Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Wu Tong and Wu Ye stared at each other in dismay. The former’s cursing subsided slightly, but Wu Ye was still shouting furiously.

Evidently, Wu Tong was somewhat tempted.

But Wu Ye’s precious little daughter was being threatened by Wu Caicai. How could he possibly tolerate that?

Lu Chao, however, seemed to pay no mind to the changes and voices around him. He suddenly turned around again.

Lu Chao looked toward the Blood Stele in the center of the arena and spoke softly. ”Patricide to steal a talisman? I said it two days ago—for this tournament, I will make sure the only name left on the Blood Stele is yours: Lu Dingtian!”

As his words fell, Lu Chao blurred into motion, closing in on the Blood Stele... CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

He drew his sword and scraped away the names, one by one.

In the end, only the name ”Lu Dingtian” remained, still hanging high on the Blood Stele. Lu Chao then leaped to the very top of the stele, looked out at the entire crowd, and said, ”Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Lu Chao.”

At that moment, Lu Chao’s voice reverberated, reaching everyone both on and off the arena stage.

Countless people stared at him...

Lu Dingtian was filled with boundless resentment as he stared at the Blood Stele, which now bore only his name.

He was still communicating with Zheng Liling and Nan Zhuiming. He had to get both the Fire Roaring and Water Chant Saint Bones back.

He had to make Lu Chao die, again!

The expressions on the faces of others were varied. There was still admiration, but also complexity, and for some, a lingering hatred.

Meanwhile, Lu Chao continued to speak softly from atop the Blood Stele. ”Before I ever set foot in the Grand Marshal’s Mansion of the Great Wu Empire, my name was Lu Chao.”

From the moment my memories began...

He was a little beggar outside the Great Wu Imperial City. He had fragmented memories he didn’t want to touch, but Lu Chao remembered his name.

His surname was Lu, the same as Lu Dingtian’s, so he never changed his name after entering the Grand Marshal’s Mansion.

”As for what happened after that, you all know the story.”

”Now, I want to state solemnly that Marshal Fan made no such arrangements. It was all Lu Dingtian’s own speculation.”

As Lu Chao spoke, the crowd’s gaze shifted in unison to Lu Dingtian. Nothing more needed to be said. If this Lu Chao was the real one, then everything Lu Dingtian had claimed about Fan Changcun was utter nonsense.

Lu Chao continued, ”But there is one thing Lu Dingtian—or rather, all of you—were right about. Marshal Fan and I intend to re-establish the Azure Flame Sect.”

The moment he said this, the pupils of every major figure in the crowd constricted, and they all trembled violently.

This was what Lu Chao had truly wanted to say. Re-establishing the Azure Flame Sect would not be easy. There would be great resistance from the Hundred Countries, and both the Great Wu Empire and the Nanye Dynasty would oppose it as well.

So, Lu Chao seized this opportunity to declare it openly.

At this moment, the Dean of the Tiger Institute couldn’t help but step forward...

”Lu Chao, perhaps what Marshal Lu said wasn’t entirely true, but your ambition is now plain for all to see. You intend to use your identities—as Lu Chao of the Great Wu Empire and Lu Chao of the Dragon Flame Kingdom—to conquer this land.”

For the nations of the Flame Country, re-establishing the Azure Flame Sect was a terrifying prospect.

Those who had destroyed the Azure Flame Sect forty years ago feared a reckoning.

Sure enough, the Dean of the Wolf Institute also stepped forward. ”Even if you are the real Lu Chao, the outcome is the same.”

Another voice piped up, ”That’s right. The Second Prince of Great Wu and the others are already starting to side with him. Heh heh, perhaps the Great Wu Empire will soon be his for the taking.”

Of course, Lu Chao had anticipated these accusations...

His expression unchanging, he swept his gaze across the crowd. ”Re-establishing the Azure Flame Sect is my duty as a disciple of its Soldier Dao Sect. But there is also another important reason, one that concerns the very survival of our region.”

Lu Chao’s voice boomed with righteousness and conviction, causing many in the crowd to narrow their eyes.

