Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

”What did you say?”

Lu Hanyan was stunned. Many of the Great Wu generals were stunned as well.

The Hundred Countries’ Armies inside Sword Tooth City were coming out? Were they trying to get themselves killed?

Lu You couldn’t help but ask, ”Are they... going to fight us to the death?”

That seemed to be the only reason. When you can no longer defend, your only option is to fight to the death.

But that also seemed impossible. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t retreat further, and it wasn’t as if the Hundred Countries couldn’t afford to give up Sword Tooth City.

Suddenly... RUMBLE!

The gates of Sword Tooth City opened.

Seeing this, Lu Hanyan had no time for further thought. She immediately ordered the siege troops to pull back in case it was a trap.

Just as her troops were pulling back, the Hundred Countries Army swarmed out of the gates. Leading them were the six main commanders. As the rest of their army poured out, Lu Hanyan was left uncertain whether to attack immediately.

But in the next moment, Lu Hanyan’s eyes turned fierce. She barked, ”Form ranks! Charge with me!”

Hearing this, a Great Wu general quickly advised, ”General Hanyan, shouldn’t we be more cautious? I fear the enemy has an ambush prepared.”

For the entire Hundred Countries’ Armies to come out of the city was just too strange...

However, Lu Hanyan’s demeanor was icy cold...

”They’re just trying to scare us. We’ve been sieging the city for so long. What kind of ambush could they possibly have left?”

”They just want to fight us to the death. They know that once Sword Tooth is broken, we’ll have a clear path forward. This is their last stand.”

”They’re just trying to boost their morale for a final, desperate battle against us.”

”Enough talk! With me... charge!”

With a point of her longsword, the morale of the Great Wu Empire’s army soared. They charged toward the emerging Hundred Countries Army.

Lu Hanyan led the charge...

The Heavenly Destiny Water Chant Saint Bone True Qi surged around her body. The Demon Beast Warhorse beneath her seemed to unleash bursts of Demonic Power with every frosty step.

She pointed her sword at the Six Great Flame Countries’ commanders and said, ”Guan Zanyi, I’m taking that old life of yours.”

Lu Hanyan no longer brought up Fan Jinhua. To mention him now would be petty.

Once she crushed the Hundred Countries’ defending army, Fan Jinhua wouldn’t be able to escape her grasp.

Gazing at the boundless, imposing might of the Great Wu Soldiers and Horses, the six commanders of the Flame Country were suddenly gripped by fear, a seed of regret sprouting in their hearts.

Guan Zanyi, in particular, was terrified. He suddenly felt that leaving the city was far too risky.

Facing Lu Hanyan, he didn’t dare utter a single word in response, much less try to provoke her by mentioning Lu Chao’s name again.

「At the same time...」

The Hundred Countries Army also began to panic. Many of them became unsteady on their feet, feeling the urge to rout and flee.

Lu Hanyan looked again at the generals by her side and shouted as they charged, ”See? They’re making their last stand. As long as we show our might and morale, a single blow will be enough to shatter them.”

The generals nodded emphatically one by one, charging forward with Lu Hanyan, full of confidence.

Anyone could see the panic in the Hundred Countries’ Armies.

And just as the Great Wu Army was charging with overwhelming force, just as the six main commanders and the Hundred Countries’ Armies were panicking...

A cold, mechanical-sounding voice suddenly rang out from behind the six commanders of the Flame Country. ”Little Sister Hanyan, it’s been a while. Your presence is quite impressive now...”

This voice, amplified by True Qi, boomed from within the Hundred Countries’ ranks, rolling toward the charging Great Wu Army.

In an instant, Lu Hanyan, who had been grinning ferociously, felt her mind go blank with a BUZZ.

She abruptly reined in her Demon Beast Warhorse. Her Personal Guards, who were protecting her, also blanked out for a moment and reined in their own mounts.

It was the same for the Great Wu generals. One by one, their eyes widened as they were struck dumb with confusion...

The Great Wu Soldiers and Horses charging close behind were forced to pull up short, instantly throwing their charge into chaos.

The next moment, a general stammered blankly, ”That voice... that voice...”

”Impossible. It’s impossible.”

A second general’s voice trembled as if he were holding back a roar.

「In the next instant...」

The six commanders of the Flame Country parted to either side. A man wearing a mask, mounted on a tall horse, strode forward. He held a long spear, and one side of his mask was carved with the likeness of a complex seal...

It was the character for ”Lu,” representing the Lu of Grand Marshal Lu Dingtian’s Mansion.

The other side was carved with a sword, a saber, and a spear, representing the Great Wu Empire’s unyielding Martial Dao, which revered martial prowess above all.

The forehead of the mask, however, was blank...

This mask represented Great Wu’s Lu Chao, the terrifying Emperor Star Emperor General, the man who was supposed to be dead.

Lu Hanyan was dumbfounded. Lu You was dumbfounded. All the Great Wu generals on the field were utterly dumbfounded.

No one in the Great Wu Empire, from the highest general to the lowest officer, could ever forget that mask. Even though he had been dead for over two months, the memory was crystal clear. Sometimes, they even saw it in their dreams.

”It’s... it’s... General Lu Chao.”

At the same time, voices rose from the Great Wu soldiers in the rear. Many of them had, of course, also seen Lu Chao wearing his mask.

Even the new recruits who had never seen him had heard the stories.

Instantly, an uproar swept through the ranks of the Great Wu Army.

”General Lu Chao, why is he on the Hundred Countries’ side? Why?”

”B-b-b-but... he’s dead.”

”He’s not dead! He was hounded to his death by the Grand Marshal, so he... he... he defected to the Hundred Countries!”

The mere appearance of Lu Chao’s mask was enough to send waves of chaotic, even incoherent, murmurs through the Great Wu Army. The soldiers couldn’t stop their hearts from trembling violently. Those who had strong memories of Lu Chao could no longer hold their weapons steady.

Suddenly, Lu Hanyan’s icy voice exploded, ”What are you, daring to impersonate a traitorous general of my Great Wu?”

Lu Hanyan had finally snapped out of it, immediately raising her voice in a furious shout.

She understood at once. The Hundred Countries were using Lu Chao’s mask to scare her Great Wu Soldiers and Horses.

As her voice rang out, the generals’ minds cleared. They instantly understood this was a ploy by the Hundred Countries. A general immediately bellowed to everyone, ”Everyone calm down! It’s a fake!”

However, the Lu Chao opposite them spoke slowly, ”Little Sister Hanyan, are you sure I’m an imposter?”

This was Lu Chao’s second sentence, still delivered in that cold, mechanical voice from behind the mask.

The moment he spoke, the generals who had just regained their clarity were plunged back into a state of bewildered confusion. They were too, too familiar with that voice. Their bodies reacted even before their minds could process it.

Their very instincts seemed to be telling them that this was the real Lu Chao.

Even Lu Hanyan felt her skin crawl.

But then she remembered the scene of Lu Chao being ground to dust, his entire body pulverized into a bloody pulp. She immediately shouted again...

”Imposter! Die!”

”Everyone, charge with me! This is a fake! It’s a trick by the Hundred Countries!”

At her words, the generals gritted their teeth, composed themselves, and prepared to charge with Lu Hanyan again.

But Lu Chao’s voice boomed out once more: ”Fu Dong, Elder General Fu, do you think I’m the kind of person who would kill his own father to steal a command tally?”

Fu Dong was a Great Wu general and was very familiar with Lu Chao.

And at this moment, he was right beside Lu Hanyan.

Just that one sentence was enough to make Fu Dong yank his warhorse to a halt again, his old face twitching uncontrollably.