My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Jin Zhanfei will continue to report news and progress on his efforts to eradicate the evil cultivators.

However, no news reached the military camp for several days, and everyone knew that Jin Zhanfei had gotten into trouble.

"We haven't heard from Jin Zhanfei at all; his chances of survival are slim. We might have fallen into a trap."

Inside the command tent, Du Tianfeng's face was gloomy, belatedly realizing what was happening.

Du Tianfeng is now in a dilemma. He wants to send people to find Jin Zhanfei, but he is worried that the forces he sends out will be insufficient and will be wiped out by the evil cultivators.

However, if the main force is dispatched, there will not be enough power to suppress Anzhou City.

Recently, news has been coming from the government that gangs and powerful families in the city are making trouble, and the main force of the army must stay behind to deter all forces.

Just then, a commotion interrupted the group's discussion.

A scout, who had narrowly escaped death, stumbled into the camp, roaring the news of the death.

"Report!"

"The five hundred soldiers led by Commander Jin Zhanfei were ambushed by evil cultivators deep in the valley and were all wiped out."

This roar was like a thunderclap.

The entire military camp fell into a deathly silence, then exploded with a deafening roar.

All the soldiers' pupils constricted, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

Five hundred elite border troops, who had only been away from the camp for a few days, were wiped out by the evil cultivators. This outcome was unacceptable to everyone.

Du Tianfeng and the others, who were discussing the matter, were also shocked when they heard this heartbreaking news.

"You bastard!"

A furious roar echoed through the command tent, causing the tables and chairs to tremble violently. The soldiers outside the tent fell silent, their scalps tingling with fear.

Du Tianfeng suddenly stood up, and a powerful aura of killing intent erupted from his body.

"Five hundred loyal and brave soldiers fought and bled to defend the border. They did not die at the hands of barbarians and demons, but instead perished tragically in the insidious traps of treacherous villains."

"This is outrageous! They think Anzhou has no one to rely on, and they think our government troops are easy to humiliate."

Du Tianfeng was furious, his chest heaving violently, his eyes bloodshot, his boundless rage and endless grief resounding throughout the entire military camp.

Everyone fell silent, filled with fear and lingering dread.

Jin Zhanfei is a late-stage Blood Condensation Realm expert, only one step away from the Qi Condensation Realm.

His soldiers were all battle-hardened elites, yet they were all wiped out; the evil cultivators' forces far exceeded expectations.

If you replaced Jin Zhanfei with them, the result wouldn't change at all.

Liu Qingyun and the others subconsciously looked at Li Xuancang, perhaps only if this powerful man took action personally could they have a glimmer of hope.

After his initial anger subsided, Du Tianfeng suppressed his rage and calmed himself down.

What's done is done, and anger won't help. Being blinded by anger will only lead him to make the wrong decisions.

"Huff, huff..."

Du Tianfeng took a few deep breaths before he could barely calm down.

"My lord, this has been a conspiracy by evil cultivators from the very beginning. Their goal is to lure us out with our troops so that we can defeat them one by one."

Li Xuancang saw through the evil cultivators' methods, which was undeniably vicious.

Du Tianfeng was well aware that this was a conspiracy by evil cultivators, but he had no way to deal with it for the time being.

Du Tianfeng's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.

His gaze fell on Li Xuancang, and he ordered, "Commander Li, you shall immediately lead five hundred soldiers to sweep away the evil cultivators and avenge the tragic deaths of Commander Jin and his five hundred soldiers."

Jin Zhanfei, who was in the late stage of the Blood Condensation Realm, died in battle. Now, only Li Xuancang has a chance to eliminate the evil cultivator.

"Your subordinate obeys."

Li Xuancang stepped forward and solemnly accepted the order.

"Everyone stays in the barracks, ready to be deployed at any time."

Everyone else withdrew, leaving only Li Xuancang behind.

Before long, Li Xuancang quickly mustered five hundred elite troops.

