Chapter 409: No Retreat, Only Victory

On the cliff to Lu Chao’s right, Chi Xingxun was still clutching the spot where Lu Chao had twisted off his finger.

He glared at Lu Chao and the others. "Azure Flame Sect disciple, you’re the one who defeated Yan Mu, aren’t you?"

Lu Chao met Chi Xingxun’s gaze but didn’t answer the question about Yan Mu...

He just replied coldly, "You’re from Cyan Sword and Red Sword Cities. Since you know I’m a disciple of the Azure Flame Sect, then you should also know there’s nothing more to be said between us. This ends with one of us dead."

’Never mind anything else, the fact that people from Red Sword City trespassed in the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land is enough to make this a fight to the death.’

The moment he finished speaking... HAHAHAHA!

A wild laugh erupted from Chi Xingxun, followed by a vicious sneer. "I must admit, you’re full of surprises. It’s shocking that the Azure Flame Domain could produce someone with a Moon Profound Bone in this day and age."

Lu Chao’s expression instantly turned cold...

’This Young City Lord of Red Sword may act like a spoiled dandy, but he’s definitely not an idiot like Yan Mu. Not only are his cultivation level and combat power terrifying, but his perception is equally monstrous...’

’Back on the seventh layer, he instantly sensed the aura of my Moon Profound Soldier-Breaking Bone.’

"What surprised me even more was that you used your Moon Profound Bone to break the suppression from my Moon Earth Bone."

"Ordinarily, I might have even considered making you my dog... but you dared to twist off my finger. You’ve lost that chance. Now, I’m going to slaughter your entire family, down to the last person."

"Take good care of my finger. If it suffers the slightest damage, it won’t just be your family. I will annihilate your entire clan."

"And another thing—you don’t have the right to talk to me about a ’fight to the death.’ You’re just an ant from the Azure Flame Domain."

After this tirade, Chi Xingxun’s gaze slowly fell upon Cheng Yunsu, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "To think you have such an exquisite woman by your side. Excellent, excellent... I’ve decided. I won’t kill this one."

As he spoke, a chill ran through Cheng Yunsu. She was reminded of what happened to Sister-in-law Chang.

Lu Chao’s expression remained unchanged. He simply moved to stand slightly in front of Cheng Yunsu and said coolly, "You sure talk a lot of shit."

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chao shifted his gaze back to Chi Xingxun’s Storage Ring in his hand. ’Next is a contest of Soldier Dao. The two men on the cliffs to my left and right have both studied and understood the Eight-Layer and Nine-Layer Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Maps...’

’To defeat them, I have to smash this Storage Ring and get the two pages of the Nine Palace Array Map inside.’

"I just happen to enjoy talking..."

"Still haven’t managed to crack my Storage Ring? Then again, this is my personal treasure. The Azure Flame Domain today probably doesn’t even have a handful of the crappiest, lowest-grade storage rings, so how could you possibly succeed?"

"I see I was worrying for nothing. You might have heard me mention the last two pages of the Nine Palace Array Map, and you might even know about the Azure Flame Array Plate, but it’s all useless... Hahaha."

"Since you can’t break my Storage Ring, all you can do is stare and seethe with impotent rage. You people really are a bunch of country bumpkins."

At this, Chi Xingxun’s gaze went past Lu Chao to Commander Ke...

"Uncle Ke, I’m going to step out and challenge the eighth layer. You wait here for now..."

"If these country bumpkins from the Azure Flame Domain fail and are ejected back to the seventh layer, you follow them back immediately."

"We can’t let them get away."

With that, Chi Xingxun let go of his severed finger and stepped off the cliff platform.

In that instant... RUMBLE.

Lu Chao and the others watched as an opening formed in the misty world before Chi Xingxun. He immediately stepped through it, and the sounds of illusory troops instantly poured out...

Through the misty portal, they could see the Illusory Battlefield inside, where sixty-four Soldier Dao Battle Arrays had appeared.

It was the eighth layer: eight by eight, for a total of sixty-four battle arrays.

The instant Chi Xingxun entered the Illusory Battlefield, he began to dismantle the battle arrays.

On the cliff to Lu Chao’s left...

Commander Ke slowly drew his gaze back and said with an indifferent smile, "Just as I thought. The Illusory Battle Arrays are the same as what’s on the eighth page of the Nine Palace Array Map... Azure Flame Sect disciple, there’s no use struggling. Without the final two pages, you can’t win against us."

"If you retreat from the eighth-layer barrier, I’ll be waiting for you on the seventh layer."

"If you advance, you won’t be able to defeat our Young City Lord. He and ten Blood Sword Guards will soon be waiting for you on the eighth layer."

"Either way, your only option is death..."

As Commander Ke spoke, Cheng Yunsu and Chang Yuan’s family clenched their fists.

Lu Chao, however, remained expressionless...

With a small smile, Commander Ke continued...

"However, I can make you a proposal."

"Our Young Lord has a taste for women. If you retreat to the seventh layer now and respectfully hand over the two women by your side and the Young City Lord’s finger, I can grant you a quick death and spare your family."

With a faint smile, Lu Chao looked away, no longer paying Commander Ke any mind.

’He had seen it clearly long ago. Whether it was Yan Mu’s Yan Soul City or this Red Sword City, they all saw the people of the Azure Flame Domain as nothing more than ants. Every word they spoke was condescending. It was pointless to talk any further.’

’To have a normal conversation, one first had to crush them underfoot.’

Lu Chao’s gaze turned cold and solemn as he looked at Cheng Yunsu and gave her instructions. "Xiao Su’er, keep trying to smash the storage ring of Red Sword’s Young City Lord. I’m going now to break through the Soldier Dao Battle Array on the eighth layer."

With that, Lu Chao slipped on a Storage Ring he had previously picked up from a corpse and also stepped off the cliff.

’There’s no time to waste. I have to give it my all. I have to win!’

’It’s just as Commander Ke said. If I can’t break through the eighth layer faster than Chi Xingxun, he and ten Blood Sword Guards will be waiting for me there. If I retreat, Commander Ke will be waiting for me back here.’

’There’s only one path forward... break through and advance, faster than him.’

As Lu Chao stepped off the central cliff, a similar misty portal opened before him.

He vanished inside...

He stepped into the Illusory Battlefield and saw sixty-four utterly chaotic Soldier Dao Battle Arrays. He took a deep breath, then suddenly produced a small booklet from the Storage Ring he had just put on.

It wasn’t the one Marshal Fan had recently sent him, but the Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Atlas containing the first seven pages.

Lu Chao was going to cram at the last minute!

’Maybe there’s a clue about the eighth layer within the first seven pages.’

’Or perhaps...’

’I can gain new insights into the Soldier Dao from them, allowing me to break through the eighth layer’s Soldier Dao Battle Array even faster.’

Meanwhile, everyone on the three cliffs saw what Lu Chao was doing through the misty portal in the center.

Commander Ke couldn’t help it... PFFT!

A scornful laugh escaped him. He shook his head and said, "No wonder you were able to get ahead of us and reach the seventh layer. It turns out you had the Azure Flame Nine Palace Array Atlas with the first seven pages all along."

When he heard this, Chang Yuan shot a sharp glance at Commander Ke. He looked as if he was about to say something but quickly held his tongue.