Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 495 The Stealth Assassin, Foolishness, Misfortune, and Panic

More than a hundred breaths ago, on the east side of the Tiger Breeding Forest, at the headquarters of the Dragon Guard.
"Be careful to the north!"

Cheng Guang's warning caused Meng Ying, Tie Xinchuan, and all the other Dragon Guard soldiers to turn their heads to look to the north. When they saw the scene to the north, their pupils suddenly narrowed.

The powerful rain of arrows fired continuously by thousands of Imperial Guards soldiers covered an area of ​​over a hundred meters above the wagon. These soldiers all had a base strength of over 25, and the rain of arrows they fired at the same time was quite powerful.

At this moment, not only were the snowflakes scattered, but even the air currents were dispersed by the arrow-like wind.

However, there was a small area tens of meters above to the north that was completely empty, yet the arrows could not penetrate it no matter what they tried. After the arrows were shot up, they seemed to hit an air wall and fell to the ground with a rustling sound.

"Is it a trick?"

call…………

"Stop talking nonsense and light the yellow candles!"

Meng Ying reacted the fastest. While Cheng Guang and the others were still wondering, he had already drawn his sword and slashed fiercely at that area, while simultaneously signaling the others to quickly light the yellow candles.

Yellow candles can be used in sacrifices to enhance the divinity of spirit tablets, and any strange or supernatural methods will be rendered ineffective within the range of their illumination after they are lit.

Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping, both at the Xianyang level, along with Tie Xinchuan and all the other Longjinwei soldiers, suddenly realized what was happening and quickly pulled out yellow candles from their bodies to light them.

Yellow candles are an essential item for every member of the Imperial Guard.

Their movements were incredibly fast; in less than half a breath, hundreds of yellow candles lit up simultaneously, illuminating the entire area within a hundred meters of the carriage.

However, the illumination range of the yellow candlelight is only about three meters in radius, which means that its radiation range to the sky above is at most three meters high.

Clang...

As Meng Ying charged out, his expression instantly changed when he sensed a tremendous force in front of his blade as it touched the area that had blocked the rain of arrows.

Someone blocked his way with a weapon, and he could even sense two powerful figures in front of him, but he just couldn't see them with his naked eye.

"Invisibility trickery, it's one of those Xianyang-level demon generals from the vassal states, this is bad!"

boom…………

As Meng Ying came to his senses, he was suddenly struck hard in the chest, and his body fell from mid-air to the ground with a loud thud.

"Pfft... Cheng Guang, Jiang Ping, get into the carriage and protect His Highness closely!"

Suppressing his anger, Meng Ying gave orders to Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping with a fierce shout. Without daring to delay for a moment, he quickly got up and rushed towards the carriage.

But at the critical moment, no matter how fast he was, it was too late.

As he was kicked off the plane, the two invisible figures sped down towards the van and reached the top of the van almost instantly.

Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping, because they stayed close to the carriage the whole time, were fast enough that they immediately lifted the curtain and jumped inside when they heard Meng Ying's order.

However, the other party finally arrived!
Although the two invisible people were close to the top of the carriage, they also entered the area illuminated by the yellow candlelight, so their invisibility trick was naturally broken.

They were two middle-aged men dressed in black, one holding a knife and the other a sword. Both were rather tall and slender. The man on the left was constantly emitting thin white smoke, which tightly enveloped his body and the man on the right.

Both of them were upside down, with only their upper bodies visible in the glow of the yellow candle, while their lower bodies remained hidden as they were not within the candle's illumination.

Clearly, that white smoke is the key to the invisibility trick!
The two stealth assassins realized that their presence had been discovered, so their expressions were slightly flustered. However, with the arrow already on the bowstring and only one step away from the carriage, they naturally could not give up any longer.

The two gritted their teeth, quickened their pace, and pounced on the van.

"Fire arrows to force them back!"

Although Tie Xinchuan's reaction was not as quick as Meng Ying's and the other two's, he still immediately shouted for everyone to fire arrows when he saw that the two were already pressed against the top of the carriage.

The Dragon Guard's crossbows never stopped firing, but many people's reaction speed was not as fast as those two invisible men, so all the arrows they shot missed.

