Chapter 197
The north wind howled across the endless Gobi.
Unlike other fortresses guarding strategic paths with natural defenses, Ju He Pass stood at the bleeding edge of this battlefield. Tiger-Chasing had seized and garrisoned it just a month prior.
This outpost jutted into the battle zone like an arrowhead, stretching nearly a hundred miles ahead of the main front. It lay equally distant from both enemy lines and allied rear positions. Unless the entire front advanced, the pass faced relentless attacks from three directions.
At first, only ordinary soldiers harassed the defenses, easily driven back. But over half a month ago, Eastern Wilderness cultivators began appearing among the raiding parties. Though they’d never broken the Heartfire Technique, they’d found other workarounds. During the assault on Ju He Pass, these cultivators ignored foot soldiers entirely, hammering the walls and gates to force Tiger-Chasing’s accompanying cultivators into the open.
Ju He Pass’ defenders included one eleventh-level Gathering Qi captain, three ninth-level deputies, and six seventh-level practitioners. To protect the walls, the cultivators had no choice but to engage outside.
It was a trap.
Two shadows hidden among common troops launched their ambush. The six seventh-level practitioners fell in moments. The three ninth-level cultivators lasted slightly longer before being cut down. The captain managed to send a distress signal, but enemy attacks overwhelmed him before reinforcements arrived—he perished under the combined assault of two individuals.
With defenders eliminated, Eastern Wilderness forces retreated swiftly. Tiger-Chasing reinforcements arrived too late, finding only corpses.
To bolster defenses, Tiger-Chasing dispatched a twelfth-level Gathering Qi cultivator from Qiulu’s small families—a competent fighter for his realm. Yet seven days later, another distress call came. They found him lifeless at his post.