Tiger's Back, North Mountain.

Hong Zuer stood in the mountain hollow, looking up towards the hillside.

The fire from the south of the mountain was still burning towards the north. The mountain wind blew the sparks across the ridge, like a surging red tsunami sweeping over the peak.

The sky was brightly lit.

At the moment the sky brightened, Hong Zuer saw the Mo Blade soldiers stationed on horseback in the middle of the mountain, hidden behind the trees.

The Mo Blade soldiers had encircled the Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army.

All five hundred Mo Blade soldiers were here. Previously, the detonated firearms of the Divine Machine Camp seemed not to have harmed the Jing Dynasty's Tiger and Leopard Cavalry... the Divine Machine Camp had failed.

Longevity Army's Gao Yuan's expression darkened: "Yuan Henlizhen knows he has already missed the envoys and does not intend to pursue further. He plans to encircle us and provoke the Night Patrol into rushing up to their deaths."

Hong Zuer frowned without speaking.

Although the slope of Tiger's Back was gentle, the Mo Blade soldiers, clad in heavy armor and descending with momentum, could scatter them in an instant.

Hong Zuer said gravely, "We can't go up and rescue anyone; the Mo Blade soldiers are waiting for us. Once we go up, we'll all be shredded."

Zhou Fang from the Five Armies Camp thought for a moment, "The mountain fire will soon reach the north side. Yuan Henlizhen also knows he can't stay long. If we charge up there, pretending that Chongli Pass's army is arriving, he might not dare to keep tangling with us. By then, we just need to open a gap, and Wu Yihang can break out with the Yulin Army."

Hong Zuer turned to him and said firmly, "Don't gamble. Yuan Henlizhen is no fool. He knows our General cannot deploy troops outside the pass without permission. You can't bluff him. Abandon this place; let's go to Wafangou."

"Abandon this place? Abandon the Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army?" Zhou Fang stared straight at Hong Zuer: "No way, this would be certain death for Wu Yihang and his men."

"Why is the Five Armies Camp acting all soft-hearted? It's all woman's compassion!" Hong Zuer said coldly, "Do you think the Divine Machine Camp left Chongli Pass first because they wanted to die? They intended to perish with the Jing Dynasty forces using firearms, so they set off before us to avoid implicating us. Wu Yihang understands life better than you; he knows this is the fate of the Night Patrol!"

Zhou Fang shouted angrily, "Hong Zuer, don't be insane. That's more than two hundred lives, all because you want to kill the envoy. The Five Armies Camp shouldn't have come with you! I told you, letting Yuan Cheng go back benefits our court greatly and harms us not at all, but you wouldn't listen, insisting on risking everything for personal revenge!"

Hong Zuer rode up to Zhou Fang, gritting his teeth as he asked, "I'm insane? Benefits with no harm? You think I want to kill Yuan Cheng just for personal reasons?"

He pointed in the direction of Chongli Pass, snarling, "Who in Chongli Pass doesn't hate Yuan Cheng? Who hasn't lost a loved one because of him? The day he turned eleven of my Night Patrol into human swine and displayed them under the city, have you all forgotten? Recently, when the border army soldiers heard that Mr. Wang had captured Yuan Cheng alive, the whole city celebrated. Even the General allowed us to drink as an exception. Do you know what they would think if they knew Yuan Cheng was released back to the court?"

Hong Zuer asked word by word, "The court can breed a few thousand more horses, but can it regain the people's hearts once lost? You can count the horses, but can you count the people's hearts?"

He continued, "Have you ever thought that if the court releases Yuan Cheng, the next time the Jing Dynasty army advances south, how many border troops will be willing to sacrifice for Chongli Pass?"

Hong Zuer's angry voice echoed through the mountains.

All the Night Patrols were silent.

The Night Patrols also knew how angry and disappointed the border army would be if Yuan Cheng were sent back to the Jing Dynasty. Those people's hearts were not something that a few thousand horses could compare to.

Gao Yuan said softly, "Mr. Hong, when has the court ever cared about the military morale of the border town?"

"We care," Hong Zuer panted as he spoke, "The grand officials on the court dare trade everything because the blade isn't on them, because their dreams and aspirations don't include people like us. But I can't bother with so much; I only see what's in front of me."

