Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Meanwhile, on the way back to Jizhou City, Yin Qixing asked, ”Marquis, was it worth it?”

Although he admitted that Lu Chao of the Life-taking Bone was formidable and full of potential, was it truly worth it for the Marquis to offend the Saint Bone Su Family for his sake?

”Qixing, you’re mistaken!”

”This isn’t a question of whether it was worth it. This is simply my way of doing things. Since I’ve already sworn to protect the descendants of the Azure Flame Sect, I can’t let anyone walk all over them.”

”Even if Lu Chao wasn’t in the picture, I would still have... slapped them!”

As Yin Ye spoke, a powerful, domineering aura emanated from him.

Yin Qixing froze before quickly lowering his head. ’I still don’t understand the Marquis well enough,’ he thought. ’I’ve been too focused on weighing the pros and cons.’

”As for Lu Chao of the Life-taking Bone, he is, of course, also well worth it.”

”Although his Life-taking Bone is only at the Earth Bone Level, with his combat prowess and courage, he can definitely reach the Transformation Dao or even higher. More importantly, his skill in the Soldier Dao... perhaps we’ll see a return on this investment very soon.”

”The person that Old Fan is optimistic about—someone he has placed his complete trust in—will surely bring us a great surprise.”

Yin Ye held great respect for Fan Changcun.

And of course, he knew very well that when Fan Changcun returned to Tiger Flame to negotiate, he was entrusting the fate of the Azure Flame Sect’s descendants entirely into Lu Chao’s hands. And Lu Chao had not disappointed him.

Yin Qixing, however, remained silent, unconvinced.

He recalled how, three years ago, Fan Changcun had been defeated by the Great Martial Emperor Star, Lu Chao. ’Perhaps that Old Fan is all talk and no action,’ he thought.

”Regardless, we must find a way to conceal the aura of Lu Chao’s Life-taking Bone, or things will get difficult,” Yin Ye murmured to himself. This was precisely why he wanted to take Lu Chao to the Dragon Flame Royal Capital to find the ”Destiny Bone Madman.”

Yin Qixing quickly asked, ”Marquis, can this Destiny Bone Madman be trusted?”

With a faint smile, Yin Ye replied cryptically, ”Oh, he’s quite trustworthy. He’s also a Life-taking Bone, hidden from the world.”

...

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

It was the day Yin Ye was to take Lu Chao to the Dragon Flame Royal Capital.

Lu Chao, Cheng Yunsu, and Cheng Chuming—all three of them—were at the Jilong Marquis’s Mansion.

To prevent the Saint Bone Su Family from secretly taking revenge on or capturing Cheng Chuming, he would be given a position within the Jilong Marquis’s Mansion. Cheng Yunsu, meanwhile, would accompany Lu Chao to the Dragon Flame Royal Capital.

At that moment, Marquis Jilong was still in his room, preparing for the journey.

Suddenly, Yin Qixing received a message from a carrier pigeon. After unfolding it and reading it, he hurried to find Yin Ye.

He reported swiftly, ”Marquis, we’ve received word from the old site of the Azure Flame Sect. Fan Changcun has repeatedly failed to breach the sect’s Forbidden Land. The Six Great Flame Countries are furious, and each has made threats about finding a way to... kill the descendants of the Azure Flame Sect.”

”Afterward, Fan Changcun proposed to the Six Great Flame Countries that he would establish a school and recruit a wide range of disciples.”

”He said he would find a Military Genius capable of breaching the Forbidden Land for the Six Great Flame Countries, and he would also train commanders for them.”

”The Six Great Flame Countries are currently deliberating the matter. There’s no decision yet.”

This was what had happened recently at the old site of the Azure Flame Sect...

A curious look appeared on Yin Ye’s face. He quickly asked, ”Which floor did he reach?”

”The 6th Floor, according to the report,” Yin Qixing replied instantly.

At this, Yin Ye immediately sighed with admiration. ”As expected of Old Fan. I tried it not long ago, and for the life of me, I couldn’t get past the 5th Floor.”

Yin Qixing immediately chimed in, saying that since Fan Changcun was the Sect Leader of the Azure Flame Martial Dao Sect, reaching only the 6th Floor was nothing special.

