Reinforcements

"I ordered my men to block the monster's retreat from another direction, while I charged in alone from the front."

Lu Shuang continued, her voice lower than usual.

"I have a sword formation that can kill a large number of monsters after it is used. Most of those monsters are first-tier, and only a small portion are second- or third-tier."

"You killed all of them?" Lu Feng couldn't help but ask.

Lu Shuang nodded, then shook her head. "A small portion escaped. Four of my men... sacrificed themselves trying to plug the gap."

Her voice trailed off here.

Lu Feng didn't press further, he just watched her quietly.

Lu Shuang was always cold and aloof, but when she uttered the word "sacrifice," her eyes reddened slightly, which she quickly suppressed by lowering her gaze.

Lu Shuang herself didn't understand why.

She had led teams before, and she had also experienced manpower shortages.

She always felt that people would die on the battlefield, and there was nothing to be sad about.

But this time, when those four people fell, the first thought that popped into her mind was that if it were Lu Feng, he would never have let his men do such a dangerous thing.

He will shoulder everything he can on his own.

"Since it's already happened, there's no point in thinking about it anymore."

Lu Feng spoke, his tone gentler than usual.

"Next time, just let them focus on reconnaissance. Blocking the breaches shouldn't be something Ming Jin's people are tasked with."

Lu Shuang nodded, said nothing more, got up and went into the tent to check on the wounded.

Soon, her hushed instructions and the wounded soldiers' intermittent responses came from inside the tent.

Lu Feng stood guard outside the tent.

Before long, another group of monsters surged in from the other end of the canyon.

This time there were only thirty or forty, half the number of the previous two nights.

He drew his knife and charged forward, quickly cleaning up the mess.

The second wave brought twenty or thirty of them, but they too didn't last more than a few breaths.

After the two waves, the canyon fell silent again, and no more monsters appeared until dawn.

Lu Feng assumed that Lu Shuang had been too ruthless during the day outside the pass, wiping out a large area of the nearby demonic beasts, which was why the attacks had decreased.

He stood guard outside the tent, regulating his breathing while keeping an eye on the movements on both the east and west sides.

Just as the first hint of gray appeared on the horizon, a scout warrior suddenly rushed in from the direction of the valley entrance. He staggered when he landed, his face as white as paper.

"Oh no! The fourth entrance is under attack by a large number of monsters!"

The tent flap was suddenly flung open.

Lu Shuang, fully dressed, rushed out, followed by several injured team members who struggled to keep up.

"When did this happen?" Lu Shuang asked urgently.

"Just now! An urgent report came from the pass: the fourth entrance has been engaged in battle!"

Lu Feng didn't know how this intelligence came about, but judging from Lu Shuang's and the scout's expressions, the news couldn't be false.

The fourth entrance is right next to them.

Once breached, the monsters can penetrate directly behind the second line of defense.

Once the second line of defense is breached, there will be no point in them holding this position.

"You stay here and hold the line, I'm going to reinforce the fourth entrance."

Lu Shuang said something to Lu Feng, then turned to walk around to the back.

This time she plans to go alone, without any teammates.

The situation at the fourth entrance is unclear; those with Ming Jin cultivation will only slow things down.

"I'll go too," Lu Feng said.

Lu Shuang paused, turned to look at him, and asked, "You're going too? Then who will guard this place?"

"Since last night, the number of monsters in each wave has been decreasing."

"There were thirty or forty in the first half of the night, but only twenty or thirty in the second half. After those two waves, they completely disappeared."

Lu Feng spoke quickly, but his points were clear and logical.

"This means the monsters have stopped sending reinforcements here. They've most likely concentrated their forces to attack the fourth entrance."

"What if they're just lying low temporarily, and then pounce on us as soon as we leave?"

"If they really come, have Ji Qingqing and the others retreat to the second line of defense."

"We'll take it back once we return from the fourth entrance. As long as the second line of defense holds, it doesn't matter if the first line is lost temporarily."

Lu Shuang looked at Lu Feng and remained silent for a moment.

She hadn't expected Lu Feng to analyze the situation so clearly in such a short time.

Just now, she was so focused on supporting the fourth entrance that she didn't even consider what to do if the third entrance was attacked.

Lu Feng not only thought of that, but also planned his escape route.

Okay. Let's go together then.

"No! Split up!"

"Split up?" Lu Shuang was taken aback.

"Why?"

"Go around from the back and take the inner passage to the fourth entrance."

"I exited through the canyon and went around to the outside of the pass."

Lu Feng raised his hand and pointed towards the valley entrance.

"Going from outside the pass, the journey is more than halfway shorter. It would take an hour and a half to reach the fourth entrance from inside the pass at full speed, but from outside the pass, it would take less than half an hour."

Lu Shuang suddenly realized that although the area outside the Great Wall was dangerous, it was indeed much closer in distance.

"Wouldn't it be faster if we went together from outside the pass?"

"We can't go together!" Lu Feng shook his head again.

"The situation outside the pass is unclear. If we encounter a large number of demonic beasts, or even fourth-tier demonic beasts, the difference between being held back by two people and just one person is significant."

"I'll go from outside the pass. If I can reach the fourth entrance smoothly, that would be best."

"If I get bogged down outside the pass, you can still provide support from the rear. There are two routes; at least one of them will work."

Lu Shuang looked at him without saying a word.

This time, there was something different in her eyes.

This person is not only calm and far-sighted, but also willing to take the most dangerous path upon himself.

"Good."

Lu Shuang didn't argue anymore. She turned around and rushed away, her figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the mountain wall behind the tent.

Lu Feng immediately summoned Ji Qingqing and the demon-slaying envoy left behind by Lu Shuang.

"Once the monsters attack, don't hold out. Immediately lead your men back to the second line of defense. We'll talk about it when we get back. Leave behind any supplies you can't take; lives are more important than possessions."

"Yes!" the two replied in unison.

Having finished explaining, Lu Feng didn't linger and sped out of the canyon passage at the third entrance.

The valley entrance was piled high with the corpses of the wolf demons killed in the previous two days. The bottom layer had already begun to rot, and a strong, pungent stench filled the air.

He stepped over the corpses and leaped out of the canyon, plunging into the dense forest beyond the pass.

The forest was dense, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, their canopies blocking out most of the morning light.

The forest floor was covered with claw marks and droppings left by monsters, as well as large patches of trampled and flattened bushes.

These were signs of frequent activity by demonic beasts, but at this moment, the forest was eerily quiet, and not a single demonic beast could be seen.

Lu Feng activated his True Essence and unleashed the full power of the Treading on Snow Without a Trace, his figure flying like a shadow skimming the ground as he sped towards the fourth entrance.

Just a few miles ahead of him, a large group of demonic beasts were moving along the forest trail toward the third entrance.

At the front of the group, a fourth-tier Scarlet Flame Tiger walked in the very middle.

Beside it, a third-tier Black Wind Leopard followed closely.