Xuan Jinfeng and Xuan Tao returned with the rest of the group. The cultivators of the Xuan family waited in silence, not daring to interrupt the conversation that was about to begin.
"Second Elder… shall we return?" asked Xuan Tao, in a cautious tone. "The Patriarch's mission was to observe, gather information. We've seen enough."
Xuan Jinfeng didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the valley, where the mysterious soldiers patrolled with unnatural precision.
"Seen enough?" he repeated coldly. "All we did was count their numbers. We don't know what force they belong to, how many there truly are… we don't even know their name."
His voice, normally controlled, revealed a trace of anger. Xuan Tao pressed his lips together, unable to reply. He knew that, in the elder's current state, a single misplaced word could ignite his temper.
"You told me they resemble the group that attacked before," Jinfeng continued, "but I haven't seen their strength with my own eyes. And at your level… there are things you simply can't perceive."
The tone grew more direct, almost disdainful, but it wasn't personal. It was the cold judgment of a cultivator of higher rank.
"I need to test them. If we manage to capture one alive, we'll get answers."
Killing intent emerged in his eyes like a hidden blade, sharp and cold. The other cultivators exchanged tense glances, but none dared to speak.
Xuan Tao swallowed. "And what's the plan, Second Elder?" he asked quietly, resigned.
"Even with their strange weapons, they shouldn't be able to face all of us. Not while I'm here," said Xuan Jinfeng.
He paused, recalling previous reports.
"In the last battle, after an attack, they retreated. Their weapons must have limitations. Maybe they can't use them more than once. As long as we endure the first strike, the rest will fall."
Xuan Tao frowned, still unsure.
"Are we attacking now?"
"Yes," the Second Elder replied without hesitation. "Prepare yourselves. We'll launch a surprise attack."
He turned his gaze toward the cultivators waiting in formation.
"From the east. I'll take the front. If their weapons are as powerful as you say, I'll absorb the first strike."
"But if they're not… we annihilate them."
The silence that followed was heavy, as if the mountain itself held its breath.
Xuan Tao nodded slowly, knowing he couldn't stop what was coming. The decision was made.
The sun fell over the rocky terrain of the mine. The heat was intense, forming visible waves that danced over the dusty surface. Beneath the steel helmet, sweat accumulated, trickling down the forehead of the Vesper posted in the eastern sector. Even so, he didn't lower his guard.
An hour earlier, Officer Jian Huo had given the order with a firm voice:
"Maximum alert. Possible enemy movement. No one drops their guard."
Since then, the silence had been almost absolute, broken only by the distant buzz of insects and the occasional crunch of boots on loose stone.
The Vesper assigned to the eastern flank patrolled a small rocky elevation. From there, he had a partial view of the perimeter and the improvised trenches they had dug around the mine. It was his third round at that post, and nothing seemed out of place.
He was about to turn around when a sharp sensation stopped him. Something wasn't right.
He gripped his Mauser tightly, barrel pointed to the ground as he took one more step, scanning the environment inch by inch. Rocks, bushes, scattered trees beyond effective range. Everything looked normal.
But then… something moved. Just a fleeting shadow, a tremor behind a rock.
He froze, holding his breath.
A few pebbles slid slowly down the slope. Barely a whisper.
And then he saw it: just peeking out from behind the rock, the edge of a gray robe, too smooth, too uniform to be part of the landscape.
Contact.
The Vesper raised his rifle in a split second. There was no time for confirmation or hesitation. He had no immediate support.
Bang.
The shot thundered through the valley like a whip, not to neutralize, but to alert. It was the protocol when a possible enemy was detected. Contact signal. Warning shot. Let everyone hear it.
The recoil struck his shoulder with familiarity. The casing was ejected, bouncing against the hot rock. The echo spread like an unspoken alarm.
A moment later, the young cultivator hiding behind the rock flinched. He hadn't expected to be discovered so quickly. He stepped back, tripped over his own foot, and fell on his back, tumbling awkwardly down the slope.
