Chapter 1198: Forbidden Techniques

Chapter 1198: Forbidden Techniques

Master Cong sensed something was off; why did Lin Nuo suddenly rush over to him? How could he be so sensitive?!

Moreover, his speed of advancement was lightning-fast; he could barely catch a glimpse of his figure before Lin Nuo appeared right in front of him.

Then came a powerful punch.

Bang!

The hefty Master Cong was sent flying by Lin Nuo’s blow, forcing a halt to the original plan.

If his sword had been able to keep pace, he would have struck that fat brat down right then and there.

I’ve been patient long enough! You guys are truly a clan of shamelessness, inheriting Zhang Yuanxu’s terrible habits!

“Master! You!”

As Master Cong’s prized disciple, Xie Yu, saw his master being attacked by Lin Nuo, his fury flared. He was itching to tear Lin Nuo apart.

But since Master couldn’t even handle it, as his disciple, it was even more impossible for him. He charged in only to swing at thin air, unable to match Lin Nuo’s speed at all.

No matter how much you’re favored at the Xuanyun Sect, facing off against top Demon Practitioners is akin to cracking an egg against a rock.

“You’re not so impressive yourself.”

Lin Nuo landed several blows on Xie Yu, rendering him dazed, and he crashed to the ground, creating a large hole.

The battleground was in disarray, filled with the sounds of weapons clashing and chaos.

Master Cong’s temporary plan was exposed by Mu Yiting’s look at Lin Nuo and, after being battered, the sword array remained solid as a mountain—fractured cultivators could not break through.

Zhang Yuanxu looked increasingly anxious; with their failed assault, everyone’s morale was plummeting. Not only were they losing energy, but doubts also crept in among them, each thinking of slipping away instead of joining forces.

This provided Lin Nuo the chance to take them out one by one. As long as they didn’t attack together, it was like sending themselves to their doom.

Of course, taking them out one at a time would require some stamina, which was precisely what Zhang Yuanxu wanted to see.

Since they couldn’t join forces to deal with Lin Nuo, all he could do was watch and wait for Lin Nuo to tire himself out.

After interrupting the hefty Master Cong’s antics and knocking him senseless, Lin Nuo turned back to confront Zhang Yuanxu.

Forget it; taking them out one by one was too exhausting. It’d be wiser to capture the leader first—time to settle the score with this Zhang!

Seeing Lin Nuo charging toward Zhang Yuanxu, the other elders didn’t step in for support this time.

Zhang Yuanxu had just shown signs of holding back; clearly, he hadn’t exerted his full strength while others were desperately clashing. He had intentionally stepped back.

Was he planning to sacrifice them?

Zhang Yuanxu felt the looming threat from Lin Nuo. The battleground had opened up for them to fight now; some had already retreated while others were still trying to break through the Sword Saint’s array.

“What about your forbidden techniques? Are you still hiding them?”

The countless swords locked onto Zhang Yuanxu, who felt increasingly powerless. When fighting Lin Nuo, he was clearly at a disadvantage.

If he used forbidden techniques now, it would expose his own situation—his fears seemed validated by what Lin Nuo had said.

However, if he didn’t use them, he probably wouldn’t last long; fighting Lin Nuo fairly was quite the challenge.

Those useless fools hadn’t exhausted Lin Nuo at all; in the end, it would still be up to him to confront Lin Nuo directly.

“Hide away, keep hiding.”

Lin Nuo continued taunting, swinging his sword. Zhang Yuanxu activated his Spirit Shield, barely deflecting Lin Nuo’s strike, but the immense pressure caused him to stagger back.

If Lin Nuo continued to press the attack, he surely wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Forget it; eliminating this demon would eradicate future troubles. If he had power, he could control everything—who could defy him?

“Young man, too arrogant, and you will surely fall.”

Zhang Yuanxu chuckled coldly, only to see a thick black mist suddenly burst forth from his body, rapidly expanding.

“Ha, it finally came.”

Fortunately, Lin Nuo had forced Zhang Yuanxu back a good distance while pursuing him, giving the others time to escape as the black mist spread.

“You all, quickly move! Otherwise, this mist will engulf you. Now, hurry!”

Lin Nuo turned to shout at Ling Meng. Since Ling Meng had the ring for sensing, she could still hear him despite the distance.

“Master has ordered us to retreat quickly and move to avoid that black mist—do it now!”

Ling Meng swiftly conveyed Lin Nuo’s words to the Sword Saint and the others. Even if Lin Nuo hadn’t spoken, the Sword Saint understood the gravity of the situation.

Zhang Yuanxu had trained in forbidden techniques, and that black mist was the resentment he had long concealed, now rampant and spreading. If swallowed, it would erode their spiritual powers, turning them into Zhang Yuanxu’s fuel.

The side effects of this forbidden technique were severe. Though it granted immense power now, the aftermath would be excruciating.

But Zhang Yuanxu didn’t care; he could handle it. After all, he was a master in seclusion with forbidden techniques—if he couldn’t handle it, he would have died long ago.

The Sword Saint pushed the sword array to move, guiding Ruo’er and the others along as the formation shifted.

The moving sword array was something any sword cultivator could learn in a lifetime, yet most wouldn’t manage to master it.

Everyone hurried to evacuate; even a moment’s delay would spell disaster.

Some cultivators failed to react and were engulfed by the black mist, their spiritual powers eroded to a state worse than death.

However, Lin Nuo didn’t retreat, instead being absorbed by the black mist.

“Master!”

Ling Meng’s communication device suddenly failed; she could no longer hear Lin Nuo’s voice.

Watching her master get swallowed by the black mist felt like watching him plummet into an endless abyss, filling her with dread.

“Stop yelling; if anything happens to him, we won’t escape.”

The Sword Saint said coldly, clearly indicating that with Lin Nuo caught up in the mist, its expansion slowed, giving them a chance to flee—otherwise, there would have been no time.

“But, father, what about young master…”

“Don’t you trust his strength? He’s buying us time. Go! Don’t be a burden to him.”

The Sword Saint was acutely aware; right now, he and Lin Nuo were indeed the same kind of people. Both were immensely strong but couldn’t unleash their full power due to protecting those they cared about.

He understood his role: to escape with Ruo’er and keep her safe, allowing Lin Nuo to fight without worries.

At that moment, in the depths of the black mist.

Lin Nuo stood firm before Zhang Yuanxu; the massive mist hadn’t diminished his spiritual powers much.

However, Zhang Yuanxu had managed to absorb quite a bit of spiritual energy from this black mist, greatly enhancing his strength, making him a formidable opponent for Lin Nuo.

“Young man, good job slowing the mist’s spread. But to save them, you’ve trapped yourself—how laughable.”

Zhang Yuanxu stroked his beard, laughing heartily as if victory was assured. Killing Lin Nuo would be a mere flick of his fingers.

This was Zhang Yuanxu’s domain; he clearly had the advantage now.

But facing difficulties wasn’t something new for Lin Nuo.

“Who’s truly in a predicament? We’ll see about that.”

Lin Nuo smiled coldly, swiftly calling his Spirit Sword back to his hand.