Yama Reborn-Chapter 430 - 427 [Who Can’t Demolish Houses]

Chapter 427: Who Can’t Demolish a House?

"You can’t block it for too long."

The Gray Cat licked its paw, seemingly in no rush at all.

"Indeed." Kamisou Ichiro calmly folded his hands behind his back and looked at the stars. "With its ability, it will realize there’s a problem in half an hour at most, and then it will swiftly come here."

"Half an hour? What do you plan to do to Chen Nuo?"

The Gray Cat smiled. "You’re not thinking of killing him, are you? To kill a Chosen One of a competitor would mean completely tearing apart any pretense and declaring war. Do you want to start the finals early?"

As it spoke, the Gray Cat shook its head. "I don’t think you have the guts. If you do that, it will not hesitate to kill your Chosen One and then fight a decisive battle with you. When that happens, everyone will be a loser."

Kamisou Ichiro suddenly looked down, squinting at the Gray Cat. "You... are nervous."

"MEOW! I’m not nervous at all. Whether he dies or not has nothing to do with me." The Gray Cat lowered its head.

"No, you seem to know something as well," Kamisou Ichiro frowned. "Just be honest. Why are you staying here?"

"I need food. I’ve already forfeited. I have no Chosen One. I need food to replenish my lifeline... I don’t want to win, but I don’t want to die either."

Kamisou Ichiro’s eyes showed a hint of doubt as he scrutinized the cat closely.

「·」

"Well, sorry about that. I can’t answer your question; I have no idea what you’re talking about." Chen Nuo spread his hands.

The Fourth Seed didn’t care about Chen Nuo’s evasive answer. "I didn’t expect you to tell me with your mouth anyway. I... will see for myself."

As The Fourth Seed spoke, Chen Nuo immediately raised his alertness to the highest level!

His thoughts flickered rapidly, and he shot away from his original position. In less than a second, he had leaped from the rooftop. However, while he was in mid-air, a peculiar force surged from all directions, enveloping him!

Chen Nuo suddenly found himself immobilized in mid-air by that force!

The feeling of being pinned down made Chen Nuo’s consciousness momentarily petrify; it seemed even his Telekinesis couldn’t be mobilized.

He let out a low growl and, without hesitation, directly employed his ultimate weapon!

The Sword of Killing Intent was immediately summoned into his hand, and he slashed it through the air!

The invisible, enveloping force was instantly cleaved open.

Chen Nuo felt the pressure on him loosen, and he didn’t hesitate to leap out rapidly.

The Fourth Seed’s eyes were cold. Where he focused, the air began to show signs of spatial distortion again, collapsing towards Chen Nuo.

But Chen Nuo’s figure flashed, and he disappeared from the spot.

It’s indeed the power of space... The Fourth Seed shook his head, then his gaze hardened, and he too disappeared from the spot.

「·」

Chen Nuo used his Teleportation ability. By the time he reappeared, he was already standing two streets away from his neighborhood.

The street was silent, devoid of any sign of life.

It was particularly ominous considering the streetlights were on, and even the storefronts of small shops and restaurants along the road had their doors open.

But this was a replicated space! It could only replicate inanimate matter, not life. So, although the doors of the shops and restaurants were open and the lights were on, they were completely empty!

Even more eerie, next to one restaurant, where there had originally been a row of glass tanks at the entrance holding live fish for customers to choose and have slaughtered, there were now just tanks of water, with no fish to be seen.

No living creatures!

As soon as Chen Nuo appeared on the street, he didn’t linger for even a moment. He immediately dashed into a nearby alley!

He was running at full speed!

As one of humanity’s super-powerful individuals, even without using his Teleportation Ability, his running speed when exerting his full power was astonishingly fast.

Normally, in Jinling, Chen Nuo would never display such terrifying agility and speed. But in the replicated space, with no restraints and under immense threat, Chen Nuo held nothing back.

The buildings on both sides rapidly receded. As Chen Nuo dashed into one end of the alley, it felt like plunging into a labyrinth.

