Chapter 1298: As if Facing a Great Enemy

Chapter 1298: As if Facing a Great Enemy

“Hm?”

He was using an extremely brutal body explosion Demon Power, casting it at a close range of just two to three meters, and he had been prepared. Once Lin Nuo transmitted over, he could unleash this attack on him.

The result was that Lin Nuo exploded, but something felt off.

This looked like Lin Nuo, but it wasn’t truly him.

“A phantom. Heh, you’re quite cautious. This can’t be categorized simply as a phantom; it’s practically half a body. That previous explosion would have caused you some damage as well, Lin Nuo.”

Aike coldly chuckled. This looked like a puppet he sent out, yet Lin Nuo’s was even more realistic, nearly impossible to distinguish as fake.

If it was an ordinary puppet, blowing it up wouldn’t hurt him, but the downside was that once it was destroyed, the original couldn’t be controlled anymore.

Thus, Lin Nuo had dispatched a more advanced puppet to ensure he could still see through its eyes, no matter where it was.

Another reason was that Lin Nuo intended to use this puppet to test Aike’s strength.

When this puppet exploded, Lin Nuo’s body would also take some damage, and while he endured the pain, he was also gauging Aike’s power.

Neither Aike nor Lin Nuo had fought head-on before, so their strengths were unknown to each other.

“No worries. Since you understand you can’t leave the Demon Realm, what can you do? Run? Can you keep running? Can you escape? Most of the Demon Realm territory is already cursed; you will only die a slow death. And as long as those four Demonized Sacred Beasts are present, even if you wish to confront me, you will have no chance whatsoever.”

Aike burst into laughter. Not being able to kill Lin Nuo completely this time was no concern; there would be plenty of opportunities in the future. As long as he remained in the Demon Realm, he stood no chance.

Lin Nuo had a slight chance when Aike was still in the Sacred Realm, but he had already returned to the Demon Realm, and Lin Nuo had followed. There was no opportunity left.

Alright, they would soon return to the headquarters.

…

At the Handa Alliance headquarters, Lin Nuo spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Ah! Senior Martial Brother!”

“Master!”

…

The girls suddenly panicked. What was going on? Why did Lin Nuo suddenly spit blood?!

Just as he predicted, the teleportation array had brought him directly to Aike’s side.

Was Mu Yiting a fake? Or had she allied with Aike?

Neither. He still had enough trust in Mu Yiting, especially since they had shared a bed; that little trust was still there.

Well, now that he knew they were being transported to Aike, Lin Nuo began to believe that everything would not go smoothly.

Like a mouse trapped in a cage, still lively but destined for the blade soon.

Moreover, they had left the headquarters in complete disarray, and without even seeing the true Aike return, they were surely plotting something wicked.

“A small injury, nothing to worry about. Just let me rest a bit. None of the teleportation arrays are accessible; you must not step into them.”

Lin Nuo began to regain his true energy, realizing just how ruthless Aike was; he had made his phantom explode right where it stood.

Had he gone in person, the consequences would have been dire.

“I… I’m sorry, Lin Nuo… My teleportation Spirit Technique brought you harm… It’s my fault…”

At this moment, Mu Yiting was filled with guilt, not expecting her overconfidence would bring injury to Lin Nuo.

“It’s not your fault. Anyone would have ended up in the same situation. Let me put it this way: all teleportation spells result in being sent to Aike’s place. My phantom just encountered Aike and got obliterated instantly. He’s a mad, cruel character. I say, don’t bother treating me; I’ll recover on my own.”

Though Lin Nuo adjusted his true energy, he still had significant injuries that wouldn’t heal quickly.

“Let’s go. There’s no way to leave the Demon Realm from here. We need to search for the next exit.”

With the support of the many girls, Lin Nuo began to leave the Handa Alliance headquarters. It was not a good place to stay; if they waited for Aike to return, it could get complicated.

Their retreat didn’t meet Aike’s forces and was relatively smooth.

However, they couldn’t go far.

More than twenty miles outside the headquarters, a barrier surrounded the area, slowly shrinking in size.

This barrier wasn’t indestructible, but once you touched it, you would be sent to the other side of the barrier.

For example, if you touched the southern boundary, you might pop out from the north or any of the east or west sides—very random.

As for removing it, there was no knowing the source of the barrier, so it was impossible to do so.

Plus, with Lin Nuo injured, it made things even harder.

“Don’t touch that barrier; I can’t guarantee where it will send you. We’re trapped; there’s no immediate way out.”

Lin Nuo said sternly, facing the steadily shrinking barrier; he had to order them to step back.

“Senior Martial Brother, going back means we’ll return to the Handa Alliance headquarters.”

“He wants us to retreat back to headquarters. It’s possibly due to the reinforcement from the four Sacred Beasts; I can feel his maddening power.”

Lin Nuo sensed unease as the barrier’s contraction accelerated, like a poisonous circle rapidly closing in on them, compressing their space.

Lin Nuo looked around repeatedly, trying to find a breakthrough, find an escape from the barrier’s encirclement, but it was in vain; he didn’t find anything.

They had to fall back, slowly retreating back to the Handa Alliance headquarters.

At that moment, Lin Nuo saw those four enormous divine-beast-like Sacred Beasts appearing around the headquarters; they didn’t radiate Sacred Light, instead, there was a suffocating, foul black gas swirling.

This was no mere Demonization; it was more akin to corruption.

Moreover, a powerful energy surged within them, as countless fallen demons from the headquarters turned into eerie specters, floating above.

In addition, a large number of Demonized Sacred Beasts brought from the Sacred Realm’s Sacred Mountain revealed sharp claws, their red eyes looking as if they had been washed in blood.

One of the four beasts, the Dragon Beast, had a throne atop it, and Aike sat on it, looking down like a dark lord surveying the masses.

Lin Nuo thought to himself, this mount sure was a sight to behold; he should get one himself someday.

Yet, spectacle aside, their situation was far from optimistic.

With the phantom having sustained injuries, it would have some effect, and with their movement space compressed, facing four Demonized Sacred Beasts along with other evil beasts would be quite the challenge.

But at least they had Su Kexin, the main character, with them.

However, was she still the main character at this moment?

That’s worth questioning.

Aike deployed his troops and charged forth, the multitude of specters seemed to cheer, resembling hell, as if any misstep would lead them into an endless pit of suffering.

“Lin Nuo, you managed to escape my control and even ambush the headquarters. Your abilities exceed my expectations. Yet, it seems you’ve forgotten one thing—no matter how capable you are, this is not a place for you to run wild. Now, do you still have confidence in escaping with your life?”

Aike questioned Lin Nuo dismissively, but Lin Nuo remained calm, unfazed, replying:

“No need to escape; either way, you’re bound to pay the price today.”