Chapter 411: One Against Six, a Temporary Stalemate

WHOOSH...

Lu Chao, Cheng Yunsu, and the others entered the space behind the 8th floor’s Barrier.

The moment they landed, Cheng Yunsu had no time for joy. She spoke urgently, "Lu Chao, Young City Lord Red Sword is about to complete the 8th floor. We have to get to the 9th Floor immediately."

Lu Chao was still lost in the afterglow of breaking through the 8th floor, mesmerized by the seven pages of the Nine Palace Array Map.

Her reminder snapped him back to his senses. ’That was close!’

Unable to see Chi Xingxun’s progress, Lu Chao had simply followed his intuition on the 8th floor, beginning his attempt when he felt most confident of a swift breakthrough. Luckily, he had been one step faster than the Young City Lord Red Sword.

Without hesitation, Lu Chao immediately said, "Let’s go..."

He led the group, rushing toward the Barrier of the 9th Floor. As expected, there were no skeletons in the space of the 8th floor.

This meant that in the two hundred years since the great turmoil of Azure Flame, no one had broken through the 8th floor.

Soon...

The group approached the Barrier of the 9th Floor, but Cheng Yunsu suddenly stopped them. "Wait," she said urgently. "Young City Lord Red Sword isn’t out yet. Let me see if I can shatter his Storage Ring first."

With that, Cheng Yunsu looked at her own bracelet, gritted her teeth, and slammed it down hard...

Lu Chao was stunned. "Xiao Su’er, what are you doing?"

"One of his guards said only a higher-grade treasure can shatter this Storage Ring," Cheng Yunsu replied quickly.

As she spoke, the bracelet and the Storage Ring had already collided heavily.

The next moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Chi Xingxun’s Storage Ring.

But when Cheng Yunsu lifted her bracelet, the Storage Ring showed no signs of shattering...

For a moment, Cheng Yunsu’s gaze froze. Then, she prepared to slam it down again.

Lu Chao quickly grabbed her hand and shook his head...

"Forget it. Don’t break your bracelet. It was a gift from your mother."

Looking up in a daze, Cheng Yunsu stammered, "But..."

Holding her hand, Lu Chao said softly, "This isn’t the most desperate moment. Don’t be impulsive."

As he spoke, Lu Chao abruptly looked up at the 8th floor’s Barrier behind them. "They’re coming out. We need to enter the 9th Floor now."

With that said, after putting the items away, Lu Chao led the four of them through the Barrier of the 9th Floor.

The moment they were inside, Lu Chao immediately began observing his surroundings.

It was basically no different from the 8th floor. They stood on a stone cliff, with a vast expanse of mist before them. The rules of the Soldier Dao competition were still in effect, so Lu Chao stepped off the cliff without hesitation.

Sure enough, a rift tore open in the mist, and eighty-one Soldier Dao Battle Arrays appeared before Lu Chao.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chao told himself, ’I have to win. Pass this, and the trial is complete.’

He began at once!

Back in the 8th floor’s space... BUZZ!

Chi Xingxun emerged, with his ten Blood Sword Guards in tow.

He roared with laughter. "Following the eighth page of the Array Map made it a breeze, far easier than the 7th floor! Now all I have to do is wait for that damned Azure Flame Sect disciple."

After speaking, Chi Xingxun subconsciously glanced at his ten Blood Sword Guards and froze slightly.

Chi Xingxun asked in confusion, "What’s with those expressions? Why aren’t you laughing?"

Twitching their lips, the Blood Sword Guards exchanged glances before one of them finally answered, "Young City Lord, the Azure Flame Sect disciple has already passed the 8th floor. He’s on the 9th Floor now."

’Young City Lord, you lost.’

Chi Xingxun was completely stunned. He couldn’t process it for a moment, and only after three full breaths did he screech, "What did you say?"

Only after the Blood Sword Guards repeated themselves did he finally snap back to reality...

"Impossible! Did he shatter my Storage Ring?"

"He didn’t?"

"If he didn’t, how could he possibly be faster than me? Even if he got the last two pages of the Array Map, he’s just a beginner!"

Unfortunately, no matter how Chi Xingxun asked, the Blood Sword Guards had no answer.

’Who the hell knows how that Azure Flame Sect disciple is so skilled?’

"Damn it, damn it all!"

Chi Xingxun cursed viciously. He felt as if his face had been slapped swollen, that all his previous boasts now seemed utterly ridiculous.

Regardless, he dared not delay. He immediately led the Blood Sword Guards toward the Barrier of the 9th Floor.

Then, he stopped abruptly again and issued a chilling command. "Just in case... five of you stay here. If I fucking lose on the 9th Floor, you must block them for me."

The meaning was clear...

He was leaving five men behind so that if he truly lost to Lu Chao, there would be someone here to stop him.

No matter what, Lu Chao and the others would eventually have to leave the Forbidden Land.

And so, Chi Xingxun took the five Blood Sword Guards who were skilled in the Soldier Dao and charged into the 9th Floor.

The moment he entered, he saw that Lu Chao had already begun.

He then turned to Cheng Yunsu and the other three on the nearby cliff, demanding furiously, "How did he beat me? Why was he faster?"

Chi Xingxun had no time to admire the beauty now; he was simply enraged.

Cheng Yunsu replied indifferently, "Because you’re just that bad."

Being scorned by a beautiful woman was something Chi Xingxun found hard to tolerate.

He suddenly turned to his five Blood Sword Guards. "The five of you, see if you can enter with me. We’ll solve the 9th Floor together."

With that, he was the first to charge off the cliff, and the five Blood Sword Guards followed him.

Then, a worrying scene unfolded.

Chi Xingxun had actually brought the five Blood Sword Guards in with him. They were truly consulting with each other to solve the 9th Floor.

Seeing this, Little Chang Duan exclaimed, "That’s shameless! Uncle Lu Chao has to face six of them! Auntie Yunsu, what do we do?"

Her expression shifted wildly...

Cheng Yunsu shook her head lightly. "None of us know the Soldier Dao. We’d only get in Lu Chao’s way if we went in. We can only trust in him."

And so, the four of them stood on the cliff, their eyes glued to the two misty mirrors.

「A quarter of an hour later...」

Chang Yuan lowered his voice. "The Young City Lord Red Sword’s men have clearly also mastered some of the Azure Flame Forbidden Land’s Soldier Dao. I fear they’ve studied the Array Maps as well. They’re coordinating with the Young City Lord Red Sword with extreme proficiency."

Hearing this, Cheng Yunsu’s palms grew sweaty...

Although she didn’t understand the Soldier Dao well, she could still tell that Chi Xingxun was much more at ease, a clear result of having studied the ninth page of the Array Map.

Lu Chao, on the other hand, was clearly in a state of trial and error.

Of course, even with his fumbling, Lu Chao didn’t seem any slower than the Young City Lord Red Sword, but she was still worried.

Time trickled by.

They could no longer tell who was faster.

But just then, with a BUZZ, a third stone cliff appeared. Commander Ke had also entered the 9th Floor.

He had quickly broken through the 8th floor and caught up.

Commander Ke merely glanced at the two Illusory Battlefields before making an immediate judgment.

"What an impressive Azure Flame Sect disciple."

"The Young City Lord’s group of six is only just keeping pace with him for now. However, at this rate, it will be no problem for me to catch up."

After speaking, Commander Ke flashed off the cliff, and yet another Illusory Battlefield appeared.

With Commander Ke’s words, and with him entering the true competition, the tension felt by Cheng Yunsu and the others grew even thicker.

It was obvious that Commander Ke was far more formidable than the Young City Lord Red Sword.