Chapter Ninety-Two: Counterattack

After three days of exhaustive effort, Chu Feng finally established a battlefield for his counterattack, spanning several miles in circumference.

The preparation was mainly aimed at the spirit hound. Chu Feng didn’t do anything particularly special; he simply cleared out lurking exotic beasts and traversed the area, leaving traces of his scent nearly everywhere within the battlefield.

The spirit hound possessed an exceptionally keen nose. Its sensitivity was such that even the faintest scent left months ago could be easily detected. This was its advantage, but now it would become its weakness.

With Chu Feng’s scent scattered throughout the battlefield, hiding within, the spirit hound’s search would lack focus, and at best, it would only be able to delineate the battlefield’s boundaries.

Striking at night was Chu Feng’s optimal moment; however, the pursuers might not arrive at night. Thus, the battlefield was needed to buy time. Once the enemy determined he was within this area, it would be time to act.

Following the spirit hound’s tracking, the enemy would surely take the path Chu Feng had traveled. Along this route, he had cleared the surrounding trees so he could observe everything from the highest peak within the battlefield.

Having set everything in order, Chu Feng rested, tuning his state to its peak, awaiting his adversaries.

As expected, only a day later, a hundred soldiers, led by the spirit hound, entered the battlefield Chu Feng had arranged.

Chu Feng stood atop the tallest peak at the center, first hearing distant barking—he knew they were drawing close.

Soon, he saw a creature resembling a lion enter the clearing; undoubtedly, it was the spirit hound.

A squad of silver-armored soldiers followed, lingering briefly in the clearing before entering the arranged battlefield.

Chu Feng glanced at the sky—afternoon had come. Everything unfolded as he anticipated. The enemies would not disperse before confirming his preparations; all he needed to do was wait or avoid the soldiers as best he could.

In the forest, the soldiers followed the spirit hound relentlessly.

Yet, to the hound’s nose, Chu Feng’s scent seemed to permeate everywhere; it could no longer determine the direction, wandering blindly within the region.

Initially, the soldiers sensed nothing amiss, but after half an hour, they realized they had passed certain places multiple times.

These soldiers were highly experienced; noticing such a detail, they quickly deduced Chu Feng’s strategy.

“It seems the enemy isn’t simply circling here. He’s moved across a wide area, nullifying the spirit hound’s tracking,” one soldier remarked.

After some discussion, the soldiers concluded Chu Feng had nowhere else to run and was likely hiding within. After all, a fifth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior couldn’t possibly traverse the vast Ten-Thousand Mountains; his persistence here had already exceeded their expectations.

The soldiers knew the moment of confrontation had arrived. To find the concealed Chu Feng would be an easy task for them.

“He’s got some wit, but it’ll only delay us a bit,” one soldier said.

“This area isn’t too large—he hasn’t had enough time for a bigger setup. With our methods, he’s easy to find,” another sneered.

Continuing their pursuit with the spirit hound, they noticed that once the hound reached a certain point, it would double back, marking the borders of Chu Feng’s activity.

Thus, the soldiers led the hound along the perimeter, gradually determining the boundary of Chu Feng’s movements.

With each segment of the boundary confirmed, a soldier would stay behind to guard, aiming to encircle Chu Feng completely.

By nightfall, most of the boundary was established.

Chu Feng listened to the hound’s barking in the darkness, realizing they hadn’t fully defined his area yet, but he guessed they would station guards along the border to prevent his escape.

At this moment, breaking through would be easy for Chu Feng, but he knew it was pointless.

If he tried to break out, he’d only flee outward, inevitably drawing more soldiers to block his path—and with continued pursuit, escape would become impossible.

What he needed was a decisive counterattack. Now, he held the advantage and sufficient strength; striking at this moment would target the enemy at their weakest.

Chu Feng released his spiritual sense, his figure weaving swiftly through the darkness, heading opposite the barking.

It was night, and the soldiers were certain Chu Feng was hiding in the area. Though those guarding the boundary doubted he would dare break out, they remained vigilant—a mark of a well-trained unit.

On the boundary, each soldier wielded a Sunspirit Mirror. Though not on high alert, they kept a close watch on their surroundings.

