Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

RUMBLE...

At Wu Xin’s cry for help, the knights from the City Lord’s Mansion outside the Cheng Mansion dared not delay. They broke through the walls and charged in.

The thunder of hooves filled the air.

Wu Caicai’s shocked expression vanished. She turned to the person beside her and said, ”Uncle Leng, let’s go!”

The two of them flickered forward, lunging at the squad of knights.

They were both in the Innate Realm. With a surprise attack, they eliminated two knights and seized their warhorses.

Brandishing her sword, Wu Caicai also unleashed the Nine Primordial Yang Swords she had recently learned, shouting, ”Die!”

Mounted on their new steeds, Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng blocked the knights’ advance.

Shortly after, Cheng Chuming also arrived on the scene.

After taking in the situation, he didn’t ask any questions and followed Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng’s lead, seizing a warhorse and joining them in blocking the knights.

Amid the chaos, Han Shu shrieked, ”You worthless Life-taking Bone! Just wait until I’m fully recovered, I’ll take your damn life!”

It was clear Han Shu had realized she couldn’t win and was just spouting threats before making a run for it.

Sure enough, with a sudden flicker, Han Shu bolted out of the Cheng Mansion... A Master from the esteemed Great Wu Imperial Academy was actually turning tail and fleeing from Lu Chao, a mere Postnatal Eighth Layer cultivator.

Meanwhile, Wu Xin, who was on the verge of a breakdown from Cheng Yunsu’s beating, saw this and shrieked, ”Master Han, take me with you!”

Han Shu heard her but only ran faster...

She could barely save herself, so how could she possibly care if Wu Xin lived or died?

Lu Chao watched Han Shu’s fleeing figure for a moment. He didn’t give chase, instead turning and flashing toward the City Lord’s Mansion knights.

BAM!

With a single kick, he obliterated a knight who was about to attack his father-in-law, Cheng Chuming, then snatched the bow and arrows from the knight’s back.

Leaping into the air, he drew the bow and fired at Han Shu’s distant, retreating back.

TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!

He loosed three arrows in succession. Like shooting stars, they carried Lu Chao’s True Qi and shot straight for Han Shu... THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

All three arrows struck Han Shu in the back. A bloodcurdling scream erupted from her lips and shot into the sky as she was sent flying. Then, while spitting up blood, she continued to flee frantically.

In the blink of an eye, Han Shu vanished from the Cheng Mansion.

Seeing this, Lu Chao said coldly, ”Her Heavenly Destiny Bone has been hit. She’s not far from death.”

Tossing the bow and arrows aside, Lu Chao leaped onto the warhorse next to Cheng Chuming. He looked back and said, ”Xiao Su’er, the death of the female personal guard, Lu Yan, will undoubtedly give Lu Hanyan an excuse to hunt down Master Fan.”

”For now, we’ll spare Wu Xin’s life. We need to find Wu Wei and exchange hostages, then fight our way out of Yangzhou City.”

Hearing this, Cheng Yunsu immediately understood.

No one would believe that Lu Chao could kill Lu Yan on his own...

Therefore, Lu Yan’s death would certainly be blamed on Fan Jinhua. Lu Hanyan would inevitably make a move against Master Fan, and if Lu Yan didn’t return, she would surely storm back to Yangzhou City.

That was why they had to leave Yangzhou City immediately.

Wu Wei might still be holding some of last night’s assassins alive. Since Fan Jinhua could no longer escape Lu Hanyan’s blame...

...they might as well use Wu Xin to trade for any surviving assassins Wu Wei was holding.

It wouldn’t be too late to kill Wu Xin after they escaped Yangzhou City.

With that, Cheng Yunsu simply knocked Wu Xin unconscious and prepared to lift her onto a horse.

However, Uncle Leng suddenly flashed back and said, ”Young Madam Lu, allow me to handle such a menial task.”

As he spoke, he grabbed Wu Xin, turned, and mounted his horse.

After a word of thanks, Cheng Yunsu rushed toward Lu Chao. He had already cut down a City Warrior Mansion knight and prepared a warhorse for her.

And so, Cheng Yunsu landed on the warhorse.

