Chapter 781: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Sun

In an instant, the entire world fell silent.

The onlookers gathered around Lin Fan stared dumbfounded at the man who had just spoken such arrogant words, then without any hesitation, they turned and fled, distancing themselves from Lin Fan.

"Get out of here fast, this guy doesn't want to live."

"Don't get caught up in this."

Within a single second, no one remained around Lin Fan except for the Fourteen Bandits of the Desert.

Everyone stared in shock at that man.

"Who is he? How dare he say such things?"

"No idea. Either that or he's lost his mind."

"The Nine Spirits Female Emperor is no pushover; her methods are ruthless."

Lin Fan stood there, hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, his sharp eyes gazing at everything in the distance.

Clatter!

Zhang Ergou and the others on the high seats all stood up, as if witnessing something unbelievable, their feet as if weighted with heavy stones, walking step by step toward Lin Fan.

"Quite an eye-opener today. With no one to rein you in, you've all grown bold."

Lin Fan said coldly. Though his voice was not loud, it was like a gust of cold wind, freezing Zhang Ergou and the others' hearts with chill.

"No way, the strong ones from Nine Spirits Sect and Sacred Demon Sect are all standing up. They're not going to join forces, are they?"

"How dare this young man say such things? Is he looking for death?"

Elders from other major sects looked doubtfully at the figure in the distance, wondering who he was.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Chick, who had been lounging comfortably in his seat, leaped up abruptly at the sound of that voice. His adorable eyes gazed into the distance, then with a flap of his wings, he came flying over.

In those cute chicken eyes, a few tears seemed to well up from excitement.

Lin Fan looked at the rushing Chick, feeling a sense of nostalgia. But at this moment, Lin Fan felt he had to be serious, or else they might think this matter was over.

Smack!

Chick, who had been sprinting over, was about to pounce into Lin Fan's arms when Lin Fan slapped him directly to the ground.

Lin Fan used no force; otherwise, with Chick's cultivation, he would have exploded instantly.

At that moment, Chick's three freakish sons came rushing over noisily, each shielding Chick.

Chick One, adorned in gold and silver, seeing his father beaten, naturally bristled with fury, crowing angrily, his gold ornaments clinking.

Chick Two, the punk with a non-mainstream style, shook his tuft of multicolored feathers and pecked at Lin Fan's feet, but given Lin Fan's current physical strength, it only hurt Chick Two.

Chick Three, obese to a certain degree, crowed once, dropping the piece of meat from his mouth, then immediately lowered his head to pick it up, and used his fat body to bump into Lin Fan, as if ready to fight him to the death.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Chick scrambled up nimbly, flapped his wings to push his three sons aside, then looked at Lin Fan with teary eyes, let out a few low cries, spread his wings, and hugged Lin Fan's thigh, rubbing his head against it, full of longing.

As for the surrounding onlookers, this scene left them dumbfounded.

"No way, that terrifying divine beast from Nine Spirits Sect was slapped away with one blow?"

"What's going on? That terrifying divine beast isn't angry; instead, it's clinging to the other's leg."

"This must be a dream. Who is this person?"

Lin Fan saw Chick like this and couldn't keep up the act. He directly grabbed him by the neck.

"Well, well, you roasted chicken. I was gone for just a while, and you've been living it up, even pulling a fait accompli, huh? You've fathered three little ones. Don't tell me these three sons of yours were born from ordinary chickens."

Lin Fan knew Chick was never picky; as long as it was female, he'd go for it, and he especially favored domestic fowl.

These three chicks, though their bloodlines were strong, were very mixed, as if the mother had no noble lineage at all.

"Really?"

Chick, held in Lin Fan's hand, nodded silently, confirming Lin Fan's words.

Lin Fan closed his eyes slightly, somewhat despairing.

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

Lin Fan didn't know what to say anymore.

Chick was the offspring of two ancient ferocious beasts, but by his generation, he had produced three hybrid offspring with domestic fowl.

If Chick's parents found out, they'd surely hack him to death.

Lin Fan released Chick, who flapped his wings and leaped onto Lin Fan's shoulder.

In Chick's view, Lin Fan's shoulder was his exclusive spot; no one else could take it.

"Sect Master..."

Zhang Ergou and the others came before Lin Fan, prostrating themselves on the ground, shouting excitedly.

Seeing the Sect Master return, Zhang Ergou and the others were naturally overjoyed.

But for the onlookers, this scene was explosive.

"What are they doing? Are my ears playing tricks on me?"

"They actually called this young man 'Sect Master'."

"Then this... then this..."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The Nine Spirits Sect and Sacred Demon Sect were immensely powerful, and their elders were terrifyingly strong. But what shocked them now was that this group of strong individuals called a young man 'Sect Master.' It was utterly mind-blowing.

"Ergou." Lin Fan wasn't truly angry, but he was somewhat displeased.

"Sect Master, Ergou is here." Zhang Ergou, who was usually imposing to outsiders, now changed his expression, becoming obsequious.

Over the years, Zhang Ergou had made a name for himself.

To outsiders, the name Zhang Ergou seemed vulgar, but the man himself commanded awe.

But now, seeing this strong man's imposing aura suddenly shift to something so fawning, they couldn't accept it.

For Zhang Ergou, hiding his true self had been too exhausting. Now that the Sect Master had returned after five years, Zhang Ergou felt he could be his real self again.

Lin Fan looked at Ergou's fawning demeanor and found it a headache. After all these years, why hadn't he changed?

For Ergou, his life had changed from the day the Sect Master took notice of him.

Sometimes, when Ergou thought back on his life, he would sigh—it was truly damn amazing, hard to believe.

"What did I tell you before I left?" Lin Fan asked.

"Ah!" Zhang Ergou was startled, lowering his head in embarrassment.

"Sect Master, you told me that after you left, I should lead everyone, be united and friendly, love each other, and wait for your return."

Zhang Ergou had always remembered these words, but looking at the current situation, he hadn't fulfilled a single promise.

"You still remember. But the current situation seems a bit off. Did I come back at the wrong time?" Lin Fan said oddly.

"Sect Master, I was wrong." Zhang Ergou lowered his head and said softly, as if he had done something wrong and was waiting for a lecture from his elder.

"Mm, it's good that you realize your mistake." Lin Fan saw Ergou like this and didn't press further.

Zhang Ergou, hearing that the Sect Master had forgiven him, immediately perked up, then said quietly, "Sect Master, actually, it's not entirely my fault. The Sect Master dotes so much on the junior sisters, how could I, as the senior brother, dare to control them? So... so..."

Zhang Ergou looked at Lin Fan, blinked, and didn't dare finish the sentence.

"Doggy, you've changed. You dare to imply that I, the Sect Master, am wrong?" Lin Fan said.

"Sect Master, no, Ergou absolutely didn't mean that."

Though it was the truth, to avoid being scolded further, Ergou went against his conscience and quickly defended himself.

"You're not being honest now. When we get back, you'll see. I'll deal with you later." Lin Fan shook his head helplessly.

Then Lin Fan looked at his two disciples.

"What, seeing your master back, you just stand there dumbfounded? Still want to curse your master?"

Lin Fan hadn't quite adjusted to the drastic changes in his two disciples.

"A girl changes fast in her teens."

"If I'd come back a few years later, you'd be soaring to the skies, shoulder to shoulder with the sun."