"Enemy attack—! The Black Tiger Camp! It's the Black Tiger Camp!"
The defenders of Wolf Fang Fortress had clearly never expected Chen Qing to dare launch such an open assault on a fortified military town! After a brief moment of shock, shrill alarm bells instantly rang throughout the fortress!
"Archers! To the walls! Prepare the rolling logs and stones!"
"Quick! Notify General Bater!"
The fortress walls descended into chaos in an instant. Countless Northern Mang soldiers surged onto the battlements, drawing their bows and nocking arrows as they tried to stop the cavalry charging in like a black tide.
However, the Black Tiger Camp was too fast!
Old Niu charged at the front, like a humanoid savage beast. He ignored the rain of arrows pouring down from above, and the heavy battering ram in his hands howled through the air as it smashed viciously into Wolf Fang Fortress's iron-bound southern gate!
Boom—!
The dull, earthshaking crash was like a funeral bell tolling. The entire fortress gate shuddered violently!
"Hold them! Hold them back!" the Northern Barbarian Officer roared himself hoarse.
More rolling logs and stones were shoved down, crashing toward the Black Tiger Camp soldiers below.
But the Black Tiger Camp's ferocity far surpassed their imagination! Shield raised, these soldiers charged without fear of death. Some even used their own bodies to block the falling boulders, creating openings for the comrades behind them! Their eyes held nothing but frenzied killing intent and absolute loyalty to Chen Qing!
At the same time, on the eastern side of the fortress wall.
Sun Quezi clung to the wall like a gecko, leading several dozen elite scouts as they silently climbed the relatively lower wall with grappling hooks and ropes. Blades flashed, and several unprepared sentries had their throats slit in an instant.
"Set it ablaze!" Sun Quezi barked in a low voice.
Dozens of jars of flaming oil were hurled with all their strength toward the tents and stables inside the fortress! Flaming arrows followed close behind!
Boom! Boom!
Flames soared into the sky from the eastern side of the fortress! The terrified shrieks of warhorses, the cries of Northern Mang soldiers fighting the fire, and the thunderous battle cries at the southern gate all blended together. Wolf Fang Fortress plunged into utter chaos!
"General! Enemies have infiltrated the eastern side! The tents are on fire!"
"The southern gate won't hold much longer!"
Inside the command residence of Wolf Fang Fortress, Bater—"Mad Wolf"—a Northern Mang general built like an iron tower, his face covered in thick whiskers and his body clad in heavy iron armor, abruptly rose to his feet and smashed the wine bowl in his hand to pieces! Furious flames burned in his eyes.
"Chen Qing! You've gone too far! Do you really think I, Bater, am made of clay?!"
He grabbed the massive spiked wolf-club leaning against the wall and roared, "Personal guards! Follow me out of the city! Slaughter that black tiger!"
"General! The enemy force is overwhelming. We should hold the fortress and await reinforcements..." a deputy general tried to dissuade him.
"Hold my ass!" Bater kicked him to the ground. "I'm Mad Wolf, not some turtle! Open the gates! Follow me and kill our way out!"
The heavy southern gate slowly opened a crack under the workings of its internal mechanism.
Bater took the lead, charging out through the gate with several hundred elite personal guard cavalry like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam! His target was clear: the black tiger banner snapping in the wind at the center of the Black Tiger Camp, and the figure beneath it wrapped in dark-red Killing Intent!
"Chen Qing! Give me your life!"
Bater's voice boomed like thunder. The heavy wolf-club in his hand carried the force to shatter everything as it smashed toward Chen Qing from dozens of paces away! His terrifying late Meridian Condensing Realm cultivation was revealed without reserve, crimson, violent true energy solidifying into the phantom of a roaring blood wolf!
Faced with an attack capable of splitting mountains and cracking stones, Chen Qing's gaze turned icy. Not only did he not retreat, he fiercely clamped his legs around his horse's belly and charged forward!
At the same time, he secretly transmitted his voice to Old Niu and Sun Quezi. "Follow the plan. Take the gate!"
"Kill!"
Seeing this, Old Niu immediately gave up attacking the city gate. Leading the vanguard, he drove into the Northern Mang personal guards thrown into disorder by Bater's sortie like a sharp wedge! Sun Quezi also led his men in a fierce assault from the eastern side, seeking to tear open the breach completely!
Meanwhile, Chen Qing and Bater—the fiercest "tiger" and "wolf" of the Northern Frontier—collided head-on!
Clang—!!!!
The ring-pommel saber and wolf-club struck each other with savage force!
It was like two mountain peaks crashing together! A visible shockwave exploded outward from the two of them, flinging soldiers and horses alike within several yards into the air!
Chen Qing felt an irresistible force surge through him. The web between his thumb and forefinger split open, and the ring-pommel saber nearly flew from his grip. His warhorse gave a mournful cry, its legs buckling as it dropped to its knees! He used the force to flip backward, then staggered several steps after landing before steadying himself. A sweetness rose in his throat, and a thread of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Late Meridian Condensing Realm—its power was indeed formidable!
