My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!

Chapter 234 - 102: Expelled from the Sect

"Ding!"The sound of metal clashing rang out; Nan Hua’s sword unsurprisingly failed to break through the defenses at that spot, but it wasn’t entirely unfruitful. Cracks appeared on the scales, and the Cuihuan Snake King seemed to be in some pain. The serpent head that was originally charging at him paused, then with a hint of madness, lunged toward Nan Hua.

Nan Hua raised an eyebrow, standing steadily on the Cuihuan Snake King’s body. Looking at the shattered scales beneath him, he pondered for a moment, then increased the output of Spiritual Power and stabbed at the same scales.

A blue light flashed, and those scales shattered directly, revealing tender flesh underneath. The Cuihuan Snake King’s head was now only a meter away from Nan Hua. He looked up and, under the furious yet fearful gaze of the Cuihuan Snake King, plunged his sword into the spot.

The Cuihuan Snake King’s body stiffened, blood flowing from Nan Hua’s sword tip. Immediately, the Cuihuan Snake King went berserk, writhing its body frantically, seemingly trying to throw Nan Hua off. Taken by surprise, Nan Hua’s feet slipped, nearly falling off. He stabbed the sword deeper, grabbed the hilt, and stabilized his posture, using the sword embedded in the Cuihuan Snake King’s body to stand on its back.

The more violently the Cuihuan Snake King thrashed, the deeper Nan Hua’s sword penetrated, spilling more blood. In no time, the Cuihuan Snake King’s aura weakened significantly, stopping its convulsions, and its snake head lunged at Nan Hua again.

Nan Hua raised an eyebrow, thought for a second, and drew several talismans from the Qiankun Ring, crushing them one by one on the exposed tender flesh of the Cuihuan Snake King. Then, he withdrew the sword, and with a quick tiptoe, propelled himself into the air.

He tossed Blast Thunder Talismans, attack talismans of this sort, on the Cuihuan Snake King’s body. Lightning, ice shards, and Sword Qi erupted across it, quickly enlarging the wound Nan Hua had inflicted, leaving the tender flesh mangled and torn.

This spot must indeed be the Cuihuan Snake King’s weak point. Its aura had weakened much more than before, and its movements even slowed down, a flash of pain passing through its eyes. It desired to conceal its weakness, but Nan Hua gave it no chance, throwing another series of talismans at it, soon filling the air with the aroma of grilled meat.

Nan Hua originally thought that the Cuihuan Snake King should be about to die by now. To his surprise, the creature was more resilient than expected. Not only did it not perish, but it still wanted to continue attacking.

With a quick tiptoe on the Cuihuan Snake King’s body, Nan Hua darted towards its head, a glimmer of glee flashing in the creature’s eyes. It opened its huge mouth, trying to swallow him whole. Just as Nan Hua was about to enter its mouth, his figure vanished, and the creature suddenly felt a stabbing pain in its eyes, as Nan Hua plunged a sword into them.

The agony drove the Cuihuan Snake King into another frenzy, its body twisting crazily, blood pouring from its eye sockets, drenching the ground. Nan Hua had already withdrawn his sword and retreated a short distance, hovering in the air.

The slightly weakened momentum of the Cuihuan Snake King was reignited by this new stimulation. It roared, charging rapidly at Nan Hua.

Nan Hua did not flee. Instead, he awaited the Cuihuan Snake King’s charge and then pierced its other eye with a swift thrust. This time, he didn’t retreat immediately; he directly input Spiritual Power. A Sword Qi burst through the Cuihuan Snake King’s head, creating a hole behind it.

Blinded and with its weak point attacked and skull damaged, the Cuihuan Snake King struggled violently, toppling surrounding trees with its massive body. If Nan Hua hadn’t had the foresight to protect the Jade Ganoderma with an Array, it would have been crushed too!

Its thrashing lasted for about a quarter of an hour before it collapsed to the ground, appearing to have lost consciousness.

Nan Hua thought for a moment, then decisively chopped off the head of the Cuihuan Snake King, preventing it from feigning death.

Having thoroughly dealt with the Cuihuan Snake King, Nan Hua landed on the ground, unable to suppress a cough, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. This was the result of the injuries inflicted by the Cuihuan Snake King during the battle, but he had held on, only letting it show now.

He took out an elixir, popped it into his mouth, and then approached the Jade Ganoderma, removing the protective Array around it. He searched the ground near the Jade Ganoderma and finally unearthed a wooden token marked with "Nine", took a glance, and kept it away.

