Chapter 337: Black Shadow, Person of the Cyan Sword

Lu Hanyan also nodded emphatically. It was impossible for two people to look exactly alike.

There was no possibility of a twin brother, either. They knew the real Lu Chao’s background all too well.

Lu Dingtian’s eyes narrowed slightly, his expression once again growing profound and inscrutable...

"In the Azure Flame Sect, there is a wondrously magical pill called the Face-Changing Pill."

"It can change a person’s appearance, and no one can tell the difference. I recently investigated and found that over three years ago, when Fan Changcun first emerged from his seclusion, he saw the true face of that wretch, Lu Chao."

"That wretch, to show his respect for Fan Changcun, disobeyed my orders and removed his mask."

At these words, Lu Hanyang and the others’ eyes widened in shock...

Everything suddenly seemed to become clear. Fan Changcun had seen Lu Chao and then used a Face-Changing Pill to create a Fake Lu Chao.

But one major question remained: how did Fan Changcun orchestrate all this while being trapped by the Tiger Flame Kingdom for forty years?

"The Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land!"

"All Six Great Flame Countries were deceived by Fan Changcun. He’s been able to enter the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land for a long time now. All the martial techniques, all the elixir pills—everything came from within that Forbidden Land."

"The Fake Lu Chao defeating the Three Flames Soldiers and Horses is proof..."

"The terrain of the Azure Flame Sect itself is laid out with thirty-six Soldier Dao Battle Arrays. Why weren’t they used when the sect was destroyed forty years ago? Because back then, Fan Changcun couldn’t yet break into the Forbidden Land."

Lu Dingtian offered another piece of the puzzle—definitive proof that Fan Changcun was capable of orchestrating everything.

Because the Forbidden Land existed, Fan Changcun actually had access to many things the Seven Great Flame Countries could never have imagined. So, while he appeared to be trapped by the Tiger Flame Kingdom, he was in fact secretly orchestrating everything from the shadows.

In an instant, Lu Hanyang and his sister understood everything completely.

The more Lu Hanyan thought about it, the angrier she became. "No wonder Ming Huasheng never returned," she said, her voice turning grim and chilling. "No wonder Sun Shijin is still alive. The Fake Lu Chao and Fan Changcun were putting on an act the entire time. They made a complete fool out of me."

Before the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land...

Lu Hanyan had watched as Fan Changcun and Sun Shijin led Ming Huasheng into the Forbidden Land.

She had thought Ming Huasheng would return quickly, but to this day, there was still no word from him. It was more proof that Fan Changcun had been acting—that he’d lured Ming Huasheng into the Forbidden Land just to kill him with its power!

Suddenly, Lu Hanyan’s heart pounded. "Father," she asked, "if Fan Changcun has already cracked the secrets of the Forbidden Land, doesn’t that make him terrifyingly powerful?"

In response, Lu Dingtian gave a chilling, sinister smile. "Take a look at my current realm..."

The moment his words fell... BOOM!

Lu Dingtian’s True Qi erupted from his body, revealing the terrifying might of the Peak Realm Eighth Layer. Everyone present was stunned for a moment before bursting into ecstatic joy. Lu Dingtian was actually this powerful now.

Even Lu Hanyang and his sister found it incredible. Not long ago, their father had only been at the Peak Realm Third Layer.

"Hanyang, Hanyan, I have recently had a great fortuitous encounter."

"These are two Bone-Melting Reversal Pills. Take them and begin cultivating immediately. You are certain to have another breakthrough before the Three Courtyards Tournament."

As Lu Dingtian spoke, the brother and sister quickly accepted the pills, their curiosity piqued as to what their father’s "great fortuitous encounter" could be.

"I will tell you when the time is right. For now, just cultivate."

"The Three Courtyards Tournament is about to begin. When it does, I want you to kill that Fake Lu Chao. By then, I will have something to counteract the Azure Flame Sect’s Face-Changing Pill, which will force the fake to revert to his original appearance."

