Chapter 324: If You Want to Fight, I Set the Rules

As Lu Chao’s countdown rang out, the people of the Nanye Dynasty fell silent, no longer daring to spout insults.

It was obvious: Fake Lu Chao was telling them to get lost. If they didn’t leave by the time his countdown ended, he would give the order to fire the arrows.

He would consider it an act of war and provocation, and he would have every last person from the Nanye Dynasty slain.

An elder of the Saint Bone Nan Family said with resentment, "Nan Ke, come back."

No one dared to question Lu Chao’s resolve or his methods. He had killed Guan Zanyi without a moment’s hesitation. This was a man who showed no mercy on the battlefield.

Lu Chao’s countdown echoed in Nan Ke’s ears. Staring at the countless arrows aimed at him, he could only dart back onto his Rhino Beast. Then, at Nan Zhuiming’s command, the beast turned around!

At that moment, Nan Ke looked back, glared at Lu Chao, and roared, "Fake Lu Chao! I hope you won’t be a coward and back out of the Tri-Academy Tournament!"

Seeing this, Lu Chao stopped his countdown and smiled faintly...

"Actually, I’m not against obliging you. But if you want a match with me, you can’t use Guan Zanyi as the stake."

"This is not a place where your word is law."

"This is the former site of the Azure Flame Sect, and it’s also the turf of the Beast Flame Academy. If we’re going to have a match, I’m the one who sets the rules..."

Lu Chao’s voice was low and powerful, and he enunciated each word with deliberate force.

This caused the furious and disorganized crowd from the Nanye Dynasty to freeze, their eyes wide. A flash of admiration also appeared in the eyes of the masked Dragon Flame King.

’This is how it should be...’

This was the Hundred Countries. This was the former site of the Azure Flame Sect. This was the Beast Flame Academy.

Guan Zanyi was a man the Dragon Flame Academy was sworn to kill. What gave the Nanye Dynasty the right to demand a wagered duel over his life?

Weren’t you trying to save Guan Zanyi?

So Lu Chao killed the man right in your faces, sent you scrambling in retreat, and then told you that a match wasn’t out of the question—but on his turf, he would be the one to set the rules.

Your provocations, your True Fate Realm genius, your high-and-mighty airs—he would shatter them all before anything else.

Just as the eyes of the Dragon Flame King, Yin Ye, and the others were glinting with admiration...

Nan Ke’s voice boomed over, asking, "Fake Lu Chao, what rules do you want to set?"

His earlier arrogance was long gone, replaced by pure anger, impulsiveness, and a burning desire to defeat Lu Chao.

Lu Chao gently patted his warhorse and responded, "The rules are simple. If I win, your Nanye Dynasty withdraws from the Tri-Academy Tournament."

His voice rolled out...

Lu Chao had no interest in the people from the Nanye Dynasty in the upcoming Tri-Academy Tournament. He wanted revenge on Lu Dingtian. He wanted to reclaim the Heavenly Destiny Saint Bone that belonged to him. If he could eliminate the unpredictable factor of the Nanye Dynasty beforehand, that would be ideal.

At Lu Chao’s words, the pupils of Nan Zhuiming and the others constricted. ’Such a massive wager?’

Nan Ke asked again, "And if you lose?"

Lu Chao raised his sword slightly from his position on the warhorse and said coolly, "If I lose, I lose. This is my turf."

"You..."

The people from the Nanye Dynasty glared, so furious they nearly erupted in a torrent of curses at Lu Chao.

Just then, Yu Xiaoping giggled. "It’s impossible for our big brother Lu Chao to lose, but if he really did, wouldn’t that let you win back a little face after being forced to tuck your tails and run?"

’She has a point. As long as Nan Ke wins, we’ll get some of our dignity back.’

"Fight if you’re going to fight. Otherwise, get lost," Tan An added.

Luo Wendeng smiled faintly. "Before you accuse others of relying on armies and elders, perhaps you should ask yourselves what you’ve done. When you first arrived, wasn’t it Patriarch Nan Zhuiming who made the first move? Nan Ke, where were you hiding in the beginning?"

