Chapter 629: Northern Yuan Returns

The darkness before dawn is the deepest.

Thirty li north of the North Guard Pass.

That expanse of the Northern Yuan Grand Camp had been silent for several days.

Suddenly, there was movement.

Not the noisy clamor of men shouting and horses neighing.

But a low hum, as if rising from deep within the earth.

At first it was extremely faint, almost drowned out by the wind.

But as time passed,

this hum gradually became distinct.

becoming……everywhere.

At the camp's center, that area tightly guarded and abnormal in energy reaction, 'eye‑catching'.

A azure‑blue light, rising and falling like breath.

The light seeped out through the gaps in the thick tent canvas.

It stretched the shadows of the patrolling soldiers into twisted, eerie shapes.

Those soldiers, whether ordinary Northern Yuan troops or the Crystal Inlaid Cavalry with dark‑blue veins flickering beneath their skin.

At this moment they were unnaturally still.

They stood ramrod straight.

Their eyes vacant, they stared toward the camp's center.

As if waiting for something.

Or as if that light had already stolen part of their souls.

The hum suddenly spiked!

Like countless fine steel needles piercing the eardrums!

The light at the camp's center blazed!

An azure column of light shot skyward!

It did not shoot straight into the heavens.

But after rising tens of zhang high, it spread outward like a canopy.

Forming a translucent azure veil that covered almost the entire Northern Yuan Grand Camp above.

The veil shimmered, revealing countless tiny, twisting runes flashing in and out.

An indescribable smell—mixed of fishy sweetness and scorching—diffused with the veil.

Inside the camp.

Every Northern Yuan soldier's body jerked at once.

Especially the Crystal Inlaid Cavalry.

The dark‑blue veins beneath their skin became starkly visible, wriggling like live things.

The emptiness in their eyes was replaced by a frenzied, almost painful excitement.

Their muscles bulged involuntarily.

Their breathing grew heavy.

The fingers gripping their weapons clicked.

They lifted their heads.

Gazing up at the azure veil above.

From their throats came hoarse, inhuman growls.

As if performing a silent worship, or enduring a forced infusion.

The veil lasted about a quarter of an hour.

Then, without warning, it suddenly contracted.

Like a tide receding.

It shrank back to the camp's center.

And vanished.

As if it had all been an illusion.

But the strange odor lingered in the air.

And the Northern Yuan soldiers, especially the Crystal Inlaid Cavalry, now exuded a markedly heightened, unsettling ferocity and frenzy.

All signaling that some change had taken place.

Woo———

The deep, resonant blast of an ox‑horn bugle tore through the last darkness of dawn.

One blast.

Two blasts.

Ten blasts.

One hundred blasts.

From every direction of the Northern Yuan Grand Camp they rose.

They merged into a roaring wave that urged doom.

The camp gates flung open.

Rank after rank of cavalry surged out like a black iron torrent.

Their formation was more orderly than a few days ago.

Their gaze was colder and wilder than before.

Hooves striking the ground sounded like thunder.

Dust and smoke rose up to the sky.

It blotted out the sky and covered the sun.

This time, it was not just the vanguard.

The central army.

The rear army.

It stretched on endlessly.

Banner stood thick as forest, spears and swords dense as reeds.

The scale was enormous, the momentum tremendous, far surpassing that before the Battle of Wild Fox Ridge!

They hesitated no longer.

After leaving the camp, they took several massive cavalry clusters as the vanguard.

Infantry square formations followed closely behind.

Rolling dust and smoke engulfed them.

Toward the south.

Toward the North Guard Pass.

Like a breached dam, a black torrent mixed with death and destruction.

It crashed down with a roar!

……

North Guard Pass.

Eagle Overlook Cliff.

Chen Wen almost turned around the instant a northern azure light pillar shot up.

The ginger soup bowl in his hand fell to the ground and shattered.

He stared fixedly at the strange light that suddenly appeared and then vanished on the northern horizon.

His face grew grim to the extreme.

"Shi Yong" unfolded to its fullest.

A massive, chaotic momentum filled with aggression and madness.

It was coming from the direction of the Bei Yuan Main Camp.

It swelled rapidly!

Like an inflated balloon.

And like an ancient ferocious beast forcibly awakened and infused with violent power.

"They……have begun."

Chen Wen whispered.

His voice carried a tension he himself did not notice.

He could clearly feel it.

