Returning to Camp

Deep in the forests of Blackwind Ridge, Li Xuancang and Zhao Changlin supported each other as they staggered through the trees.

The wounds that had stopped bleeding had reopened from the jolting mountain path. Every step tugged at them, sending stabbing pain through their bodies.

The sun was blocked by layer upon layer of canopy, leaving the forest dim and cold.

The sinister aura unique to Demonic Beasts permeated the air.

Li Xuancang furrowed his brow slightly. Even gravely wounded and weak, his vigilance remained sharp.

He lowered his voice and warned gravely, "My lord, be careful. There's a Demonic Beast nearby."

The moment he spoke, the dense bushes ahead shook violently, and a gray-black figure suddenly burst out.

A Fanged Demon charged straight at them. Its body was covered in gray fur, its snout jutted forward, and two sharp tusks gleamed with a cold light.

The Fanged Demon's blood-red eyes fixed on the two men. The smell of blood on them drove it completely mad.

It had eyes only for them. It wanted to devour them both.

The Fanged Demon before them had reached the Mid Body Tempering Stage. If the two men had been in peak condition, they would have had nothing to fear.

But now they were both badly wounded, and facing the Fanged Demon felt like an impossible challenge.

Drawn by their blood and its scent, the Fanged Demon's eyes turned scarlet as it lunged straight at Zhang Changlin.

Zhang Changlin was severely injured, and his body was nowhere near as strong as Li Xuancang's. Even moving was difficult.

His movements were sluggish, and he had no strength to dodge. The demon's tusks were about to pierce his neck.

"My lord, watch out!"

At the critical moment, Li Xuancang ignored his wounds tearing open and suddenly exerted himself, yanking Zhao Changlin behind him.

At the same time, he braced one hand against the ground and barely managed to twist aside, avoiding the Fanged Demon's pounce.

Pain swept through him in an instant. Several wounds split open, soaking his bandages with blood, but Li Xuancang did not dare pause.

He gripped his spear with his other hand, summoned the last of his strength, and drove it hard into the Fanged Demon's vulnerable underbelly.

"Splurt!"

The spearpoint pierced the demon's body, but he lacked the strength to drive it all the way through.

"Roar!"

The Fanged Demon howled in pain and fury, swung its body, and slammed Li Xuancang hard against a tree trunk.

"Cough!"

Blood flooded Li Xuancang's mouth and sprayed out. His bones felt as if they had all been shattered, and he nearly dropped his spear.

"Boom! Rumble!"

The Fanged Demon fixed its eyes on Li Xuancang, who lay on the ground, unable even to crawl, and charged at him.

As danger bore down on him, Li Xuancang's pupils contracted in shock. He tried to dodge, but his body had reached its limit and would not obey him.

Seeing this, Zhao Changlin's eyes widened. Ignoring his own injuries, he gripped his saber, leaped into the air, and poured every last bit of his strength into a fierce downward strike at the Fanged Demon's head.

"Splurt!"

The saber cleaved through the Fanged Demon's skull, and demon blood gushed out.

"Thud!"

The Fanged Demon fought back wildly. Its tusks pierced Zhao Changlin's chest and sent him flying.

"Splurt!"

Zhao Changlin hit the ground. Blood kept pouring from his wounds, and he was barely breathing.

"Die!"

Seizing the chance Zhao Changlin had bought with his life, Li Xuancang drove his spear through the Fanged Demon's skull.

After that single thrust, Li Xuancang was completely spent and could no longer move.

"Hrgh... hrgh..."

The Fanged Demon struggled a few times, then breathed its last and crashed to the ground.

Li Xuancang struggled to his feet. He staggered and swayed, only managing to stay upright by leaning against a tree trunk.

Blood continued to seep from his wounds, and his face grew paler by the moment.

Leaning on his spear, he slowly approached Zhao Changlin, who lay on the ground. He took the ointment from Zhao Changlin and applied it to his bleeding wounds.

Zhao Changlin was barely breathing. He did not even have the strength to speak.

Swaying, Li Xuancang made his way to the Fanged Demon's corpse and cut into it with his saber. Blood burst from the wound.

Li Xuancang hurriedly opened his mouth and swallowed the warm demon blood. Only then did he regain a little strength.

"Splurt!"

He cut open the Fanged Demon's corpse and took out its heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he devoured it, tearing into it like a beast.

A Demonic Beast's essence lay in its heart. It held immense energy that could quickly restore Li Xuancang's strength.

Li Xuancang also fed some of the demon blood and heart to Zhao Changlin. At last, Zhao Changlin's condition stabilized, and he managed to cling to life.

Even so, Zhao Changlin could not move. Speaking was already difficult for him, let alone walking.

"Don't worry about me. Go on without me!"

Zhao Changlin knew his condition. He could no longer get out of there.

The scent of blood would soon draw other Demonic Beasts. Staying meant certain death.