The people of the Nanye Dynasty had just been relentlessly insulting Lu Chao, and now Luo Wendeng and the others were starting to fire back.

You tried to goad us, so now we’ll goad you...

One by one, the Dragon Flame Students began shouting back, provoking the members of the Nanye Dynasty until their faces flushed red. Nan Ke couldn’t take it anymore. He let out a crazed cry, "Fine! I’ll acc— Grandfather!"

Just as Nan Ke was about to agree, Nan Zhuiming suddenly pressed his shoulder, stopping him from continuing.

Nan Zhuiming once again stepped in front of Nan Ke. "Fake Lu Chao, you were right. This is no place for a duel between geniuses. The Tri-Academy Tournament is the proper stage. Our Nanye geniuses will crush you all underfoot on the tournament battlefield."

With that, Nan Zhuiming gave a sharp command to leave...

It was obvious...

He was afraid. He was afraid that if Nan Ke lost, they would truly have to withdraw from the Tri-Academy Tournament. He was afraid of losing even more face. Even though he thought it was unlikely that the Fake Lu Chao, who had yet to reach the True Fate Realm, could defeat Nan Ke.

But the stakes were too high.

Finally, the people of the Nanye Dynasty turned to leave. Nan Ke and the others, of course, hurled all sorts of threats as they went.

It was all the usual bluster about what they would do to them in the Tri-Academy Tournament.

But Yu Xiaoping wasn’t about to let them have the last word. She retorted in her clear, crisp voice, "Nan Ke, are you a useless coward? Have you no guts? You don’t even dare to fight our big brother Lu Chao one-on-one?"

She viciously threw the same words the Nanye crowd had used against Lu Chao right back at them...

In that instant, Nan Ke’s face flushed crimson. He roared, "Fake Lu Chao, I’m going to kill you!"

He suddenly leaped off the Rhino Beast, breaking free from Nan Zhuiming’s grasp, and charged toward the Dragon Flame Academy’s forces.

He couldn’t stand being called a useless coward. He couldn’t stand being called gutless.

Lu Chao shot his head up and responded calmly, "Bring it on..."

As his words faded, Lu Chao shot off his warhorse, his entire being erupting forward like a Flame Divine Dragon. This was the fusion of the Fire Sparrow Bone, the Ming Family’s Heavenly Destiny Sun and Moon Bone, and the Azure Flame Rising Dragon Sword.

In truth, he didn’t want Nan Ke to leave. He needed to make his move and bolster the confidence of the Dragon Flame Academy.

After all, Nan Ke was at the First Layer of the True Fate Realm.

A cultivator of that level placed immense pressure on the people of Dragon Flame. Therefore, Lu Chao had to use this battle to prove that even though he was still only at the Fourth Layer of Transformation, he was not afraid of someone at the First Layer of True Fate.

Lest we forget, when Lu Chao was at the Third Layer of Transformation, he had already suppressed Lu Hanyan, who was at the Ninth Layer of Transformation.

In the blink of an eye, Nan Ke and Lu Chao clashed. Their swords met... BANG!

Nan Ke was knocked back seven or eight steps, while Lu Chao retreated a mere three or four.

The difference in their power was instantly obvious...

Before the two could strike again, Nan Zhuiming suddenly arrived.

He grabbed Nan Ke directly, then looked at Lu Chao and said, "Fake Lu Chao, we will fight in the Tri-Academy Tournament. Now is not the time."

After speaking, Nan Zhuiming forcefully took Nan Ke away, pulling him back onto the back of his Rhino Beast.

Then, without giving Nan Ke a chance to speak, he said simply, "Let’s go..."

And just like that, the crowd from the Nanye Dynasty vanished completely into the dense forest before the former site of the Azure Flame Sect.

At the same time, Lu Chao returned to his warhorse.

When he returned, the way Dean Jiang and the others from Dragon Flame looked at him had completely changed. Their earlier worry was gone.

Although it was just one clash of swords...

But Lu Chao had already proven that with his combat prowess, he had a real chance of defeating a cultivator in the True Fate Realm.