Dimensional Hotel
Chapter 309: Breaking the Threshold

A faint blood-red hue suddenly appeared within the transparent tube, and this trace of crimson began to spread at an alarming rate. The blue liquid slowly pumping into the Holy Coffin was almost instantly dyed the color of blood.

The main operator, who had been keeping a close eye on the drug pipeline, immediately noticed this abnormality. Along with the shock in his heart came the fastest reaction of his life—this Hermitage Member almost left an afterimage as he pressed the emergency stop button beside the Holy Coffin.

However, the emergency stop failed—no, not just the emergency stop button, all control devices around the Holy Coffin ceased functioning.

“The operating system is offline!” one of the assistants screamed in near despair. “Cultivator! We can’t stop it!”

“Smash the pipeline! Cut the power!”

“Give me the axe!”

With a loud crash, the main operator, a Hermitage Member, raised a fire axe and struck it down hard on the pipeline connecting to the Holy Coffin. Without hesitation, he followed with several more blows, smashing the power cables and neural veins on one side of the platform. The deafening noise echoed through the Holy Coffin chamber, the system alarm blaring in an off-key tone throughout the room before abruptly falling silent. A series of explosive sparks spread from the base of the Holy Coffin, briefly illuminating the terrified faces of everyone present.

Then, everything fell silent. Only the Holy Coffin in the center of the platform emitted a faint trail of smoke, its surface flashing with lights indicating a malfunction.

“…Did we stop it?” The main operator, still gripping the fire axe, spoke with a trembling voice, staring at the smoking Holy Coffin and muttering to himself.

“It’s over,” one of the lower-ranking cultivators sighed in despair, “We’ve ruined the Holy Coffin, and the Saintess must have been harmed too—what will Sage do to punish us?”

“We saved her!” another lower-ranking cultivator immediately said, his voice tinged with anxiety and fear. “We prevented a more deadly mistake! You saw it too…”

But before he could finish, the high-ranking cultivator acting as the main operator suddenly interrupted, “Shh! Quiet!”

Everyone in the room immediately fell silent, and they finally heard a faint sound coming from the Holy Coffin.

A slight metallic scraping noise, like fingernails dragging across the surface.

One of the lower-ranking cultivators suddenly showed an expression of terror. However, before he could speak, a tremendous crash echoed through the room—the heavy shell of the Holy Coffin abruptly opened, and a powerful force tore apart the previously jammed locking mechanism. The flying metal component sliced through the air with a trajectory too fast to be seen by the naked eye, and it struck the high-ranking cultivator’s head dead center, shattering his mask and severing half of his skull.

A tall, slender figure leaped from the Holy Coffin, almost as if in an instant, and appeared before the lower-ranking cultivator.

“An, safety protocol, execute e-12…” The lower-ranking cultivator instinctively recited the emergency shutdown command he had practiced countless times before entering the Holy Coffin chamber. Yet, he barely managed to speak a few words before a cold sensation and searing pain pierced through his chest.

He looked down, and saw several sharp blades withdrawing from his chest, the blades slick with a shattered heart.

“…Damn it…” The cultivator fell to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. As his vision darkened and tilted, he saw the other lower-ranking cultivators around him had already collapsed, though he hadn’t noticed when.

The Holy Coffin chamber was now silent, save for the low hum of equipment running. The artificial Saintess, her body still stained with the blood of the fallen cultivators, stood quietly before the Holy Coffin. A soft yellow light from above bathed her form, as if a beam from the heavens, illuminating her body. She resembled a saintly statue, full of holiness yet surrounded by an eerie aura.

Time passed in silence, until this “statue” suddenly stirred.

Slowly, she raised her head, her neck joints creaking as they twisted. The pale smile on her beautiful yet hollow face fixed on a corner of the room. Though her expression did not change, it was clear she was intently focused on that spot.

Moments later, a figure emerged from the corner.

Yu Sheng stood about ten meters away from the artificial Saintess.

He had long since revived, having spent the past while strolling the nearby hallways and rooms.

The majority of the ship’s structure had become an extension of his own body. The monitoring devices scattered throughout the ship served as his eyes, and the ship’s sensory system was his nervous system. He had been moving freely in the open—no heretic cultists could detect his presence now, given that most of the ship’s systems had already been “taken over.”

This most recent death-and-rebirth process had given him many new experiences and insights. For the first time, he had directly transferred his will into another “vessel” while still in the process of dying. The blood he had dispersed in advance had soaked into the ship, and the entire process had been inspired by his earlier creation of Irene’s body using clay and his own blood. Thanks to these preparations, he had been able to retain his perception and influence over the real world even after “death.”

