Chapter 75: Shi Nuo Awakens — Titan Nova
Three days later, Shi Nuo—who had been training desperately for the upcoming tournament, squeezing every second for cultivation—was suddenly shaken awake by Ye Lüsù.
"Shi Nuo, Beiya wants you to meet him at Deyuelou in Spirit City."
"Huh?"
Shi Nuo blinked in confusion, glancing at the night sky. It was already close to his usual bedtime.
Ever since the assassination incident, the two of them hadn't wandered Spirit City at night. He had no idea what Lin Beiya suddenly wanted this time.
Still, since Ye Lüsù personally came to deliver the message, it had to be important. Shi Nuo didn't dwell on it.
"Got it, Senior. I'll head to Deyuelou now."
Watching Shi Nuo rush off, Ye Lüsù scratched his head. "These two brothers… going out together in the middle of the night? Don't tell me it's just for a midnight snack?"
The road was quiet. Shi Nuo hurried through the empty streets until Deyuelou came into view. At this hour, most shops were already closed, and the few that remained were preparing to shut their doors.
He glanced at the second-floor private room where a faint light flickered. Pushing aside his doubts, he prepared to head inside—whatever this was about, he'd know once he went up.
But just as he reached the entrance, a dark shadow shot out from the second-floor window, streaking toward Spirit City's main gate at terrifying speed.
Shi Nuo caught only a flash. But in that instant, he saw the shadow carrying a person, and his heart plummeted.
The captive was wearing Lin Beiya's unmistakable Gold Cloth.
The Taurus Gold Cloth was always with him. Shi Nuo was certain—absolutely certain—he wasn't mistaken.
"Damn it… who is that!?"
There was no time to think. Shi Nuo immediately gave chase.
But the black-clad figure was frighteningly fast. Even burning his soul power at full strength, Shi Nuo could only watch the distance between them grow wider.
Fortunately, the enemy's goal wasn't hard to guess. If they were fleeing, they had to be heading toward the city gate—Shi Nuo simply needed to intercept them there.
The gate guards would never allow someone to leave the city at night.
Or so he thought.
When Shi Nuo finally reached the gate, the guards stood neatly in formation, calm and orderly—as if nothing had happened at all.
"My lord, did you see a black-clothed man trying to leave the city?"
"A black-clothed man? No. No one has passed through here recently."
"This…"
"Hurry back. Without the Pope's order, no one may enter or exit the gate at night."
Shi Nuo could only grit his teeth and turn away. He began sweeping the residential area near the gate, searching alley by alley for any trace of the black-clothed kidnapper.
But with every passing moment, his anxiety worsened.
The longer this dragged on, the greater the danger to Lin Beiya.
Thankfully—just as despair crept in—Shi Nuo felt a burst of familiar soul power erupt from a dark corner of the eastern district.
He had spent the most time with Lin Beiya, and that familiar aura was unmistakable.
Ecstatic, Shi Nuo sprinted around the corner—
—and the sight before him made his vision go crimson.
The black-robed figure stood with his back to Shi Nuo, a soul-power-forged longsword thrust straight through the chest of a man clad in golden armor.
Because of the golden mask, Shi Nuo couldn't visually confirm the man's identity. But the aura… the Gold Cloth… everything told him the same thing:
It was Lin Beiya.
The Gemini Gold Cloth slowly toppled back. Its soul fluctuations weakened, then began to collapse entirely.
All signs of life faded, disappearing piece by piece.
Shi Nuo's pupils contracted to pinpoints—then burned blood-red.
In that instant, the Taurus Gold Cloth surged forth and completed its attachment, covering his body in shimmering gold.
At this moment, Shi Nuo could no longer care about the difference in strength between him and the black-clothed assassin. He wanted only one thing—to tear this person apart and avenge his brother.
"What have you done…!?"
"Die! Great Horn!"
The aura of the Golden Bull flared more violently than ever before, a clear sign that Lin Beiya's "death" had driven Shi Nuo into a state of near-madness.
But even the overwhelming force of the Golden Bull's charge could not shake the black-clad figure. A flash of golden light rippled across the air, and Shi Nuo's furious attack vanished harmlessly like smoke.
Immediately afterward, countless flower petals drifted down from the sky. The moment they neared Shi Nuo, their gentle aura turned razor-sharp, transforming into deadly blades that slashed toward him from all directions.
Yet Shi Nuo no longer cared about his defense. Ignoring the countless cuts slicing across his exposed skin, he forced his way forward step by step.
Just as his fist was about to collide with the black-clothed man, a tremendous soul-power pressure slammed downward, crushing Shi Nuo to the ground.
The tiles beneath him cracked under the immense force. Clenching his teeth until they creaked, Shi Nuo—encased in the Taurus Gold Cloth—struggled relentlessly to rise.
"Overestimating yourself. That kid was far stronger than you and couldn't do anything. What makes you think you can resist?"
"Die…! I'll kill you!"
The suffocating pressure forced blood to seep from every exposed inch of Shi Nuo's skin. Yet even as pain tore through his body, he refused to give up.
Driven mad by rage, Shi Nuo didn't even register how familiar the black-clothed man's voice sounded. Nor did he realize that if Lin Beiya had truly died, the Gold Cloth would have vanished.
His mind held only one thought—stand up and rip this man apart.
And under that burning obsession, as the black-clothed man continued taunting him—
Shi Nuo's body suddenly burst into radiant light.
An endless constellation of stars gathered overhead, forming the shape of a colossal bull.
"You… die for me!!"
"Titan Nova!!"
Overwhelming power erupted from Shi Nuo's body, shattering the crushing soul-power field. Freed, he thrust his palm against the ground. The stone pavement fractured in all directions, spreading like a spiderweb as blinding light surged from every fissure.
"Not good!"
The black-clothed man paled. He had been entrusted by Lin Beiya to "perform" this act—but if such a terrifying attack detonated in the residential district, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Third Soul Skill — Breath Barrier!"
"Crystal Wall!"
From the shadows nearby, Lin Beiya finally stepped out. Together with the black-clothed man, he erected two layers of barriers, sealing the explosion within.
A heartbeat later—
A pillar of light roared skyward from the ground. Countless stones—houses—everything within range was blasted upward and pulverized mid-air.
The explosion rumbled for dozens of seconds, swallowing an area of several hundred meters.
Fortunately, Lin Beiya had evacuated the nearby residents beforehand. Otherwise, many innocent people would have been buried in their sleep.
When the blast finally subsided, the ground was nothing but a shattered wasteland. Three figures remained standing amid the ruin—one of whom lay unconscious.
Shi Nuo.
The black-clothed man tore off his mask, revealing the coquettish face of Yue Guan.
"This time, you really dragged this old man down with you. Once the Pope hears about this, there's no way I'm escaping punishment."
"But I'll admit… that little brat's power in a life-and-death moment was terrifying. That strike just now must have reached the level of an ordinary Soul Saint."
Lin Beiya looked down at the unconscious Shi Nuo, relief and pride softening his expression.
All that effort had not been in vain.
The fact that Shi Nuo could unleash Titan Nova meant he had absolutely stepped into the realm of the Sixth Sense. From here on, all he needed was time to refine his newfound power.
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End of Chapter