With the Cuihuan Snake King dealt with, next was the issue with Lin Xian’er and her companions. Lin Xian’er had been drugged by Mu Chen, losing her strength, merely waiting for punishment from Lingxi Sacred Land once they exited the Secret Realm. However, Zhao Yan and Ruan Tian’er posed a bit of a dilemma.

"Your teammates, apart from Lin Xian’er, are all dead. What do you plan to do next?" Yue Zhao asked, glancing at Zhao Yan and Ruan Tian’er.

Ruan Tian’er and Zhao Yan exchanged a glance, unsure of what to do.

If they continued looking for points cards in the Secret Realm, given their cultivation levels, they wouldn’t gather much. What’s more, they might run into formidable demon beasts and meet their demise. Yet, giving up wasn’t an option either; they had come too far to just surrender.

"How about this, if you want to stay inside, I’ll give you an Array Plate. Find somewhere relatively safe, activate it, and once you’ve spent enough time, you’ll naturally be transmitted out of the Secret Realm," Nan Hua suggested, looking at them.

Ruan Tian’er and Zhao Yan exchanged another glance and immediately nodded in agreement.

Nan Hua then took out an Array Plate and handed it to them, explaining the usage. He instructed them to activate the Plate once they found a safe spot, allowing them to stay hidden until time ran out. As for Lin Xian’er, Gu Qingqing and the others still needed to gain points, and bringing Lin Xian’er along was inconvenient. After some thought, they decided to leave Lin Xian’er in the custody of Zhao Yan and Ruan Tian’er.

To prevent Lin Xian’er from escaping, Mu Chen administered another elixir to induce a coma, with the antidote in his possession to be given once they exited the Secret Realm.

Zhao Yan and Ruan Tian’er were satisfied with this arrangement. They took Lin Xian’er and parted ways with Gu Qingqing and the others, seeking a safer place.

After parting ways with Lin Xian’er’s group, Gu Qingqing and her teammates encountered three more nine-point cards, along with other cards of varying values.

...

Three days passed swiftly. Early in the morning, the Cloud Ascension Platform was crowded with people. To be precise, during these few days, even though they couldn’t witness the participants’ performances inside, the number of people around the Cloud Ascension Platform scarcely diminished.

In these three days, many participants had also crushed their Jade Tokens and were teleported out, losing their qualifications to compete. However, their numbers were not many, with fewer than a hundred, while the rest, regardless of survival, stayed in the Secret Realm for the entire three days.

When the time was up, Wen Guiyun and his companions reopened the Secret Realm. Upon being transmitted out, some disciples were nearly in tears.

All the groups that emerged registered their scores at the registry. When Gu Qingqing and her group registered, they attracted quite a few gazes.

After registration, the rankings would be announced the next day. They departed from the Cloud Ascension Platform, heading back to their lodgings.

After leaving, Yue Zhao messaged Wen Guiyun, briefly explaining Lin Xian’er’s situation. As a result, Wen Guiyun joined them in returning to their residence.

At this moment, all the disciples from Lingxi Sacred Land who came to participate in the competition gathered in the main courtyard. Wen Guiyun and Zhao Tonghai sat at the head, Lin Xian’er knelt on the ground, Ruan Tian’er and Zhao Yan stood beside her, and Gu Qingqing along with others were also present.

"Yue Zhao, recount what happened in the Secret Realm in front of everyone." Wen Guiyun put down the teacup in his hand, his face usually adorned with a smile was now expressionless, anyone could see that he was in a bad mood!

Yue Zhao glanced at Lin Xian’er, responded with a sound, and narrated the incident where Lin Xian’er used Ruan Tian’er to block the Cuihuan Snake King. He spoke only the truth, without exaggeration or personal opinion.

Once he finished speaking, those disciples who were originally discussing fell silent instantly, and everyone’s eyes fell on Lin Xian’er. Immediately afterward, those disciples began to discuss again.

"I never thought Senior Sister Lin turned out to be this kind of person. We’re from the same sect after all; even if not from the same master, aren’t we all from the Lingxi Sacred Land?"

"Senior Sister Lin usually appears so graceful and kind to others, always supporting junior brothers and sisters. Everyone thought she was a beautiful woman with a good heart, who would have known she’s so malicious!"

"I can’t believe I used to like Senior Sister Lin, but it turns out she’s this kind of person, actually pushing a fellow disciple to die for her, that’s just too much!"

"Exactly, we’re from the same sect, how can she be so ruthless!"

"I heard rumors before that Senior Sister Lin isn’t as gentle as she seems. I thought they were nonsense and even argued in her favor. Now this result! Senior Sister Lin is really this kind of person, I’m so disappointed!"

