Chapter 656: The Surging Beings
The moment the celestial star fell to the earth, it unleashed a deafening roar, shook the ground, and sent sparks flying, like a calamity descending upon the world, extinguishing lives.
The fall of the Heavenly Martial Star also caused flames and tremors, but it wasn’t as shocking as Lin Nuo had imagined.
This fall could at least flatten a city, but the impact was less intense than he envisioned.
It was nowhere near the enormous celestial star he’d encountered at the border.
He couldn’t help but exclaim: “Is that it?”
Perhaps it wasn’t the Heavenly Martial Star after all; he was just worrying for nothing.
However, taking the protagonists away wasn’t entirely wrong; it could at least prevent an explosion.
This still counted as a victory for the villain.
Amidst the fierce impact, Su Kexin and the others safely landed, protected by the aura of the Phoenix Twin Swords, and they remained unharmed.
Lin Nuo turned around and gazed at the roaring flames, their light illuminating the dark night. Even from afar, he could still feel the heat emanating from the blaze.
“Senior Martial Brother, didn’t you go to Su Family Village? Why, how did you end up here? It’s not exactly near Su Family Village, is it? Did you sense the falling celestial stone and intentionally come here?”
Su Kexin whispered, glancing at Lin Nuo, who replied casually:
“Sort of.”
“Oh, really? That’s wonderful, Senior Martial Brother!”
Su Kexin smiled slyly and snuggled up to Lin Nuo. She was quite dependent on him, and every time she benefited from his kindness, her fondness for him deepened, making it increasingly difficult for her to pull away.
She thought how nice it would be if their relationship were real.
But patience was needed; for now, the wellbeing of the world came first, and there was no rush.
Lin Nuo shot Su Kexin a glance; if it weren’t for the circumstances, he wouldn’t have bothered to come to rescue them.
“Senior Martial Brother, what’s happening? Why did the celestial star fall suddenly? We almost lost our lives, and it was pretty terrifying…”
“I don’t know, and you don’t need to know. You’re fine now; the current situation is not suitable for lingering,” Lin Nuo said seriously. Honestly, even if he said to retreat, he didn’t know where to go.
It felt like no matter where they ran in this world, it was a place where the protagonist could meet opportunities.
The protagonist’s halo was really too ridiculous.
So the best place to retreat was to stick with him, where he could keep watch—safe and sound.
“Where should we go now? The original path has been destroyed by the falling celestial star. If we fly on swords, my mother and grandmother won’t be able to handle it…”
“I’ll lead you.”
“What about Dad? Shouldn’t we go back to Su Family Village to find clues about him?”
“I found that Black-Clothed Man; he denied it. I pulled down his mask, and he looked nothing like what you described. You probably mistook him,” Lin Nuo said earnestly. It was better to say he was mistaken than to get into a mess about it; after all, he wouldn’t acknowledge them anyway.
As for whether that guy was her father, Lin Nuo had some inkling that it likely was.
“Son-in-law, are you sure? Did you mistake the Black-Clothed Man? It should be him; my mother-in-law and I both feel it’s him. It’s unlikely we’re wrong…”
“Whether it is him or not isn’t the issue. As long as he hasn’t admitted it, then it’s not him. Your search is meaningless. I suggest you focus on your own safety.”
Lin Nuo continued, laying out a bunch of reasons to have them hear.
“Going to Su Family Village is useless; it’s a wolf’s den. If you can’t ensure your own safety, how can you run over to Su Family Village? Let’s go, just pretend he never appeared. If it’s meant to be, you’ll see him again. Of course, you can ignore my words and insist on your own views; that’s fine too.”
“It’s not that we’re ignoring you; you’re the only man in the family right now, so you’re the most reliable. We’ll listen to you. Then, let’s go and not think about it anymore.”
Su’s mother compromised; Lin Nuo thought this family was really obedient—whatever he said, they followed, no questions asked.
Alright then, let’s run with me, Lin Nuo.
The place where the Heavenly Martial Star fell radiated a heavy spiritual energy, accompanied by the flickering of light.
In this wasteland, as the celestial stone fell and triggered a great fire, nearby beings should have naturally avoided it. However, contrary to expectations, many creatures approached the spot where the celestial stone had fallen, undeterred by the blazing inferno.
Lin Nuo noticed that whether it was fierce tigers, wild wolves, or soaring eagles, they all drew closer to that area.
And the outcome was the same; they walked right in and got burned.
Lin Nuo wondered: What were these animals thinking, running toward their doom?
This was quite strange.
“Senior Martial Brother, why are they all heading into the fire?”
“Maybe they find the world too despairing and want to join a group to register in the underworld.”
“Ah, there must be something odd about this; we can’t just stand by and do nothing. We must…”
“Must what?”
Lin Nuo tapped her on the forehead; with her strong sense of justice, she had to stick her nose in even the smallest matters.
But every time she did, it turned into an opportunity—how could he let her do that?
“Don’t go, it’ll just invite trouble.”
“But as cultivators, we should fearlessly face danger…”
“You have two elders at home; will you abandon them to promote justice?”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant…”
Su Kexin blushed, feeling ashamed. Right, her mother and grandmother were still there; how could she get caught up in these matters?
“Fine, fine, I won’t go…”
As they walked on, more and more wild beasts were making their way toward the fire where the celestial stone had fallen, dying without a scream.
And the spiritual light there continued to flicker, growing even stronger, mingling with the flames.
As Lin Nuo and the others left, he sensed something was off.
Someone was approaching, and fast.
“Hide!”
Lin Nuo quickly urged them to hide in a thicket to avoid being spotted.
He quietly observed, trying to see who was coming.
He sensed a strong aura approaching, with a dark undertone—definitely not from a righteous sect.
Sure enough, a group of people in identical black robes arrived, speeding toward them.
“Indeed, it’s here; we’ve finally found it!”
The mixed group, led by Zhu Yu and company, discovered the location of the Heavenly Martial Star and hurried to investigate, but first, they needed to scout for any lurking soldiers.
As they neared Lin Nuo’s group, if they found them, a battle would surely ensue—Su Kexin would protect her family at all costs, leading to chaos, and everyone, including Lin Nuo, would end up dead.
Terrifying.
“Don’t move; I’ll lure them away.”
Lin Nuo rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a few powder balls. These would momentarily blind their eyes if sprinkled around, which could be useful.
He stored up some energy and immediately created seven shadows that darted out from all directions.
“Lord, there are eight of them!”
One of his subordinates shouted. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yu’s group instantly redirected their attention to the shadows.
Sure enough, there were eight people, and they moved quite skillfully.
“Capture him!”
They surged forward, and through the firelight, Zhu Yu’s group caught a glimpse of Lin Nuo’s figure.
He looked somewhat familiar?