Upon hearing Tie Xinchuan's order, they immediately turned their bows and fired at the two stealth fighters who had already revealed their presence.

This is their last chance. Xia Yusheng is sitting inside the carriage. Once those two get close to the carriage, their crossbows will become completely useless.

All the Imperial Guards were well aware of this, so after firing their arrows, they didn't look at the two men. Instead, they discarded their powerful bows, drew their swords, and charged towards the wagon.

Clang... Clang...

It must be said that this final volley of arrows fired in anger did have an effect. If the number of Dragon Guards had been slightly less, the two Xianyang-level soldiers probably wouldn't have been a problem. But at this moment, almost all the Dragon Guards soldiers had arrived.

Thousands of silver-forged arrows came flying at once, causing the pupils of the two invisible Manifestation-level beings to suddenly contract.

"I'm blocking your way, you piece of junk car trying to arrest me!"

The man on the right roared and wildly swung his broadsword, creating a screen of blades more than two meters in diameter. It actually blocked the other man's path, shielding him from most of the rain of arrows.

Tap tap tap...

Even if a single or a few arrows of the Cold Resistance level are made of ten thousand-fold refined silver, they cannot penetrate the bones of the Manifestation level. However, if hundreds or thousands of arrows are fired by soldiers like the Dragon Guards, whose basic strength is all above 25, the result will be completely different.

The Xianyang-class warrior who volunteered to shield his companion from arrows couldn't possibly withstand the rain of arrows coming from all directions from the carriage, no matter how fast he swung his broadsword. In the end, two or three out of ten arrows still pierced through the sword barrier and stuck in his body.

Even if only two or three-tenths of the arrows are used, that would still amount to more than two hundred arrows.

Without any suspense, his entire body was riddled with arrows almost instantly. Although the sound indicated that the rain of arrows had not penetrated his bones, the terrifying impact of the arrows still caused his body to sway from side to side, slowing down his sword-wielding speed by more than half, and the sword curtain slowly dissipated.

Not only him, but the person behind him also had more than a dozen arrows stuck in his body.

But a Xianyang-level being is still a Xianyang-level being. The person who blocked the arrows, despite being riddled with bullets, still raised his hand to protect his face and some vital areas, which shows that the rain of arrows did not cause him fatal damage.

If he was like this, then the man behind him who had only been hit by a dozen arrows was even more desperate. He had already lunged to the top of the carriage, and his longsword suddenly pierced through the roof.

boom!
The two had been hiding and lying in wait for so long, using air currents to create a diversion and launching a surprise attack from the north. They braved so many arrows and finally managed to get close to the carriage. You can imagine how powerful that man's attack was.

He clearly understood that with thousands of Imperial Guards surrounding him, this was his only chance to make a move, so he had to succeed in one fell swoop.

boom……

The sword suddenly fell, and the ground around the carriage trembled violently. The force was transmitted to the ground, which stirred up the surrounding snow. A snow fog tens of meters high instantly enveloped the entire carriage, along with the hundreds of Dragon Guards who were near the carriage.

"25 jin of force only created one hole, how is that possible..."

In the snow and mist, the swordsman, who was also Cai Qiu's stealth assassin, looked at the long sword in his hand, which had only pierced a hole less than half a meter in diameter in the top of the carriage. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his voice was full of horror.

call out…………

However, his shock did not last long.

Two beams of green light suddenly flew out of the carriage and landed on his right hand holding the sword and on his neck, respectively. When the assassin looked down, he realized that they were two tiny green snakes, each about the thickness of a thumb.

"The Tengshe King, the Great Xia Dynasty has more than twelve beast kings..."

As the last thought flashed through the stealth assassin's mind, the two small snakes around his neck and right hand suddenly twisted their bodies, their length expanding to over a hundred feet in an instant. They grabbed the assassin in their mouths, lifted him into the air, and tore him to pieces in mid-air.

That wasn't the end of it. The other person who had shielded him from the arrows had tried to retreat and escape when the two small green snakes flew off the roof of the carriage, but how could the Dragon Guard soldiers let him leave?

