Chapter 159 A useless person, isn't he still completely at her mercy?

Inside the main hall.

Elder Qingxuan, who was usually gentle and kind to everyone and almost never showed a cold face to anyone, was now being pressed down by a powerful and terrifying pressure, kneeling on one knee on the cold palace bricks.

He wasn't wearing his elder's robes today, but only simple everyday clothes, which made his slender figure stand out even more.

Despite being in an extremely disheveled state, he still straightened his thin back, refusing to bend it even slightly.

Fine beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, sliding down his handsome profile and dripping onto the ground. Yet, he still kept his gentle eyes fixed on Lingxiao Zhenren, who sat high above him, speaking each word clearly and distinctly. Though his voice trembled slightly due to the oppressive aura, it resounded throughout the hall.

"Sect Leader, you are wise to see the truth."

"How can you expect me to admit to something I never did?"

The atmosphere inside the hall was as still as iron, but outside, chaos had already broken out.

More and more disciples from various peaks rushed to the scene upon hearing the news, but they were blocked outside the hall and could not enter. They could only crane their necks and whisper anxiously, their voices buzzing together. Although they tried to keep their voices down, many words still clearly drifted into the hall.

"My God... what's going on? Elder Qingxuan... he really... he really... he really... he's having an affair with Junior Sister Wan'er..." A female disciple covered her mouth, her face filled with disbelief.

"Otherwise what?!" someone immediately retorted excitedly. "If she hadn't suffered such a great injustice, would Junior Sister Wan'er, a young woman, risk her reputation and accuse a powerful elder?! What would she be after?!"

"But...but that's Elder Qingxuan!" a younger disciple said timidly. "Elder Qingxuan is the most good-tempered and approachable elder in the sect. He's always very patient with us outer disciples. How could he...?"

You can know a person's face, but not their heart!

Upon hearing this, Yun Wan'er's supporters immediately interrupted with a sneer, "It's easy to draw the skin of a tiger, but hard to draw its bones. They pretend to be virtuous on ordinary days, but who knows what kind of person they are behind the scenes?!"

"They might have taken advantage of Junior Sister Wan'er's gentleness and kindness, and the fact that she had just suffered a great calamity, hoping to take advantage of her while offering words of comfort!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

A disciple who was clearly from the Weapon Forging Pavilion and had received Qingxuan's patronage immediately became enraged, and with his neck stiffened, he growled, "We disciples of the Weapon Forging Pavilion know best who Elder Qingxuan is!"

"I'd believe you if you said he was nitpicky when forging weapons! But you said he was lecherous, despicable, and bullied female disciples? I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me to death! That's simply not something he would do!"

"Oh ho? So, according to you, Junior Sister Wan'er has gone mad? She's willing to ruin her reputation just to frame Elder Qingxuan?!"

Yun Wan'er's people immediately retorted sarcastically, "Besides, the Sect Leader also witnessed what happened! Do you even doubt the Sect Leader's words?!"

"What did the sect leader see?!"

The disciples of the Weapon Forging Pavilion also had fiery tempers, and they retorted directly to the other party's face, "Use your pig brain! The Sect Leader only bumped into Junior Sister Wan'er stumbling and running out of the Weapon Forging Pavilion!"

"If he had truly witnessed Elder Qingxuan's improper conduct, given the sect leader's affection for Junior Sister Wan'er, would he still need to question him in this hall?! He would have already wiped out the sect with a single blow!"

“Exactly!” another chimed in. “Right now, it’s all based on Junior Sister Wan’er’s side of the story! Who knows what really happened?!”

The people from Yun Wan'er's faction were so angry their faces turned red: "One-sided story? Do you expect Junior Sister Wan'er to produce a recording stone for this to be considered valid?!"

"She's a girl, terrified, and ran out for help. Isn't that the most normal reaction?! Do you really want to drive her to her death?!"

"We didn't intend to drive anyone to their death! We just want justice and evidence!"

The disciples of the Weapon Refining Pavilion retorted sharply, "Junior Sister Wan'er wouldn't use her innocence to frame someone. Do you think Elder Qingxuan would risk his centuries-old reputation and cultivation for a moment of anger?! That doesn't make sense!"

"Ha, I think you're all just jealous! Jealous that Junior Sister Wan'er is favored by the Sect Leader and receives preferential treatment in terms of resources, while you yourselves can't get any benefits. So you'd rather pretend to be deaf and dumb and go against your conscience than say a word of justice for your suffering junior sister!"

"What the hell are you spouting?!" The disciple from the Weapon Refining Pavilion jumped up, veins bulging on his forehead. "One thing at a time! Resources are resources, but this is a massive mudslinging smear! Do you think you can convict someone just by talking without evidence?!"

"What did you say?!"

"I'm talking about you, so what!"

The disciples from both factions argued more and more fiercely, their voices gradually rising, almost losing control of their tempers. If it weren't for the fact that this place was outside the main hall, they probably would have already started fighting.

Inside the hall, Lingxiao Zhenren, who sat high above, had a somber expression. The pressure emanating from him intensified, making it almost impossible for Qingxuan to breathe. The floor tiles beneath his knees creaked under the weight.

Yun Wan'er stood beside Ling Xiao Zhenren with her eyes lowered, biting her lower lip tightly. Her beautiful eyes were filled with tears, about to fall, making her look pitiful and heartbreaking.

Only she knew that beneath those lowered eyelids lay nothing but cold calculation and smug satisfaction.

Reputation?

What is that thing?

Could it help her break through her bottleneck immediately and greatly increase her cultivation level?

Can she snatch that arrogant man who is blind to everything except Shen Zhaozhao?

Neither is possible.

Ever since that day in Yuntai Immortal City, when she witnessed that man easily cripple Senior Brother Gu as if crushing an ant, yet showed such unusual protection towards that bitch Shen Zhaozhao, she felt as if she had lived the past twenty years as a joke!

Compared to that man, what is Gu Xuanchen, whom she schemed and fought so hard to win?

If she had known that there were such powerful and handsome men in the world, why did she compete with Shen Zhaozhao for Gu Xuanchen?

She practically wanted to personally pack Gu Xuanchen up and deliver him to Shen Zhaozhao's bed.

If I could get that man...

A look of determination flashed in Yun Wan'er's eyes.

If she could get him, she wouldn't even blink an eye, let alone worry about her reputation. She would even betray the Tianyan Sect and become an enemy of the world!

Unfortunately, that man didn't have eyes for her.

But it's okay.

It seems that the man only kept Shen Zhaozhao around for amusement because he found her Golden Core stage cultivation to be truly strange. As long as her cultivation catches up with or even surpasses Shen Zhaozhao's, with her looks and gentle personality, why would she be afraid that the man wouldn't fall for her?

Now, Qingxuan, this obstacle, and his pure Nascent Soul cultivation, are the first stepping stones for her to get that man.

The prerequisite for absorbing his cultivation with the black jade marrow is that he must be on the verge of death and unable to resist.

It's too difficult to kill him openly, so the only option is to ruin his reputation and have his cultivation crippled by his master. At that time, a cripple will be at her mercy.