Chapter 96: It’s Really Strange.

The sun was setting, casting a solemn and quiet atmosphere over the Sacred Demon Peak. The only sounds were the chirping of insects and occasional sighs coming from the tall grass.

Within the grass, a pair of round buttocks stuck high up in the air, swaying back and forth, drawing attention.

“Ugh, how am I supposed to live like this from now on?” Zhang Erdog had been working the entire afternoon and was genuinely on the verge of tears. His body was slashed in multiple places by the sharp grass, and the pain was unbearable.

Collapsing onto the ground, Zhang Erdog declared a work stoppage. Looking at the endless sea of grass, he felt like just dusting off his pants and leaving. This place was no place for humans, and this job was definitely not meant for anyone sane.

But the moment he thought about offending the head janitor when he tried to leave, Zhang Erdog shivered all over.

If he went back now, his life would be in serious danger.

Sigh…

Zhang Erdog let out a heavy sigh. At that moment, he heard some noise from a distance. His expression changed instantly, and he immediately stood up, grabbing his tools and frantically cutting grass.

The Sect Leader must have returned.

If the Sect Leader saw him slacking off, he would definitely punish him severely—perhaps even crush him into dust like a stone, leaving no remains behind.

Wiping away tears, Zhang Erdog said nothing more and resumed working.

However, something felt off. The sound of footsteps and voices was clearly not that of the Sect Leader.

Looking up, Zhang Erdog’s face turned pale as he saw a group of figures approaching, wielding long swords, broadswords, and axes.

“No way… Did he bring people to kill me?” Zhang Erdog was nearly scared out of his wits. In his mind, he was certain that this was revenge.

There were at least dozens of them. The Sect Leader was away, and his own cultivation was extremely low. If they hacked him to death, what would he do?

At that moment, Zhang Erdog immediately hid in the grass, not daring to move even slightly, not even breathing, fearing discovery.

Lin Fan led these outer disciples here, calculating in his mind that with this number of people, the job could be completed in just a few days.

As for the pills, he wasn’t worried. Tomorrow he would go to the Pill Cauldron Peak, exchange for a secret room, and continue digging and refining pills. That should be enough to cover the wages.

At this moment, Lin Fan slightly frowned. “Hmm, where did Erdog go?”

Could it be that while he was away, Erdog couldn’t endure the work and ran off?

“Erdog… Erdog, where are you?” Lin Fan called out.

Hiding in the grass, Zhang Erdog was trembling, too scared to show his face. Upon hearing the Sect Leader’s voice, his face lit up with joy.

“Sect Leader, I’m here!” Zhang Erdog immediately rushed out.

“Where were you just now? I brought some helpers for you. With more people, things will go faster. Alright, let’s get started,” Lin Fan said.

Zhang Erdog exhaled in relief. It turned out they were just here to weed. He then noticed that these helpers were all outer disciples. At that moment, his gaze toward Lin Fan changed.

No wonder he was the Sect Leader. Even for weeding, he could bring in outer disciples. That was truly impressive.

Back when they were in the janitorial department, they had to treat even a single outer disciple like a noble guest. Yet the Sect Leader had brought them here to weed like it was nothing.

“Erdog, take these pills and distribute them tomorrow morning. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll go rest first,” Lin Fan said, tossing the pills to Zhang Erdog. These weren’t high-grade pills anyway, so he left them to Zhang Erdog to handle.

“Yes,” Zhang Erdog nodded.

The outer disciples who had followed Lin Fan were shocked to see him casually hand over the Speed Cultivation Pills to Zhang Erdog. Their eyes widened, and they quickly understood.

This “Erdog” must be Lin Fan’s personal aide.

Zhang Erdog looked at the Sect Leader’s back, then at the pills in his hands, completely stunned. What was going on?

At the same time, Zhang Erdog noticed the fiery gazes from the outer disciples, as if they were eyeing his body. It sent a chill down his spine, giving him a bad feeling.

“Erdog Brother, where should we start?” A friendly-looking outer disciple asked, addressing him with a respectful tone that Zhang Erdog found hard to believe.

“You just called me… what?” Zhang Erdog blinked in disbelief.

These were outer disciples—people he had once admired from afar but never dared approach.

“Erdog Brother, of course,” the outer disciple replied, puzzled by his reaction.

At that moment, Zhang Erdog felt a surge of exhilaration. That single “Erdog Brother” made him feel like he was floating on air.

He had never imagined that an outer disciple would address him so respectfully.

“Alright, follow my instructions. We’ll start weeding from here,” Zhang Erdog said, pointing to a section.

…

Lin Fan went upstairs to his wooden house. Recently, he had been pondering one thing.

Before sending him here, the Sacred Demon Ancestor had placed a drop of divine blood into his forehead.

Yet until now, he had felt no reaction at all. Lin Fan knew that such divine blood usually contained the will of a powerful being—sometimes even capable of soul possession.

But after such a long time with no response, Lin Fan finally felt relieved.

Even now, he couldn’t sense the presence of the divine blood. He had no idea what purpose it served.

Even the system didn’t seem to take it seriously. It must be useless, considering the system ignored it completely.

Lin Fan then entered a cultivation state, refining both the Formless Heaven Demon and Sword Intent simultaneously. At that moment, heavenly spiritual energy gathered from all directions, flowing into his body like streams.

The next day.

Lin Fan exited the wooden house. He had assumed the disciples would have already left, but to his surprise, the outer disciples were still working diligently.

Lin Fan could only nod in satisfaction.

As for Zhang Erdog, he had already fallen asleep in a corner.

The gap between the Xiantian and Houtian realms was not only in terms of strength, but also in physical endurance. A Xiantian cultivator could go days without food, water, or sleep, whereas a Houtian cultivator could not endure for long.

Lin Fan said nothing and headed toward the Pill Cauldron Peak.

Though the Speed Cultivation Pills weren’t particularly useful to him, they were highly beneficial to the outer disciples. The amount he had given to Zhang Erdog might not be enough.

Pill Cauldron Peak.

Li Shun, the top alchemist among the outer disciples, was naturally arrogant. He was confident that those who had begged him to refine pills yesterday would definitely return today.

Every day, refining others’ pills and handling their ingredients gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

But today puzzled him slightly—there were fewer people than yesterday.

Where were those disciples who had begged him to refine pills?

Normally, they would be waiting for him bright and early. This was very strange indeed.