At this moment, the arena was eerily quiet, with everyone watching nervously, unsure of what was happening.
Han Lu from the crowd smirked, amused by the situation, and then left the scene.
“Senior apprentice-brother, is there really no hope for junior apprentice-brother Lin?” Yin Mochen asked desperately.
Li Chujun shook his head, “It’s too late. Even the sect leader wouldn’t be able to help now. Carry him away and prepare a proper burial.”
Li Chujun had experienced countless incidents like this, but a situation like the current was unprecedented.
In previous outer sect duels, everyone was generally happy with the results, and although injuries occasionally occurred, there had never been any fatalities—until today.
“Junior apprentice-brother Lin…” Yin Mochen couldn’t believe it. Just moments ago, his junior was full of life, and now he was dead. “Senior, you must seek justice for junior apprentice-brother!” Yin Mochen said angrily.
Li Chujun’s expression changed slightly, and with a flick of his sleeve, he said, “Enough! This matter ends here. I will handle it myself. Take him away and bury him.”
Yu Feng, at the seventh stage of innate cultivation, was a core disciple within the inner sect. No one wanted to see such a tragedy, but how could they sacrifice a seventh-stage innate core disciple over an outer sect disciple?
Yin Mochen felt defeated and helpless. He understood his senior’s words clearly—the matter ended here.
Yin Mochen lifted Lin Fan’s body. “Junior apprentice-brother Lin, I’m powerless to seek justice for you. Forgive my failure, junior.”
On the way, outer sect disciples passed by, whispering and pointing fingers. They had already learned about the incident and felt pity for Lin Fan’s fate.
Although this person was somewhat despicable, he was generally a decent fellow.
Hearing the news, Ni Mingyang rushed over anxiously. When he saw the corpse on Yin Mochen’s shoulder, his face changed drastically. “Junior apprentice-brother Yin, what happened to junior apprentice-brother Lin?”
“Senior…” Yin Mochen shook his head at Ni Mingyang.
Ni Mingyang lowered his head, his mood as heavy as Yin Mochen’s.
He already understood the whole story. This was beyond what an outer sect disciple could interfere with.
The waters ran deep here.
“Senior, this sword was given to you by junior apprentice-brother Lin before his death, and this other sword was also meant to be passed on to the junior brother you know about,” Yin Mochen said, his hands trembling as he retrieved the low-grade weapons from his storage pouch.
Looking at the low-grade weapons in his hands, Ni Mingyang’s eyes gradually reddened.
“Junior apprentice-brother Yin, we are powerless to do anything about this matter. We can only ensure junior apprentice-brother Lin departs with dignity,” Ni Mingyang said after a moment of contemplation.
“Okay.” Lin Fan’s death had greatly affected Yin Mochen.
…
The Sacred Demon Sect had nine peaks, towering into the clouds like a celestial paradise. Each peak was connected by a clear, pristine stone staircase.
Ordinarily, outer sect disciples were not allowed to descend the mountain, but given the current circumstances, the guards at the sect’s entrance made an exception and allowed them to leave.
At the foot of the mountain, lush greenery flourished.
Yin Mochen and Ni Mingyang dug a large pit beneath an ancient, towering tree, placing the coffin inside.
“Junior brother, rest in peace. When senior enters the inner sect, I will surely visit you often,” Yin Mochen said, his eyes reddening as he looked at the dark coffin.
Ni Mingyang patted Yin Mochen’s shoulder. “Junior brother, life must go on. Everyone eventually dies; junior brother simply departed before us. We will reunite someday.”
“Okay.” Yin Mochen nodded.
“Cover the grave now,” Ni Mingyang said.
…
After everything was done, Yin Mochen and Ni Mingyang stood silently in front of Lin Fan’s grave for a long time before finally sighing and leaving.
At that moment, the surroundings were peaceful and serene.
Suddenly, ripples like water waves appeared on Lin Fan’s grave, as if space itself was undulating.
Then, a pair of jade-like feet slowly stepped out from the space, revealing a beautiful figure standing before Lin Fan’s grave.
The woman wore the uniform of an outer sect disciple of the Sacred Demon Sect. She raised her delicate fingers, and a flash of light appeared.
