Chapter 652: Mistakenly Walked into a Two-Force Standoff! Retreat!

Everyone hushed and waited calmly, ready to see through the illusion and discover the truth.

"General!"

"This fire has no heat when approached."

At those words, the crowd stared at each other.

Those who had not believed at first instantly began to gasp.

"I told you, it's nothing but a deceitful trick!"

"In this world, how could there be fire that has no temperature when approached?"

"It's just the mirage the General spoke of, right?"

"Mirage? I've seen it a few times in the desert; didn't expect to see it here, and it's my first time seeing a sea of fire—truly a marvel."

The Great General heard that and laughed, "Haha."

"I, the General, knew it!"

"Such a trick is Allah's test for us!"

"As long as we keep our faith firm, even a sea of fire cannot stop us!"

"This time, we are unstoppable; we must capture Manto City to give the troops fighting Great Chu ahead a faster advantage."

"Everyone, keep moving forward—"

Yet the foot soldier standing before the fire sea still felt something was off.

This fire, though, has no heat.

But under this sky, no genuine mirage would make one feel it is right before the eyes.

This fire is clearly within arm's reach.

Although it lacks heat, it truly makes them feel terrified…

Suddenly, a foot soldier was pushed forward by a force from behind.

"If we go in, won't we know whether it's real or fake?"

The moment the soldier was thrust into the fire sea, a scream startled everyone.

He immediately leapt out, running.

"Fire! It's fire, truly fire—"

"Save me, save me—"

"Help! General, help—"

"It's you who caused this, you—"

The soldier, wailing miserably, lunged toward the companion who had come with him.

One of them got a flame on them.

It was only a moment, and the whole body burst into flames.

The other few, seeing the situation, immediately turned and fled.

As for the two who caught fire, they shouted and rolled down the hillside.

Their bodies were engulfed by tongues of fire.

Strangely, no matter how they rolled on the ground, the flames showed no sign of dying out.

On the contrary, they burned brighter.

The fire grew redder.

Soon, the two fire‑wrapped figures, still wailing, collapsed on the ground, their bodies assuming a bizarre posture as their sounds faded.

When the fire finally waned, the two were reduced to black charcoal.

Everyone who witnessed the scene again could not help but show horror.

"It… is real."

"A flame without heat—if not heavenly fire, then what could it be?"

"Let's stop deceiving ourselves!"

"We can't get past this fire; it's impossible!"

"If this continues, everyone will die; no one can escape…"

The hard‑won morale of the army completely shattered again at this moment.

Even the Great General, upon seeing this, could no longer speak.

Could it truly be a warning from the Almighty Allah?

Otherwise, where does this heatless yet ferocious volcano come from?

He couldn't help but look up at the sky.

This fire sea forming a mountain range—could it truly be heavenly fire?

On the other side of the hillside, Li Qingluo completed the formation.

She pinched her fingers, ending the final incantation.

This was another breach of her promise to Duan Rongshi, employing sorcery.

But she kept the scale in check, so it caused her no serious harm.

Then, she collapsed weakly onto Que'er and Zheng Mama.

The two hurriedly supported her: "Miss, it's finally over. We have troubled you, miss."

They wiped Li Qingluo's sweat while their own eyes reddened with tears.

Li Qingluo placed a hand on her swollen belly: "I'm fine. It's just the child in my womb that's suffering."

"Let's go, this fire won't be out for even half an hour."

"Even half an hour can provide them enough deterrence."

"Even if we truly clash, we can use a full fire attack then and easily crush them."

For the Western peoples who worship the True Lord, this trick is enough.

The party all breathed a sigh of relief, dared not delay any further, hurriedly helped Li Qingluo onto the carriage, erased the lingering marks on the ground, and raced toward the border line again.

After a hard trek, from afar everyone finally saw the silhouette of Manto City.

Everyone smiled as if a great burden had been lifted.

"Great, we're finally back!"

"I want to sleep for three days and three nights!"

"Then I must drink three big bowls of wine."

"You all are so good‑for‑nothing, I want the lady to let me see a bride."

"Hahaha…"

The killers also started joking.

Led by Xuan Cang, the senior brothers and sisters looked back reluctantly, gazing at the place behind where the master had left his life…

Later, they probably won't return easily again.

Zhui Yu, however, furrowed his brows and seemed a bit nervous.

Sha San rode forward and asked him, "Do you want me to go back with you first to take a look?"

Zhui Yu: "No need."

He doesn't dislike Sha San.

On this return journey, he has actually long since let go of matters with Que'er.

Between him and Sha San, their relationship and interactions have naturally returned to normal.

His refusal was only because he sensed that Manto City, from afar, seemed to show no abnormality.

But precisely because there was no abnormality, yet Po Feng gave no reply, Zhui Yu grew more puzzled.

"Lady, please permit me to go back alone to scout."

Li Qingluo had been drowsy all the way and only just awoke now.

She heard Zhui Yu's words, lifted the curtain and asked, "But what abnormality is there?"

