I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

As dusk slowly descended from the western ridgeline, the Lin family's fleet of flying boats advanced southward along the narrow passage between the eastern section of the Fulong Mountains and Black Wind Ridge.

Because of the Demon Palace of Reversing Fate, there were almost no spies from the Fang family on this front, which allowed the Lin family's intentions to remain undetected.

The airships were arranged in three columns, with each column maintaining a distance of about two hundred feet. The spiritual light arrays on the hulls gleamed with a dim light in the twilight, their brightness deliberately reduced to decrease the probability of being detected.

The engine noise was almost half that of normal cruising, trading lower power for less noise.

Lin Che stood at the bow of the main ship, the night wind sweeping past on both sides, lifting the hem of his clothes and casting a continuously moving shadow on the metal deck.

His gaze passed through the horizon, which was gradually darkening, and landed on the valley entrance in the distance, which was becoming clearer in the twilight. It was the edge of Maple Leaf Ridge and the agreed assembly point for the Rebellious Demon Palace forces.

"Father, the scouts ahead have reported back." Lin Xuanjing's voice came from behind. He quickly walked to Lin Che's side, the surface of the jade slip in his hand flashing with spiritual light at a fixed frequency.

"The forces of the Demon Palace of Rebellion have arrived ahead of schedule and are currently waiting in the valley on the east side of Maple Leaf Ridge. There are about 20,000 troops, mainly lightly armed, and they are not carrying heavy siege puppets. It seems that they are preparing to launch a surprise attack."

Their flags had been lowered, and their tents were camouflaged, making them difficult to spot from the air. The camouflage netting, made of a mixture of withered branches and dark gray strips of cloth, blended almost seamlessly with the surrounding terrain, becoming even more indistinguishable in the twilight.

Lin Che nodded slightly, his gaze piercing through the twilight to the distant outline of the valley being shrouded in shadow: "Where is the Fang family's supply line now?"

"The news from Zhihei confirms that the supply line is currently located about 380 li west of Maple Leaf Ridge, accompanied by a guard force of about 20,000 people. There are three supply stations along the way, located at the outer defense line of Baicaogu, Qiansongpo, and the northern section of Maple Leaf Ridge. The convoy is currently stationed on the section between the northern section of Maple Leaf Ridge and Qiansongpo. At the normal marching speed, it is expected to arrive at the Qiansongpo supply station by tomorrow afternoon."

"The plan of the Demon Palace of Rebellion is to launch a surprise attack on the Fang family's supply lines at Thousand Pine Slope and the northern section of Maple Leaf Ridge."

Lin Che nodded and continued, "What are their specific plans?"

"The Demon Palace of Rebellion will launch a surprise attack from the direction of Maple Ridge at midnight tonight. The main attack will be directed at the junction of the front and middle sections of the supply convoy. First, they will cut off the convoy's speed, and then they will advance from both sides simultaneously, dividing it into sections."

Lin Xuanjing flipped the jade slip over, revealing a simple sketch on the back. The sketch was marked with discontinuous lines indicating the arrangement of the caravan and the planned cutting points.

"Our mission is to form a blockade behind the supply convoy, cut off their retreat route, and prevent the escorting forces from breaking out towards the main force of the Fang family to request reinforcements."

The vanguard of the Demon Palace of Rebellion will first sever the connection between the front and middle sections of the convoy, then encircle it from both sides, dividing the escorting force. We will be responsible for blocking the retreat route from the rear, preventing the divided main escorting force from regrouping with the vanguard and escaping the encirclement.

Lin Che remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on the middle section of the supply convoy on the sketch: "How many people are in the supply convoy's escort force? What is the level of security?"

"Our scouts completed a close reconnaissance two days ago. The total strength of the escort force is about 20,000. There is a Nascent Soul cultivator in the central army, and 10,000 people are distributed on each side of the convoy. There is a patrol post every few dozen feet, maintaining an alternating pace. The interval between patrol posts is about 30 to 40 breaths. There will be a short overlap period when the shifts are changed, which lasts about 10 breaths."

Lin Xuanjing retrieved the sketch.

"Judging from their formation and patrol intervals, this unit's response speed will not be fast. When they are on night duty, they mainly rely on fixed sentry posts, and the coverage of the patrol teams is limited. Once the longitudinal structure of the convoy is cut off, the reaction time of the escorting forces is about thirty to fifty breaths."

