Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Inside the main hall of the gatehouse, the commanders stared at Lu Chao’s back, exchanging bewildered glances. One by one, they rushed out of the hall after him.

Guan Zanyi couldn’t help but ask, ”Kid, what’s your plan?”

They had all seen Lu Chao don a mask, but they had no idea what he intended to do now, standing at the edge of the city wall.

With a faint smile, Lu Chao suddenly turned around...

...his masked face confronting the crowd behind him.

His voice, cold and mechanical due to the mask, spoke. ”What do you think I’m going to do?”

The moment the mask appeared, the moment his voice sounded... BUZZ!

The minds of Guan Zanyi and the other five commanders of the Flame Countries suddenly went blank, as if a bomb had gone off inside their heads.

They stumbled back frantically, one after another drawing their weapons with a sharp *SHING!*

No...

It wasn’t just the commanders of the Six Great Flame Countries; the generals from the other smaller countries reacted in various ways as well.

Some scrambled back with them, hastily drawing their weapons.

Others fell right on their rears, pointing a trembling finger at Lu Chao, their teeth chattering audibly.

And some just stood there, bewildered, asking blankly, ”What’s wrong with you all?”

The ones who drew their weapons were those who had seen Great Wu Lu Chao in his mask before—and they were the braver ones.

The ones who collapsed to the ground were those whose courage had been shattered on the spot.

As for those standing stunned, they were, of course, the junior generals who had never before seen Great Wu Lu Chao of the Great Wu Empire on the battlefield.

THUD...

Abruptly, Lu Chao took a heavy step toward the crowd. An aura of battle, slaughter, and piercing sharpness erupted from his entire being. With a flick of his wrist, he drew a long spear into his grasp and bellowed, ”Answer me! What am I going to do?”

The voice, as cold as Hell itself, boomed from beneath his mask.

Guan Zanyi just... THUMP!

He, too, collapsed onto his rear, his weapon clattering to the ground.

His mind was flooded with the memory of his own pathetic figure, frantically fleeing for his life on the Hundred Countries Battlefield more than two years ago. He could still see the terrifying, masked god of death behind him, ready to claim his life at any moment.

The other five commanders’ legs trembled uncontrollably. Some of the generals from the smaller countries wet themselves in terror.

And yet, just as Guan Zanyi and the others were losing their minds to terror, Lu Chao suddenly took off his mask...

A smile spread across his face as he asked, ”Gentlemen, was I convincing?”

As his voice fell, the scene of terror froze in an instant.

The commanders of the Five Great Flame Countries were dumbfounded. The generals who had wet themselves were frozen solid. Those who were bewildered remained just as bewildered.

After a full three breaths, Guan Zanyi—who was still on the ground and had nearly wet himself—felt his face flush red. He scrambled to his feet like a madman and roared, ”You little bastard, you were fucking scaring me? I’ll fucking kill you!”

With that, he charged at Lu Chao again.

’He knew perfectly well now, of course, that this Great Wu Lu Chao was a fake. The real Great Wu Lu Chao was dead.’

’This kid just got a mask identical to Great Wu Lu Chao’s to scare people.’

’And here I am, the dignified commander of the Tiger Flame Kingdom, scared into that pathetic state. It’s an absolute disgrace!’

Facing the charging Guan Zanyi, Lu Chao was still smiling.

”Kill me, and you might not have someone who can put on as convincing an act as I can.”

”You all know my plan now, but you still need someone who can play the part convincingly to pull it off.”

Guan Zanyi stopped in his tracks. The commanders of the Five Great Flame Countries quickly grabbed him and held him back.

Then, Lu Chao casually tossed the mask to the Wolf Flame Commander, shrugging as he said, ”Why don’t you give it a try?”

The Wolf Flame Commander opened his mouth, but the hand holding the mask was still trembling unconsciously.

He gritted his teeth and put on the mask.

