The disciples had long heard that the sect master had sent several elders to look for the genius cultivator who had survived nine heavenly thunders during the Core Formation stage.
They gathered here just to see what the genius brought back by the elders looked like.
Unexpectedly, they accidentally ran into Hong Chaoyang and her group on their way back from the mission, and among them was Shen Qing, who was involved in many lawsuits.
Hong Chaoyang's senior brother, He Ming, stepped forward. Frowning, he looked at Hong Chaoyang with disapproval on his face. But when he noticed that Hong Chaoyang had reached the middle stage of the Core Formation, his frown eased a bit.
"Junior Sister Hong, Master asks you to go to her immediately after you come back."
After saying that, He Ming also glanced at Shen Qing, seemingly disapproving of Hong Chaoyang standing with Shen Qing.
Hong Chaoyang had never liked seeing He Ming. His master was Hong Chaoyang's mother, the True Person Hong Die. He was also the one Hong Die often used to compare with Hong Chaoyang.
"He Ming, what's that look in your eyes?"
Although Hong Chaoyang didn't know why the disciples were looking at Shen Qing with such uncomfortable looks, as she had already regarded Shen Qing as a friend in her heart, she subconsciously stepped in front of Shen Qing.
Qi Nian also saw her fellow sect sisters signaling her with their eyes to come back quickly.
After hesitating for a while, Qi Nian still stood beside Shen Qing.
She thought this was what a friend should do.
But Shen Qing was very calm. She was already used to the unfriendly looks from others.
It was nothing more than that during the time she was away from the sect, Lin Yibai had gone out and said some ambiguous things, which made others have opinions about her.
Shen Qing sighed and felt a bit disappointed with her masochistic nature.
But Pei Xuanjing and the others thought that Shen Qing deserved this treatment.
On the contrary, the scene in the forest just now, where the disciples were greeting Shen Qing with concern, made them extremely uncomfortable.
Seeing Hong Chaoyang standing beside Shen Qing, He Ming directly reached out and pulled Hong Chaoyang over. Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said,
"Shen Qing has seriously injured Junior Sister Lin. Now all the disciples in the sect know about it. The True Person Heng Ling has asked the sect master to punish her severely. You'd better stay away from this woman."
Hong Chaoyang shook off He Ming's hand, and her face darkened.
The faces of the disciples who had come back with Shen Qing also looked ugly. Although they had only gotten along for one day, it was enough for them to understand that Shen Qing was not such a person.
But among the crowd, He Yu and Shen Chuyun's expressions showed a hint of joy.
Master had finally decided to punish this vicious woman!
They had long disliked Shen Qing's actions. Now, all of this was just as they wished.
Shen Chuyun even maliciously thought that if they could abolish Shen Qing's cultivation and expel her from the Qingyun Sword Sect, it would be even better.
In their Shen family, only one prodigy like him was needed. Shen Qing should live in the mud and look up to him forever!
"Shen Qing, I knew that no matter how you狡辩, it was you who hurt Junior Sister Bai!"
Shen Chuyun looked full of hatred for evil and once again accused Shen Qing of hurting Lin Yibai in front of everyone.
Hearing this, the disciples began to whisper to each other.
"You said you wouldn't make a judgment without knowing the whole story. Since the senior brothers from Nianbai Peak have said so, how could they wrong Shen Qing?"
"Yes, since Senior Brother Shen has said so, it must be true."
"Unexpectedly, the century - old reputation of the sect was almost ruined by this person who killed her fellow sect members. How could such a person be worthy of staying in the Qingyun Sword Sect!"
"..."
The emotions of the disciples were stirred up. They all thought that Shen Qing had an evil heart and should be expelled from the sect.
"Don't talk nonsense. Shen Qing didn't do it!"
Qi Nian was so anxious that she was about to cry. She had been defending Shen Qing, but her voice was drowned out in the crowd and was hardly noticeable.
Hong Chaoyang stared at He Ming without giving an inch, but she was also secretly worried about Shen Qing's situation.
Facing the united hostility of the disciples, Shen Qing felt an indescribable sadness.
Rumors could destroy a person. She couldn't believe that they were cultivators. They were so arbitrary and irrational. Was this the future of the cultivation world?
Lin Yibai was hiding in the corner, coldly watching everything that was happening.
She had failed her mission. When she returned to the Qingyun Sword Sect, the True Person Heng Ling found out. She could no longer pretend to be in a coma and had to "be forced" to wake up.
But this didn't prevent her from increasing the True Person Heng Ling's sense of guilt. With her ambiguous words, the True Person Heng Ling believed that Shen Qing was the one who had hurt her.
With the help of the system, the True Person Heng Ling noticed the irreversible "serious injury" on Lin Yibai, and the guilt value had reached 85.
When the guilt value reached 100, she would be able to absorb the True Person Heng Ling's luck and cultivation. This made her feel that victory was in sight.
During the time Shen Qing was away from the sect, she had spared no effort to smear Shen Qing in front of the disciples.
Moreover, under her weak offensive, the True Person Heng Ling was so angry that she went to the True Person Honghua and accused Shen Qing.
This time, Shen Qing would either die or be severely punished!
"Little disciple, when everyone says the same thing, it can melt metal. This time..."
Ling Zhou's voice carried a tremor that was hardly noticeable. He had experienced such a scene a long time ago.
The way Shen Qing looked now reminded him of himself many years ago.
Helpless, lost, and bewildered...
Even after a thousand years, he still remembered.
He was so afraid that Shen Qing would be like him, unable to bear the malice of others and thus ruin her Dao heart.
Ling Zhou suddenly felt cold all over. He could sense that behind the crowd, Lin Yibai was hiding in the corner, watching all this. The calculating and malicious look in her eyes was exactly the same as that person's.
It was that person who had destroyed everything of his and made him fall into the endless abyss!
"Master, I'm your disciple. Believe me."
When Ling Zhou was deeply trapped in the painful memories, Shen Qing's clear voice dispersed his dark memories.
It felt like a ray of light suddenly shone into an ice cellar.
"Master, look at me!"
Shen Qing summoned Biluo, and a smile appeared on her lips.
After Shen Qing advanced to the Core Formation stage, she could clearly feel that half of the seal on her spiritual bone had been lifted by Ling Zhou.
With the blessing of the spiritual bone, Shen Qing was also a top - notch figure among the Core Formation stage cultivators of the same period.
When Biluo appeared in Shen Qing's hand, everyone present, including the disciples in the late stage of the Core Formation, felt a strange feeling.
The sword qi suddenly radiated out with Shen Qing as the center, blowing everyone's robes. And Biluo had already restored its original appearance. It was clearly not an ordinary item at first glance.
In the astonished looks of everyone, Shen Qing showed a captivating smile. Her appearance, which used to seem covered in dust in others' eyes, suddenly bloomed with brilliance, making it hard for people to look away.
"Is Shen Qing actually this good - looking?..."
Hong Chaoyang's murmur voiced the doubts in everyone's hearts.
Shen Qing looked directly at Lin Yibai, who was hiding behind the crowd. Her smile remained, but her eyes were filled with frost.
Then she quickly flew up. Like a celestial maiden descending from the sky, she landed in front of Lin Yibai, who was about to flee in a hurry.
The young girl was smiling sweetly, with delicate eyebrows and eyes.
"Senior Sister Yibai, I heard that you've been spreading rumors everywhere that I hurt you."