Chapter 292: I’m Late, Brother.

“Nine Heavens Sect, we’ve arrived…”

Lin Fan gazed at the majestic sect ahead, sprawling across an area of countless acres. This was the greatest sect in the westernmost region—the Nine Heavens Sect.

As a righteous sect, Nine Heavens should have possessed the fortune of a soaring dragon, thriving at its peak. Yet now, as Lin Fan’s cultivation deepened and his perception sharpened, he could see that the sect’s fortune dragon was now shattered and on the verge of collapse. If this continued, the Nine Heavens Sect would soon face annihilation.

Truly terrifying.

To reduce such a mighty sect to this state was horrifying. Given a little more time, the Nine Heavens Sect might well become nothing more than history.

“Who goes there?” A disciple on patrol outside the sect’s mountain gate suddenly noticed Lin Fan’s presence and stepped forward to question him.

Lin Fan observed the disciple. Though his complexion was rosy, his vitality and spirit were weak and listless.

“Sacred Sect, Lin Fan,” Lin Fan replied calmly, his deep eyes fixed ahead as he sighed softly, “Nine Heavens Sect… a great calamity approaches.”

Upon hearing this, the disciple initially wanted to scold him, but suddenly froze. Lin Fan? That name sounded so familiar. He quickly asked, “You’re from the Sacred Sect—the Lin Fan who ranked first in the Heaven’s Pride Battle? Senior Brother Lin?”

Lin Fan smiled faintly. “What? Do you think there’s another Lin Fan from the Sacred Sect?”

Receiving confirmation from Lin Fan, the disciple’s expression changed instantly, his previous wariness dissipating. “Senior Brother Lin, please don’t take offense. I’ve heard of your great reputation, but I’ve never had the chance to meet you.”

Internally, Lin Fan chuckled. He hadn’t expected his reputation to be so widespread that even Nine Heavens Sect disciples knew of him.

“Ever since the Heaven’s Pride Battle ended, Senior Brother Xin Feng returned and spoke highly of you to everyone in the sect. All the juniors and seniors hold you in great esteem.”

“Junior Brother, what’s your name?” Lin Fan asked.

“Senior Brother Lin, my name is Zhang Kui,” the disciple replied.

“Junior Brother Zhang, where is my Senior Brother Xin Feng now?” Lin Fan asked.

Zhang Kui lowered his head, sadness in his eyes. “Senior Brother Lin, Senior Brother Xin Feng has been imprisoned in the sect’s dungeon by the Sect Leader and others.”

“Boom… boom…”

At that moment, a loud rumbling came from the Nine Heavens Sect, startling Lin Fan.

“Not good—the sect is in trouble!” Zhang Kui’s expression changed. “Senior Brother Lin, please excuse me. I must return immediately.”

“Alright, I’ll go with you.”

…

Outside the Nine Heavens Sect’s grand hall.

“Are you really going to persist in your mistakes?” At that moment, Xin Feng stood bloodied and battered, his voice hoarse with anguish. Looking at the once-harmonious Nine Heavens Sect now in such a state, his heart ached.

The surrounding disciples exchanged glances. Some wore expressions of sorrow, but when they looked toward the distant figures standing there, fear gripped their hearts.

“I never thought those old men would actually transfer their cultivation powers to you,” one figure among the crowd stepped forward, his tone filled with disdain.

He appeared middle-aged, exuding a murderous aura, his eyes revealing a cruel and sinister gleam.

He was a former disciple of the Nine Heavens Sect who had committed grave crimes, but had recently been released by the Sect Leader and now controlled the situation.

Gu Tianhao was ruthless and bloodthirsty, his high cultivation level having led to the slaughter of countless fellow disciples. His overwhelming malevolence caused fear among the surrounding disciples.

To the disciples of Nine Heavens Sect, life had become a living nightmare.

“Gu Tianhao! How can you, a butcher of fellow disciples, stand boldly in our sect’s hall? You are a disgrace to our sect!” Xin Feng roared in fury.

The Grand Elder had poured his entire cultivation into him, breaking his chains. But due to his limited capacity, Xin Feng couldn’t fully wield such immense power.

After his release, driven by rage, Xin Feng didn’t flee but instead came to the grand hall, hoping to awaken his fellow disciples and stop their descent into error.

But he never expected the Sect Leader to have lost his way, handing over the Nine Heavens Sect to a disciple who had once slaughtered his own brethren.

“Haha… Xin Feng, you truly disappoint me. I bet those old men didn’t expect you to seek your own death either. If they had known, perhaps they’d have changed their minds. Kill him!” Gu Tianhao waved his hand dismissively, showing no regard for this desperate soul.

