Chapter 144 The Vanished Route to Survival

Chapter 144 The Vanished Route to Survival

Behind them, raging fire illuminated half the night sky.

That was the burning of the Northern Rong granary, a devastating blow delivered by Pei Yunjing to the enemy.

"withdraw!"

Pei Yunjing did not linger in the battle. After his successful attack, he immediately led Tang Li and a hundred elite Black Armor Guards to take advantage of the chaos and retreat from the Northern Rong camp, rushing towards the designated rendezvous point—Tiger Leap Gorge.

Once you pass through Tiger Leaping Gorge, you'll find yourself amidst continuous snow-capped mountains and dense forests—that's the territory of Dasheng.

However, the retreat along the way went too smoothly.

"Kill them! Don't let them escape!"

"Chase them! Chase them quickly!"

Although the Northern Rong pursuers behind them were shouting battle cries and their torches had coalesced into a long dragon, the sound of their horses' hooves remained at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

All talk and no action.

The feeling was like a sheepdog herding a flock of sheep, deliberately driving them in a certain direction.

Something's not right.

Pei Yunjing reined in the horses and stopped on a snowy slope.

He turned around and looked at the enemy soldiers behind him who were only shouting but not chasing. His brows furrowed tightly, and a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"It went too smoothly."

Pei Yunjing's voice was carried away by the wind and snow, carrying a chilling aura:

"Tuoba Xiao is a vengeful mad dog. I burned his grain supplies and cut off his lifeline. He shouldn't be so calm."

Given that barbarian's character, he should be willing to pay any price, even if it means sending the entire army, to keep them here.

But now... these pursuers seem to be putting on a show.

"I also felt something was wrong."

Tang Li nestled in Pei Yunjing's arms, her face pale.

It wasn't because she was cold, nor because she was afraid.

Rather, it stems from an instinctive, chilling intuition.

She reached out, pulled off the hood that was blocking the wind, closed her eyes, and extended her senses into the vast snowfield around her.

It's too quiet.

Logically speaking, even though the mountains were blocked by heavy snow, there should still be some activity under the snow layer.

Hibernating snakes and insects, squirrels hiding in tree holes, even snow beetles buried deep in the snow...

But now, in her perceived world, there is utter silence within a five-mile radius.

There were no living creatures.

There wasn't even a bird or an insect.

It was as if all living beings had sensed some impending devastating danger and fled the area in advance.

This is a biological instinct to avoid extreme danger.

"Your Highness..."

Tang Li suddenly opened her eyes, grabbed Pei Yunjing's arm tightly, and said urgently:

"Something's not right here! Run! All the animals have run away! There's something terrifying ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yunjing's pupils contracted sharply. He had long trusted Tang Li's "intuition" without a doubt.

"Full speed ahead! Charge through Tiger Leaping Gorge!"

With a roar, Pei Yunjing unleashed his full power, leading his team like arrows released from a bow towards the canyon entrance.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is a narrow passage between two mountains.

That was the only way out.

However, when they finally broke through the wind and snow and saw the narrow entrance to the canyon, everyone's heart sank into an abyss in that instant.

"Whoa—!!!"

Pei Yunjing abruptly reined in his warhorse, and Mo Feng let out a terrified neigh, its front hooves rearing up high, nearly throwing the two of them off.

Ahead, the once clear canyon passage has now vanished.

Instead, there is a sheer cliff made of countless giant stones!

That wasn't a natural landslide.

The boulders had fresh cuts, clearly indicating that the mountain had been deliberately blasted down, effectively blocking the only escape route!

"The road... is blocked?"

Han Zheng stared at the towering stone wall, his face ashen: "This is impossible... The scouts clearly said this place was accessible..."

"Of course it's working."

A cold, mocking voice, like the flicking of a venomous snake, suddenly came from the towering snow slope:

"However, it is a dead end that I have deliberately left for you."

"who?!"

The black-armored guards drew their swords and formed a defensive formation back to back.

"Splash—"

As the sound faded away.

The snow slope, which was originally covered in white and empty, suddenly began to slide off in large swaths.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, tall figures clad in heavy armor and wielding heavy shields and spears slowly rose from the snow.

One, two, a hundred, a thousand...

Looking around, the hillsides on both sides of the canyon were densely packed with people!

They didn't shout, they didn't beat the drums.

They were like a group of silent sculptures, emanating an aura of chilling desolation, colder than ice and snow.

Black armor, a hideous demon mask, and that iconic wolf head totem.

That was the Northern Rong's most elite and brutal elite force, known for never leaving anyone alive—

"The Death Legion".

There were a full three thousand people.

In order to capture Pei Yunjing and his hundred men, Tuoba Xiao actually ambushed three thousand heavily armored elite troops here!

Pei Yunjing looked at the enemies covering the mountains and fields, and at the sealed stone wall, and the red light in his eyes suddenly surged.

He understood.

All the provisions and the oversights were just bait.

Tuoba Xiao used those hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain as a wager to set up this shocking trap.

He not only wants to win this battle, he also wants Pei Yunjing...

They died without a burial place.