Bai Ruoan suppressed the gentle, shimmering smile in her eyes, her words unusually sharp, "Our junior sister is not someone for others to point fingers at."

"Shi Zhili, if you're not thinking straight, I have plenty of pills here. I don't mind helping you wake up. Stop acting crazy in front of our junior sister." Su Xiyu rolled her eyes.

As she spoke, she threw the pill in her hand directly at Shi Zhili, clearly showing that she was genuinely angry.

"The position of young sect leader is rightfully hers, and I and the others have no objection." Ye Huai's cold gaze swept over them. "What gives you the right to decide for us whether she is worthy or not?"

"We know our junior sister's character best; we don't need you to remind us."

"To make such an evaluation based on just one meeting, to make arbitrary judgments about others, and to maliciously slander our junior sister—I, Ye, really cannot praise a friend like you."

"From now on, there is no need for any further contact. I, Ye, have no friend like you."

Ye Huai spoke coldly, the chill in his eyes indicating he wasn't joking.

Only they knew how their junior sister had pulled them out of the abyss and led Ninghua Sect to its current size step by step.

Their lives, and everything about Ninghua Sect, were brought back by Chen Sangruo.

The young girl had sacrificed so much for them, endured so many hardships along the way. They were too busy feeling sorry for her to tolerate being slandered like this.

Even if that person is their friend, they won't allow it.

They don't need to associate with anyone who doesn't respect their junior sister.

You see, ever since they met Shen Sangruo, she has always been ahead of them, and they have never had the chance to protect her.

Several senior students have always held a grudge about this.

It was bad enough that they didn't have the chance to let their junior sister feel the reliability and love from her senior brothers and sisters, but now that they were the reason she was being targeted by others, they felt even worse.

Shen Sangruo was their beloved junior sister, and Shi Zhili's actions were like jumping on their landmines.

"You don't need to associate with me anymore." Bai Ruoan smiled, but her smile was not as gentle as before; instead, it sent a chill down one's spine.

Song Weiyan chimed in, "That's right, that's right, get out of here."

Su Xiyu sneered, "Who are you? Do we know you?"

Shi Zhili was dumbfounded that the four of them were so protective of him, even going so far as to sever ties with him.

"No, are you serious?! You're really going to do this?"

His gaze swept back and forth across the expressions of the four of them, their faces so serious and earnest that they didn't seem to be joking at all.

No, he only said a few words to that female cultivator. Did they have to treat him like that?

They've been friends for so many years, and they're people who survived the chaos and hardship. That friendship is even more precious. How can they just throw it away like that?

Shi Zhili felt a tightness in his chest, but he still wouldn't let it go.

"Is it really necessary? What kind of bewitching drug did she give you? You're all acting like you're protecting your own cubs."

I knew they were all protective of their own, but I'd never seen them protect one person to this extent.

"You're the ones who've really lost your minds! You can't even tell right from wrong!"

Shi Zhili was also stubborn, and his prejudice against Chen Sangruo grew stronger.

He just couldn't understand what kind of magic she possessed.

He gritted his teeth, determined not to be fooled by her. She must have something wrong with him, and he wouldn't fall into her trap like they did!

He had the air of being the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.

But the current situation forced him to back down first, and he didn't want to fall out with Ye Huai and the others.

Extremely reluctantly, he said, "Fine, fine, I won't say anything more, I'll shut up, is that alright?"

I felt that since he had already compromised, we should give him face and end this farce.

But Fang Yu and the others, who didn't know him, wouldn't give him any face.

“What do you mean by ‘Shut up now’? You did something wrong and said something wrong, shouldn’t you apologize?” Lin Qianyin looked at Shi Zhili.

They were unaware that Ninghua Sect originated from ten thousand years ago, and they were quite shocked when Ye Huai and his group greeted the people from Taichu Sect.

They probably knew something about that great chaos, and they also knew that the Taichu Sect had become what it is today in order to seal Yalan.

But this is not a reason for Shi Zhili to arbitrarily slander Shen Sangruo.

"What did our Sister Sang Ruo do to you? She's the young sect master of the Tai Chu Sect, yet she speaks so carelessly. Is this the kind of person you are?" Fang Yu curled his lip, his face full of undisguised contempt.

Ji Zicang also said, "If you knew what Sang Ruo had done, you would definitely feel ashamed of what you said today."

Qi Yan rubbed his cheek. After all, he was now on Shen Sangruo's side. During the time Shen Sangruo was in seclusion, he knew what she had done through Song Weiyan and the others.

It was to the point that even he would be amazed. He could agree to some extent with her saying she was full of bad intentions, but to say she had no ability was pure nonsense.

Although he hated that she often teased him, he couldn't stand seeing others humiliate her like that.

More importantly, he was completely under her control. If he were to say that she was incompetent, wouldn't that be a slap in his face, making him seem even more incompetent?

His blue and gold eyes flashed with a hint of fierce threat as he uttered only two words: "Apologize."

The situation instantly turned into eight people focusing their fire on Shi Zhili alone.

Little did he expect that a few words he uttered about Chen Sangruo would provoke such public outrage.

Is that female cultivator's status among them really that high?

Shi Zhili's temper flared up as well. "No, who are you all? Do I know you guys that well?"

It was one thing for Ye Huai and the others to treat him like that—at least they knew each other—but what were these four people anyway?

"Apologize." Ignoring Shi Zhili's babbling, Ye Huai repeated the sentence coldly.

"Apologize to our junior sister right now!"

You must apologize today!

The eight men surrounded Shi Zhili; the situation was far more serious than he had anticipated.

The Pure Heart Daoist and the others from the Primordial Beginning Sect stood aside, having no intention of intervening.

It's time to get Shi Zhili to change his outspoken habit.

Even if they intervene, their souls are severely affected, and they may not be a match for the other side.

The child should clean up the mess he/she made.

Jingxin Daoren had only one thought in his mind: He deserved it!

Shen Sanruo didn't take Shi Zhili's words to heart. Seeing how they protected her, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

She really liked Ninghua Sect, and she also liked her senior brothers, sisters and companions.

A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips as she watched them "vent their anger" for her.

"You've gone too far!" Shi Zhili yelled. "This is a threat, a blatant threat!"

"I just don't understand why you're protecting her so much! You have to block people over every little thing you say."

"What, if I don't apologize, you're going to attack me?"