Chapter 248

If it weren't to attract Rotas's attention, Lin Yifan wouldn't have wanted to waste a single word with him.

The reason I talked to him just now was purely to draw his attention, giving him a chance to activate the Spatial Anchor Rune in his hand.

Now that the Spatial Anchor Rune has been activated, he naturally won't waste any more expressions.

"Damned it!" Rotas's face turned pale as he shouted, "Is that damned Aeri Lia crazy? She actually gave something like this to you, and she's not even afraid someone will snatch it!!"

"But this works out fine; I didn't even know how to seize the Spatial Anchor Rune, and now you all walked right into my hands, which gives me an unexpected pleasure!"

"To thank you for this unexpected delight, I'll make your deaths a little more enjoyable!"

"Go!" Lin Yifan shouted, charging first toward the altar's core.

Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God immediately followed, joining the melee against the surrounding hunters.

Rotas hadn't expected Lin Yifan to dare strike first, and he roared, lunging at Lin Yifan:

"What a case of refusing a toast and drinking a penalty wine—I'm letting you die in peace, yet you still won't be happy. Then today I'll finish you off!"

Their figures crossed in the air, blades flashing, and Lin Yifan felt an immense pressure.

Rotas's Life Tier was already one level above Lin Yifan's, and his combat experience was far beyond anything Lin Yifan could match.

Thus, under Rotas's full-force attacks, each strike carried a lethal threat, leaving Lin Yifan only able to fend them off, with no chance to counter.

If this continues, his defeat is inevitable!

"We must destroy the core quickly!" Lin Yifan gritted his teeth, persisting while blocking Rotas's attacks and moving toward the altar's center.

However, the hunters were too many; Hong Shaoqiang and Father of God, along with a few others, soon fell into a hard fight, accumulating numerous wounds.

Nevertheless, Father of God's strength surprised Lin Yifan.

He appeared as a balding middle-aged man, wearing an old suit and a pair of tattered glasses with one arm broken.

No matter how you looked at him, he didn't seem capable of fighting.

But when he actually fought, his strength was not inferior to Hong Shaoqiang's at all; moreover, his techniques had no limits—once he saw an opening, he struck the opponent's lower three points, a downright rogue style.

Not only was it surprisingly effective, but against experienced hunters he could even hold his own one-on-two without losing ground, which truly surprised Lin Yifan.

Moreover, faced with such a life-or-death crisis, he didn't flee; instead, he fought here desperately, which further astonished Lin Yifan.

Nevertheless, his willingness to share the burden now improves Lin Yifan's impression of him considerably.

But the situation remains perilous; without a new turn, relying only on a few of them, they won't even finish the mission, let alone keep their lives.

【5】 Just as the crisis peaked, a silver figure descended from the sky!

Just as the situation grew critical, a silver figure descended from the sky!

"Lin Yifan, I'm here to help you!" Aeri Lia brandished a long spear, charging onto the battlefield like a war god.

Her arrival instantly turned the tide, and the hunters were driven back one after another.

Rotas's face turned ashen: "Aeri Lia! According to the agreement, this Initial Domain was supposed to be harvested by our Dark Night Divine Cult. What does your presence mean now? Are you trying to tear up the pact?"

"Shut up! I'm here solely for a personal grudge against you; I have nothing to do with the Dawn Alliance. Stop spouting nonsense here," Aeri Lia sneered, pointing her spear, and coldly said, "Anyway, today is your death day!"

"Fine, then today we'll see who dies and who perishes!" Rotas snarled, grinding his teeth, but could only fight desperately.

Lin Yifan could tell that Aeri Lia's strength surpassed Rotas's; killing him might be tough, but stopping him was certainly no problem.

That gave him a sigh of relief.

Aeri Lia also gave Lin Yifan a glance, signaling him to seize the chance quickly.

Naturally, Lin Yifan wouldn't miss the opportunity; while Aeri Lia battled Rotas, he finally seized the moment and rushed to the altar's core.

He raised his weapon and struck with all his might!

But at that moment, a figure like a phantom appeared before him.

A curved blade blocked Lin Yifan's attack.

He was even knocked back several steps, barely managing to steady himself.

He looked up at the figure before him, his face full of disbelief:

"Senior? How did you end up here? And why have you changed like this?"

