Witch Smoke Locks the Valley, Trapping Barbarian Soldiers; Pit Poison Pursues the Vanguard, Forcing Them to Yield

"We're... we're saved!"

The surviving decoy soldiers, upon hearing the order, felt as though they had been granted a pardon. Staggering one after another back into the main force, they collapsed onto the ground, gulping down ragged breaths, their faces filled with the relief of having survived a catastrophe.

Some soldiers could no longer hold themselves up and simply fell to the ground, passing out. Others panted as they raised a hand to wipe sweat and blood from their faces, though the terror in their eyes had yet to fade.

The moment the decoy unit returned, Lufan Lie immediately selected two thousand elite soldiers to replace them as the rear guard.

Every one of these two thousand elites was lithe and agile. They quickly ran to the rear of the formation, spread out, and took cover behind tree trunks, boulders, and other obstacles. Drawing their hard bows to full tension, they aimed toward the direction from which the enemy was coming through the mist and released without hesitation.

A dense barrage of arrows tore through the dim yellow shamanic smoke and shot backward, seeking to slow the enemy's pursuit.

The five thousand Blood-Clad Army soldiers giving chase had long since committed Meng Tian's orders to heart. They knew they could not press too tightly, lest the enemy become a cornered dog and leap over the wall, turning back to fight and wasting time.

Thus, when they encountered the Xiongnu rear guard's volleys, they did not rashly return fire. Instead, they pretended to be held up by them, while the front ranks spread out a shield formation to block the Xiongnu rain of arrows.

After one or two rounds of defense, when the enemy relaxed slightly—

The soldiers in the rear drew their bows and nocked arrows, precisely locking onto the