Qing Shan County, Wolf's Fang Ridge.
Tall mountains and dense forests were scattered everywhere, giving this place a unique character.
Deep within the mountain forests were troops sent from the Southern Domain. Yang Duo was currently explaining the situation to them.
They stood in the forest on the mountain slope, looking around or at the warriors and soldiers lying on the ground. All were dressed in motley clothing and wore no imperial uniform. Had it not been for the weapons lying beside them, they would have been utterly unrecognizable.
"Wolf's Fang Ridge became known as 'Bandit Wolf's Fangs' because of the bandits here. I wiped out all the bandits yesterday. Afterwards, we can use their flag and disguise ourselves as bandits," Xiang Wu Ren, dressed in motley clothing, reported.
Yang Duo scoffed,
"More than ten thousand warriors and over a thousand cavalry dare to attack an army? Even I, with no military training, would know these aren't just bandits."
Xiang Wu Ren shook his head:
"It doesn't matter. The main thing is to attack; whether they guess or not is irrelevant. This is just a pretext. It's better not to attack them officially. I've already made arrangements with the bandits long ago, and the other subordinates aren't aware of the true situation." He waved his hand, pointing to the other side.
Following his direction, towering mountains stretched out on the other side of the ridge. Pointing there, Xiang Wu Ren said,
"That's precisely where the road lies, the one they will inevitably take towards Cang Wu County. As soon as their cavalry reaches that point, we'll ambush them from all sides. As for the main objective, that will depend on the esteemed mentors."
Yang Duo nodded slightly.
The two men descended the mountain slope and climbed the opposite one. Before they had gone far, a person approached them. Yang Duo waved his hand, signaling Xiang Wu Ren to go to his assigned side, while he himself remained on that mountain slope. Here, several dozen cultivators stood, each one discontent, holding evidence of why they were there. Watching this, Yang Duo sighed.
They hid in the mountains for half a day. As dusk began to fall, movement suddenly appeared.
All the cultivators, having tucked their legs beneath them, rose. Yang Duo soared upwards and, floating on the wind, instantly reached Xiang Wu Ren. Before he could even ask, Xiang Wu Ren immediately began to report:
"News has come from the forward scouts. The target will arrive soon. I request all mentors to prepare..."
A wide plain, abandoned, unplowed fields. Several thousand soldiers were approaching. These were the 4,000 soldiers Feng Ru Jie had dispatched for Feng Ru Nan.
Sitting on his horse, Niu You Dao constantly surveyed his surroundings. Ever since they entered Qing Shan County, he had noticed that this county was far poorer than Kuangai County. The county and regional governor here must be significantly inferior to Feng Lin Bo. He often saw gnawed human remains, with no one bothering to care for them. It was no wonder many people had fled to Kuangai County.
At the same time, Lan Ruo Ting rode his horse, continuously consulting a map. He rode up to Chao Zong and said something.
Chao Zong raised a hand: "Halt!" Simultaneously, he looked at Feng Ru Nan and gestured to her.
Feng Ru Nan also stopped her people and, while waiting for Lan Ruo Ting and Chao Zong, asked indifferently,
"What is it now?"
Lan Ruo Ting, pointing to the mountains, spoke:
"Princess, ahead lies Wolf's Fang Ridge. This is a place we will undoubtedly pass through on our way to Cang Wu County. If anyone wishes to obstruct us, they will certainly do so at this very spot."
Feng Ru Nan surveyed the area and said indifferently,
"Who would dare hide several thousand soldiers here? Besides imperial warriors, who would dare attack us? Do you think the imperial court would dare? Moreover, our scouts have already ridden through, yet found nothing. What do you make of that?"
Lan Ruo Ting smiled and said,
"Princess, it's always better to be cautious." He looked at Bai Yao and added,
"Perhaps it would be best to send some high-level mentors?"
"Hmph!" Feng Ru Nan scoffed dismissively. In truth, she also thought that excessive caution wouldn't hurt. However, she disliked Chao Zong's subordinates telling her what to do. So she pointed at Niu You Dao:
"You have mentors, don't you? Let them go and check."
Niu You Dao turned to her and immediately clutched his lower back:
"We've been riding for so long... When can we dismount? My back feels like it's falling apart!"
Feng Ru Nan looked at him with disdain:
"Fraud! Scoundrel!"