The result, of course, was that he looked nothing like the part. The feeling he gave everyone was that he was nowhere near as frightening as Lu Chao had been wearing the mask.

A few other junior generals with builds similar to Lu Chao’s also gave it a try.

But none of them could pull it off. They just didn’t have that *presence*.

When the mask returned to Lu Chao’s hand and he put it on...

Everyone couldn’t help but feel a new wave of panic, their hair standing on end. The feeling was indescribable, inexplicable. They couldn’t understand how this unknown kid could possibly evoke the presence of Great Wu Lu Chao.

”Alright,” the masked Lu Chao’s voice boomed out suddenly. ”Mobilize the troops immediately. Open the city gates and prepare to follow me. We will intimidate Lu Hanyan, then launch our counter-attack.”

Hearing this, the commanders of the Six Great Flame Countries subconsciously responded, ”Yes, sir...”

’Dammit,’ they thought. ’Why are we responding to his orders so seriously? The kid’s obviously a fake.’

’Even if he were the real one, he’s from the Great Wu Empire, not one of the Hundred Countries.’

Regardless, it proved one thing: this unknown kid’s impersonation of Great Wu Lu Chao was just too convincing. The morale of the six commanders skyrocketed, and their confidence began to swell.

The next step was...

...to open the gates of Sword Tooth City and have this terrifyingly convincing kid personally lead the troops in a charge.

It was still incredibly risky, but things couldn’t get any worse.

The six commanders began issuing their orders. Lu Chao was already mounted on the warhorse they had prepared for him before the city gates, waiting for the troops to finish assembling so he could ride out at once.

...

「Outside the city, in the center of the Great Wu army.」

Lu Hanyan stood majestic and imposing. She now commanded far more than her previous 65,000 soldiers; she was at the head of a massive force of elite Great Wu troops.

Martial commanders stood tall and straight at her side.

Her Personal Guard, Lu You, said in a low voice, ”Lady Hanyan, victory in this battle is certain. Sword Tooth City is about to fall.”

A sharp glint flashed in Lu Hanyan’s eyes, and she let out a cold laugh. ”After we take Sword Tooth City, I’m going to carve a path straight to the Tiger Flame Royal City. I will make the Tiger Flame King himself come down and sign the articles of surrender. I will accomplish what that cheap wretch never could.”

Upon hearing this, Lu You immediately began to fawn over her. ”Of course, Lady Hanyan. You are a hundred times greater than that damned wretch.”

Nearby, some of the Great Wu generals who overheard them simply remained silent.

’It’s not that Lu Chao couldn’t do it,’ they thought. ’It’s that you’re riding on his coattails. He was the one who crippled the Hundred Countries on the Hundred Countries Battlefield.’

’If Lu Chao hadn’t died, the Hundred Countries would probably have been wiped out by now.’

’Or the Dragon Flame Kingdom, which has held back its troops, would have finally been forced to officially enter the war.’

But...

No matter what the generals thought, they didn’t dare speak it aloud. Even Lu You, who also knew the truth, didn’t dare say a word.

Lu Hanyan, however, just grinned viciously. ’Finally,’ she thought, ’I’m about to escape the shadow of Lu Chao’s legend for good.’

Suddenly, a general spoke up. ”Hm? There’s unusual movement on the walls of Sword Tooth City.”

Lu Hanyan’s gaze turned cold. Staring at the city walls, she could indeed sense a commotion...

She immediately roared, ”Flying Cavalry General, get up there and observe!”

The so-called Flying Cavalry, of course, were warriors who could ride Flying Bird Demon Beasts, but such individuals were extremely rare.

At the command, the Flying Cavalry General shot into the sky and looked toward Sword Tooth City.

The next moment, the general’s voice called down from above. ”General Hanyan, Sword Tooth City has suddenly pulled its defenders from the walls! They’re massing behind the main gate, it looks like they’re preparing to... charge out!”

At present, everyone except for Lu You and the other Personal Guards was required to address Lu Hanyan as General Hanyan.