If the Marquis were the Sect Leader of the Azure Flame Martial Dao Sect, he would surely be much more formidable.

Yin Ye just smiled at this and didn’t respond.

His preparations were complete. He left the room with Yin Qixing, and upon seeing Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu, he immediately led them aboard the Beast Vehicle and set off.

They had just begun their journey when Yin Qixing, who was accompanying them, thought of something and asked, ”Lu Chao, have you ever attempted the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land?”

Lu Chao immediately said that he had.

”Which floor?” Yin Qixing pressed quickly.

He was eager to know if Lu Chao truly had potential in the Soldier Dao. ’Reaching the third floor would be acceptable,’ he thought.

Hearing this, Lu Chao answered without much thought, ”Only the 6th Floor. I’m afraid I’ve made a poor showing, Vice General Yin.”

His light words floated through the air, and inside the spacious Beast Vehicle, the atmosphere suddenly froze.

Yin Qixing’s expression stiffened. Yin Ye, who was drinking tea, felt his cup tremble in his hand, nearly spilling its contents.

Beside Lu Chao, Cheng Yunsu blinked, looking at the two men in confusion.

Lu Chao was just as confused. He quickly added, ”Vice General Yin, I am still young and my knowledge of the Soldier Dao is incomplete. The 6th Floor is my current limit. However, I’m confident I can break past it within three months.”

He didn’t know which floor Fan Changcun had reached, and he genuinely felt that the 6th Floor was too low a result.

He was quite dissatisfied with only reaching the 6th Floor, especially after studying the various texts on the Soldier Dao that Fan Changcun had given him. He felt the Soldier Dao was vast and profound, and he absolutely couldn’t allow himself to become complacent or arrogant.

His mouth twitching, Yin Qixing finally snapped out of it. He stared hard at Lu Chao and said, ”Kid, bragging is a bad habit.”

’The 6th Floor?’

’Confident you can break past it and reach the seventh floor within three months? Who the hell are you trying to fool?’

’You might be good in the Chaotic Hundred Countries, but those are just minor skirmishes! The true Soldier Dao encompasses major campaigns and all sorts of complex situations. What right does a little brat like you, who’s never commanded a real army, have to brag?’

’My Marquis only made it to the 5th Floor, and you think you can reach the sixth?’

Lu Chao’s face was a mask of confusion. ’Is Yin Qixing saying that I’m... bragging?’

At that moment, Yin Ye came to his senses and barked sharply, ”Qixing, watch your mouth!”

Then, Yin Ye forced a smile and said, ”Lu Chao, my apologies. Qixing has also attempted to breach the Forbidden Land. Since he couldn’t reach the 6th Floor, he assumes you can’t either. How ridiculous of him.”

Yin Qixing’s eyes widened. He desperately wanted to say, ’Marquis, you’ve never even tried to breach the Forbidden Land!’

But Yin Ye shot him a fierce glare, telling him to shut up.

’Damn it,’ he thought, ’what if Lu Chao really did reach the 6th Floor? If you keep running your mouth, where am I, the guy who only reached the 5th Floor, supposed to put my face?’

With this in mind, he turned to Lu Chao with another smile. ”Lu Chao, the road is long, and we have time to kill. Are you interested in a Soldier Dao debate with me, to let Qixing here see your true capabilities?”

In truth, he didn’t quite believe Lu Chao had reached the 6th Floor either, so he wanted to test Lu Chao’s Soldier Dao skills for himself.

He was the one who wanted to see Lu Chao’s skill in the Soldier Dao, but of course, he had to use Yin Qixing as an excuse.

Lu Chao’s eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed, ”Please, Marquis, I would be honored to receive your guidance.”

Of course, he was interested. He had studied Yin Ye’s past campaigns.

And so, the Soldier Dao debate between Lu Chao and Yin Ye began inside the Beast Vehicle.

At first, Yin Qixing could follow along, but soon he became more and more lost, completely unable to understand what the two were talking about. At times, they would even draw circles and lines on maps, engaging in all sorts of tactical discussions using diagrams.

Two hours later, Yin Ye suddenly called out, ”Beast Vehicle, halt!”

As the Beast Vehicle came to a stop, Yin Ye forced a laugh. ”Lu Chao, I drank a bit too much tea. I’m just going to step out and relieve myself.”