Chapter 1234: United Forces

Chapter 1234: United Forces

As the illusion faded, the man, out of tricks, awaited his demise.

Lin Nuo didn’t even need to lift a finger; the opponent would gradually vanish.

The man had tried to use the illusion to trick them into acting, intending to gather power during their attack to awaken the statue.

That’s why Lin Nuo just avoided confrontation, played the waiting game, and let the opponent run out of time.

He speculated that once the opponent perished, the pyramid would also disappear, and perhaps they would be able to escape this desert.

The man still forced a smile, seemingly trying to maintain his last shred of dignity, refusing to yield.

He coughed a few times, his body gradually becoming translucent, as if he were fading away.

Luo Xiaoxue was anxious; even though this guy wasn’t truly her father, bearing his visage made her feel as if a loved one was disappearing before her eyes.

“Can I say a few words to him?”

The man’s tone softened a bit, lacking the earlier arrogance.

“You can say it now; after all, she won’t crouch down to listen to you,” Lin Nuo retorted, keeping a distance between Luo Xiaoxue and the man. Who knew what tricks the guy still had up his sleeve?

He was merely waiting for the opponent to kick the bucket, eager to hear what valuable information he might divulge next.

“What do you want to tell me? Isn’t it time you revealed your identity?”

“Your Highness, I am but a confidant of the king. These sacred beast statues rightfully belong to you, yet they possess overwhelming power and were sealed away. Only you can awaken them now. The kingdom is in dire straits, and we didn’t want to disturb you, but you’re the only one capable of saving it. By using soul transfer techniques, we created this space to collect your spiritual energy in order to activate the statues.”

“Don’t say such things! I don’t know your kingdom and have no duty to save it. Your repeated attempts to disturb us make you our enemy. We naturally cannot spare you.”

“True. Ha, fine then. These statues might be exploited by others. You ought to prepare yourselves. There are forces conspiring to seize the Sacred Realm, Demon Realm, and the human world. It’s what you’ll need to face next.”

“What forces?”

“We call it Handa, formed by certain factions in the Sacred Realm and Demon Realm, now with human participants as well. Currently, many nations in both realms are suffering. Cracks between the Demon and Sacred Realms keep appearing. To be honest, this harms both sides, and everyone hopes to mend these cracks.”

“Then you fix it; you must have a way. Your lies won’t deceive me.”

Luo Xiaoxue, however, wouldn’t buy it, lacking any solid evidence. It was just the man’s one-sided narrative.

“To restore it, we need the souls of the Sacred Realm that have been here for a long time, or Demon Realm souls, like yours. Your father from the Sacred Realm has already died, and before he passed, he entrusted me with finding you. He respected your wishes; you could remain in the human world, but he hoped the kingdom could be preserved…”

At this point, the man began to cough again, this time more violently, his body nearing complete transparency.

He was fading, the illusion consuming too much energy.

“I hope you fare well. Your kingdom is called Tian Du, and its doors will always be open to you… The land has already been ravaged by the sacred beasts… You should leave quickly…”

After uttering this, the man completely vanished, and then the statue and pyramid quickly disappeared too. A blinding white light flashed before them, and when it dissipated, they found themselves back at the edge of the desert.

“Ah? We made it out, Lin the Knight…”

Luo Xiaoxue realized she had stepped out of the desert, feeling as though she had just woken from a dream.

“Lin the Knight, is what he said credible? Is he dead?”

Luo Xiaoxue felt inexplicably sad; perhaps that familiar face disappearing had left her in sorrow.

“Don’t trust everything, but don’t completely dismiss it either. You must decide for yourself; every situation requires discernment.”

Lin Nuo replied calmly, gazing into the swirling sands ahead.

Or perhaps that force called Handa would be what they had to confront.

With human involvement, the most probable next adversaries would be Qin Dao and the Refining Demon Sect.

After all, the Xuanyun Sect had been destroyed, and both Zhang Yuanxu and Master Zhao were gone, leaving them with fewer allies.

“Are sacred beasts damaging the land? So where will they be?”

Lin Nuo summoned his Spirit Sword, soaring into the air as he stood on it.

“Lin the Knight, where are you going?”

“Get on.”

“Oh, okay.”

Lin Nuo pulled Luo Xiaoxue up onto the sword, soaring high above once more for a better view below.

“Hmm? There’s some movement now. I didn’t see this before.”

Lin Nuo observed closely, realizing that beneath the cover of the windsand, a massive scorpion was crawling, sometimes burrowing into the ground, sometimes emerging.

“This shouldn’t be an illusion.”

Lin Nuo speculated, feeling a powerful flow of spiritual energy approaching; it seemed necessary to eliminate it.

While it wouldn’t change the already desertified land, it could prevent further deterioration.

“Activate the gold shield, prepare for descent.”

“Oh, okay.”

Luo Xiaoxue complied immediately, conjuring the gold shield. Lin Nuo, on his Spirit Sword, dove down.

The defensive quality of this gold shield was indeed formidable; no windsand could affect them. He activated night vision, making it as clear as day, and plunged inward.

That massive underground scorpion hadn’t revealed itself before, likely hidden by the barrier.

And killing that man might break the barrier.

Seeing Lin Nuo dive down, the scorpion instinctively burrowed deeper into the ground. Lin Nuo landed where the scorpion had vanished and thrust his sword into the ground.

Dragon Soul, arise.

With his intent focused, a dragon spirit materialized on the sword, diving underground directly toward the scorpion.

He strengthened his defenses, waiting for the scorpion to emerge while the dragon spirit launched its attack.

Suddenly, the ground quaked. Lin Nuo sensed that the dragon spirit was engaged in fierce combat with the scorpion, turning the area into a scene of chaos.

Before long, the scorpion was forced out of the ground, and the dragon spirit soon emerged too, returning to Lin Nuo’s sword.

“Lin the Knight, it’s out!”

“Stay safe.”

Without hesitation, Lin Nuo charged at the scorpion, unleashing the dragon spirit as he landed, its massive mouth seeming poised to swallow the creature whole.

The scorpion met the charge head-on, unwilling to yield, erupting in a dazzling golden light.

Lin Nuo quickly retreated; this golden light had some power, somewhat similar to Luo Xiaoxue’s, but far weaker.

“Go.”

Lin Nuo wrapped an arm around Luo Xiaoxue, the gold shield protecting them as they bolted straight toward the scorpion, closing the distance rapidly.

With a swift slash of his sword and a quick application of a fu, he promptly retreated.

Punishment of the Sinful Beast.

Accompanied by thunder crashing down, it struck the scorpion’s true form, igniting a fierce inferno. Soon, the windsand dissipated, and the scene gradually returned to calm, with only the burning scorpion remaining.

It was dealt with rather simply, much more manageable compared to the previous sacred beasts.