Bater also swayed. The magnificent warhorse beneath him whinnied and retreated two steps. His eyes filled with astonishment as he stared at Chen Qing. His all-out blow had failed to smash this kid at the middle Meridian Condensing Realm into pulp? Instead, that strange Killing Intent had shaken his blood and qi into turmoil?
"Good brat! You've got some strength! Again!" Bater's savagery erupted. He spurred his warhorse once more, his wolf-club whirling like the wind as it battered down on Chen Qing in a storm of blows!
Chen Qing abandoned his horse and pushed his movement technique to its limit. With the aid of the black-and-red Fierce Tiger Domain, he moved around Bater like a ghost. He no longer met his opponent's strength head-on. Instead, he used the corrosive nature of his Killing Intent and the mental impact of the Black Tiger True Intent to constantly seek out flaws.
Saber light and club shadows crossed madly, force bursting in every direction. No one dared approach their battlefield.
[Engaged in fierce battle with a powerful enemy. Fierce Tiger Iron Body proficiency +80! Black Tiger Fist Intent stimulated and improved...] [Fierce Tiger Domain endured immense pressure. Domain stability increased...]
Pressure! Enormous pressure! Yet amid this life-and-death struggle, Chen Qing felt an exhilarating thrill! His Killing Intent boiled, his true intent condensed, and his use of power grew ever more exquisite!
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the enemy commander being tied down, Old Niu and Sun Quezi had already led their troops through the Northern Mang personal guards and successfully seized the southern gate! More and more Black Tiger Camp soldiers surged into Wolf Fang Fortress like a tide, engaging the defenders in brutal street fighting!
"General! The city gate has fallen!" The deputy general, covered in blood, rushed near Bater and shouted hoarsely.
Hearing this, Bater's focus wavered, and his wolf-club slowed by the slightest, almost imperceptible degree.
Now!
A fierce gleam burst from Chen Qing's eyes as the killing move he had kept hidden erupted without warning!
He suddenly opened his mouth!
Soundless dark-red ripples spread in an instant like the ripples of death!
Fierce Tiger Roar!
Bater felt as though thousands of steel needles had pierced his mind at once. His vision went black, and his movements froze instantly! Though his cultivation was profound and his soul far tougher than an ordinary soldier's, this sudden mental attack still exposed a fatal opening!
How could Chen Qing possibly miss such an opportunity?
The ground beneath his feet exploded. His whole body skimmed low across the earth as every trace of Killing Intent and true intent on his ring-pommel saber drew inward, condensing into an ultimate black line. As if teleporting, he appeared before Bater's chest and thrust straight at his heart!
Bater endured the agonizing pain in his soul and tried to block, but he was already half a beat too slow!
Pfft!
The ring-pommel saber pierced cleanly through his heavy iron armor and sank into his chest!
Bater's body stiffened violently. The madness in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by disbelief, shock, and despair. He lowered his head to stare at the blade buried in his chest. His lips parted, but only bloody foam spilled out.
Chen Qing twisted his wrist sharply, shredding his heart meridians, then kicked him and his horse flying away!
[Killed Northern Mang general Bater (late Meridian Condensing Realm). Obtained a vast amount of blood and qi and pure Killing Intent. Fierce Tiger Iron Body proficiency +1200! Fierce Tiger Domain expanded to two zhang five chi!] [Black Tiger Saber Technique proficiency greatly increased...]
Vast energy poured into his body like a river bursting through its banks! Chen Qing felt every Saber Meridian in his body hum and tremble as his cultivation surged a great step toward the late Meridian Condensing Realm! The Fierce Tiger Domain expanded once more, and his control over it grew even stronger!
He stood with saber in hand and looked into the fortress.
With the commander dead and the gates wide open, the Black Tiger Camp had already seized absolute advantage. The morale of the remaining Northern Mang defenders completely collapsed. Some dropped to their knees and surrendered, while others scattered in flight.
Wolf Fang Fortress had fallen!
"Clear the battlefield. Wipe out the remaining enemies!" Chen Qing's cold voice spread across the battlefield.
"Yes, General!"
The Black Tiger Camp soldiers erupted in earthshaking cheers and began the final purge.
Chen Qing walked over to Bater's corpse, picked up the heavy wolf-club, felt the lingering violent aura upon it, then casually tossed it to Old Niu, who had followed him over.
"Clean this place up. Send all spoils and prisoners, along with Bater's head, back to the main camp."
"Yes!"
Chen Qing turned and looked toward the deeper darkness in the north. He felt the power within him growing increasingly surging after battle upon battle and devouring powerful foes, as well as the faint barrier of the late Meridian Condensing Realm that he had begun to touch.
Wolf Fang Fortress was only the beginning.
His gaze had already turned farther away, toward the direction of the Northern Mang Royal Court.
The fierce tiger roared across the Northern Frontier. Next, it was time for the Royal Court to drink blood.
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