Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

The Yan Soul Guard had just finished speaking.

Lu Chao then heard it... AWOOO! AWOOO! AWOOO!

Over a dozen more Flying Wolves soared into the sky, carrying their Yan Soul Guard riders in pursuit of Chi Xingxun and Lu Dingtian.

The sudden turn of events caught Lu Chao completely off guard. The appearance of the Yan Soul Guard prevented him from continuing his pursuit of Lu Dingtian and Chi Xingxun. Instead, the guards were now the ones hunting the pair down.

Lu Chao glanced at the dozen or so riders giving chase, then back at the dozen or so riders in front of him, and tightened his grip on his spear.

It was one crisis after another. Another brutal battle was about to begin.

At that moment, the same Yan Soul Guard spoke again, a savage grin on his face. ”Thank you for killing that Commander Ke from Red Sword City. To show our gratitude, we’ll leave your corpse intact.”

The moment he finished, the Yan Soul Guard’s expression turned ice-cold. ”Attack! Don’t underestimate him.”

Without another word, the battle began. Over a dozen Yan Soul Guards, riding their True Fate Realm Peak Flying Wolves, launched an all-out assault to surround and kill Lu Chao.

With nowhere to run, Lu Chao’s expression turned grim. He had no choice but to fight.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A surprise aerial battle erupted with savage intensity high above the North City Gate of the Great Wu Imperial City.

It was Lu Chao, alone on his mount, against more than a dozen Yan Soul Guards and their Flying Wolves. All the guards were at the Peak Realm Ninth Layer, and they weren’t underestimating him in the slightest as they unleashed their full power.

Before Mo Jing left, he had warned them that Lu Chao had already killed four Yan Soul Guards. They were not to underestimate him just because his cultivation realm was slightly lower.

”We were originally supposed to assassinate you in secret,” the lead Yan Soul Guard said as they fought, ”but how could we pass up an opportunity like this?”

Suddenly, Yin Ye’s voice boomed from within the Great Wu Imperial City. ”All Flying Bird Knights, on my command! Support General Lu Chao and repel the enemy!”

Clearly, Yin Ye and the others had seen Lu Chao being swarmed by the Yan Soul Guards.

Yin Ye had no idea where these Flying Wolf Knights had come from. He didn’t even know if they belonged to Cyan Sword Yan Soul City or Red Sword City. But it didn’t matter; he had to send the Flying Bird Knights to help Lu Chao immediately.

But just then...

Lu Chao stared at the disguised Yan Soul Guards, and a sudden realization struck him.

A tremor shot through him. He roared toward the city, ”Stay back! All of you! Xiao Su’er, Marquis Yin Ye, His Majesty Da Wu—get into hiding immediately! There must be more Yan Soul Guards coming to kill you!”

The sudden appearance of the Yan Soul Guard...

Though he’d been caught off guard, it wasn’t a complete surprise. It was only natural for the Yan Soul Guard to remain behind after Mo Jing’s departure.

But their disguises... they made Lu Chao realize something much bigger.

’Just as I discussed with Fan Changcun and Marquis Longyin, when Mo Jing feels like he’s failing, he’ll resort to assassination. And his targets... they would never be limited to just me.’

’Anyone who threatened Yan Mu’s ”decisive victory” would become a target.’

That was precisely what had led to his plan with Fan Changcun.

’When the entire Azure Flame Domain united as one, all the key figures were supposed to go into hiding. So now, with these Yan Soul Guards disguised as commoners of the Great Wu Empire... what was their goal?’

’Of course. They were here to start eliminating all the key figures in the Azure Flame Domain.’

’The Yan Soul Guards just hadn’t expected Commander Ke to die at my hands, or for Chi Xingxun and Lu Dingtian to make a desperate run for it. That’s why they had to change their plan on the fly.’

’They switched from operating in the shadows to a direct assault—to kill me, to kill Chi Xingxun, and to eliminate Yin Ye and the others.’

’The opportunity was too good to pass up, so of course they didn’t have time to change out of their disguises.’

