—whoa—" The Jade Dragon elite cavalry reacted with lightning speed, immediately reining in their galloping horses and stopping just as they approached the fire. The entire column showed no signs of chaos, demonstrating their excellent training.
"The rear guard becomes the front guard! Retreat half a mile, attack the ridge, and then continue." Qiu Lei, seeing that the fire blocked their path, was anxious but helpless. Without annihilating the enemy forces blocking the slope, they could not extinguish the fire and advance. The right-hand slope was only a few dozen feet high, and its gradient wasn't as steep as the "One Line Sky," making it easy to breach.
The Jade Dragon elite cavalry, their rear guard becoming the front, quickly retreated.
Qiu Changzheng's squad, dodging and weaving, had already crouched and advanced more than twenty feet when another volley of stones and arrows rained down, causing dozens of casualties. Forced to retreat to blind spots behind large rocks, their offensive faltered.
"Use stones and arrows sparingly, and be more accurate," Xue Qianqian said calmly. These Holy Sect disciples lacked combat experience, only interested in the spectacle, forgetting that the purpose of this ambush was merely to buy time, not to kill the Jade Dragon army. They quickly used up almost half of the stones they had collected. It was still early before dawn; if it quickly devolved into a melee, given the Jade Dragon army's elite fighting prowess, the Holy Sect disciples would likely suffer considerable losses!
The Holy Sect, desiring to conquer the world, cannot rely solely on a large number of highly skilled disciples; there is still much to learn—a thought that brought to Xue Qianqian's mind. She couldn't help but recall Hua Yinghong's deep, intelligent eyes and his large right hand that gave her a strange feeling…
The method of using fire to sever pathways was something Xue Qianqian had learned from the Free Army's night raid on the camp. If it were merely a matter of arrows and manpower, even if she and her three hundred experts were all piled up on the path, they probably wouldn't achieve such an immediate effect. War—indeed, is not like the martial arts world, where people are quick to fight and brawl. A thousand
soldiers are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by. A hint of regret couldn't be hidden on Xue Qianqian's beautiful face.
Qiu Lei mobilized his best warriors, preparing to seize the right flank of the mountain range in one fell swoop. The signal for the fall of Xigang had already been raised—
**** ********
At dawn, the sky was already bright.
Thirty miles north of Jubao Town lay the bay, the sea breeze carrying a slightly salty smell, yet strangely comforting.
After a tense night, Liu Yufei nestled sweetly in Hua Yinghong's arms and fell asleep. A satisfied smile still lingered on her flawless face, her curvaceous body almost entirely curled up in Hua Yinghong's embrace, like a sleeping little girl, as if even if the sky were to fall, nothing would be frightening, for her broad shoulders would bear the weight of her burdens.
Such a stunningly beautiful woman, a pitiful princess of a fallen kingdom, entrusting her life to Hua Yinghong, whom she had only known for a few days—it was truly incomprehensible. Perhaps this was fate, the word fate itself, so wondrous and ineffable.
At that time, the atmosphere on the Hualong Continent was one of both strict etiquette and indulgence. Among strangers, young men and women typically address each other politely with terms like "Young Master," "Young Master," "Miss," and "Girl," displaying a refined manner. However, once they fall for someone, they become utterly uninhibited, their boldness astonishing.
Since the Han Dynasty, countless romantic tales have been widely circulated in brothels, boudoirs, and even the Forbidden City. The early Tang Dynasty inherited this tradition; it is said that Emperor Liu Suifeng, besides his three palaces and six courtyards with thousands of talented women, officials, and palace maids, also had countless beauties in the martial arts world. This influence extended to the lower classes, creating a situation in the Hua Long Continent where, while etiquette and moral education were valued, a decadent atmosphere persisted. Some self-proclaimed moralists even spoke of the "tainted Han and corrupt Tang."
Liu Yufei was simple-minded, believing that if she liked someone, she liked them. Once she had someone in her heart, she was completely open about it, both in public and in private, showing no shyness but making no attempt to hide it—this was one of the reasons why Hua Yinghong truly loved her. "Fei'er" was also a girl with a distinct personality.
Despite not having slept all night, Hua Yinghong still appeared energetic, partly due to the continuous circulation of his internal Primordial Qi, and partly due to the constant stream of good news—
the battle at Xigang had ended its main fighting within half an hour after Hai Tianqing and his men stormed the east gate. The guards, witnessing the might of tens of thousands of Free Army soldiers, surrendered en masse. Qiu Denghui's navy, surrounded by ten times its own strength, fought desperately, inflicting over three hundred casualties on the Free Army before all its members perished. Xigang annihilated one thousand of the Jade Dragon Navy, captured two thousand guards, and seized countless weapons, supplies, and provisions, as well as five extremely valuable warships and twenty assault boats.
