Chapter 189: The Clash of Two

Chapter 189: The Clash of Two

The barrier on the surface of the Three Heaven Stone had been tampered with. Though the traces were slight, a cautious Cang Zhao could still discern them.

In other words, someone had come while he was out, possibly even contemplating moving the Three Heaven Stone.

Who could it be? Could it be another sorcerer?

Cang Zhao’s vigilance kicked in, his spirit staff at the ready.

If it truly was another sorcerer returning, a conflict was likely, and a fight at the Sacred Altar could cause quite a stir.

However, he mused, the opponent must also be wary of damaging the Three Heaven Stone and would think twice before acting recklessly.

But where was the opponent? Why was there not even a trace of their presence?

Cang Zhao was perplexed and decided to use spirit techniques for investigation.

He slightly raised his spirit staff, and a phantom eagle emerged from within, soaring above the Sacred Altar before returning to Cang Zhao’s staff.

Upon seeing the phantom eagle, Lin Nuo was tempted to launch a grand charge and knock this thing out of the sky.

Lin Nuo recognized this type of phantom eagle, undoubtedly used for search purposes.

Looks like he was exposed; hiding and launching an ambush was a failure. He needed to switch up his battle plan.

Maybe he could use the Five-Star Group’s emblem to bluff, claiming to be one of their own, so they wouldn’t shoot.

After the phantom eagle returned, Cang Zhao had gained a basic understanding: someone was hiding behind the statue, their aura extremely weak, so weak that he couldn’t detect it through normal means.

Cang Zhao’s gaze fell on the statue as he coldly said, “I see you there! Come out!”

Hearing this, Lin Nuo felt like he was being cornered by the police with guns drawn, patrolling officers yelling, “Listen up, you’re surrounded!”

Could he really raise his hands and surrender?

That absolutely wouldn’t do.

Dressed in a light gray cloak, Lin Nuo waved his sleeve and stepped out from behind the stone statue.

With a calm demeanor, unafraid, he couldn’t panic even when pointed at.

“Who are you? Why did you recklessly enter the Sacred Altar?”

Cang Zhao intended to test the waters, refraining from immediate action, as he was still unsure of the opponent’s background and strength. Caution was advisable.

Lin Nuo replied earnestly, “Senior Sorcerer, I am a member of the Righteous Path Organization’s Five-Star Group. I was outside fending off fierce beasts, but other senior sorcerers told me to come in for refuge, so here I am. As for the Sacred Altar, I noticed it was unguarded and worried about a fierce beast attacking, so I hid to do my part to resist.”

This excuse had glaring flaws and was a bit far-fetched, but Lin Nuo wanted to stall a bit, looking for an opportunity to act.

He then casually took out the Five-Star Group’s emblem from his pocket, with some soul fragments also slipping out as he pulled out the emblem.

Cang Zhao was surprised by the soul fragments in Lin Nuo’s hand.

Those were soul fragments infused with secret techniques and should have exploded.

But they didn’t—how strange!

Could it be that these soul fragments had lost their effectiveness?

That seemed unlikely; so many failures at once were improbable.

Wait, could it be?

It seemed there was secret magic freezing these soul fragments.

Could he also wield secret techniques?

Cang Zhao reevaluated the youth draped in a light gray cloak.

Could this person also be a member of the Witchcraft Group?

Why hadn’t he received any word about this?

Wait, could he be an ally? Sneaking into the Five-Star Group to align himself with him during a prime opportunity?

It was a possibility but shouldn’t be fully trusted.

Still, even if he were, Cang Zhao didn’t need this person. He could complete the task alone, without any assistance.

Cang Zhao remained on guard and said sternly, “Since you’re a member of the Five-Star Group, I’ve returned. You can leave.”

Huh?

Lin Nuo sensed that the other party wasn’t doubting his words.

So when he claimed to be from the Five-Star Group, patrolling the Sacred Altar, you just believed him without question?

Perhaps the Five-Star Group emblem had worked its magic.

This was good—it kept him from being on the defensive.

Should he just leave?

Absolutely not. He had come this far; he was determined to make a significant impact and wouldn’t just walk away.

Lin Nuo said, “Alright, Senior Sorcerer, then I shall take my leave. By the way, I gathered some soul fragments outside that I won’t be using for the time being. I wonder if they’ll be of any help to you?”

“Hmm? Soul fragments? I actually need some. Let me take a look.”

Cang Zhao wanted to see if these soul fragments had indeed been frozen by secret spells, preventing them from exploding, and also evaluate the boy’s skills.

Lin Nuo was calculating; the other party likely didn’t understand this ancient secret technique, unaware of the hidden spells within the soul fragments. If he handed them over to the sorcerer and detonated them, he could potentially injure him and seize the chance to launch the paralyzing needle.

Lin Nuo surrendered most of the collected soul fragments to the sorcerer, slightly bowing as he stepped back a distance.

“I hope they’ll be of help to you, Senior.”

Lin Nuo smiled and immediately activated his secret technique, thawing the soul fragments, which began to resonate intensely, on the verge of exploding.

“Not good.”

Realizing the soul fragments were about to detonate, Cang Zhao immediately activated his own magic to freeze the soul fragments. He managed to freeze a portion, but some still exploded.

With a booming sound, a violent noise erupted, and thick black smoke billowed out.

Lin Nuo had deliberately distanced himself to avoid the blast.

Would it injure him?

Lin Nuo wasn’t sure, and the next moment, a wave of spiritual energy shot out from the black smoke, which Lin Nuo instinctively dodged.

Boom!

The spiritual wave hit the silvery wall, creating a massive hole.

It seemed he hadn’t succeeded.

As the black smoke quickly dispersed, Lin Nuo caught sight of the powerful sorcerer in a yellow robe.

“It seems they wanted you to come and take my life, but unfortunately, your strength isn’t enough.”

Cang Zhao sneered, realizing that he had suspected those witches would come at him, given the many instances of backstabbing for profit.

This kid knew secret techniques, but compared to a high-level sorcerer, he was still far behind.

If he had skillfully utilized his witchcraft, he might have set off the soul fragments fast enough to injure him. But this kid’s skills were lacking; he detonated too slowly, allowing Cang Zhao time to freeze part of them.

Lin Nuo didn’t understand the other’s chatter and casually split off some phantoms to weave around Cang Zhao, searching for an opportunity to shoot out the paralyzing needle, hitting Cang Zhao.

Yet this sorcerer was formidable; the paralyzing needle merely pierced his flesh before being forcefully expelled.

“A bit strong.”

Lin Nuo couldn’t help but marvel; if the sorcerer had taken the Explosion Pill, he might not win this fight.

A series of explosion sounds echoed from within the Sacred Altar, at this moment, Su Kexin and Ling Meng noticed the commotion and rushed in.

They found Lin Nuo locked in battle with the sorcerer.