Early morning.
As Lin Zhao came online, a bell sound reached his ears. Under the tempering of the Azure Flame Rock, his second flying sword, Hao Ran, had reached level 2 in just a few days and awakened its second divine ability—
"Ding!"
System prompt: Congratulations, your flying sword [Hao Ran] (Immortal Grade) has been upgraded to level 2 and has successfully awakened the divine ability [Shou Xin]!
"Shou Xin?"
Lin Zhao's expression tightened, and he quickly opened the flying sword's attributes. A new divine ability icon appeared in his view.
[Shou Xin]: Passive, immune to 75% of the effect of all control and slow skills.
The second divine ability was actually passive!
He was a little surprised, but then he felt happy. This passive ability was already considered a divine skill. A 75% reduction in negative effects meant that if he was slowed by 80%, under the protection of the flying sword Hao Ran, he would only be slowed by 20%. If he was silenced for 4 seconds, he would only be silenced for 1 second. Combined with the Clarity Talisman, wouldn't he be invincible in team battles?
Let alone controlling me, even if I'm controlled, I'll be back on my feet in an instant.
This divine ability was actually quite infuriating. It could counter many things. Players and professions that relied on control and debuff effects would essentially weep tears when encountering an unreasonable swordsman like Lin Zhao.
"Not bad..."
Lin Zhao, feeling pleased with himself, rode his horse down the mountain to level up. Before any plot quests were triggered, he would focus on grinding. A true man should strive for self-improvement!
...
To the south.
A sudden heavy snowfall descended upon an area of hundreds of miles around Mirror Lake. Amidst the swirling snow, the Lin Lu Army, which had already led its troops to approach Mirror Lake, was caught off guard. However, just as they were about to set up camp, the horns of the demon race sounded from afar. Li Chunyang hastily ordered them to form ranks and prepare for battle, so nearly 200,000 troops quickly mobilized, with infantry at the front and cavalry on the flanks.
But the demon race did not launch an immediate attack.
As a result, the Lin Lu Army endured the biting cold in the snow for a full half-day. Just as Li Chunyang ordered a retreat to set up camp, the demon race's horns sounded again. This repeated several times, so that after one day in the game, the Lin Lu Army was exhausted. Many soldiers fell ill after spending an entire day in the snow.
"Damn it!"
Li Chunyang stood beneath the grand banner, his horse motionless, looking up at the sky with a frown. "Where did this heavy snow come from?! The news from the Shanhai Division cultivators said there would be no rain or snow in this area for ten days!"
"Indeed."
Advisor Qin Shang frowned. "This snow is incredibly strange. It's likely the work of the deities of wind and rain."
"Old Qin,"
Li Chunyang said, "Why don't we set up an altar and command the deities of wind and rain?"
"Difficult."
Qin Shang replied, "In the past, the deities of wind and rain in these tens of thousands of miles of territory were all under the jurisdiction of Yu Shi Yue Ling. This Yue Ling is the son of Yue Hao. Later, he was displeased with Marquis Wen's overall strategy for the entire empire and has almost ceased all interaction with the Shanhai Division of the Great Shang Dynasty. In fact, I already issued a decree to Yu Shi two hours ago, but Yue Ling has not appeared."
"Damn!"
Li Chunyang clenched his fist in anger. "A mere eleventh-realm Yu Shi, how dare he be so arrogant?"
"There's nothing we can do."
Qin Shang frowned. "Although I am eleventh-realm, my cultivation foundation is ultimately insufficient. If there were a twelfth-realm cultivator accompanying the army, perhaps Yue Ling would not dare to be so presumptuous and would be kneeling before the great general with utmost fear."
Li Chunyang's gaze turned icy as he looked forward. "The demon race attacks without attacking, and retreats without retreating. They are trying to wear down the Lin Lu Army with a war of attrition! What do you think, Old Qin?"
Qin Shang took a deep breath. "Order the First Legion to stand by and intercept the demon cavalry at any time. The remaining legions will retreat five miles to set up camp and rest. Tomorrow morning, the entire army will attack. Yu Feng has been toying with us like this repeatedly; he must be lacking confidence, otherwise, given the demon race's temperament, they would have charged in long ago."
"Good!"
...
As night fell, only 30,000 human soldiers remained on standby, while the rest retreated to set up camp. But just as the Lin Lu Army was preparing to cook, the thunder of hooves approached. Yu Feng personally led 30,000 cavalry in a fierce charge, causing the 30,000 human infantry to collapse directly, suffering heavy losses. After routing these 30,000 soldiers, the demon cavalry disappeared without a trace.
That night, no one in the Lin Lu Army slept peacefully. Li Chunyang and Qin Shang were also sleepless. Having fought their entire lives, they had never encountered such a cunning demon commander. Yu Feng's reputation for being both learned and martial seemed to be true.
At dawn, the entire Lin Lu Army was exhausted.
At this moment, the demon race, having eaten and rested, launched a surprise attack on the camp. As the human tents turned into seas of fire, Li Chunyang personally led the Lin Lu cavalry to engage, fighting the demon cavalry in the snow until dawn. Both sides suffered losses before withdrawing.
In the hasty battle, Yu Feng lost over 8,000 men, leaving him with only 25,000 cavalry, many of whom were injured, weakening their fighting strength. The human side, though suffering heavy losses, still had its main force. If the battle continued, it was likely that not a single cavalryman from the demon race would return.
Lin Lu Army.