Indeed, the person appearing before him was Chen Yunu, whom he had secretly liked during university and later cooperated with after entering the Survival Realm.

However, Chen Yunu's appearance had drastically changed; her once jet-black, glossy long hair was now a dark crimson.

Her eyes, too, resembled those of night elves, turning a cold, deep green.

Chen Yunu slowly lifted her head, her deep green eyes filled with murderous intent, and she sneered mockingly:

"Lin Yifan, stop pulling strings here. With your kind of caliber, you don't even deserve it—truly overestimating yourself."

"As for why I'm here, are your eyes blind? I came to protect the altar, not to act in a play with you!"

"Be sensible and leave your Survival Mark. Since we're both human, I'll grant you a Full Corpse; otherwise I'll make sure you're dismembered!"

Although Lin Yifan already knew that a traitor had emerged among the humans!

But he never imagined that the traitor would often be Chen Yunu.

Lin Yifan took a deep breath, his voice low as he asked:

"Chen Yunu, why are you doing this? Your actions are betraying the human race!"

"Of course it's to become stronger, to live better!" Chen Yunu smirked, saying indifferently:

"This world is the law of the jungle; only the strong have the right to survive, the weak are meant to be trampled. I refuse to be trampled; I will become strong and live better!"

"Following the Dark Moon Divine Cult fulfills my aspirations, so I gladly follow them, unlike you dim-witted fools who blindly seek death, a path I cannot tread."

"As for betrayal, what is betrayal? I received no benefit from the humans, so where does that accusation come from?"

"And me?" Lin Yifan said coldly, his tone icy:

"I gave you trust, helped you establish a guild, and this is how you repay me?"

"Only you can claim bad luck!" Chen Yunu shrugged without remorse, then her expression hardened, and she said bitterly:

"And you know what? What I hate most is your lofty attitude. What are you? Just my Licking Dog, and you even dare to play God in front of me—do you think you deserve that?"

"Now it's settled; you're about to die, and no one will ever know I once had a relationship with you. My black history ends here!"

At this moment, Lin Yifan finally understood that saying: a woman's heart, a needle at the sea's bottom!

It was Chen Yunuo who begged to come to his door and asked him to support the guild, and now, of all things, she bites back.

But it doesn't matter anymore!

Even the senior who once had feelings for me is now a traitor of the human race; even so, there's nothing left to cling to!

Lin Yifan inhaled deeply, his long blade pointing at Chen Yunuo, and said coldly:

"If that's the case, enough idle talk—let's see the real proof in battle!"

"You now may not be my opponent," Chen Yunuo said with a proud smile. "I have already received the Dark Night Divine Cult's special infusion; my Life Tier has reached Transcendent Tier 2, while you are only at Transcendent Tier 1. What can you use to fight me?"

"Lin Yifan, Lin Yifan, meet your death!"

Before the words finished, Chen Yunuo struck first, her curved sword aimed directly at Lin Yifan.

The Transcendent Tier 2 Life Tier exerted a suppression over Lin Yifan.

However, Chen Yunuo's combat experience is even less than his, so although her attack seemed fierce, it was not difficult for Lin Yifan to dodge.

With a light flash of footwork, he evaded that wave entirely and even found time to counterattack.

But what made Lin Yifan frown was that his attack caused no damage to Chen Yunuo at all.

Whether blade or arrow, they were stopped within less than ten centimeters of her by an invisible air wall.

Chen Yunuo clearly knew her defensive advantage, so she recklessly used her body to block Lin Yifan, preventing him from approaching the altar.

Being delayed like this, Lin Yifan couldn't help but become impatient!

Fortunately at that moment, Aeri Liya, by some means, temporarily suppressed Luotasi, came straight to Lin Yifan's side, and with a grave expression stared at Chen Yunuo, saying:

"I said how could anyone from the Dark Night Divine Cult accept such a human? Turns out she has awakened a second talent, and that second talent is the rare Divine Talent—【Holy Shield】."

"【Holy Shield】?" Lin Yifan furrowed his brows. "Is that the invisible air wall surrounding her?"

"Yes, that thing!" Aeri Liya nodded, her brows tightly knit, and said:

"This talent has no offensive power, but provides absolute protection; with our strength we cannot break her defense at all."