Zhou Fang was silent for a long time, "What do you plan to do now?"

Hong Zuer pointed north, "Yuan Henlizhen wants to leave Da Ma Mountain, and he must pass through Wafangou. We'll intercept him there. With the terrain advantage, even if the Mo Blade soldiers come, we can still take a piece from them. Everyone, the matter of the Jing Dynasty envoy is over; we've done our best. But crossing our Ning Dynasty boundary without permission cannot come without a price, and the Divine Machine Camp did not die in vain."

Divine Machine Camp's Zhou Fang looked towards the hillside, knowing this was the only solution, but still hesitated.

Longevity Army's Gao Yuan gritted his teeth, "Do as Hong Zuer said, let's go."

However, just as Hong Zuer prepared to ride away, the mountain wind blew the sparks over the ridge, illuminating a black silhouette sticking to the shadows, holding an enormous Mo Blade, heading towards the hillside.

Hong Zuer was stunned.

The Night Patrol was going down the mountain while that person was heading up the mountain alone against the firelight.

As the mountain fire illuminated him, the armored soldier leaned against a pine tree to prevent the alert Mo Blade soldiers from the mountain from seeing him.

From the mountain, he was invisible, but the Night Patrol down the hill could see clearly that this armored soldier seemed unconcerned about being seen by the Night Patrol, vaguely exchanging glances with Hong Zuer and others across the distance.

Hong Zuer looked intently and saw that the person wore the Mo Blade armor and carried a Mo Blade, yet did not resemble a Mo Blade soldier.

"Where did this Mo Blade soldier come from? A straggler?"

"Seems not. Mo Blade soldiers wouldn't hide their tracks going up the mountain."

When Hong Zuer wanted to take a closer look, the ridge's fire dimmed again, and the solitary armored figure melded back into the darkness.

When the firelight came again, the armored soldier was no longer in his original spot, whereabouts unknown.

"Who?" Hong Zuer was suspicious, "Is it one of ours?"

Zhou Fang and others turned to count people, "No, all our people are here."

Who besides the Night Patrol and Mo Blade soldiers could it be?

A name flashed in Hong Zuer's mind, "Is it..."

Gao Yuan puzzled, "Who is it?"

Hong Zuer shook his head, "It shouldn't be."

Gao Yuan said solemnly, "One person going up won't help; let's go, the mountain fire is coming, to Wafangou."

"Wait," Hong Zuer hesitated. "Perhaps there's a turn for the better, let's wait and see!"

Zhou Fang puzzled, "Earlier it was you who wanted to abandon the Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army, now why are you hesitating?"

Hong Zuer didn't argue, just fixed his gaze on the mountain, "Let's wait a little longer."

...

...

On the mountainside, Mo Blade soldiers surrounded the Divine Machine Camp and Yulin Army, resembling a giant millstone, grinding their formation tighter and tighter.

There were over two hundred Yulin Army when they arrived, now only one hundred twenty-seven remained, and the Night Patrol of the Divine Machine Camp were almost all casualties.

The battlefield was full of blood and horse carcasses.

Qi Zhenzhuo and Duobao guarded the flanks of Li Xuan, their eyes tearing: "Governor, what do we do?"

Li Xuan, holding the Feibai Sword, looked around blankly, blood from colleagues spattered on his silver armor and white robe.

The next moment, he gathered his spirit, shouted low: "Do you still remember the Mandarin Duck Formation? Follow me out of here."

He spurred his horse towards the Mo Blade Formation to charge, two armored soldiers simultaneously wielded their Mo Blades, like a pair of scissors coming to shred him and his warhorse.

Li Xuan swung his sword, raising a streak of Feibai, striking at the intersection of the two Mo Blades, forcibly lifting them up.

The two Mo Blade soldiers seemed surprised to find such a Seeking Dao Realm expert hidden among the Yulin Army, and were unprepared, their Mo Blades raised high from that strike, leaving their chests exposed.

The next moment, Qi Zhenzhuo and Duobao, like spearmen in the Mandarin Duck Formation, each clutched a long spear with their elbows and thrust forward swiftly and urgently, in perfect coordination.

