Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

The sword struck...

With the True Qi of his Postnatal Ninth Layer cultivation, Lu Chao broke through the force of the black-clothed guard’s palm strike, his blade transforming into a scorching beam of light that lanced toward the guard.

In that instant, the disdain vanished from the guard’s eyes. He stared at the scorching tip of Lu Chao’s sword, which seemed poised to pierce his throat, and hastily retreated, pulling back his True Qi as he leaped away.

He fell back nearly ten paces.

With a single sword strike, Lu Chao had forced back an Innate Fifth Layer expert!

The exchange happened in a flash. To Luo Wendeng and the others, it looked as if the black-clothed guard had lunged for Cheng Yunsu, only for Lu Chao to unleash a scorching sword light that sent the Innate Realm guard reeling back.

”Oh...?”

The middle-aged man in black, mounted on the Demon Beast, let out a soft sound of surprise as he stared at Lu Chao. ”Excellent reflexes. Impressive True Qi. And he’s young, too... He’s quite a promising prospect.”

Lu Chao ignored him, planting himself in front of Cheng Yunsu and observing the group of strangers.

His brows knitted tightly. He still couldn’t figure out what these people wanted, but judging by their retinue, they were no ordinary group. ’They must be a major power from the Dragon Flame Kingdom.’

Various possibilities flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t reach a conclusion...

His gaze fell upon the middle-aged man on the Demon Beast’s back. ’Ninth Layer of Transformation,’ he thought.

Then, his eyes swept over the Beast Vehicle...

’Inside, there are two experts stronger than the Transformation Realm. One of them is *far* stronger.’

Lu Chao made another assessment. Though his own cultivation level was insufficient, he still possessed a powerful perceptive ability.

But now he was even more confused about the situation.

’Targeting the Descendants of Azure Flame is one thing,’ he thought, ’but there’s no reason at all to target my father-in-law and Xiao Su’er.’

Just as Lu Chao was making his observations, the middle-aged man on the Demon Beast asked softly, ”And who are you... to her?”

He was asking Lu Chao what his relationship was to Cheng Yunsu.

Lu Chao met the middle-aged man’s gaze and replied without hesitation, ”Her husband.”

”Oh?”

The middle-aged man responded with a casual grunt before glancing toward the Beast Vehicle. An aged, female voice immediately drifted out from within. ”Since he’s her husband, and a decent prospect at that, take him along as well.”

”Yes, Old Madam.”

The middle-aged man acknowledged the order, then waved his hand at a few black-clothed guards. ”Take them both.”

Instantly, several black-clothed guards advanced on Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu with large strides.

Their Innate True Qi erupted forth.

The guards were silent, but the middle-aged man warned Lu Chao, ”If you don’t want to get hurt, I suggest you don’t resist.”

His voice was condescending, his tone leaving no room for argument.

...

In the distance...

Marquis Jilong, Yin Ye, and Yin Qixing had already entered Azure Flame Town. Perched atop a large tree, they gazed in the direction of Lu Chao and his group.

Yin Qixing said in surprise, ”Marquis, that’s the Su Family, one of the Saint Bone Families. What on earth are they up to?”

Yin Ye frowned. ”I’ve heard the Su Family has run into some trouble recently, though the specifics are unclear. But they’ve never had any dealings with the Azure Flame Sect, past or present... This is strange.”

Nodding, Yin Qixing said, ”It seems they’re targeting Fake Lu Chao and his family. Should we intervene?”

”Wait,” Yin Ye said in a low voice. ”Let’s first see how this ’Life-taking Bone’ Lu Chao responds. There’s no rush to intervene.”

Yin Qixing fell silent. ’The Marquis is looking for an excuse to recruit Fake Lu Chao,’ he thought, ’but how could anyone possibly handle a situation like this?’

’If Fan Jinhua and his men were here, maybe there’d be a chance.’

’But with only Fake Lu Chao and two thousand Descendants of Azure Flame who haven’t even reached the Innate Realm... it’s impossible.’

...

