Counterattack Victory · A New Journey Begins

The spear tore through the air. Chen Wuya raised his sword to meet it, but before the weapons collided, Misaligned Force had already flowed along the blade's spine. The iron spear abruptly twisted in midair, its tip veering aside and plunging into the hollow of the shoulder of the man on the right. Before the spearman could recover from his shock, Chen Wuya stepped forward and drove his sword hilt into the man's chest. The force surged upward in a violent heave, flipping him onto his back and knocking over two men behind him.

Bai Zhi swept out from the flank, her flexible sword pouring over the ground like water. It skimmed three feet above the sand, then its edge flicked up, severing the ankle tendon of the last enemy soldier. The instant he dropped to his knees, she spun and drew her sword back. Its tassel brushed his Adam's apple, and a line of blood slowly surfaced.

A muffled rumble suddenly came from deep within the valley floor. The ground trembled faintly, like a sign of an earth dragon turning over before it rose. Chen Wuya's brow twitched. The Misaligned Practice Connects to Spirit system hummed within him, and the paths of airflow spread through his senses like threads—southeast, a heat source was moving within the tunnels, while the scent of fire oil mixed with saltpeter drifted on the wind.

"They're going to ignite the powder storehouse," he said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping toward a collapsed earthen slope in the distance. "They want to bury this entire battlefield."

Bai Zhi sheathed her sword and wiped the sweat from her temple. "Can we still stop it?"

"We can." He turned and strode away, quickening his pace. "But someone has to get inside ahead of time and cut