This was an old residential area in the southern part of the city, with a dense network of alleys that could easily disorient outsiders.

After diving in, Chen Nuo ran through the darkness, guided by instinct and memory, and quickly disappeared into the alleys.

Moments later, he emerged from an alley onto another street. Right at that moment, the voice of The Fourth Seed came from mid-air.

"I don’t actually want to kill you."

I can’t trust you, though...

Chen Nuo sneered inwardly.

Then, suddenly, a loud BOOM!

The Fourth Seed’s figure shot from afar, landing on top of the old houses. He raised his palm and pressed down lightly!

RUMBLE! An invisible force instantly pressed down from mid-air! Visibly, a row of bungalows and tiled houses caved in, flattened!

Dust and debris flew everywhere. Chen Nuo had already ducked down rapidly and darted into another alley.

Damn it! From what I remember, that area had quite a few old buildings; some were even municipally protected cultural heritage sites.

But... whatever, it’s just a replicated space. If it’s destroyed, then it’s destroyed.

This also reminded Chen Nuo...

This is a replicated space. I have no restraints, and my opponent will act with even fewer!

Fully retracting all fluctuations of his spiritual power, Chen Nuo dove into a building within a residential complex.

After forcing open the door to an unfamiliar apartment, he slipped into an ordinary home.

The house wasn’t large: an old two-bedroom, one-living-room layout, with rooms facing south and north.

Chen Nuo lay on the balcony. He could see that a large section of the bungalow area across the street below had been demolished. An idea struck him. He searched around in the living room and quickly found a lighter.

After thinking for a moment, he ran into the bedroom, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out two winter coats.

「·」

The Fourth Seed’s figure floated in mid-air, his expression not at all anxious. He squinted, his gaze sweeping over the nearby blocks.

Suddenly, he saw a flicker of light in a residential building in the distance!

The Fourth Seed smiled faintly. With a light flick of his hand—BOOM!—an invisible force blasted a massive hole into the building!

The building was pierced straight through!

Afterward, on the other side of the building, a figure leaped out amidst the Collapse, landed, and then fled at high speed, sprinting down the street into the distance!

After a few leaps and bounds, the figure landed and headed in the direction of a park.

The Fourth Seed shot off in pursuit.

However, back at the original spot, beneath the wreckage of the collapsed building, Chen Nuo burrowed out, his heart pounding wildly.

He suppressed the physiological urge for oxygen from the choking dust, striving to maintain short, shallow breaths, pushing his Controller’s command over his body to its absolute limit.

Chen Nuo climbed out of the rubble and ran out of the residential area in another direction.

He didn’t use his abilities to sprint again. Once an Ability User uses their powers, they can be detected by the opponent’s spiritual sense.

He used only his body’s natural strength.

Then he found a bicycle by the side of the road, quickly twisted off the lock, mounted it, and pedaled furiously into the night.

Damn it! Seed, you better come quick!

I’m in danger!

Chen Nuo was very aware that he was no match for a Seed in a direct clash.

But... I have a protector God!

As the Chosen One of Seed, would Seed sit by and watch someone harm his hope for evolution?

Just like the last time he encountered Kamisou Ichiro, Chen Nuo believed that as long as he could stall for time, Seed would surely come to his rescue!

「·」

By the park, The Fourth Seed stood on the ground, looking calm and holding a jacket...

A clone created by splitting spiritual power?

A slight smile touched his lips.

"Indeed, a cunning fellow."

The Fourth Seed took a deep breath and activated his spiritual sense ability. The range of his consciousness rapidly expanded...

Soon, he caught on to an unusual movement...

But... Hm? A second one? Wait... A third? Fourth... fifth... sixth...

「·」

Chen Nuo wasn’t stupid. As he furiously pedaled his bicycle, whenever he passed an intersection, he split off a strand of spiritual power, sending it in a different direction.

After passing five intersections, he had split off five strands of spiritual power.

To The Fourth Seed’s senses, it was as if six targets had suddenly appeared and were moving simultaneously on a previously blank radar map.