"Protect the Second Prince!"

"Get on the roof of the van! Don't let the assassin get away!"

"dash forward!"

………………

Lu Dong, Luo An, Zou Ping, and other young soldiers of the Dragon Guard roared and charged toward the assassin who was trying to escape.

Their roar caused almost all the soldiers around them to rush over, their target being the wagons.

When Tie Xinchuan saw countless soldiers surrounding the wagon, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason. Then, his eyebrows twitched violently, and he roared, "Idiots, all of you, get out of the way! What are you doing!"

Not to mention that Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping, two Xianyang-level beings, were also in the carriage, it was clear from the two Beast King-level Tengjiao dragons that the Madam had already taken multiple precautions for the Second Prince's safety, so they didn't need to worry about him at all.

All the imperial guards surrounded the carriage, successfully keeping the assassin there, but this also plunged the situation into complete chaos.

The second assassin, whether he runs away or stays, is doomed to die.

But if chaos breaks out around the van, the situation will be very bad.

Of the thousands of Dragon Guards present, half had just been on guard around the Tiger Breeding Forest and were gradually returning to their posts.

Does anyone know if there were other people mixed in?
"Make way, everyone make way! Don't give anyone a chance to take advantage!"

Yuan Bai, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, was the second to react, and he roared out almost right behind Tie Xinchuan.

Even so, the two of them were still a beat slower.

Lu Dong and Luo An, along with eight other battalion commanders and hundreds of Dragon Guard soldiers, had already broken through half of the way. They were either standing on top of the carriage to trap the assassin or surrounding the carriage.

boom…………

Hearing Tie Xinchuan and Yuan Bai's angry roars, Lu Dong and the others saw the chaotic situation around the carriage and reacted quickly, but it was too late.

A sudden, powerful gust of wind erupted from the very center of the Dragon Guard soldiers, instantly shoving aside the dozens of soldiers crammed onto the roof of the wagon. The shockwave from the gust also pushed aside hundreds of soldiers in the surrounding area.

Also pushed aside were the yellow candles held by the soldiers.

Clang... Clang...

Two sharp, metallic clanging sounds suddenly came from inside the carriage.

bite…………

Immediately, a bright white light shot up from the large hole in the top of the carriage, and Tie Xinchuan, Yuan Bai, and the scattered Dragon Guard soldiers, including Lu Dong and Luo An, turned deathly pale.

"Aunt Han Shuang..."

Xia Yusheng's scream came from inside the carriage. Tie Xinchuan's pupils narrowed, and he rushed to the front of the carriage. Worried about what was happening inside, he reached out and lifted the curtain as soon as he got close.

call…………

The moment his hand touched the curtain, a palm strike came hurtling towards him. The force of the strike was terrifying, and its speed astonishing. Caught off guard, he had no choice but to sidestep and take the blow with his shoulder. Bang…

The palm strike sent Tie Xinchuan flying dozens of meters, smashing through two large trees. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he flew a long way, his shoulder area of ​​the Xuanlin Silver Armor shattered, his face filled with lingering fear.

The Xuanlin Silver Armor is currently the most advanced armor in the Great Xia Dynasty, without exception. It has undergone countless tests and can withstand an impact force of up to three jun (a unit of weight), yet it cannot even withstand a single palm strike from its opponent.

He could feel that the flesh and blood in his shoulder area had been completely dissolved by the immense force of the opponent's palm, and the bones beneath the flesh were shattered.

If I don't wear armor, I'll surely die!

Despite his inner fear, Tie Xinchuan still didn't forget to check the carriage. He covered his severed arm and looked up, only to find that the person who had just knocked him away was also wearing black scale silver armor.

Even worse off than the two previous stealth assassins, this man's left and right hands were being bitten by a Beast King-level Tengjiao and a Beast King-level Blood Jade Fox, respectively, and he was frantically taking off and fleeing westward.

This person's strength was obviously extremely amazing. Despite being bitten on both arms by two beast kings, and both beast kings had already activated their battle forms, his speed did not decrease. In an instant, he flew to the western edge of the Tiger Forest.

"Pfft... This is hopeless, run!"

