Chapter 205: Marching in the Snowy Night

Moon dark, wild geese fly high; the Chieftain flees at night. Want to pursue with light cavalry, but heavy snow fills bow and blade. --Lu Lun, 'Frontier Ballad'.

Xima Holy Mountain, heavy snow swirling.

A unit braved the wind and snow, trudging with difficulty through the snowy mountain valleys.

The soldiers were wrapped in white cloaks, their faces coated with white paint.

They held hands, foot after foot, like a white chain drifting in the wind and snow.

This unit forging ahead in the snow was exactly the 1st Battalion, 4th Regiment, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps of Southern Zhan Province.

Before departure, the battalion commander, a major, gave a brief pre-battle mobilization.

He said, after more than six years of arduous resistance, the demon clan's offensive was spent.

Therefore, the senior leaders of the Volunteer Immortal Army decided to launch a winter offensive within the next month, driving the demon clan back to the Ku-li region.

To annihilate the salient part of the demon forces, the division ordered our battalion to serve as the regiment's picket battalion. Our mission is to secretly infiltrate Valley Fifty, to be like an immovable nail driven into the valley, cutting off the demons' retreat.

"This will be a great battle! The situation of the immortal-demon war will thus be completely changed." said Lieutenant Bailian.

Before departure, Squad Leader Li pinched some earth as incense and kowtowed nine times toward his hometown.

He said, this is the custom of their hometown. As long as they sincerely pray to the hometown's deities before departure, the deities will surely bless them with a safe return.

The mountain grew steeper, and the snowstorm grew stronger.

Zhang Xingyu tugged at the windproof scarf on his face, then with difficulty lifted his head to look ahead.

Before him loomed a snow-capped peak that pierced the clouds.

The snow peak is about twenty thousand meters high; from afar it looks like a white giant.

On Xuantiandalu, this snow peak is called Amoluo Divine Peak; it is said to be the son of the wind-and-snow god Azi Jia. Because he did not heed his father's teachings, he triggered an avalanche that destroyed countless human homesteads, and his father punished him by ordering him to garrison here.

On Moyu Continent, the demon clan named this snow peak Meiye Snow Peak. Meiye is an ancient demon god of the demon clan; he wields an ice-snow magic staff, and after casting a spell he can freeze the entire world.

Beyond this towering snow peak lies a long valley. On military maps, this valley is marked as Valley Fifty.

At last, we have arrived.

Zhang Xingyu muttered to himself, then continued walking with his head down.

The wind and snow grew ever stronger; beyond three or five meters, no human figure could be seen.

Besides the howling snow wind in his ears, there was only his own hoarse exhalations.

Walking, walking without cease.

Cannot stop, for stopping would make him fall asleep.

Cannot sleep, for once asleep he would never wake.

Zhang Xingyu inched forward step by step.

His mind felt somewhat muddled; he felt that there were things he should remember but could not.

Thus he walked on, step after step.

He did not know how long he had walked when he finally recalled something.

He had long been unable to understand one matter.

Back then, on Earth, during the Long March, how exactly did those ragged Red Army soldiers manage to climb the snow mountains?

Can human will truly triumph over all enemies?

Now he understood: as long as one has ideals and faith, will can truly overcome the snowstorm and overcome the enemy.

Thinking thus, he felt less cold, and his steps seemed lighter.

Soon after, Squad Leader Li ahead suddenly stopped. He turned and made a silent gesture to Zhang Xingyu, who hastily turned and passed the gesture down the line.

Faint demon voices could be heard from above.

Damned demons, in such heavy snow weather, they still came out to patrol the mountains.

Everyone lay still on the ground, not moving a muscle.

Heavy snow fell on everyone, and in a short while they turned into individual snow mounds.

Zhang Xingyu lay prone in the snow, straining to widen his eyes.

A dozen meters ahead, a squad of demon soldiers was patrolling along the ridge.

As they walked, they cursed.

They cursed this damned war, cursed this damned weather, cursed the superiors who forced them out on patrol.

Seeing the patrol squad of demons heading toward the ridge, Zhang Xingyu let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Just then, a soft sound suddenly came from beside him.

Oh no!

Zhang Xingyu silently exclaimed.

At the same moment, the demon soldier who had been walking back stopped his steps.

A demon soldier muttered a few unintelligible sounds to his comrade, then raised his magic blade and approached.

What to do?

If they discover us, our operational intent will be exposed.

If exposed, the goal of blocking the enemy will fail, possibly affecting the entire campaign's outcome.

The demon soldier drew ever closer, and Zhang Xingyu could already make out his face.

His thoughts raced.

Moments later, a white mouse darted out from beside him, bounced a few times in the snow, then burrowed into the deep snow layer.

The demon soldier halted his steps.

He turned his body, muttered a few words to his companion, then walked back.

Zhang Xingyu let out a sigh of relief.

The demon soldiers' silhouettes slowly vanished along the ridge.

Everyone climbed to their feet, covered in white snow, and continued forward.

Zhang Xingyu lightly waved his hand, retrieving the snow mouse from beneath the snow layer.

This is a white mechanical snow mouse, a demon alchemy trinket taken from the demon marshal's aide.

Just now, in desperation, Zhang Xingyu used this trinket, and indeed it distracted the demon soldiers' attention.

The troop continued forward.

After an hour and a half, the troop stopped again.

Squad Leader Li turned and gestured to Zhang Xingyu to follow him.

When encountering mountains, open a road; when encountering water, build a bridge.

This time, the Engineer Company served as the vanguard of the entire battalion, bearing the heavy responsibility of clearing marching obstacles.

Zhang Xingyu followed Squad Leader Li, crawling forward on tiptoe.

Soon, the two reached the very front of the troop.

The White-faced Lieutenant was pointing at a Demon Eye Tower on the snow ridge and whispering something.

The Demon Eye Tower is a demon sentry tower, with an eye-like device installed on it that can scan the surrounding environment.

This device is somewhat like radar on Earth, except its scanning range is a bit smaller.

The Demon Eye can automatically distinguish humans from demons, so demons have placed it on important defensive lines.

"We must destroy it. Otherwise, the main force cannot get through at all!" said the White-faced Lieutenant.

Zhang Xingyu crawled up beside the White-faced Lieutenant and whispered, "Lieutenant, I have a method; let me try."

The White-faced Lieutenant shook his head.

"You're not a demon; you have no demonic aura, so you'll be spotted as soon as you go."

Zhang Xingyu took out a stone from his storage ring: "Lieutenant, I have this; perhaps it can fool the Demon Eye."

The White-faced Lieutenant hesitated a bit.

"Lieutenant, we're both humans; besides the demon stone in my hand, who else can produce demonic aura? Without demonic aura, we can't fool the Demon Eye at all. Let me go—there's still a slim chance; if I don't go, the whole battalion will have to retreat." Zhang Xingyu added.

Actually, Zhang Xingyu was very confident he could fool the Demon Eye's analysis. Besides the Demon Eye, he also had a secret weapon on him.

The Demon Eye only recognizes aura, not persons.

As long as he keeps his demonic aura overriding his Spiritual Aura, he is confident he can dismantle this Demon Eye.

"Let him try! This kid is full of clever ideas!" Squad Leader Li said from the side.

The White-faced Lieutenant nodded.

"Be careful. If it really doesn't work, come back quickly—don't startle the snake."