The Sunspirit Mirror’s surface was white, emitting a faint glow, marked with a crosshair—the origin naturally the holder’s position. Centered on this, it could monitor up to two miles around.

Suddenly, a soldier’s mirror displayed a red dot, moving rapidly toward the boundary, though not directly at him.

He thought it was perhaps a beast emerging from hiding, but did not relax his guard; immediately he invoked his spirit, readying himself, and sent a signal to his nearby comrades.

Chu Feng, unaware his movements had been exposed, advanced. Though his physique had recently strengthened and his spiritual sense doubled, it only extended a hundred yards and he had yet to detect anyone.

After running a while, Chu Feng finally spotted a person, who was watching his direction with wary focus.

Chu Feng was suspicious—the enemy seemed to have noticed him first.

He didn’t know what methods the enemy possessed, but hesitation was not an option; he needed to act swiftly.

Drawing the Domain Sword, Chu Feng dashed straight toward the soldier.

A hundred yards—a mere two or three heartbeats for Chu Feng.

They met swiftly; Chu Feng attacked first, fully aware of his surroundings, unlike his opponent.

“So you dare show yourself!” The soldier sneered upon recognizing Chu Feng’s face at close range, casting a spirit art at him.

But the soldier was overconfident. Though he carried a mid-grade Earth-level spirit blade, he didn’t draw it, unaware of how deadly Chu Feng was in the darkness.

He was a mid-sixth rank Earth Spirit Warrior, matching Chu Feng in strength. By day, a fierce battle would ensue between them.

But in the night, Chu Feng didn’t confront him directly; his movements shifted rapidly, so fast the soldier could barely perceive him.

There was little suspense—the soldier struggled desperately, but couldn’t touch Chu Feng.

Under Chu Feng’s fierce swordplay, the soldier was utterly suppressed; after dozens of exchanges, Chu Feng delivered a decisive slash, severing the soldier’s head.

Apart from a single anguished scream, the soldier’s last expression was one of terror.

This was Chu Feng’s first true kill. His face remained cold and unmoved; he understood this was a life-and-death moment—if he didn’t kill, he would be the one to die.

“Since you came to hunt me, you should have been prepared to die. Life and death are no one’s fault,” Chu Feng said coldly, taking the soldier’s storage pouch and putting it in his storage ring.

The glowing Sunspirit Mirror caught Chu Feng’s attention as well.

Though Chu Feng didn’t yet know what the mirror-shaped item was for, he took it and swiftly departed. While running, he noticed the mirror’s surface, engraved with “Sunspirit Mirror,” displayed two red dots, each moving in the same direction from different positions.

“So that’s it. No wonder he noticed me first.” Chu Feng quickly understood the mirror’s purpose—it was a monitoring device for the surroundings.

Joy filled Chu Feng’s heart; acquiring such a mirror would help him better grasp the enemy’s movements.

Chu Feng was surprised the mirror continued operating even after being separated from the soldier, seemingly unaffected by the loss of spiritual energy.

In truth, Chu Feng didn’t know that once activated, the Sunspirit Mirror required no further infusion of spiritual energy; a small spirit stone embedded in its handle provided long-term power.

He did not know the mirror’s exact monitoring range, but it was certainly greater than his own spiritual sense.

Seeing only two red dots, he realized the scream had alerted nearby soldiers, but others wouldn’t be able to reach him quickly.

Chu Feng decided to take a risk, and seized the opportunity to estimate the mirror’s range firsthand.

Holding the Sunspirit Mirror in his left hand and the Domain Sword in his right, Chu Feng charged straight toward one of the red dots.

As he ran, he watched his path and the changing distance on the mirror’s surface.

Soon, two more red dots appeared at the edge of the mirror, and he encountered another soldier.

This one was less formidable—the early sixth rank Earth Spirit Warrior—but he was cautious, using his spirit blade.

Yet the outcome was still no suspense. In the darkness, soldiers unable to sense their surroundings saw their battle strength plummet, especially with long-range attacks rendered useless—they were no match for Chu Feng.

Chu Feng’s swordsmanship was unstoppable; he easily slew the soldier, taking his storage pouch and spirit blade as well.

At that moment, Chu Feng withdrew temporarily, for the two red dots on the mirror had converged, and both approached him, while two more appeared in that direction.