Chapter 53: The Little Machine is Pure

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Lin had slit his own throat dozens of times. His blood, mingling with that of the common folk, nearly formed a pool of crimson beneath his feet.

Han Chen and the others watched with palpitating hearts.

Although only Han Chen had sustained physical injuries, none of them doubted the absolute reality of this place.

The sensation of having their spiritual power and physical stamina completely drained, reducing them to mere mortals, was something they never wished to experience a second time in their lives.

If the loss of cultivation felt so terrifyingly real, how agonizing must the pain of death be?

The sword blade slicing through skin, exposing the scarlet flesh beneath, even revealing yellowish-brown adipose tissue and gleaming white bone...

Who among those present had not killed before?

They had all witnessed scenes far bloodier and more cruel than this, and some had even been the perpetrators.

Yet, gazing at the scene before them, a chill crept into their bones, making their scalps tingle.

Perhaps this vision had replayed too many times; perhaps past circumstances always involved killing others rather than oneself; or perhaps Xiao Lin's expression had grown increasingly ferocious, his murderous intent sharp as a sword, piercing their souls...

They imagined countless individuals—including themselves, fellow disciples, masters, elders, and even sect leaders—yet not a single one possessed such resolute determination.

Xiao Lin of Sword Mountain stood alone in this.

Yao Lian instinctively closed her eyes. It was not because she could not bear the sight of Xiao Lin's wretched state, but rather because the shattering and restoration of this realm were accelerating rapidly.

Heaven and earth were inverting, and the world was tilting toward collapse, resembling a scene of apocalypse.

Her state of mind could hardly bear it, and the prophecy uttered by Sect Master Tian Suanzi echoed faintly in her mind—

There is an end to heaven, a limit to the Dao, and it is but a handspan away.

When that time comes, will it look just like this?

Suddenly, the sense of chaos abruptly ceased.

Yao Lian opened her eyes to see Xiao Lin holding his long sword across his neck, yet he did not cut down again.

"What is wrong?" Gu Jianyao asked hurriedly, a trace of urgency in her tone as she once again tightly gripped Xiao Lin's wrist.

Xiao Lin seemed not to hear. After a long moment, his body shuddered, a jolt running through him, and he chuckled softly, "Nothing at all. Just a panoramic review of life before death, though this one lasted a bit longer."

What panoramic review of life?

Maintaining one's primordial unity meant preserving the clarity of the spiritual altar.

Even before the panorama of impending death, one could see right through it with a single glance.

He never did anything without assurance.

He had merely caught an inadvertent glimpse of modern technology from his past life, which felt rather out of place with the cultivation world of the present.

*Brother, stop killing yourself, you're scaring me.*

*I can't bear to watch anymore.*

*Why does the author usually censor everything else, but refuses to cut or trim this part, and didn't even bother to put a damn mosaic over it?!*

*Sob sob, little Kirin, my heart breaks for you.*

*You better not torture my Lin brother anymore after this.*

[Popularity Value +1...]

[Popularity Value +1...]

Having successfully played the pitiful card to reap another wave of popularity, Xiao Lin felt quite satisfied. "Senior Sister," he said, "I sense this dream is about to break. Do not forget what I told you..."

His voice paused slightly because Gu Jianyao's eyes at that moment were exceptionally piercing. Yet they lacked the ethereal agility she usually displayed during sword discussions; instead, they carried the gaze of someone else—majestic and overbearing...

His past life?

Yet these turbulent emotions were ultimately swallowed by a trace of heartache. Gu Jianyao wanted to say something, but in the end, she could only nod.

Splish!

Fresh blood sprayed once more. Far from breaking as Xiao Lin had predicted, he slit his throat over three hundred times more until the Myriad Clouds City and everyone around them finally shattered and vanished entirely. Replacing them was the familiar roadside inn.

Outside the window, a solitary lamp burned in the stillness, and the street was desolate—truly a quiet night.

With an impassive expression and without missing a beat, Xiao Lin swung his sword again, his movements almost reduced to muscle memory.

