I just wanted to cultivate immortality, but I was forced to open a harem

Hearing these two words, Lin Hezhen's pupils suddenly contracted, and a strong sense of familiarity surged into his heart, causing his mind to tremble violently, as if something was about to come out.

At this moment, he felt that a lost memory seemed to be awakened.

The other party noticed that Lin Hezhen was abnormal, sneered, and mocked: "You finally remembered it, right? Yes, how could you forget it? This is your father's factory, your favorite place to play when you were a child, and the root cause of the drastic changes in your family. How could you forget it?!"

"dad......"

Lin Hezhen's body trembled violently and his face suddenly turned extremely pale.

There was a loud bang in his head, and in that instant it seemed as if billions of thoughts were fighting with each other, making him dizzy and his body a little unstable.

"Hahaha, you finally remembered, didn't you? [Lin He] [Zhen Jun]!"

The other party looked at Lin Hezhen's painful expression and laughed even more hideously.

"It was because the factory had problems with capital turnover and couldn't borrow money from the bank that your father took the risk of borrowing high-interest loans. As a result, the business did not improve and the factory still closed down. Dad was forced by the debt collectors to sell everything he could sell, and finally hanged himself. And you..."

[Lin He] suddenly paused, and deep regret and hatred emerged in his eyes.

"As the only male in the family, you should have taken on the responsibility of protecting the family and replaced your father as the support of your mother and sister. However, because you touched that damn wormhole, you traveled directly to another world!"

"You are very lucky. Not only did you join a top-level immortal cultivation sect and possess a rare talent for cultivation, but you also possess a golden finger that allows you to cultivate automatically. This allows you to stand out and be accepted as a disciple by the sect leader, becoming the youngest Nascent Soul cultivator in the sect's history."

[Lin He] said coldly, his eyes full of sadness and pity.

"But have you ever thought about what your mother and sister will face after you are gone? Losing two loved ones in one day, what kind of mental blow will they suffer? Without housing, savings and jobs, how will they survive?"

[Lin He] became more and more excited as he spoke. His hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his nails pierced his palms and blood seeped out, but he didn't care.

At the end of his speech, his voice became hoarse and his tone choked, and he shed tears full of regret and sadness: "You are lucky, but also sad, because you failed to take up your responsibilities and protect your mother and sister."

"What's more, you later traveled to the ordinary world of this Dharma Ending Age, met and developed relationships with various beautiful girls, and enjoyed the best of both worlds... How selfish! What would you do to your mother and sister? If only you could be happy, what about them?"

Lin Hezhen lowered his head and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

And [Lin He] continued to accuse him, and every word he said was like a sharp blade stabbing into Lin Hezhen's heart, cutting his flesh and hollowing out his soul.

"You are forever tormented by guilt, and your Dao heart has a huge flaw. If you can't make up for it, you will never be able to pursue the supreme Dao. You will only live in guilt and pain, and will never be able to transcend the shackles. In the end, you will go astray!"

Lin He said at the end, his voice almost roared: "You have no right, no qualification, to love those girls!"

"Clang~"

The dagger in Lin Hezhen's hand fell to the ground, and his eyes were dim.

"I...I remember everything..."

His body was shaking slightly, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were very chapped, and he looked like a candle in the wind, shaky and ready to collapse at any moment.

Seeing him like this, Lin He's eyes flickered with a gleam of success: "Fortunately, if you think about it now, it's not too late. You still have a chance to make up for your mistake."

Lin Hezhen raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Make up for it... Do I still have a chance?"

[Lin He] looked at his eager eyes and smiled, "Of course. Do you remember why you came here? Yes, you came here to overcome the tribulation, the inner demon tribulation, in order to break through to the 'Entry Stage'. Once you are promoted to the 'Entry Stage', you can use your soul to locate the world where you were originally born and return to your family."