But a mocking laugh immediately rang out. ”The Azure Flame Sect, concerning our very survival? Are you kidding me?”

The speaker was none other than Nan Zhuiming.

His eyes were grim as he continued, ”The Azure Flame Sect was destroyed forty years ago. Has our region fallen to ruin?”

At that moment, Nan Zhuiming thought of the Cyan Sword Great Empire. ’Could it be? Does Lu Chao know something?’

But Lu Chao ignored him and continued, ”The Cyan Sword Great Empire has begun making moves on Cyan Sword Mountain.”

The instant his words fell, Lu Chao’s gaze snapped fiercely toward Nan Zhuiming...

The Dragon Flame King had previously suspected that Nan Zhuiming’s sudden surge in cultivation realm was related to the Cyan Sword Great Empire. Though it might have been nothing more than a wild guess, Lu Chao still wanted to test the theory.

He had brought up the Cyan Sword Great Empire so suddenly precisely to gauge Nan Zhuiming’s reaction.

In that instant, the color drained from Nan Zhuiming’s face...

Lu Chao’s heart went cold. ’So there really is something strange going on. Did the Cyan Sword Great Empire really help Nan Zhuiming raise his cultivation realm?’

But Lu Chao failed to notice that Lu Dingtian’s expression had also changed dramatically.

Hearing Lu Chao’s words, Wu Zhiqiu couldn’t help but ask from the high viewing platform, ”Lu Chao, you say the Cyan Sword Great Empire is making moves. What kind of moves? And what does this have to do with re-establishing the Azure Flame Sect?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Chao withdrew his gaze from Nan Zhuiming and turned to Wu Zhiqiu...

He then explained how the Cyan Sword Great Empire had begun to enter their region, using it as a training and hunting ground. He added that the Azure Flame Sect had once been the region’s guardian, which was the only reason the Cyan Sword Great Empire had never dared to invade before.

Lu Chao had not originally intended to reveal any of this during the tournament...

But the timing was now perfect, and it gave him a chance to test Nan Zhuiming, so Lu Chao decided to make it all public.

He was surrounded by major figures from all the great powers; it was best to plant the seed in their minds now.

However, as soon as Lu Chao finished speaking, Nan Zhuiming stepped forward again and shouted, ”How ridiculous! So what if the Cyan Sword Great Empire comes here to train its soldiers and hunt? That is nothing more than an excuse for your Azure Flame Sect, or the Dragon Flame Kingdom, to conquer this region!”

He was the first to jump in and refute Lu Chao’s claims about the Cyan Sword Great Empire...

Nan Zhuiming was well aware that there had been a reason the Cyan Sword Great Empire hadn’t invaded the region before, and now they were on the verge of making a major move. ’What if Lu Chao is right? What if it’s really related to the destruction of the Azure Flame Sect?’

’If the Azure Flame Sect reappears and the Cyan Sword Great Empire can no longer invade, what then?’

’He, Nan Zhuiming, still wanted to reach the Creation Realm!’

Just then, Zheng Liling also began to laugh mockingly. ”Lu Chao, that’s a pretty good excuse for conquering the world. You’re clearly ambitious, yet you frame it as being... for the sake of the people of this region. Do you even believe that yourself?”

He, too, believed this was a manifestation of Lu Chao’s ambition.

Lu Dingtian turned to Wu Zhiqiu, his voice dripping with cold malice. ”Second Prince, do you see now? This rebellious son of mine—was I wrong to kill him? If you stop me from executing him now, you will be selling out the entire Great Wu Empire.”

If he could just persuade Wu Zhiqiu, all the masters from the Great Wu Empire present would no longer hesitate.

Lu Dingtian felt the same as Nan Zhuiming. He, too, had heard from that Lord Black Shadow that their Cyan Sword Great Empire was finally ”unleashed,” though he didn’t know for sure if it was because of the Azure Flame Sect...

’But what if it was?’

Whatever the reason, Lu Dingtian had to make sure Lu Chao died.

Wu Zhiqiu’s expression flickered. He was suddenly uncertain and did not respond to Lu Dingtian for the time being...