Furthermore, Hai Tianqing and Ye Zhiqi led their elite force of over seven hundred men on a forced march of over forty li, arriving at Panlong Ridge at 3:45 AM to join forces with Xue Qianqian and her Demonic Sect disciples, suppressing the Jade Dragon army's advance on the ridge. Soon after, Helian Shu, Xiao Zhanfeng, and Wei Buqun's squadron arrived and firmly controlled Panlong Ridge.
In the Battle of Panlong Ridge, Qiu Lei's 3,000 elite troops, fighting fiercely under extremely unfavorable terrain, were reduced to an estimated 2,000 men, including the wounded, before retreating to a hilltop for temporary rest. The Demonic Cult disciples, with their superior position and advantageous terrain, also suffered nearly a hundred casualties, demonstrating the ferocity of the battle.
Qiu Lei was now trapped like a wounded tiger in a cage, less than ten miles between Panlong Ridge and Yixiantian, lacking food and water, and complete annihilation was imminent. Xigang City had already been controlled by Pang Yi's squadron and 6,000 reserves, and sweeping away the surrounding town guards would be a simple matter. These two battles were enough to reassure Hua Yinghong. However,
Hua Yinghong still dared not be complacent, repeatedly and carefully analyzing the terrain between Panlong Ridge and Yixiantian, confirming that apart from a very few experts who might escape by scaling the high mountains and cliffs, the main force of the Jade Dragon Army had no way to escape. He then ordered Hai Tianqing and others to hold their ground and not attack, to conduct propaganda to persuade the enemy to surrender, and to closely monitor the movements of Qiu Lei's army. The plan was to use hunger and thirst to weaken Yu Long's fighting strength, and then annihilate them completely. A wounded tiger is the fiercest, and Hua Yinghong was unwilling to be hasty and risk being bitten,
thus wasting the precious lives of the Free Army soldiers. Of course, the decision to "starve Qiu Lei to death" was based on another great victory—Lin Zhi's Second Battalion and three thousand reserves, relying on the terrain, withstood Xie Zhan's frenzied attacks, forcing Xie Zhan to continuously redeploy forces from Yingchou Ridge to defend the Gaoshan tribe's direction. When only a small Yu Long army squad remained on Yingchou Ridge, the Gaoshan tribe, who had been feigning weakness, suddenly launched a powerful attack with two thousand elite warriors led by Miao Youlan and Mu Shanzhu, annihilating the remaining Yu Long army squad in one fell swoop, even wiping out the communications soldiers responsible for signal flares and carrier pigeons.
News of the breakthrough at Yingchou Ridge thus did not spread.
Xie Zhan's remaining thousand-odd Yulong soldiers were attacked from both sides by the Gaoshan tribes and the Free Army, who outnumbered them tenfold. They fought desperately, but after inflicting hundreds of casualties on both Gaoshan and Free Army soldiers, the entire army was wiped out. The victory signals from Lin Zhi, Miao Youlan, and Mu Shanzhu overjoyed Hua Yinghong.
Except for leaving a small squad of Free Army soldiers and a small reserve squad to garrison the iron mine camp, Hua Yinghong ordered Lin Zhi, Miao Youlan, and Mu Shanzhu to take the main force back to Jubao Town to rest and prepare for the next, larger plan.
The results at Yingchou Ridge far exceeded his expectations—if Xie Zhan had held Yingchou Ridge, it would have tied down Lin Zhi's main force, preventing them from moving, and the Gaoshan tribes would have blocked their way out of the mountains. Although Miao Youlan had the advantage of a higher position, the Gaoshan tribes were already in dire straits, and Hua Yinghong was unwilling to ask them to launch a forced assault unless absolutely necessary, as that would sacrifice many precious young and strong soldiers. Hua Yinghong even remembered explaining the operation plan in detail to Miao Youlan, making the intention very clear. A strange, touching light flashed in the bright eyes of this stunning beauty, no less beautiful than Liu Yufei…
But in this way, Jubao Town would only have Liu Litao's brigade and special forces available, facing the approaching 6,000-strong Yulong Navy from the north and 6,000-strong Lingbao Yulong Army from the east. Regardless of the difference in individual combat strength, in terms of numbers alone, they were at a significant disadvantage. Although he had a plan to hold Jubao Town until the Xigang battle ended before devising a better strategy, compared to the current favorable situation, it was like comparing heaven and earth!
