Chapter 1246: Liang Zhao’s Puppet

Chapter 1246: Liang Zhao’s Puppet

The small village they had just discovered was now engulfed in flames.

Large numbers of demon soldiers flooded into the village, burning, killing, and pillaging with extreme cruelty.

Soon, a group of demon soldiers had their sights set on the inn where they were staying, marching in wielding their weapons.

“You are harboring wanted criminals, all of you deserve to die.”

The fierce demon soldiers reprimanded the defenseless villagers before slaughtering them.

“They’re upstairs! Capture them! The lord will reward you handsomely!”

The soldiers surged forward with enthusiasm, as if they had just received a boost of energy, but when they charged up, Lin Nuo and Qin Shili had already vanished without a trace.

“Escaped? The whole town is locked down; they definitely can’t get away.”

The soldiers quickly dispersed to search other areas, determined to find Lin Nuo and the others, even if it meant digging through the earth.

Not long after, they were forced to retreat.

Lin Nuo and Qin Shili had swiftly fled the inn, but the Handa Alliance had people stationed at every exit in and around the village.

The influence of the Handa Alliance was growing stronger, almost taking half the territory, and it was developing rapidly since this region was a battleground between the demon realm and the sacred realm. The Handa Alliance aimed to unify these forces and put an end to the fractured situation.

If they fully established themselves here, they would extend their demon hand across the three realms, gaining an overwhelmingly advantageous position. Right now, their main goal was to draw in both humans and demons and to fully open the path to the human realm.

“They’re still in the town; they haven’t escaped.”

At that moment, an old man leaning on a dragon-patterned magic staff stroked his beard and spoke. He was a terrifying demon from the human realm.

Liang Zhao, a demon master with formidable power, had secured a position within the Handa Alliance.

“They must be exterminated here; they cannot return to the human realm.”

Liang Zhao continued to issue orders. This was the best time to eliminate Lin Nuo; if he returned to the human realm, things would become very difficult. No demons there could stand up to him.

Meanwhile, Lin Nuo and his companions were searching for a way out, with no clear direction. Where could they go from this village?

It seemed they were trying to exhaust them.

They should avoid fighting with these demon soldiers; with so many, it would be a struggle to even kill them.

“Looks like an old acquaintance has arrived.”

Lin Nuo said, already spotting Liang Zhao’s approach.

“Liang Zhao? How has he not died yet?” Qin Shili was furious upon sighting him, as she had suffered enough from his curses.

“He has puppets; his true body is who knows where. We need to destroy the main body for him to die.”

Lin Nuo complained; he found Liang Zhao to be quite a tricky individual. He wasn’t afraid of high combat power but rather of being hard to kill—each time he was defeated, he kept coming back.

That’s just how Liang Zhao rolled.

Hiding his true body while constantly manipulating puppets to create chaos, he would also self-detonate when necessary, causing quite a bit of damage.

He had encountered this situation before. Since Liang Zhao was here, his true body must also be close by.

Crossing boundaries to control puppets was immensely challenging. He preferred to believe that his true body was within this realm.

“It seems Liang Zhao wants to kill us here. After all, returning to the human realm, Qin Dao’s demon soldiers can’t do much against us.”

“But we can’t go back yet.”

“Yes, and even if there were a way back, it would have been destroyed by them. Looks like you’re more like bait.”

“I’m bait?”

Qin Shili began to understand a bit; thinking about it, it did make sense.

“Actually, it would be easy for him to kill me here, but he still waits for you to show up, right?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Lin Nuo nodded, impressed by Qin Shili’s quick comprehension.

“It looks like we can only fight back here.”

“Do you plan to kill him?”

“Killing him is pointless; he’s just a puppet. Even if he dies, there are others. We can lead them in the wrong direction.”

Lin Nuo had a sudden brainwave, creating a shadow clone to lure the demon soldiers away.

“Look! It’s that human!”

“Hurry! Grab the curse talisman given to us by Lord Liang, capturing him will bring untold wealth!”

They surged forward like they were on a frenzy. It was unclear what kind of brainwashing Liang Zhao had done, but this worked perfectly; the more mindless they were, the easier it was for Lin Nuo to divert them.

Soon, a large group of demon soldiers was led astray, and they seized the chance to slip out through one of the town’s exits.

At that moment, Liang Zhao also spotted Lin Nuo’s shadow clone.

“Lin Nuo? No, that’s just a shadow clone; ignore it and look for the main body.”

“Lord, which one is the main body? He seems to have so many shadow clones. We can’t pinpoint which is which.”

“This… useless thing.”

Liang Zhao cursed angrily before collapsing to the ground, transforming into a straw puppet.

“Ah? What’s wrong with the lord…?!”

“Don’t panic.”

A nearby demon master said calmly,

“The lord is fine; this is just his puppet. When the puppet reverts back to its original state, it means he’s using a different puppet.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is. The lord’s technique is truly unpredictable.”

The soldiers marveled; it was indeed their first time witnessing such a bizarre technique.

…

Lin Nuo and Qin Shili successfully escaped the town, looking for the next place to find refuge.

However, the nearby towns had all been occupied by the Handa Alliance, leaving no safe haven.

“Finally found you!”

At that moment, Liang Zhao rode a demon horse directly toward them.

Qin Shili was shocked and said, “How did he get in front of us?”

“Puppets. Switching between various puppets.”

Lin Nuo quickly grasped the key issue,

“So there are many of his puppets nearby. This wouldn’t be possible in the human realm, but in this domain, it seems his abilities are enhanced.”

“What do we do?”

“Retreat.”

Lin Nuo led Qin Shili to veer off and run, avoiding combat.

“Lin Nuo, weren’t you able to easily kill me in the human realm? Why not try here?”

Liang Zhao raised his magic staff to the sky, and in an instant, a shower of magic projectiles fell around them like meteors, with various explosions ringing out.

“Try your own nonsense.”

Lin Nuo cursed under his breath, not bothering to respond. Even if he killed him, he was just a puppet anyway; if the main body appeared, where would Liang Zhao dare to say those words?

They continued to flee; however, they soon came face-to-face with a squad clad in golden armor.

“What now?” Qin Shili expressed concern.

“Probably the Handa Alliance; they should be from the Sacred Realm.”

These demons and the people of the Sacred Realm were easy to differentiate—one had a dark style, while the other had a bright one, especially with many sacred warriors adorned in dazzling golden armor, creating quite a scene.

“Impudent humans, how dare you defy our orders!”

The leading general of the sacred warriors raised a massive sword and bellowed at Lin Nuo, brimming with imposing presence, making nearby frogs and such go dazed.

“What orders? Is it all up to you?”

Lin Nuo stopped, it seemed a fierce battle was about to unfold.