Chapter 1086: You Will Be the Sacrifice

Chapter 1086: You Will Be the Sacrifice

As they journeyed along, they encountered no other ferocious creatures; instead, the surrounding environment was dark and icy, seeming to progress smoothly without any oddities.

However, danger lurked within the silence.

After Lin Nuo held Su Kexin’s hand and walked for a while, the dark valley gradually brightened.

It wasn’t the sunlight filtering into the gorge; it was the emergence of ghostly flames.

Gray ghostly flames floated in the air, quite terrifying and chilling.

“Young master, what on earth is this…?”

Su Kexin, scared, hid behind Lin Nuo, having never seen such a terrifying scene before.

It felt like they had entered the underworld, as if they were about to embark on a reincarnation journey into their next lives.

To be honest, Lin Nuo felt afraid as well.

How could he not be scared? What on earth was this? Were these ghostly flames a bad omen?

Yet he had to keep up appearances in front of Su Kexin. After all, he was the esteemed knight of Xuanyun Sect she admired.

But enough was enough; he couldn’t keep pretending any longer—it was time to escape!

“This place is heavily tainted with dark energy; we shouldn’t get closer. Let’s retreat.”

Saying this, he hurriedly shielded Su Kexin as they tried to retreat from this ghostly place.

However, they felt something was off; after retreating for a while, they just ended up back where they started—completely unable to leave.

Is this a ghost wall?

There was only one path; why couldn’t they retreat any further?

“Young master, what should we do…?”

“Don’t panic; the situation is dire. The most frightening thing is to have chaotic hearts.”

He spoke seriously, quoting an elder to comfort Su Kexin, even though he was feeling quite flustered himself.

The floating ghostly flames didn’t seem harmful; they just floated around, soon dispersing, surrounding Lin Nuo and Su Kexin.

Once surrounded, it became even harder to escape.

Lin Nuo thought that Su Kexin should quickly awaken her other personality—perhaps she could extinguish these flames!

“Young master, these flames…”

“They look frightening, but they pose no real threat. If you’re scared, just close your eyes. I’ll lead you.”

“Okay… please, young master…”

Su Kexin dared not look anymore, closing her eyes as Lin Nuo led her, entrusting her life to him.

Lin Nuo felt helpless; he clearly hadn’t moved or advanced, yet it felt like something was pushing him forward.

No way, is there really a ghost pushing me along?!

Lin Nuo grew increasingly fearful. He didn’t even have a complete sword now; if he encountered something, he’d have to sacrifice himself first.

As the ghostly flames spread and surrounded them, Lin Nuo spotted a small altar ahead.

The altar was ancient and worn, with carvings resembling fierce beasts and hanging bones scattered all around.

He didn’t know what this was, but Lin Nuo’s back felt even chillier. Before being killed by something, he might get scared to death first.

He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and kept encouraging himself—not to be afraid and just move forward.

If he got through this, he might just win over this girl. This must be a test from the heavens!

At that moment, a shadow of a man appeared on the altar, appearing ethereal and uncertain.

He wore ragged old clothes and held a staff, with various animal bones hanging from his clothing.

He looked like someone who had crossed over from ancient times.

The ghostly flames swirled around him, and the fire pits near the altar blazed to life, bringing some light to the dark valley.

What kind of place is this?

Lin Nuo, uncertain, raised his voice to inquire:

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

“Young master, did we encounter someone else?”

Su Kexin heard Lin Nuo’s questions and felt curious, but still dared not open her eyes.

“I don’t know if he’s human; he certainly doesn’t look like one.”

“Ah? Could it be a ghost?!”

Su Kexin gripped Lin Nuo’s hand even tighter, refusing to let go.

“Don’t be scared; he might just be an image. But he seems to harbor no ill intentions.”

Lin Nuo tried to comfort Su Kexin, reminding himself that he was a knight and needed to maintain a knightly demeanor.

With a girl nearby, he felt a bit bolder and sought to appear reliable.

Lin Nuo shouted again at the man who had appeared:

“Who are you? Or are you merely an image left behind by someone else? Do you have any wishes or regrets?”

Yet the man remained silent, gazing intently at Lin Nuo.

This left Lin Nuo in a bind.

Seriously! Are you human or a ghost? Just say something!

Are you mute or what?

Then, the man stomped his staff, causing all the ghostly flames to fall into one of the fire pits, igniting a fierce blaze that made the place feel even more like a hellish prison.

What is this cursed thing trying to do? Ugh!

Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through Lin Nuo’s entire body, and he coughed up blood.

What on earth is happening now?

“Humans.”

After a long pause, the ethereal man spoke in a low voice.

“I welcome you entering here; you are fortunate to become a sacrifice.”

“A sacrifice?? What the heck?!”

Lin Nuo was shocked, thinking this guy wanted to kill them and harvest their life energy—sounds like something a ghost would do!

If that were the case, he wouldn’t have any good way to deal with it.

He barely clung to life; what could he do?

“Wait! Clarify yourself. Who are you? Why do we have to be sacrifices? What happens if we become sacrifices? Don’t give me riddles!” Lin Nuo challenged him.

“I am merely a demon master sealed by hypocritical Taoists. You can call me Zhe. This is a sealing space; when the seal weakens, I can summon you here. The so-called sacrifice means death—an exchange to unseal me. You possess the demon qi of Wolf King Nuo Si, and that qi is just perfect, allowing someone as weak as you to become a suitable sacrifice.”

Hearing this, Lin Nuo was furious.

What a load of rubbish! I’m weak? And yet I could become a decent sacrifice?

“I don’t understand what nonsense you’re spouting.” Lin Nuo shot back.

“Young man, I can see your body—according to my assessment, you should have died long ago. It’s just that some hidden demon qi in you is sustaining your body. You were once a promising cultivator, but this hidden qi is gradually destroying your foundation. Now, the demon qi of Wolf King Nuo Si is attaching to you, awakening that qi and accelerating your demonization, making you a qualified sacrifice.”

“What? I died long ago? Demon qi sustaining my body? Are you kidding me?!”

Lin Nuo couldn’t accept this; he had always believed he could join Xuanyun Sect due to his infinite potential. If that were true, the sect would have kicked him out long ago!

“Whether you believe it or not, even if you join the sect now, you’ll only be a mediocre figure. As for the little girl behind you, she possesses terrifying power that could fully assist me and my demon army in breaking free. Enough chitchat; you’ve long been dead, and it’s time to end this.”

With a stomp of his staff, Lin Nuo and Su Kexin felt as if something was grasping them, lifting them into the air involuntarily.