Armor gleamed, spears stood like a forest, and bows and crossbows were fully drawn. The entire army, clad in a fierce and menacing aura, marched out of the city, ready to head into the deep mountains and valleys.

Before the army had even left the city, the military intelligence had already been leaked.

Those forces within Anzhou City who had already secretly pledged allegiance to the Prince of Yunzhou were closely monitoring the military camp's movements.

The moment Li Xuancang received the order to set off, an urgent secret letter was sent out of the city at top speed through a hidden channel, eventually reaching the hands of the evil cultivators outside the city.

[The government troops have launched another attack. Li Xuancang personally led five hundred soldiers to immediately enter the mountains to exterminate the evil forces. The route would still be the ancient mountain path, where a heavy encirclement could be set up again.]

Deep in the dark valley, Fang Tianhan finished reading the secret letter, then laughed maniacally, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

"Haha, heaven is on my side!"

"Having just annihilated five hundred soldiers, Du Tianfeng was indeed enraged and sent more troops to their deaths."

"It's still that most annoying Li Xuancang leading the team himself. This time, I'm going to make sure he doesn't leave alive."

Li Xuancang has thwarted their plans time and time again, making him a target of the Prince of Fu's mansion. It's time to get rid of him.

Fang Tianhan immediately adjusted the plan and quickly issued orders.

"Discard the old formation and set up a double-layered evil formation to kill Li Xuancang. This time, we will spare no effort to deplete our evil power and completely cut off the Anzhou army's edge."

The group of evil cultivators accepted the order and quickly mobilized all their hidden forces, shifting positions and layering killing formations, waiting for Li Xuancang to lead his troops into the trap.

Meanwhile, within Anzhou City, another hidden malice was stirring up agitation.

The Iron Fist School harbored deep-seated resentment and bitterness.

They had been keeping a close eye on Li Xuancang's every move, but had previously been wary of the imperial army and could only remain silent.

Hearing that Li Xuancang had led only 500 soldiers out of the city to exterminate evil in the desolate mountains, he instantly saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for revenge.

Inside the main hall of the Iron Fist Sect, Tie Shanhe, his face full of rage, slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"The opportunity has arrived."

"This brat has gone too far in abusing his official position to suppress my sect, injure my disciples, and humiliate my Iron Fist Sect."

"Now that he is deep in enemy territory, far from the city, with few troops and in the wilderness, it is a golden opportunity for us to strike."

Finally, this opportunity had arrived, and everyone in the Iron Fist Sect was extremely excited, wishing they could immediately kill Li Xuancang to avenge their tragically killed comrades and wipe away their shame.

Tie Shanhe's eyes flashed with a fierce light, no longer able to suppress all his grudges.

He quickly mobilized the core elite disciples, elders, and martial arts masters of the sect, and they quietly left the city using secret routes in the martial arts world.

They kept a low profile, avoided making a fuss, and avoided the official roads, instead taking shortcuts through the mountains and wilderness to reach the pass that Li Xuancang had to pass on his way back and into the mountains.

Knowing Li Xuancang's terrifying strength, the Iron Fist Sect did not intend to confront him head-on.

We must wait until Li Xuancang and the evil cultivators are fighting desperately before delivering a fatal blow to Li Xuancang.

As long as we guard our retreat route and block our escape route, we need not fear that Li Xuancang can escape alive.

Amidst the turmoil in the city, a figure secretly slipped into the city, his gaze fixed on West Street, where the Li residence was located.

"Li Xuancang left the army, and no one would ever expect that I would return. This time, I will surely capture him easily."

The old man Xuan Yin's eyes were gloomy and full of calculation.

Everyone thought he had fled Anju and never expected him to make a comeback.

Without Li Xuancang in charge of the Li family, Li Ling'er will not be able to escape his grasp this time.

Five hundred elite soldiers marched out of the city in formation, their steps firm and resounding.

Li Xuancang, clad in cold, black armor, rode his horse at the forefront of the army formation, his gaze sharp and piercing.

After confirming that Li Xuancang had left the city, all forces immediately began to take action.