Chapter 51 Behold My Sword, Can It Open the Heavens!

Xiao Lin let out a cold, deafening shout, full of such robust vitality that one could not help but wonder if he was truly the one drenched in fresh blood.

Yet, there was no room for doubt. Within his right hand, it was as though a universe was being forged, firmly capturing that shadowy figure and rendering it utterly immobile.

Xiao Lin slowly rose from his single-knee stance as the dark figure gradually materialized.

"Let me look upon your true face."

Knowing escape was impossible, and that even his true appearance could no longer be concealed, the figure suddenly gave up resisting. Utilizing Xiao Lin’s pulling force, he lunged toward him at a hundredfold speed.

"The one about to die... is you!"

Bang!

A terrifying wave of spiritual energy rippled outward with the two of them at its center. Flagstones shattered, and houses collapsed. Han Chen, much like a ragdoll, was blown backward through the air, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.

He crashed heavily onto the ground, yet still forced himself to check on Xiao Lin’s condition, his pupils trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Lin, who moments ago had been bearing the suffering of the common folk and hovering on the brink of death, was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to his pristine state.

Aside from the nearly congealed blood coating his body, not a single trace of injury remained, truly resembling a dream.

Only then did Han Chen understand the meaning behind Xiao Lin’s words, "Since we are in a dream."

Yet, why was he so lucid?

And how could he share the exact same dream with everyone else?

Stunned, Han Chen felt even the physical pain recede significantly.

However, the shock on Xiao Lin’s face was hardly less than Han Chen’s—seven parts feigned, three parts genuine.

The face of the person before him was vaguely familiar, yet deeply etched in his memory.

Xiao Lin stared deeply into that countenance. "You are actually still alive..."

Vengeful spirits shrieked—it was none other than the evil cultivator Ming Tu, who had perished by his own methods!

The early spoilers had mentioned that the Fallen Sword Immortal would drag him into a dream, but they had utterly failed to mention that the evil cultivators he had killed would make a comeback.

Clearly, that came at an extra cost.

Ming Tu grinned. "If I didn't drag you down to the Yellow Springs along with me, how could I possibly die?"

『??????』

『No way, evil cultivators can resurrect? Doesn't this mean it's endless?』

『He's hacking, isn't he?』

Yet, Xiao Lin merely responded with a smile. "I do not believe there is any resurrection in this world that comes without a price. If there were, everyone would practice evil arts, and long ago, evil cultivators would have ruled the world and demons would run rampant."

"Do you even possess a complete physical body now? Are you truly yourself, or merely a shell carrying someone's memories..."

Hearing this, Ming Tu's expression gradually grew unsightly. Opening his mouth to unleash his familiar, piercing shriek, a hand suddenly clamped tightly around his throat.

"I can kill you once, and I can kill you a second time!"

Crack!

As the words fell, Xiao Lin’s right hand clenched fiercely, instantly crushing Ming Tu's neck!

However, the shattering of the dreamscape he had imagined did not occur. Ming Tu dissolved into a ball of black mist, reforming his physical shape not far away.

"It's useless. Your Dao heart is indeed steadfast, breaking through the fact that this is a dream so quickly. But what of it? You may be lucid, but I am not the center of this dream. You will never escape this illusion; you shall remain trapped within this dream for eternity, until you die!"

Ming Tu roared and laughed wildly, as if Xiao Lin’s doom was already sealed.

Moreover, the ordinary people who had clearly regained their senses actually returned, once again surrounding Xiao Lin and Han Chen.

Composed as Han Chen was, his expression betrayed a trace of despairing gray.

If this happened again, he was bound to die at the hands of these people.

"Immortal, we hurt so much..."

"If it hurts, endure it! Do you think I'm not in pain?!" Han Chen cursed furiously, completely devoid of his previous noble demeanor of self-sacrifice.

Yet, having long been exhausted to the limit of his lamp burning dry by the aftermath, he could not even mount a defense if he wanted to.

He stared blankly as the crowd raised their blades.

