Chapter 82: The Disciples Who Feared Death

At the foot of the Holy Demon Sect, within the Sunset Forest.

Emperor Yan stood among the crowd, his eyes fixed on the nine peaks that had once been unattainable, beyond his wildest hopes. Now they were right before him, and this feeling filled him with extraordinary excitement.

Among his predecessors, all had wished to free the Great Yan Dynasty from its vassalage, but none had succeeded.

And now he, Emperor Yan, was about to lead the Great Yan Dynasty out of that shameful subordination—a feat of eternal merit.

When he looked at the arrogant sect members around him, a gleam flashed in Emperor Yan's eyes.

“I didn’t expect the Holy Demon Sect to know of our conspiracy. Clearly, someone among us has leaked it.” At this moment, a man completely shrouded in a black robe, his face and age indistinguishable, spoke in a low, hoarse voice.

“Black Robe Ancestor, what does it matter whether they know or not? Now that our nine great sects have gathered at the foot of the Holy Demon Sect, can they possibly still have the strength to fight us?” said an old crone standing not far from the Black Robe Ancestor.

The old crone was hunched over, holding a phoenix-headed staff made of some unknown material. In her half-closed eyes, a chilling light flickered from time to time.

Although Emperor Yan was the sovereign of the Great Yan Dynasty, he was still insignificant before the sect masters of these great sects.

The nine great sects included both righteous and evil factions. In the past, they would have fought to the death upon meeting, but now they had reached an agreement to jointly attack the Holy Demon Sect. As for what would happen afterward, that would be discussed after this matter was concluded.

When they learned that the Holy Demon Ancestor had obtained ancient divine blood from an ancient relic, they had already formed their plan.

Divine blood, a rare treasure of heaven and earth, was the essence of ancient powerhouses.

The Great Heavenly Realm was neither eternal nor the end. They all wanted to obtain the divine blood, to glimpse the prosperity of ancient times, and to understand all that had been incomprehensible through the ages.

Individually, none of the sects could contend with the Holy Demon Sect. The Holy Demon Ancestor had long ago earned a reputation that overshadowed all others; no one dared to compare themselves to him.

Now, for the sake of the divine blood, the sects had united. As for how to divide the divine blood after obtaining it, that was a matter for later.

“Level the Holy Demon Sect…” The sect masters of the various sects cast cold glances ahead, then waved their sleeves. All the disciples at the Entering God Realm they had brought soared into the air and charged toward the nearby Holy Demon Sect.

The Holy Demon Sect.

The outer disciples, who had been preparing to leave but could not, watched the dark clouds in the distance drawing closer and abandoned all resistance.

This time, they did not expect to survive; they would all die in this battle.

Lin Fan felt waves of overwhelming force approaching from afar, and his expression grew grave. This time, it was truly dangerous.

Soon, Lin Fan looked up and saw a dark mass of figures floating in the sky above.

“Holy Demon Ancestor, if you don’t want your sect annihilated, hand over the divine blood.” At this moment, the Black Robe Ancestor stepped forward. He dared not fight the Holy Demon Ancestor one-on-one, as he was indeed weaker.

But now it was different. With all nine great sects joining forces, could anyone stand against them? The Holy Demon Ancestor might be powerful, but what use was that?

Those outer disciples, facing enemies who could crush them with mere aura, had no strength to resist.

Lin Fan stood among the crowd, watching the scene before him, his heart filled with tension.

Great Heavenly Realm, first rank.

Great Heavenly Realm, second rank.

Great Heavenly Realm, third rank.

…

Although the sect masters of these nine great sects were individually much weaker in cultivation than the Holy Demon Sect’s master, their combined strength was great, and they were all old monsters with deep foundations.

If a fight broke out, they could likely exhaust the sect master to death.

From the Ninth Peak, figures flew through the air.

The sect master led all the elders of the Holy Demon Sect before Lin Fan and the others, facing the nine great sect masters directly.

“Black Robe Ancestor, Bihai Old Crone, Qiankun Sect Master…” The Holy Demon Ancestor cast a cold glance at the nine great sect masters, then fixed his gaze on Emperor Yan.

“You truly betrayed the Holy Demon Sect.” The Holy Demon Ancestor looked at Emperor Yan and said.

“Holy Demon Ancestor, the Great Yan Dynasty has been subservient to the Holy Demon Sect for a thousand years. That is unbearable for any dynasty. So this is not betrayal, but change,” said Emperor Yan.

“Hand over the divine blood, or we will raze the Holy Demon Sect to the ground,” said the nine great sect masters.

This time, they were determined to succeed. The Holy Demon Sect might be strong, but now it was no longer a match.

“The Holy Demon Sect has been passed down for ten thousand years. We will never bow to any force. Even if we are annihilated today, you will pay a heavy price. Disciples of the Holy Demon Sect, hear my command: defend the sect to the death!” the Holy Demon Ancestor said coldly.

“Defend the sect to the death!”

“Defend the sect to the death!”

…

The inner disciples were filled with high fighting spirit. Even if death was certain, they would stand with the sect until the end.

“I don’t want to die! Please, let me go!” At that moment, an outer disciple crawled forward, weeping and begging.

He truly did not want to die. This attack by the nine great sects on the Holy Demon Sect was a hopeless situation.

“Junior Brother Li, what are you doing? Are you still a disciple of the Holy Demon Sect?” Some disciples, seeing this, were so angry their faces turned pale.

They hadn’t expected that an outer disciple would actually beg for mercy, bringing shame upon the Holy Demon Sect.

Lin Fan stood among the crowd, watching everything, and sighed. This situation was impossible to stop.

No one wanted to die, but now it wasn’t a matter of wanting to die or not; it was a matter of character.

Constantly fleeing, fearing death—how could that be worthy of one’s martial heart?

Cowardice, incompetence, fear of death.

Lin Fan never looked down on anyone, because everyone has something worthy of respect. But people like this, Lin Fan despised from the bottom of his heart.

“Hehe…” Seeing this, the nine great sects all laughed.

“Holy Demon Ancestor, so these are your disciples? Very well, let me see just what you’ve taught them,” said Bihai Old Crone, her face kind but her voice dripping with contempt.

“Disciples of the Holy Demon Sect, if any of you don’t want to die, crawl over to me now. I, Bihai Old Crone, can promise that these nine great sects will take you in as disciples. Otherwise, you will die alongside your Holy Demon Ancestor.”

“I will give you only ten breaths.”

“You may begin now.”

…

Bihai Old Crone’s words gave many Holy Demon Sect disciples a glimmer of hope.

“Bihai Old Crone, how dare you corrupt the disciples of the Holy Demon Sect!” an elder said indignantly.

“Seven breaths left.”

…

At this moment, the disciples within the Holy Demon Sect grew restless. Some whispered among themselves, others exchanged glances.

In that moment, their hearts began to waver.

They knew that under the siege of the nine great sects, there was no hope. But now, Bihai Old Crone had given them a sliver of hope—the last chance to survive.

Lin Fan watched those whispering disciples and understood in his heart: the Holy Demon Sect was truly finished. There was no hope left.