He chuckled.

Chen Nuo was pedaling the bike at top speed when he suddenly heard a voice.

This voice wasn’t carried by sound waves but instead directly entered his mind through telepathy.

The Fourth Seed seemed not at all worried, "Your actions are meaningless. Since I pulled you into this replicated space, if I don’t let you out, you can’t get out. Unless you’re willing to hide here until you die."

Chen Nuo sneered inwardly. He was about to respond but immediately realized something.

Nice try. If I answer, you’ll pinpoint my location.

After a moment’s thought, a cold smirk touched his lips, and he directly severed the mental connection to one of his spiritual power clones.

One of the five spiritual power clones he had created suddenly dissipated on the spot after its connection was severed.

The Fourth Seed smiled slightly. "Playing tricks, are we?"

Instead, he headed straight towards the place where the clone had disappeared.

He really is a fool, Chen Nuo thought, pedaling furiously. He felt a slight sense of relief when he sensed the direction The Fourth Seed was heading.

Then, he rode to an intersection, leaped off his bike, and jumped into a tunnel.

It wasn’t a subway tunnel. Chen Nuo had considered hiding in one, but in 2002, Jinling’s subway system hadn’t been completed yet; the tunnels being excavated hadn’t even reached the Jiangning District.

After jumping into an underground pedestrian tunnel at an intersection, Chen Nuo didn’t rush out. Instead, he looked at a tourist map in a display case inside the tunnel, took out his phone, turned on its light, and studied the map intently.

A few minutes later, Chen Nuo emerged from the tunnel. Under the cover of night, he quickly created two more spiritual power clones and then disappeared into the darkness.

「·」

This was a thrilling game of hide-and-seek.

The playground was the entire Jinling City!

One was seeking, the other hiding.

Both possessed unrestricted destructive power!

「About an hour later.」

Chen Nuo was now standing on the administrative boundary between Jiangning District, where he was, and another district of Jinling.

He sprinted into a small shop by the roadside, picked up a bottle of water from the shelf, twisted it open, and took a couple of gulps.

After an hour of madly running and hiding, he was quite hungry and thirsty.

Hiding in the dark store, he reined in all his spiritual power but perked up his ears, carefully listening to the sounds outside using only his hearing.

After eating a piece of bread, Chen Nuo exhaled and grew more puzzled...

Can’t Seed find me? Or is it that, in this replicated space, I can’t be sensed from the outside? No, that’s not right... If it’s Seed, even if he couldn’t sense me, he’d realize something was wrong with me. The inability to sense me *is* the problem! Seed isn’t stupid! If he detected an issue, he would definitely come looking.

「·」

The Fourth Seed had already been tricked by Chen Nuo twice.

After being deceived the last time, The Fourth Seed became much more cautious in his actions.

That fellow splitting his spiritual power to create fake clones to deceive me isn’t a big deal. At most, I’d fail to catch him and end up empty-handed.

But... hiding a Seed of Misfortune in a clone—that’s fucking disgusting!

It’s like painstakingly finding a treasure, opening the chest, only to find a pile of shit inside! And that shit even fucking explodes! The kind that splatters all over you!

The Fourth Seed’s expression gradually grew irritated.

「·」

Chen Nuo tossed the empty water bottle into a trash can as he walked. He then ducked into the shadows of the trees by the roadside, using the cover of the foliage to swiftly move away.

In the distance behind him, The Fourth Seed had begun to unleash destruction, unable to restrain himself.

Chen Nuo had just witnessed it. In the direction of a small high-rise residential area... after The Fourth Seed flew overhead and caught up with one of his clones, he didn’t dare to descend and grab it directly. Instead, he struck down from mid-air with his palm.

Suddenly, it was as if there was an invisible stapler in the sky!

Following a thunderous BOOM, a twenty-story building was instantly flattened!

The reinforced concrete frame couldn’t withstand the invisible force for even a second and collapsed under the pressure like a staple, crumbling instantly!

