Chapter Seventy-One: Night Assault on Black Cliff Pass

Previously, Murong Yan and Ye Feng led their army back to camp, where they were met by Li Yiqing. After hearing the details of the recent battle, Li Yiqing could not help but lament the outcome. Ye Feng nodded in agreement, remarking, "Yes! That accursed Nine-headed Vulture managed to escape!"

But Li Yiqing shook his head repeatedly. "No... no... that's not what I mean by 'unfortunate.' The real pity is that there are still many women from the Great Xia Kingdom imprisoned inside Black Cliff Pass. If the pass is not retaken, their fate will be dire!"

At these words, Murong Yan finally understood. "Oh! That's right, General Li. You mentioned before that many women from the Great Xia Kingdom have been forced to serve as dancers within Black Cliff Pass. If they are not rescued, won't they become little more than playthings and scapegoats for those monsters? And if we resort to an all-out assault, they may even be used as hostages. That would be a disaster! What do you think we should do?"

Li Yiqing straightened his chest and clasped his fists. "I... I... request permission to lead the same two thousand elite soldiers who took Juxiong Pass for a second night assault on Black Cliff Pass."

Murong Yan frowned. "General Li, Black Cliff Pass is far more formidable than Juxiong Pass. How do you propose to scale it? Furthermore, the Nine-headed Vulture is still inside, and he is no ordinary foe. I fear a repeat of our previous success will not be so easy."

Li Yiqing thumped his chest, full of resolve. "Rest... rest... rest assured! Those two thousand elites are agile and courageous. I, Li Yiqing, guarantee I can get them inside the pass. It's only... only the matter of the Nine-headed Vulture..."

Ye Feng also stepped forward to request permission. "Marshal, I too request to accompany General Li in the night attack. The Nine-headed Vulture is badly wounded; even if he can still move, I am confident he will not escape my grasp!"

At last, Murong Yan nodded. "Both of you must be extremely cautious. Once you are atop Black Cliff Pass, light a signal fire. I will lead the army in at your sign."

Ye Feng and Li Yiqing bade farewell to the marshal and returned to the camp to assemble their two thousand warriors.

That night, Li Yiqing donned tight black clothing, a coil of rope slung over one shoulder, a golden dragon claw on his back, and a thunder-fire awl at his waist. Every inch of him radiated competence and vigor.

He assembled the warriors, nodding in approval as he saw each one similarly dressed in black. "Bro... bro... brothers, tonight's raid must be swift and decisive! The Nine-headed Vulture has captured many of our sisters. Every day they linger in his clutches is another day of indignity. How can we bear it? That is why I asked Marshal Murong's leave to lead you on this second night attack. Tonight is your chance to win glory!"

He stammered through his speech, but his meaning was clear. Then he asked, "Are... are... are you all confident?"

A thunderous chorus replied, "Yes!"

Li Yiqing let out a strange chuckle, then set his face sternly. "Move out!"

With long strides, he led the way. The troops followed closely, soon arriving beneath the towering cliffs of Black Cliff Pass.

Li Yiqing signaled for silence, then gestured for the warriors to halt. "Each... each... each of you, take a leaf and hold it in your mouth. Under no... no... no circumstances make a sound!"

He pointed to the top of the cliff. "I'll... I'll... I'll go up first. Wait here until I throw down the rope. The cliff is over four hundred feet high, with nowhere to rest midway. If any of you think you can't make it, don't attempt to climb!"

He added, "And if anyone slips and falls, bite down hard on that leaf. Better to die than make a sound and expose our operation!"

The warriors nodded silently, leaves clamped between their teeth.

Seeing that everyone understood, Li Yiqing took a length of rope from his waist, attached an iron hook, and circled the base of the cliff to find a suitable spot. When satisfied, he hurled the rope upward.

As soon as the hook caught firm, Li Yiqing leaped up, grasped the rope, and began to climb with the agility of a monkey.

Ye Feng watched from below; at first, he could still see Li Yiqing's form, but soon the figure dwindled to a mere speck and vanished. Within the time it takes to smoke a pipe, a rope was thrown down from above.

Ye Feng, overjoyed, ordered the warriors carrying the coils of rope to ascend first. As more men reached the top and dropped down additional ropes, the rest of the warriors climbed up in turn.

When his own turn came, Ye Feng, knowing he was not skilled at climbing, unsheathed his Cloudflow Sword, stepped onto it, and floated up to the pass.

