Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

At that same moment, Commander Ke and the Young City Lord, who were in the middle of healing, abruptly raised their heads. The latter’s face was a mask of shock and fury...

”You actually broke through my Destiny Bone’s suppression?”

Evidently, the Young City Lord Red Sword found it hard to believe.

But Lu Chao shouted again, ”Back off! Or I’ll crush your Young City Lord’s finger, leaving him with only nine from this day forward.”

The ten Blood Sword Guards exchanged uncertain glances.

But they neither retreated nor dared to advance, merely glaring at Lu Chao with overflowing killing intent.

Suddenly, Lu Chao took Cheng Yunsu by the hand while placing his other hand on Chang Yuan’s shoulder, his back still pressed against the Barrier of the 8th Floor...

This action made Commander Ke’s eyes fly wide. ”Quick, kill them! They’re trying to enter the Barrier to the 8th Floor!”

As he spoke, Commander Ke abruptly released the Young City Lord’s hand and sent a palm strike straight toward Lu Chao and the others.

In this situation, Commander Ke could no longer afford to worry about taking Lu Chao and the others alive.

He had to kill them and immediately retrieve the Young City Lord’s finger and Storage Ring. Otherwise, being left with nine fingers would not only make him a laughingstock, but it would also affect his ability to perform Martial Techniques.

But it was too late!

Lu Chao had already taken Cheng Yunsu and Chang Yuan’s family deep into the 8th Floor’s Barrier, his voice the only thing left echoing in the seventh-floor space. ”If you want your finger back, I’ll see you in the space beyond the 8th Floor.”

In the blink of an eye, the 8th Floor’s Barrier Illusion Realm returned to tranquility. Lu Chao and the others had vanished.

BOOM...

Commander Ke’s palm print slammed heavily into the Barrier, but it only managed to cause a small ripple.

Afterward, the space on the seventh floor grew quiet, but it was immediately broken by the Young City Lord Red Sword’s furious, astonished cries...

”Who in the world are they?”

”Why did they suddenly appear here? Why would they ambush me here?”

”My finger! My Storage Ring!”

Only then did the Young City Lord Red Sword have a moment to let out a crazed scream.

But neither Commander Ke nor the ten Blood Sword Guards could answer him. They had no idea who Lu Chao was.

They had no clue how these people had even gotten here.

By the time Lu Chao’s group appeared outside the Forbidden Land, Commander Ke had already taken Chang Yuan’s wife and was breaking through the 6th Floor Barrier.

He hadn’t seen what happened outside the Forbidden Land at all.

The Young City Lord Red Sword and the ten Blood Sword Guards, of course, were completely in the dark as well—they had entered even before Commander Ke.

Suddenly, Commander Ke calmed down slightly and said in alarm, ”That unconscious boy they were carrying just now... he’s the son of the woman I brought in. I saw him outside the Forbidden Land. They came in after us... they caught up.”

Previously, Chi Yuan and Shen Ji had brought Chang Yuan’s wife and son to the outside of the Forbidden Land first.

They had handed Chang Yuan’s wife over to Commander Ke to be brought into the Forbidden Land, while Chang Duan was left outside. Of course Commander Ke had seen him.

”Impossible! How could these people be faster than us?”

A Blood Sword Guard cried out in disbelief. ”If that boy is the woman’s son, that means they entered the Azure Flame Forbidden Land even later than Commander Ke.”

In other words...

The speed at which they broke through the first seven floors of the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land surpassed Commander Ke’s, and even the Young City Lord’s.

They had come from behind, caught up, and laid an ambush.

”Impossible or not, it’s the truth. The unconscious boy is that woman’s son.”

Commander Ke spoke in a hoarse voice, then added quietly, ”And the only one who could have caught up to us is probably a disciple of the Azure Flame Sect.”

