Li Ru pointed to a crevice in the upper part of the cliff on the left, covered in shadow and a thin layer of snow.

"Is the color of that rock slightly different from the surrounding area? Under the fresh snow, there are faint signs of it being trampled or moved..."

Li Ru's finger quickly moved to a seemingly flat patch of snow on the inner side of the valley entrance. "Look over there, the snow looks natural, but the edges are too smooth. There must have been some disturbance underneath, and..."

"Looking at both sides, those withered trees and broken branches that appear to have been blown down by the wind and snow, the direction in which they fell could not have been caused by natural wind force!"

Every time Li Ru pointed out a spot, Wugu Lu and the generals would tensely focus their gazes on it.

After Li Ru pointed it out, those subtle anomalies suddenly became incredibly clear to everyone: the unnatural snow marks along the edge of the rock crevice, the strangely flat snowfield, the withered branches lying in odd directions...

Every clue points to a chilling conclusion: there's an ambush, a meticulously planned ambush!

"Those Xianbei traitors! It was definitely a trap!"

Wugu Lu's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he suddenly drew his curved sword from his waist, the gleaming blade flashing coldly against the gloomy sky.

"Trying to ambush me? Dream on!"

"Order the rear guard to become the front guard! Retreat!"

The order to retreat was like a lifeline, instantly easing the tension in the officers' nerves. The generals shouted the orders, the cavalrymen hurriedly turned their horses around, and the ranks began to change direction in a chaotic manner.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

Just as chaos began to brew, the formation crumbled, and panic gripped the people, three powerful horn calls suddenly and unexpectedly rang out from the towering cliffs on both sides of the valley entrance.

The sound instantly tore through the deathly silence of the valley, slamming into the eardrums of every Wuhuan cavalryman!

Immediately afterwards, a huge, brightly colored flag appeared at the highest point of the cliff on the left, and with a "whoosh," it was unfurled with a loud bang against the biting cold wind!

The flag was a deep blue-green, embroidered with a golden eagle poised for flight! The eagle's beak was hooked, pointing directly at the chaotic Wuhuan army below!

"Xianbei people!"

"Tan Shihuai, it's Tan Shihuai's Golden Eagle Flag!"

"We've fallen for their trap! We've fallen for their trap!"

Desperate screams erupted among the Wuhuan army; fear, like a flood bursting its banks, could no longer be contained.

The warhorses neighed in alarm, the men reared up, and the soldiers pushed and trampled each other in terror, turning the entire ranks into a complete mess.

Wugu Lu's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the flag fluttering wildly in the wind atop the cliff, his blood rushing to his head as if all the blood in his body had instantly surged to his head.

He suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes staring intently at Li Ru's unusually calm face beside him!

"Li Ru!!"

Wugu Lu roared, filled with boundless hatred and despair. He swung his scimitar at Li Ru with a mad urge to take him down with him.