abnabooks Chapter 151 Black Stone Pass
Chapter 151 Black Stone Pass
As the group reached the Black Stone Pass, the sun was setting behind the western ridge. The last rays of sunlight painted the two steep cliffs a dark red, as if soaked in blood. The pass, nestled between the two mountains, was so narrow that only five horses could pass abreast. The cliff faces were bare, devoid of even a decent tree; only a few clumps of withered grass sprouted from the cracks in the rocks, shivering in the wind. The terrain was treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. One man could hold the pass against ten thousand. But now, the pass was open.
The stench of blood wafted over even before the group reached the pass. It wasn't a faint, barely perceptible smell, but a strong, pungent stench, like a wall of blood assaulting the senses. It was mixed with the stench of ferocious beasts, the putrid stench of evil energy, and an indescribable smell, like something charred under intense heat. The spirit steed was the first to sense something was wrong, snorting and pawing the ground restlessly, refusing to move forward. Leng Feng was the first to dismount, crouching down and touching the bloodstains on the ground with his fingers. The blood hadn't completely congealed, sticking to his fingertips, warm and sticky, a dark red with an eerie purplish-black tinge. He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings, his face darkening.
"The battle ended no more than half an hour ago." His voice was low, but every word was clear. "An entire company stationed at the pass has disappeared. There are no bodies of our own men on the ground."
Chu Fan took out a detection array from his backpack, injected spiritual energy into it, and the pointer on the array spun wildly as if it had gone mad. After spinning four or five times, it suddenly stopped in the direction of the depths of the pass. The pointer stopped shaking and pointed straight at the passage swallowed by shadows, motionless, like a nail driven into a piece of wood.
"There's a strong aura of ferocious beasts inside, as well as the aura of evil cultivators. There are quite a few of them, at least three thousand. They're lying in ambush on both sides of the cliffs and at the end of the passage, waiting for us to go in."
Su Muyue activated her Martial Emperor bloodline, closed her eyes, and focused her mind to sense things for a moment. Her brows furrowed more and more tightly, and when she opened her eyes, her expression had changed from tired to solemn.
"Five evil cultivators at the Transformation Realm. More than three thousand third-tier ferocious beasts controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu. The formation is very sophisticated—the ferocious beasts are in the front row as cannon fodder, while the evil cultivators are in the back row directing and coordinating. Once we all enter the pass, they will block our retreat and attack us from both sides."
Chen Feng drew his sword from his waist; the blade reflected the setting sun for a moment before darkening again. His face showed no fear, only the cold, resolute determination characteristic of an old soldier facing the enemy.
"The evil race anticipated our arrival and laid an ambush here." He held his sword horizontally in front of him, stroking the spine with his left hand. "However, they underestimated us. Since they've delivered themselves to our doorstep, let's finish them off."
Lin Chen didn't reply. His gaze swept from the cliff on the left to the cliff on the right of the pass, then from both sides to the shadows at the end of the passage. Those shadows were too thick, abnormally thick. They weren't the darkness caused by the setting sun, but black mist formed by the condensation of evil energy, like a huge black curtain hanging at the exit of the pass, completely obscuring what lay behind it. Five people, three thousand ferocious beasts, five Transformation Realm cultivators. They were outnumbered, out of cultivation, and out of terrain. But terrain is something people use. Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and quickly issued instructions.
"Director Chen will lead the main force to advance from the front, drawing their attention. Leng Feng will lead fifty elite soldiers to climb up the cliff on the left and flank the enemy from behind. Chu Fan will set up a maze in advance to disrupt the enemy's perception. Mu Yue will be responsible for setting up the defensive array to withstand the first wave of attacks from the ferocious beasts. Ling'er will follow the main force, providing medical care to the wounded as needed."
All five people responded at the same time.
Chu Fan squatted on the ground, his hands rapidly forming hand seals. Three array plates flew out of his backpack, landing on the left, center, and right sides of the pass entrance. Pale golden array patterns spread from the bottom of the array plates, like plant roots, silently embedding themselves into the rocks. The three layers of illusion arrays overlapped, completely concealing the aura of the five hundred people. From the outside, the pass entrance appeared empty, devoid of anything; even the footprints on the ground had been smoothed over by the array patterns.
Leng Feng, leading fifty agile soldiers, carrying ropes, stealthily made his way along the base of the cliff on the left. The cliff was almost vertical, with only a few shallow cracks in the smooth rock face offering footholds. Leng Feng bit his dagger, gripped the cracks with both hands, and climbed silently like a gecko. Behind him followed fifty men, their movements perfectly synchronized; no one spoke, no one fell behind, and no one looked down. The fifty men reached the top of the cliff and disappeared into the bushes at the summit.
Su Muyue's twelve battle flags were planted in the ground at the front of the formation, their surfaces swaying slightly in the evening breeze. The runes on the flags were already lit, their golden light faint but particularly noticeable in the increasingly dark sky. With a single thought, all twelve flags would unfurl simultaneously, creating a golden barrier in front of the formation. Su Ling'er stood beside her, the clasp of her medicine box already undone, a handful of healing pills in her left hand and several Explosive Flame Pills in her right. Her gaze swept back and forth through the formation, already memorizing the positions of several more seriously injured and exhausted soldiers.
Chen Feng walked at the head of the column, his sword held horizontally in front of him. Behind him, more than four hundred soldiers formed a dense square formation, with shield bearers in front, spearmen behind, and archers at the rear. The footsteps were light, the weapons clanged silently, and even their breathing was suppressed to a minimum. The four hundred-plus soldiers, like a silent river, slowly flowed into the entrance of the Black Stone Pass.
The passage narrowed, and the cliffs on either side rose higher. The sunlight was blocked by the cliffs, and the light changed from a dull yellow to grayish-white, and then to bluish-black. The group moved slowly, each step taken with great care. The shield bearers held their shields to their chests, the spearmen's spears were wedged into the gaps in their shields, and the archers' arrows were already nocked.