What pleased Hua Yinghong even more was that, according to Lin Zhi's report, Xie Zhan's "Three Forms of Blood Battle" was incredibly powerful. Charging left and right within the encirclement, dozens of Gaoshan tribesmen and Free Army soldiers died at his hands. He witnessed Miao Youlan arrive and strike, enveloping Xie Zhan in a dazzling array of sword light, resembling hundreds of plum blossoms, in just two moves, killing him instantly. Given Xie Zhan's skill level of at least sixth rank, Hua Yinghong estimated that even using his full power with the "Three Forms of Heaven-Shattering Strike," it would likely take at least ten moves to achieve a victory. He was secretly pleased to have gained a highly skilled ally—the Free Army's biggest weakness wasn't its small numbers, but its lack of true masters!
Ba Tian, leading four hundred special forces members, used the darkness to forcefully block the six thousand Jade Dragon Army soldiers heading towards Lingbao, giving Jubao Town more time to prepare its strategy. The thousand guards at Pearl Field surrendered without a fight upon seeing Qiao Xuan's head in Yun Shalang's hands, and over four thousand male and female slaves were released… Good news kept coming in one after another; how could he not be excited?
Looking at the stunning beauty in his arms, Hua Yinghong couldn't help but lower his head and gently kiss her rosy and alluring cherry lips, savoring the soft, moving, and electrifying taste. He felt that life was just like this, what more could he ask for?
Liu Yufei awoke the instant their lips met. Her beautiful eyes closed, she parted her fragrant lips slightly, her delicate tongue gently licking Hua Yinghong's lips like a playful child, sending a shiver and flutter through his heart…
After a long while, their lips parted, her eyes opened, and Liu Yufei gazed at Hua Yinghong with eyes full of tenderness, softly calling out, "Brother! Fei'er loves lying in your arms, I don't want to get up."
"Fei'er!" Hua Yinghong couldn't help but hug his beauty tighter, their tongues entwined in another passionate kiss before he released her, saying, "We should go to the town mayor's mansion, or Brother Lü and the others will laugh at us." Hua

Yinghong, Liu Yufei, Liu Lan, and Liu Ju, a group of twenty-four riders, rode in pairs along the main street leading from the south gate to the town center. Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei were in the center, with Liu Lan and Liu Ju following behind, each escorted by ten of the most elite soldiers from the direct command brigade, spaced a horse's length apart.
With Jubao Town newly established, various forces of different sizes were intertwined, so necessary precautions were still required. However, Hua Yinghong disliked the entourage and only brought twenty elite cavalrymen with him from the South Gate Camp to the Town Mayor's Mansion in the center of the town, a distance of just over two miles.
The streets were already bustling with pedestrians, and shop owners on both sides were busy setting up their doors for business. After all, regardless of the soldiers' lives, ordinary people still needed to live. The Free Army hadn't implemented any control, and maintaining the prosperity of Jubao Town was a decision made jointly by Hua Yinghong, Lü Jingwei, and others. It wasn't just a gesture, but a signal from the Free Army—the Free Army wasn't a group of crude, murderous, and plundering rebel slaves, but a new type of army capable of both fighting well and bringing a happier and more peaceful life to the areas they controlled.
Although this might create an opportunity for hostile forces, it was worthwhile compared to long-term considerations and interests.
Pedestrians kept their distance from the brightly armored Free Army cavalry, and many stopped to stare at the four people in the middle of the cavalry—three stunningly beautiful women and a tall, ordinary-looking young man exuding an intimidating aura. This attracted pointing fingers and speculation from onlookers about the three's identities.
Some people were so stunned by the unparalleled beauty of Liu Yufei and her two companions that they forgot what they were doing. A young man who looked like a shop assistant was carrying a dismantled shop door panel. He seemed to be mesmerized by Liu Yufei's graceful and charming demeanor, which was both noble and lively. The panel slipped from his hands and hit his foot. He cried out in pain and jumped up and down, causing the onlookers to burst into laughter!
Hua Yinghong turned to Liu Yufei and chuckled, "Fei'er, Lanmei and Jumei, next time you go out, you'd better wear veils. Otherwise, it's one thing to cause traffic chaos, but if you bewitch people so much that their eyes pop out, wouldn't that be a sin?"
Indeed, along the way, whether male or female, how many people had ever seen such stunning beauty? Their eyes were wide and round, as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.
"Pfft!" For over a decade, to evade the Jade Dragon's secret agents, Liu Yufei rarely dared to appear in public or reveal her true face. Her stunning beauty was seldom displayed, otherwise she would surely have a place on the renowned "Ten Great Beauties" list, a source of much discussion throughout the Hua Long Continent. This time, her appearance before the crowd drew everyone's attention, and even those without vanity couldn't help but feel happy. Then, praised in such a unique way by her lover, she couldn't help but smile.
This was bad news! Those onlookers seemed to feel that Liu Yufei's smile was directed at them, indescribably alluring and seductive. Many men with weaker willpower buckled in their tracks and collapsed to the ground!