"We and the army of the Demon Palace of Rebellion have cut off a supply convoy of 20,000 men. The number isn't a problem, the key is not to drag it out for too long." Lin Che's gaze fell on the horizon in the southwest, which was gradually blurring in the twilight. "Once the Fang family's main force realizes that the supply has been cut off, they will immediately split up to defend. We need to cut off the supply and withdraw from the battlefield before the Fang family can react."

"The plan of the Demon Palace of Rebellion is to complete the entire operation within an hour and a half." Lin Xuanjing put the jade slip back into his sleeve. "From launching the surprise attack at midnight to completing the withdrawal at 1:45 AM, the time window is sufficient. They have already reserved three withdrawal routes between the northern section of Maple Leaf Ridge and Thousand Pine Slope, and each route has undergone at least two rounds of reconnaissance to ensure that they will not be blocked in the valley during the withdrawal."

Lin Che nodded slightly, lifting his gaze from the map to the distant outline of a valley being shrouded in twilight: "Have the troops prepare."

The instructions were relayed down one by one along the airship formation as dusk fell.

The airships on both sides of the main ship began to make slight adjustments to their respective courses. The three parallel formations gradually narrowed their spacing as they moved forward. At the same time, the hum of the engines was lowered, and the spiritual light array on the ship's hull dimmed slightly, as if the lamps had been dimmed at the same time.

Lin Xuanjing turned and left the deck. His footsteps moved rhythmically into the airship on the metal plate. The scratches on his shoulder armor showed a dark cross-section that was different from the surrounding metal in the twilight.

Lin Che stood alone at the bow of the boat, his gaze passing through the ridgeline that was gradually being swallowed by the night, and landing on the faintly visible lights in the distance.

That was the direction of the Fang family's supply convoy's temporary camp. The lights flickered at a steady frequency in the twilight, showing no obvious changes in the night wind, indicating that the situation inside the camp remained normal.

…………

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

As night fell completely, a flying boat began to land in a relatively flat valley on the outskirts of Maple Leaf Ridge.

The forces of the Demon Palace of Rebellion had already assembled on the ground. Their dark purple uniforms gleamed with a suppressed dark light under the moonlight, like fragments that had been peeled from the shadows but had not yet completely escaped them.

Their uniforms are made of a matte, dark fabric that does not reflect light noticeably under moonlight.

At the edges, it blends almost seamlessly with the surrounding grass and low shrubs, swaying in the same amplitude as the surrounding vegetation in the night wind. From a distance, it is difficult to distinguish those outlines from the terrain itself.

The leader was a tall, slender middle-aged cultivator, whose face was mostly obscured by the moonlight.

He strode forward and nodded slightly to Lin Xuanjing, who had come to meet him: "The Deputy Palace Master of Blood Abyss ordered me to wait here. Our troops have completed their deployment according to the plan. The vanguard has already laid an ambush on both sides of the valley about ten miles ahead of the supply convoy, and is waiting for the midnight signal."

Lin Xuanjing nodded, without asking his name: "Any movement from the supply convoy?"

"A scout reported an hour ago that there was nothing unusual about the convoy's encampment, the patrol frequency of the escort troops was the same as during the day, no additional personnel were sent, and the number and distribution of campfires were the same as the previous two days, with no signs of any adjustment."

The monk turned to the side and pointed southwest.

"The convoy is about 15 miles away from us. If we start from here, we can see their campfire about 8 miles after crossing the valley and traveling along the southern section of the ridge. We have already sent people to check that route three times. There are no new sentry posts. There is an open area about 3 miles long along the way. We need to keep a low profile when passing through it. The rest of the route is covered by natural terrain."

Who sends the midnight signal?

"Our people will lie in ambush at the junction of the front and middle sections of the convoy. Using the cry of the Blood Eagle from our Rebellious Demon Palace as a signal, once the cry is heard from the direction of the convoy, the vanguard will cut off the connection between the front and middle sections of the convoy. Our main force will then advance from both sides simultaneously, cutting in from the middle to encircle them in sections."

"The Lin family's troops need to fill the gap in the rear immediately after we complete our infiltration, ensuring that no troops behind the convoy can break through to seek reinforcements. Once we complete the split in the middle, the longitudinal structure of the convoy will be completely broken, with the front and rear sections fighting independently, unable to move closer to each other or gather in the rear."

"Alright, proceed according to your plan." Lin Xuanjing turned around, his gaze falling on the distant ridgeline faintly visible in the moonlight amidst the twilight. "I will arrange for people to enter the positions in advance. Once you succeed, we will quickly surround you from the rear. The airship formation will advance from the south after the signal is given, establishing a blockade line behind the convoy to ensure that the rear of the escort force cannot move in any direction."

