Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Meanwhile, the soldiers and commanders of the Hundred Countries’ Armies, who had suddenly lost sight of Lu Chao, were calmed by the sound of his voice. The generals of the Six Great Flame Countries finally proved their worth, frantically leading their troops forward... KILL! KILL! KILL!

The situation reverted to how it was before. The Hundred Countries’ Armies had already taken advantage of the chaos within the Great Wu ranks to overwhelm them.

After a round of frenzied slaughter...

Suddenly, a Great Wu soldier cried out in fear, ”We can’t beat them! They have our Emperor Star on their side! We can’t win!”

Lu Chao’s reputation as the Emperor Star was too deeply ingrained in their hearts.

The moment the Great Wu forces were pushed back, the soldiers who had once witnessed Lu Chao’s terrifying might were overcome with a profound sense of dread.

It was the will to retreat.

This fear continued to spread. Even though Lu Hanyan ordered the execution of those disrupting the army’s morale, she still couldn’t stop the rout.

And at some point, without anyone noticing, Lu Chao had quietly slipped away from the battlefield...

He stood alone before the walls of Sword Tooth City.

Gazing quietly at the collapsing Great Wu army, Lu Chao murmured, ”Lu Dingtian, weren’t you afraid that I was winning the hearts of the people, so you forced me to wear a mask on the battlefield? Well, this mask is the bitter fruit of the seed you once sowed.”

Without this mask, perhaps the Great Wu soldiers and commanders wouldn’t have been so terrified.

A normal face is far less mysterious and terrifying than a mask.

It also allowed Lu Chao, who had not yet truly re-cultivated to his Peak, to continue concealing his identity.

Lu Dingtian was, of course, reaping what he had sown.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chao’s objective was accomplished. He immediately found a warhorse and galloped toward the location of Cheng Yunsu and the others.

He couldn’t possibly wait for the generals of the Six Great Flame Countries to return...

His only goals were to obtain the six Royal Decrees and to ensure his name continued to hang over the Great Wu Empire like a shroud.

To loom over the hearts of Lu Dingtian’s family, an ever-present shadow.

’Lu Dingtian, didn’t you want to use this battle to prove to everyone that your own children were stronger?’

’Unfortunately for you, you’ve been disappointed...’

’My name will continue to be spoken throughout the Great Wu Empire.’

’After this battle, an even more terrifying legend will be born. When I, Lu Chao, stand on the side of the Hundred Countries, you, Lu Dingtian, are less than nothing.’

’I will become your shadow, the demon in your hearts.’

’Every time you try to use my Heavenly Destiny Saint Bone, you will no longer picture me dying at your hands. You won’t remember the naive boy I once was. Instead, you will think of my name—the name that brought you complete and utter humiliation.’

The words rasped from deep in Lu Chao’s throat as his warhorse carried him farther and farther away.

...

At the same time, Fan Jinhua was doing exactly as Lu Chao had instructed...

He clutched the six Royal Decrees to his chest and blended into the chaos of the collapsing armies. With his Transformation Realm strength, he could easily survive the pandemonium and avoid being cut down by a stray blade.

Fan Jinhua successfully shook off his pursuers—the men sent by the six great generals to destroy the six Royal Decrees he carried.

GULP...

Fan Jinhua ran and retreated chaotically along with the Great Wu soldiers, whose lines were collapsing like a landslide. He couldn’t stop gulping.

At first, he hadn’t known how Lu Chao had managed it or what kind of earth-shattering scheme he had used. It wasn’t until he casually asked a fellow Great Wu deserter that he learned the truth: it was all thanks to an impersonation of the real Lu Chao.

And it was an impersonation so convincing it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

To this moment, the fleeing Great Wu soldiers around him still weren’t sure if the Lu Chao on the opposing side was real or an imposter.

’Truly, a single stratagem to decide it all.’

Fan Jinhua couldn’t help but sigh in admiration again and again. He began looking for an opportunity to slip away into the Yinzhou Mountains.

