As the voice faded, the Young City Lord Red Sword immediately strode toward the seventh layer’s Barrier.
Ten guards in Blood-red Battle Armor immediately followed.
In an instant, the sound of footsteps receded from Lu Chao and the others.
GULP...
Cheng Yunsu secretly swallowed, her gaze turning to Lu Chao.
Lu Chao’s brows were already furrowed. He still didn’t dare make a sound, but his heart had begun to sink.
’Commander Ke has caught up.’
’He’s likely Above the Creation. Taking the Young City Lord Red Sword hostage just got a lot harder.’
Just then, that deep, resonant voice sounded again...
"Young City Lord, your luck is quite good. Just as Chi Ting and Chi Yuan were about to leave the Azure Flame Sect’s trash heap, a couple happened to arrive. The woman is quite fine, and I’ve already brought her to you."
As the voice faded, Chang Yuan and his son trembled violently.
But Chang Yuan still kept his hand clamped tightly over his son’s mouth, suppressing the True Qi within his body as he waited. His eyes, however, had turned bloodshot as he stared at Lu Chao, filled with the urge to charge out and kill.
"Hahaha..."
The Young City Lord Red Sword’s booming laughter echoed once more...
"Let me see... Hmm?"
"She’s a bit older than me, but she’s definitely top-tier. She has a certain mature charm. Wake her up."
Evidently, Chang Yuan’s wife was unconscious at that moment.
Upon hearing this, Commander Ke woke her without hesitation. The next moment, a terrified woman’s voice cried out, "Who are you people? Where is my husband? What do you want?"
The Young City Lord Red Sword seemed completely unbothered by the screams of Chang Yuan’s wife...
He even laughed loudly. "Her voice sounds quite nice. Oh, Uncle Ke, you won’t blame me for being so willful, will you?"
His meaning was clear...
To insist on bringing a woman to a place like the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land was indeed rather willful.
But Commander Ke, his voice deep but his tone fawning, replied with a laugh...
"You jest, Young City Lord. You possess a Red Heart Bone, a Moon-level Earth Bone. To continuously enhance its power, it is our duty as subordinates to constantly act to satisfy your heart’s truest desires."
"As long as the Young City Lord is happy, nothing else matters."
At Commander Ke’s words, the Young City Lord Red Sword couldn’t help but laugh again, praising the commander repeatedly.
Finally, he turned to Chang Yuan’s wife and spoke with a sinister tone...
"Woman of the Azure Flame Domain, I am the one who brings you great fortune. To receive my favor is your honor."
"And as it happens, your voice has piqued my interest."
After speaking, the Young City Lord looked at Commander Ke and the ten guards in Blood-red Battle Armor and said softly, "You all wait here."
After his voice fell...
The Young City Lord Red Sword immediately picked up Chang Yuan’s wife and once again walked toward them, heading for the eighth layer’s Barrier.
Chang Yuan’s wife, of course, struggled desperately, shouting, "Let me go! Let me go..."
But it was useless. The Young City Lord Red Sword only let out an increasingly terrifying and sinister cackle.
Amidst the pile of bones...
Chang Yuan was on the verge of losing control. He stared intently at Lu Chao, silently asking when they could make their move. He had already knocked his son unconscious, unable to bear letting the boy watch any longer, and also afraid his son wouldn’t be able to hold back and would make a sound.
Lu Chao took a deep breath, raised a finger, and gently wrote in the dirt: "I’ll take him, you save her!"
Then, Lu Chao held up five fingers and slowly began to count down...
The signal to strike would be the instant all five fingers closed into a fist.
’The timing is perfect now.’
The Young City Lord Red Sword had separated from his guards and Commander Ke’s protection, bringing Chang Yuan’s wife ever closer to the eighth layer’s Barrier.
’An opportunity like this cannot be missed.’
As he counted down on his fingers, Lu Chao thought to himself, ’A Moon-level Earth Bone, a Heavenly Destiny Red Heart Bone... I can’t tell what realm this Young City Lord Red Sword is in... Regardless, there’s only one chance. I can’t fail.’
As Lu Chao’s countdown continued, the screams of Chang Yuan’s wife and the eerie laughter of the Young City Lord Red Sword grew louder and louder.
Slowly... THUD!
The Young City Lord Red Sword threw Chang Yuan’s wife to the ground with a heavy thud. They were about ten meters away from Lu Chao’s group, who could now see the two of them clearly.
But just then, Chang Yuan’s wife stopped screaming. Suddenly... SHING!
She drew a dagger from her waist and swiftly brought it to her own neck, declaring, "Even in death, I will never let you humiliate me!"
This scene nearly made Chang Yuan leap out from his hiding spot...
Fortunately, in just an instant, with another CLANG, the dagger was knocked from her hand. It was, of course, the Young City Lord Red Sword’s doing. A small blast of True Qi had cut off her path to suicide.
She fell heavily to the ground again and scrambled backward on her bottom. "Don’t come near me, you beast..."
The Young City Lord Red Sword chuckled sinisterly. "How could you curse at me? That just makes me... more excited."
Saying this, the Young City Lord strode menacingly toward Chang Yuan’s wife.
From the shadows, Chang Yuan kept his eyes fixed on Lu Chao. He saw that of the five fingers Lu Chao was using to count down, only the little finger remained extended, hesitating to close.
’Why is he still waiting?’
At that moment, Lu Chao’s mind was racing.
’At least Peak Eighth Layer... so much stronger than Yan Mu. And he has a Moon-level Earth Bone...’
When the Young City Lord Red Sword had used his True Qi to knock the dagger away, Lu Chao had been able to gauge his realm.
’He’s wearing Armor, and his Heavenly Destiny Bone should be located at his neck...’
’Killing him with a single stab is nearly impossible. Taking him hostage is also incredibly risky.’
The Young City Lord’s Heavenly Destiny Bone was at his neck, which meant his True Qi defenses were strongest there. The moment his neck formed a True Qi Shield, Lu Chao’s Sword wouldn’t be able to penetrate it.
’The main problem is that his realm is just too high.’
’And as for his Moon-level Earth Bone... I might be able to break through its Destiny Bone suppression myself.’
’But Xiao Su’er can’t, and neither can Brother Chang.’
’The consequence of taking him hostage would be Xiao Su’er and the others being completely immobilized by the Destiny Bone’s suppression.’
Lu Chao frantically analyzed the situation...
Slowly, he used his still-extended little finger to alter the words in the dirt. They now read: I’ll snatch the map, you save her and enter the eighth layer’s Barrier.
After writing...
Lu Chao’s gaze locked onto the hand of the Young City Lord Red Sword. On a finger of his right hand was a blood-red Storage Ring. The Azure Flame Array Plate and the last two pages of the Nine Palace Array Map were surely inside.
As Lu Chao observed, his little finger slowly began to bend downward...
Chang Yuan’s entire body tensed.
At the same time, the Young City Lord Red Sword cackled, "Woman of the Azure Flame Domain, this is the seventh layer of the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land! You can scream your lungs out, but no one will come to save you... Now, receive my favor."
With that, he laughed boisterously and pounced.
At that exact moment, Lu Chao’s little finger snapped shut, closing his hand into a fist.
He then burst out from behind a dozen corpses, striking at the Young City Lord Red Sword with the speed of a thunderclap.