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

Lin Zhixu's sword tip stopped just half an inch in front of his shoulder.

A night breeze swept by, causing their robes to flutter loudly.

His chest heaved violently, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

Luo Yiyan stared intently at him: "You simply can't bring yourself to do it, can you?"

The next second, Lin Zhixu's wrist sank, and the tip of the sword pierced Luo Yiyan's shoulder.

The sword tip pierced through the flesh, and warm blood gushed out instantly, staining half of Luo Yiyan's clothes red.

Luo Yiyan's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe it.

Lin Zhixu remained expressionless, flicked his wrist, and drew his sword.

Luo Yiyan staggered back two steps, clutching her shoulder, blood seeping from between her fingers.

The pain exploded a moment later, and blood splattered a small patch of dark red on the sand.

Lin Zhixu said coldly, "You have no fighting spirit. I'll let it go this time, but next time we meet, I won't hold back. I hope you'll give it your all."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left.

Xiao Hei slowly emerged from the shadows and followed behind him.

Luo Yiyan knelt on one knee, panting, and looked up at his receding figure.

The sandstorm swept in, quickly obscuring the figure.

He opened his mouth, as if something was stuck in his throat, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence—

"Lin Zhixu, you've really gone mad."

No one answered him.

The wind howled in the northern wilderness, as if it were crying for someone.

……

The system sobbed in Lin Zhixu's mind: "Waaah, you actually stabbed him! You never used to be able to bear hurting him, but now you actually stabbed him with a sword."

Lin Zhixu, you have no heart!

Lin Zhixu paused, nearly tripping over the loose stones. He took a deep breath, his tone rather helpless: "What emotional module have you loaded this time?"

The system, looking aggrieved, wrote: "[A heart-wrenching emotional module reminiscent of a melodramatic romance novel.]"

Lin Zhixu: [...]

The system glitched again: [How pitiful Luo Yiyan is! He never gave up searching for you. He often endured hardship, sleeping outdoors, and after so many years of separation, he was struck by your sword.]

What he shed wasn't blood, but tears from his heart!

Lin Zhixu's temples throbbed: [Deleted.]

System: 【...Oh.】

Lin Zhixu closed his eyes and suddenly realized that he should be more worried about his own mind than Luo Yiyan.

He feared that if he kept installing random things into the system, the CPU would eventually give out and explode in his brain.

I need to get through the storyline quickly and shake off the system!

……

Three months later, the ferocious beasts of the Northern Wilderness had been tamed and were completely subdued.

Those once unruly big guys now obediently line up at the sound of Lin Zhixu's whistle.

Having completed his mission, Lin Zhixu set off back to the Demon Palace.

This time, Li Hanshan did not come back.

He stayed in the Northern Wilderness, and no one knows what he was planning.

Lin Zhixu didn't care.

His time is running out. After he finishes this final part of the story, gods and demons will no longer matter to him.

Li Hanshan was unaware that when he returned to the Demon Palace, his carefully cultivated "good general," his most prized disciple, had already run away.

Lin Zhixu was mentally prepared.

After many years, he stepped into the Tianheng Sect again.

This is probably the last time.

He looked up and gazed in the direction of Qiyue Peak.

It was completely silent there, like an empty mountain.

Unbeknownst to him, at the very moment he stepped into the sect, deep within Qiyue Peak, Yu Linzhou suddenly opened his eyes.

Suddenly, he broke into an almost morbid smile.

"You're finally back. This time, I'll never let you leave again."

Lin Zhixu did not return to Qiyue Peak.

He walked along the familiar path toward Luo Yiyan's residence.

Luo Yiyan is at home.

Lin Zhixu stood at the door and probed inside with his divine sense.

Luo Yiyan had gone on another trip and had new injuries on her body.

The person was leaning against the bed, pale-faced, with a lingering melancholy between their brows.

Lin Zhixu stood at the door for a moment, feeling a mix of emotions.

Luo Yiyan seemed to be awake.

He sensed someone approaching, abruptly looked up, and his hand was already on the sword beside his pillow: "Who!"

Lin Zhixu hesitated for a moment, but still appeared in front of him.

Luo Yiyan was stunned for a moment. "Zhixu? You're back? Am I still dreaming?"

Lin Zhixu's eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"Why do you always look so pitiful whenever I see you? How can I possibly hurt you?"

Luo Yiyan jolted awake, fully waking up.

He grabbed the sword from beside his pillow, propped himself up, and looked at Lin Zhixu warily: "What are you doing here?"

His shoulder injury hadn't fully healed, and with this movement, blood seeped through the gauze again.

But he couldn't care less; he just stared intently at Lin Zhixu, afraid that the man would disappear again in the blink of an eye.

Looking at his pitiful appearance, Lin Zhixu was silent for a moment before saying, "I've come to settle things with you. But it seems I've come at the wrong time. I'll come back to you once you've recovered."

After he finished speaking, he turned to leave.

"Wait a minute..."

Luo Yiyan struggled to get out of bed, but as soon as his feet touched the ground, he aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp in pain.

Just then, a lazy voice came from outside the door, tinged with a hint of mockery and coldness: "Oh, who is this? Isn't this my good disciple? What, you've finally decided to come back?"

Upon hearing this voice, Lin Zhixu froze on the spot.

He made countless mental preparations, but he dared not think about how to face this person.

The footsteps approached slowly, carrying a familiar sense of oppression.

"What's wrong? It's been years, and you don't even call me Master anymore?" Yu Linzhou walked up behind him and whispered in his ear.

The warm breath brushed against the back of his neck, making Lin Zhixu's back tense even more.

Lin Zhixu subconsciously took a step forward and finally slowly turned around.

Yu Linzhou stood just a step away.

The light shone on him, his face still handsome, only sharper than before.

Yu Linzhou crossed his arms and leisurely sized him up, a half-smile playing on his lips.

His gaze was like a dense net, firmly enveloping Lin Zhixu from the moment he appeared, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Luo Yiyan sensed something was wrong and forced herself to stand up, trying to shield Lin Zhixu: "Immortal Venerable, calm down. He just got back, don't scare him."

Yu Linzhou didn't even glance at him, staring at Lin Zhixu, and slowly smiled: "Scare him? How could I bear to? I'm just happy, so happy I don't know what to do with him."

Lin Zhixu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he lowered his eyes: "Master, I still have things to take care of. Once I'm done, I will naturally return to Qiyue Peak to apologize."

"Apologize?" Yu Linzhou chuckled softly, as if he had heard a joke.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Zhixu's wrist. The force was immense, as if he wanted to embed him into his palm. "What crime could you possibly have committed? I like you so much, how could I bear to punish you?"

Lin Zhixu felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively tried to break free, but Yu Linzhou's hand remained motionless and instead tightened its grip.

He raised his eyes and met Yu Linzhou's dark, deep eyes.

There was so much churning inside: obsession, lingering fear, the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, and a deep-seated madness that almost burned a person through.

"Yu Linzhou..." Lin Zhixu had just opened his mouth when Yu Linzhou suddenly pulled him, causing him to stumble and crash into his arms.