"As long as you properly settle your mother and sister and end your earthly ties with them, you can embark on the path of cultivation with peace of mind. You will no longer be burdened with heavy burdens and shackles, and you will no longer have to continue struggling with self-blame, regret, and guilt. You can pursue the Great Way wholeheartedly!"

Hearing this, Lin Hezhen shuddered all over: "Then... how can I survive the 'heart demon tribulation'... and advance to the 'entry stage'?"

[Lin He] looked at the confusion in his eyes and said solemnly: "Those who pursue the Way of Heaven should know that there are many things to fear between life and death. Without the awareness of cutting off all worldly ties and abandoning everything, it is impossible to ascend to become an immortal! The path of cultivation is so lonely."

"Love in this world is nothing more than an infatuation, which is inherently illusory. Only by giving up all emotions and desires and cutting off all obsessions can you achieve the eternal immortal path. Whether you can cut off the calamity of love depends on you."

[Lin He] slowly bent down to pick up the dagger and handed it to Lin Hezhen: "I have dealt with the other women, except Kato Hui, who is still locked in the warehouse on the second floor. As long as you can kill her with your own hands, you can survive the 'heart demon calamity' and achieve the supreme path!"

Chapter 367: Dharma is like a raft, which should be abandoned when crossing a river

Lin He showed a sly smile on his face: "I believe that with your strength, it should not be difficult to kill Kato Hui."

"Kill... Hui?"

Lin Hezhen looked at the dagger that was shining with cold light, and the gentle and peaceful face of Kato Megumi appeared in his mind, and his breathing suddenly became rapid.

"You want me to kill Hui?" He looked at the other party in disbelief, his face changing constantly.

How could he possibly kill Hui!

Hui was so gentle, kind, and considerate...she was Lin Hezhen's beloved wife. If he killed Hui, he would never be able to forgive himself in his life.

[Lin He] sneered: "Why? You can't bear to part with it?"

"As long as you kill her, you will be able to successfully pass the 'heart demon tribulation' and advance to the 'entry stage'. Otherwise, you will never be able to break free from the shackles for the rest of your life, and can only live in guilt and self-blame, and will never be able to achieve the path to immortality!"

"Why must we kill Hui in order to achieve immortality?" Lin He asked.

"Why?" Lin He sneered, "We cultivators know what I am saying. If it is like the raft metaphor, even the law should be abandoned, let alone the illegality?"

"People in this world are willing to sacrifice their lives to pursue money, but for beings at our level, would we care about money? We don't pursue money because it doesn't mean much to us, so we won't go crazy for it. The same is true for love between men and women."

"Emotions, in the mortal world, exist to maintain relationships between people, maintain family stability, and maintain human reproduction. For cultivators like us, the focus is not on relationships between people, but on the relationship between oneself and the way of heaven. There is no need to focus on the family, let alone the reproduction of offspring."

"In this case, does the feeling in the mundane sense still have any meaning to us?"

"Ordinary people are intoxicated by their emotions and desires, and even disregard life and death. From emperors to ordinary people, common people, and heroes, everyone has died for love or hatred."

"It's different for cultivators like me. We are gods who are high above all others. Our goal is to achieve immortality. How could we lose the foundation of the great way for the sake of love, and let our realm regress and our cultivation decline?"

"Law is like a raft. You should abandon it when crossing a river. Kato Hui and others are just bridges connecting you to this world. Now that you have been recognized by this world, Kato Hui and others are useless. It is their honor to be killed by you and become a stepping stone for you to become stronger."

"If you want to slay your inner demons, you must sever the fetters in your heart with your own hands. Only by severing your worldly feelings can you embark on a path of true power, and only then can you transcend all shackles and set foot on immortality one day in the future."

After hearing Lin He's words, Lin Hezhen fell into silence for a long time.

"Hui..." Lin Hezhen's face showed pain, entanglement and struggle.

Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes. The memories of meeting, knowing and falling in love with Mai Sakurajima, Yukinoshita Yukino, Kaguya Shinomiya, Kato Megumi and others seemed like they happened yesterday. One by one, they were clearly engraved in his heart.

