Black, mosaic-covered blood sprayed from the wound in Jiang Lin's neck.
As Jiang Lin's mosaic-covered head rolled to the ground, his eyes, unwilling to accept death, were filled with bewilderment and black question marks.
His body dead and his path destroyed, Jiang Lin, who had already reached the Cave Mansion Realm, turned into countless specks of spiritual energy and returned to nature...
The next moment, several men in black appeared before the woman.
"You! She had no grudge against you. Why did you have to kill her?"
The veiled woman covered her chest with one hand as blood slowly trickled from the corner of her mouth. Looking at the corpse gradually fading away on the ground, the guilt in her eyes was plain to see, and her hatred for the men in black grew even more intense.
"Heh heh. Anyone connected to the Carefree Sect must die! Besides, she just saw your face!"
"You! I swear I'll cultivate the Thousand Autumns Grand Dream! I'll avenge the destruction of my sect!"
"Revenge? You won't get the chance."
"That's right. If you behave and let us enjoy ourselves, we can at least make your death more painless."
One of the men in black licked his lips and advanced step by step.
Ding...
Just as the woman was about to fight them to the death, a crisp sound rang out through the night sky of Black Tortoise City, like a copper coin dropping to the ground.
Jiang Lin, who had just revived in a nearby attic, was hiding beneath the eaves and enjoying the spectacle. Then a streak of sword light flew straight toward him.
Jiang Lin dodged with the momentum and drifted gracefully to the ground.
"MMP. If I hadn't been curious, I would've revived farther away."
At that moment, Jiang Lin had donned a layer of mask skin to conceal his handsome features.
But after changing into a man's white robe, his slender figure still carried a touch of handsomeness beneath the moonlight.
"Are you planning to interfere?"
Seeing the white-robed figure land beneath the moonlight with MAX charisma—Jiang Lin, who had already changed back into men's clothing—the man in black raised his sword, his Killing Intent fully exposed.
"Interfere? Actually, I'm just passing—"
"Your Excellency, leave quickly! You're no match for them! Even if I, Xiao Xueli, have to fight them to the death, I won't let them sully my chastity!"
Jiang Lin: "???"
"Looks like Your Excellency really does want to be a Hero Saves the Damsel."
"No, actually, I don't—"
"Take this!"
[For fuck's sake! Are you even going to let me finish speaking?!]
Watching the sword light rushing toward him, Jiang Lin wanted to curse.
Wasn't he just listening in and watching the show? Were villains in this world really this decisive now? They didn't even bother spouting a few lines before launching straight into a fight?
At that moment, the Clear Longsword was only 0.01 centimeters from Jiang Lin.
Jiang Lin had considered dodging. He had also considered letting himself be killed again and running farther away. It wasn't his business anyway.
But...
A spring breeze lifted the girl's veil.
The instant he saw the girl's face.
The quest... had arrived...
[ Ding... ] [ Protagonist plot triggered: Protagonist Xiao Xueli, Direct Disciple of the Carefree Sect, gifted beyond compare and born with the Supreme Bone. After her sect was destroyed by the Undefeated Demonic Sect, she was hunted down. Within a hundred years, protagonist Xiao Xueli will bathe all the Demon Sects of the Nine Provinces in blood. After killing the host countless times and scattering his ashes, Xiao Xueli will immediately prove her Dao and ascend. ]
"Clang!"
Just as the tip of the sword touched the fine hairs between Jiang Lin's brows, Jiang Lin gripped a Flying Sword and knocked the longsword from the man in black's hand.
The Flying Sword was clear throughout, like snow and ice. It hovered beside Jiang Lin, radiating a brilliant, pure glow beneath the moonlight.
"A Natal Flying Sword! You're actually a Sword Cultivator!"
The man in black shouted at the white-robed man gazing up at the moon.
Cultivators were divided into three types: ordinary cultivators, Sword Cultivators, and Pure Martial Warriors, who were not technically cultivators but were cultivators all the same.
Among these three types, Sword Cultivators possessed the strongest killing power, were the most unreasonable, and had the highest threshold.
"Does being a Sword Cultivator really matter that much?"
Jiang Lin tilted his head forty-five degrees toward the moon's clear radiance, feeling like crying.
Why?
Why could he run into the protagonist just by taking a stroll... Fine, running into one was one thing, but why did every protagonist have to wipe out all the Demon Sects, eventually implicating the Sun Moon Sect?
Although our Sun Moon Sect was a Demon Sect, our Sun Moon Sect's creed was "attack only the heart, never kill the innocent," alright?
Our Sun Moon Sect hadn't eaten your family's rice!
"Since you're a Sword Cultivator, give us your name. I never kill nameless nobodies!"
"Twin Pearl Peak of the Sun Moon Sect, Jiang... Jiang Yida!"
Taking his gaze down from the sky, Jiang Lin looked at the pale, lovely girl behind him.
"The Sun Moon Sect? Hahaha, you're that disciple of the Sun Moon Sect that only toys with people's hearts and never kills? Hahaha, you're both members of a Demon Sect. Although your Sun Moon Sect is rather bizarre, since when did you start playing the hero?"
The man in black theatrically flicked his sword, sending out a flourish.
"Kid, seeing as we're in the same line of work, I'll spare you today. Hurry up and leave. Don't get in the way of my business!"
"Business?"
"Of course! My Skyfire Cannon is about to go off, you know? Hurry up and get out of the way. Or do you want a share too? That can be arranged. A hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and I'll let you go second."
"Boss, that won't do. I want to go second."
"Nonsense! Boss, I'm the one going second."
"Shut up!" The man in black gave a low shout, and his underlings immediately fell silent. He looked at Jiang Lin and smiled faintly. "Well?"
Jiang Lin shook his head, regarding them with pity and as if they were idiots. "You won't be able to touch her."
"Why?"
"Because I'm here! I may be from a Demon Sect, but my heart is devoted to justice!"
Jiang Lin gripped the snow-white, crystal-clear longsword in his hand. His long hair drifted in the wind, and he looked quite like a Manifestation of Sainthood.
From ancient times to the present, which protagonist had ever been defiled by those minor villain lackeys? Which one hadn't killed above his level, survived certain death, and then suddenly comprehended something before explosively breaking through...
But all of that could only stay bottled up inside Jiang Lin's heart. Even if he said it aloud, they wouldn't believe him.
Jiang Lin felt that all he could do was build up a wave of goodwill before this protagonist awakened.
"What did you say?"
"Kid, our boss kindly wanted to befriend you, and you actually don't know what's good for you!"
"Take him down!"
"Get him!"
Jiang Lin had just been about to recite a few more lines overflowing with chuunibyou-style justice when the three lackeys of the man in black gave him no chance at all and charged straight at him.
"Miss! Remember this! Not everyone from a Demon Sect is a villain! I, Jiang Yida, am willing to die for you!"
"Young Master, no!"
"Kill!"
Jiang Lin shouted as he charged forward. Damn! This was way too chuunibyou... but...
He stole a glance from the corner of his eye at the girl kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with worry. The effect seemed pretty good.
"Clang... clang... bang... bang..."
"Mu da, mu da, mu da, mu da..."
Jiang Lin fought fiercely with his sword against the three lackeys of the man in black. All three were at the Cave Mansion Realm, and their battle with Jiang Lin grew intensely deadlocked.
But after ten breaths, Jiang Lin emerged victorious. Just as he was about to deliver a few more lines, a palm struck him from behind in a sneak attack.
Jiang Lin spat blood and collapsed before the girl...
Before you continue