Zhui Yu: "There is no abnormality, which is why it's even more abnormal."

Li Qingluo naturally understood his words.

"Wait!"

"Listen, what is that sound?"

Everyone turned their heads; accompanied by a growing "boom" sound, a massive black mass was converging from the left—wasn't that a large contingent of troops or something?

Moreover, it was not the Western troops they had previously deterred.

Although this Western force was also huge, even before reaching Li Qingluo they already smelled a strong scent of blood.

That is the odor that only soldiers who have just fought on a battlefield would carry.

"Lady, there—there as well!"

Zheng Mama, after all a veteran of battle, immediately sensed the movement on the other side.

It was another force marching in large numbers from the right rear.

Zhui Yu's eyes brightened, and a look of joy finally appeared on his restless face: "Lady, they're our people!"

"It's Po Feng, it must be Po Feng!"

"No wonder, because he's on the battlefield, he can't respond to us!"

"Lady, let's quickly rendezvous with them!"

Speaking, Zhui Yu tore a black flag from his clothing; the flag bore a blue dragon, which he wore on his arm, then raised it high to flutter in the wind, and hurriedly prepared to charge out.

Li Qingluo shouted, "Wait—"

Before the words finished, an arrow shot toward them.

Li Qingluo: "Watch out!"

She acted swiftly, using the dagger in her hand to deflect the arrow, yet the arrow nearly pierced Zhui Yu's arm.

Sha San lunged, grabbed him, and rolled him off the horse.

The two rolled on the ground once before the startled horse stepped on them.

After getting up, Que'er ran over and scolded them angrily: "You've gone mad?"

"Do you know what you were just doing?"

"If you keep doing such foolishness, I'd rather kill both of you first!"

Sha San scratched his head: "I didn't think that far."

Zhui Yu gave a light cough: "Sorry, that was reckless of me."

However, seeing both sides closing in on them, they could no longer stay put.

Li Qingluo immediately ordered everyone to retreat quickly.

Obviously, they had run into a clash between two armies.

Ahead was Manto City.

Behind was the road they came from.

Left was the enemy army.

Right was the friendly army.

So if they now sought the city gate, would it be open or closed?

If you rush to the right toward Po Feng, you'll become a target for those behind, and it's fraught with danger.

So it's better to retreat quickly, the farther the better, and you can even take the chance to help Po Feng in battle.

After Li Qingluo made a decisive decision, the horses and carts of the party surged forward.

Fortunately, they also managed to break away and escape when the two armies clashed.

After all, at a time like this no one cares where these few dozen little ants intend to relocate.

"Young lady, thanks to you blocking the Western Regions reinforcements behind us, otherwise Po Feng might not have held on."

Zhui Yu, seeing the two armies in combat, said with lingering fear.

The young lady sensed something was wrong, which is why she risked her own safety to stop that batch of Western Regions reinforcements.

Otherwise, if the two armies were to converge…

In this battle, how should Po Feng fight?

Zhui Yu naturally couldn't sit still.

He immediately volunteered to Li Qingluo to join the battlefield; Li Qingluo didn't stop him and even sent ten assassins to accompany him.

Originally she planned to send all the assassins to the front.

But everyone unanimously disagreed and collectively decided to keep most of them to guard Li Qingluo's safety.

The situation on both sides was somewhat stalemated, and for a moment it was impossible to tell who would win.

The Western Regions army began to employ increasingly clever tactics.

Fortunately, Mantuo City's side was not inferior in formation.

Each move the Western Regions army made, the Lan Sea Army countered.

Gradually Li Qingluo sensed something was amiss.

"Po Feng is deliberately drawing the Western Regions army."

"He wants to exhaust their tactics."

"Or rather, he is deliberately buying time."

"What is he waiting for?"

But soon Li Qingluo realized what Po Feng was actually waiting for.

"There are still people!"

"Or rather, Mantuo City still has a counterattack!"

The city gates suddenly flung open.

A massive, dark army surged out from within the city again.

In perfect order.

Intimidating all directions.

Each like a ferocious tiger, they rushed toward the outskirts.

The soldiers on the city towers also began to provide long‑range support.

And they slaughtered every enemy attempting to breach the city.

Li Qingluo didn't see it very clearly.

She only knew that an unknown number of troops were hidden inside Mantuo City!

This Po Feng.

He must have deliberately misled the Western Regions army into thinking he and all his soldiers were outside the city.

Thus the whole city was left aside; the Western Regions weren't in a hurry to attack, only wanting to slaughter those damned Lan Sea soldiers first.

But how could they know that soldiers never tire of deceit, and this time Mantuo City intends to make every Western Regions force—no return.

Li Qingluo couldn't help but laugh.

"Sure enough, they're Ah Shi's people."

She had already anticipated how the battle would end and was about to retreat into the carriage for a rest, when she heard the booming Lan Sea Army on the battlefield shout, "Lan Sea King is coming—"

"Your Highness, Lan Sea King!"