Beneath a sullen sky, the sound of galloping warhorses erupted—a vast, dark tide surging down the post road in an instant. Before the kicked-up dust could settle, four riders had already swept past like the wind, vanishing around the bend!
A while later, a figure finally emerged from the roadside undergrowth, gazing in the direction the four had disappeared. A chilling smile touched his icy pupils. He then drew a palm-sized stone from his robes—a rare treasure of the Mafa Continent: the Thousand-Mile Sound Transmitter.
"The Pigeon Cell reports that four Heaven Demon Warriors have passed Stone Town."
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
Perhaps having run for an entire day, the **'s Forge Warhorses were now emitting puffs of white vapor. Their heavy, ragged breaths and sweat splashing onto the ground like rain made it clear they were utterly spent!
Yet, even in this state, we dared not relax even slightly! We continued to urge our mounts forward, wringing out the last vestiges of their strength!
Among all mounts across the Four Continents, the Forge Warhorse was the swiftest, and its stamina was equally astonishing. Thus, for us, desperate to return to the Imperial City, the Forge Warhorse was the most ideal mode of transport. Though the Demon Dragon Continent was not their place of origin, the Prague Legion had captured quite a few during successive wars. Furthermore, the mounts currently carrying ** were premium breeds among Forge Warhorses, significantly faster than the ordinary kind, greatly increasing our travel speed.
On the distant horizon, a gray haze began to show—a dense stretch of forest. From afar, I could see that the end of this post road extended directly into the thicket!
In mere heartbeats, we surged up to the edge of the dense woods!
Halt! The furiously galloping Forge Warhorses were yanked back by tight reins, rearing up onto their hind legs. Then, their thick hooves slammed down onto the earth like heavy hammers.
The narrow road ahead snaked through the woods, vanishing beneath the deep shadows of the canopy.
The four of us exchanged an instinctive glance. Ever since leaving Cicheng, we had anticipated the various possibilities awaiting us on the road. Given the ruthless, vicious methods of the Demon Sealing Empire, they would never let slip this golden opportunity while the Eight Great Heaven Demons were away on expedition and the Imperial City was so thinly defended!
It could even be said that the Fire Dragon Heart, the Soul Siphon Staff, and the Heaven-Defying Legion were deployed precisely to engineer this situation, forcing Jidu, Luohou, and Yueyao to abandon the capital and reinforce Yuncheng!
Even seeing through this plot, the Demon Dragon Royalty could scarcely imagine how to resolve the dilemma. They couldn't just stand by and watch the Heaven-Defying Legion bombard their way to Demon Dragon City with the Fire Dragon's flame!
Therefore, dispatching Jidu, Luohou, and Yueyao to support Yuncheng was the Demon Dragon Royal Family's only option. The remaining palace could only rely on the Emperor Jiuyao Chongyang and the Divine Seer Jiuyao Zhuyue to defend it personally. Though deeply regrettable, it was the only way!
It could be said that from the very beginning, the Demon Dragon Empire had been led by the nose by the Demon Sealing Empire. The fundamental reason for this was that the Demon Dragon Royalty possessed only nine Heaven Demons, the fewest among all royal houses.
Since they had gone to such lengths to create this situation, they certainly wouldn't let us return to the Imperial City easily!
Calculating based on this, our return journey would inevitably involve layers of interception. Otherwise, once Jidu, Luohou, and Yueyao made it back to the palace, whatever miraculous means the Demon Sealing Empire possessed would be useless.
To accomplish their goal quickly, ambushes and interceptions were certain!
Thus, this dense forest before us was almost certainly the optimal location for an ambush!
"Proceed according to plan," Yueyao said in a deep voice.
"Yes!"
Meanwhile!
Concealed within the thick canopy of giant trees, Moluo Aotian, Moluo Zhanlong, and the others watched the rising dust cloud, rapidly approaching in the distance, with intense tension!
Everyone subconsciously took a deep breath, then stabilized their internal energy. Heaven Demon Warriors possessed sensory awareness far beyond ordinary people; a single lapse in caution could easily expose their position. Moluo Aotian and the others naturally dared not be careless!
The mages and the Crimson Robe Sacrificers beside them struggled to suppress the unease churning in their hearts!
Truthfully, every mage felt a creeping dread about this ambush against the Fire Constellation. Whether in Cicheng or Yuncheng, the monstrous Demon Devouring Body they witnessed had shaken them to a degree unimaginable by common folk!
Moluo Aotian and Moluo Tianfeng exchanged bitter, wry smiles. None of the targets for this ambush were pushovers. Star, with his Demon Devouring Body that ignored magical attacks, was a nightmare enough, but Silver Demon Jidu was also a terrifying opponent. Back in Yuncheng, three Heaven Demon Warriors and one Heaven Rainbow Mage from the Heaven-Defying Legion could not defeat him, ending up with two of their own slain!
Now, having these two monster-level masters moving together, anyone would have a headache dealing with them! Not to mention Yueyao and Luohou, two veterans of countless battles!
Therefore, even with meticulous arrangements for this ambush, they still felt a deep-seated nervousness! If they had a choice, they would absolutely refuse to face such monsters. However, this was the Heaven-Defying Legion's final chance to turn the tide; they had no other choice.
The four riders burst into the woods like the wind!
Everyone stared fixedly at the road ahead!
Closer! Even closer!
Ah! No one! The saddlebags of the charging horses were empty!
Moluo Aotian and the others were momentarily stunned!
Bang! Bang! Rumble!
In the blink of an eye, massive, dazzling spheres of light erupted simultaneously from the ground!
Ugh!
Amidst the light burst came the pained shrieks of the Forge Warhorses!
It was the galloping horses that had stepped right onto magical traps! The astonishing magical explosion pulverized all four mounts into dust!
"As expected, a skillful tactic," Moluo Aotian ground out through gritted teeth. "Pursue! We absolutely cannot let them return to Yuncheng."
The earth-shattering roar, accompanied by blinding light, shot high into the sky! Countless birds and beasts in the dense forest were startled into flight, and the entire wood instantly filled with various panicked roars and rapid thundering sounds—the sound of startled wild animals beginning to flee chaotically, just like that herd of beasts terrified by the roar of the great Mammoth in the past!
Jidu, Luohou, and the others showed faint, composed smiles. "His Highness Prince Qin's maneuver—that strategy of 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell' combined with 'Casting a Stone to Inquire About the Path'—is truly brilliant."
"General overpraises me," I said with a hint of pride. "After all, this is two of the Thirty-Six Stratagems from ancient **; how could they possibly fail?"
"Moluo Aotian must be furious right now," Luohou commented. "Let's move quickly; we don't have time to tangle with them now."
"They were lucky this time," Yueyao noted. "If we weren't in such a rush to return to the Imperial City, this would have been a perfect opportunity to wipe them out."
"Forget it. Since they deliberately set an ambush, they must have made thorough preparations. A direct confrontation is unwise now," Jidu concluded. "Let's go."
The dense forest was filled with towering, ancient trees that blotted out the sun. Four figures flashed through the woods like a clear breeze, swiftly moving between the thickets!
We had slipped into the forest the very moment the explosions occurred, using the jungle cover to rush at full speed toward Yuncheng!
For Heaven Demon Warriors, having mounts for transport is ultimately not crucial. Therefore, we had long agreed on this tactic of 'Casting a Stone to Inquire About the Path': upon encountering a suitable place for an ambush, we would immediately utilize the forest cover to hasten towards Yuncheng!
I highly doubt they could surround this entire vast forest! While I may lack experience in military campaigns and battlefield maneuvers, when it comes to running for my life, I certainly believe I am second to none!
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