Lin Feng struggled to his feet, his body trembling from the assault and the weight of betrayal. He met the gaze of all the other disciples who had gathered in the courtyard to witness what was happening. Their expressions ranged from pity to satisfaction, a few showing genuine concern while most looked on with barely concealed schadenfreude.
Nangong Yu then walked casually from the house into the courtyard, his eyes menacing and predatory as he looked at Lin Feng like a hunter sizing up his prey. "This is how you came to the sect, and this is how you will leave," he declared with mock solemnity.
"You have nothing of yours in that room—the sect gave you all the things you viewed as yours."
"Brother Nangong is showing you mercy by not killing you, trash dog," one of the lackeys sneered menacingly.
"Now, why don't you thank Brother Nangong?"
It was bad enough to be kicked out of the sect, but now adding humiliation like seasoning was unbearable. Lin Feng had no strength left to even retaliate with words. His spirit was broken, his body battered, and his heart shattered.
"Hey, why is Senior Brother Feng in such a sorry state?" one of the newly arrived disciples asked, looking genuinely concerned.
"I heard he was kicked out of the sect because he was now a cripple and cannot benefit the sect in any way possible," another who was present explained.
"Wang Qiming, you're always saying stuff. Is it even true, and where did you hear such stuff?" one of the other confused disciples questioned.
"My brother—who is a distant cousin and also my aunt's second son, who is a guard at the enforcement hall—said this," Wang Qiming replied with the smug confidence that only those with inside information possess, his nose practically in the air with self-importance.
"If you say so, but your information is always half-baked," another student said skeptically.
Just then, Lin Feng began walking toward the sect exit, dragging his already injured body. Blood dripped from his mouth, his clothes were ragged, and his once-pristine appearance was now that of a broken man. He looked back at the sect one last time, taking in the majestic buildings and training grounds that had been his home for so many years.
Right then, he was struck by a forceful kick to the stomach from one of Nangong Yu's lackeys, sending him tumbling down the thousand steps that led away from the sect.
These were the same steps used to test talent and aptitude during the sect's recruitment ceremonies—symbols of power and prestige in the immortal realm. Now, they became the pathway of his humiliation and exile.
Once he reached the bottom of the steps, Lin Feng lay on the ground, looking up at the once-majestic place he had revered as a distant memory. Despite his injuries, he dragged his battered body into the forest, deciding to see where fate would lead him.
Little did he know, this was just another phase of a long-calculated plan that would reshape his destiny.
Back in the sect, people were cleaning up the rubble and making sure the house was pristine for Nangong Yu to move in.
"I want you to arrange a few assassins and follow Lin Feng," Nangong Yu commanded while holding a cup of the most expensive tea, the steam rising elegantly from the delicate porcelain.
"I don't want him to have a comeback. I want you to kill him, and I will definitely reign supreme in the Nine Heavens after a short period. After all, I am a genius and now the Young Sect Master. Go now." He let out an evil laugh that echoed through the halls.
Meanwhile, Lingxue was in her room looking out the window with a distant expression. Her thoughts were unreadable, her mind a fortress. She was thinking deeply when another girl walked in and sat at the crystal table, pouring herself some tea.
"I hope your decision was the right one," the girl said as she sipped her tea.
"It's better to stand by the strong to survive. Feelings don't get you anywhere," Lingxue sighed, then sat down, effectively forgetting that Lin Feng had ever existed.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng was walking through the forest. Although he was still seriously hurt, he had once been a medicine disciple for a while and had read extensively from alchemy books in an attempt to heal his injuries.
He collected a few herbs along the way, and now his bleeding had stopped, though he remained seriously injured.
Right then, he heard a loud thud in front of him and saw that there were a few black-clothed figures. He knew that his escape was now a thing of the past. These were the assassins Nangong Yu had sent to ensure his complete elimination.
"Come on, bring it on," Lin Feng said through gritted teeth, igniting his blood essence and burning his life span in a desperate attempt to temporarily regain some power. The technique was forbidden, but he had nothing left to lose.
What followed was the most violent scene imaginable. Lin Feng used all the techniques he could remember, fighting with the ferocity of a cornered beast. He unleashed martial arts techniques he had learned over years of training, each move fueled by desperation and rage. But it was all for naught.
Now he was kneeling on the ground, bloodier than ever, his borrowed strength fading rapidly. The assassins closed in around him like vultures.
"You should have never offended Senior Nangong," one of the assassins said, his voice almost sad. "Your end is almost making me feel sorry for you."
"Chu Nan, cut the crap. Why are you still talking? Let's kill this bastard," the other assassin said while brandishing his knife toward Lin Feng.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS... A hissing sound was heard, and they all looked around, seeing the trees parting to allow a figure to reveal itself. Before they could react, the assassins clearly recognized the threat and blurred into action, their movements swift and coordinated.
The huge figure that emerged was terrifying—a blood-red skinned beast with slitted eyes and terrible breath that reeked of death. If Lin Feng had been in his former state, this would have been a one-finger kill. But now, the blood-red python was looking at a sitting duck.
Lin Feng looked at the grass below the python as its poison dripped, watching as the vegetation withered and died, showing the potency of the creature's venom. The very air seemed to grow thick with toxicity.
Then, without further ado, the python bared its tail toward Lin Feng and picked him up with terrifying precision. After that, with a loud hiss and a powerful throw into the air, Lin Feng was falling directly into the mouth of the beast.
His life flashed before his eyes—memories of his childhood, his training, the friends he had made, and the betrayal that had brought him to this point. He was sad that he would die without a proper burial ground.
The good thing, he thought bitterly, was that at least he would be of some help to the python somehow. And with that final, ironic thought, Lin Feng was dissolved by the python's poison, never to exist again in the immortal realm.
All of this was being witnessed through a projection mirror that the assassins had managed to anchor. Nangong Yu watched the entire scene unfold from the comfort of his new quarters, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.
"What an ending," he said as he closed his eyes, looking proud of his handiwork. "One less obstacle to my ascension."
But what none of them knew was that Lin Feng's blood, infused with his remaining spiritual energy and the herbs he had consumed, would prove to be the catalyst for something far greater than any of them could imagine. The python, having consumed more than just flesh and blood, would undergo its own transformation—one that would echo through the immortal realm for generations to come.
As the forest fell silent once more, the seeds of destiny were already being sown, and Lin Feng's story was far from over.