Upon reaching the top of the pass, they found the demon soldiers and generals sleeping as soundly as corpses. Ye Feng exchanged a glance with Li Yiqing, and the two men split up according to their plan.

Li Yiqing's mission was to locate and rescue the captive women before the main battle began, to prevent the Nine-headed Vulture from harming them in desperation. Ye Feng's task was to open the gate and let Murong Yan's forces inside to destroy the demon army in one stroke.

The gate of Black Cliff Pass was more properly described as an artificial cage lift, large enough to hold twenty men at a time and operated by a lever mechanism. Usually, the demon soldiers did not use it, since they all had wings and could come and go at will. Only when inspectors arrived from above would the cage be lowered to bring up officials from the Myriad Demons Kingdom. Thus, the gate was unguarded.

Ye Feng had several warriors lower the cage, then signal with a torch. Murong Yan, waiting below, saw the fire and approached. As soon as the cage was lowered, she and her men climbed aboard.

At the top, Murong Yan met Ye Feng, quickly learned the situation, and nodded approvingly. She instructed Ye Feng to take men to find the Nine-headed Vulture—under no circumstances was he to be allowed to escape! Meanwhile, she continued to operate the cage, bringing more troops up.

At this time, Li Yiqing had located the women and brought them to see Murong Yan, who praised him heartily and ordered him to escort the women to safety.

Li Yiqing protested, "Mar... mar... marshal, how can a grown man like me act as captain of a women's detachment? I refuse!"

Murong Yan's face darkened. "General Li, the most important objective of this night raid is the rescue of these women. I have entrusted this vital task to you; how can you refuse? Do you not remember military discipline?"

Li Yiqing hung his head. "Yes, Marshal. I obey."

Seeing his dejection, Murong Yan softened her tone. "General Li, if you accomplish this task, I will record you as the foremost contributor to this campaign. How about that?"

Li Yiqing beamed. "I accept the order!"

As they spoke, a demon soldier out relieving himself spotted them and shouted, "The rebel army is here! Run for your lives!"

The cry rang out like thunder in the night, throwing the demon camp into utter chaos. Many demon soldiers woke in confusion. "What rebel army? Where did they come from? How did they get in?"

As they scrambled for their weapons, a great shout rang out: "Don't move! Move and you die!"

Terrified, the demon soldiers threw up their hands in surrender. Others rushed outside, only to see flames everywhere and hear the clash of battle. In fear, they abandoned their camp and took to the air, circling above in panic.

Ye Feng realized this disturbance would alert the Nine-headed Vulture, who would surely try to escape. He rushed toward the main hall, hoping to catch him.

He arrived just in time to see the Nine-headed Vulture, armor askew and body swathed in bandages, stumbling out of the hall. The sight of Ye Feng struck terror into his heart. The demon flapped his wings desperately, taking to the sky in an attempt to flee.

Knowing he could not catch up by flying sword, Ye Feng stamped his feet in frustration. Suddenly, he spotted a powerful bow on the ground and snatched it up. He nocked three arrows at once, took careful aim at the Nine-headed Vulture soaring above, focused his mind, and drew the bowstring to its full length. With a release, three arrows shot forth like lightning.

"Whoosh! ... Whoosh! ... Whoosh! ..."

The three arrows tore through the night, heading straight for the Nine-headed Vulture. Sensing the deadly wind at his back, the demon turned just in time to see the arrows streaking toward his heads. There was no time to dodge; paralyzed by fear, he could only tremble and cry out as all three arrows found their mark, each striking one of his three heads. The pain drove him to howl in agony, tumbling through the air in a near-fatal spiral.

Seeing his arrows strike true, Ye Feng hastily drew three more, but as he prepared to shoot, there was a sharp crack—the bow snapped in half, useless.

Seizing the moment, the Nine-headed Vulture beat his wings, conjuring a fierce wind, and disappeared into the night.

Ye Feng could only watch helplessly as his quarry escaped. Turning back, he saw the surviving demon soldiers being rounded up and escorted away, though many lesser demons still circled overhead, shrieking horribly.

The soldiers shot arrows skyward, but lacked the strength to reach their targets. Ye Feng gathered more arrows and loosed several shots, bringing down a few demons. Seeing his deadly aim, the remaining demons scattered, fleeing into the distance. The skies above Black Cliff Pass were finally clear of enemies.