Staying Alive Comes First

"Please be patient, everyone, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Wu Qingfeng pressed his palm down, and waited for the hall to quiet down before continuing to speak.

"With the death of the fourth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger, the White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor will surely be enraged. What will it do? It will personally leave its lair and head to Severed Cloud Pass to avenge its son."

His finger moved slowly across the map, from outside Severed Cloud Pass to a location further south.

"Once it leaves, the area behind will be empty. At that time, we can take advantage of the situation and seize Yangshang Town."

Yangshang Town?

Lu Qingshan's already furrowed brows suddenly twitched, as if he had thought of something.

He suddenly leaned closer to the map, his gaze sweeping back and forth along the mountain ranges and roads twice, his expression changing drastically.

Yangshang Town is a vital passage for demonic beasts to enter Yongzhou.

Wu Qingfeng's finger pressed heavily on the inconspicuous small town marker on the map.

"The demonic beasts are moving south from the north, and this is the only widest and flattest passage into Yongzhou."

"Once we take back Yangshang Town and block this passage, the monsters behind will never be able to get in again."

Even if Severed Cloud Pass falls, as long as Yangshang Town is in our hands, the demonic beasts within Yongzhou will be like water without a source.

"Without new demons to replenish our ranks, every one we kill is one less to kill. Reclaiming our lost territory is only a matter of time."

Lu Qingshan was the first to come to his senses and slammed his hand on the table:

"Brilliant! Taking this town will cut off their retreat. Although Severed Cloud Pass has fallen temporarily, as long as we cut off the monsters' supply lines, the entire situation will be turned around!"

Everyone then realized what was happening.

Just now I was only focused on the gains and losses of Severed Cloud Pass, but now that I have broadened my perspective, I realize it is actually a grand strategy.

But this move came at a very high price.

"But..."

Xiao Tianqi's voice deepened.

"What will happen to the disciples and civilians of Severed Cloud Pass? If the pass is breached, demonic beasts will flood in, and countless people will die?"

"Brother Xiao."

Wu Qingfeng looked at him, his tone not harsh, yet carrying a heavy weight.

"Since the invasion of Yongzhou, our Demon-Slaying Bureau has lost several thousand disciples and suffered over a million civilian casualties."

"If we continue to stubbornly defend each location like this, the next million won't be far off."

"Don't worry. Once Severed Cloud Pass is breached, I will immediately order all supporting disciples to withdraw to the rear."

Upon hearing the words "all the supporting disciples have been withdrawn," Xiao Tianqi's expression softened slightly.

"Then... why not just send someone to infiltrate outside Severed Cloud Pass and kill that fourth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger?" Xiao Tianqi still wouldn't give up and asked again.

"I've tried it," Wu Qingfeng shook his head.

"That fourth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger was constantly surrounded by two Fifth-Tier Demon Lord. There was simply no chance to make a move outside Severed Cloud Pass; we could only wait for it to come to us."

The hall fell silent again.

Although everyone still felt it was risky, they couldn't come up with a better solution at the moment.

This road is dangerous, but it is indeed the road that can revitalize the seemingly hopeless situation in Yongzhou.

"In that case, let's do it this way."

Wu Qingfeng looked around at everyone, his tone decisive.

Next, the group discussed the details for the better part of an hour.

Who is responsible for relaying orders, who is responsible for covering the rear, when will Zhao Changgeng infiltrate, and what is the retreat route...?

It wasn't until late at night, when the lights in the hall gradually dimmed, that everyone got up and left.

Xiao Tianqi walked the fastest.

He left the hall, walked to the deserted corridor, and took out his communication token. He dripped two drops of his blood essence into it and sent messages to Su Ying and Lu Feng respectively.

The first line of defense and the third entrance to Severed Cloud Pass.

As soon as Lu Feng sheathed his sword and landed, the Demon Slayer token at his waist began to vibrate.

He took it down and looked at it; his expression changed slightly.

A line of very faint writing floated on the surface of the token; it contained only four characters, yet it made him freeze in place.

"Survival is the priority."

The writing appeared briefly and then slowly disappeared, restoring the token to its normal state.

Lu Feng stood there, holding the token, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

He approached Lu Shuang, his tone a few decibels deeper than usual. "I'm a little tired. You'll handle tonight's monster."

Lu Shuang glanced at him.

Working continuously for two days and two nights without a break, it's normal to be tired.

She didn't ask any further questions, only replying, "Okay."

Lu Feng turned and went back to his tent.

He sat down cross-legged and took out the token again to look at it once more.

The handwriting had disappeared, but the fact that Xiao Tianqi sent him this message was itself a signal.

Token messages usually only indicate who sent them; this was the first time he had ever seen a text message.

Who is Xiao Tianqi?

In everyday life, if you can use one word, you should never use two.

This kind of person, who suddenly made an exception, sent four words: "Preservation is the priority!"

This can only mean one thing: something bad has happened, and it's a big deal.

Lu Feng closed his eyes and went through the events of the past two days from beginning to end.

For two consecutive days, the demon beasts only sent out second-tier wolf demons, and their attack rhythm was uniform, unlike the random actions of wild beasts.

It was more like an organized and purposeful probing.

The other party is probing their capabilities.

Xiao Tianqi's message perfectly confirmed this judgment.

The higher-ups have already sensed something, and may even know what will happen next.

He unfolded the map Su Ying had given him and examined it carefully by the faint light of the fluorescent stone.

The entire defensive line of Severed Cloud Pass is clearly shown on the map, consisting of three lines of defense.

The third entrance, where he was located, was in the middle, with the second and fourth entrances on either side.

"If the demonic beasts want to breach the first line of defense..."

He muttered to himself, his finger moving back and forth across the map.

"The most likely approach is to target the fourth through eighth entrances. The guards at these entrances are all at the Hua Jin Perfection, which significantly weakens their strength."

Even if the first line of defense is breached, there is a second one.

If you can't hold your ground, you can retreat.

"Unless, the second line of defense also falls."

His hand remained on the map, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

If the second line of defense is also breached, then there's no point in him holding this position.

The first line of defense became an isolated island, cut off from all sides and surrounded by enemies.

By then, those who remain here will only serve as cannon fodder.

"The higher-ups couldn't possibly be unaware of the importance of Severed Cloud Pass."

Lu Feng repeatedly deduced the scenario in his mind.

"Since you know that, either you simply can't spare any manpower, or... there's something else more important than holding the second line of defense."

He ruled out a shortage of manpower.

If Severed Cloud Pass falls, the demonic beasts can advance directly into Shouyun City, thereby threatening the entire heartland of Yongzhou.

The higher-ups wouldn't fail to guard against something like this.

That leaves only one possibility: the higher-ups have other plans.

But he couldn't guess what the plan was.

He knew too little about demonic beasts, and was completely unaware of the plans of the Western Demon-Slaying Bureau's higher-ups.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

"No matter what kind of scheme they're setting up,"

Lu Feng closed the map and let out a long breath.

I have to take care of my own life.

Lu Feng made a decision.

If the situation truly deteriorates to the point where the second line of defense is breached, he will absolutely not remain where he is and wait to die.

Having figured this out, he sat down cross-legged again.