The man was determined to escape, so he made a bold decision and allowed the two beast kings to bite off his arms. When he reached the western sky above the Tiger Breeding Forest, he spat out a mouthful of blood and shouted for the others to escape. He didn't stop for a moment and flew out of the Tiger Breeding Forest in an instant, fleeing towards the depths of Redwood Ridge.

Tie Xinchuan, clutching his severed arm, rushed to the side of the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked inside. He then saw Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping protecting Xia Yusheng, while Han Yue, who had just been in the carriage with Xia Yusheng, was nowhere to be seen.

Xia Yusheng's face was full of panic. When he saw that it was Tie Xinchuan who came in, he subconsciously wanted to rush out, but Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping would not allow him to run away. They grabbed him and stopped him.

"Uncle Tie, Aunt Hanyue is missing. She was slapped by that person's palm and then disappeared..."

Xia Yusheng realized he couldn't get out, so he could only speak with a slightly tearful voice.

Upon hearing his words, Tie Xinchuan's expression suddenly changed, but remembering his duty, he clenched his fists tightly and whispered, "Your Highness, don't be afraid. We're only a hundred meters away from the North Gate. We'll be fine once we get into the city!"

"Uncle Tie, please go and save Aunt Hanyue! Please go and save her! I promise I'll never leave the city again, never again..."

Xia Yusheng was clearly in a panic, his voice filled with fear and terror. He even couldn't help but promise that he would never leave the city again, and kept calling out to Aunt Hanyue, urging Tie Xinchuan to hurry up and save her.

If we're talking about who's been most psychologically impacted tonight, it's definitely him.

Xia Yusheng was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand how his trip to the Tiger Forest for a trial had caused such a huge incident.

From the moment he was carried onto the carriage by Tie Xinchuan and the others until two stealth assassins suddenly attacked and broke open the top of the carriage, he was held in Han Yue's arms the whole time. Not only Han Yue, but Jiang Ping and Cheng Guang also surrounded him from the front and back, protecting him tightly in the middle.

Although he didn't know exactly what was happening outside, he could get a general idea from the commotion and the voices of the Imperial Guards. In short, he was the target.

After the top of the carriage was broken open, countless Imperial Guards rushed over and surrounded the carriage. Then he heard a loud bang, and all the Imperial Guards around the carriage were shaken away. The yellow candles inside and around the carriage were all extinguished instantly.

Finally, a Dragon Guard soldier broke in amidst the chaos. Although the soldier was wearing black scale silver armor, his face was old and his hair and beard were white, clearly indicating that he was an assassin in disguise.

As soon as the man burst in, his right hand wielded the long sword, directly slicing through Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping. Then, a burst of intense light emanated from his left hand, which struck directly at him.

Xia Yusheng remembered it clearly. When he faced that palm strike, he was terrified and immediately closed his eyes. It was Han Yue, who had been holding him tightly, who suddenly turned around and used her back to block the palm strike for him.

When Aunt Hanyue blocked that blow for him, she whispered something in his ear.

"Your Highness, don't be afraid, your aunt will protect you!"

Over the years, Han Yue has come to regard Xia Yusheng as her own son; and Xia Yusheng has just as deep feelings for this maid who has been with him since childhood.
Li Xuanling, his mother, was extremely strict with him, and the strictness only increased as she got older. Han Yue, on the other hand, had taken care of his every need for many years, trying her best to make him happy. She never made any demands on him, except for some principled requirements such as not being allowed to leave the Summer Palace. She almost always granted his requests.

Sometimes, when he made a mistake and was about to be punished by his mother, Han Yue would help persuade Li Xuanling. It was for this reason that Li Xuanling had previously teased Han Yue, saying that she was more like a mother than herself. So, Xia Yusheng and Xia Yuyao changed their address to call Han Yue and Han Shuang "aunt".

After so many years of getting along, Han Yue had long occupied a significant place in Xia Yusheng's young heart. This relationship had long surpassed that of master and servant; they were not mother and son, but they were already closer than mother and son.

Xia Yusheng watched Hanyue disappear before his eyes, and under such a critical situation. Even if he was young, he could roughly sense that today's events were caused by him.