He told Li Xuancang to leave on his own. That was better than both of them dying there.

"My lord, I'll carry you out."

Li Xuancang had no intention of leaving him behind. He hoisted Zhao Changlin onto his back and hurried away.

After eating the Fanged Demon's heart, he had regained much of his strength, and carrying Zhao Changlin was not too difficult.

After walking through the mountains for a whole day, Li Xuancang finally emerged from the forest. The outline of the distant, rolling Azure Cloud Ridge was now clear.

From afar, the military camp atop the ridge and the Great Yan army's flags flying in the wind stood out vividly.

Seeing the camp ahead, Li Xuancang was overcome with emotion. Zhao Changlin, on his back, opened his eyes too, their gaze flashing with renewed light.

Li Xuancang was about to carry Zhao Changlin straight toward the camp when Zhao Changlin suddenly spoke.

"Be careful. There may be Barbarian scouts outside the camp. We can't let our guard down."

Zhao Changlin had spent many years on the battlefield. He knew both sides sent scouts to gather intelligence, and Barbarian scouts could well be lurking near the camp. They could not afford to be careless.

At his warning, Li Xuancang's heart skipped a beat. He had been too careless. Thankfully, Zhao Changlin had reminded him.

Heeding the warning, Li Xuancang changed course and proceeded cautiously, afraid of alerting the Barbarian scouts.

As he neared the camp, Li Xuancang's heart sank.

Several groups of Barbarian scouts were patrolling the mountain paths and forest entrances around Azure Cloud Ridge Camp.

The scouts moved in groups of three to five, their eyes sharp as they patrolled back and forth.

They carefully searched every suspicious spot. They also carried Signal Arrows; at the first sign of trouble, they could send word and bring the main force down on them.

The Barbarian army had already set its sights on the main force at Azure Cloud Ridge. It had sent scouts ahead to seal off every outer route and watch the camp's movements.

Any scattered soldiers or remnants trying to return to camp would be intercepted and killed immediately.

The two men's wounds had not healed, and their strength had not returned. Forget forcing their way through—even the slightest disturbance would expose them to the scouts, who would surround them in an instant. All their efforts would come to nothing, and they would die outside the ridge.

"The Barbarian scouts are watching too closely. We can't force our way through."

Zhao Changlin had spotted the scouts too, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

He struggled to raise his head and surveyed the terrain around them.

"We have to avoid the patrols in front and enter by the cliff path on the western side."

He had once served in the commandery army and knew Azure Cloud Ridge's defenses well.

There was a steep cliff on the western side of the camp. Few people ever used it, and only the garrison's hidden sentry post was there. It was the only entrance that could let them avoid the scouts' patrols.

Li Xuancang followed Zhao Changlin's instructions. He watched the scouts' patrol patterns and quickly memorized the gap between the two teams' shifts.

"The scouts switch every half an incense stick. There's a brief gap between shifts. We'll use it to cross this open ground and slip into the forest on the western side."

They had no way back. They could only take a chance.

Before long, the two teams of scouts completed their handover, and the gap arrived.

"Go!"

Li Xuancang lowered his body and darted out of the forest like a specter. Using the terrain for cover, he raced toward the western cliff.

As he rushed forward, his wounds split open again, and blood seeped out. Every step brought excruciating pain.

He did not dare stop for even a moment. Summoning every bit of strength he had, he just barely made it into the forest on the western side before the scouts returned. He hid behind a rock and held his breath.

The returning patrol passed close by the rock without noticing anything amiss.

Having escaped danger, Li Xuancang did not dare rest. He struggled up the steep, rugged cliff path.

The path was narrow and slick, with a deep ravine beside it. One careless step would send them tumbling down to their deaths.

After enduring countless hardships, they finally reached the hidden sentry post on the western side of the camp.

The guards were stunned to see the two men appear out of nowhere. They immediately raised their spears and shouted at them, on guard.

"Who goes there?"

Zhao Changlin struggled to pull the Identity Token from his breast and forced out every last bit of strength to speak.

"Zhao Changlin, Hundred-Man Commander of Lakeside Station, returning to camp after breaking through with my subordinate, Squad Leader Li Xuancang."

Hearing this, the guards' expressions eased slightly.

"Go check them."

Several soldiers stepped forward to verify their identities. The others kept their eyes fixed on the two men and their weapons trained on them, ready to rush forward if they made any suspicious move.

Li Xuancang and Zhao Changlin did not resist. They handed the token over to the guards.

After verifying the token and seeing the two men drenched in blood and covered in wounds, the guards lowered their guard.

"There's no problem."

The guards quickly opened the sentry post and escorted the two men into the camp.

The moment they stepped into Azure Cloud Ridge Camp, Li Xuancang and Zhao Changlin could no longer hold on. Their taut nerves finally relaxed, and they both collapsed to the ground and passed out.