Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

With that, Lu Chao led the nine others and vanished deep into the woods...

Drawing on his experience, Lu Chao quickly found tracks in the woods and located the first team.

Lu Chao led the others as they approached in silence.

From a distance, they could hear someone speaking, ”Senior Sister, what should we do? If we give them our weapons and Elixir Pills, we’ll have no hope left at all. Our Sky Cliff Academy has the strength to compete for a spot in the Outer Courtyard.”

The team wasn’t small; it consisted of about thirty students.

Thirty Innate Students might not be many compared to the Seven Great Inner Courtyards of the Seven Great Flame Countries, but for a Small Kingdom, it was an impressive number.

Senior Sister Sky Cliff was the leader of the Sky Cliff Academy students.

Her expression shifted wildly, her eyes filled with indignation.

Then, another Sky Cliff student said, ”Why don’t we just give up? That way, we can at least join the Outer Courtyard individually.”

”But what about Sky Cliff Academy? When we set out, we swore an oath before our Sky Cliff King! We swore we would establish a Sky Cliff Outer Courtyard within Beast Flame Academy,” someone retorted angrily.

The student who had just spoken flushed beet-red...

”But what choice do we have?”

”If we don’t compromise, do you really think we can force our way through? If we try, we won’t even make it into the Outer Courtyard ourselves!”

The expressions of the Sky Cliff Academy students were utterly grim, and they were at a complete loss.

Handing over their weapons and Elixir Pills meant shattering Sky Cliff Academy’s dream, reducing them to selfish individuals joining Beast Flame for their own gain.

’Resistance?’

It was futile. Even if all the academies from the Small Kingdoms banded together, they likely couldn’t defeat those twenty or so people. Besides, every student and every academy was selfish. Who would take the lead?

No one wanted to be the one to stick their neck out.

”This is outrageous! Why aren’t the higher-ups at Beast Flame Academy doing anything? How can they allow such injustice?”

One student gritted his teeth, his Innate True Qi flaring around him, but he deflated like a popped balloon almost immediately.

Back in the distance...

Lu Chao slowly withdrew his gaze and said to Luo Wendeng and the others, ”You all stay here. I’m going to go have a little chat with them.”

With that said, Lu Chao dropped to the ground in a flash...

He then slowly pulled a mask from his robes and put it on his face. It was, of course, the mask of the Great Martial Emperor Star, Lu Chao.

This action made Jiang Yu blink. ”Senior Brother Luo, what is Senior Brother Lu Chao planning to do?” she asked.

A flicker of confusion crossed Luo Wendeng’s eyes, but it was immediately replaced by understanding.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he replied in a low voice, ”Brother Lu is going to single-handedly crush every single student from Sky Cliff Academy.”

His words stunned Jiang Yi and the other two veteran Dragon Flame students, who immediately asked why.

Yu Xiaoping chimed in with a grin, ”To show the Sky Cliff Academy students, of course. He’s proving that one person can defeat many, that he can be the one to stick his neck out and lead the other academies in resistance.”

”He’s trying to build their confidence, to give them the courage to charge and overwhelm the arrogant fools blocking their path.”

The Jiang Family Siblings gaped, still not quite understanding.

Before they could figure it out...

Over with the other group, Senior Sister Sky Cliff stiffened, having already sensed Lu Chao’s presence. She shot to her feet and shouted, ”Who’s there?”

All the Sky Cliff students jolted and scrambled to their feet.

They stared intently at Lu Chao as he strode through the grass. Upon seeing his mask, they all instinctively drew their weapons. Someone else demanded, ”Who are you? What are you doing sneaking around in a mask?”

From behind his mask, Lu Chao retorted, ”Everyone from Sky Cliff Academy, have you never seen this mask before?”

At his words, confusion flickered in their eyes...

The next moment, Senior Sister Sky Cliff growled in a low voice, ”You... you’re... the Fake Lu Chao!”

During the time of the Chaotic Hundred Countries, the kingdom that had put up the fiercest resistance against Lu Chao was none other than the Sky Cliff Kingdom.

The Sky Cliff Kingdom was one of the top-ranking powers among the kingdoms under the Seven Great Flame Countries.

But he had broken through nonetheless, and among these students, there were surely some who had seen his mask.

And just as he’d thought, Senior Sister Sky Cliff was already crying out.

”Fake Lu Chao, what do you want?”

Senior Sister Sky Cliff’s voice trembled, a chill seeping into her heart against her will.

Her mind replayed the scenes from that time: the Fake Lu Chao, wearing the terrifying mask of the real Emperor Star Lu Chao, leading his soldiers, taking their Sky Cliff King hostage, and scattering them in total disarray.

If Lu Chao hadn’t been wearing this mask, she wouldn’t have had such a strong reaction.

But the mask alone made her legs tremble uncontrollably.

Lu Chao replied calmly, ”Relax. You all know I’m a student at Dragon Flame Academy now. I came to tell you that since the higher-ups at Beast Flame won’t do anything about the tyrannical behavior of those twenty academies, then we will... crush them ourselves.”

At his words, the Sky Cliff Academy students were dumbfounded...

One student asked instinctively, ”Crush them? How are we supposed to do that with just us?”

Lu Chao chuckled from behind his mask. ”Like this... Everyone, prepare yourselves.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Chao raised his longspear and charged alone at the thirty students of Sky Cliff Academy.

Senior Sister Sky Cliff’s eyes widened as she hastily shouted, ”Engage!”

All the Sky Cliff students immediately unleashed their Innate True Qi. The strongest among them, Senior Sister Sky Cliff, was at the Innate Fifth Layer, while the others ranged from the Innate First to Fourth Layers. They rushed to meet Lu Chao’s charge.

But... CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

After a flurry of clashing metal, Lu Chao, who was only at the Innate Third Layer, had knocked the weapons from the hands of all thirty Sky Cliff students.

In the blink of an eye, only Senior Sister Sky Cliff remained standing before him.

The Senior Sister clutched her sword, her hands trembling violently. Her fear of the mask was overwhelming. Her mind flashed back to the events in the Sky Cliff Kingdom, facing the army of the Azure Flame Sect’s heir. ’It was pure despair.’

She couldn’t help but scream, ”Fake Lu Chao, I’ll fight you to the death!”

She was clearly at the Innate Fifth Layer and Lu Chao was only at the Innate Third Layer, yet her only option was to go all out.

But just as she closed in, Lu Chao sidestepped her strike with a slight turn. He followed up with a gentle tap of his elbow, and her sword CLATTERED to the ground.

Then, Lu Chao hooked her sword up with his foot, caught it in his hand, and pressed the cold blade against Senior Sister Sky Cliff’s neck.

She froze on the spot, her teeth chattering uncontrollably...

After only a moment, Lu Chao pulled the sword back. ”I alone can defeat many of you from Sky Cliff Academy,” he said. ”If you’re willing, you can follow me to charge the twenty academies blocking the path. We’ll crush them into dust.”

With that, Lu Chao planted Senior Sister Sky Cliff’s sword in the ground.

”Time is short. More and more teams will be reaching the finish line, and I don’t have time to say much more.”

”I’m going to find the next team now. Farewell.”

And just like that, Lu Chao vanished in a flash...

He reappeared among Luo Wendeng and the others and said quietly, ”Wendeng, you stay and talk with Senior Sister Sky Cliff. The rest of you, come with me.”

Luo Wendun heard his words and gave a firm nod.