The sky curtain makes you a useless class monitor, yet you act arbitrarily for eternity?

After asking the question, Ye Chen laughed without waiting for her answer.

"Don't rush to speak."

Let me guess.

"This is a task the system gave you, right?"

"You came here to train me."

"You're nice to me because I'm the target of your mission."

"You taught me cultivation because the system gave me a reward."

"I like you because I'm just a pre-written character."

The bloodshot look in his eyes grew increasingly intense.

"Is that right?"

Jiang Liyu remained silent for a long time.

"How did you know?"

Ye Chen's smile vanished.

"Is it hard to guess?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the row of jade vases on the table.

"I've never seen anyone refine elixirs like they're cooking rice."

"Several thousand, several thousand at a time, were being sent out."

"After killing the monster, its corpse will not be left behind; only a few of the most important materials will drop."

"When you first saw the sound transmission talisman, you didn't even know why it lit up."

"But you know the attributes of every single magical artifact."

Ye Chen slowly clenched his fist.

"When you look at this world, you feel no sense of belonging."

"You only look at the task."

"Check out the rewards."

"Check the progress."

"And those people in later generations."

"They were able to come into our time because of you."

"Isn't that enough to illustrate the point?"

Jiang Liyu looked at him and did not deny it anymore.

"Ye Chen".

"I am indeed not from this world."

"To me, everything here is a procedurally generated world."

"What you see and hear is all fake code."

"false……"

Ye Chen repeated softly.

The two words, once they came out of his mouth, had a different meaning.

He looked at Jiang Liyu, and tears fell once again.

"Master."

"You still think this is just a game?"

Jiang Liyu did not answer.

Ye Chen took a step forward.

Have you ever met an NPC who developed genuine feelings for a player?

Have you seen it?

His voice grew lower and lower until it was almost squeezed out between his teeth.

"Master."

I've always liked you.

"You already knew about this."

"Then tell me."

"Is this also part of the setup?"

"In your eyes, even my liking you is just following a set procedure?"

Jiang Liyu looked at him, her eyes still calm.

"Yes."

One word.

Decisive, calm, and without any hesitation.

Ye Chen swayed slightly, standing there as if he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe.

After a long while, he lowered his head and suddenly smiled.

But as I laughed, the tears fell even more fiercely.

"Master."

"you're right."

"I really am just an NPC."

That's why it's so easy to get so upset by a single sentence.

Jiang Liyu's breathing became slightly erratic, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Do you know what the last task in the system you gave me was?"

Ye Chen raised his head, his eyes now dry of tears.

All that remained was a vast expanse of uncontrollable red.

"I'll kill you."

"Killing you will allow me to become the complete Shadow King."

"Killing you will allow me to break through the limits of the killing system."

"After that, by killing enemies, one's cultivation will never cease."

He looked at Jiang Liyu, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Isn't this a great deal?"

Jiang Liyu did not speak.

"But I didn't do it."

Ye Chen's voice suddenly softened.

"I don't want that reward."

"I don't want any complete form."

"And don't expect anything to be endless."

I just want you to stay.

Jiang Liyu lowered her eyes.

"sorry."

Don't say sorry.

Ye Chen took a step back.

"Master, please stop talking."

I don't want to hear it now.

Jiang Liyu raised his hand.

By the time Ye Chen realized what was happening, her palm was already pressed against his chest.

He felt a chill through the fabric.

There was no heartbeat inside.

Jiang Liyu placed her hand on the back of his hand.

"Master!"

Ye Chen struggled violently.

But Jiang Liyu's strength had already pinned down his arm.

"open!"

"I told you to let go!"

Jiang Liyu did not answer.

She looked into his eyes, then grabbed his hand and pushed it forward forcefully.

"Pfft!"

The palm pierced through flesh and blood, and also through her very essence.

Ye Chen stood there, the color draining from his face instantly.

He didn't shout.

There was no crying or fussing.

He seemed to have been completely drained, leaving only his eyes fixed on Jiang Liyu.

Jiang Liyu's body was pressed against his, so close that they could hear each other's breathing.

She did not seek medical treatment.

It did not stop the spread of that shadow and killing power.

Dark red lines spread from Ye Chen's palm and quickly covered her chest.

Jiang Liyu's body began to disintegrate, and the hem of her clothes turned into specks of light.

Next came the shoulders, arms, and long, flowing hair.

Her face grew paler and paler.

But she didn't frown; she just looked at Ye Chen.

"Master..."

Ye Chen stared at her gradually disappearing body.

"I'm asking you one last time."

"Your feelings towards me..."

His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

"Was there even a moment when you truly liked me?"

Jiang Liyu did not answer immediately.

Her body was already more than half broken down.

A speck of light floated up from the tips of her hair and landed between the two of them.

One of them landed on Ye Chen's eyelashes.

Ye Chen didn't blink.

Looking at the stubbornness in his eyes, Jiang Liyu finally sighed softly.

"My disciple."

"My heart belongs to someone else."

Ye Chen's fingers trembled slightly.

Jiang Liyu looked away.

"But not you."

The last glimmer of light in Ye Chen's eyes went out.

"Smack."

The sound was very soft.

It looked like something had completely shattered.

Jiang Liyu's figure transformed into starlight and completely dispersed.

Ye Chen stood still for a long time.

He looked down at his empty palm, his fingers tightening inch by inch, then slowly relaxing.

"Lord Shadow."

Beta's voice came from behind.

The second seat in the Shadow Courtyard emerged from the shadows, his gaze falling towards the window.

"Why didn't you leave that powerful figure here?"

"As long as you don't use the power of shadow and slaughter, she shouldn't really die with her strength."

"Moreover, killing her would only bring about a group of people of limited strength in the future."

"Even if they could resurrect indefinitely, it would be difficult for them to influence the course of the battle."

"Rather than this, it's better to keep this high-level combat power..."

Beta paused at this point.

Ye Chen did not turn around.

He kept staring at the now empty night sky.

He didn't speak until the last star disappeared.

"With that sword strike at the border, she had transformed her entire life's cultivation into a barrier."

"She cannot leave until the black mist dissipates."

"If she stays, she will only be worn down by this world."

Beta frowned.

"That's more valuable than dying at your hands."

Ye Chen's finger twitched.

"She is not from this world."

"She shouldn't have to bear the burden of this war."

"This is our homeland."

"The enemy outside is our enemy."

His voice was very soft.

"She's just a passerby trapped here."

Beta didn't say anything more.

Ye Chen lowered his head and looked at his palm.

The hand that had just pierced Jiang Liyu's chest was trembling slightly.

"Only if I kill her can she return to her own world."

"Only when she goes back can she see the person she truly wants to see."

Ye Chen closed his eyes.

"That's enough."

After saying that, he paused for a long time.

When he spoke again, his voice was so low that his emotions were barely audible.

"At least, she won't die here."