Caught unprepared, the two Mo Blade soldiers were pierced through their chests and abdomens, thrust off their horses.

The moment was swift, and by the time the Mo Blade soldiers gathered around, Zhou Chong, Zhou Li, and others were already covering the retreat of Qi Zhenzhuo and Duobao back into formation.

Qi Zhenzhuo whispered, "It works!"

At this time, Li Xuan bent while galloping and flicked up a discarded Mo Blade with his sword tip.

He sheathed the Feibai, and holding the seven-foot-long Mo Blade, examined it. Though named a blade, it had edges on both sides like a large sword.

In mounted combat, a sword was too short and unwieldy.

Li Xuan used the Mo Blade as a two-handed greatsword; as two more Mo Blade soldiers charged, they saw him wield this Mo Blade, casting a streak of Feibai.

In the Seeking Dao Realm, the heavy Mo Blade felt weightless in his hands, and he truly used the Li Family's "Feibai" technique. The strike sent the two incoming Mo Blades flying.

Another streak of Feibai appeared, slashing horizontally, cutting the two Mo Blade soldiers in half at the waist.

Outside the battle array, someone exclaimed in admiration: "Good swordsmanship, using my Tiger and Leopard Cavalry's Mo Blade to wield Sword Intent, you're the first... What a fine head, may I borrow it for a moment!"

Li Xuan ignored the speaker, focused only on leading the Yulin Army through the chaos, charging down the mountain.

But the surrounding Mo Blade soldiers suddenly parted, an armored general clad in black armor with a black mask, wielding a Mo Blade, charged in from horseback.

This Mo Blade was different from others; its blade bore golden patterns, like a golden dragon spewing its blade, bestowed by the Emperor of the Jing Dynasty, inscribed with the imperial edict "Bravery Crown of the Three Armies."

Champion Marquis, Yuan Heng Lizhen.

In an instant, Yuan Heng Lizhen's Mo Blade collided with Li Xuan's, creating a boundless whirlwind that blinded onlookers.

Their Mo Blades clashed briefly, Yuan Heng Lizhen laughed loudly, "Again!"

The surrounding Mo Blade soldiers silently cleared the area, leaving Yuan Heng Lizhen and Li Xuan to duel. This man, a martial fool, sought to measure skills with any expert he encountered.

As the Mo Blade soldiers withdrew, the Yulin Army saw outside the battle array, a woman in purple stood embracing a blade, with a worn sachet hanging from her waist.

A scar on the woman's left cheek stretched from her cheekbone to behind her ear, her earlobe pierced by what seemed to have been an arrow, which slashed her face and pierced her ear, marring her with a stern aura.

Within the battle array, the combat between Li Xuan and Yuan Heng Lizhen was extremely intense.

Outside the battle array, the woman leaned quietly against a pine tree with her long knife, extremely still. The world's tumult did not touch her, no one could disturb her tranquility.

The woman silently watched the battle array as Yuan Heng Lizhen delivered a sweeping strike, carrying the force of wind and thunder, slamming into the center of Li Xuan's raised Mo Blade with a clang. The warhorse could not withstand the terrifying power, collapsing with Li Xuan tumbling down.

As Li Xuan fell with the warhorse, he slashed horizontally in mid-air, severing Yuan Heng Lizhen's mount's front legs.

Unable to support itself, Yuan Heng Lizhen's horse collapsed with Li Xuan's, and in a flash, a sword seed pierced through the surging crowd, heading straight for Yuan Heng Lizhen's face.

Unable to dodge in time, Yuan Heng Lizhen barely leaned his head back to avoid it.

The brass sword seed grazed the edge of his black mask, splitting it in two.

Half the mask fell away, revealing a youthful half face of Yuan Heng Lizhen, with a slender scar on his left cheek, from which neat blood seeped.

The woman in purple finally stood upright, "Sword seed?"

Yuan Heng Lizhen rolled up from the ground, wiped the blood from his face with his thumb, and turned his head sharply.

He saw a shadow flash through the forest, discarding the Mo Blade in hand, running toward the flame-licked mountain ridge.

"Chase!"