Chapter 46: The Night Attack on the Frost Iron Defense Line

Night had fallen.

In the northern frontier, the wind howled like ghosts, whipping up shards of ice from the ground, lashing fiercely against the tents with sharp, cracking sounds.

Shen Zhaoqing huddled in the furthest corner of the communal bunk. She wrapped herself into a tight coil with a hard, thin blanket that carried a strange odor, only her eyes visible as she vigilantly listened to the sounds outside.

The lingering aftermath of the day’s great battle had yet to dissipate. The entire Frost Iron Defense Line remained in a state of high alert, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tense.

Yet, for the logistics camp, as long as the war hadn’t reached their doorstep, the sky wouldn’t fall.

Inside the tent, snores thundered in rhythmic succession, occasionally interspersed with slurred dream talk. Phrases like, “Cuihua, wait for me,” or “Damn it, another bowl!” could be faintly heard.

Shen Zhaoqing sighed, retrieving her treasured wine gourd from her embrace.

This was, perhaps, her sole comfort at this moment.

“Woo—!!!”

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing horn blast tore through the night sky without warning!

The sound was shrill and urgent, like the dying wail of some colossal beast, carrying a power that seemed to penetrate the very soul.

“Enemy attack!! It’s the Armor-Piercing Beasts of the demon race! On the east flank!!”

“Third Battalion! Third Battalion, move up and hold the line! Archers, prepare!”

“Quick! Go report to the General!”

Outside the tent, chaos erupted instantly!

The formerly slumbering military camp was like a pot of boiling oil overturned. A cacophony of footsteps, the clang of weapons being drawn, and the roars of commanders mingled together, forming a torrent of steel.

The rough men in the tent sprang up like cats whose tails had been stepped on, cursing and fumbling to don their armor.

“Damn it! These beasts, they always pick the middle of the night!”

“East flank? Isn’t that the closest to our supply camp?”

Old Liu San’s face changed. He hastily pulled on his worn leather armor and roared at Shen Zhaoqing, who was still momentarily stunned, “Little Immortal Maiden, don’t just stand there! Find somewhere to hide! Demonic beasts don’t care if you’re an immortal or not!”

Shen Zhaoqing jolted, instantly sobering up.

She shoved the wine gourd back into her embrace and rushed out of the tent, following the flow of people.

The moment she stepped out, a thick stench of blood, mixed with the unique musk of demonic beasts, assaulted her, making her almost gag.

In the distance, the sky was illuminated by an eerie red glow. Dozens of gigantic demonic beasts, each the size of a small mountain and covered in black carapaces, were savagely ramming the defense line’s palisades and arrow towers with their indestructible headbutts.

Every impact sent tremors through the very earth.

Countless flaming arrows, talismans, and even cultivators’ spells rained down on these monsters, known as “Armor-Piercing Beasts.” Yet, they merely sparked, unable to penetrate their thick, heavy armor.

Occasionally, a few Armor-Piercing Beasts, targeted by concentrated fire, were struck in vulnerable spots like their eyes or nostrils. They would unleash a sky-shattering roar and their massive bodies would crash to the ground. However, even more demonic beasts would step over their fallen comrades, charging forward fearlessly.

The scene was utterly chaotic.

“Protect the rations!!”

“Medic! Where’s the medic! Captain Wang has been hit!!”

Amidst the pandemonium, several smaller, yet incredibly swift “Spine-Backed Demonic Wolves” tore open a breach from somewhere, rushing into the logistics camp like phantoms.

These demonic wolves had clear targets: the rations and military supplies!

Shen Zhaoqing felt a blur before her eyes as a foul wind swept past.

She instinctively dodged sideways. A Spine-Backed Demonic Wolf grazed her nose as it shot past, its sharp claws carving a cold flash through the air, directly splitting a supply cart behind her in half!

Shen Zhaoqing’s heart seized.

She had no doubt that if that strike had landed, she would currently be preparing for reincarnation.

“Beast! You court death!”

A thunderous roar erupted. A burly centurion, wielding a ring-pommel saber, charged forward. His saber technique was fierce and powerful, each strike carrying immense force, forcing the demonic wolf to retreat repeatedly.

However, just as he cleaved the wolf’s head open, blood splashing everywhere, another wolf, lurking in the shadows, lunged from the side. Its sharp, poisonous claws viciously raked across his arm!

“Pfft!”

Blood splattered!

“Captain!”

The surrounding soldiers cried out in alarm, unleashing a flurry of blades that hacked the attacking wolf into a bloody pulp.

But the centurion, known as “Captain Wang,” dropped to one knee with a dull thud.

His wounded arm visibly blackened at an alarming rate. Streaks of black blood, like venomous snakes, swiftly spread along his meridians, racing towards his heart!

“It’s… it’s the ‘Bone-Corroding’ poison…” Captain Wang gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, as large beads of sweat rolled down his face. His entire body trembled violently.

“Military Doctor Sun! Military Doctor Sun, quickly!”

Soon, an old man with a medicine chest and a grizzled beard was supported over by a few soldiers. He glanced at the wound, then pried open Captain Wang’s eyelids to examine them, his face instantly turning ashen.

“There’s no saving him… The Bone-Corroding poison is instant death upon contact with blood. Without half an incense stick’s time, not even immortals can save him!” Military Doctor Sun’s voice trembled as he shook his head in despair. “Unless… unless we had the ‘Nine Revolutions Pure Essence Pill’ from the Penglai Immortal Palace, otherwise…”

Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers’ faces filled with sorrow.

Penglai Immortal Palace? Such a legendary place was beyond the reach of ordinary soldiers like them in this lifetime.

“Captain…” A young soldier knelt beside Captain Wang, sobbing uncontrollably.

Shen Zhaoqing hid behind a supply cart, witnessing all of this.

Instinctively, she wanted to stay far away. It was better to avoid trouble, a survival rule deeply ingrained in her. Yet, when she saw the burly man, his features twisted in agony, still clutching the saber at his waist with his uninjured hand, emitting a beast-like growl from his throat as if he still intended to rise and fight, her heart involuntarily clenched.

She recalled the old shopkeeper in the Qingzhou wine shop, who had always smiled as he taught her how to brew wine, how to read, and how to “cherish one’s life.”

The old shopkeeper had also taught her some miscellaneous folk remedies.

He had said that all things in the world had their counterparts, their mutual inhibitors. Even the most potent poison always had something that could neutralize it.

“There’s a kind of wine that can cure all poisons, and also hasten all poisons. The key is how you use it, you see.”

Shen Zhaoqing’s gaze fell upon the Gui Niang Hu in her embrace.

The spiritual brew within the gourd carried a pure vitality, a vitality that seemed to have a natural suppressive effect on all negative things.

If Ling Shuangjue’s turbulent demonic heart could be appeased, then this “Bone-Corroding poison” perhaps…

No, she couldn’t.

Shen Zhaoqing immediately cut off that dangerous thought.

There were too many eyes and ears here. If the secret of the Gui Niang Hu, if her secret, were discovered, she would truly be close to death. Taking such a huge risk for an unrelated person was not worth it.

Shen Zhaoqing clenched her fists. Just then, a steady, powerful footsteps approached.

The chaotic crowd automatically parted to either side.