At Lu Chao’s roar...

The Yan Soul Guards surrounding him paused for a fraction of a second. Then their leader laughed nonchalantly. ”Quite the impressive disciple from the Azure Flame Sect. But you can’t even save yourself. You really have time to worry about anyone else?”

As he spoke, the dozen or so Yan Soul Guards resumed their frenzied assault.

Spear in hand, Lu Chao maneuvered his Flying Feather Black Eagle, constantly dodging and parrying.

He occasionally materialized Blood Swords to counterattack, but against more than a dozen cultivators at the very peak of the Peak Realm, he was left purely on the defensive.

「In the city...」

Yin Ye and the others exchanged uncertain glances. Finally, they all turned to Cheng Yunsu. ”Young Madam Lu, what does he mean?”

Cheng Yunsu, however, knew of Lu Chao’s plan.

She explained at once, ”Everyone, get into hiding immediately! Then, secretly order all troops to assemble. We can’t give the Yan Soul Guard any openings!”

”None of us is a match for a Yan Soul Guard from Yan Soul City in a one-on-one fight. We have to make sure they can’t find any targets to kill.”

But the words had barely left her lips when a sinister voice abruptly echoed...

”Little wench, you’re too late.”

As the voice faded, a flash of sword light shot toward Yin Ye, while a second struck at the Emperor of Great Wu.

Both men were on the assassination list designated by Mo Jing.

Cheng Yunsu’s body jolted at the sight. ”Attack!” she cried out.

A Fire Sparrow danced wildly forth, intercepting the sudden sword strike meant for Yin Ye.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Ren moved to protect the Emperor of Great Wu. As a Peak Realm Eighth Layer cultivator, he was just barely able to block the attack.

Yin Ye was still reeling, but as a veteran of countless battles, he quickly mobilized the several thousand soldiers Lu Chao had brought to meet the enemy. At the same time, the Emperor of Great Wu issued an order for all troops to assemble with frantic urgency.

In an instant, the city devolved into a chaotic melee.

”AHHH!”

Members of the Great Wu Royal Family were cut down by the Yan Soul Guards, and many soldiers died, unable to stop them.

If not for the troops Lu Chao had brought, if not for his sudden warning, if not for the presence of Cheng Yunsu and Dongfang Ren, if not for the fact that all the experts at the Transformation Realm and above were gathered in one place...

...they likely would have been slaughtered in an instant.

Even so, the situation was still incredibly dangerous. There were a full twenty Yan Soul Guards inside the city.

These assassins were also disguised as commoners of the Great Wu Empire, their killing intent overflowing, the swords in their hands utterly ruthless.

「High above the North City Gate...」

Lu Chao took in the entire scene unfolding within the Great Wu Imperial City.

His eyes flickered. He took a deep breath and thought, ’I can’t let this continue. I have to draw more of those Yan Soul Guards out of the city.’

’But how?’

’By killing. I’ll kill every last Yan Soul Guard in front of me. I’ll slaughter them until the ones in the city have no choice but to come out as reinforcements.’

’There was no other way.’

Stowing his spear, Lu Chao drew the Red Patterned Sword that had once belonged to Chi Xingxun. He glared at the dozen or so Yan Soul Guards surrounding him and roared, ”Wind Manipulation’s Swift Flash! Soldier-Breaking Thousand Kills Slaughter Sword!”

As he roared, Lu Chao charged forward with reckless abandon.

His Flying Feather Black Eagle was a Peak Realm Demon Beast, while the Yan Soul Guards’ Flying Wolves were all at the True Fate Realm Peak. They couldn’t match his speed.

Combined with his Wind Manipulation’s Swift Flash, Lu Chao lunged at the Yan Soul Guards with the desperation of a cornered beast.

Dozens of Blood Swords materialized, piercing the air. His eyes activated the Bright Eyes and Clear Wind Guide, searching for his enemies’ weaknesses as he went on the offensive... KILL! KILL! KILL!