Fierce Tiger Patrols the Border

The arrival and departure of Monk Huiming were like a minor interlude, not stirring much of a ripple in the Black Tiger Camp. The soldiers merely thought of him as a bald donkey who didn't know his place, coming to court disaster, and quickly forgot about it, continuing their intense training.

Chen Qing, however, had a vague feeling that this might just be the beginning. The malevolent energy he possessed, which deviated from orthodox cultivation, was destined to attract more attention and trouble.

Still, he had no time to dwell on it. Although the main force of the Northern Mang had been repelled, they were far from crippled, and a larger offensive could come at any moment. He needed to forge the Black Tiger Camp into a true killing machine as quickly as possible, and also to further consolidate and enhance his own strength through combat.

A few days later, military orders were issued. Although the Northern Mang army had temporarily halted their full-scale assault, they dispatched numerous cavalry scouts, like persistent maggots, constantly harassing the flanks of the Great Yan defense line, intercepting scouts, and disrupting supply routes. The Vanguard Camp was ordered to send elite squads to clear out these Northern Mang scouts and ensure the stability of the rear.

Chen Qing volunteered to lead the Black Tiger Camp on this border patrol and clearing mission.

Captain Zhou Han naturally agreed. The Black Tiger Camp was now the sharpest blade in the Vanguard Camp, and indeed, on the entire Northern Frontier defense line.

Five hundred Black Tiger soldiers, each with two horses, carrying ten days' worth of rations and fully equipped with bows and crossbows, surged out of the camp like a black iron torrent, disappearing into the vast wilderness of the Northern Frontier.

Chen Qing rode at the forefront, his malevolent energy contained within his body, but his dark red eyes swept across the wilderness with a sharpness surpassing that of a falcon. After breaking through to Meridian Condensing and initially forming his Fierce Tiger Domain, his range of perception far exceeded his previous limits. The slightest disturbance within several miles, even the crawling of insects underground, could not escape his spiritual sense.

"General, ten miles ahead, traces of Northern Mang scouts have been found. Approximately thirty of them are resting at a water source," reported Sun Quezi, who was in charge of the vanguard, emerging like a ghost from behind a small hillock.

"Thirty people..." Chen Qing's eyes turned icy. "Old Niu, take your men and outflank them from the left. Sun Quezi, take your men and block their retreat to the right. The rest will follow me in a frontal assault. Leave no survivors."

"Yes!"

The orders were concise and efficient. The five hundred men quickly dispersed in silence, like a giant black bat spreading its wings, closing in on their prey.

The thirty Northern Mang scouts clearly had no inkling of the approaching danger. They were gathered around a waterhole, resting their horses and chatting loudly, their words filled with contempt for the Great Yan army.

Suddenly!

A faint yet dense vibration came from the ground!

"Enemy attack!" a seasoned Northern Mang scout's face changed drastically as he shouted.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A dense volley of arrows descended like a dark cloud! The Black Tiger Camp's powerful bows and crossbows, thanks to Chen Qing's unsparing investment, were far more potent than usual!

Puff, puff, puff!

Screams erupted instantly. A dozen Northern Mang scouts and their warhorses were instantly riddled with arrows!

"Form ranks! Mount up!" The remaining Northern Mang cavalry were terrified, frantically trying to organize a defense.

But it was too late!

From the left, Old Niu charged in like a savage bear. With a sweep of his heavy wolf-tooth club, he sent two Northern Mang cavalrymen, along with their horses, flying!

From the right, Sun Quezi and his men infiltrated like phantoms. The glint of their blades focused on the horses' legs and lower bodies, instantly felling several more.

And from the front, Chen Qing, riding at the head of the charge, was like a black lightning bolt, crashing directly into the chaotic enemy ranks!

He didn't even draw his saber.

He simply unleashed a punch!

The force of the punch, infused with the Black Tiger True Intent and the malevolent energy of the Meridian Condensing Realm, struck a Northern Mang squad leader's chest from a distance!

Bang!

The squad leader's chest instantly caved in, and a bloody hole burst through his back. He died on the spot without even a groan!