The Fourth Seed seemed to be venting his frustration, striking down four times in quick succession. Only after the four high-rise buildings in that residential complex had been reduced to rubble did he speak coldly.

"Chen Nuo, if you create another clone to mock me... do you really think I’ll just play hide-and-seek with you?"

Chen Nuo heard this voice in his mind. Naturally, he didn’t dare to respond and merely quickened his pace, continuing to move away.

"Fine! If you like to hide, let’s see how long you can keep it up," The Fourth Seed sneered.

Chen Nuo’s heart skipped a beat!

Suddenly, he saw The Fourth Seed’s figure, far behind him, shoot high up into the sky!

Just like a firework exploding mid-air!

Dozens of rays of light fell from the sky... Stars plummeting, meteors erasing the earth!

The light easily pierced through rows of buildings on the ground. Upon impact, the explosions unleashed massive shockwaves, causing nearby structures to collapse and shatter!

The exploding light stirred up huge mushroom clouds...

After dozens of meteors fell, a large swath of city blocks was instantly engulfed!

He could roughly deduce that the center of the explosion was around his own residence and the area where No. 8 Middle School was located!

Flames and blast waves shot into the sky, dust clouded the heavens—a scene like the arrival of doomsday!

Even in more distant areas, buildings were affected. Countless windows shattered, sending shards flying, and numerous trees were uprooted by the shockwaves!

After sprinting several tens of meters down the road, Chen Nuo leaped into a drainage ditch. He immediately felt a ROAR above him as the shockwave swept past!

The thundering roar completely shattered the night’s silence. Chen Nuo’s ears felt as if they were ringing intensely, the tinnitus unceasing.

He tore off two pieces of his hem and stuffed them into his ears, then forcefully opened his mouth several times before his ears felt a bit more comfortable.

He poked his head out and looked into the distance... The area in the direction of his school and his residential complex, spanning several square kilometers and encompassing many city blocks, had completely turned into a wasteland!!

Though deeply shaken, Chen Nuo became even more resolute: he would absolutely not reveal himself!

So you like demolishing things, huh? Fine! It’s a replicated space anyway, demolish all you want! If you’ve got the guts, tear down the entire city!

「About half an hour later.」

Chen Nuo was standing on Daming Road.

Constantly evading seems to be working for now, but that guy was right... He pulled me into this space. To escape completely, I still need to find a way out...

So much time has passed. Maybe Seed has already arrived and is in the real world, just outside this space.

As long as I can escape, no matter how powerful The Fourth Seed is, Seed will naturally be there to deal with him.

But... how do I get out?

Chen Nuo had tried using his Spatial Ability.

If this is a replicated space...

But whenever Chen Nuo tried to extend his consciousness to sense the space, his opponent would detect the fluctuations in his spiritual power and quickly close in.

Chen Nuo had tried twice already.

One of those times, he was nearly caught. He had ended up having to decisively throw a piece of the Tree of Misfortune, making it explode on the spot, just to force that guy back.

Chen Nuo himself took the opportunity to dive into the Qinhuai River and swim away.

Both No. 8 Middle School and Chen Nuo’s residence were in the south of Jinling City.

And now, he had almost reached the downtown area of Jinling.

Here, the buildings were denser, the roads more numerous, and the terrain more conducive to hiding.

This isn’t working... I still need to find a way to buy some time to sense the space. If I have enough time to perceive it, I should be able to find the flaws in this dimension and teleport back...

Chen Nuo’s mind raced.

But the problem is, as soon as I use my spiritual power, he immediately detects it and comes after me.

He doesn’t give me any time to sense the space at all.

How can I buy some time...?

In the dark, Chen Nuo suddenly looked up and saw in the distance, under the night sky, within the city’s silhouette, a towering structure...

That was the Jinling TV Tower.

A structure over three hundred meters tall. In the Jinling of 2002, which wasn’t yet the future cityscape teeming with skyscrapers in its center, this TV tower was still one of Jinling City’s landmark tall structures.

Most importantly, it was a transmission tower!