Just as they turned past the town's central intersection, with the town mayor's mansion just a dozen or so feet ahead, Hua Yinghong heard the Dragon's Roar Blade on his back tremble inexplicably, emitting a "hum!"— a
warning flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but shout, "Fei'er, be careful!" Liu Yufei, Liu Lan, Liu Ju, and the cavalry guards, hearing the warning, hadn't even had time to react— when they heard a rapid "Charge!", six incredibly fast figures flew out from the second floor of a brick and wood restaurant three feet away from the front of the cavalry, instantly leaping over two rows of Free Army guards from a height of three feet, heading straight for the center of the cavalry. Before they even arrived, an immense and unparalleled aura had already enveloped an area of six feet in radius— "Assassins!" more than twenty cavalry guards shouted in unison, the first six guards leaping more than two feet from their horses, barely blocking the two assassins, six fierce blades slashing down at their heads! These mounted guards were the elite of the elite, rigorously selected from the directly subordinate battalion. They already possessed a certain level of martial arts skill, and after receiving instruction from Hua Yinghong in the Heaven and Earth Techniques and the Void-Breaking Techniques, as well as the method of practicing martial arts in motion, their skills improved dramatically in just a few days. Each of them possessed a skill no less than the third rank, and Fang Shiling, the cavalry captain protecting Hua Yinghong, had even broken through to the fourth rank. Their simultaneous unleashing of six swords was incredibly powerful! The two leading assassins, however, disregarded this imposing sword formation. One of them waved his sleeves, and a blue net of light flew out, enveloping the four guards in front, sword and all, instantly causing them to spit out blood and be thrown more than three zhang (approximately 10 meters) away! The other assassin formed a lotus flower gesture, and a burst of white energy exploded in the air with a deafening roar, like blooming white lotuses, imprinting itself on the sword energy unleashed by Fang Shiling and another guard, instantly injuring and throwing them away as well! The two highly skilled assassins paused only briefly in mid-air before resuming their stance, unleashing a blue net of light and clusters of white lotuses upon Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei! But in that instant, Liu Yufei's Longquan sword was already drawn from its sheath, the "Startling Wind and Weeping Rain Technique" activated at full power, a "Sudden Storm" attack meeting the surging white lotus energy head-on! Hua Yinghong remained seated on his horse, the Hunyuan Technique and the Ningxin Technique miraculously merging at that moment, making his divine sense incredibly sharp. The seemingly agile and eerie blue net was merely two small, thumb-thin snakes, each about half a zhang long, woven together by the assassin's movements. Unlike Liu Yufei's lightning-fast Longquan sword counterattack, Hua Yinghong's Dragon Roar Blade remained sheathed. In the past two days, with a little free time, Hua Yinghong had carefully studied the mysteries of the Dragon Roar Blade. The treasured blade, deliberately left behind by the Blade God Guan Shanyue before his flight, was more than just a weapon. Since first sensing the Dragon's Roar Blade's spirituality with his Breaking Void True Qi on Lonely Star Island, the now even more spiritual Primordial True Qi has forged an even closer and more harmonious connection between Hua Yinghong and the Dragon's Roar Blade. The Dragon's Roar Blade's ability to warn of danger is a major advantage. Otherwise, if he had only gone a few more feet, the assassin would have attacked at close range, catching him completely off guard. Stillness prevails over movement! A strange blue net of light approached within three feet of his head, and two ferocious, azure snake heads opened their mouths, spitting out their tongues and shooting towards him. Behind him, Liu Lan and Liu Ju cried out in alarm, leaping into the air. Hua Yinghong moved— the Dragon's Roar Blade flashed into his hand, and with his most familiar, simple, and refined move, "Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies," he traced an unparalleled and mysterious trajectory, accurately striking the two small blue snakes at their vital points— "Clang!" With the sharpness of the Dragon's Roar Blade, the strike against the blue snakes produced a metallic clang, leaving only a shallow mark on the snakes' bodies, deflecting them, and the blue net disappeared. A strange surge of true energy emanated from the point where the blade and snake clashed, ascending along the meridians. Hua Yinghong swiftly activated his Hunyuan Technique, neutralizing the energy! His magnificent warhorse, however, couldn't withstand the wild, latent force. With a series of cracking sounds, the tall horse collapsed into a bloody pulp without a neigh. Hua Yinghong sidestepped two zhang to the right, dissipating the opponent's hidden energy. The assassin landed two zhang to Hua Yinghong's left, seemingly heartbroken at the damage to the small blue snake in his hand. He quickly stroked it, and only relaxed when he saw it was unharmed. The two men's auras were now locked together! The sudden gust of wind and rain generated by the Longquan Sword collided with the white lotus-like energy emitted by the other assassin, producing a deafening roar and explosion. The explosive