He thought to himself, this experience might be useful again next time—though it would require a little preparation, at least now, after death, he had another “optional mode” besides falling into that “dark space.”

But that was a matter for the future. For now, he had to think of a way to resolve the “Saintess” problem before him.

This steel doll had fallen into a state of chaos, yet it still resisted his power fiercely.

Yu Sheng could clearly sense the intense emotions emanating from this cold body—anger, hostility, sorrow, and… a kind of fiery power driven by a sense of justice?

Yu Sheng wasn’t sure if the emotions he perceived through the blood were accurate, but he definitely felt these things, which left him somewhat puzzled.

This killing machine… was it acting under the drive of a sense of justice? It didn’t just blindly follow the orders of those Hermitage Order followers; it had its own judgment and subjective drive?

The artificial Saintess’s body trembled slightly, fighting against the foreign power within her own form, slowly taking steps toward Yu Sheng. Her movements, stiff and slow, were no longer graceful, but they were steadfast.

“I think we could talk first,” Yu Sheng hesitated for a moment before speaking, “If you truly have complete intelligence and can understand me, I have some questions for you.”

(The dark monster let out an irritating hiss.)

The steel doll staggered but seemed to quicken her pace, murderous intent rising.

Yu Sheng furrowed his brow as he saw this and continued speaking, “Can you understand me? When I tried to touch that coffin earlier, I saw some strange images… You have a memory of a wheat field, don’t you?”

(The voice of the bewitching demons continued to try to seduce.)

The steel doll stepped over a fallen Hermitage Member, her foot pressing through a pool of blood as she kicked aside the still-soft arm of the corpse.

(The martyr who had unknowingly fallen here… may they rest in peace with their brothers and sisters.)

She raised her head and saw the holy sanctuary flickering, the grand glass dome above shrouded in ominous purple smoke. The sound of holy hymns had already fractured and broken, the spirits serving the sanctuary huddling behind candleholders and curtains. Drops of filthy blood fell from the iron chains that spanned across the holy sanctuary, while a demon-like figure, shaped like a human, stood nearby, uttering blasphemous and seductive words.

She lowered her head, seeing the holy sword in her hand shine, the bloodstained armor still cloaking her in light.

The knights who had left her homeland with her had already perished, but their noble and courageous souls still accompanied her.

Once this long campaign ended and the day of triumph arrived, she would bring their souls back to the peaceful homeland.

And so, she smiled, just like when, at eight years old, she had raised a wooden stick and charged toward the Scarecrow in the wheat field not far away, now beginning to accelerate toward the demons.

The steel doll charged, and from her malfunctioning body, there came a series of unsettling noises, the cold, hollow alloy face smiling, but blood-like liquid seeping from the edges of her face. Then she leaped high into the air, her body twisting into an unnatural and terrifying angle, and the chilling light of her fingertip blades shot toward Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng had to dodge backward, feeling an immense… pressure.

But this pressure wasn’t from the opponent’s attack—indeed, this artificial Saintess was far weaker than when he had seen her before. Her speed was slow, and her strength greatly diminished. Though her charge was fierce, every movement was filled with weaknesses. The once-deadly elegance and agility were gone, and it would not be hard to deal with her, even without Irene and Foxy’s help.

But there was something else.

It was heavy mental pressure, transmitted directly to his mind through the blood connection.

He dodged, but just as he did, the sharp blades once again struck in front of him.

The iron doll, like a wild beast out of control, attacked without any form.

The clashing of weapons rang out in the room, accompanied by the shrill sound of metal tearing.

Sparks began to emerge from the joints of the artificial Saintess’s body. Something inside her seemed to be melting gradually. Occasionally, sparks and smoke would burst from the cracks in her shell, and disturbing, viscous liquid seeped out from some of her joints, dripping to the ground like spilled blood plasma, burning holes in the floor.

“Wait! Your body is malfunctioning!” Yu Sheng yelled as he dodged or blocked her attacks, “Stop for a moment! You’re dying!”

The steel doll said nothing, only continuing her relentless assault.

She was like a stubborn martyr.

Yu Sheng had no choice but to create distance between them again, preparing to control the nearby floor and walls to imprison the maddened steel doll.

However, as soon as he withdrew, the steel doll seemed to regain her peak state, abruptly shifting her previous momentum and charging toward him like a ghost.

“Damn—”

Yu Sheng barely had time to exclaim, raising his hand instinctively, only to feel a chill at his chest.

Two more strikes, eight holes.

He collapsed beneath a pillar, tugging at his mouth, looking at the pale face so close to him: “…big sis, try something else.”

But the steel doll did not respond, nor did she move.

Had she… finally… died?

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation