Seeing Zheng Liling’s actions, Lu Chao’s other enemies also went over to Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming one after another.
One by one, they declared their allegiance to the two men.
Everyone believed they could have taken Lu Chao out, but Yan Mu’s sudden appearance had muddied the waters. Now that Lu Chao had taken a hostage and was retreating into the midst of the Hundred Countries’ forces, killing him had become... next to impossible.
Moreover, Lu Chao’s power had skyrocketed, and his momentum was now fully established.
Furthermore...
He also had the support of Wu Zhiqiu, the Second Prince of Great Wu. This meant that none of them—not Zheng Liling, not the Dean of the Tiger Institute, not anyone—could return to the Hundred Countries.
Their only hope for survival was to follow Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming.
And since Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming had even revealed their connection to the Cyan Sword Great Empire, there was now hope for their revenge in the future.
Seeing everyone flock to their side, Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming’s spirits gradually began to settle...
Lu Dingtian barked, "Right now, rescuing Young Master Yan is the priority."
With that, Lu Dingtian looked out over the makeshift town and added in a cold voice, "All those at the True Fate Realm and above, come with me. The rest of you, stay behind and seal off this entire town. Anyone who dares to leave... is to be executed on the spot."
And so...
Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming took the experts at the True Fate Realm and above and gave chase.
Along the way, Nan Zhuiming asked, "Marshal Lu, why did you order the town sealed?"
A corner of Lu Dingtian’s mouth quirked up...
"Everyone in there now knows we’ve colluded with the Cyan Sword Great Empire."
"As a precaution..."
"Once my troops arrive, we must silence everyone except those we can trust. Leave no one alive!"
His voice was chilling to the bone.
Nan Zhuiming understood in a flash. "News of our collusion with the Cyan Sword Great Empire must not get out. Otherwise, we’ll never complete Lord Black Shadow’s mission, and no one will listen to us."
Nodding, Lu Dingtian added, "Besides, that rebellious son of mine, Lu Chao, has already established his power. If word gets out, the entire Azure Flame Domain will unite as one. At that point, we’ll have no choice but to flee."
A chill ran through Nan Zhuiming...
’They had colluded with the Cyan Sword Great Empire. Once the war started, no one would tolerate their existence.’
’That’s why everyone in the small town had to be killed, without a single survivor. Then, with only the words of Lu Chao and his few companions, who would believe them?’
’Dammit, that Yan Mu is a complete moron,’ Nan Zhuiming thought, unable to stop himself from cursing aloud.
The corner of Lu Dingtian’s mouth twitched. He said in a low voice, "If he wasn’t an idiot, would Lord Black Shadow have approached us?"
Nan Zhuiming froze for a moment. ’That... actually made sense.’
’If Yan Mu were truly formidable, there would be no need for them. Their cooperation wouldn’t have been required at all.’
...
「Meanwhile」
Lu Chao, with Yan Mu in his grasp, led several thousand horsemen in a mad charge toward the Hundred Countries.
Beside him, Sun Shijin asked, "Lu Chao, the Sword-Winged Ice Wolf is catching up! Our warhorses are getting spooked. What should we do?"
The powerful aura of the Demon Beast instinctively terrified the warhorses, which were beasts themselves.
A glint flashed in Lu Chao’s eyes as he commanded, "Dragon General Bone, steady!"
He instantly unleashed the might of a Dragon General, which not only boosted his companions’ morale but also calmed the skittish warhorses.
If the general is strong, his troops will not break down emotionally, no matter how powerful the enemy.
And warhorses are intelligent creatures.
They too could sense Lu Chao’s power and feel his certainty that he would lead them to victory.
After Lu Chao settled the warhorses, Yin Ye rode closer...
"Lu Chao, I never expected things to take so many twists and turns."
"I really didn’t think the Cyan Sword Great Empire would move so quickly and actually invade. And to think their Supreme Commander is this moron," he said, gesturing at Yan Mu.
No one could have predicted that the decisive confrontation with Lu Dingtian and his followers would turn out like this.
"We have too little intelligence on the Cyan Sword Great Empire right now. What do you think we should do with this Yan Mu?" Yin Ye asked.
Lu Chao’s eyes glinted as he replied softly, "One thing is certain: Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming have colluded with the Cyan Sword. If we can’t eliminate them, the entire Azure Flame Domain is doomed."
Yin Ye nodded grimly. If Lu Dingtian and Nan Zhuiming weren’t killed, only the Dragon Flame would be left to resist the Cyan Sword Great Empire.
’What’s the point of fighting then? They might as well just surrender.’
"Marquis Yin, if I’m not mistaken..."
"After this is over, Lu Dingtian will surely silence all the spectators from the tournament. He will never let word of his collusion with the Cyan Sword Great Empire get out."
"In a moment, I’ll ask you, Marquis, to take the people from Dragon Flame Academy, head back to the makeshift town, and rescue everyone inside."
At Lu Chao’s words, a chill went through Yin Ye, and he immediately nodded in agreement.
"We have too little intelligence on the Cyan Sword Great Empire, so let’s take this opportunity to get some answers," Lu Chao said. He then turned to Yan Mu, who was in his grasp, and asked coldly, "Young Master Yan, I’ll ask you one more time. Are you ready to talk?"
Yan Mu had been in a semi-conscious state. The sword piercing his shoulder was excruciatingly painful.
Upon hearing this...
He regained some of his senses, his face contorting as he stared at Lu Chao and retorted, "What... what do you want to talk about?"
It was only now, with the sword in his shoulder, that Yan Mu began to feel fear. It was only now that he felt terror, realizing that Lu Chao truly didn’t care about his status and would actually dare to kill him.
"Why is the Cyan Sword Great Empire suddenly attacking the Azure Flame Domain?" Lu Chao asked as he rode.
To this, Yan Mu replied blankly, "Because... the ban was lifted."
Lu Chao, Yin Ye, and the others exchanged a look. Lu Chao continued the questioning, "What do you mean, ’the ban was lifted’? What ban? Who imposed it?"
The Dragon Flame King only knew that the Cyan Sword Great Empire might invade and that the Azure Flame Sect had once protected the domain. But he was ignorant of the specifics; even the Azure Flame Sect Leader of that era hadn’t been clear on the details.
"Two hundred years ago, our Cyan Sword Great Empire fought a fair battle against the Azure Flame Sect, supervised by the Green Bone Palace."
"The Azure Flame Sect’s champion was victorious and won the wager."
"But on their way back, we in the Cyan Sword Great Empire ambushed and annihilated them. The original plan was to frame one of the Green Bone Palace’s enemies for it, but someone discovered the truth and reported it to the Palace."
"The Green Bone Palace sent investigators, who confirmed it was true."
"They were going to destroy our Cyan Sword Great Empire for it, but fortunately, an Elder from the Green Bone Palace vouched for us, reducing a major crisis to a minor incident."
"In the end, the Green Bone Palace’s verdict was merely that our Cyan Sword Great Empire had gotten ’too excited’ and ’couldn’t hold back.’"
"To appease the other sects and nations, they issued a ban, forbidding us from setting foot in the Azure Flame Domain for two hundred years."
Yan Mu truly held nothing back, spilling everything...
But for Lu Chao, Yin Ye, and the others, this was an immense amount of information. It was just as the Dragon Flame King had said: the Azure Flame Sect and the Cyan Sword Great Empire were equals, and above them both was another, greater power.
Before, they hadn’t known what that power was. Now they did: the Green Bone Palace.