Blood Battle at Rosy Clouds

The sound echoed through the mountain valley.

Behind the cliff face, all was deathly silent.

A moment later, a hoarse, grating laugh rang out. "Heh heh... As expected of Duke Lu, who slew Wolf Owl in battle—what keen spiritual senses! But so what if you noticed? This is where you'll be buried!"

Before the words had faded, dozens of boulders came rumbling down from the cliff ahead, smashing toward the narrow mountain path!

At the same time, the whine of powerful crossbows tore through the air from the forests on both sides. Dozens of bolts gleaming with a dim blue sheen—clearly steeped in lethal poison—shot toward Lu Chen's group like a swarm of locusts!

A hazy gray curtain of light also rose from the ground, instantly shrouding an area a hundred zhang across and trapping Lu Chen and the others inside!

Within the light curtain, the air turned viscous, and gravity seemed to have increased severalfold. The horses shrieked in alarm, their movements hindered!

The killing formation had activated!

Boulders thundered down, poisoned bolts swarmed like locusts, and the gray light curtain sealed all four directions!

In an instant, Lu Chen's party had fallen into a deadly trap.

"Form up!" Lu Chen barked, his body already drifting gracefully up from horseback to stand in midair.

He ignored the crashing boulders and incoming poisoned bolts. His dark-gold pupils immediately locked onto several nodes where energy circulated within the hazy gray curtain.

The ten guards behind him were well-trained. At his command, they instantly spread out and each took a designated position. True essence surged within them, linking together into a faint five-colored halo that distorted the light—the simplified Minor Five Elements Shadow-Evasion Formation Lu Chen had taught them beforehand.

Though this formation's defenses were weak, it excelled at concealment, deflecting attacks,