Chapter 781: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Sun

In an instant, the entire world fell silent.

The onlookers surrounding Lin Fan stared in disbelief at the audacious young man who had just spoken such bold words. Without hesitation, they turned and fled, leaving Lin Fan completely alone.

“Quick, get out of here! This guy’s asking for trouble!”

“Don’t get caught up in this!”

Within a second, everyone had vanished from around Lin Fan, except for the Fourteen Bandits of the Desert.

All eyes were fixed in shock on that lone figure.

“Who is he? How could he dare say such things?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s just plain crazy.”

“The Nine-Spirit Empress isn’t someone to mess with. She’s ruthless.”

Lin Fan stood there with his hands behind his back, head slightly raised, his sharp eyes fixed coldly on the distant scene.

Rustle! Rustle!

Zhang Er Gou and the others seated at the high platform all stood up abruptly. It was as if they had witnessed something incredible. Their feet felt heavy, as though weighed down by stones, as they slowly approached Lin Fan step by step.

“Today has certainly been enlightening. Without anyone keeping you in check, you’ve all grown bold, haven’t you?”

Lin Fan spoke coldly. Though his voice wasn’t loud, it was like a chilling wind, sending icy shivers through Zhang Er Gou and the others.

“No way! The elders from the Nine-Spirit Sect and the Saint-Demon Sect are all standing up. Could it be they’re planning to attack together?”

“How could this young man dare to speak like that? Isn’t he just asking for death?”

Other elders from major sects looked in astonishment at that distant figure, unsure of his identity.

“Oooooo!”

Chick, who had been comfortably lounging on his seat, suddenly jumped up upon hearing those words. His cute little eyes gazed into the distance, then he flapped his wings and flew toward Lin Fan.

His adorable chicken eyes even teared up slightly from excitement.

Lin Fan saw Chick rushing toward him, and a sense of nostalgia welled up inside him. However, at this moment, Lin Fan felt he had to remain serious, or others might think this matter was already over.

Plop!

As Chick was about to throw himself into Lin Fan’s arms, he was slapped straight to the ground.

Lin Fan hadn’t used any real force. Otherwise, with Chick’s cultivation level, he would have exploded instantly.

At this moment, Chick’s three bizarre sons swooped in, each rushing to stand protectively in front of him.

Chick Big, adorned in gold and silver, naturally fluffed up his feathers in rage upon seeing his father struck. The jewelry on his body clinked noisily.

Chick Two, the emo, punk-style chicken with a single multicolored feather, began swinging it dramatically. He pecked at Lin Fan’s foot, though given Lin Fan’s current physical strength, Chick Two ended up hurting himself instead.

Chick Fat, so obese he could barely move, let out a cry, dropping a piece of meat from his mouth. He quickly picked it back up and, with his massive body, charged at Lin Fan as if ready to fight to the death.

“Oooooo!”

Chick quickly scrambled back up, flapped his wings to shove his three sons aside, then looked at Lin Fan with teary eyes. He softly clucked a few times, spread his wings, and hugged Lin Fan’s leg, rubbing his chicken head against it affectionately, clearly missing him dearly.

To the surrounding crowd, this scene was simply mind-blowing.

“No way! The terrifying divine beast of the Nine-Spirit Sect was just slapped away like that!”

“What’s going on here? This terrifying divine beast isn’t even angry—it’s clinging to that man’s leg!”

“This must be a dream, right? Otherwise, who is this person?”

Seeing Chick’s behavior, Lin Fan couldn’t keep up the stern act any longer. He simply reached out and grabbed Chick.

“Great! You roasted chicken! I was gone just a short while, and you’re already living it up, going ahead and producing offspring without permission! Don’t tell me these three little chicks were born from ordinary chickens!”

Lin Fan knew Chick had never been picky. As long as it was female, he’d go for it, especially domestic chickens.

These three little chicks had powerful bloodlines, but they were clearly mixed and chaotic, suggesting their mothers weren’t of noble lineage.

“Is that really the case?”

