Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

In the secret passage...

Lu Chao immediately said, "Brother Chang, you all go ahead. I’ll stay and see if Commander Ke can break through the stone slab of this passage."

Before entering the passage, he had seen Commander Ke emerge from the barrier.

In the Illusory Battlefield on the 9th Floor, Lu Chao hadn’t managed to put much distance between himself and Commander Ke.

He had no idea if Commander Ke had seen them enter the secret passage. Moreover, Lu Chao didn’t know if the stone slab could withstand an assault from someone above the Creation Level like Commander Ke.

He had to make sure first.

If the slab couldn’t hold, Lu Chao would have to try and collapse the entire passage.

And so, Chang Yuan continued onward, still carrying his son, while Le Chun followed with a semi-conscious Cheng Yunsu in her arms.

Lu Chao, however, remained where he was, his eyes fixed on the stone slab...

Time trickled by. Suddenly... BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A series of furious explosions echoed from above the slab, causing the entire secret passage to tremble slightly. It was obvious Commander Ke had found the entrance and was attacking it frantically.

His fists clenched!

Lu Chao backed away, retreating to a safe distance, ready at any moment... to collapse the passage.

But after a long, long time, the vibrations from the stone slab finally stopped.

Apparently, even Commander Ke’s strength wasn’t enough to break it open. The slab had to be made from some incredible Refining Materials.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Lu Chao no longer hesitated. He flashed forward, catching up to Chang Yuan and the others.

He then took Cheng Yunsu from Le Chun’s arms. Only now did he have a moment to sense and inspect her internal condition. What he found left him utterly stunned.

’Xiao Su’er’s bloodline is boiling. Such pure Power of the Fire Sparrow! The Star Fire Sparrow Bone is completely enveloped by this bloodline power. It seems to be truly fusing with her, becoming a part of her body?’

’And the Fire Sparrow Bracelet... it feels like some kind of power is continuously being transferred from it into Xiao Su’er’s body.’

’The boiling of her bloodline must be caused by the energy inside the Fire Sparrow Bracelet.’

Lu Chao was shocked. Cheng Yunsu’s own Fire Sparrow Bone had shattered when she resurrected him. The one she was now fusing with was the Star Fire Sparrow Bone from his World of Destiny Bone. No matter how powerful it was, it wasn’t originally hers.

However, the power within Cheng Yunsu’s body seemed intent on making the Star Fire Sparrow Bone her own.

And what was this energy from the Fire Sparrow Bracelet?

Just as Lu Chao was about to investigate further, a BUZZ sounded, and the power from the Fire Sparrow Bracelet pushed him back, preventing him from continuing.

At that moment, Lu Chao suddenly noticed the scar on Cheng Yunsu’s wrist.

It was a shocking, grievous wound.

"Xiao Su’er... she almost went mad trying to shatter Young City Lord Red Sword’s Storage Ring. She nearly had all her blood drained," Le Chun explained softly, seeing the look in Lu Chao’s eyes.

She was describing Cheng Yunsu’s state when she had been shattering Chi Xingxun’s Storage Ring.

Every word made Lu Chao’s heart tremble.

When he heard that Xiao Su’er had even been muttering deliriously while smashing it, an overwhelming ache filled his heart. He hugged Cheng Yunsu tightly and whispered, "Without Xiao Su’er... given how fast Commander Ke was deciphering things, I wouldn’t have won."

Without Cheng Yunsu bringing the eighth and ninth pages of the Array Map, it would have been impossible for Lu Chao to win on the 9th Floor.

Chang Yuan’s family nodded gravely.

They all looked at Cheng Yunsu and Lu Chao with immense gratitude.

Just then, Lu Chao’s gaze fell upon the Fire Sparrow Bracelet again. He murmured...

"The Fire Sparrow Bracelet has acknowledged its master. It shattered Young City Lord Red Sword’s Storage Ring so easily... It’s truly extraordinary."

"I hope there’s a clue about my mother-in-law inside."

He said no more. Cheng Yunsu’s current condition wasn’t a bad thing, so Lu Chao stopped worrying.

They continued to press forward quickly along the secret passage...

It wasn’t time to relax completely. Commander Ke was still behind them and could potentially break through the stone slab and give chase.

...

In truth, Lu Chao and the others were worrying for nothing. At that moment, in the space behind the 9th Floor of the Forbidden Land—the deepest part of the Azure Flame Forbidden Land—Commander Ke’s face was ashen...

He’d lost count of how many times he had struck the secret passage’s stone slab. He just couldn’t break it.

After failing to break it, he tried attacking the stone door of the secret chamber, but that was also completely useless. He clenched his fists and said in a cold voice, "It must be a secret passage. They must have already used it to leave the Azure Flame Forbidden Land."

"And they must have destroyed the Young City Lord’s Storage Ring. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had the Azure Flame Order to open the slab."

"They took the treasure from the Azure Flame Sect’s Forbidden Land, too."

His voice was thick with murderous intent. "No, I can’t wait for the Young City Lord here. I have to go out and hunt them down... That Azure Flame Sect disciple’s talent for the Soldier Dao is too terrifying. For that reason alone, he must die!"

With that, Commander Ke quickly scrawled a few lines on the ground before charging back into the barrier of the 9th Floor.

For Commander Ke, this meant turning back and fighting his way through the Illusion Realm once more...

...

The secret passage was very, very long. It took a full half-hour before Lu Chao and the others finally reached the end.

And there, Lu Chao saw another set of skeletal remains.

Staring intently at the bones, he said softly, "This must be the disciple mentioned in Elder Sect Leader Cang Xu’s letter."

The one Cang Xu had truly entrusted with retrieving the letter...

After speaking, Lu Chao didn’t touch the remains. Instead, he first found the exit slab and gave it a gentle push.

Instantly... WHOOSH!

The smell of dust filled the air as a faint light trickled in.

Lu Chao handed Cheng Yunsu to Le Chun, then flashed outside, remaining on high alert. He didn’t know what the environment was like or if there were any dangers, so of course, he had to scout ahead.

But when he saw his surroundings, he froze and muttered, "It’s... Sword Thinking Peak."

This was a place within the Azure Flame Sect, where Lu Chao had once led students from the Dragon Flame Academy against the Three Flames Soldiers and Horses.

It was the core of the Azure Flame Sect’s thirty-six Soldier Dao array points.

At the center of Sword Thinking Peak stood a dilapidated high tower with a giant bell hanging from it.

And the entrance to the secret passage was hidden inside this very tower...

Letting out a quiet breath of relief, Lu Chao flashed back into the passage. "It’s all clear. We’re completely out of the Forbidden Land."

At his words, smiles bloomed on the faces of Chang Yuan’s family...

Le Chun shed tears of joy as the three of them hurried out of the secret passage and the tower, breathing in the fresh air.

The past few days had been an absolute nightmare for their family.

Lu Chao, meanwhile, gently laid Cheng Yunsu down inside the tower. He then flashed back into the secret passage. He wanted to see if the Cang Xu Disciple had left anything behind, and he also planned to bring the remains out for a proper burial.

But just as he was about to touch the skeleton, a deep voice suddenly came from above. "You are... Chang Yuan?"

Lu Chao froze, his expression changing slightly. "Zeng Quan..."

Zeng Quan’s voice was coming from Sword Thinking Peak. Why was the so-called head of the Beast Flame Academy here?

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