These few disciples were quite earnest in their cultivation.

The barrier had opened, and no one noticed.

Su Zhuyi had always been able to multitask. She raised her hand and used a grappling technique to grab her clothes, putting them on directly in the water before standing up.

Seeing Su Zhuyi rise, Donglin outside the barrier felt joy in his heart. Good, good, good! The first one to come out is – you-you didn’t make me wait too long! He wanted to avenge his nephew. Every moment he waited longer, the anger in his heart deepened by another degree. That charred black corpse hanging on the tree, suspended in midair – one could imagine how much suffering he endured before death.

That corpse hanging there reminded him constantly to avenge his nephew! Every time he saw it, it pained his heart and deepened his fury.

Su Zhuyi noticed those people outside the barrier – the ashen face of the Dong Fushang Sect’s sect master. She turned around, frowning slightly, and said: “The barrier has opened.”

The other three all opened their eyes, each taking their clothes to put on, then together they left the pool.

The people outside were stunned again.

What was going on? They came out together? When they entered, they were given countless reminders to definitely temper their willpower – even if their primordial spirit suffered severe pain, they must grit their teeth and endure until they truly couldn’t persist and reached their limit before coming out. Such an opportunity only comes once in a lifetime and absolutely cannot be abandoned lightly…

What happened to persisting until the end?

You came out together – when did the disciples of the four great sects have such good relations?

The sect masters’ faces were composed, but their hearts were surging. Ten days was the time for the barrier to open, but generally speaking, they could usually persist for about fifteen days. The longest time recorded was thirty days, achieved by a great power of the Yunxiao Sect in the past. It was precisely because of him that the Yunxiao Sect became a colossus above the four great sects, standing tall for tens of thousands of years until now.

“Can we go out now?” Dan Ruyun put on her clothes. She glanced at Su Zhuyi, wanting to stand beside her but also feeling somewhat afraid. But she saw Su Zhuyi smile at her and wave, “Mm, let’s go together.”

Her smile at this moment was very sweet, her eyebrows curved, not as overbearing as before. If she previously resembled the spider lilies on the road to the underworld – red enough to make one’s heart palpitate – now she was like a just-bloomed begonia, holding dewdrops and morning glow, stunning and warming.

Dan Ruyun had previously been dazed looking at Qin Chuan. She felt that was normal – after all, Qin Chuan was excellent, wasn’t wearing clothes, and was handsome. As a female cultivator, having some admiration for a handsome man wasn’t anything shameful.

But now she was even dazed looking at a woman.

This woman’s chest wasn’t even as large as hers. Dan Ruyun had such a thought flash through her mind, then shook her head and walked to Su Zhuyi’s side with a red face.

Qin Chuan had been behind. He pressed his lips slightly and also walked to Su Zhuyi’s side. Chang Yuege wasn’t a fool – he understood his meaning this time. Remembering that he had used the Thousand Leaves Hand to hang that corpse for several days, he helplessly took the body down, then quickly caught up, standing shoulder to shoulder with Qin Chuan as they headed toward the barrier together.

In the eyes of the sect masters outside, the four disciples came out of the pond together, then lined up in a row and happily exited the barrier.

Could it be that they had previously joined forces to kill Dong Richen and then developed feelings through the killing?

Just as she stepped out of the barrier, Su Zhuyi felt a wave of pressure directly crushing down. Tiny silver needles invisible to the naked eye shot forth, directly stabbing toward her brow center and the acupoints of her limbs. Knowing there might be trouble upon coming out, she had specifically waited for all four to travel together, creating the appearance that several of them standing on her side must have hidden circumstances. But she hadn’t expected this old undying thing from Dong Fushang Sect to dare directly cripple her cultivation.

“Clang clang clang!” All the silver needles were blocked by the long sword in Duan Linshu’s hand. He held his sword standing before Su Zhuyi. Having just teleported, his robes flew in the wind, billowing and completely shielding Su Zhuyi behind him.

“Duan Linshu, are you trying to shelter a murderer?” Dong Lin’s face was dark as water as he said coldly, “A life for a life – this is natural law.”

“We still need to clarify the ins and outs of this matter,” Dan Qingshan said. “Once we understand clearly, punishment won’t be too late.”

Dong Lin’s magical weapon was a spear.

He gripped the spear in his hand, tilting the shaft forward with the spear tip glinting coldly. Those silver needles had just been shot from the spear tip. Standing in place, he said word by word: “My nephew is dead.”

Pointing at that charred corpse, “The only disciple of this generation in Dong Fushang Sect to wear the sun, moon, and stars.”

“Bone age one hundred years, mid-stage Golden Core cultivation – a heaven-blessed genius!” His eyes seemed about to spout fire as his pressure expanded, making the surrounding sect masters feel somewhat uncomfortable. “He didn’t die at the hands of evil demons and heretics, didn’t die in secret realms, didn’t die on the path of seeking the Dao…”

Surveying all around, he brought his long spear down heavily, shaking the ground so it trembled. “He died at the hands of righteous path fellow disciples.”

“No matter what wrong he committed,” his gaze condensed as Dong Lin said hoarsely word by word, “it didn’t warrant death. Looking at the wounds on his body, he could not resist and was barely breathing, yet you still added several lightning techniques to finish him off. Such a vicious heart, such ruthless methods – I’m not killing her, only crippling her cultivation. What’s improper about that!”

