Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

Across the ravine, the terrain rises abruptly, the forest becomes denser, and a steeper path can be faintly seen extending upwards and disappearing into the dark woods.

"Once we cross this ravine, we'll probably be truly entering the perilous Fulong Ridge," Bai Xiaohe said softly, gazing at the deep forest on the opposite bank.

"Chase after them." Lin Feng didn't hesitate. "Tell everyone to be vigilant; they might use the terrain to launch a counterattack at any time."

The group waded through the icy, bone-chilling mountain stream one by one. After crossing the stream, the path wound its way uphill, becoming increasingly steep, sometimes requiring the use of both hands and feet to climb.

As they were marching, the scout ahead suddenly gave a hand signal—stop, take cover!

The group froze instantly, disappearing behind trees and rocks. Lin Feng silently crept up to Chen Heng's side.

"About a hundred paces ahead, there's an unusual swaying in the bushes to the right, not like it's being blown by the wind." Chen Heng lowered his voice, his eyes sharp.

There was indeed an ambush!

"The enemy shouldn't be many, but they have the advantage of terrain," Lin Feng quickly assessed. "A direct assault would result in heavy losses. Chen Heng, you take twenty men and quietly sneak down the left slope to flank their ambush point from the rear. Xiao He, you take the archers and suppress any potential marksmen on the right cliff. I'll lead the rest and slowly advance along the frontal path, drawing their attention. Wait for my signal, then launch our attack simultaneously!"

"yes!"

Chen Heng selected twenty men skilled in mountain stealth, who slid down the left slope as silently as cats and disappeared into the dense bushes. Bai Xiaohe also led ten crossbowmen, using the rocks and trees for cover, and quietly took up several firing positions that could be used to shoot up at the right cliff.

Lin Feng led the remaining fifty-odd men back onto the path, deliberately making heavy footsteps and noise as they slowly advanced upwards, with swordsmen and shieldmen in front and spearmen behind, forming a defensive formation.

Sure enough, as they reached their designated position, seven or eight figures suddenly stood up on the cliff to their right, drawing their bows and arrows! Almost simultaneously, more than ten men wielding curved knives, their faces painted with greasepaint, and dressed in a mix of animal skins and cloth, leaped out of the bushes on the nearby slope and charged down with howls!

Their attire was completely different from the black-clad assassins from the Ghost Market and Eagle Beak Gorge; it was more primitive and fierce, with wildness and fanaticism in their eyes—they were from the Akabane tribe!

"Fire!" Bai Xiaohe gave the order.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The crossbow bolts left the bowstring and shot towards the cliff on the right. The archers on the cliff did not expect that there were crossbowmen lying in ambush below. Caught off guard, two of them were hit by arrows and fell down with screams. The others hurriedly dodged and returned fire, but their accuracy was greatly reduced.

Facing the charging Crimson Feather warriors, Lin Feng brandished his Broken Mountain Blade and roared, "Form ranks! Kill!"

Swordsmen and shieldmen stepped forward, while spearmen thrust out from between the shields! Although these Akabane warriors were brave, they lacked a well-organized formation. Faced with the elite border troops' tight battle formation, their first charge was halted, and several of them were instead stabbed down by spears.

Just as the two sides were locked in combat, shouts of battle suddenly came from below the left slope! Chen Heng and his twenty men descended like divine soldiers, attacking from behind the Chiyu warriors! Caught in a pincer attack, the Chiyu warriors were thrown into chaos.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Feng suddenly burst out from the formation, his Broken Mountain Blade aimed directly at a burly man from the Crimson Feather Tribe who appeared to be their leader. The burly man roared and swung a heavy mace at him. Lin Feng neither dodged nor evaded; with a flash of his blade, he severed the mace and the burly man's arm at the wrist! The burly man screamed in agony as he fell to the ground, where he was finished off by a single strike from the Broken Mountain Guard who followed closely behind.

With their leader dead, the remaining Akabane warriors' morale collapsed. With a shout, they scattered and fled into the mountains, no longer caring for their comrades on the cliff. Seeing this, the archers on the cliff also retreated and disappeared behind the rocks.

The battle ended quickly. More than a dozen Akabane warriors' corpses remained, three were captured, and the rest fled.

"Leave them alive!" Lin Feng stopped his subordinates who were about to finish off the prisoners and walked up to the three subdued captives. All three had tattoos on their faces, fierce eyes, and remained silent.

"Which banner of the Chiyu tribe are you from? Why are you ambushing government troops here? Where are Prince Lin and your men now?" Lin Feng asked coldly.

The three glared at each other, but remained silent.

Lin Feng didn't waste any words and gave Chen Heng a wink. Chen Heng understood, stepped forward, grabbed one of the men by the chin, carefully examined the tattoo on his cheek, and checked his belongings. He then took a bone token carved with a flying bird pattern from one of the men's waists.

"Guard, judging from this token and tattoo style, you belong to the 'Blood Feather Banner' of the Crimson Feather Tribe. These are the most elite and fanatical warriors in their tribe, who usually only carry out direct orders from the chieftain and shaman." Chen Heng handed the token to Lin Feng.

"The Blood Feather Banner... It seems the Crimson Feather Clan is determined to protect King Lin, or rather, they have formed a strong alliance with 'Crimson Abyss'." Lin Feng's gaze turned to the darker depths of the mountain forest that the path led into.

"They've set up an ambush here, and they're probably not far from their lair, or even the 'Valley of Dragonfall.' Set off immediately!"

The troops set off again. The continuous battles and marches through the mountains had taken their toll, but the excitement and sense of urgency of having their objective so close at hand dispelled their fatigue.

Everyone knew that the real target might be hidden in the shadows ahead, shrouded in twilight and mountains.

As night deepened, the last rays of sunlight in the mountains and forests were quickly swallowed up.

"Light the torches!" Lin Feng ordered in a deep voice.

After traveling for about an hour, the scouts ahead again signaled to stop. The group immediately disappeared into the darkness, extinguishing most of the torches except for two or three in the core area.

Chen Heng crept back silently, his face a mixture of excitement and seriousness: "Guard, two hundred paces ahead, there's a small clearing in the woods with firelight! There are figures moving about, about twenty or thirty people, setting up camp and resting! There are tents, mules, and judging from their attire, they're from the Crimson Feather Tribe. There are also a few people wearing brocade robes who seem... seem to be from the Prince Lin's residence! There are some chests piled up at the edge of the clearing!"

Found them! At least part of Prince Lin's team!

"Let's do it now." Lin Feng made a quick decision. "Xiao He!"

"exist!"

"Take twenty crossbowmen and quietly sneak to the high points on the east and south sides of the open space. Wait for my signal, then use rockets to bombard the tents and cages to create chaos. Focus on killing the tent guards and cage keepers."

"yes!"

"Chen Heng, you take thirty men and approach stealthily from the gentle slope to the north. Once the rockets are launched and chaos ensues, immediately storm in from the north, heading straight for the tents and crates. Make sure they are under control!"

"clear!"

The group accepted the order and quickly split up to carry out their tasks, disappearing into the deeper darkness like shadows.

Lin Feng led the remaining thirty-odd men, using the trees and rocks as cover, and slowly made their way to the west side of the open space.