Dharma is like a raft, which should be abandoned when crossing a river.

Should a cultivator treat the people around him as a "seed" or a "raft", not caring about the vows they made to each other, not caring about their lives, and abandoning everything that belongs to mortals without hesitation, just to satisfy his pursuit of becoming an immortal?

Is that really correct?

Lin Hezhen's emotions were surging violently, as if waves of anger were beating against his chest, making him extremely uncomfortable.

-------------------------------------

"Success!"

In the warehouse on the second floor, Kato Megumi persevered in cutting the rope with the micro-serrated knife on the ring, and finally cut the rope and broke free from the shackles that bound her.

Although her wrists were repeatedly rubbed by the ropes during the process, causing her flesh and blood to flow, she still gritted her teeth and persevered until she cut the ropes on her body one by one.

After regaining her freedom, Kato Megumi had no time to check her injuries. She endured the burning pain from her wounds, stood up and staggered towards the door.

"The series of loud noises I heard just now should be gunshots. Could it be that Kazuma and Shinomiya are coming to rescue me? I have to hurry up and join them." Kato Megumi thought as she quickened her pace.

She stepped onto a narrow steel bridge, and beneath the bridge was a dark abyss.

Kato Megumi ran a few steps when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her ankle and almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, she held onto the railing beside her and managed to support her body. Then she looked down and saw that her ankles were rubbed by the rope, and blood was seeping out, staining her fair skin red.

"Shh, it hurts... Hey, what is this?"

Kato Megumi looked in astonishment and saw that there was a tall "mountain" in the abyss under the bridge. Many crows gathered on the "mountain". They were circling or staying, tearing something on the "mountain" and making strange "wow, wow" sounds from their mouths. Their voices were rough and hoarse, which made people feel chilling.

After adapting to the dim light here, Kato Megumi finally saw the whole picture of the mountain, and her face turned pale with horror.

How could this be a mountain? It was clearly a huge grave made up of countless human corpses!

These corpses were hideous and horrific, with all kinds of strange and horrific causes of death.

Some had a big hole in their chests; some had their abdomens cut open, with intestines and internal organs pouring out; some had half their heads missing, with grayish-white brains exposed; some had their eyes wide open, dying with their eyes open; and some were like charcoal, emitting green smoke...

There were thousands of corpses piled up! They were piled up one after another, densely packed together, like a small hill!

Many of the corpses had already rotted, emitting a strong stench that made people want to vomit.

The most shocking thing is that all these corpses have the same face, a face full of resentment and hatred, and a strange smile that makes people shudder.

"【Lin He】... These people, these corpses, are all 【Lin He】! What is going on?" Kato Megumi's legs began to tremble. She felt as if she had touched the dirtiest and most evil part of the world, and her heart was pounding.

She instinctively quickened her pace, stumbled away holding onto the railing, and ran forward.

Kato Megumi crossed the steel bridge and came to the core area of ​​the factory. It was here that Hayashi Kazuma and Shinomiya Kaguya had fought a fierce battle with Hayashi Kazuma.

Now there is no trace of Lin Hezhen and the monster here. All that remains is a pile of ruins and a lot of shocking bloodstains.

"Kato..." A faint call came from behind the ruins.

"I'm here!" Kato Megumi was delighted and immediately ran over to the sound.

I saw Kaguya Shinomiya curled up in a corner deep in the ruins, her face pale and her breath weak.

Although I have attained the Tao, I am the guardian of the Tao.

Kato Megumi ran to Shinomiya Kaguya and saw that her clothes were stained with blood, her hair was scattered and draped over her shoulders, and she looked dying.

"Shinomiya-san..." Kato Megumi called out worriedly, and hugged Shinomiya Kaguya in her arms: "Shinomiya-san, how are you injured?"

"I... cough cough... don't worry about me... cough cough cough... go and help Kazuma..." Shinomiya Kaguya raised her head with difficulty and looked at Kato Megumi.