He was gambling, wagering on how much weight he held in Gu Jianyao's heart.

Otherwise, even if her mind's eye was unlocked, there was no guarantee her past-life persona wouldn't take over. How could he prevent the present "Gu Jianyao" from being entirely replaced by her former self?

Only he could serve as her spiritual anchor.

This was not Xiao Lin boasting; it was simply the only method worth trying.

The blade touched his skin once more, sharp as an edge, bone-chillingly cold. His body seemed to sense the danger and issued a warning for the first time.

Xiao Lin sighed inwardly, knowing he could not hesitate any longer. At worst, he would stop the moment the blade reached the fat.

Yet his hand refused to advance another inch. A pair of cool, delicate hands had grabbed his wrist in a death grip.

Xiao Lin turned his head and met a pair of calm, cold eyes.

"Senior Sister."

Xiao Lin smiled genuinely. It seemed that three years of companionship as fellow disciples, coupled with their time together recently, meant he still held some weight in Gu Jianyao's heart.

Just as he was about to withdraw the sword, he found that hand still immovable, and he watched as Gu Jianyao's eyes slowly turned red, though her grip did not loosen in the slightest.

"Hiss..."

Xiao Lin drew a sharp breath. Forced by Gu Jianyao's strength, he had no choice but to let go, and the Immortal Extinction sword clattered onto the bed.

Xiao Lin: "?"

Wait a minute, Sister, why are you looking like you're about to cry while hitting me this hard?

As he thought this, he was suddenly pulled into a soft embrace.

It was hard to say who embraced whom, but they were firmly and tightly holding onto one another.

Xiao Lin froze for a moment, then understood.

Not knowing what to say, she had chosen an embrace instead?

This was indeed the most common way for mortals to express emotion.

Whether friendship, familial affection, or romantic love...

Whether parting, reunion, or the joy of recovering what was lost...

Xiao Lin quietly felt Gu Jianyao's heartbeat, and the instinctive unease triggered by slitting his throat hundreds of times finally subsided.

He could sense that this was a very pure embrace.

Because the little puppet's inner heart was pure.

She did not want to lose him as a junior brother; she did not want to lose him as family.

Xiao Lin smiled faintly and wrapped his arms around Gu Jianyao in return.

If that is the case, I shall protect you in peace for a lifetime.

The night passed without dreams.

Early the next morning, Xiao Lin and Gu Jianyao concluded their meditation simultaneously. As they opened their eyes, an "unwelcome guest" arrived.

Knock, knock.

A rapping sound echoed.

"Brother Xiao."

It was Han Chen's voice.

Xiao Lin was not surprised.

The various locations in the dream were identical to reality, and since their inn was not far from the center of the city, their whereabouts had been exposed when they rushed over.

With a faint smile, Xiao Lin replied, "We parted only half a day ago, why stand on ceremony? Please, enter."

"Then I shall intrude."

Two figures pushed the door open: Han Chen and Gong Yunxuan. Yao Lian was nowhere to be seen.

Xiao Lin's gaze shifted slightly. As if knowing what he wanted to ask, Han Chen said, "We waited in the city for a while, but when she failed to show up, we simply came to see Brother Xiao directly."

Xiao Lin slowly remarked, "Of course she wouldn't come. Leaving aside the state of my mental fortitude—which sounds like blowing my own horn—even my Senior Sister's Immaculate Sword Heart, which is naturally detached from emotions, was still dragged into the dream last night. Such methods, aside from evil arts, probably have a great deal to do with the Heavenly Secrets Sect's techniques for concealing heavenly phenomena."

At these words, the expressions of Han Chen and Gong Yunxuan shifted slightly, yet they offered no refutation.

It was not because they found Xiao Lin's reasoning infallible, but rather that Yao Lian was not worth them arguing over.

What deep bond of life and death had ever existed between them?

If any such bond existed, it was with Xiao Lin, who had literally risked his life to save them.

The only thing Yao Lian had done was calculate the location of the evil cultivator, only for them to lead the group there and find nothing...

When tallied up, Yao Lian indeed seemed rather suspicious.