The Young City Lord Red Sword’s eyes widened as well, and he said in a cold voice, ”Is it that Azure Flame Sect disciple Shen Ji and the others mentioned? The one who defeated that good-for-nothing Yan Mu? What was his name again?”

Everyone exchanged glances. Who the hell would remember the name of some country bumpkin from the Azure Flame Domain?

Defeating a useless fool like Yan Mu was hardly a major accomplishment.

”I don’t care who he is. I want him dead...”

”I, Chi Xingxun, have never suffered such a great humiliation, aside from a few years ago in Yan Soul City when I was forced to put on a show and lose to Yan Mu! My finger!”

”Uncle Ke, we’re entering the 8th Floor Barrier immediately.”

The Young City Lord of Red Sword City, whose name was Chi Xingxun, now had eyes that were bloodshot to the extreme.

Commander Ke, of course, agreed without hesitation. He said viciously, ”Rest assured, Young City Lord. The only reason that Azure Flame Sect disciple took your Storage Ring was to get the last two pages of the Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Map and the Azure Flame Array Plate...”

”Even if he shatters your Storage Ring, he’ll just be a novice with the Nine Palace Array Maps for the 8th and 9th Floors. It’s impossible for him to be faster than us again.”

”Besides, we don’t know what rules were originally set for the 8th Floor Barrier.”

”We might even end up trapped in the same barrier as them.”

Now that Lu Chao had taken the Azure Flame Array Plate, they could no longer change the rules of the 8th Floor. They could only proceed by breaking it according to the rules the Azure Flame Sect had set two hundred years ago...

Perhaps they would encounter them in the same barrier, or perhaps they would be separated.

”If we end up trapped in the same barrier, things will get... exciting.” Commander Ke’s voice grew even more vicious and terrifying.

Chi Xingxun’s expression suddenly changed, and he said in a low voice, ”What if he uses the Azure Flame Array Plate...”

Before he could finish, Commander Ke immediately cut him off. ”Rest assured, Young City Lord. The Azure Flame Sect underwent a major upheaval two hundred years ago. With the chaos that followed the deaths of their Sect Leader and others, there’s no way anyone is left who knows how to use the Azure Flame Array Plate.”

Hearing this, Chi Xingxun nodded heavily, his mind put at ease.

He clutched his throbbing hand and said through gritted teeth, ”We’d better end up in the same Barrier Illusion Realm as them. Let’s move out.”

And so, the twelve people from Red Sword City stepped into the Barrier together.

...

On Lu Chao’s side... BUZZ!

Before him was a vast expanse of white. Then, a light appeared up ahead, and Lu Chao found himself in the 8th Floor’s Illusion Realm. He clutched his chest tightly; a consequence of forcefully breaking through Chi Xingxun’s Destiny Bone suppression...

Now, even his Life-taking Star-devouring Bone was aching faintly.

Without giving it much thought, he looked around and said, stunned, ”Xiao Su’er, you’ve entered the Barrier Illusion Realm too.”

Beside Lu Chao were still Cheng Yunsu and the others.

On the previous seven floors, when Lu Chao had entered a Barrier Illusion Realm, the others who followed him had only seen a flash of white light.

They only needed to wait for Lu Chao to finish breaking through before they could follow him deeper inside.

But now, in the 8th Floor’s Illusion Realm, everyone had entered.

Cheng Yunsu was also in a daze, but she quickly asked, ”Lu Chao, are you okay?”

Cheng Yunsu now saw that at some point, Lu Chao had become drenched in blood, and she hurried forward to ask again.

With a faint smile, Lu Chao replied, ”A Moon-level Earth Bone is truly terrifying. After I forcefully shattered its power, not a single part of my body was left unscathed. Luckily, I swallowed enough Azure Flame Bone-Refining Pills to keep my meridians from being destroyed.”

As he said this, Lu Chao’s gaze grew cold again.

”There’s no time to talk. First, we smash the Young City Lord Red Sword’s Storage Ring and get everything out.”