Even though it was a dream, he found it hard to command things at will as one typically could in dreams. Coupled with the undeniable, bone-deep agony, a sense of disillusionment welled up in his heart regarding the present scene.

The sword techniques and swordsmanship of the Myriad Swords Sect and Sword Mountain were entirely different, but as fellow adherents of the righteous path, their ultimate goal was naturally the salvation of all living beings under heaven.

In particular, the Myriad Swords Sect refused to be relegated to a "lesser substitute" for Sword Mountain, and would certainly not fall behind in this regard.

Yet at this very moment, Han Chen finally harbored a fleeting thought.

Suffering for the common people.

Which common people was this for, and were they truly worth such agony...

His Dao heart seemed on the verge of wavering, but in the next instant, the mortals surrounding him exploded into pieces!

Blood splattered all over his body, and under this jolting shock, his wavering Dao heart instantly solidified.

"Are you insane?" Han Chen blurted out instinctively.

Moments before, he had been willing to endure countless scars for the sake of the people and had been the first to do so, yet now he was slaughtering every last one of those he had labored to save!

He raised his head to meet a pair of blood-stained eyes, brimming with murderous intent, resembling a descending Asura.

Without a word, Xiao Lin threw another punch, violently obliterating those who attempted to step forward!

Only then did Xiao Lin glance sideways at him. "Earlier, I did not know this was a dream, so naturally I had to protect them. Otherwise, I would have fallen into the evil cultivator's trap and lost my righteous heart."

"Now that I know it is a dream, why bother protecting them? Am I trying to move myself? Naturally, I must slaughter them clean."

Han Chen was left gaping in utter astonishment.

While the phrasing was blunt, the logic was undeniably sound.

Yet throughout the righteous path, how many could actually pull this off?

The vast majority would probably end up killing the common people, likely starting from the very beginning.

Perhaps some truly possessed the heart of a bodhisattva, willing to slice their own flesh to feed an eagle.

Yet in the end, they would certainly lack the ruthlessness to strike down these ordinary folk.

Only Xiao Lin, seeming half-saint and half-demon, felt no hesitation whatsoever.

From beginning to end, he had never once betrayed the justice held within his heart.

"A mountain is still a mountain; can the righteous path truly lead to enlightenment like this..." Han Chen muttered to himself.

Xiao Lin had already eradicated every last mortal. Hearing these words, he turned his head and asked, "Should I take that as a compliment?"

Han Chen fell into silence. Just as the evil cultivator had been shocked by his methods, he too found himself utterly speechless at this moment.

『To those who called Xiao Lin a saintly pushover, speak up now!』

『Never slandered, only supported!』

『Mortal: Big brother, I only took a swing at you, and you completely obliterated me?』

『Brother Lin, I admit I was too loud before. Everything you do is right.』

『I told you so, even if the production team kills off the junior disciple, they won't let his character design collapse.』

『I don't think he was really a pushover before, right? The mastermind was indeed the evil cultivator, what did killing mortals matter? Besides, to some extent, this was a forced trolley problem set up by the production team. Otherwise, how hard is it for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to stop a group of mortals from self-mutilating?』

【Popularity +10...】

【Popularity +1...】

For the first time, Xiao Lin did not pay excessive attention to the bullet-screen comments; doing so would break his momentum.

Instead, he soared into the air, hovering above Myriad Cloud City, standing suspended in the firmament.

Vast amounts of spiritual energy converged frantically toward him. The four directions trembled, and heaven and earth shook, condensing into a ten-thousand-foot sword projection within his grasp.

This was his dream, and he was the master of this realm.

If he said it was ten thousand feet, then ten thousand feet it was!

With a calm expression, Xiao Lin ceased looking at Ming Tu down below, as if the latter had now been reduced to a mere ant.

He simply raised his gaze to the heavens, looking up at the desolate night sky, and swung the ten-thousand-foot sword in his hand.

"Behold my single sword... and tell me if it can cleave the heavens!"

A majestic beam of sword light split heaven and earth apart.

Tonight, the skies above Myriad Cloud City were entirely clear of clouds.