energy surged wildly in all directions, and Liu Yufei's warhorse was also blown into a large mass of flesh and blood, scattering everywhere. Except for Hua Yinghong, the assassin she was fighting, and Liu Lan and Liu Ju who had already taken to the air, everyone else was blasted back more than three zhang! A large open space suddenly appeared on the five-zhang-wide street. Some of the stalls set up along the street were overturned and shattered by the surging energy from the explosion! Liu Yufei's skill was clearly slightly inferior to that of the assassin. She used the momentum to retreat two zhang, dissipating the hidden, immense potential energy. The assassin landed where Liu Yufei had stood, not pursuing her, but gathering his energy and fixing his killing intent firmly on Liu Yufei, who was about two zhang away! These two assassins were at least at the ninth-rank level, comparable to Lü Jingwei. If Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei hadn't recently increased their skills, they might have been killed in a single move! The two slightly later assassins encountered Liu Lan and Liu Ju in mid-air. Enraged, the "Iron-Blooded Beauties" unleashed a barrage of sword flowers from their twin swords, unleashing a fierce "bloody rain" that enveloped the two assassins! The two assassins, each wielding a single blade, swung their blades dozens of times in an instant, each strike hitting the "Iron-Blooded Beauties'" swords, shattering the "bloody rain" and sending the two women flying backward until they landed three zhang above Liu Yufei. The two assassins then landed between Liu Yufei and the two women, blocking their path to reinforce Hua and Liu. Two more assassins landed two zhang behind the assassin with the lotus-shaped hand gesture, their swords flashing like lightning, their sword energy crisscrossing, blocking the desperate attacks of the wounded Fang Shiling and her companions!

In a flash, four assassins positioned themselves on either side, blocking the "Iron-Blooded Duo" and the mounted guards, while Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei faced off against two skilled assassins in the middle. The four assassins responsible for blocking them were all more powerful than the "Iron-Blooded Duo," putting Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei in unprecedented danger!
"An Rushan!" Liu Lan and Liu Ju exclaimed simultaneously. One of the assassins blocking their way was none other than An Rushan, a master of the Jade Dragon secret service!
The Jade Dragon secret service had finally deployed its best assassins to carry out the assassination attempt on Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei!
"Catch the assassins!" shouted the Free Army soldiers guarding the town hall as they rushed towards them. The intense duel between the experts was impressive, but it did not frighten these highly motivated Free Army soldiers. In their hearts, Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei were the sons and goddesses of freedom who had given them freedom, dignity, and hope; naturally, they would not tolerate anyone daring to offend them!
"Catch the assassin!" A patrol of Free Army soldiers on West Gate Street shouted as they rushed towards them—

inside the town mayor's mansion.
Lü Jingwei and Miao Youlan were already waiting in the council hall. With nothing else to do, they chatted about the current battle situation and how the Gaoshan tribe had joined the Free Alliance. The situation was currently very favorable, and their conversation was quite relaxed.
Besides the small courtyard where Qiu Xiaoyun had previously lived, there was no better accommodation in the South Gate military camp, which was inconvenient for Miao Youlan, a young woman. After arriving at Jubao Town last night after the Battle of Yingchou Ridge, they left Mu Shanzhu in the main camp to discipline and reorganize the Gaoshan warriors, while Miao Youlan stayed in the town mayor's mansion.
The deafening explosions and shouts of "Catch the assassin!" on the street could probably be heard throughout the town, and Lü Jingwei and Miao Youlan, with their exceptionally sharp senses, naturally heard them clearly. At this moment, the various Free Army generals in the town were gathered for a meeting. If Liu Yufei and Hua Yinghong were to be assassinated—
the two simultaneously unleashed their fastest movement techniques, flashing out of the hall in a single bound, covering more than ten zhang in a single leap, rushing towards the fighting site thirty zhang away! Miao Youlan's graceful figure even beat Lü Jingwei to it!

Liu Lan, Liu Ju, and the Free Army soldiers desperately attacked the assassins blocking their path, trying to support Hua and Liu in their perilous situation, but their skills were inferior, and they could not get close. An Rushan and another assassin were overwhelmed by the "Iron-Blooded Beauties'" fearless, even life-risking, attacks, but ultimately, their superior skills prevented them from crossing the line.
The two who were truly in danger faced different circumstances—
Hua Yinghong was confronted by a pair of sharp eyes flashing with malevolent light. The assassin, dressed in blue robes and the attire of a scholar, was tall and thin, outwardly appearing refined and elegant, with a smile on his pale, slender face. An unsuspecting observer would mistake him for a frail middle-aged scholar. However, a closer look at his striking eyes beneath thick eyebrows revealed a lewd and cruel glint within, his pupils tinged with a blue light—eerie and terrifying!