"He is fighting that... ahem... monster disguised as a policeman. The situation is very critical... ahem... only you can help him..."

Shinomiya Kaguya was halfway through her words when she suddenly started coughing violently. Blood flowed out from the corners of her mouth, staining her clothes red.

"Mr. Shinomiya, stop talking and take a rest first. I'll bandage your wound." Kato Megumi said anxiously.

"Don't... waste time... cough cough cough..." Shinomiya Kaguya shook her head weakly and continued, "I can't... do it anymore... Go help him, cough cough... I can't do anything for him anymore, cough cough..."

"Don't say that, Shinomiya-san, you will be fine!" Kato Megumi couldn't stop crying. She tried her best to comfort Shinomiya Kaguya, but found it was of no avail because the other party's vitality was disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ahem...you'd better go quickly, otherwise it will be too late..." A blush appeared on Shinomiya Kaguya's face, and her eyes regained their luster.

"Shinomiya-san!" Kato Megumi cried out. She knew that this was the last glimmer of light before a person's death.

“You must help Kazuma escape this cycle and realize where his true inner demon lies… Megumi… I’m leaving everything up to you…”

Shinomiya Kaguya's voice became lower and lower, her breath gradually became weaker, and her eyes slowly became unfocused.

"I will definitely do it, I will!" Kato Megumi held Shinomiya Kaguya's hand tightly and said firmly.

"Well, I believe you." Shinomiya Kaguya forced a smile, then closed her eyes, leaned back, and lost the last trace of movement.

"Shinomiya-san..." Kato Megumi hugged her cold body, her heart filled with grief and despair, tears pouring out of her eyes.

Kato Megumi carefully laid Shinomiya Kaguya flat on the ground, took off her coat and covered her with it, then gritted her teeth, turned around and ran away.

-------------------------------------

On the rooftop, Lin Hezhen and [Lin He] were still confronting each other.

"What are you hesitating about?" Seeing Lin Hezhen fall into deep thought, Lin He frowned and asked, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

"Why don't you kill Kato Megumi quickly? Only by killing her can you achieve the supreme way. Otherwise, you will be swallowed by this desert and will never be able to escape!" Lin He said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Hezhen suddenly opened his eyes, and his ink-black eyes emitted a terrifying cold light.

He stared at Lin He for a long time, and suddenly laughed: "Are you sure that if you kill Kato Hui, I can be promoted successfully?"

"Of course, we are the children of heaven and are not bound by anything. Love is nothing but a floating cloud to us and has no value at all!" Lin He said proudly.

"Practicing Taoism is what a real man does, which is beyond the reach of emperors and generals. Mortal emperors command the world, command millions of soldiers, and rule the nine provinces. Their anger and joy can shake the country, and their words can influence fate. Such men are certainly real men in the eyes of ordinary people, but to me, they are just ants."

"For those who cultivate immortality, thousands of years are but the blink of an eye. A family, a surname, a nation, a clan, or even the vast and picturesque landscapes of the world, in our eyes, are but the rise and fall of a moment, like the fleeting moment of a flower. What's the point of talking about it?"

"Mortals are like weeds. They live and die in one autumn. After a million years, when you look back at the world, will you see anything new under the sun and on the earth?"

"With a tiny human body, I abandon everything and strive to control infinity and eternity, life and death, and the soul. How magnificent is that? Our will, strength, capacity, wisdom, and even ambition... are beyond the imagination of ants."

"In order to achieve such a great cause, what does it mean to sacrifice a mere love and a mere woman?"

"If you can't even advance to the 'Entry Stage', how can you return to your original world to save your mother and sister?" Lin He asked harshly.

"I really failed to protect my mother and sister."

Lin Hezhen lowered his head and spoke in a low voice.

"But this doesn't mean that I can trample on other people's lives at will!"

Kato and the others are not ants, they are the ones he loves, the important people he wants to protect at the cost of his own life, how can he just abandon them? !

That kind of behavior is not only despicable, but also selfish.