Hearing Shen Chuyun's shouts, all the disciples who were still able to move rushed to the edge of the swamp.
They instinctively reached for their waists, hoping to find some magic treasures to use, but their hands came back empty.
Their storage bags had all fallen into the swamp during the flailings of the ghost - rattling vine.
At Shen Qing's strong request, Hong Chaoyang still helped her to the edge of the swamp.
Shen Qing immediately spotted Pei Xuanjing and He Yu in the swamp, with only their faces and small parts of their upper bodies showing.
Their faces and heads were covered in sticky mucus. The poisonous gas in the swamp had numbed their bodies, leaving them unable to move. Only their eyeballs could move slightly.
He Yu was the second disciple taken in by True Lord Heng Ling. The He family's business was spread across the entire Eight Desolation Continent, so He Yu was also known as the No.1 young master of the cultivation world's noble families. He also claimed to be the most handsome man in the Qingyun Sword Sect and paid great attention to his appearance outside.
Originally, he and Pei Xuanjing had cooperated well during this mission and had gained a lot of favor from the female disciples.
But they never expected that after entering the dense forest, they would encounter such a huge ghost - rattling vine.
They were thrown into the stinky swamp by the vine of the ghost - rattling vine in the first place. He didn't even need to think to know that he must look extremely embarrassed now.
Although he was affected by the poisonous gas and his head was a bit groggy, he still knew what was going on around him.
He was extremely ashamed and angry for making such a big fool of himself in front of so many female disciples.
Rather than having others doubt his cultivation level and abilities, he was more worried about the damage to his perfect image.
Pei Xuanjing, on the other hand, was much calmer.
As the first disciple under True Lord Heng Ling and the senior brother, he had developed a steady, generous, and unflappable personality.
After being thrown into the swamp, he had been thinking about how to escape.
His cultivation level was the highest in the sect. Compared with Shen Chuyun's cultivation level that was piled up with Qiankun Pills, his late - stage Golden Core cultivation was achieved through real practice.
The moment Shen Qing and Shen Chuyun appeared, Pei Xuanjing knew it.
But what surprised him was that Shen Qing, whom he had always thought was weak and incompetent, had saved all the trapped disciples by herself.
Pei Xuanjing was used to standing in front of his junior brothers and sisters. Like now, being helpless and having to rely on others for rescue made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Shen Qing, weren't you so powerful just now? Go and save Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother quickly!" Shen Chuyun shouted anxiously at Shen Qing.
Before Shen Qing could retort, Hong Chaoyang, who had been supporting Shen Qing, frowned and said discontentedly, "What are you shouting for! Can't you see that Shen Qing has exhausted her spiritual power and can hardly stand up straight? Asking her to save people is no different from asking her to die!"
After saying that, Hong Chaoyang turned to a disciple with relatively abundant spiritual power and said, "Junior Brother Qian, you were trapped by the ghost - rattling vine for a shorter time. Please go back to the sect for help immediately."
Junior Brother Qian, who was pointed out by Hong Chaoyang, nodded and didn't dare to delay. He immediately summoned his natal sword.
But he didn't have much spiritual power left. After getting on the sword, he flew shakily towards the sect.
His slow speed made it seem as if he would fall from the sky at any moment.
Shen Chuyun was so anxious that his face turned red. He saw that Pei Xuanjing and He Yu's eyes were already starting to lose focus. He wanted to go and save them himself, but his physical discomfort told him that he couldn't!
"By the time he goes back for help, Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother will be dead!"
"Think of a way quickly!"
"Shen Qing! You used to step forward in situations like this. Why are you being a coward this time!!"
Shen Chuyun roared at Shen Qing. The blame and complaint in his tone made the surrounding disciples feel very uncomfortable.
He even reached out and grabbed Shen Qing, trying to push her towards the edge of the swamp. Fortunately, the surrounding disciples stopped him.
Hong Chaoyang didn't have much spiritual power left and had even shared some with Shen Qing. Shen Chuyun's sudden action caught Hong Chaoyang off guard, and he staggered and fell directly to the ground.
A female disciple held Shen Qing tightly and said in shock, "Senior Brother Shen, how could you do this? How can Junior Sister Shen save people in her current physical condition? Let's think of another way. Pulling Junior Sister Shen like this won't help!"
Shen Chuyun glared angrily and shouted, "It's not your senior brothers in there, so you can say such irresponsible things. They are the disciples of True Lord Heng Ling. You're just an inner - sect disciple. Even if one of you is exchanged for the two of them, it's not a loss!"
The female disciple didn't expect Shen Chuyun to say such hurtful words. Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
She choked with sobs and said aggrievedly, "Senior Brother Shen, I didn't mean that. Why do you have to be so aggressive..."
The surrounding inner - sect disciples also looked displeased and gritted their teeth at Shen Chuyun.
They knew the cruelty of the cultivation world and that their talents as inner - sect disciples were indeed inferior to those of the direct disciples of the elders.
But no one had ever looked down on them so bluntly. In their hearts, talent didn't represent everything. Hard work would be rewarded by the Heavenly Dao. One day, they would be able to reverse their fates on their own.
Shen Chuyun's words immediately angered the inner - sect disciples.
Shen Chuyun was immersed in his own emotions and didn't notice the strange looks from the people around him at all. He still kept shouting for the disciples to go and save people.
While he was worried about Pei Xuanjing and He Yu, he also saw the aggrieved expression on the female disciple's face.
That on - the - verge - of - crying look reminded Shen Chuyun of Shen Qing.
In his memory, Shen Qing always used this kind of face to act pitiful in front of the senior brothers. The current appearance of the female disciple slowly overlapped with Shen Qing's weak appearance, making him extremely irritated.
"What are you crying for? With such a weak mind, what kind of cultivation are you doing? Go home early, you good - for - nothing!"
The female disciple was so ashamed by Shen Chuyun's sarcastic tone that her face turned red, and tears streamed down her face.
The surrounding disciples, especially the female ones, looked at Shen Chuyun in disbelief.
Just as Shen Chuyun was about to say something else, Shen Qing finally recovered. She stepped forward, gathered spiritual power in her palm, and slapped Shen Chuyun hard across the face.
Slap—
Shen Chuyun was directly sent flying until he hit a big tree in the distance before his body stopped.
The female disciple was so shocked that her eyes widened, and there were still crystal tears hanging from the corners of her eyes.
Shen Qing shook her hair, turned around, and carefully wiped the tears from the female disciple's eyes. Her face was full of disdain for Shen Chuyun.
"Next time you hear someone barking like a mad dog, just go and fight. In the cultivation world, strength is respected. If anyone is dissatisfied with you, beat them until they submit."
After saying that, Shen Qing straightened up and turned her back to the crowd as if she was thinking about how to save the people.
But in fact, Shen Qing was just trying to relieve her dizziness. After all, that slap had exhausted the little spiritual power she had managed to gather.
But she didn't know that at this moment, in the eyes of the female disciples, Shen Qing was like a celestial being descending, emitting a dazzling light.
Once again, Shen Qing had inadvertently managed to show off.