Even if Cloud Ridge City falls, Ye Fan must be eliminated first

"General..."

Zhang Shi's men, bringing a messenger along, finally found Ren Tianye and rushed forward to report: "Yunji City is under attack by the barbarians. General Sun Xiang sent me to deliver the message to you, General."

Ren Tianye furrowed his brows.

It had come after all.

From the moment he left Yunji City, he knew this was highly likely to happen. Now it had come true, and the barbarians' speed was much faster than he had imagined.

He had only been gone from Yunji City for a few days, and the barbarians had taken advantage of this gap to launch an offensive.

"General..." The messenger, having a clearer grasp of the situation, reported in detail, "The barbarians' attack on our Yunji City this time is completely frenzied."

"They have practically mobilized all the forces of Shanhe City, with their troop strength exceeding eighty thousand."

"Moreover, they are attacking Yunji City almost regardless of the cost. Even their cavalry are dismounting to climb the siege ladders and scale the walls, looking as if they are determined to take Yunji City in the shortest possible time."

"Yunji City is in imminent danger!"

Ren Tianye's expression grew stern.

There were truly capable masters among these barbarians!

It could be said that they chose the timing perfectly, and their tactical approach was flawless. They had struck his soft spot in one fell swoop.

However...

Ren Tianye looked up at Sifang City, which was close at hand.

Under the cover of the dark night, Sifang City was already in a state of chaos. It could be said that the city had completely fallen into his hands, except for one thing...

He hadn't found Ye Fan yet!

This huge threat to his heart!

Immediately, he hardened his resolve.

He believed that Sun Xiang could help him hold off the barbarian army, and he was also very confident in the fortifications Zhan Shubai had added to Yunji City. Then... let Sun Xiang hold out a little longer!

Right now, he had to eliminate Ye Fan!

As long as Ye Fan was not dead, he would absolutely not turn back!

Even if the final result was the fall of Yunji City, it was not as great a threat as Ye Fan.

Once a favored son of heaven like him fully matured, it would be like a falling meteor. No matter how capable Ren Tianye was, he would absolutely be unable to resist it.

"Pass down the order!"

Ren Tianye said coldly, "Wang Ming will lead men to control everything in Sifang City, prevent riots, and take charge of the city."

"Zhang Shi will assemble all the light cavalry to form patrol teams to sweep inside and outside Sifang City. As soon as they see Ye Fan, they are to pursue and kill him immediately, and send up a signal."

"I will coordinate from the center!"

As the orders were passed down, Ren Tianye's gaze was awe-inspiring.

In fact, since he learned that Sifang City had fallen so easily, he hadn't led his men into the city. Instead, he distributed his ten thousand soldiers along the various large and small roads outside Sifang City.

They lay in ambush respectively to prevent Ye Fan from escaping.

If Sifang City was a natural cage, then he, Ren Tianye, had laid an inescapable net outside of it.

An inescapable net meant to take Ye Fan's life!

...

The dark night was deep, and the shouts of killing inside the city shook the heavens and the earth.

Under the flickering firelight, a person's figure was illuminated.

Clad in armor and holding a sharp weapon, he looked back at Sifang City, his eyes shooting out deep hatred and intense unwillingness.

"Uncle, Xiu'er, it's not that I refuse to save you, but the situation is truly critical. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood."

"Once I escape this place, with my foolproof methods and abilities, I will soon be able to form another army and pull together hundreds of thousands of troops."

"When that time comes, I will definitely avenge you!"

Ye Fan's gaze was firm.

Since the day he rose to power, he had been incredibly confident in himself, firmly believing that the current situation was merely a small setback given to him by the heavens.

The road to success is fraught with thousands of difficulties and obstacles.

Everyone must pay a price.

He was merely paying a small price, which would forge an even stronger heart and courage within him, making his future even more legendary.

Therefore, he didn't take his current predicament to heart at all.

However, he did need to think of a way to escape.

As for a way...

The thing he lacked least was a plan.

In just an instant, countless methods surged into his mind, all of which could allow him to escape with his life.

But in order to leave an impression on Ren Tianye.

To leave Ren Tianye with the impression that he, Ye Fan, was not to be trifled with, he chose a method that would ruthlessly crush Ren Tianye intellectually.

Leave through the North Gate!

Ren Tianye's army had attacked from the North and West Gates, and Ren Tianye's stronghold, Yunji City, was in the north. Therefore, as long as he left through the North Gate, completely going against the thinking of an ordinary person, he could not only escape cleanly but also strike a severe intellectual blow to Ren Tianye.

Let Ren Tianye know his power!

Thus, he killed one of Ren Tianye's subordinates in the dark, changed into his uniform, rode a warhorse, and swaggered straight toward the North Gate.

"Who goes there? Dismount and accept inspection!"

To Ye Fan's surprise, the North Gate, which should have been chaotic and empty, was actually guarded by soldiers, and every one of them was exceptionally vigilant.

While one person was shouting the question, the rest had already nocked their arrows and taken aim in his direction.

"Ren Tianye actually sent people to guard the North Gate?"

"Heh, I underestimated him a bit."

"He's a cautious man."

"Qualified to be my opponent."

"But in terms of a battle of wits, he's still far behind."

So, Ye Fan didn't answer and simply turned away.

He quickly arrived at the base of the deserted north wall, abandoned the warhorse, carrying only a bundle and his twin maces. He took out a specialized climbing tool from his chest and scaled the wall barehanded.

The walls of Yunji City were much smoother than those of Sifang City, yet he had been able to climb over them undetected while carrying Su Xiu. This little Sifang City was nothing to him.

Soon, he vaulted over the wall of Sifang City.

And landed on the ground.

At this moment, even the earth-shattering cries of battle inside Sifang City seemed much fainter.

His mood also improved significantly.

Then, he quickly concealed his figure and dashed rapidly in the direction of Yunji City.

After Ren Tianye took Sifang City and failed to find him, he would inevitably launch an overwhelming search. So, Ye Fan decided to do the exact opposite and head straight for Yunji City.

He would find a random place in Yunji City and stay for a few months. He guaranteed that even if Ren Tianye racked his brains, he would never guess that he had gone to Yunji City.

With this plan in mind, his footsteps did not stop.

With a turn, he stepped onto a small path.

The dark night was vast, without stars or a moon, and he walked very comfortably.

However, he didn't notice that a group of soldiers was ambushed in the grass not far away.

The number wasn't large, but there were still about a hundred of them.

"Commander, someone is coming. I can vaguely see he's wearing our uniform. Is it one of our scouts?"

The commander looked tense: "Do our scouts dress like that? Definitely not. Forget it, it doesn't matter. The General ordered that it's better to kill by mistake than to let anyone go."

"He's sneaking over alone; he's an enemy, not a friend."

"Everyone, get ready."

Thus, in the next moment, a lit torch was thrown toward Ye Fan. By the bright light, countless arrows instantly shot toward him.

The arrows fell like rain, instantly surrounding Ye Fan.

Ye Fan's face was immediately filled with shock.

"How is this possible?"

"Ren Tianye could guess that I would leave from the north?"

"He actually thought of what I thought of?"

...