The assassin's stance was unusually peculiar, seemingly as steady as a mountain yet also appearing as if he might shift at any moment. Even with Hua Yinghong using his full power of the Hunyuan Technique and Ningxin Technique, he remained unpredictable and dared not make a move. Hua Yinghong was unaware that he had encountered a formidable figure within the Jade Dragon Secret Service—"The Lewd Serpent" Ouyang Bin. His "Blue Qi Yin Yang Great Technique" was nearing completion, reaching the peak of the ninth rank. Ouyang Bin, with his bizarre martial arts skills and two blue snakes, roamed the Hua Long Continent for many years. Because he had ruined the reputations of countless women, he was known as the "Lewd Snake," incurring public outrage. Various sects dispatched Saint-level experts to kill him, but eight years ago, he fled in terror, unaware that he had been secretly used by Jade Dragon's spies.
"Lewd Snake" Ouyang Bin was secretly alarmed. His "Blue Qi Yin Yang Great Technique" was a unique martial arts skill, the blue qi referring to the color of true qi. The most powerful aspect of this technique was that when activated, it could create layers of blue qi nets around the enemy, binding them like fish caught in a net, making escape impossible. He then used his two iron-wire lewd snakes, which were impervious to even divine weapons, to his advantage. Even ordinary ninth-rank experts of the same level found it extremely troublesome and dared not easily confront him. Even when encountering Saint-level experts, he often managed to escape. Little did they know that this young man, who had only recently advanced to the eighth rank, could break through the Blue Net and dissipate the blue Yin-Yang True Qi attacking through their meridians
in one fell swoop. Hua Yinghong was sizing up Ouyang Bin, while Ouyang Bin was also carefully observing him. Both of them continuously gathered their power, infinitely increasing the threat and pressure. In terms of power, Ouyang Bin was far superior, but Hua Yinghong's Hunyuan True Qi seemed to be the nemesis of the "Blue Qi Yin-Yang Great Technique," and his Concentration Technique made him completely unfazed by the flaws Ouyang Bin deliberately revealed. For a time, the two were in a stalemate, neither daring to make a rash move.
This stalemate was extremely advantageous to Hua Yinghong. Although the swarming Free Army soldiers did not pose a great threat to these experts, the psychological impact was unavoidable. At least Hua Yinghong could act freely, unafraid of a mutually destructive fight, while Ouyang Bin would have some reservations.
However, Liu Yufei and another assassin on the other side couldn't maintain their stalemate.
The assassin Liu Yufei faced was a fat, bald monk resembling a Maitreya Buddha, his face full of flesh with a fake smile. He had a potbelly and bowlegs; it was unclear how someone with such a physique could have displayed such incredible agility and lightness of movement earlier. Now, he was constantly moving with the swiftness of a cat, his movements shifting like a ghost, seemingly about to fall but then suddenly standing firm like a mountain. His lotus-shaped hand gestures constantly monitored the blind spots of Liu Yufei's swordplay, forcing her to adjust the position of her Longquan sword accordingly, and she was gradually losing the initiative.
Liu Yufei was inexperienced and knew few people, unaware that this man before her was the "Laughing Monk" Xiao Wufa, infamous alongside "The Lustful Snake" Ouyang Bin. Xiao Wufa, whose "White Lotus Heart Sutra" originated from the White Lotus Sect of the Demonic Cult, could condense his true energy into white lotus blossoms when released, yet its power was strange and unpredictable, insidious and harmful, and his skill was no less than Ouyang Bin's. The two were birds of a feather, indulging in "Joyful Zen," practicing the art of sexual cultivation, and defiled countless wives and daughters. It was rumored that they had abducted beautiful young ladies, often exchanging partners for pleasure, a practice equally despicable. Eight years ago, Ouyang Bin was forced into hiding, and Xiao Wufa, not daring to roam alone, disappeared almost simultaneously.
Xiao Wufa's smile deepened. Being extremely obese, he had diligently practiced his footwork and lightness skills, using the mysterious White Lotus Steps to subtly shift and change positions with his plump body, turning his weakness into an advantage, fully utilizing the essence of illusion and transformation, drawing his opponents into constant shifts. The slightest opening could be met with a fatal blow from his "White Lotus Heart Sutra"!
Liu Yufei's skill was inferior to Xiao Wufa's, and she lacked experience fighting against experts. Unable to see through Xiao Wufa's true strength, and with her energy pulling her, the Longquan Sword changed faster and faster, as if it couldn't resist flying out of her hand. She was greatly alarmed, gritted her teeth, and used the "Gentle Breeze and Fine Rain" move she had recently mastered, aiming it at Xiao Wufa's unpredictable fat body!
In fact, if Liu Yufei had enough experience, and fully activated the "Heaven and Earth Technique" and the Concentration Technique, it wouldn't be difficult to see that Xiao Wufa's unpredictable movements never actually left within a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters), and she wouldn't need to make the first move. This preemptive strike gave Xiao Wufa a good opportunity to strike back!
