Chapter 489: Carefully Planned, Action Begins

West of Ruhu Forest, about twenty kilometers deep into Hongmu Ridge

Under the night sky, snowflakes swirled wildly as the cold wind howled.

A hunting party was searching through the snowy forest for prey.

The hunting party consisted of more than twenty men: five centered, the rest scattered in groups of three around them, using the central five as their core.

This formation for improving search efficiency was not uncommon in Great Xia.

But at this depth within Hongmu Ridge, few dared use such a method—only elite hunting teams had the nerve.

Swoosh…………

As the party reached a low slope, the three-man team on the northern flank—a man in black robes—suddenly raised his bow and shot an arrow toward the slope’s crest.

“Brother Zhou, did you find something?”

The other two noticed the arrow and immediately asked.

The archer in black studied it closely, then shook his head: “Just a reflective rock. I mistook it for a snow-maned beast lying on top.”

The other two saw the glowing boulder on the slope and chuckled.

There truly was a rock on the slope, about three meters long and two wide, with a ring of ice spikes hanging from its side—so long they nearly extended backward, making it look from afar like a low-grade snow-maned beast crouched on the ground.

“We’ve come this deep already. Even if it were a real snow-maned beast, it’s not worth our effort. Keep moving forward!”

The man in black nodded and continued walking with the other two. Only after they had gone over a hundred meters from the slope did he glance back, a dark gleam flashing in his pupils.

Moments later, after the hunting party had moved far away—about fifty breaths later—a light breeze stirred, and a black figure bearing a long spear suddenly appeared atop the slope.

The man pulled the iron arrow embedded in the boulder, crushed its tail, and inside, hidden like a needle-thin thread, was a white slip of paper.

After reading the note, the black-clad man’s pupils flared sharply. He turned first to glance toward Xia Cheng, then immediately rose into the air and sped deeper into Hongmu Ridge.

The black-clad man swiftly flew west over ten kilometers, locating a small stone peak a hundred meters high. He landed on its summit, found a concealed cave entrance with practiced ease, pushed aside the door panel, and stepped inside.

“Sanlang, any news?”

Inside the unremarkable hidden cave, a fire burned, and twenty-three men were concealed—twelve on the left, eleven on the right. As soon as the black-clad man entered, all of them rose to their feet.

The white-robed elder at the head of the left group spoke up. Seeing the black-clad man’s smile by the firelight, the others instantly understood, their expressions growing slightly excited.

The black-clad man slowly lifted his head, revealing a face of unmistakable authority—it was Yang Zun, the Lord of Beishuo, whom Xia Hong had dealt with multiple times.

Of course, after his journey through the Fanzhen, Xia Hong had already guessed that the man he’d dealt with for years was actually Yang Jian, the lesser-known third brother of the Yang trio. Coupled with the elder’s address of “Sanlang,” the man’s identity was now clear.

Yang Jian did not answer the elder’s question. Instead, he noticed the eleven on the right, their expressions slightly hostile. After a moment’s thought, he bowed deeply to them all: “Thank you, esteemed lords, for enduring two months of hardship here with me. On behalf of the Three Northern Towns, I thank you!”

The left group showed no expression; the eleven on the right, however, softened slightly upon hearing Yang Jian’s words.

Though not entirely!

Among the eleven on the right, a young man in blue robes, standing near the front, remained grim-faced, his expression unchanged by Yang Jian’s words. He even snapped angrily: “Enough! Yang Jian, stop wasting time. Has there been word about that bitch’s spawn?”

Hearing Cai Shiqi’s impatience, Yang Jian’s brow darkened slightly. He glanced instinctively at the man’s right index finger, sneered inwardly, then ignored him. Raising his head, he spoke firmly: “Tonight, during the Ruhu Forest trial, Xia Hong’s personal guards, the Dragon Guard, were all deployed. His son Xia Yu’s chariot, the Crimson Flame Vermilion, has just left the North Gate!”

At these words, every person in the cave froze in shock.

Heaven had not forsaken their patience—after two months of waiting, the opportunity had finally come!

“Then what are we waiting for? Move out now and seize the brat!”

“Once we capture Xia Yu, the problem of the sixty thousand Xia Army in the north will vanish instantly…”

“It’s more than that. Xia Hong is young, and this is his only heir. If we control him, we can make great use of it.”

“Exactly! He and Li Xuanling have only this one son.”

……………………

Seeing their fierce reactions, Yang Jian showed no surprise—he had felt the same surge of excitement when he first received the spy’s report.

Twenty-four Xianyang-level cultivators had endured two months of bitter waiting in this barren cave. The resentment building inside them was unimaginable.

“Lords, calm down…”

Yang Jian did not agree to their immediate departure. He raised a hand to halt them, then spoke slowly: “I’ve already explained to you the strange nature of Xia Cheng. Outsiders are constantly monitored—there is no chance of stealthy infiltration.”

According to the spy’s report, the monitoring range was limited to Xia Cheng itself—but we now know this is a lie…”

Yang Jian paused, turning to the white-robed elder on the left—the leader of the twelve Xianyang-level cultivators from Chen Cang: Chu Xuan Kong, of the Yanling County branch of the Chu clan, third-generation scion of the Chu family.

Chu Xuan Kong nodded: “I’ve already said this before. Four years ago, my granddaughter sneaked into Xia Cheng. Using her ink-and-paint illusion technique, she escaped to the snow forest five kilometers west of the city—only to be caught by Xia Hong within moments.”

“So…”

Yang Jian immediately took over: “The spy’s report is a deliberate deception. Great Xia’s surveillance does not end at the city walls. Princess Xiao’s experience proves the range extends at least five kilometers beyond. That’s the most conservative estimate.”

The cave fell silent. The leader of the eleven from Cai Qiu, Assistant Commandant Zhu Yan of Baishui County, snapped impatiently: “Yang Jian, stop talking. Just lay out the plan!”

These Cai Qiu men had truly foul tempers. Cai Shiqi was like this, and now Zhu Yan, an old man, spoke the same way.

Remembering he still needed these men, Yang Jian suppressed his anger and spoke firmly: “We are at least forty kilometers from Xia Cheng. We’ve waited here over two months without any reaction from the city—proving Great Xia’s surveillance does not reach this far. But we don’t know its exact limit. So the moment we move, we must assume Great Xia will know.”

I’ve already explained Great Xia’s strength to you. Leaving aside their standing army, they have at least twelve Beast King-level puppets. In the past two years, many have broken through to Xianyang—twenty-four confirmed so far. Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, Xiang Fuhai, and Mu Longhe are all stationed in Jinyang and Dongchuan. That leaves at least twenty Xianyang-level cultivators in the city.

Of these twenty, the strongest are Xia Hong and his wife Li Xuanling. Li Xuanling’s last public display was two years ago, when she killed Duan Hong at Chuishan—she had nineteen Jun power then. Her current strength is at least twenty Jun, possibly higher.

But the greatest threat to us is Xia Hong himself. Four years ago, he already had over twenty-two Jun power. You all know his talent. In four years, I estimate his strength now is at least thirty Jun—possibly more.