"Me too, I can’t believe I was so blind back then to think she was great!"

"..."

The rising voices of discussion echoed in Lin Xian’er’s ears. Although she had expected this moment when captured by Nan Hua and others, she still found it hard to accept!

She was a favored child from a young age, appearing very kind outwardly but actually quite proud inside. This was evident when she wanted to acknowledge Wen Guiyun as her master— in her eyes, her life was most important. Though Ruan Tian’er was also a disciple from Lingxi Sacred Land, to Lin Xian’er, the bond of fellow disciples was nothing compared to her own life. So she could unhesitatingly push Ruan Tian’er out to die for her.

Even if given another chance, she would still do the same, just more covertly so that no one would find out!

Her face numb, she sat on the ground like a pile of mud, completely blocking out the surrounding sounds.

"Ruan Tian’er, is what Yue Zhao said true?" Wen Guiyun ignored the disciples’ chatter and turned to Ruan Tian’er, asking seriously.

Ruan Tian’er, so close to Wen Guiyun for the first time, felt both excited and scared. However, on this matter, she had no reason to retreat. Lin Xian’er almost cost her her life, so she naturally wouldn’t sympathize with Lin Xian’er and simply nodded her head.

Wen Guiyun then looked towards Lin Xian’er, and after seeing her demeanor, he frowned, opening his mouth, "Lin Xian’er, you have framed fellow disciples and committed a grave mistake in the sect. Do you plead guilty?"

Lin Xian’er acted as if she hadn’t heard Wen Guiyun’s words, keeping her head down, completely ignoring Wen Guiyun, and not responding to his question.

A trace of anger flashed in Wen Guiyun’s eyes, dissatisfied with Lin Xian’er’s reaction. He shook his head and spoke again, "This matter has solid evidence. According to the sect rules, you’re punished to receive eighty lashes of the Soul Whip, with your cultivation abolished, and expelled from Lingxi Sacred Land!"

Upon his words, the crowd immediately erupted into an uproar.

This punishment was arguably the heaviest within Lingxi Sacred Land. The Soul Whip doesn’t strike the body but the soul itself. Though leaving no physical scars, the soul would suffer a thousand cuts. After eighty lashes, if the cultivation is slightly weaker, one might get obliterated!

Moreover, abolishing her cultivation—cultivating is hard, and reaching Lin Xian’er’s ninth rank is even harder. If cultivation is abolished, her meridians will also get damaged. Even with an elixir’s nourishment, it’s incomparable to before. Whether she could recover remains uncertain.

Furthermore, Wen Guiyun’s intention to expel Lin Xian’er from the sect in the Sub-immortal Realm meant that, anywhere on the continent, she’d face contempt, as people of the Sub-immortal Realm hold their sects in high regard, rarely expelling members.

This punishment was harsher than directly taking Lin Xian’er’s life! But no one dared to oppose because Lin Xian’er harmed her fellow disciples.

If Wen Guiyun didn’t impose strict punishment, what would happen if others followed suit in the future? How could Lingxi Sacred Land maintain trust among its members?

"Si Lin, take Lin Xian’er back to Lingxi Sacred Land to receive her punishment. Inform her master about this, and personally carry out the punishment!" Wen Guiyun cared nothing for the reactions around and directly named Si Lin, instructing him.

Si Lin, suddenly called upon, was not surprised. He looked at Lin Xian’er with a blank expression, stepped forward to take the order.

Wen Guiyun waved his hand subtly, and Si Lin approached, delivering a hand chop that knocked Lin Xian’er unconscious, then lifted her unceremoniously from the ground, carrying her out of the courtyard.

The courtyard was very quiet at this moment, all disciples were frightened by Lin Xian’er’s punishment.

Wen Guiyun’s gaze swept over each person present; as someone at the Peak of Half-step Immortal Rank, just a step away from Ascending to Immortality, his pressure was immense. Even a glance wasn’t something everyone could bear. This implied pressure passed through his gaze as everyone instinctively lowered their heads, yet when it reached Gu Qingqing, Wen Guiyun’s expression softened slightly before he withdrew his gaze.

"As the Saint Master, I emphasize again here; even if you can’t support each other as disciples of Lingxi Sacred Land, you must never harm your fellow disciples. Anyone discovered harming fellow disciples will be dealt with according to the sect rules. I hope you all remember this!" His voice was low, as if speaking directly to the heart.

The disciples present were all stunned and promptly expressed their commitment.

"Disciple remembers the Saint Master’s teachings and will never harm fellow disciples!"

Wen Guiyun’s intention was intimidation; he nodded, allowing everyone to disperse.