Xiao Wufa suddenly spun like a top, gathered his hands and formed a lotus flower posture, his energy exploding with a sound, and five smooth, jade-like white lotus flowers imprinted towards Liu Yufei, targeting five vital points: the top of her head, her back, her chest, and her left and right waists. The surrounding air became incredibly hot. The first lotus-shaped energy, the starting point of the "White Lotus Heart Technique," curved around Liu Yufei's delicate body and struck her back. The five white lotuses held hidden mysteries, captivating and bizarre to the extreme. Such a wondrous skill was truly terrifying.
The "White Lotus Heart Technique" primarily cultivates the heart meridian. "The heart is pointed and round, shaped like a lotus stamen, with a unique aperture within, possessed only by those of superior wisdom." Combined with incredibly complex lotus hand gestures, it releases scorching true energy resembling a lotus stamen through the meridians of both hands. Its color is pure white, capable of burning and destroying the opponent's meridians, extremely insidious. However, while its power is fierce and domineering, it is extremely taxing on true energy and cannot be sustained. Even Xiao Wufa's skill dared not use it too often. He had already used it once during the sudden assassination attempt. Now, he used the "White Lotus Heart Technique" again, simply to seize the opportunity and defeat his enemy in one fell swoop.
Liu Yufei's "Gentle Breeze and Drizzle" sword technique was gentle, like silk and cotton, intoxicatingly sweet, and was originally an extremely powerful move. However, Xiao was unable to carry out his assassination mission at this moment and had no mercy for her. The power of this move was less than half of its usual strength. Its force, scattered like a net, clashed with Xiao's inability to concentrate his true energy on the white lotus, and the sword wind and rain were immediately shattered. Fang Xin was greatly shocked and unleashed "Sudden Wind and Rain" again. The Longquan sword brought with it rapid sword energy and crashed into the white lotuses!
The sound of exploding true energy rang out again. The Longquan Sword barely shattered four white lotuses. Liu Yufei's true energy was almost exhausted. She barely managed to use all her strength to break the white lotus that was already at her chest. The explosive force had already sent her flying. Strands of the insidious true energy of the white lotus had penetrated her chest. Instantly, her cherry lips parted, and she let out a delicate cry like a swallow with broken wings. She spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward toward the battlefield of Liu Lan, Liu Ju, An Rushan, and the others!
Xiao Wufa was not giving up. He used the White Lotus Footwork. His plump body leaped up like a ghost. He stretched out his fist and turned it into a claw, grabbing at Liu Yufei's curvaceous and beautiful body in the air! Although the Jade Dragon Secret Agent had issued a kill order, if he could capture this peerless beauty alive and take her away, and then find a way to kidnap Lu Shenggong as well, he would not only enjoy the good fortune of women, but also receive countless riches from the Shenggong Treasure Trove as a reward...
After the first strike, Xiao Wufa's ideas became more and more numerous. Suddenly, a warning flashed in his mind. His incredibly sharp senses, typical of a ninth-rank expert, detected a sharp killing intent—
Liu Yufei's pitiful screams of pain caused a slight flaw in Hua Yinghong's flawless Mind Concentration Technique. Concern clouded his judgment, and almost instinctively, he released the Dragon's Roar Blade, brimming with Primordial Chaos True Qi—"Unstoppable Force!" The most deadly of the Three Heaven-Shattering Techniques!
The Dragon's Roar Blade vanished almost instantly upon impact, like a celestial horse galloping through the sky, or a gazelle leaping across the sky, leaving no trace. When it reappeared, a faint purple blade of light, carrying immense power, had already reached less than a foot from Xiao Wufa's back!
Xiao Wufa hadn't expected that Hua Yinghong, under the immense pressure of "The Lustful Serpent" Ouyang Bin, would still disregard his own safety and release the Dragon's Roar Blade! Given his character, he would never have imagined such a selfless act of saving others, let alone consider the deep affection between Hua Yinghong and Liu Yufei, or how he wished he could take his beloved's place in danger! Fortunately, Xiao Wufa's movements and martial arts were incredibly unpredictable. In that split second, he actually grabbed his right hand, which was brimming with true energy, and pinched the tip of the blade two inches away from it. At the same time, his plump body shrank into a ball and moved to the right!
"Ah!" Xiao Wufa thought he could catch the flying blade with his powerful finger strength, but he never expected that Hua Yinghong would change his mind in the instant before the Dragon Roar Blade left his hand, transforming his Hunyuan True Energy into the indestructible and unbreakable Void-Breaking True Energy! The power of this blade was such that anyone who dared to catch it barehanded would have to be at least at the Saint rank! Xiao Wufa was careless for a moment, and his right palm was severed cleanly. He screamed in agony, truly "unable to laugh anymore."
