Chapter 1317: The Real Culprit

Chapter 1317: The Real Culprit

The collapse of the boundary between the three realms was partly due to the space turbulence caused by Handa Alliance’s leader, Aike, and partly because of Liang Zhao, whose actions exacerbated the crumbling of the boundary.

As Lin Nuo headed towards the Demon Realm, he had long since planned to seize the opportunity, cutting off Lin Nuo’s path and trapping both him and Su Kexin within the Demon Realm, unable to return to the human world.

This way, he would no longer be a threat in the human realm.

However, now it seemed that Lin Nuo had returned.

This was ominous news; if true, Su Kexin was very likely to return as well.

Never mind, since they’re back, they would merely serve as sacrifices for his ascension to power.

Su Kexin, the grievances of history must be cleared.

……

……

Zifeng Valley, Yuling Hall.

With the retreat of the demon beasts and practitioners, the immortals finally had a moment to breathe, but they did not dare let their guard down, fearing the demons might return.

Fortunately, they had indeed all retreated.

Lin Nuo was one of the few non-hostile demons within the Immortal Mountain, discussing future plans with Dong Xiyan and others.

These immortals had no choice but to seek Lin Nuo’s help, as he had triumphantly returned from the Demon Realm, possessing rich experience in dealing with demon practitioners.

“I need to bring them over; we’re short on people.”

“Who else?” Dong Xiyan asked.

“Bring those three girls who broke the formation. Of course, I know you don’t want to host demons here, but we can leave; you can fend for yourselves.”

“We just don’t host malicious demons, and it’s them who don’t want to stay in Zifeng Valley, not that we’re unwelcome.”

“Don’t try to sugarcoat it. I know what the character of Zifeng Valley is like. In your eyes, anyone who touches the demonic path is inherently evil, suffering for generations. With that narrow-minded view, how could they possibly want to stay?”

Lin Nuo scoffed; he understood these cultivators and immortals too well. To them, demons were absolute evil, with no hint of good.

In a dialectical sense, nothing is absolute.

“We didn’t act this way; you’re just overthinking it.”

Dong Xiyan continued to counter, and Lin Nuo just listened, resigning himself to their delusions. No matter how heavy the sky fell, they still believed they held no biases.

“Forget it, there’s no common ground with you. I’m bringing them over now.”

“Junior Martial Brother, they’ve already arrived.”

At that moment, Liu Shuqin spoke up, leaving Lin Nuo puzzled:

“What? Didn’t they refuse to come? How could they be here?”

“Because they knew you were coming.”

“How could they know?”

“I went to inform them, so now there’s no need for Junior Martial Brother to go in person.”

Not long after the demon practitioners and beasts retreated, Liu Shuqin had already gone to notify Qin Shili and the others, knowing Lin Nuo would look for them, so she directly brought them over.

As long as Lin Nuo was here, they didn’t mind staying in Zifeng Valley; they were determined to follow him no matter what.

“You thought this through well. Where are they?”

“Right outside.”

“Alright.”

Lin Nuo nodded, then stood up to head toward the entrance of Yuling Hall. Yuling Hall was a place for trade among the immortals of Zifeng Valley; significant matters were only discussed in their gatherings. No demons could approach.

Yet today, quite a few demons had arrived, some as esteemed guests, others as attackers.

“Senior Martial Brother, I’m going too.”

“Master, I’m coming as well.”

“Lin the Great Knight, I’m following you too!”

Su Kexin and the others quickly followed; if they lagged even a second, who knew what those women might do to Lin Nuo.

“You don’t need to get so close… We represent a faction now, so let’s keep it serious.”

Though Lin Nuo wanted to maintain some distance, they were still sticking close, as if afraid he might flee.

Based on Lin Nuo’s experience, if they clustered together like this, it was sure to cause a ruckus.

In their territory, personal matters had to be handled well; he needed to maintain his authority in front of these immortals.

Like a monarch going out, it wasn’t just the attendants who followed, even concubines had to watch his expression.

He felt he had been too kind to them, completely neglecting the imposing style of a villain.

Here he was, saving the world; no need to dwell on that troublesome villainy.

Still, Lin Nuo pulled away from them, quickening his pace to arrive at the front door of Yuling Hall, where the overwhelming immortal energy made him feel uneasy, but the closer he got to the gate, the more he felt familiar demon qi greeting him.

And sure enough, they were anxiously waiting at the door.

Upon seeing Lin Nuo, they looked as if they had just awakened from a beautiful dream. After all, they had fought alongside him against Aike in the Demon Realm, and after an exhausting battle, they had to retreat while only Lin Nuo remained behind, likely facing grim prospects.

Moreover, from Mu Yiting’s perspective, the destruction of the boundary between the three realms made it extremely difficult to return to the human realm. Even if Lin Nuo had narrowly escaped Aike’s clutches, he would probably have to stay in the Demon Realm.

Yet unexpectedly, not long after, he had returned to the human realm and even come to support them at Zifeng Valley.

Truly a divine being, capable of anything.

In such circumstances, Lin Nuo naturally wanted to share the joy equally; after hugging Li Ruo’er and the others previously, he now had to embrace them as well.

Lin Nuo said nothing but silently opened his arms, standing firm as if grounding himself.

In no time, just as expected, they rushed into his embrace.

A rush of refreshing demon qi enveloped him; it felt good to embrace them, even the unorthodox Qin Shili carried a comforting presence within her demonic aura.

“I’m not dead, so why the tears?”

Lin Nuo teased as he gently stroked their heads to comfort them, while Li Ruo’er and the others could only stand back and watch.

This unprecedented scene was harmonious; they didn’t rush to compete for affection but quietly observed, as if it were a reunion of family.

“Lin Nuo, why did you stay behind alone back then?”

Qin Shili raised her head gently. Cold and aloof, this ice beauty rarely cried in public, yet now she wept before so many immortals.

Overjoyed to the point of tears, her happiness was clear.

“Master, you’re still here; that’s just… great. I was really worried about you…”

Ling Meng didn’t finish her sentence, fearing it might bring bad luck, but being back now was good enough.

Mu Yiting didn’t say much either, simply looking up, her face mixed with tears as she forced out a smile:

“Welcome back.”

At this moment, Lin Nuo felt a responsibility like never before; he was no longer living for himself; he had people and matters he wished to protect.

And for them, the worry wasn’t so much about his life, but about the man who gave them meaning in life not being there.

The Sword Saint and Dao Yuan Spirit Cat watched this scene from the side; both usually possessed single-minded loyalty to their paths, but slowly, more emotions began to form.

Breaking out the champagne too soon was taboo; after a brief reunion embrace, Lin Nuo returned to discuss matters with the immortals.

However, with the addition of Dao Yuan Spirit Cat and Sword Saint, Lin Nuo felt these two were much more reliable than those immortals.