"Since the Princess requests a check..." Bai Yao nodded.
After all, they were working for a common cause. He turned back and instructed four Heavenly Jade Sect cultivators:
"Go and scout the area thoroughly."
The four disciples immediately soared away, covering a distance of a hundred zhang in an instant.
With each leap, they covered two to three hundred meters. For Yuan Gang, this was simply inconceivable. He couldn't comprehend how it happened.
Along the way, Niu You Dao had already explained to him that one could generate wings from Qi, which an ordinary person simply couldn't see. But Niu You Dao and other cultivators could see them. This Qi was pale in color and projected outwards. With its help, they could soar high. This Qi, as Niu You Dao had said, was a type of dark matter that ordinary people couldn't perceive. For instance: an ordinary person couldn't see a spirit; it was a concentration of dark matter, but a cultivator could. If a person couldn't see dark matter, then Niu You Dao and other cultivators could. This ability was called the "All-Seeing Eye."
Those who leaped far could be Zhu Ji realm cultivators. And those who could leap even further were Jin Dan realm cultivators. However, everyone eventually had to land to propel themselves high again. The difference lay in who could glide longer and leap higher.
If they jumped downhill, they could stay airborne even longer and cover greater distances. However, the difference between a Zhu Ji cultivator and a Jin Dan cultivator was vast. There was a disparity in Qi density, Qi intensity, and in the quality and quantity of their magical power. A Zhu Ji cultivator would expend a lot of magical power using wings, as they would also encounter air resistance and friction while flapping. Therefore, Zhu Ji cultivators couldn't fly for long. Jin Dan cultivators, however, could fly for much longer. Their Qi was denser and more intense, and their magical power was stronger and more abundant.
However, to an ordinary person, there was no difference between a Jin Dan and a Zhu Ji cultivator. They would simply jump high and could already strike everyone down.
As for cultivators of even higher levels, such as Yuan Ying cultivators, they were simply freed from the shackles of the body. They were as if reborn. Their Qi unfolded freely across the heavens and earth. Zhu Ji and Jin Dan cultivators, when releasing Qi, would still expend it on air resistance. But Yuan Ying cultivators were free from this. When they soared in the sky, they truly flew like deities. Ordinary people indeed regarded them as gods.
Niu You Dao, of course, couldn't jump as far as the cultivators who had rushed ahead. However, using his strength to leap several tens of meters would be no problem for him. He could also effortlessly run across water.
Very quickly, the Heavenly Jade Sect disciples vanished into the mountains.
From their perspective, the four disciples were hidden from view, but in the mountains, they were now prominently revealed.
"This is bad!" Xiang Wu Ren cried out in alarm.
Hidden near the thorny bushes, Yang Duo looked at the general, who had been confident moments ago:
"If they probe any deeper, they'll discover the multitude of people in ambush!"
Xiang Wu Ren clenched his fists. He feared their ambush would be exposed. Why had the opponents decided to send scouts again? And high-level mentors, no less! Previously, he had taken precautions, keeping his men hidden deep in the wilderness.
Seeing that the four cultivators were mainly inspecting the area near the road, a glimmer of hope appeared for Xiang Wu Ren. He immediately gave the order:
"Everyone, conceal yourselves thoroughly!"
The person standing behind him immediately relayed the command for everyone to hide.
Not long after, those four disciples had already flown close. They were now examining this thicket. After all, birds had suddenly taken flight here. Most likely, someone was hiding. With so many people hastily concealing themselves, of course, traces would be left behind. One cultivator flew closer and spotted a soldier attempting to hide.
"Clang!" A soldier immediately drew his sword.
"Be careful, there's an ambush here!"
The other three cultivators also sensed something amiss and began to withdraw.
The four cultivators headed back. Yang Duo and the others also emerged. Yang Duo, looking at the general, said,
"They've been startled. We've kicked the grass to startle the snake. A sudden attack is now impossible. It will be difficult to achieve the objective. They are very cautious. Explain everything well to the regional governor." Yang Duo had found a convenient excuse not to attack.
"How do you know they'll flee? Feng Ru Nan is not one to run away. There's still a chance!" Xiang Wu Ren retorted, then turned his head and shouted,
"Pass on the order: everyone assemble and prepare for an unexpected attack!"