The key is that those people who came were so powerful, so what about Aunt Hanyue...?

While Xia Yusheng was feeling uneasy, the Imperial Guard and his men had already escorted him to the north gate. A large army had already come out of the city and was now crowding around the carriage.

"My lords, we've entered the city. Quickly escort His Highness to the Star-Picking Palace!"

Only now did Tie Xinchuan dare to lift the curtain. He first bowed and urged Cheng Guang and Jiang Ping to quickly take Xia Yusheng back to the inner city. Seeing Xia Yusheng still looking at him with teary eyes, he hurriedly said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely rescue Hanyue..."

After saying that, he turned around and led the Imperial Guard towards the direction of the Tiger Breeding Forest, his face full of fear and trepidation.

Xia Yusheng was worried, but he was not worried at all.

Han Yue is his wife of many years; they've only been married for three years, and their son, Tie Shiyu, is just two years old. If something were to happen to him…

Tie Xinchuan clenched his fists and sped up wildly, heading towards the west side of the Tiger Breeding Forest.

"The battle on the west side is over, those guys escaped!"

Following behind, Lu Dong, Luo An, Zou Ping, and the other Dragon Guard commanders and soldiers clearly sensed Tie Xinchuan's emotions. Recalling their foolish actions just now, their expressions were extremely uneasy.

Yuan Bai was slightly better off. He first looked up at the western sky and found that there was no movement on both the northern and southern battlefields. He immediately reminded Tie Xinchuan.

“I know, but where is Hanyue…”

Tie Xinchuan roared, but before he could finish speaking, Li Xuanling and the other Great Xia Xianyang level beings descended from the sky in front of them.

"With your meager abilities, you dare to aspire to be close attendants to the Summer Palace? I must have lost my mind to entrust the safety of my Holy Son to a bunch of useless trash like you. If it weren't for you tonight, the situation probably wouldn't be so dangerous!"

Li Xuanling's cold, angry shouts rang out, and the faces of the Dragon Guard soldiers, especially the leaders Lu Dong, Luo An, and several other commanders, began to burn uncontrollably, their ears turned red rapidly, and their throats felt as if something was blocking them, leaving them unable to utter a single word.

"Your Highness is incompetent and nearly endangered you. Please punish me, Madam!"

Tie Xinchuan looked up and saw Meng Ying standing behind Li Xuanling. Knowing that Li Xuanling had learned what had just happened from him, he immediately knelt down and begged for punishment.

Seeing Tie Xinchuan kneel down to beg for forgiveness, Lu Dong, Luo An, Zou Ping, Xiao Heng and other commanders, as well as all the Dragon Guard soldiers, were filled with shame and knelt down before Li Xuanling.

"Madam, the Second Prince was in danger just now because of Lu Dong alone. I am willing to die to atone for my sins and repay the Lord's great kindness in the next life!"

“I was the one who got into the carriage first, Madam. It was Luo An’s fault. Luo An was foolish and almost killed the Second Prince. I am ashamed before the Lord, ashamed before Madam, and even more ashamed before Great Xia. I am willing to atone with my death. I will repay the Lord’s great kindness in the next life!”

"it's me……"

………………

Lu Dong, Luo An, Zou Ping, and the others were filled with shame. Thinking that they had just killed Xia Yusheng, they all drew their swords and slashed their own necks.

This scene clearly demonstrates just how terrifying Xia Hong's position is in the eyes of Lu Dong and his group of second-generation elites.

When they drew their swords to commit suicide, they even collectively ignored their fathers. For example, Luo An's father, Luo Yuan; Xiao Heng's father, Xiao Kangcheng; Zou Ping's father, Zou Yuankai; Zhao Yuanwu's father, Zhao Long, and so on, all stood behind Li Xuanling at that moment.

Seeing their sons so fierce, Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, Xiao Kangcheng and the others felt a surge of anxiety, but due to their status, they dared not step forward to stop them. According to Meng Ying's words, Xia Yusheng should have been in no danger tonight, but was almost killed by Lu Dong and a few others.

If they act now, how will they gain the respect of the people in the future?

Clang...