"Then, we will truly expose him as a fraud."

Lu Hanyang and Lu Hanyan exchanged a glance. Their father actually had something that could nullify the Face-Changing Pill.

They grew even more curious about what his encounter had been.

But since their father was unwilling to speak of it for the time being, they dared not ask further and quickly found a room to begin cultivating.

At the same time, their previous fear completely vanished. ’This whole business with a real and fake Lu Chao is complete nonsense,’ they thought. ’It was just a trick to deliberately scare us.’

A simple ploy to disrupt their state of mind before the tournament.

After Lu Hanyang and his sister left, Lu Dingtian turned to Lu Dingkong...

"Return to the center of the Dragon Flame Battlefield. Tell Wu Tong, Wu Ye, and the others from the Beast Flame Outer Courtyard and the Hundred Flames Trading Company that Lu Chao is, without a doubt, a fake. I will personally expose his true face during the Three Courtyards Tournament."

Lu Dingkong nodded firmly, accepted the order, and departed.

In the blink of an eye...

Only Lu Dingtian remained in the Soldier Hall.

But slowly, a dark figure emerged from the shadows. Lu Dingtian dared not show any disrespect, quickly approaching and bowing. "Thank you, my lord, for analyzing the situation with the Fake Lu Chao. Otherwise, I fear I would have been frightened as well."

His great fortuitous encounter had come from this very figure...

When Lu Dingtian first received the report on the "Real vs. Fake Lu Chao incident," he too had been terrified. But the shadowy figure had been by his side, and immediately dismissed the entire notion.

It was this same shadowy figure who had analyzed the entire situation for Lu Dingtian, leading to the conclusion that Fan Changcun had orchestrated it all.

The shadow had even told Lu Dingtian about what happened with the Azure Flame Sect two hundred years ago, and that included the matter of the Face-Changing Pill.

Without this shadowy figure, Lu Dingtian would never have even heard of the Face-Changing Pill.

Just then, the shadowy figure let out a sinister laugh. "You people of the Azure Flame Domain are truly unenlightened. For a top figure like you to actually suspect such a childish trick like ’rising from the dead’ or ’possession by a Fierce Ghost’ is utterly laughable."

So, the Azure Flame Domain was the collective name for the region encompassing Great Wu, the Hundred Countries, and the Nanye Dynasty.

Or, more precisely, it was the name used by outsiders to refer to this region—a name derived, of course, from the Fan Yan Sect.

In other words, this shadowy figure was not from the Azure Flame Domain.

"You are right to chastise me, my lord. It was I who was unenlightened," Lu Dingtian admitted, quickly lowering his head.

The shadow let out another cold, mocking laugh. "I can’t entirely blame you. The people of your Azure Flame Domain are inherently ignorant and benighted. For our Cyan Sword Great Empire, conquering the Azure Flame Domain is as easy as drinking a glass of water..."

If Lu Chao, the Dragon Flame King, and the others had been present, they would have been astonished to discover that this shadowy figure was actually from the Cyan Sword Great Empire.

"Two hundred years... The ban on our Cyan Sword Great Empire has finally been lifted. We can finally sweep into the Azure Flame Domain."

The shadowy figure spoke again, its voice low. "Do you have any idea why, when we could so easily conquer your Azure Flame Domain, we would bother contacting you and the Saint Bone Nan Family? Why we would offer you such benefits?"

At the shadow’s words, Lu Dingtian quickly replied with two words: "I do not."

"Because the Azure Flame Domain... will be our Young Master’s first campaign."

"Naturally, we must pave the way for our noble Young Master, ensuring he achieves the most spectacular victory possible."

"When the time comes, you are to cooperate fully. You must make our Young Master believe that he achieved this victory all by himself. Do you understand?"

At the shadow figure’s words, Lu Dingtian nodded eagerly in agreement...