Chapter 56: The Northern Ambush
The northern border of the Dawnriver Kingdom was not a majestic fortification, but a rugged sentinel against the wilderness, its ancient wooden palisades weathered and deeply scarred. A dense, cold fog, thick and damp with the scent of pine and wet earth, rolled in from the north, a ghostly, silent advance that promised more than just cold. The air, usually crisp, was heavy, clinging to the skin and muting the sounds of the camp into a tense, low hum—the silence before the storm.
Lin Xuan, at the 8th Layer of Qi Transformation, stood atop the wall, his jet-black hair whipping lightly in the mist. His crimson eyes, usually burning with calculating clarity, were narrowed with fierce, primal resolve. He had felt the shift in the air days ago, a subtle, vicious spike in the demonic qi that meant the Ironfang Kingdom was no longer fighting alone. They were now bolstered by the insidious might of the Bloodshade Abyss and the brutal, savage force of the Crimson Claw Sect.
"It's a combined force," he murmured, his voice a low growl that carried only to the loyal Liu Yue by his side. "The lack of scouting reports wasn't a failure, it was a setup."
As he spoke, the fog parted just enough to reveal the enemy. Not disciplined troops, but hulking Hellbound Beasts with crimson eyes glowing like malevolent embers. Behind them, dark, chaotic qi swirled around their cultivators, a tide of pure malice surging toward the outpost.
"Form up!" Lin Xuan roared, his voice cutting through the silence like a drawn sword. "We hold them here!"
He was the first to strike. Refusing to wait for the charge to reach the wall, he leaped from the battlement, his form a crimson blur slicing through the mist. He executed Battle Soul Unity, a technique from the Scriptures of Severed Unity that temporarily fused his qi and spirit. The resulting surge of power was a devastating, condensed wave of crimson energy that targeted a gaunt figure in the enemy's front ranks: Weihai, a high-ranking elder from the Shadowfang Sect and a seemingly trusted advisor who had just been exposed as a traitor. Weihai, a seasoned cultivator at the 7th Layer Qi Transformation, barely raised his hand before the unity strike tore through his defensive shield. He staggered, a deep gash tearing across his chest, his scream choked as he crumpled.
"That's one snake down!" Lin Xuan shouted, his breathing ragged. He knew Weihai's public betrayal would send a shockwave through Dawnriver's ranks, but here, on the battlefield, it only fueled his demonic resolve.
Liu Yue, her 5th Layer Qi Transformation qi flowing with authority, unleashed her own devastating support. Her snowflake mark on her forehead blazed, and a chilling wave of mist coalesced into a colossal, graceful bird of ice—the Frost Phoenix Cry. The cry was silent, but the cold it radiated was absolute, freezing a cluster of charging Hellbound Beasts mid-stride, turning their frantic roars into silent, crystalline statues.
"I've got your right, Senior Brother—no one breaks through!" Liu Yue called out, her moonlight eyes sharp with focused determination. The cold of her Icy Skin made her appear untouchable, a goddess of winter on the brutal battlefield.
Even the young Liu Yang, his 2nd Layer Qi Gathering qi now steady, was proving his worth. He was assigned to the wall, securing the lower breaches. When a monstrous, six-legged beast lunged over a gap, Liu Yang met it not with magic, but with the raw power of his Human Emperor's bloodline. His blood-forged glaive, a shimmering extension of his will, sliced through the creature's leg, and he followed up with a fierce, qi-infused kick, rolling the beast back into the mist. "Next!" he yelled, the burden of his heritage giving way to the simple, fierce instinct of a warrior.
As the battle raged, the loyal forces fought with a fury born of conviction. They repelled wave after wave, their unity a fragile but powerful shield.
Back in the Sunpetal Palace, the betrayal had already run its course. Ji Yunjing, at the peak of the 3rd Layer Profound Heavenly Realm, stood in the echoing throne room, his face etched with both fury and the bitter sting of deception. He issued the order for Weihai's arrest, the betrayal a weight that pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to grow into the leadership he craved.
Meanwhile, Bai Ningxue, her 7th Layer Qi Transformation aura a calming presence, used her Thousand Lotus Seal Art to purify the lingering, poisonous qi left by Weihai's contacts. Her seals, shimmering like delicate white petals, uncovered deeper plots—a chilling network woven by the Wudu Clan, utilizing Weihai's access to military intelligence.
"Wudu's been pulling strings," she reported to the king, her voice quiet but firm. "It wasn't just money; they were planting poisons and false intelligence."
Lin Xuan, back from the front and seizing the opportunity created by the chaos, moved with his characteristic cunning. He utilized his Illusion Diversion to subtly plant a sleeper agent—a fiercely loyal recruit disguised as a disillusioned defector—deep within the palace's lower ranks, giving him a direct line into the enemy's future planning.
"This'll give us an edge," he said to Liu Yue, his tone thoughtful as he mapped out their next move. "We use their complacency against them."
The ambush was survived, the retreat secured. But the victory felt temporary. The discovery of the deeper plot with the Wudu Clan and the Ironfang Kingdom meant the war had just become a terrifying, three-sided game of shadows and steel.