Not only that, the Void-Breaking True Qi had already surged upwards from Xiao Wufa's severed palm, relentlessly scattering the White Lotus True Qi that came to intercept it. Xiao Wufa, already severely injured, quickly reached the vicinity of his heart meridian! Fortunately, Xiao Wufa's skill was extremely profound, and he quickly used the White Lotus Heart Technique to barely hold on, but he was already seriously injured.
"Ah!" Seeing Liu Yufei fly over his head, An Rushan, who was about to leap up to take advantage, let out a deafening scream. The extremely sharp Dragon Roar Blade severed Xiao Wufa's fingers and continued to fly forward with lightning speed, coincidentally piercing An Rushan's back and piercing his heart on the spot!
This scene was so similar to He Zongshi's surprise attack on Liu Yufei in Calabash Valley! An Rushan was fortunate to escape from the Iron Mine Camp at night because Hua Yinghong was injured and no longer planned an ambush. He also escaped through a secret passage when Hua Yinghong besieged the Jade Dragon spy liaison office. But fortune doesn't last three times, and eventually, good fortune ran out, and he died under Hua Yinghong's Dragon Roar Blade!
Seeing Liu Yufei injured and flying backward, Liu Lan and Liu Ju hurriedly picked her up and retreated into the large group of Free Army soldiers who had arrived.
The instant Hua Yinghong's Dragon Roar Blade left his hand, "The Lustful Serpent" Ouyang Bin sprang up, two shimmering blue iron wire serpents weaving a large, shimmering blue net that enveloped a two-zhang radius around Hua Yinghong, leaving him no way to escape. The net rapidly contracted, reaching only two feet above Hua Yinghong's head before two ferocious snake heads emerged from it, opening their terrifying mouths and shooting straight at Hua Yinghong like lightning!
He no longer held the Dragon Roar Blade, only his fists! Hua Yinghong clearly saw the Iron Wire Serpent's approach. He gathered his Primordial Chaos True Qi in his fists and struck directly at the two snake mouths. The Iron Wire Serpent had withstood even the Dragon Roar Blade's attack with a single strike; if he used his hand to execute a "slash" technique, he could only deflect it at most. His bare hands would be no match for it. In this critical moment, Hua Yinghong took a desperate gamble!
"Boom!"
The collision between Ouyang Bin's "Blue Qi Yin Yang Great Technique" and Hua Yinghong's Primordial Chaos True Qi produced a deafening roar. At the instant the snake's head clashed with his fists, Hua Yinghong instantly channeled his two streams of True Qi, transforming them into Void-Piercing True Qi that rapidly penetrated the snake's mouth. His original strength was inferior to Ouyang Bin's, and this further dispersal made him instantly vulnerable, spitting blood as he flew backward! A sharp pain shot through his fists; two gleaming blue fangs were embedded in each one!
Those two iron-wire serpents were the kings of serpents, and Ouyang Bin, having cultivated them for many years with the "Blue Yin-Yang Great Art," was impervious to swords and axes. Hua Yinghong's unintentional risky act struck the serpents' vital points! The two blue snakes, originally no thicker than a thumb, were each bulging into a fist-sized ball from their mouths by a burst of Void-Piercing True Qi. Their external forms remained intact, but their internal parts were churned to pieces. The Void-Piercing True Qi traveled to their tails before exploding, severing them cleanly!
"No!" Ouyang Bin, abandoning all pretense of civility, screamed madly as if mourning his parents! He had searched for the iron-wire serpents for years, exhausting his efforts and diligently cultivating them until they were perfectly integrated with the "Blue Yin-Yang Great Art," allowing him to roam freely. Now, crippled, the serpents hated Hua Yinghong to the core. He leaped into the air, lashing out at Hua Yinghong with the mangled remains of the two serpents. If the strike landed, Hua Yinghong would likely be cleaved into three pieces by the venomous snake, which was as hard as metal!
"You lewd snake!" Two palm strikes, filled with intense killing intent and burning like fire, attacked from three zhang behind Ouyang Bin. The powerful force made Ouyang Bin immediately realize that the newcomer's true energy was extremely yang, extremely strong, and extremely hot, with the hint of reaching the Samadhi True Fire. His skill was definitely not inferior to his own. If the strike landed, he would probably die on the spot!
Hua Yinghong was seriously injured. The snake venom attacked his body, and he was about to fall into a coma while in mid-air. He only felt himself falling into the arms of a soft and fragrant woman. He vaguely saw hundreds of beautiful plum blossoms bursting up and heard a beautiful voice, as melodious as a nightingale calling out urgently, "Brother Hua!" He
felt relieved and whispered "Fei'er!" before losing consciousness.

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