In front of Lu Chao, several of the Innate black-clothed guards were already upon him.

Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged. ”Everyone,” he called out, ”protect Xiao Su’er for me—”

As the words left his mouth...

Lu Chao grabbed Cheng Yunsu’s hand and flung her back into the crowd of two thousand Descendants of Azure Flame. Then, his True Qi flared once more, and he took the offensive, charging at the black-clothed guards despite only being at the Postnatal Ninth Layer.

The middle-aged man in black spoke coolly, ”He may be a decent prospect, but he clearly overestimates himself... Take him.”

His tone held a faint note of disappointment in Lu Chao.

The moment the order was given, several black-clothed guards attacked, swarming Lu Chao.

The weakest among them was at the Innate Third Layer, the strongest at the Innate Fifth Layer.

To any observer, it was clear that Lu Chao stood no chance of resisting such a force.

But who was Lu Chao?

He was the former Great Martial Emperor Star. His combat prowess was beyond compare. At the wedding banquet in the Cheng Mansion, he had already faced Han Shu of the Innate Sixth Layer.

Back then, he had taken the man’s arm with an assassination-style strike...

After cutting down Lu Yan at the Cheng Mansion, Lu Chao had defeated the one-armed Han Shu with only the strength of a newly-ascended Postnatal Eighth Layer cultivator. Now, he was just a hair’s breadth away from the Innate Realm himself.

His combat strength was now on a completely different level.

Even if he were to face Han Shu at his peak, he was absolutely confident he could kill him.

The Bright Eyes and Clear Wind Guide instantly activated in his eyes, revealing every strength and weakness in the True Qi of the black-clothed guards.

”Primordial Yang, Nine Swords!”

As he shouted, the sword in Lu Chao’s hand once again blazed with a scorching light. In an instant, his Primordial Yang Sword Techniques were weaving between the black-clothed guards.

With his phantom-like footwork, he moved so fast that the guards who had looked down on him were suddenly left with only enough strength to parry, forced completely on the defensive.

This sudden turn of events, and Lu Chao’s incredible combat strength, took everyone by surprise.

The eyes of the middle-aged man on the Demon Beast lit up once more. ”What powerful combat instincts,” he murmured. ”What stable Destiny Bone True Qi. What a sharp Nine Primordial Yang Swords...”

His disappointment began to fade, but he immediately continued, ”A pity. You still can’t read the situation. You’re just a reckless hothead.”

”So what if you defeat a few of them? I’ll just send in a few more.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man gave a casual wave of his hand. A few more black-clothed guards leaped forward to surround Lu Chao.

But Lu Chao had already raised his eyes. Once again, his Bright Eyes and Clear Wind Guide pierced through the new arrivals’ defenses, revealing the strong and weak points of their True Qi.

In the next instant, Lu Chao roared, ”Wolf Fang! Splitting Wind!”

The Sword Techniques he employed suddenly changed, his blade unleashing the power of the new Meridian Map he had just finished cultivating.

This was the very aura born from the fusion of the Wolf Fang Bone, the Splitting Wind Wolf King Bone, and the Sword Mountain Bone.

This sword strike was both cunning and as heavy as a mountain. It came crashing down on the newly arrived guards. The abrupt shift from the scorching heat of the Primordial Yang Sword to the immense weight of the Sword Mountain Sword was jarring.

For a moment, both the original guards and the new arrivals struggled to adapt to the change.

But their struggle only lasted for the space of two breaths.

After nearly ten black-clothed guards shattered Lu Chao’s Sword Mountain Sword Techniques, they roared in unison, ”True Qi Net!”

Instantly, their Innate True Qi burst through Lu Chao’s defenses and formed a massive True Qi Net that descended upon him...

At once, cold smirks appeared on the faces of the nearly ten guards. They had finally captured him.

The faces of Luo Wendeng and the others turned grim.

The middle-aged man on the Demon Beast dismissed Lu Chao and began to search for Cheng Yunsu.

But in the very next instant, one of the black-clothed guards suddenly shrieked, ”He’s... gone!”