Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

”Vice General Zhang, do you think I would slaughter civilians and prisoners?”

”You are no longer my vice general. Congratulations, you’ve been promoted to a true general.”

These were two sentences from Lu Chao, directed at a middle-aged general who had once served under him as a vice general.

Upon hearing this, the man was immediately struck with the urge to dismount his horse and kneel.

The next moment, Lu Chao turned to another middle-aged general and asked softly, ”Uncle Dingkong, do you still recognize me?”

This middle-aged general was Lu Dingtian’s younger cousin and Lu Chao’s first mentor in the art of war. He was the one who introduced Lu Chao to the battlefield for the first time.

Lu Dingkong’s entire body tensed. He roared, ”Impostor! You deserve to die!”

And yet, he seemed to be the real thing.

As Lu Chao’s first mentor and Lu Dingtian’s cousin, he was all too familiar with him. Had he not personally witnessed Lu Chao being brutally beaten to death, his bones shattered, he would have believed without a doubt that this was truly him.

At that moment, a chilling aura rolled off Lu Hanyan. She bellowed, ”You bastards! Don’t listen to a word he says! Even if he is the real Lu Chao, he is a traitor to our Great Wu Empire who deserves a dog’s death! Follow me and destroy him!”

Lu Hanyan had intended to charge a moment ago, but no one had followed her.

”This is a military order! Charge! Charge! Anyone who defies this command... will be executed!” Lu Hanyan added grimly.

With the military order given, everyone had no choice but to charge forward, regardless of what they truly thought.

However, the Great Wu forces had already lost the momentum they had just moments before.

Just then... WHOOSH!

Lu Chao sharply raised the longspear in his hand. It was his signature opening move for leading a charge, a simple and unremarkable motion.

Yet to the Great Wu soldiers watching from across the field, the sight sent a tremor through their hearts.

Even Lu Hanyan’s heart trembled.

Even though she knew he was an impostor, even though she called Lu Chao a traitor to Great Wu, she was still afraid.

What did Lu Chao represent?

No one knew better than Lu Hanyan that this opening stance signified a terrifying surprise attack, one that meant their enemies would be struck with terror...

A traitor to Great Wu, yes, he had been branded as such, but he was simply too terrifying.

And behind Lu Chao, the generals and commanders of the Six Great Flame Countries trembled as well.

They had not forgotten that when Lu Chao represented Great Wu, they were the ones he had slaughtered.

Then, from his opening stance, Lu Chao’s voice boomed out, ”Soldiers of Great Wu, hear my order! You will... HALT!”

The moment he uttered the word ”HALT,” the minds of the Great Wu soldiers buzzed as if struck. Once again, their bodies refused to obey their minds, and they instinctively stopped in their tracks.

In an instant, the entire Great Wu army screeched to a halt.

Only Lu Hanyan and her Personal Guard kept charging forward, instantly becoming separated from the main army.

The next moment, Lu Chao bellowed again, ”Archers, ready your bows! Aim for Lu Hanyan!”

It was another one of his stiff, ice-cold commands. Archers drew their bows reflexively—whether from the Hundred Countries’ Armies or Great Wu’s, all of them aimed their arrows at the charging Lu Hanyan...

Goosebumps erupted all over Lu Hanyan’s body. She felt as if she were being targeted by tens of thousands of arrows from both front and back.

Before she could react, Lu Chao bellowed once more, ”Fire!”

THWUMMM...

The archers among the Hundred Countries’ Armies immediately drew their bows and loosed their arrows. Although Lu Chao was not their commander, he was standing at the very front, and the generals of the Six Great Flame Countries did nothing to stop it. Naturally, they obeyed the order to fire.

At the same time, the archers in the Great Wu army gritted their teeth, stopping themselves just as they were about to release their arrows.

But a few still subconsciously let go of their bowstrings, sending their arrows flying... Dozens of shafts now sped toward Lu Hanyan from behind.

Thousands upon thousands of arrows from the front, and dozens from behind...

Instantly, Lu Hanyan’s Personal Guard fell into a panic. One of them, Lu You, screamed, ”Block the arrows! Protect Lady Hanyan!”

THWACK!

She had barely finished speaking when an arrow struck her squarely in the shoulder. It hadn’t occurred to her that arrows would be coming from behind.

Lu You let out a muffled grunt and spun around in fury.

At the same time, the rest of Hanyan’s Personal Guard was thrown into chaos. After all, Lu Hanyan had led them in the fastest charge.

But most importantly, there were arrows at their backs.

The scene was almost farcical for a battlefield. The Great Wu generals finally reacted, quickly ordering their men to rush forward and protect Lu Hanyan, deflecting the endless hail of arrows from the Hundred Countries.

From the rear, a junior commander roared furiously, ”Who was that?! Who dares attack their own general?”

The furious accusation immediately plunged the Great Wu forces into chaos.

Meanwhile, Lu Chao suddenly raised his longspear high and roared, ”Soldiers of the Hundred Countries, hear my order! The Great Wu forces are in chaos! Charge with me!”

With that, he spurred his horse on, leading the charge toward the Great Wu forces, his aura soaring to the heavens.

The generals of the Six Great Flame Countries froze for a second. Staring at Lu Chao’s back, they finally roared the command, ”Kill!”

They pointed their weapons forward and charged in a frenzy, following close behind Lu Chao.

By this time, Lu Chao’s delaying tactics had allowed all the Hundred Countries’ Armies to pour out from Sword Tooth City. They also saw the chaos among the Great Wu forces—Great Wu soldiers were actually shooting arrows at Lu Hanyan.

In an instant, their initial panic was reversed. The morale of the Hundred Countries’ Armies skyrocketed!

One by one, the soldiers of the Hundred Countries roared in unison, ”Kill!”

The momentum of the Hundred Countries’ Armies transformed, like an earthworm becoming a giant python, as they surged toward the Great Wu side, blotting out the sky.

By this time, Lu Hanyan and her retinue had managed to block all the arrows.

Lu Hanyan glared at Lu Chao, who was leading the charge, and shrieked madly, ”Capture that impostor! I want him alive!”

She swore an oath to herself that she would make this damned impostor suffer the same fate as the genuine article.

But Lu Chao shouted again, ”Lu Hanyan, my vengeful spirit has come to claim your life! Soldiers of Great Wu, hear my order! Slay Lu Hanyan!”

BUZZ...

This command was again directed at the Great Wu forces. At Lu Chao’s words, the Great Wu soldiers’ instincts once again triumphed over their minds.

But an instant later, their minds triumphed over their instincts.

In the throes of such emotional chaos, the Great Wu soldiers felt as if they were about to lose control of their own bodies.

’We know he’s fake, but why does he seem so real?’

Fortunately, the main Great Wu generals had now adapted slightly. They began shouting orders to redeploy their troops and meet the charge.

But their Great Wu forces were still somewhat out of control.

Finally... CRASH!

The two armies slammed violently into one another. Or rather, the Hundred Countries’ Armies pierced straight into the chaotic Great Wu forces.

In an instant, they were overwhelmed...

And with that, the great battle officially began!

And at the very instant the two sides collided, Lu Chao suddenly vaulted from his horse.

In a flash, he had already disappeared into the chaos of the battle.

At that moment, Lu Hanyan, who had been pushed back, shrieked as she fought, ”Where’s that impostor? Where did he go?”

Hearing her words, Lu Chao spoke, his voice muffled from behind his mask, ”Lu Hanyan, am I dead or not? I... am always right behind you.”

His voice boomed amidst the chaos, but no one could find his exact location.