The soil around Lin Fan’s grave floated upward as if controlled by an invisible force, gradually lifting the dark coffin from underground.
“Crack…”
The iron nails sealing the coffin fell to the ground with a clatter, and the coffin lid opened. Lin Fan’s body floated gently before the woman.
A look of regret appeared on the woman’s exquisite face.
“Another genius has fallen. Although there are countless talents in this world, how many truly grow to greatness? A pity for that supreme pill… Alas.”
A sigh echoed through eternity, filled with helplessness and a touch of loneliness.
…
Night fell, peaceful and quiet.
To the tens of thousands of disciples in the Sacred Demon Sect, the loss of one individual made no difference.
In some hearts, Lin Fan’s death brought sorrow, but to others, who was Lin Fan? What did his death have to do with them?
Inside the sect, Yin Mochen lay awake in bed, staring at the storage pouch in his hand, as if he could still sense his junior brother’s presence.
Ni Mingyang obtained some cultivation techniques from senior apprentice-brother Meng. From today onward, he would work hard to reach the innate stage and enter the inner sect, seeking justice for the deceased Lin Fan.
Han Lu was in a particularly good mood today, sipping a little wine to celebrate.
Wang Tianfeng, arrogant and domineering, seemed unwell today. He lit three incense sticks, placed them in the courtyard, sighed, and returned to his room.
…
The next night.
“Ding, system update complete.”
“Ding, innate energy function activated.”
“Ding, martial arts classification function activated.”
…
Lying in the coffin for twenty-four hours, Lin Fan suddenly opened his eyes. Although it was pitch black inside, Lin Fan’s current cultivation allowed him to see clearly.
Lin Fan gave a hard slap to the coffin lid, shaking the ground, and then climbed out.
Lin Fan took a deep breath of fresh air.
Oh my, that was a close call. Almost killed himself—how dangerous.
Lin Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead, recalling the events on the dueling platform, still feeling a chill run down his spine.
Lin Fan carefully observed his surroundings. The nine towering peaks stood behind him, confirming he had left the Sacred Demon Sect.
Lin Fan held deep affection for the Sacred Demon Sect, but since he had already left, he decided to wander outside for a while. When his cultivation improved, he would return and surprise everyone.
As for Yu Feng, who struck him down, Lin Fan bore no grudge. After all, the side effect of “Monkey Steals the Peach” was that the target would momentarily feel an urge to kill the practitioner.
Besides, Yu Feng could be considered a contributor, helping Lin Fan break through to the innate stage. Such a contribution deserved future repayment.
Eagerly, Lin Fan opened his personal interface. Now that the system had upgraded, he wondered what new features it had. He was filled with anticipation.
Name: Lin Fan
Level: 20 (Innate Stage 1)
Experience: 0/2,000,000
Innate Energy: 100
Stored Experience: 0 (can be used to level up the character or martial arts)
Physical Cultivation: “Indestructible Demon Body” Level 2 (200,000/4,000,000)
Cultivation Technique: None
Martial Arts: “Monkey Steals the Peach” Level 15 (0/60,000)
Combat Skills: None
Secondary Profession: Artisan Level 2 (1,000/10,000)
Equipment: The Great Red Brick (Supreme Divine Artifact)
Title: “Fight if You Disagree” (Doubles cultivation power for one incense stick duration, one-time use title.)
Lin Fan was unfamiliar with “Innate Energy,” “Cultivation Techniques,” and “Combat Skills,” but he noticed that the experience required for character leveling had decreased to two million.
It seemed his senior apprentice-brother was right—crossing the threshold from acquired to innate cultivation was a significant challenge.
For Lin Fan, the difficulty of advancing from acquired to innate cultivation lay in the excessively high experience cost. Once this threshold was crossed, the experience requirements would normalize.
Lin Fan then restored his grave to its original state. After all, he was officially “dead” now. If the grave looked suspicious, unexpected trouble might arise. Then, Lin Fan headed eastward, deeper into the forest.
To the east lay a vast empire known as the Great Yan Empire.
Lin Fan’s destination was there. Wherever there were people, there was more fun to be had.
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