Several other disciples who had committed grave sins behind him grinned cruelly and prepared to attack—but Gu Tianhao stopped them. “Let them try. Let’s see how it feels to kill their beloved senior brother.”

Gu Tianhao’s expression was sinister. The disciples behind him smiled as well, imagining the sensation—it might be quite delightful.

The disciples surrounding Xin Feng exchanged glances, hesitating to move. Their hearts couldn’t bear it.

“Hmph! Do you all want to die?!” Seeing the hesitation, Gu Tianhao’s expression darkened.

“Senior Elder Gu, he’s our senior brother. We can’t do this… we can’t…” One disciple, his mind in turmoil, shook his head violently.

Senior Brother Xin Feng had always been kind to them. They weren’t fools—they knew what the sect was facing. They didn’t understand why the Sect Leader had changed so drastically. Their Nine Heavens Sect no longer felt like paradise—it had become a living hell.

“Hmph, weaklings…” At that moment, Gu Tianhao’s eyes flashed with killing intent. With a flick of his finger, a beam of light shot forth, instantly severing the disciple’s head.

The head tumbled through the air before landing at Xin Feng’s feet.

The dead disciple’s eyes remained open, his lips trembling as if whispering, “Senior Brother…”

This single act sent the surrounding disciples staggering backward in fear. They hadn’t expected Senior Elder Gu to kill so ruthlessly.

“Gu Tianhao, I’ll kill you!” Xin Feng roared, his eyes bloodshot as he charged forward.

“Hmph, weakling…” Gu Tianhao sneered at Xin Feng’s charge. In an instant, his figure vanished and reappeared before Xin Feng, delivering a devastating punch that shattered the space itself.

“Boom!”

“You’re a weakling. There’s no place for you in the Nine Heavens Sect anymore.” Gu Tianhao gazed coldly at the fallen Xin Feng before barking at the surrounding disciples, “Listen well—kill him now, or you all die!”

The disciples trembled violently, their hands shaking as they gripped their weapons.

“Senior Brother…” Some disciples looked at Xin Feng, who struggled to rise from the ground, their voices filled with grief.

“You bastard! How dare you bully my senior brother! I’ll take your life!” At that moment, one disciple roared furiously, charging fearlessly at Gu Tianhao.

“Xiao Liu…” Xin Feng recognized the figure. This disciple had been saved by him three years ago from a beast’s jaws before being brought into the sect.

“Hmph, a mere先天 cultivator dares to challenge me? Know your place, fool!” Gu Tianhao sneered. Without even lifting a hand, a crushing force descended from the heavens, instantly reducing the disciple to a bloody mess.

“I’ll give you three heartbeats. Kill him, or you all die!” Gu Tianhao bellowed at the disciples.

At that moment, the disciples of Nine Heavens Sect endured immense inner turmoil.

Xin Feng slowly rose to his feet. “Junior Brothers, go ahead and strike.”

“Senior Brother…” The disciples looked at Xin Feng, their eyes filled with anguish.

Clang! Clang!

As the disciples drew their weapons, Gu Tianhao’s lips curled into a cold smile—but in an instant, his expression shifted dramatically, turning grim.

“Senior Brother, run! It’s our turn to protect you now!” In that moment, the disciples of Nine Heavens Sect fearlessly turned their weapons toward Gu Tianhao.

The broken fortune dragon, which had been shattered, now showed signs of recovery.

“Evil doers! The Nine Heavens Sect isn’t yours to desecrate!” The disciples spoke in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. The fortune dragon surged with power, forming a wall of heaven and earth, their momentum surging to the skies.

“Senior Brother, hurry! We’ll hold them off for you!”

“You…” Xin Feng gazed at his fellow disciples, his body trembling violently, his pale hands clenched tightly, filled with anguish.

“Fine! Fine! If you all want to die, I’ll oblige!” Gu Tianhao’s eyes burned with killing intent. “Kill them all!”

The figures behind Gu Tianhao glared with murderous intent and leapt into the air, charging toward the disciples.

At that moment, the heavens and earth seemed to freeze.

The disciples of Nine Heavens Sect felt fear deep within, yet their expressions were resolute. They knew they would die—but they were unafraid.

Xin Feng gazed at his juniors, his heart writhing in pain.

And just then, a thunderous voice echoed from the void.

“Reckless!”

A colossal wave of pressure descended from the heavens. The evil disciples who had just leapt into the air suddenly felt an immense force bearing down on them.

A gigantic hand descended from the sky, vast as the heavens, slamming them forcefully into the ground.

“Senior Brother Xin Feng, I’ve come to aid you at last…”

At that moment, everyone turned their gaze toward the void.

Upon hearing that voice, Xin Feng’s body trembled violently, his expression one of utter disbelief.