The overall "quality" of the Bei Yuan Great Army, under the infusion of that strange light, underwent a certain enhancement.

Not a mere increase in numbers.

But an enhancement of individual combat power, ferocity, and even the inhuman traits imparted by infusion with dark energy.

Especially those "embedded crystal" units.

The sense of "filth" and "danger" they emitted surged by more than one level.

"My lord!"

Shi Dun strode up Eagle Overlook Cliff, his armor clanking.

The relaxation from his recent rest was gone from his face, replaced by a killing gravity as if facing a great foe.

"Scout report! The Bei Yuan Great Army has poured out in full force! Its scale far exceeds last time! The vanguard cavalry is less than twenty li from the first watchtower outside the pass!"

"You saw clearly? Is it the entire main force?" Chen Wen asked.

"I saw clearly! The camp is nearly empty! This time they've staked everything!" Shi Dun said in an unyielding tone.

Chen Wen drew a deep breath.

The icy, bone‑chilling air rushed into his lungs, slightly cooling his boiling thoughts.

What was bound to come has finally come.

Moreover, it came with such ferocity, such decisiveness.

The Iron Crow Army, or rather the controllers behind Bei Yuan, evidently had run out of patience.

They employed some costly but markedly effective "catalyst" or "amplification" method.

Attempting to finish it in one battle.

In one fell swoop to crush the North Guard Pass.

To crush the barrier of the Chen Dynasty's Northern Border.

"How are the pass defenses?" Chen Wen asked quickly.

All the crossbow cannons, bed crossbows, and catapults are in good condition, with ample ammunition.

The city walls have been repaired and reinforced.

The horse-repelling spikes, pit traps, and trip ropes are set according to the latest layout.

The Iron Anvil Camp has been replenished to full strength, reorganized, and is standing by inside the pass.

All other camps have also moved into their designated battle positions.

Shi Dun finished reporting in one breath.

Chen Wen nodded.

His gaze turned northward again.

On the horizon.

That black tide line is now clearly visible.

The smoke and dust surged like a yellow dragon, rolling and rising.

The tremors coming from the ground could be faintly felt through the soles of the feet even while standing on the high Eagle-Viewing Rock.

"According to the plan, prepare to meet the enemy."

Chen Wen's voice returned to calm.

The more critical the moment, the more calm is needed.

"The Iron Anvil Camp remains the key reserve; without my order, it must not move rashly."

"Crossbow cannons and other long-range weapons should prioritize striking enemy cavalry concentrations and suspected 'Inlaid Crystal' dense zones."

"Infantry, relying on the city walls, shall hold firm and counterattack."

"Remember, this enemy is unlike before—more brave, more frenzied. Tell the brothers to steady their stance, trust their comrades beside them, trust their weapons in hand, and trust the dynasty behind us."

"Yes!"

Shi Dun clasped his fists in acknowledgment, turned and was about to leave.

"Wait."

Chen Wen called out to him.

Shi Dun turned his head.

Chen Wen looked at him and said slowly:

"This battle will be bitter."

"But it is also an opportunity."

"I feel…… it's coming soon."

He did not say it outright.

But Shi Dun understood instantly.

His eyes burst with astonishing vigor.

"My lord, rest assured! The brothers of the Iron Anvil Camp will, even if they die, drive their nails fast into the pass walls! To buy time for my lord…!"

Chen Wen gave his shoulder a heavy pat.

"Go."

Shi Dun strode away with swift steps.

Chen Wen stood alone atop the rock.

The cold wind flapped, blowing his robe.

His internal System Interface.

That growth bar, already overflowing.

At this moment, it is surging with the oppressive, malicious 'momentum' coming from the north that blankets the sky and earth.

And his own fighting spirit and will, gradually climbing to their peak.

Violently boiling and surging!

That thin layer of 'ice surface' separating Level 5 from Level 6.

It emits a faint, almost inaudible cracking sound.

Cracks are spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Opportunity.

Right before our eyes.

In the midst of the impending blood-and-fire clash that will decide the fate of Bei Jing.

He slowly raised his right hand.

He clenched his fist.

Feeling the slight numbness in his palm from the surging power.

Gazing northward at the ever-closer black torrent.

His gaze, sharp as a blade.

"Come on."

"Let me see……"

"Your limits forced out by the pressure."

"Whether or not you are worthy……"

"What I have prepared for……"

"Breakthrough."