Sweeping his long spear horizontally, “Today, whoever dares block me, I, Dong Lin, will fight them to the bitter end and will certainly inform all under heaven to seek justice for my nephew.”

His voice was thunderous, like rolling spring thunder, causing the younger generation’s sea of consciousness to churn. If not for their elders protecting them, they would surely be bleeding from seven orifices with severe spiritual sense pain by now.

Su Zhuyi’s primordial spirit wasn’t weak, and with her sect master protecting her, she hadn’t suffered any damage. She coldly watched Dong Lin’s performance – that appearance of having lost a loved one and being grief-stricken with rage disgusted her thoroughly. Then she leaped out from behind her sect master and said proudly: “Dong Richen relied on his higher cultivation to use pressure suppression, attempting to molest the lightly clothed female cultivators in the pool. Such behavior – how is it different from those demonic path lechers who practice dual cultivation by harvesting yin to supplement yang? Shouldn’t such a person be killed?”

Molesting female cultivators in the pool? Dan Ruyun was slightly stunned. Thinking of how that Dong Richen previously disdained to even look at her, she felt somewhat embarrassed, but she also frowned and walked to her sect master’s side, saying pitifully: “Sect Master, that Dong Richen spoke improperly and even humiliated me…”

He had mocked her for having too large a chest!

Halfway through her words, feeling Dong Lin’s intimidating gaze, she felt a chill throughout her body. But the next moment, her sect master patted her shoulder, and that cold feeling retreated like a tide. “And then?”

“Then he died – he deserved it, his death wasn’t punishment enough!” Dan Qingshan glanced at Dong Lin. Though he didn’t speak, his gaze was full of meaning. Your Dong Fushang Sect produced an unspeakable old lecher, and now another young lecher – the fish rots from the head down. This sect has been rotting quite unsightly over the years.

“Even if he spoke improperly, it didn’t warrant death!” Dong Lin gripped his long spear tightly in his right hand. “Duan Linshu, your disciple slaughtered a righteous path fellow – what crime should this be!”

Qin Chuan stepped forward. “Dong Richen attacked first. He unauthorized used soul pressure in the Spirit Spring Pool and attacked other dao friends, already violating the rules set by our ancestors. Not only did he break the rules, he also molested female disciples, claiming he would first practice yin-yang harmony techniques before having his sect master come forward to propose marriage. Could it be that the Dong Fushang Sect always acts this way, completely disregarding women’s wishes?”

“Insolence!” Dong Lin roared angrily, but saw the Yunxiao Sect master slightly raise his hand to block, signaling Qin Chuan to step back, then said: “Dong Richen’s improper behavior came first, but his crimes didn’t warrant death. Gujian Sect’s Su Zhuyi’s methods were inappropriate. We outsiders shouldn’t say much – Duan Linshu, you consider it yourself and give Dong Lin dao a friend an answer.”

He saw clearly that this person was killed by Su Zhuyi alone. Qin Chuan had also struck with his sword, but looking at that sword wound, it probably just broke some skin. The one from Xundao Sect just dealt with the corpse, and as for Danhe Sect’s Dan Ruyun, she probably never even made a move.

Except for Su Zhuyi, the remaining three hadn’t even formed their cores yet. Under Dong Richen’s pressure, they could hardly move, so they couldn’t possibly help with the killing. And Su Zhuyi could kill directly – her strength was formidable. After severely wounding him, she didn’t stop but added several more strikes to take his life. Such handling was indeed somewhat excessive.

He saw clearly, and the other could also tell. Everyone’s hearts were clear as they all looked toward Duan Linshu.

Under everyone’s gaze, Duan Linshu coughed. “Su Zhuyi.”

“Disciple is here.” Su Zhuyi looked at her sect master sideways. That gaze looked somewhat contemptuous. For some reason, Duan Linshu felt Su Zhuyi didn’t seem very worried – her eyes even carried a hint of assessment, as if he handled this poorly, she would look down on him.

“You’re young with little battle experience and don’t know how to control your strength. Like this – first, apologize to the Dong Fushang Sect’s sect master, and when we return, you’ll be punished with eighty years of confinement for reflection! If there’s a next time, I absolutely won’t be lenient.” Duan Linshu thought, then said, “Yunlin Mountain will be given to Dong Fushang Sect as our apology.”

Yunlin Mountain was a spirit mountain with a decent spirit stone vein. Located between Dong Fushang Sect and Gujian Sect, Dong Fushang Sect had always coveted Yunlin Mountain. Duan Linshu also knew that no matter what, Su Zhuyi had taken Dong Richen’s life, not accidentally but deliberately finishing him off. He could understand Dong Lin’s fury. It would be like someone directly killing his sect’s most talented disciple – he would also be furious.

Hearing Duan Linshu’s words, Dong Lin laughed coldly. “To cultivate Dong Richen, the sect expended massive resources. A person dies at your sect disciple’s hands, and you want to brush it off so lightly?”

He suddenly attacked. “This old man doesn’t want any Yunlin Mountain, doesn’t want her apology, and doesn’t want her life. Today, I must cripple her cultivation – who dares block me!”