Chapter 379: Lost in a Mysterious Place

"Hey, what kind of godforsaken place is this?" At this moment, in a mysterious space, Lin Fan looked left and right but couldn't figure out where he was.

All around was pitch black, with many specks of light flashing past him in the blink of an eye.

Lin Fan tried to reach out and grab them, but these specks of light, seemingly within reach, felt distant, and he couldn't catch them.

"Damn it, what the hell is this place? How did pushing open a stone door bring me here?" Lin Fan was extremely puzzled, unable to understand what was happening.

Lin Fan felt as if something ahead was calling out to him. He tried to move his feet but found himself unable to budge, standing there, watching silently.

"What the hell? Let me out of here! I'm supposed to be in a fake death, okay? Once the sacrificial statue is done, I'll come back to life. Don't trap me here, never to wake up," Lin Fan felt something was very wrong.

Something mysterious was calling him from ahead, yet he couldn't move at all.

It was as if something was blocking everything, barring the way.

...

Ten days later.

A sacrificial statue several tens of zhang tall was completed.

The statue stood outside the main hall of the Saint Demon Sect, towering and majestic.

The top sects, as promised, delivered one-third of their treasures, all of which were integrated into the statue.

It could be said that this was the sacrificial statue that consumed the most treasures in the Eastern Spirit Continent.

The statue was lifelike, identical to Lin Fan in every detail, with a brilliant smile as if welcoming the arrival of a new world.

On the statue's shoulder, a chicken, also lifelike, stood gazing into the distance, as if awaiting something.

The chick had feigned death for a while, but seeing that the big brother hadn't woken up, it was utterly confused. Finally, it entered a deep state, as if seeking the hidden secrets within its bloodline.

The people of the Saint Demon Sect had accepted reality, but their hearts remained heavy.

"Offer sacrifice."

Sect Leader Yan looked at the statue, a trace of sorrow in his eyes. He raised the sacrificial items, shouted, and led the people from various sects in the ceremony.

"Raise the spirit."

With a shout, the crystal coffin floated up, rising steadily until it stopped above the statue's head.

A beam of light enveloped the crystal coffin, as if ensuring the body inside would not decay.

"Father..." A voice sounded strange; to others, it might seem like someone causing trouble, but the man was crying bitterly, his wails tugging at everyone's heartstrings.

Liu Lingfeng hugged the leg of the sacrificial statue, weeping heart-wrenchingly.

If Lin Fan woke up now, he would definitely spit out a mouthful of old blood.

He never expected to have a cheap son to see him off.

Xuan Yunxian was supported by a disciple beside her, her heart filled with grief.

When she heard the news, she couldn't believe it was true, but seeing the figure lying in the cold crystal coffin, her heart shattered completely.

"Boss, we've come to see you one last time. Rest assured, we won't disgrace your name. We'll carry on the way of robbery and make it famous throughout the world," the Fourteen Bandits of the Desert knelt before the statue, swearing silently.

"Boss, we've brought the disciple you accepted."

You Jiuling knelt there, kowtowing.

"Master, though you never taught me much, a teacher for a day is a father for life. You are my master forever. The senior brother has allowed me to stay in the Saint Demon Sect. Rest assured, I will cultivate diligently and not let you down."

The ceremony ended.

"Yunxian, let's go back." The Sect Leader of the Profound Sword Pavilion looked at his disciple with concern.

Xuan Yunxian looked at her master, then knelt before him. "Master, I'm sorry, I've let you down."

"What are you...?" The Sect Leader was startled.

"Master, a married woman follows her husband. I am now his. I want to stay here, guard him, talk to him, and not let him be lonely," Xuan Yunxian said.

"Yunxian, you..." The Sect Leader hadn't expected things to turn out this way.

"Master, please grant my wish. I cannot serve as the Sect Leader of the Profound Sword Pavilion. Junior sisters, I leave the sect in your care," Xuan Yunxian said, kowtowing.

"Mistress, you should go back. The Sect Leader never liked to burden others while alive. If he knew, he wouldn't want you to be so dejected. He can surely feel your intentions. The Profound Sword Pavilion needs you, and if the Sect Leader were alive, he wouldn't want this," Zhang Ergou said, looking at the towering statue with a smile, as if the Sect Leader stood before him.

"Yunxian, he's right. You shouldn't be so dejected. If you miss him, you can visit often," the Sect Leader said, casting a grateful glance at Zhang Ergou.

"Yes, senior sister, you can visit often," the disciples of the Profound Sword Pavilion also urged.

Xuan Yunxian fell silent. "Master, let me stay here for a month. After a month, I'll return."

"Good... good." The Sect Leader nodded, relieved. As long as she returned to take up the position, everything would be fine.

Xuan Yunxian looked at the statue, silently murmuring, "Soon, don't rush. Once I train a new candidate, I'll come back to accompany you, never to part."

In the endless void, the woman Lin Fan had once called the Empress quietly watched the statue, then sighed helplessly and vanished into the void.

"I never expected you to fall..."

"You saved the Eastern Spirit Continent; you are worthy of respect... I, Ni Feixue, will remember you forever, but the crisis will never end."

...

Time is the best cure for wounds.

One month later.

Xuan Yunxian left reluctantly.

The Saint Demon Sect returned to calm, but every disciple passing by the statue looked at it with reverence—it was the sect's pride, the most worthy of respect.

Nameless Peak was steeped in sorrow.

Though a month had passed, Nameless Peak still lacked vitality; no one had emerged from their grief.

A month later, Xin Feng, the current Sect Leader of the Nine Heavens Sect, arrived quietly with a heavy heart.

Zhang Ergou received him, but Xin Feng said nothing, just sat there, his hair turning white overnight. A month later, he left quietly; no one knew what was in his heart.

Two months... three months.

The people of Nameless Peak gradually emerged from their sorrow. They no longer grieved; they had to fulfill the Sect Leader's last wish.

To expand the Saint Demon Sect.

Zhang Ergou, as the senior disciple of the Saint Demon Sect, took on this heavy responsibility. Though his cultivation was not very high, everyone worked together with one heart.

Mie Qiongqi entered seclusion after this incident. He knew he was the strongest in the Saint Demon Sect. To prevent the sect from being bullied by outsiders, he had to become stronger and possess the power to protect it.

Zhang Ergou knew that Junior Mie was under great pressure, but he didn't know what to say. Every time he passed by Mie Qiongqi's seclusion site, he would stand there and think quietly.

When faced with difficulties, Zhang Ergou would also come before the sacrificial statue, often standing there for a day and a night before silently leaving, pouring his energy into building the sect.