The Ashes Sovereign

Chapter 12

The plan was dangerous.

A small, elite strike group would slip out of the valley under cover of dark night. They would circle around behind the sect army’s main camp. Their target: the iron carriages holding the suppression relics. Destroy those devices, and the great invasion would lose its most terrible advantage.

Lin Yue would lead this squad. They would move stealthily, avoid large enemy formations. Hit fast, ruin the relics, then retreat back to Azure Ruin before they could be surrounded.

Many argued against Lin Yue going himself. If he fell, the valley would lose its heart. But no one else possessed his mastery over ash‑magic for infiltration and explosive strikes. In the end, the others yielded.

Under black moonless night, the strike party slipped out through a little‑used secret mountain tunnel. They moved silently across shadowed slopes, circling wide around the sect front lines.

The main enemy camp stretched across wide hills. Thousands of tents dotted the ground. Sentries patrolled constantly. The relic carriages sat deep within the camp’s inner perimeter, heavily guarded by elite personal guards.

Getting close would not be easy.

Using ash‑dust to muffle sound and create temporary visual obscurity, Lin Yue and his people sneaked past outer pickets. Still, they could not avoid all watchers. A patrolling sentry spotted faint movement. Alarm horns blared.

Stealth was lost. They would have to fight their way to the relic carriages.

Sect guards swarmed toward them. Lin Yue unleashed ash‑storms. Stone shards ripped through the air. The strike group cut a desperate path toward the iron carriages. Every second mattered. Reinforcements were pouring in from all over the camp.