Chen Qing's horse speed did not diminish. He attacked with both fists, his palms, fingers, and elbows, every part of his body transforming into a terrifying weapon! Each strike inevitably resulted in a Northern Mang cavalryman's bones breaking and falling to the ground, dead!

He was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep; wherever he passed, there was no one who could withstand him for even a single encounter!

[Killed Northern Mang scout... Fierce Tiger Iron Body proficiency +8]

[Fierce Tiger Domain absorbed scattered malevolent energy from the battlefield, range slightly increased...]

The battle began quickly and ended even faster.

In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, all thirty Northern Mang scouts had become corpses on the ground, not a single one escaping.

The soldiers of the Black Tiger Camp began to skillfully clear the battlefield, collecting heads, armor, and dispatching those not yet dead.

Chen Qing reined in his horse, surveying the slaughterground that had returned to silence. He felt the slightly active malevolent energy within him, stirred by the killing, and the almost imperceptible expansion of his Fierce Tiger Domain. His gaze was calm and unruffled.

This was just the beginning.

In the following days, the Black Tiger Camp became the most lethal predators on the Northern Frontier wilderness. Under Chen Qing's terrifying perception, they accurately located various Northern Mang scout squads and then, with absolute superiority, annihilated them swiftly and thoroughly.

Their movements were like the wind, their attacks ruthless, and they never left survivors. Wherever they passed, only the corpses of Northern Mang cavalry and the heavy scent of blood remained.

"Fierce Tiger! It's the Black Flag of Fierce Tiger!"

"Run! We've encountered the Black Tiger Camp!"

Terrifying legends about the "Black Tiger" and "Fierce Tiger" began to circulate among the Northern Mang scouts. That simple black tiger banner had become a symbol of death. Many Northern Mang scout squads no longer dared to venture too deep into the Great Yan defense line, and their movements became hesitant and cautious.

The fearsome reputation of the Black Tiger Camp grew louder with each baptism of blood and fire.

On this day, Chen Qing led his troops on patrol to a perilous area called "Soul Severing Valley." The mountains on either side were steep, with a narrow passage in between, a region frequently frequented by Northern Mang scouts.

Chen Qing suddenly raised his hand, and the five hundred riders behind him instantly reined in their horses, falling into complete silence.

His sharp gaze fixed on the depths of the valley, his brow furrowed. In his perception, the valley was filled with dense malevolent energy, but it wasn't the scattered aura of ordinary Northern Mang scouts. Instead, it faintly exuded a condensed, ferocious, and even somewhat... familiar feeling?

"There's an ambush," Chen Qing's voice was icy. "These aren't ordinary scouts."

Old Niu and Sun Quezi's expressions tightened, and they immediately ordered the entire army to be on guard.

Just then, from the depths of the valley, a rider slowly emerged.

This person was not wearing the standard leather armor of Northern Mang, but a suit of black tight-fitting clothes. Their face was covered by a ferocious ghost mask, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes. In their hand, they carried a uniquely shaped saber, its blade long and narrow with a strange curve, emitting a faint cold light.

Most striking was the aura around them, condensed and icy, clearly indicating another Meridian Condensing Realm martial artist! Furthermore, the killing intent contained within their aura, though not as vast and violent as Chen Qing's, was more refined and restrained, carrying a silent stillness of death.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Chen Qing." The masked person's voice was hoarse and dry, like metal grinding.

Chen Qing's gaze sharpened: "A Northern Mang assassin? Or... some kind of rat that shuns the light?"

"A dying person doesn't need to know too much." The masked person slowly raised their saber, its tip pointing directly at Chen Qing. "Your head is worth ten thousand gold. I'll take it."

Before the words fell, the warhorse beneath him suddenly surged forward, like a black lightning bolt, charging straight at Chen Qing! Before the rider arrived, the condensed killing intent struck towards Chen Qing's brow like an ice pick!

At the same time, on the slopes on both sides of the valley, dozens of figures, also in black and masked, suddenly appeared, aiming their crossbows at the Black Tiger Camp below!

This was a meticulously laid trap!