Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Exposure

After Han Wang was sent to the rear for recovery, only Yang Guanfeng and Yingxuan remained in the squad. Following reorganization, both were assigned to a mobile unit of eight members.

The mobile unit answered directly to frontline commanders rather than any specific garrison, deploying wherever needed.

Yang Guanfeng and Yingxuan had barely recovered from their injuries—not even resting a full day—when orders came to march north and reinforce retreating troops.

Departing that night, the team began trekking along the eastern border.

"Squad Leader, why dispatch us? This journey alone takes over ten days. Has the north run out of mobile units?"

A young cultivator who’d spent his first border year in the central region asked. Having served mainly with Tiger-Chasing forces, he knew little of northern affairs.

"The northern border touches both the Eastern Wilderness Seventh Prince and Third Prince’s lands," Yang Guanfeng explained, familiar with Black Tiger Camp’s northern operations. "With open plains dominating the terrain, defensive pressures and battle ferocity far exceed central or southern regions."

He added, "Northern forces also endure constant Tianyou raids—attacks from multiple fronts happen daily. Their mobile units remain perpetually understaffed."

"Hmm… I see. I spoke without proper insight."

Learning this, the squad quickened their pace.

After eight days of forced marches, they reached a moonlit riverbank at midnight where retreating troops were crossing. Flickering beams of light glowed behind the main force—two Tiger-Chasing accompanying cultivators were pinned by three foes.

Yang Guanfeng’s unit immediately forded the river. The three Eastern Wilderness cultivators tried to flee upon seeing reinforcements but were overtaken. Two fell in combat while the third surrendered.

With the eight mobile cultivators’ aid, the retreating troops completed the crossing before dawn.

"Thank you, friends! I’ll ensure your deeds are recognized upon our return," the relieved commander said as the army reached the Safe Area.

Yang Guanfeng dismissed the praise. "We’re comrades—save formalities. Where are the remaining accompanying cultivators?"

"They stayed behind to delay enemy forces during the crossing," the commander replied, unrolling a map to mark their approximate position.

Leaving four members to guard the retreat, Yang Guanfeng led Yingxuan and two others across the river. Tracking the map’s guidance, they detected fluctuations of spiritual energy by dusk. The trail led to four figures in a hidden depression.

Their armor hung in bloodied shreds, revealing severe injuries. As Yang Guanfeng’s group neared, the four instantly formed defensive positions.

Spotting them from afar, Yang Guanfeng signaled his team to slow down with a covert hand gesture. Yingxuan and the others tensed, quietly channeling spiritual power.

Having never seen these accompanying cultivators’ faces—knowing only their cultivation ranks and genders—they couldn’t dismiss the possibility of enemy forces in disguise.

The four approached cautiously, halting ten paces away.

“Has it snowed in Qiulu this year?”

“It snowed early this year. Three times already.”

After confirming the passphrase, the four accompanying cultivators finally relaxed their stance, withdrawing their spiritual power.

Just as Yingxuan and the two others began lowering their guard, Yang Guanfeng suddenly made a coded hand signal they all recognized. Their nerves tightened instantly.

These four were Eastern Wilderness cultivators!

The trio felt shocked – they’d detected nothing wrong with the imposters who’d even used the correct passphrase. This revealed their lack of battlefield experience; they’d missed subtle clues obvious to veterans.

Yang Guanfeng had been suspicious from the start. Two wore ill-fitting armor – impossible among Tiger-Chasing Frontline fighters whose gear was custom-fitted. While battle damage or borrowing gear could explain this, he remained wary.

When the imposters relaxed, Yang Guanfeng spotted the final clue: their careless control of spiritual power, lacking frontline soldiers’ discipline. This sloppiness marked them as sect disciples.

Yingxuan, the dynasty princess, maintained her palace-trained composure. But her companions’ expressions shifted noticeably.

"We appreciate your assistance, Friend."

"Following orders. You’ve endured much."

As Yang Guanfeng closed to three paces from their leader, both struck simultaneously. The enemy spat a blood arrow he’d been preparing, while Yang Guanfeng’s Force Technique erupted. His punch’s shockwave alone smashed the projectile from midair.

"An actual expert!"

The Eastern Wilderness leader’s eyes narrowed. Blood energy flared as he attacked seriously now. Yingxuan’s group engaged the remaining three.

Though all six shared equal cultivation levels, Yingxuan’s Spirit Communication techniques overwhelmed her opponent instantly. Golden threads of her offensive technique forced him into desperate retreat.

"Senior Brother! This woman’s different!"

The leader’s gaze snapped to Yingxuan’s glowing golden threads. Excitement lit his face.

"Fortune smiles! To encounter this prize!"

After last month’s major battle between the two factions, they received a secret letter from their sect along with a specialized Thought Transmission device.

The letter described a specific cultivator: a woman around seventeen years old, approximately five feet tall, practicing metal techniques that materialized as golden threads capable of precise cutting.

This woman matched perfectly!

Realizing this, the cultivator abandoned all thoughts of fighting Yang Guanfeng and fired off his hidden trump card, the Blood Explosion Technique.

While Yang Guanfeng dodged backward, the attacker crushed a Jade Pendant on his person.

"Calling for backup?"

Yang Guanfeng frowned, sensing a spiritual thought dart away. It made no sense – if Eastern Wilderness reinforcements were nearby, they could’ve ambushed them in the lowland earlier or flanked them during battle. Even if summoning help now, no Gathering Qi cultivator could arrive quickly enough.

His gaze snapped to Yingxuan. In that instant, understanding struck.

"Trouble!"

He lunged, kicking away Yingxuan’s opponent and throwing her over his shoulder as he bolted toward Tiger-Chasing territory. The truth burned in his chest – Eastern Wilderness sects must’ve detected Yingxuan’s protective artifact during last month’s clash. That Jade Pendant wasn’t for summoning help… it was a capture signal!

"Run all you want!" sneered the lead sect cultivator.

Black energy streaked across the sky behind him, bearing down on the fugitives. Crushing mental pressure nearly knocked Yang Guanfeng unconscious until Chen Yang’s transmitted Method for Cultivating Calmness of Mind and Soul surged through him. Muttering the stabilizing mantra, he shook off the mental assault.

"Hmm?"

The black energy rippled with surprise. From a swirling plume of smoke emerged Tiger-Chasing’s hidden Condensing Essence cultivator, his true essence slicing through the mental attack.

"Stop here, Friend," he declared. "Further movement would be… unwise."