Li Chunyang, protected by a group of Lin Lu cavalry, retreated north, his face pale. Although he had not underestimated the enemy, he had still underestimated Yu Feng's cunning and the combat power of the demon cavalry. In this rushed battle, his 200,000-strong Lin Lu Army had suffered over 70,000 casualties, while the demon race had lost no more than 10,000 men. This made Li Chunyang realize again that their victory against the demon race in the past was because Lin Baiyi had already laid the groundwork. Now, without any planning, facing Yu Feng, they had lost in both strategy and combat strength, and how could they not suffer heavy losses?
"Continue to guard Gu Xiao Pass."
Advisor Qin Shang's expression was also extremely grim. With him in command of the central army, they still suffered such a crushing defeat. The demon race's attrition tactics and their timing of attacks had practically trampled his eleven-realm strategist's wisdom underfoot. He glanced into the distance and said, "This demon force is difficult to deal with, but as long as we hold Gu Xiao Pass, preventing them from advancing or retreating, they will eventually run out of supplies. Even if they don't starve, they will freeze to death in the end!"
"Indeed."
Li Chunyang nodded. "Old Qin is absolutely right!"
...
In the flying snow, the demon cavalry returned to their camp at Mirror Lake. Yu Feng's expression was cold. The sharpness he had displayed when marching south from Gu Xiao Pass had been blunted. He was ashamed to even mention the boasts he had made when leaving the Yu Clan Dynasty. Words like "50,000 cavalry marching south, crushing the backbone of the human race" could no longer be uttered. In fact, although the average combat strength of the human race could not compare to that of the demon race, Li Chunyang's defense of Gu Xiao Pass had always held Yu Feng by the throat.
What was the point of a small victory? If he couldn't get past Gu Xiao Pass, he would be buried in this ice and snow.
"My Lord, where should we go next?"
A commander of ten thousand cavalry asked, his voice weary. "The soldiers are almost at their limit, and the warhorses need rest. Moreover, the dry rations we carry are only enough for one more day. There are no nearby villages. If we don't find a way out in a day or two, our current perilous situation will become a desperate one."
Yu Feng's sword-like eyebrows furrowed. "Gu Xiao Pass has been blocked by that old fox Li Chunyang. It is almost impossible for us to return to the Northern Region through Gu Xiao Pass. Therefore, there is only one other path for our return to the north."
"You mean..."
The commander of ten thousand cavalry stared in disbelief. "Snow Region Heavenly Pool?"
"Precisely!"
"However, the two thirteenth-realm experts of the demon race were repelled at Snow Region Heavenly Pool last time. It is said that a person named Bai Yi is now leading a Snow Region Army there, with eleventh-realm experts like Wu Zhi and Mu Zha under his command. If we forcefully attack Snow Region Heavenly Pool, we will likely suffer heavy losses."
"I know."
Yu Feng frowned. "Elder Xu Er of the Mohist Ancestral Hall has set up a Jue Que Umbrella formation in Snow Region Heavenly Pool. It will indeed be difficult for us to break through Snow Region Heavenly Pool by force. But what if we lure the enemy out? If we can lure that Bai Yi and his men into open ground and annihilate them in one fell swoop, Snow Region Heavenly Pool will become ownerless territory. Then, who will be able to stop us from returning north?"
"Brilliant, my Lord!"
"Hmph!"
Yu Feng narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of Snow Region Heavenly Pool. "It is said that this Bai Yi is very cunning. Last time, he even designed the death of Shi Jungang, the advisor of the Demon Race Ancestral Mountain. In fact, I have long wanted to meet this person. This time, I will take the opportunity to avenge Shi Jungang. Although I don't know her, it's quite pitiful to be killed by the humans' design like that."
A group of demon generals laughed heartily and nodded in agreement.
...
Snow Region Heavenly Pool.
Lin Zhao sat on a cliff in the south, gazing at everything to the south. He could not see too far, only the rolling clouds on the distant horizon. Seeing that it seemed to be snowing heavily, he knew something was amiss.
A figure descended from the sky. Mu Zha, who had been sent to gather intelligence, returned and cupped his fists in a respectful salute. "My Lord, Yu Feng's forces and the Lin Lu Army engaged in a major battle north of Mirror Lake. Both sides suffered casualties. Li Chunyang led the Lin Lu Army back to Gu Xiao Pass. The demon cavalry's whereabouts are currently unknown. I did not dare to fly too close."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao stood up. "Yu Feng is coming for us!"
"Ah?!"
Xiang Ji was startled. "My Lord, why are you so certain?"
"It's very simple. Yu Feng's forces have lost more than half their strength and are about to return north. Gu Xiao Pass is blocked by the Lin Lu Army's vast forces, so their only option now is Snow Region Heavenly Pool. They want to pick on someone soft!"
Wu Zhi smiled slightly. "He actually thinks of us as soft persimmons."
"Indeed."
Lin Zhao raised his eyebrows. "Since Yu Feng dares to come, we will let him know that we are not soft persimmons."
"Frozen persimmons?" Chu Yu asked with a smile.
Lin Zhao suppressed a smile and maintained his stern demeanor. "Issue an order: the three armies will march immediately. Bring all the anti-cavalry stakes, spears, crossbows, and arrows, as well as all the Divine Dragon Crossbows. Our target is Jizi Forest and Ye Zhi Valley. Crown Prince Yu Feng is coming, we must at least greet him."
"Yes, My Lord!"
...
Not long after, the forces from Snow Region Heavenly Pool descended the mountain in a mighty procession, heading to meet Yu Feng's contingent.