Chapter 426: Flying Feather Black Eagle, Pursuit

Marquis Longyin froze, whirling to look at the Flying Bird Knights behind him, about to give an order.

But it was already too late... WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Suddenly, volleys of arrows shot out from the shadows.

Some were aimed at Lu Chao, others at Marquis Longyin. Then, several Flying Bird Demon Beasts swooped toward Nan Zhuiming as their riders shouted, "Patriarch Nan, get on, quickly! We're from the Saint Bone Zheng Family!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Nan Zhuiming didn't hesitate. He unleashed a sword strike at Lu Chao—his most powerful one.

BOOM!

After his attack collided with Lu Chao's spear, he used the recoil to launch himself onto the back of a Flying Bird Demon Beast. "Go!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Marquis Longyin roared with fury at the sight. Volleys of arrows rained down on the Flying Bird Demon Beasts, and agonizing screams filled the air.

Several of the Flying Bird Demon Beasts, along with their riders, fell from the sky, riddled with arrows.

But the Flying Bird Demon Beast carrying Nan Zhuiming was the fastest, and he continuously used the sword in his hand to deflect the incoming arrows.

In the blink of an eye, they had flown far into the distance.

Nan Zhuiming's voice drifted back from afar. "Lu Chao, just you wait! Once I meet with Lord Mo Jing, I will personally lead the experts of the Cyan Sword Great Empire to finish you all!"

'He escaped. Nan Zhuiming actually escaped...'

Still in the air, Marquis Longyin raged, "Dammit! To think there were still people from the Saint Bone Zheng Family hidden among my men."

The Dragon Flame King had been purging the Saint Bone Zheng Family's influential figures for some time now.

This included various key figures in the Dragon Flame Royal Capital.

Anyone closely associated with Zheng Liling had been apprehended, and Saint Zheng City had also been secured. But who would have thought there were still traitors hiding in the woodwork?

It wasn't just his Flying Bird Knight squadron; people had been shooting arrows from the dark streets nearby as well.

Marquis Longyin was absolutely livid.

He leaped down from the air to the city wall where Lu Chao stood, his face flushed red. "Young Brother Lu Chao, this is all my fault. Otherwise, Nan Zhuiming never would have escaped. He just tried to assassinate my royal brother at the Royal Palace!"

Lu Chao's expression was also cold, but he wasn't as angry or disappointed as one might expect.

He wasn't surprised by the Saint Bone Zheng Family's arrangements.

'After all,' he thought, 'Zheng Liling had been laying his groundwork for many years. How could it be so easy to root out all his people at once?'

'Though Zheng Liling was dead, the Saint Bone Zheng Family still had Elders, Zheng Zhuhe, and others who were still alive.'

Lu Chao took a deep breath. "I'm also to blame. I wasn't able to finish him off directly. The True Qi of a Creation Realm expert is truly formidable."

Hearing this, Marquis Longyin's mouth twitched. 'You're at the Peak Second Layer and you fought a legendary Creation Realm expert to a standstill. How could this possibly be your fault? That's already incredibly badass, isn't it?'

Suddenly, Lu Chao asked again, "Is Dragon Flame Master Wang alright?"

In response, Marquis Longyin briefly explained what had happened earlier at the Dragon Flame Palace. Lu Chao nodded and then immediately asked, "What's the situation with Marshal Fan?"

Right now, Lu Chao was most worried about Fan Changcun. 'Mo Jing was heading straight to kill the old marshal.'

Marquis Longyin quickly replied, "Marshal Fan is fine. Just as you arranged, after giving Yan Mu of the Cyan Sword Great Empire a small scare, he immediately returned to the Nanye Battlefield."

"During his time at Cyan Sword Mountain, he only encountered a small contingent of Cyan Sword soldiers and horses, which he easily defeated."

Previously, Lu Chao had Yin Ye send a message to the Dragon Flame King, telling him to have Fan Changcun lead troops directly toward Cyan Sword Mountain. The entire purpose was to lure Mo Jing away from the Great Wu Empire; otherwise, the empire would have been doomed.

They had succeeded in luring Mo Jing away, but Fan Changcun couldn't actually attack Cyan Sword Mountain. That would be too dangerous.