"Then what do we do?" Lin Yifan's face turned grim. "The altar must be destroyed; do you have any good method?"

Aeri Liya squinted and said in a deep voice:

"I just used a supreme artifact bestowed by our clan elders to temporarily control Luotasi; it can now hold the battlefield here, but we have only one minute. You must blow up the altar within that minute, or there will be no further chance."

"One minute is enough!" Lin Yifan inhaled deeply, his expression solemn as he spoke.

"Fine, then be ready! When I move, you charge immediately." Aeri Liya drew from her spatial gear a long sword that resembled a vine, pointing it at Chen Yunuo:

"Your opponent is me!"

Chen Yunuo clearly recognized Aeri Liya; upon seeing her she instantly wore a wary expression, and seeing her block in front of Lin Yifan made the situation even more bizarre.

But she rolled her eyes and suddenly said:

"Honorable elf Princess, actually the Dark Night Temple has always wanted to cooperate with you. Though the human race is not weak, they are internally divided and never trust outsiders."

"Why do you bother mixing with the humans? Why not join us, the Dark Night Temple, to create a new Divine Being and together conquer the pinnacle of this world?"

"Moreover, if you like Lin Yifan, you can bring him along to join our Dark Night Temple; I guarantee both of you will receive the best treatment..."

"To hell with your treatment!" Aeri Liya didn't even bother to listen further and lunged straight at Chen Yunuo.

And Lin Yifan seized the opportunity, rushing straight toward the altar.

Chen Yunuo saw that her three‑inch unbreakable tongue had no effect, and letting things go naturally looked bad, so she turned and shouted at the hunters of the Dark Night Temple:

"Hurry and stop Lin Yifan, or the altar won't be saved!"

At the same time, the Red Moon hanging in the sky, much dimmer than before, suddenly began to blaze brightly.

And at the very center of the altar a mirror appeared, reflecting the Red Moon, and the red light also began to surge.

Lin Yifan saw the red light, and his complexion changed instantly!

Because this was the embodiment of the Red Moon's power!

The red light instantly spread in all directions, and Lin Yifan hurriedly shouted at everyone:

"Everyone, retreat quickly! The Red Moon's power is coming!"

Such a commotion, the crowd naturally could not fail to notice.

Except for a few unlucky ones who didn't believe in the supernatural, everyone withdrew at once.

Thus, in the end, the only one still enveloped by the Red Moon's power, besides those unlucky few, was Lin Yifan.

A moment later, everyone still standing in the Red Moon's enveloped area would all be...

Then the crowd saw countless wriggling maggots materialize from the red light, and from the ground they quickly crawled up onto those people's bodies.

The number of maggots was innumerable; in less than a moment, everyone was covered by the insects.

The onlookers were instantly horrified!

Especially the humans who didn't know the details, their tongues tangled in fear, yet they couldn't stop commenting:

【Xigua, Sui Sui Bing】: "What... what is this? How can it be so terrifying?"

【Mu Xiaolan】: "How did so many maggots appear? Those people are wrapped in maggots—can they still survive?"

【Annie Baby】: "Those people probably died long ago! Otherwise, no one would have told us to run earlier."

【Qin Cancan】: "They not only died, but have mutated. Do you know about Maggot Human Bone? They are now that bizarre thing..."

【Wan Er Gao】: "This... this is actually Maggot Human Bone? Could it be that all Maggot Human Bone were once humans? If we had been a moment later, would we also become Maggot Human Bone?"

【Zhan Jun, Zui Wo】: "Can't say much about the rest, but one thing is clear: that red light must never be touched; once touched, you'll turn into Maggot Human Bone..."

…

Everyone present felt a chill on their scalp, but at that moment someone noticed Lin Yifan and shouted:

"Everyone, look over there! There's a person who hasn't been covered by the insects!"

"Huh, there really is someone still alive?"

What is this person's background? Why are everyone else covered by that nauseating reset, while he seems completely unaffected?

It seems to be the one who earlier told us to run!

If it really is him, then he's our benefactor!

……

Indeed, all those who fell under the Red Moon's power were covered by the pest‑removing overlay, except for one person!

He is Lin Yifan!