Chapter 1230: That Man

Chapter 1230: That Man

The small vortex grew larger, and under its powerful suction, Lin Nuo and Luo Xiaoxue were pulled into the whirlpool.

They had no idea where they would be swept away to—perhaps to a boundless hell of darkness, or maybe to a new era, who could say for sure?

However, Luo Xiaoxue remained tightly grasping Lin Nuo’s hand throughout; in critical moments, one should always hold onto their loved one’s hand. Letting go might mean they’d never meet again in their lifetime.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.

…

After a long while, Luo Xiaoxue regained consciousness and found herself in a desert.

At that moment, her hand was still held tightly by Lin Nuo, who had no intention of letting go of the little girl, guarding her by his side.

“Lin the Hero… you’re still here… that’s so great… I thought you…”

“Don’t talk as if I’m dead. So, can you still move?”

Lin Nuo instinctively pulled Luo Xiaoxue up; with his assistance, she managed to stand.

“Hmm, I’m fine. Where are we now?”

“That’s a good question; we should still be in Wind Sea Forest.”

Lin Nuo replied nonchalantly. Even if they were lost and directionless, it was just a minor setback; no need to panic—maintaining a calm mindset was essential.

“Is this your protective shield, Lin the Hero?”

Luo Xiaoxue noticed she was surrounded by a golden shield and instinctively thought Lin Nuo had conjured it.

“Do you really think I’d use such a shield? Clearly, it’s yours.”

Lin Nuo retorted, what would a high-level Demon like himself use a golden shield for? How embarrassing!

Of course, in dire circumstances, one could make do with it; people can adapt.

“Is it really mine? But I didn’t use it…”

“When has your useless ability ever listened to your will? Dangerous situation pops up, and it just appears, simple as that.”

Lin Nuo scoffed, how many times has that golden legend saved your life?

“Hmm… that’s also because of you, Lin the Hero, that it exists. Wasn’t it you who activated it back then?”

“Do you think I wanted to activate it? If I’d known you… never mind.”

Lin Nuo didn’t finish that thought. If he had known she was the real Luo Xiaoxue, he would have fed her to the dogs long ago.

No, if he knew you were the Luo Xiaoxue of Great威天龙, he would have sent you to a remote mountain area, then brainwashed you into thinking you were a local commoner.

“That entrance has already vanished, so we need to find another way out.”

Lin Nuo began to rise, still holding Luo Xiaoxue’s hand tightly.

After all, this golden shield seemed reliable enough to not let sand bury them.

Currently, they were in a heavily sand-swept desert, with strong winds blowing; without the golden shield, they would be nothing but a pile of sand.

“What attracted you in the first place? The shield is protecting us, so you must be the key. Quickly sense something; find us a way out!”

“I… I can’t sense anything… Sorry, it’s my fault…”

“I was just saying that; don’t take it to heart.”

Lin Nuo thought about flying out with his sword, but the wind and sand above seemed intent on pressing him down, making it difficult to fly out immediately.

Of course, if he pushed himself to the limit and activated all his skills, he could probably break free.

But since they were already in, it was better to wait until it was truly critical to use them.

Even though everything was covered in sand, Lin Nuo still felt a bit nostalgic walking on the land of Wind Sea Forest.

Yes, in a way, this was where the dream began.

So, he had to find out who was responsible for transforming Wind Sea Forest like this.

“Lin the Hero, there’s something I don’t know if I should say…”

“You’ve wasted enough time asking; just say it.”

“Hmm… I feel like, what attracted us earlier is to the north.”

“Are you reliable?” Lin Nuo raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

“So I was wondering if I should say…”

“Let’s go.”

What else could they do? They were already here; could he not trust her?

If worse came to worst, he could just leave her behind; that was her own choice.

So they slowly headed north, not daring to move too fast, as the golden shield couldn’t keep up the pace.

“Lin the Hero, what in the world is that?!”

Luo Xiaoxue exclaimed, seeing ahead a creature with a human head and horse body nonchalantly wandering through the sandstorm.

“Probably a monster. Or perhaps, a Sacred Beast.”

Lin Nuo brandished his sword. Goodness, if they got any closer, what if they encountered a bull-headed, horse-faced being? Was this the underworld?

Given they still didn’t know the opponent’s strength, Lin Nuo remained cautious; what if it turned out to be some max-level expert?

“You ultimately still came.”

A familiar male voice rang out, and despite the thick sandstorm, Lin Nuo and Luo Xiaoxue could hear it clearly.

Once that voice appeared, a number of human-headed, horse-bodied monsters surrounded them.

“Warning ahead, your father is dead. So don’t go calling every stranger ‘dad.’”

“What do you mean, Lin the Hero?”

“The one coming isn’t your father. Just that one.”

Lin Nuo had already spotted the incoming figure; it was that man.

“This is, father…?!”

“I said don’t recognize him as father; he’s not.”

Lin Nuo interrupted Luo Xiaoxue, already predicting her reaction.

The figure approaching was none other than the Taishang Huang, presumably in his corporeal form.

“What? You’re not going to offer me some hospitality? How about meat floss cake, quality Tie Guanyin, and a few maids—doesn’t seem too much to ask, right?”

“Hahaha, if I didn’t know you well, I might have thought you were an impudent youth.”

The man laughed heartily, finding the situation amusing.

“I came to save the world, so what’s here for me?” Lin Nuo inquired further.

“Before that, you need to stay alive.”

The man said, and then the human-headed, horse-bodied monsters seemed to receive a command, charging at Lin Nuo and Luo Xiaoxue with their spears raised.

“Lin the Hero, this…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Lin Nuo’s expression turned serious as a sword array encircled the monsters, and he began to infuse it with soul burn damage.

In the blink of an eye, the monsters were wiped out.

“…”

The man frowned; he hadn’t expected it to happen so fast.

Why use soul burn? Wouldn’t the priority against monsters be to target their physical bodies first?

“This is it. If I’m not mistaken, these creatures absorb the energy of Spirit Technique and feed it to you. So with soul burn applied, they’re finished.”

Lin Nuo retracted the sword array, clearly understanding that the opponent wanted them to fight and was attempting to absorb their spirit energy through those monsters.

As for why, that remained a mystery.

“Ha, sorry, you guessed wrong.” The man held his ground.

“Really? If I guessed wrong, that’s fine. The fact that you’re still around means the soul burn’s strength isn’t enough; increase the intensity, and you’ll really be done for.”

Lin Nuo’s sword array shot forward, and the man reacted quickly, dodging the incoming sword; if he’d been trapped, he would’ve truly been finished.

“You can’t do that; you couldn’t possibly kill me. Since you’re here, we don’t need to resort to violence. I hope to discuss a deal with you now.” The man’s tone shifted.