After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Li Hanshan seemed to enjoy his sudden change: "Don't be nervous. He's not going to die. I just put a little mental curse on him."

"Oh, you don't know what the Heart Demon Curse is, do you? A-Gu, you explain it to him."

Agu immediately forced a smile, his effeminate face appearing particularly eerie under the dim green light: "Yes, Lord. This Heart Demon Curse is more potent for those with higher cultivation levels."

"Once the inner demons are unleashed, the backlash is a hundred times more terrifying than external injuries. If the person is already injured, that's even better. Beset by internal and external troubles, the slightest carelessness could damage their foundation, or worse... hehe."

His last laugh was incredibly sleazy.

Lin Zhixu's fingers tightened suddenly, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

But in an instant, he suppressed those surging emotions.

Li Hanshan looked him over with interest: "Aren't you worried?"

Lin Zhixu said calmly, "The fact that you have used such underhanded tactics on him time and time again only shows that you can't beat him in a head-on fight, so you resort to dirty tricks behind his back."

Li Hanshan narrowed his eyes, not angry but amused, and slowly circled around him: "Still quite stubborn. I'd like to see if you'll still be this stubborn after being corrupted by demonic energy day and night."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaned in and closed in, the black energy coiling around Lin Zhixu's limbs like a living thing.

Lin Zhixu felt a bone-chilling cold seep into his meridians from his skin, and his vision suddenly went black. Countless distracting thoughts surged in like a flood that had been released.

His ears were buzzing with Luo Yiyan's questions, Yu Linzhou's whispers, and the images that he had never been able to let go of in his own heart.

The system immediately appeared, reassuringly saying, "Don't be afraid, I've already granted you blocking permissions. His demonic energy will only make you dizzy for a moment; it won't harm you. How are you feeling now?"

Lin Zhixu replied: [It's alright, just a little sleepy, and my head is a bit noisy.]

The system said: "That's good. If you feel unwell, be sure to tell me, and I'll adjust the parameters for you. If you feel you can't take it anymore, just pretend to faint."

Lin Zhixu: [Okay, I'll let you know if I need anything.]

Lin Zhixu felt a terrible headache, so he pretended to be unable to withstand the shock, closed his eyes, and fainted.

Li Hanshan's demonic energy was indeed powerful. When it entered my meridians, it felt like countless ice needles were pricking me. My vision went black and white intermittently, and all I could hear was a buzzing whisper.

If the system hadn't turned off the blocking in time, he probably would have gone crazy.

Seeing that the person had fainted, Li Hanshan stopped.

The black mist dissipated from his limbs and then gathered back into the air.

He looked down at Lin Zhixu, who was lying on the ground, and said with a hint of regret, "I thought you were so tough, but you're nothing special."

Agu laughed obsequiously from the side, "With the Lord personally taking action, how could this kid possibly withstand it? He's just relying on his little bit of cleverness. If it really came down to a fight, I'm afraid I could crush him with a single finger."

Li Hanshan didn't speak, but glanced at him indifferently.

Agu's smile froze, and he wisely shut his mouth and shrank back into the corner.

Li Hanshan withdrew his gaze and warned, "I don't care what you're thinking, keep it to yourself. This person is extremely useful to me; he absolutely cannot die, understand?"

Everyone nodded vigorously.

Li Hanshan snorted coldly and turned to leave.

The hall fell silent again.

Several demonic cultivators pushed and shoved each other until finally the burly man with black horns stepped forward, lifted Lin Zhixu off the ground, and threw him onto a chair in the corner.

He said in a gruff voice, "This pretty boy is really useless; he couldn't last long."

Agu leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his gaze lingering on Lin Zhixu's pale face, his eyes greedy: "You think everyone is as rough as you? A little beauty is more endearing when she's delicate."

"I wonder when the Lord will get tired of him. When that happens, I'm going to really enjoy using his body."

The eldest among them spoke up: "All of you, calm down. The Lord still has a use for him, Agu, don't get any funny ideas."

Agu curled his lips.

The atmosphere then quieted down.

With nothing to do, the group felt bored.

They hesitated for a moment, then decided that Lin Zhixu was too weak to escape, and left.

After those demonic cultivators left, Lin Zhixu remained lying with his eyes closed, breathing steadily, as if he had truly passed out.

He only slowly opened his eyes after the system had carefully scanned the area and confirmed that there were no surveillance or restrictions around him.

He propped himself up and sat up, stretching his neck which was sore from the fall, and couldn't help but frown.

The burly man with the dark horns was too rough and almost broke his neck.

The system couldn't help but ask: "Host, I don't quite understand. Since you're destined to fall into demonic possession anyway, why do you insist on going against Li Hanshan? Wouldn't it be easier to suffer less if you just went along with him?"

Lin Zhixu rubbed the back of his neck, silently replying: [Do you really think Li Hanshan appreciates me? His "patient" attitude towards me is based on my status as Yu Linzhou's disciple.]

All my current reactions are within his expectations. The moment I change, he'll be the first to turn on me.

The system was even more confused: [What does that mean?]

Lin Zhixu said, "You're too naive. Li Hanshan has an obsession with Yan Lingcang and Yu Linzhou, and sometimes that obsession goes beyond just hatred."

Ten thousand years ago, the two of them joined forces to seal him away, and he couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart. But the more he felt this way, the more he felt that these two were his only true rivals in this life, people who were "worthy" of being his enemies.

As Yu Linzhou's disciple, I should have some pride in his eyes. If I were to yield and fawn from the start, he would feel that I had tarnished the identity of "Yu Linzhou's disciple" and would think that Yu Linzhou was nothing special.

By then, I'll have shattered his illusions, and I'll have no emotional value to him anymore. Who knows if this madman will get angry and kill me?

The system seemed to understand, but not quite: "So that's how it is. Human nature is truly complex. I thought he hated Yu Linzhou and wanted to use you to get revenge on him."

Lin Zhixu: [That's exactly what he thought, but while the result is important, the process is even more important.]

System: [So, are you going to keep resisting him from now on?]

Lin Zhixu: [Of course not. Yu Linzhou has already confronted him. With Yu Linzhou's abilities, I will definitely be rescued. But Li Hanshan didn't achieve his goal, so he definitely won't let me go. He will come after me again.]

He shifted to a more comfortable position: [The next time he approaches me, I can pretend to be swayed and go along with it to join his side.]

The system's tone was complex: "[It's too complicated. No wonder the Heavenly Dao doesn't allow us systems to interfere with tasks like maintaining the balance of the world lines. If the system were to take the lead, it would probably have collapsed long ago.]"

Lin Zhixu couldn't help but laugh.

He remembered something, and his expression turned serious: "Oh, right, I forgot to ask you. What effect will the Demon Heart Curse that Li Hanshan placed on Yu Linzhou have on him?"

The system paused, a hint of uncertainty in its voice: "[There will definitely be an impact. Spells like the Demonic Heart Curse essentially amplify the vulnerabilities in people's hearts. The higher a person's cultivation level, the more severe the backlash will be once they are affected.]"

[However, Yu Linzhou has accumulated a lot of evil thoughts over the years, but he has never truly fallen into demonic possession, which shows that his willpower is extremely strong. He shouldn't be controlled by the Demon Heart Curse... right?]