Breaking Through the Encirclement

Li Xuancang missed his best chance to escape while trying to rescue Wang Daniu and his brothers, and the Barbarians quickly closed in on him.

"Xuancang, go!"

Zhao Changlin fought his way to Li Xuancang's side, and the two joined forces to carve out a bloody path.

"Attack together! Don't let them leave alive!"

Over a hundred Barbarian soldiers formed a dense battle formation, holding long spears and sharp axes, pressing in step by step.

Within the formation stood a dozen or so cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm, their blood and qi surging as they watched like tigers eyeing their prey.

At the very front, two burly Barbarian leaders at the Late Body Tempering Stage stood with blades in hand, their Sha Qi towering as they locked onto the two men, swearing to cut them down.

Zhao Changlin held his blade horizontally, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding enemies as he spoke in a low voice.

"We'll break out together and flee into the deep mountains of Blackwind Ridge ahead, using the terrain to shake them off."

Before the words had even faded, the two Late Body Tempering Stage Barbarian leaders charged forward with their blades.

"Kill!"

The dozen or so Body Tempering Barbarians swarmed forward, and the hundred-plus soldiers formed a perimeter, their spear tips like a forest and their blade light like snow, completely sealing off all paths of retreat.

"You cover the flank; I'll break the front."

Zhao Changlin roared, his Late Body Tempering Stage blood and qi erupting to its limit. He charged straight into the enemy formation, his blade sweeping horizontally to knock down two Barbarian soldiers on the spot as he faced the two leaders of equal rank.

Li Xuancang gripped his long spear, relying on his physical body—which was far stronger than an ordinary person's—and his terrifying endurance to hold the flank for Zhao Changlin.

As the dozen or so Body Tempering cultivators swarmed him, he did not dodge or evade, sticking to his ruthless style of trading wounds for lives.

His spear tip thrust out and his shaft swept across; every strike was delivered with his remaining strength, forcibly holding back the assault on the flank.

"Clang!"

A Mid Body Tempering Stage Barbarian cultivator swung his blade down. Li Xuancang's old shoulder wound tore open, blood gushing out.

He endured the agonizing pain, thrusting his spear back to pierce the man's lower abdomen and sending him flying with a violent heave.

Zhao Changlin fought two opponents at once. The two Late Body Tempering Stage leaders were ruthless, their every move fatal, and he gradually began to lose ground.

Wounds continued to multiply on Zhao Changlin's body, yet he fought to the death without retreating, pinning down the enemy's greatest combat power.

The two relied on each other, resisting the siege from all directions. Every step forward cost them a price in blood.

"Kill them!"

Barbarian soldiers surged forward like a tide, and the Body Tempering cultivators kept launching raids. The wounds on the two men grew more numerous, and their strength drained away rapidly.

Paying a heavy price, the two gradually neared Blackwind Ridge.

Zhang Changlin channeled his strength throughout his body, forcing back his two powerful enemies, and roared, "Go! Charge toward Blackwind Ridge!"

Li Xuancang swept his spear, forcing back the surrounding cultivators. The two charged side by side, ignoring the slashes and stabs to their bodies, heading straight for the rolling, dense forests of Blackwind Ridge ahead.

In order to break through the encirclement, the two suffered severe injuries.

Zhao Changlin took the full brunt of the Barbarian leaders' storm-like, lethal onslaught. He was covered in wounds, many of which had been pierced through, and he was drenched in blood.

Li Xuancang had been besieged by multiple Body Tempering cultivators; he had over a dozen deep, bone-reaching wounds on his chest, abdomen, and legs, his physical body nearly collapsing.

Exhausting their final strength, the two broke through the enemy's last line of defense and stumbled into the deep, ancient forests of Blackwind Ridge.

The two dared not stop, enduring the excruciating pain as they fled desperately into the depths of the mountain forest.

Within the deep mountains, ancient trees towered, vines intertwined, and weeds grew in abundance.

The terrain was rugged and complex, visibility was obstructed, and it was a dangerous place where Demonic Beasts roamed.

"Go that way!"

Relying on his keen perception, Li Xuancang avoided areas occupied by Demonic Beasts.

Using the dense canopy and rugged gullies, they constantly changed their route and erased their tracks, struggling to shake off the Barbarian pursuit.

They did not know how long they had been fleeing, but only when they could no longer hear the Barbarians' pursuit did they confirm they had escaped the danger.

"Thud!"

The two could no longer hold on and collapsed into the grass, gasping for air. They were bathed in blood, their auras weak.

After resting for a moment, they forced themselves up and began to treat their wounds simply.

Zhao Changlin fished out the last half-bottle of Golden Wound Medicine from his robes, his eyes showing a hint of heartache.

This was a graded healing medicine, precious and rare. He usually couldn't bear to use it even when injured, but with the situation so critical, he had no choice but to take it out through the pain.

After applying the medicine to his own wounds, Zhao Changlin handed it to Li Xuancang.

"Use this to stop the bleeding first; it can stabilize your condition and prevent it from worsening."

Li Xuancang did not decline. He took the bottle and applied the ointment. The medicine took effect quickly, sending a bone-chilling, burning pain through his wounds.

Both men gritted their teeth, not making a sound. Having spent years licking blood off the edge of a blade, they were long accustomed to such pain.

Afterward, they tore off clean strips of cloth from their clothes and tightly bandaged their wounds.

They cleaned the bloodstains from their bodies and leaned against a thick tree trunk to rest for a while.

"The Barbarians certainly won't give up easily. They might still be searching the outskirts of the forest. We can't stay long; we must return to Azure Cloud Ridge as soon as possible to regroup with the main army."

Zhao Changlin's expression was grave as he analyzed the current situation.

"Lakeside Station has completely fallen, and our remnant force is down to just a few people. Only by returning to Azure Cloud Ridge will we have a chance to survive."

Li Xuancang nodded, agreeing with Zhao Changlin's plan.

He worried about his family back home, and he wanted even more to return to the military, continue accumulating merit, grow stronger, and advance. He could not let himself die trapped in these deep mountains.

"The terrain of Blackwind Ridge is complex. If we follow the mountain range southeast, we can bypass the search range of the main Barbarian force and reach Azure Cloud Ridge quietly."

Having said this, Zhao Changlin paused before continuing, "It's just that the mountain paths are difficult to traverse, and there are Demonic Beasts about. With our heavy injuries, we must be cautious at every step."

This stretch of mountain road would not be peaceful; for the two of them, it was fraught with crises.

The two rested for a moment to recover a bit of strength, then helped each other stand up. They picked up their weapons from the ground and, step by step, proceeded cautiously toward the southeast.

The light in the forest was dim and the thorns were dense. From time to time, the strange cries of birds and beasts echoed, keeping their spirits stretched to the limit.

Looking out for each other and remaining vigilant of their surroundings, they dragged their heavily injured bodies through the vast, deep mountains, struggling toward the direction of Azure Cloud Ridge.