The first middle-aged man from the Shen Family was killed instantly.
Lu Chao then slowly lifted his gaze to the other middle-aged Shen Family members nearby. They had forgotten to smile, their expressions completely frozen on their faces.
Everything had just happened in the blink of an eye.
From the moment the first Shen Family man pressed his sword against Lu Chao to the moment Lu Chao retaliated and snapped his neck, only an instant had passed.
But in that instant, the situation had completely changed.
Beside Chi Ting, Shen Xu and the others were utterly dumbfounded, as if they had forgotten how to react, as if they were witnessing a dream.
But Lu Chao gave them no time. "Slaughter Sword, Thousand Kills," he said coldly.
As the words fell, his figure swept out... SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!
The few Shen Family men who hadn’t yet reacted were immediately engulfed by the shadow of Lu Chao’s sword. All of them were slain with a single strike. By the time they registered what was happening, they were already dead, unable to feel any pain.
Lu Chao’s sword was fast and precise!
Holding the blood-drenched sword, Lu Chao added softly, "You don’t possess a Star Saint Bone, so there’s no need for things to be so troublesome."
After saying this to the dead Shen Family members...
Lu Chao looked back at Chi Ting, Shen Xu, and the others. His murderous intent, which seemed to have solidified, began to climb... BOOM! Lu Chao’s True Qi smashed through the barrier of the True Fate Sixth Layer, exploding violently into the True Fate Seventh Layer.
At the same time, Shen Xu finally snapped back to reality. "My son!" he roared.
Among the middle-aged men who were killed was his son—the one who likely possessed the Star Saint Bone.
"Father, Father!"
At the same time, a young man from the Saint Bone Shen Family also cried out.
"Lu Chao, you dare kill my son? I’ll have your life!"
Shen Xu completely lost it. He forgot Lord Chi Ting’s instructions and his own superior status, charging forward in a murderous frenzy.
Lu Chao’s eyes remained narrowed as he said with chilling menace, "Those who trespass upon my Azure Flame Sect—die!"
As his voice fell, Lu Chao brandished his sword and shot forward, meeting Shen Xu’s charge head-on.
Shen Xu was an expert at the Peak Realm Third Layer.
He was at the same realm as Zheng Liling and Ming Huasheng, the Patriarchs of their respective Saint Bone Families. Unlike Nan Zhuiming, it seemed his realm had not been directly elevated by a figure from the Cyan Sword Great Empire.
And Shen Xu, it seemed, was not the Patriarch of the Saint Bone Shen Family, but merely one of its Elders.
A six-layer difference. Could Lu Chao kill him?
Of course he could. The aura of the Slaughter Sword Bone erupted violently from Lu Chao’s body as his Fire Roaring and Water Chant Bones simultaneously unleashed the Power of Water and Fire.
A fist of water and fire blasted toward the frenzied Shen Xu.
It collided with Shen Xu in a violent wave of True Qi. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The booming sounds echoed out.
Seizing the opportunity...
Lu Chao’s other hand unleashed the Thousand Kills Slaughter Sword—an assassin technique from Lu Dingtian’s Death Warrior Camp. Combined with his Star Slaying Sword Bone and the Piercing Gaze of his Heavenly Destiny Bright Eye Bone, the sword stabbed directly into Shen Xu’s Destiny Bone.
CLINK...
A soft sound rang out as Lu Chao’s sword lightly struck Shen Xu’s Destiny Bone.
A sharp glint flashed in Lu Chao’s eyes. ’A Star Saint Bone, just as I thought,’ he whispered. ’Devour it.’
A dark light shot out, surging along Lu Chao’s sword toward Shen Xu’s Heavenly Destiny Star Saint Bone, then pulling it back into his own Life-taking Star-devouring Bone.
Shen Xu, still maddened by his son’s death, was stunned. He realized that Lu Chao had just stolen his Destiny Bone. Only then did he understand that he was no match for Lu Chao at all.
He wanted to scream, but it was too late...
Once his Destiny Bone was gone, Shen Xu was completely crippled.
Lu Chao’s sword slashed upward, cleaving Shen Xu in two on the spot.
SPLATTER...
Blood sprayed everywhere as the two halves of Shen Xu’s body fell heavily to the ground. He was as dead as one could be.
Blood dripped continuously from Lu Chao’s sword.
In the blink of an eye, he had killed several middle-aged men and a Shen Family Elder, shattering all their contempt for him.
Lu Chao acted as if he had just done something trivial. Expressionless, he stared at Chi Ting and the members of the Saint Bone Shen Family before him. Gripping his sword, he began to walk toward them, all alone.
Lu Chao’s gaze was fixed entirely on Chi Ting...
’The Saint Bone Shen Family, despite being from the Cyan Sword Great Empire, has been established in the Azure Flame Domain for two hundred years.’
’While they have more than one person with a Star Saint Bone, they can’t be that powerful. Otherwise, the Cyan Sword and Red Sword Cities would never have allowed them to remain here for so long without intervening.’
’The ban from the Green Bone Palace was just an excuse. In reality, it’s highly likely that Red Sword City has long since forgotten they even exist.’
’Or perhaps...’
’They were intentionally left here to monitor the Azure Flame Domain and the Azure Flame Sect.’
’Therefore, Chi Ting, who is purely from the Cyan Sword Great Empire, is the one I should be most wary of.’
"Lu Chao, you, you, you..."
At this moment, the other Shen Family elder—the one who had been stepping on Chang Yuan—rushed out frantically. Trembling, he pointed at Lu Chao and stammered, "You killed Elder Shen Xu! How dare you! Don’t you know..."
Before he could finish, Lu Chao cut him off.
"To use your own words, you should be grateful. It is your good fortune to die within my Azure Flame Sect."
These were Chi Ting’s words, and Lu Chao’s eyes remained fixed on him as he continued, "Yan Mu is indeed a worthless fool, but it seems you aren’t much better. I’ll cut you all down first, then I’ll go find your Young City Lord."
However, Chi Ting’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He even wore a faint smile...
Everyone from the Saint Bone Shen Family was furious, terrified, and on the verge of panic.
Yet Chi Ting remained nonchalant. He even nodded slightly and said, "Not bad. I admit you are the number one genius in the Azure Flame Domain. However, in our Red Sword City, you would still be considered quite average."
He paused, then looked at the surrounding members of the Saint Bone Shen Family. "All of you, attack. But remember, you are not to kill him."
As his voice fell, the remaining Shen Family members were stunned. Even after all this, they weren’t allowed to kill Lu Chao?
"What? Have you decided you no longer wish to go to Red Sword City?" Chi Ting was still smiling.
Hearing this, the members of the Saint Bone Shen Family had no choice but to reply grimly, "Yes, Lord Chi Ting. We understand."
With that, the remaining elders and middle-aged men all stepped forward.
They stared at Lu Chao with bloodshot eyes, then let out a unified roar and charged at him...
Several of the elders were all in the Peak Realm, while the middle-aged men were all in the True Fate Realm.
Lu Chao’s sword was still dripping with blood. The Star Saint Bone he had just devoured from Shen Xu once again ignited the True Qi within him.
His True Qi rose another small step.
He had not yet reached the True Fate Eighth Layer, but it was more than enough to deal with the people before him.
His figure swept out, once again unleashing the Thousand Kills Slaughter Sword...
His impossibly fast sword weaved between the experts of the Saint Bone Shen Family.
At the same time, his Fire Roaring Saint Bone and Water Chant Bone, along with the Star Fury, Star Fire Roaring, and Water Chant abilities within his Life-taking Star-devouring Bone, all erupted at once.
Pushing Lu Chao’s True Qi to its absolute peak.