Chapter 115: Senior Brothers Are Simply Stunning!

“Such matters within our sect have brought shame before you all,” Wen Youhe said, turning his gaze toward the gathered crowd in the valley, his tone calm. “As for affairs within our sect, I will deal with them upon our return. Today, I have come for a different purpose.”

His expression suddenly grew cold, and his sharp eyes swept over the crowd like a blade. “Those who insulted my junior sister earlier—if you step forward and apologize to her of your own accord, I will let bygones be bygones. But if you remain unrepentant and I discover who you are, your fate will be the same as Sun Changfeng’s!”

As soon as his words fell, Bing Shien, Liu Zhiqing, and Shi Wanqing stepped forward, standing behind Wen Youhe and releasing their oppressive spiritual aura, casting their gaze over the crowd.

The pressure from one cultivator in the Great Ascension stage and three in the Integration stage was unbearable for those in the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or even Spirit Transformation stages. Everyone felt their chests grow heavy, their bones straining under the weight.

Naturally, Wen Youhe, Liu Zhiqing, and the others avoided Yan Shu when unleashing their spiritual pressure.

Observing the pain on the faces of the crowd and then looking at her four senior brothers standing in a line, Yan Shu’s eyes sparkled like stars, her heart screaming with excitement.

“Amazing! So handsome! Absolutely stunning!”

With such outstanding senior brothers before her, how could any ordinary man ever catch her eye again?

Yan Shu instantly transformed into an ardent admirer of Wen Youhe, Bing Shien, Liu Zhiqing, and Shi Wanqing, barely restraining herself from shouting, “I want to bear children for my senior brothers!”

Within her, the seal trembled faintly, as if the remnant soul of the Master of the Punishment Sect was mocking her past decisions to reject the possibility of a romance between senior brother and junior sister.

Xiao Jihan endured the pressure, following the light in Yan Shu’s eyes to glance at Wen Youhe and the others. For some reason, he found those four particularly irritating today.

Not everyone was as composed as Xiao Jihan. Qiu Shuoran was drenched in cold sweat, yet dared not move a muscle. With Sun Changfeng already ruined, he had no idea what fate awaited him.

The pressure was overwhelming. Though only a few breaths had passed since Wen Youhe and the others released it, the crowd felt as if half a day had dragged by.

Yu Wence was the first to step forward, cupping his hands in salute to Wen Youhe and the others, then bowing. “As disciples of the Primordial Sect, though none of us spoke disrespectfully to Junior Sister Yan before, some words were uttered in the secret realm that could be considered slighting. I have already reprimanded them, but I must apologize to Junior Sister Yan in person.”

Yan Shu hurriedly responded, “It’s no matter.”

Yu Wence smiled gently at her. “Thank you for your magnanimity, Junior Sister Yan. I’ll take my fellow disciples and depart first. We’ll be in touch.”

Yan Shu nodded to him. “Take care, Senior Brother Yu.”

Yu Wence led the Primordial Sect disciples away. With one sect taking the lead, the others followed suit much more easily. Regardless of whether they had ever spoken ill of Yan Shu, their elders stepped forward to apologize. After observing the situation for so long, they understood their own fault.

Yan Shu did not make things difficult for them, assuring each that it was no matter.

The longer Wen Youhe and the others maintained their spiritual pressure, the more unbearable it became. Eventually, the crowd scrambled to apologize to Yan Shu, desperate to avoid another moment under the crushing aura.

“We’re sorry, Elder Yan. We shouldn’t have spread rumors or spoken ill of you.”

“We apologize, Elder Yan.”

“We’re sorry.”

The number of people at the valley gate dwindled rapidly, soon clearing out entirely. The two whom Yan Shu had beaten earlier attempted to slip away after apologizing with the others.

However, while Yan Shu couldn’t recall who had insulted her, these two remembered their own offenses quite clearly. When they offered their apologies, she ignored them, refusing to acknowledge their words.

Without her permission, the two did not dare to depart.

Those who had left continued to discuss the events.

“Do you think Xiao Jihan ever practiced Beast Attracting Powder?”

“Certainly not. Didn’t Elder Yan say so? Before entering the Brahma Heaven secret realm, he’d only studied alchemy for two months. How could he possibly refine Beast Attracting Powder? Besides, the formula has all but disappeared—where would he find it?”

“That’s true. Sun Changfeng must have lost his mind trying to harm others!”

“To be honest, don’t you think the Profound Heaven Sect is a bit too domineering? They rely on their cultivation to trap us here, forcing us to apologize to Yan Shu.”

“That’s not quite fair. Yan Shu is their only junior sister, and such a talent must be cherished. If I had their strength, I’d do the same!”

“Aren’t they afraid of offending other sects?”

“What’s there to fear? After the Punishment Sect Master fell, aside from the hidden ancestors, how many cultivators in the whole cultivation world have reached the Great Ascension stage?”

“One in the Primordial Sect, one demon king, one in the Nether Sect, but the Profound Heaven Sect has two! What do they have to fear?”

“So, with two in the Great Ascension stage and two in the Integration stage, the Profound Heaven Sect should be considered the leading sect!”

“Sect is sect, but the individual matters. The Profound Heaven Sect may have two in the Great Ascension and two in the Integration stage, but their resources are lacking. For new disciples, resources are what really count.”

“That’s true.”

Almost everyone had left the valley, leaving only the two whom Yan Shu had beaten.

Wen Youhe and the others had already withdrawn their oppressive aura. Liu Zhiqing looked at the two trembling, ragged figures and asked Yan Shu, “Junior Sister, who are these two?”

“Nothing important,” Yan Shu explained. “They were the ones who insulted me most viciously before, so I gave them a beating. I told them to have their elders come pick them up, but it seems no one came.”

Learning these two had been the most abusive, Liu Zhiqing’s face instantly grew cold. He stared at them, his voice icy, “Which sect are you from?!”

The two shrank back, muttering, “We... we are disciples of the Nether Sect.”

So they were from the same sect, explaining their closeness.

“Nether Sect?” Shi Wanqing frowned, turning to Yan Shu. “No need to wait, Junior Sister. The Nether Sect won’t send anyone to fetch them.”

“Huh?” Yan Shu was puzzled. “Why?”

Shi Wanqing didn’t answer, but glanced at the two.

They caught on immediately and explained, “Elder Yan, you may not know, being devoted to cultivation, but our Nether Sect is different from the others. Most sects require qualifications to join, and once accepted, you receive a monthly stipend. But in the Nether Sect, there are no requirements—anyone who can pay the spirit stones can join.”

“We don’t get any monthly stipend, either. In fact, we have to hand over spirit stones every year to support the sect, but whatever we obtain belongs to us alone.”

With everything earned belonging to the individual, competition within the sect was surely fierce. The Nether Sect, being both orthodox and unorthodox, would rarely see elders take responsibility for juniors unless there was something in it for them.

Yan Shu began to understand. The Nether Sect seemed much like those dubious foreign universities from her previous life.

The elders were just teachers; have you ever seen a teacher in a shady foreign university apologize for a student’s mistake? Of course not—they’d just expel the student.

Unless, of course, the money was right.