Lu Chao then looked at Wu Caicai and said, ”Miss Wu, I’m afraid you won’t be able to escape blame for the female personal guard’s death either.”

Nodding gravely, Wu Caicai said solemnly, ”Hero Lu, I understand.”

With Lu Hanyan’s female personal guard dead in the Cheng Mansion, it was impossible for her to deny involvement.

However, Wu Caicai was not from the Great Wu Empire. As long as she could fight her way out, it wouldn’t be a big problem for her.

And so...

With Lu Chao in the lead, the weaker Cheng Chuming and his daughter Cheng Yunsu in the middle, and Wu Caicai and her servant bringing up the rear, the six of them on five horses charged at the City Lord’s Mansion knights before them, fighting their way out.

The knights roared again and again, ”Let our young miss go!”

With Wu Xin in Uncle Leng’s hands, the knights didn’t dare launch an all-out attack, limiting themselves to loud roars. After a brief show of resistance, they could only let Lu Chao’s group fight their way out of the Cheng Mansion.

All they could do was give frantic chase from behind.

The household servants and generals of the Cheng Mansion hid in various corners, staring blankly at the scene unfolding before them.

They all looked at each other in bewilderment.

One household servant said numbly, ”This Life-taking Bone... what in the world is it?”

A second servant replied in a trembling voice, ”I don’t know about other Life-taking Bones, but our Madam Lu’s son-in-law’s... his is a calamity for anyone who bullies them. It’s a terrifying existence that takes the lives of others.”

”Now, even the great Miss Wu Xin is done for. It’s just too vicious.”

The gathered servants and generals shivered violently.

The Cheng Mansion and the Bai Mansion were nearly wiped out, and word is the Lu Mansion was destroyed too. All of them were full of bastards who bullied our Miss Cheng.

If Madam Lu’s son-in-law had been a little more ruthless, even minor figures like them in the Cheng Mansion would probably all be dead.

”It’s more than just Miss Wu Xin...”

”I think I just heard that Lu Hanyan’s personal guard also died in the Cheng Mansion. I’m afraid the entire Yangzhou City Lord’s Mansion is finished.”

Another household general overheard their discussion, ran over, and joined in.

One by one, their jaws dropped. Then they started grabbing whatever they could and fleeing the Cheng Mansion.

Perhaps there was still more gold and silver to be found in the Cheng Mansion, but they didn’t dare stay and search for it. Most of the servants and generals prepared to leave Yangzhou City, lest they get caught up in the aftermath.

Madam Lu’s son-in-law’s Life-taking Bone was definitely a supernaturally cursed thing that screwed over others, not himself.

...

Atop the Yangzhou City Tower, bodies hung from massive ropes, baking under the scorching sun.

Because they had all been struck by Lu Hanyan’s Water Chant Palm, plumes of frosty mist rolled off each corpse.

They were the assassins from last night.

The area around the tower was packed with onlookers...

CRACK...

Fan Jinhua finally reached the front of the city tower. But when he saw the bodies hanging above, his fists began to crack.

He was too late. His comrades who had survived the night had all been killed by Wu Wei.

Some of the bodies hanging on the tower were killed last night, some had escaped only for their bodies to be found later, and some who had survived were executed by Wu Wei. They were all gone... not a single one was left.

Of all those who had joined him in the assassination attempt against Lu Hanyan last night, he was the only one left alive.

Tears streamed down his face!

Fan Jinhua cried out in anguish, ”Why didn’t you wait for me? If you had just held on a little longer, I could have saved you! With little brother Lu Chao here, we could have even neutralized the Water Chant Palm!”

”Wu Wei... Wu Wei...”

Fan Jinhua suddenly raised his head, his gaze fixed on City Lord Wu Wei standing high atop the tower, and his fists clenched furiously.

But he immediately forced himself to hold back. ’No, I have to endure this. Now is not the time to be rash. Since they’re all dead, revealing myself won’t help anything. It might even endanger little brother Lu Chao.’

However, just as Fan Jinhua forced himself to calm down and was about to quietly slip out of the crowd...

Suddenly, a Government Soldier reported to Wu Wei, ”City Lord, bandits are fighting their way toward Yangzhou City!”