Seeing that the disciples' sword hilts had already slit their necks, Qiu Peng, who was standing behind Li Xuanling, finally couldn't hold back any longer. He directly threw his sword sheath and smashed it at Lu Dong, who was in the front row.

He is now at the Manifestation Yang level, and this angry smash was quite powerful. The sword sheath not only knocked Lu Dong down and sent him flying more than ten meters backward, but also knocked more than a dozen people around him off their feet.

"You think death is enough to atone for your sins? You're dreaming! How much effort and energy did the lord, along with your fathers and brothers, expend to raise you brats to adulthood? The war between Great Xia and the Five Northern Towns is about to begin. I'll spare your lives and use them to atone for your sins on the battlefield!"

"Humph!"

Li Xuanling seemed genuinely interested in making these people atone with their deaths. Qiu Peng stepped in to smooth things over, but she showed no gratitude whatsoever, not even the slightest emotional fluctuation. She even turned her head to glare at Qiu Peng, snorted coldly, and then flew back into the city without saying a word.

After being glared at, Qiu Peng sheepishly shrank back. He only breathed a sigh of relief after Li Xuanling flew away. Then he angrily cursed at Lu Dong and the others, "You bunch of idiots! You ruined such a good opportunity to protect the Second Prince and offended the Madam. You won't have a good life from now on..."

After he finished speaking, he paused, then sneered, "The war with the five northern towns will begin soon. Don't even think about getting any military merits this time. Just go to the battlefield and kill the enemy to atone for your sins!"

After saying this, he shook his head repeatedly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, Li Xuanling's voice came from inside the city.

"Qiu Peng, Yuan Cheng, you take all the Dragon Guards, divide them into three teams, and go into Redwood Ridge to search for them. Find those rats one by one and make sure to rescue Han Yue."

"I obey my orders!"

As soon as Qiu Peng finished answering, Tie Xinchuan on the ground excitedly chimed in.

"Thank you, Madam! Your subordinate thanks you, Madam!"

The lady hasn't forgotten Hanyue...

Tie Xinchuan looked up at Qiu Peng and the group of Xianyang-level cultivators, his eyes filled with hope.

"A total of 23 people came tonight. We just killed 6 from the Northwest battlefield, 7 from the Southwest battlefield, and 2 from the van. 8 of them escaped, all heading towards Hongmuling. They must have a base there..."

After a moment of contemplation, Qiu Peng turned to look at Xiao Kangcheng in the crowd.

Xiao Kangcheng understood immediately and nodded, saying, "I left a Soul-Permeating Incense on one of them; we can chase after them."

Last year, a Soul-Eating Monster appeared around Longshan City. Yue Feng was helpless and finally asked Xu Ning for help. They killed the Soul-Eating Monster and obtained a Soul Fragrance Jade, which was put into the warehouse of the supply department.

Xiao Kangcheng eventually exchanged and fused with that Soul Fragrance Jade. The most powerful function of this jade was that it could transmit a fragrance into the soul of the other party without anyone noticing.

Once the transmission is successful, it's like leaving a permanent mark. Xiao Kangcheng can use the scent's trajectory to find the other party.

This function is even more extraordinary than Xia Chuan's silk threads, so once Xiao Kangcheng integrated it, he naturally became the number one person in the Great Xia Dynasty in terms of tracking.

He and Qiu Peng were on the battlefield in the northwest, and after fighting for so long, he must have used some tricks. Now they can come in handy.

"Let's go and chase after them first. Of the eight who escaped, apart from Yang Jian, the rest should all be from the two major warlord regions. Although they are strong, they are all seriously injured. It would be best to kill them all."

After Qiu Peng finished speaking, he turned to look at Tie Xinchuan, sighed slightly, and then led a group of Xianyang-level cultivators to chase after them into the depths of Hongmu Ridge.

Han Yue was made to disappear by the other party using trickery, and whether she is alive or dead is still a question mark.

Even among the survivors, 15 of Yang Jian's 23 Xianyang-level warriors died tonight.

Once Han Yue falls into their hands, her fate is not hard to guess.

Will these people show leniency?

(End of this chapter)