But just then, a junior officer of the Great Wu Empire roared, ”Don’t be afraid! That’s a fake Lu Chao! General Hanyan said Lu Chao is definitely dead! This is one of that bastard Fan Jinhua’s tricks!”

As the voice faded...

Fan Jinhua instinctively glanced at the junior officer. ’Why is it always me?’ he wanted to ask.

Shaking his head, Fan Jinhua thought to himself, ’Fine. I’ll just keep taking the blame.’

Taking the blame this time was even more important. It would prevent Lu Chao from becoming too notorious, lest Great Wu, in its fury, dispatch assassins to kill him.

Finally, Fan Jinhua found his chance, breaking away from the group of Great Wu deserters and heading for the Yinzhou Mountains.

...

「Yinzhou City」

Lu Dingtian was here at this very moment, commanding the great war from his seat in the rear.

He wasn’t particularly old, appearing middle-aged with black hair and a black beard.

At this moment, he was playing a game of chess.

Across from him sat his own son, Lu Hanyan’s older brother, Lu Hanyang. Both wore relaxed, carefree smiles.

For several days now, there had been no need for Lu Dingtian to command personally.

He merely needed to receive updates, as Sword Tooth City was about to fall.

He couldn’t help but laugh heartily. ”These days, the talented generals of the Hundred Countries have all but withered away. They can’t withstand a single blow.”

Hearing this, Lu Hanyang let out a sinister chuckle...

”Father, your timing for killing that worthless wretch was simply perfect.”

”It was right after he had finished wiping out all the talented generals of the Hundred Countries. If we had given him any more time, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to keep him under control.”

Lu Dingtian smiled faintly. When he killed, of course he had to choose the perfect moment.

It was just at the moment of victory in the war against the Hundred Countries, just when their generals had been all but wiped out, and just when he could seize the fruits of Lu Chao’s victory for himself. That time... was now.

Lu Dingtian said with an enigmatic air, ”In the future, the people of the Great Wu Empire will only remember that I, Lu Dingtian, swept through the Hundred Countries. Hahaha...”

Lu Hanyang also laughed heartily. ”Some people are even spreading rumors about us. I already told Hanyan not to worry about them. After this victory, all those rumors will fall apart on their own.”

”From now on, the only thing that worthless wretch will be remembered for are the crimes inscribed on the Blood Stele.”

Hearing his son’s words, Lu Dingtian once again couldn’t help but roar with laughter...

Suddenly, a messenger pigeon landed...

Lu Hanyang set down his game piece and nonchalantly took the message. ”It seems Hanyan has already broken through Sword Tooth City.”

The last message had said Sword Tooth City was certain to fall today, so this letter was surely bringing good news.

However, as Lu Hanyang unfolded the letter and read on, the smile on his face froze instantly.

He began to tremble violently in disbelief. He looked at Lu Dingtian with a crazed expression and cried, ”Father, something terrible has happened!”

Puzzled, Lu Dingtian took the letter and glanced at it... BAM!

He shot to his feet and instinctively reread the letter’s contents more closely. Then he, too, began to tremble uncontrollably. The paper in his hand disintegrated into ash as he said gravely, ”Let’s go. We leave for Fierce Tiger Pass at once.”

With that, he hastily grabbed Lu Hanyang and rushed toward Fierce Tiger Pass.

He absolutely could not allow the Great Wu army to suffer such a disastrous defeat. At the very least, he had to hold Fierce Tiger Pass.

As he rushed onward, he cursed, ”Damned bastard, who the hell used such a despicable, underhanded trick?”

The letter, of course, detailed the battle before Sword Tooth City: someone had impersonated Lu Chao, causing the Great Wu army’s lines to collapse like a landslide.

”Those bastards! That damned trash! What’s so frightening about that worthless wretch?”

”They were actually scared off by a dead man.”

”Where is my dignity as Lu Dingtian? Where is my dignity?”