From his elevated position, the Vesper didn't hesitate:
"Tango east, contact confirmed! Enemy movement!" he shouted forcefully, projecting his voice toward the nearest trench.
At the mine, several soldiers turned their heads toward the sound of the shot. One was already running toward Jian Huo to report.
The atmosphere, tense just minutes before, exploded into activity.
A horn blared in the dry, hot air of the mine.
To the east, the soldiers in the improvised trenches were already in position. The others, patrolling the area, pulled back like a released spring.
"Weapons up! Everyone to defensive positions!" shouted a Vesper captain as he crouched behind the sandbags, his Mauser pressed firmly against his shoulder. In a matter of seconds, they had cover, barrels aligned, eyes fixed to the east.
On the enemy side, the cultivators lost formation for a moment, surprised by the efficiency. Xuan Tao looked around uncomfortably; he hadn't expected the mortals to react so quickly. They were only just spreading out, and already had to improvise.
"Raise your defenses and advance, now!" ordered Xuan Jinfeng, brows furrowed.
He was angry. Very angry.
They hadn't even launched the first blow, and the enemy had already identified and contained them.
Without hesitation, he activated his defensive technique. His body was covered by a dense, earthy glow, like a natural armor. It was the Xuan family's secret ability: Iron Mountain Turtle.
With a flash in his eyes, he drew his long spear from the storage pouch. The black shaft briefly gleamed under the sun, and then he struck the ground with force.
CRACK!
The rocks beneath his feet split and rose into the air, expelled like shrapnel. In a burst of speed and power, he shot forward like a bullet of flesh, covering ten meters in a blink.
The other cultivators weren't far behind. Xuan Tao and the three intermediate-level cultivators activated their own movement techniques. They weren't as fast, but moved quickly along the flanks. The six lower-level ones tried to keep pace, but were already falling behind.
About 100 meters away, the Vespers stationed in the eastern trench saw Jinfeng approaching like a projectile.
One of them shouted:
"Enemy on the move, direct charge!"
"Fire!" ordered the captain.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Gunfire erupted in dry bursts. Bullets whistled through the air, some bouncing off Jinfeng's defensive technique, others striking the ground around him.
The front line held, but they were clearly short on time.
"Throw a G-1! Containment now!" ordered a Vesper, and a fragmentation grenade was thrown into the center of the enemy advance.
BOOM!
The G-1 exploded with a sharp boom. A cloud of dust, rock fragments, and steel shrapnel burst in all directions, accompanied by a brief tremor in the ground.
Two low-level cultivators were hit directly. One screamed for just a second before falling, shoulder shattered, bone exposed and bleeding in streams. The other, with a fragment lodged in his thigh, tried to stay upright before collapsing, gasping.
The Mauser fire did not stop.
Clack-clack-clack, bolts opened and closed without pause, and the thunder of the shots spread through the valley like an endless storm.
In less than a minute, the chambers emptied. Hot casings piled on the ground, and sweat streamed down the tense faces of the Vespers.
On the enemy side, the impact was brutal.
The six low-level cultivators were either killed or rendered combat ineffective, their techniques insufficient to withstand the precision and power of the concentrated fire.
One of the intermediate cultivators was struck by the grenade shrapnel, weakening his defense. A bullet hit his chest, sending him crashing to the ground with a dry groan.
The remaining intermediate cultivators didn't make the same mistake. They split up and charged from different angles, their zigzagging and rapid movements making it hard to aim. Mobility techniques reinforced every stride, and some even skimmed the ground as if floating.
But the momentum of the charge didn't stop.
Xuan Jinfeng remained at the front, barely swayed by the blast core. The glow of his defense had dimmed, but still covered him. His spear rose, pointing directly at the trench.
His eyes, once cold and disdainful, now burned with unleashed fury—a gaze full of murderous intent.
"Incoming impact! Containment, containment!" shouted a Vesper as he backed up with the Mauser raised.
Meanwhile, the Vespers from the west and north were already mobilizing.
They would run, yes, but at least a couple of minutes separated them from the scene.
In the eastern trench, ten men stood alone against cultivators—and one of dangerous level.