Chapter 659: The Trap Awaits

In the sparsely wooded snowy area, the convoy had come to a stop. Over twenty disciples of the Sword Sect, dressed in pure white, surrounded the convoy. Each of them exuded formidable presence—at least in the eyes of the drivers from the Northern Clans, they were overwhelmingly powerful.
Realizing the strength of the Sword Sect disciples, Ma Yao, the leader of the Northern Clans and the only one at the “Relief Realm” level among them, forced himself to smile obsequiously:
“Oh, it’s the brothers from the Sword Sect. I’ve long heard of you…”
“Stop talking nonsense,” the leading Sword Sect disciple ordered impatiently. “You guys, get to work now! Unload all the firewood from the carts!”
“Huh?”
The drivers from the Northern Clans were stunned, not understanding the Sword Sect’s intent.
“What are you waiting for? Hurry up, or don’t blame me for being merciless!”
With a sharp sound, icy swords were drawn, causing the already frigid temperature to drop even further. The other Sword Sect disciples also drew their swords, their eyes filled with murderous intent.
Fearing their deadly seriousness, the drivers paled with fear and hurriedly got off the carts without delay.
“You, and you—what are you delaying for?”
Kai Xin, pointed at by a sword, had no choice but to lower the brim of his hat, hide the coldness in his eyes, and pretend to be frightened as he got off the cart. Along with another driver, he began carrying bundles of firewood off…
Whoosh!!
The Sword Sect disciples weren’t idle either. They quickly dug a large pit in the snow and ordered the drivers to fill it with all the firewood.
Too afraid to resist, the drivers followed the orders. Soon, all the firewood from the six carts was moved and buried under the snow. Through these actions, Kai Xin gradually understood something: most of these Sword Sect disciples wanted to use their carts to approach the territory of the Northern Clans…
Sure enough!
After finishing the task, the commanding Sword Sect disciple approached the trembling drivers and scanned them with a sharp gaze. “Don’t worry. As long as you obey, we won’t kill you.”
At that moment, even the stupidest person could see that such sneaky behavior had nothing to do with being friends with the Northern Clans…
But with their lives in their hands, they could only nod obediently, agreeing to cooperate!
“Get on the carts!”
The Sword Sect disciple nodded in satisfaction.

As soon as the words faded, a group of cart drivers were forced back to their respective carts. Then, several disciples from the Sword Sect boarded each cart, and the convoy returned to its original state. It seemed as if nothing had happened! But everyone’s mood was extremely heavy… The firewood in the carts had been replaced by the Sword Sect’s men and horses, and each driver carried a sharp long sword behind them. Under such circumstances, it would be hard for anyone to feel relaxed. “Drive on, as if nothing has happened.” Under the threat of the Sword Sect disciples, the drivers, with pale faces, swung their whips. With the sound of “swish swish,” the convoy slowly set off again, leaving shallow tracks in the snow as it headed toward the northern noble clans…

…

The Northern Noble Clans, Han Tian Fort. As the largest family in the north, the Northern Noble Clans placed great importance on Han Tian Fort. Along the way, they encountered many disciples from these clans. Within a few miles, there were even some burly men with strong, reddish-brown muscles exposed. These men had sharp eyes and an imposing presence. Standing in the freezing snow, they still maintained steady breathing and spirits, giving off an aura of formidable strength at first glance! These were the blacksmiths from the Han Tian Fort’s Sword Forging Hall, who had grown up there since childhood and possessed remarkable skills… What was most remarkable about them was their loyalty. Knowing the importance of the Sword Forging Hall, they took turns guarding Han Tian Fort every day to prevent any martial artists from approaching. However, no matter how loyal the disciples were, over time, some lapses were inevitable. The Sword Forging Hall needed large amounts of wood and minerals daily to keep the furnaces burning, so many convoys traveled to forests in different directions every day to collect materials and return to Han Tian Fort. As long as the carts bore the secret emblem of the Northern Noble Clans and the drivers were clan disciples, no one would interfere. It was this oversight by the Northern Noble Clans that the Sword Sect disciples exploited, using these drivers to help them pass through Han Tian Fort’s defenses… Han Tian Fort resembled a huge, snow-white castle, majestic and spectacular, like another utopia standing apart from the world, inspiring awe in those who saw it. The convoy continued to draw closer. Since the first and second lines of defense had been passed, there were fewer and fewer disciples from the Sword Forging Hall in the vicinity, suggesting they would soon reach the gates of Han Tian Fort. At that moment, Po Jun’s voice reached Happy’s ears once again:

“Happy, listen carefully—don’t make a sound.” The voice was extremely faint and hard to hear clearly; it was only thanks to his heightened perception that he managed to catch it.
“……”
“Those Sword Sect disciples must be here for the Sky Crystal, planning to work together from within and outside… Moreover, the place we’re heading to is the back entrance of Heaven-Shaking Fortress, where there are few guards. It’s easy for the Sword Sect disciples to take control of it. If they succeed, we’ll definitely be silenced… I’ve already discussed this with Captain Ma Xiao—we must prevent the Sword Sect disciples from entering Heaven-Shaking Fortress as they wish.”
Happy frowned.
This wasn’t easy; they were already inside Heaven-Shaking Fortress’s territory…
Po Jun’s voice came through again:
“Ma Xiao plans to escape. It won’t benefit the Sword Sect, but it certainly won’t benefit us either. Once Ma Xiao takes action, I’ll cover for you while you leave! I’ve given you the map of the Sword Forging Hall. Once you escape, be extremely careful—make sure to find my other three brothers; they’ll guide you next.”
“……”
Ding!
System prompt:
“Wait for the right moment. Once Po Jun and Ma Xiao take action, immediately get out of the Sword Sect disciples’ sight and hide somewhere. Don’t let the Sword Sect disciples find you, don’t let the people of the Northern Clans spot you, and avoid running into the Nan Gong family… Find the Sword Sect renegade ‘Po Qian’ within ten minutes!”
As soon as the words faded, a cold sweat trickled down Happy’s forehead…
Only now did Happy realize the real reason Po Jun had given him the map of the Sword Forging Hall so early—this mission was indeed extremely dangerous. He was supposed to find an opportunity to escape while the Northern Clans and Sword Sect disciples were fighting, and within ten minutes, he had to avoid the surveillance of the three major factions and locate another Sword Sect renegade, “Po Qian.” If discovered, he would likely be surrounded and attacked by those three factions right away.