So, Lu Chao sent a second letter, telling Fan Changcun to retreat back to the Nanye Dynasty's battlefield immediately after making a show of force.

'That retreat should have allowed him to avoid Mo Jing's lethal assault...'

'Mo Jing is in a hurry to console his good-for-nothing son. And since Fan Changcun is no longer attacking Yan Mu, Mo Jing won't prioritize killing Fan Changcun, nor will he rush to the Nanye Battlefield.'

'By now, Mo Jing should have received Zeng Quan's report and will be focused on dealing with the people from Red Sword City. He won't have time to go after Fan Changcun either.'

Thinking of this, Lu Chao let out a long sigh of relief.

"It seems everything is going smoothly. Now it just depends on whether Marquis Yin Ye can defeat Lu Dingtian."

The current situation was...

He had obtained the item from the Azure Flame Sect's Forbidden Land, and the Hundred Countries were now fully integrated and allied. Next, as soon as Marquis Jilong, Yin Ye, took down Lu Dingtian, the Great Wu Empire could join forces with Dragon Flame.

Then, by defeating the Nanye Dynasty on the battlefield, the entire Azure Flame Domain could unite to resist the Cyan Sword Great Empire.

The appearance of Red Sword City would surely buy them more time!

But suddenly, Lu Chao's expression changed again.

"No, that's not right. Mo Jing wants to orchestrate a spectacular victory for his good-for-nothing son. He wants the Azure Flame Domain to be conquered easily. In that case, he absolutely won't tolerate the existence of someone like Marshal Fan."

"I'm afraid Nan Zhuiming is on his way to... assassinate Marshal Fan."

As Lu Chao spoke, Marquis Longyin froze, his pupils contracting violently.

"Even if Nan Zhuiming doesn't do it, they will send experts from the Cyan Sword Great Empire to kill him," Lu Chao added in a low voice.

As he said this, the light in his eyes shifted. "Marquis Longyin, give me your fastest Flying Bird Demon Beast. I have to hunt down Nan Zhuiming... or rather, I need to find Marshal Fan immediately."

Hearing this, Marquis Longyin didn't dare to delay. He immediately ordered someone to bring a Flying Bird Demon Beast.

It was a Flying Feather Black Eagle, a being at the True Fate Realm Peak.

Marquis Longyin spoke quickly, "Lu Chao, this Flying Feather Black Eagle is extremely wild. It took us a long time to capture it, and ordinary people can't ride it. But I'm sure it won't be a problem for you. This is what my Brother Wang said he wanted to give you."

The Dragon Flame King had long been thinking of giving Lu Chao a powerful Flying Bird Demon Beast to aid him in his various operations.

Staring at the Flying Feather Black Eagle in the cage, Lu Chao was very satisfied. He nodded lightly. "No problem. Let it out."

At these words, Marquis Longyin's eyes widened slightly.

'He said it's no problem, but isn't it a bit reckless to release it without taming it first?'

'What if it just flies away?'

But when he met Lu Chao's gaze, Marquis Longyin's worries immediately vanished.

'If Lu Chao says to let it out, then I'll let it out...'

He personally opened the large cage holding the Flying Feather Black Eagle, then quickly retreated. The attack power of a Flying Feather Black Eagle was terrifying.

As expected... SCREECH!

When the Flying Feather Black Eagle saw the cage door open, it let out a roar and charged out, intending to soar into the sky. Its first instinct, of course, was to escape.

However, Lu Chao said calmly, "Destiny Bone, suppress!"

Ripples from his Moon Profound Breaking Soldier Bone flashed out, instantly enveloping the Flying Feather Black Eagle.

The beast's eyes went wide. It froze in mid-air as if struck by lightning, its entire body trembling uncontrollably.

With a light leap, Lu Chao landed on its back.

Ignoring how the Flying Feather Black Eagle felt, Lu Chao looked at Cheng Yunsu. "Xiao Su'er, I'm going to find Marshal Fan now. You stay here in the Dragon Flame Royal Capital for now. If you have any health problems, have Marquis Longyin contact me immediately."

After Cheng Yunsu nodded and told him not to worry, Lu Chao stamped his foot on the Flying Feather Black Eagle and commanded, "Go."