Chick, held in Lin Fan’s hand, silently nodded, confirming what Lin Fan had said.

Lin Fan closed his eyes briefly, feeling somewhat defeated.

Sure enough, when he wasn’t around, Chick couldn’t control himself.

Lin Fan didn’t even know what to say anymore.

Chick was a descendant of two ancient fierce beasts. Yet by Chick’s generation, he had produced three hybrid offspring with common chickens.

If Chick’s ancestors found out, they’d probably kill him on the spot.

Lin Fan released Chick, who flapped his wings and hopped onto Lin Fan’s shoulder.

In Chick’s eyes, that shoulder was his exclusive spot—no one else could claim it.

“Master…”

Zhang Er Gou and the others approached Lin Fan, knelt before him, and called out excitedly.

Seeing their master return, Zhang Er Gou and the others were naturally overjoyed.

But for the onlookers, this scene was absolutely earth-shattering.

“What are they doing? Did I hear wrong?”

“They actually called this young man ‘Master’?”

“That… that…”

Everyone was stunned.

The Nine-Spirit Sect and the Saint-Demon Sect were immensely powerful, their elders terrifying figures. Yet now, this group of experts was kneeling before a young man and calling him “Master.” It was simply too shocking.

“Second Dog.”

Lin Fan wasn’t truly angry, but he did feel a bit annoyed.

“Master, I’m here!” Zhang Er Gou, who had always been dignified before outsiders, now changed his demeanor completely, looking rather sly.

Over the years, Zhang Er Gou had built a fearsome reputation. To outsiders, the name “Zhang Er Gou” might sound lowly, but the man himself commanded great respect.

Yet now, seeing this powerful figure suddenly shift from a dignified aura to a sly one, people found it hard to accept.

As for Zhang Er Gou, hiding his true self had been exhausting. Now that his master had returned after five years, he could finally be his genuine self again.

Looking at Zhang Er Gou’s sly expression, Lin Fan felt a bit of a headache. After so many years, why hadn’t he changed?

For Zhang Er Gou, his life had changed completely the day his master noticed him.

Sometimes, Zhang Er Gou would reflect on his life and marvel at how incredibly strange it was—almost unbelievable.

“When I left, what did I tell you?” Lin Fan asked.

“Ah!” Zhang Er Gou was taken aback, lowering his head with embarrassment.

“Master, you told me to lead everyone, to be united and loving, and to wait for your return.”

Zhang Er Gou had always remembered these words, but clearly, he hadn’t lived up to any of them.

“I see you remember. But judging by the current situation, things don’t seem quite right. Maybe I came back too soon?” Lin Fan said with a strange tone.

“Master, I was wrong.” Zhang Er Gou lowered his head and whispered, feeling like a child caught doing something wrong, waiting for scolding.

“Hmph, at least you know. That’s good enough.” Lin Fan saw Zhang Er Gou’s remorse and decided not to press further.

Hearing his master forgive him, Zhang Er Gou’s face lit up with mischief. He whispered, “Master, it’s not entirely my fault. You’ve always favored the junior disciples so much. As the senior disciple, how could I possibly dare to discipline them, so…”

Zhang Er Gou looked at Lin Fan and blinked, not daring to finish his sentence.

“Doggy, you’ve changed. Now you’re even trying to blame me indirectly?” Lin Fan said.

“Master, no! Second Dog absolutely didn’t mean that!”

Though it was the truth, to avoid further scolding from his master, Zhang Er Gou hastily denied it, even though it went against his conscience.

“You’ve become quite cheeky. Wait until we get back—I’ll deal with you then. For now, let’s leave it at that.” Lin Fan shook his head helplessly.

Then, Lin Fan turned to his two apprentices.

“What? Seeing your master return, you just stand there like that? Still planning to insult me again?”

Lin Fan was momentarily taken aback by the dramatic changes in his two apprentices.

Girls really do change a lot as they grow older.

If he had returned a few years later, who knew what kind of trouble they’d be getting into—maybe even challenging the sun itself!