"Very good." The middle-aged cultivator said nothing more, but turned around and waved to the Rebellious Demon Palace troops who were waiting in the twilight behind him.

Those dark purple outlines began to move forward at the same moment, gradually approaching their designated positions along the gentle slope of the valley.

…………

child time.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, spreading fragmented patches of pale silver light across the undulating ground.

In the valley of the northern section of Maple Ridge, the campfire of the Fang family's supply convoy swayed rhythmically in the night wind.

The convoy was stationed in the center of the valley in a longitudinal formation, with the spirit beast chariots linked end to end. The distance between the chariot shafts was just wide enough for one person to pass through. The spirit beasts rested in a reclining position between the chariot shafts, and their breathing formed a continuous low-frequency resonance in the night wind, alternating with the footsteps of those patrolling around the camp.

The patrols of the escorting force moved alternately along the walkways on both sides of the convoy, their footsteps making a soft rustling sound on the gravel ground.

Every fifty feet or so, a patrol group would pause briefly at a fixed position to check the surrounding activity before moving forward. These pauses lasted about ten breaths, enough for the infiltrators to adjust their positions before the next patrol passed by.

The vanguard of the Demon Palace of Rebellion has already taken position along the gentle slopes on both sides of the valley.

The dark purple outline formed lines that almost completely overlapped with the edge of the vegetation in the shadow of the low shrubs, remaining still in the moonlight.

The distance between the lurking points is kept at the edge of the range of divine sense perception, so that they do not interfere with each other, and can act synchronously at the first moment the signal is sent.

Suddenly, three short, sharp cries of eagles rang out from the junction of the front and middle sections of the convoy.

The Demon Palace of Rebellion has begun its operation.

The patrol sentries at the front of the convoy were completing a shift change. The two sentries briefly met at the junction of the convoy, confirmed the shift details, and then went their separate ways.

The vanguard of the Demon Palace of Rebellion crossed the dividing line between the front and middle sections of the convoy during the gap at that intersection.

In a silent manner, a horizontal line is drawn along the longitudinal axis of the convoy, cutting the convoy in two from the middle.

A large group of dark purple figures suddenly sprang up the moment they crossed the dividing line.

The blade flashed briefly in the moonlight for less than a breath before disappearing into the gaps in the armor of the two guards standing watch above the dividing line. At the same moment, the two guards lost their support and silently slid down the edge of the carriage shaft.

Then came ten, then a hundred... The battle was about to begin, and the melee started.

However, because the convoy was too long, the escort troops in the middle of the convoy were too late to notice the abnormality.

After completing their deployment, the cultivators of the Rebellious Demon Palace on both sides of the cutting line rose simultaneously and used a series of short, continuous attacks to force back the guards who were trying to gather towards the cutting line into their respective areas.

Swordsmen and shieldmen in the front line used their shields to block the frontal assault of the guards, while spearmen behind the shields used continuous thrusts to suppress the guards' attempts to spread out. Archers and crossbowmen at the rear used short-range horizontal shots to cover those trying to flank the guards. Each assault further compressed the guards' formation into a smaller area.

The longitudinal structure of the caravan was completely disrupted at that moment. The originally neatly arranged spirit beast chariots were split in two from the middle, and the connection between the front and rear sections was completely severed within a few breaths.

The severed gap revealed a void about ten zhang wide under the moonlight. The guards who were trying to cross the gap were called out one by one by the archers of the Rebellious Demon Palace. They left short arcs in the air and fell back to their original positions.

As the dismantling was completed, the main force of the Demon Palace of Rebellion surged out from both sides. The dark purple ranks advanced along the horizontal axis of the valley, further dividing the guards who were trying to regroup into smaller units.

The swordsmen and shield bearers in the front line held off the guards' frontal assault. Blades and shields flashed alternately in the moonlight, each collision producing a short, metallic clang in the night wind that refracted back and forth between the valley walls, creating a continuous echo.

The spearmen in the middle section suppressed the formation of the guard troops with continuous thrusts. Each thrust created a brief dent in the guard troops' line of fire, which was then filled in again before the next advance.

The archers in the rear of the formation continuously fired at the rear of the guard, covering the retreat route of the guards. The arrows flew at an angle over the shoulders of the front ranks and landed in the rear of the guards' formation, leaving a continuous blockage in every step of their retreat.

The Fang family's logistics force was thus cut off by the surprise attack of the Rebellious Demon Palace.