Chapter Thirty-Three: A One-Sided Beating

“Today, whoever laid a hand on Senior Brother Su, step forward!”

Seeing Shen Qingyun speak with such a tone, the disciples in the courtyard immediately regarded him with hostility, ready to attack at any moment.

Shen Qingyun swept his gaze over them, his voice growing even colder. “I’ll ask one more time—who struck Senior Brother Su?”

“Heh, I did!”

A disciple snorted contemptuously, raising his chin toward Shen Qingyun, his eyes filled with disdain. “I was the one who did it. What are you going to do about it?”

Seeing this, the other disciples quickly admitted their involvement, not out of amusement but because they truly had taken part. A Foundation Establishment disciple, to gang up on someone at the eighth layer of Qi Refining without him retreating even half a step—such a person was truly worth befriending!

Shen Qingyun dared not imagine what kind of brutal beating Su Ye had endured at the time.

Very soon, except for Zhan Yan, all the disciples in the courtyard declared they had taken action. Thirteen in total—thirteen Foundation Establishment disciples—regardless of whether they were at the early or middle stage, had attacked Su Ye, an eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. What kind of mentality did it take to do such a thing?

“Good, very good, excellent!”

Three consecutive exclamations of praise, yet from Shen Qingyun’s lips, each word was laced with a bone-chilling coldness.

The thirteen disciples watched him with mocking expressions, eager to see what Shen Qingyun would do next.

Shen Qingyun, perfectly aware of their thoughts, sneered inwardly. You look down on those in Qi Refining? Then I’ll make sure you tremble at the mere sight of a Qi Refining cultivator from now on!

With a single shake of his shoulder, a pair of ethereal white spiritual wings seemed to unfurl behind him—illusory and fleeting.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Qingyun vanished from everyone’s sight.

A scream pierced the air from the right side of the courtyard. The crowd turned sharply, their pupils constricting in shock as someone shouted, “Junior Brother Wan!”

No one had seen when Junior Brother Wan had fallen, clutching his abdomen and curling up on the ground.

Before anyone realized it, Shen Qingyun had returned to his original spot, slowly extending a single finger toward them. “The first.”

“Everyone, together!” one of the disciples gritted his teeth and shouted.

Shen Qingyun smiled. “So many of you need to attack a mere third-layer Qi Refining cultivator like me? How excessive!” His eyes narrowed, a flicker of danger and icy intent flashing within.

“In that case, I’ll have to get serious.”

As he spoke, the spiritual energy in his dantian exploded, transforming into countless threads of energy that surged through every meridian in his body. Shen Qingyun’s aura climbed ever higher, reaching the very peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining within moments.

Sensing the limits of his own cultivation, Shen Qingyun remained unmoved. The barrier to the next major realm was, as expected, not so easily broken with insufficient spiritual power. But now, the gap between them was far less daunting!

A hazy glow suffused Shen Qingyun’s form, giving him the air of a deity descended to the mortal world.

The twelve disciples, startled by his aura, saw that he was only at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Their own cultivation was Foundation Establishment—there was simply no comparison between the two realms!

So, just as they had done to Su Ye earlier that day, they naively believed they could beat Shen Qingyun without giving him any chance to fight back.

Shen Qingyun reached into the void and grasped, conjuring a spear of pure spiritual energy in his hand—its form and presence nearly identical to the Celestial Halberd.

Even so, the weapon exuded a terrifying might. With a single sweep, the ground seemed to tremble. Dust and wind swirled, halting the disciples’ charge.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Qingyun darted into the swirling dust. Immediately, a chorus of agonized cries erupted.

Zhan Yan, watching from the sidelines, was so astonished his mouth could have swallowed a whole egg.

A group of Foundation Establishment disciples being thrashed by someone in the Qi Refining stage? Was this some kind of joke?

No, it wasn’t just that they were being beaten—they couldn’t even muster the slightest resistance. That was the strangest part!

Were they too weak?

No, that wasn’t it.

It was Shen Qingyun who defied all logic—a man who couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards. The legacy of his previous life had made this scene possible.

Staggering from the dust, Shen Qingyun let out a muffled groan, dispelling the spear in his hand as the ethereal wings faded behind him.

As the dust settled, a shocking sight met Zhan Yan’s eyes. Thirteen Foundation Establishment disciples lay sprawled on the ground, each clutching some part of his body and moaning in pain. And all of this at the hands of a Qi Refining cultivator!

Seeing Shen Qingyun still approaching them, Zhan Yan shouted, “What are you going to do?”

Shen Qingyun turned, baring white teeth in a chilling smile. “Naturally, I’m here to settle the score. Or did you really think this was over?”

He turned away, continuing his slow advance, his voice like the grim warning of a reaper drifting into Zhan Yan’s ears. “You’d best stay out of this, or you’ll be next.”

The truth was, Shen Qingyun had spared Zhan Yan only because he hadn’t taken part.

Zhan Yan forced a bitter smile. He, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was actually being threatened by someone in the Qi Refining stage. The worst part was—there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

How infuriating was that?

“You—what do you want?”

Seeing Shen Qingyun draw near, one of the disciples, clutching his chest, scrambled backwards on the ground.

Shen Qingyun flexed his hand, smiling gently. “I’m here to settle the score, of course. I have no idea how badly Senior Brother Su was hurt, so you’ll have to forgive me if I go too far.”

If his hand was heavy, he would bear no responsibility.

“Demon—demon!” The disciple, staring at Shen Qingyun’s smile, blurted out his thoughts. At that moment, Shen Qingyun seemed like a grinning devil.

Suddenly, a fist grew rapidly in his vision.

A scream.

Unable to watch any longer, Zhan Yan averted his gaze.

Ruthless—truly ruthless! Shen Qingyun showed no mercy.

First, he stripped them of any ability to resist, then proceeded to beat them one by one. Was this man a devil?

All Zhan Yan could think was, why hasn’t Senior Sister Wu arrived yet?

“I’ve got no other choice!” The pained wails echoing in his ears, Zhan Yan gritted his teeth and reluctantly used a messaging talisman—one he’d saved up for a long time to buy, now expended in a situation like this.

Wu Xier and four other female disciples were walking along a mountain path when Wu Xier suddenly halted. One of her companions tilted her head and asked, “Senior Sister Wu?”

Wu Xier ignored her, her gaze fixed on the messenger talisman burning gently before her. As the ashes fell, they didn’t scatter with the wind but instead formed characters on the ground below.

“We’ve been ganged up on by one person. Return to the gathering point immediately.”

This message appeared before her eyes.

The disciples behind her also saw the message and asked, “Senior Sister Wu, has something happened?”

Wu Xier waved a hand and dispersed the message, replying calmly, “It’s nothing—probably just someone playing a prank.”

“Oh…” They replied, half believing, half doubting. Using a messenger talisman for a joke—what an expensive sense of humor.

Wu Xier herself found it hard to believe it was truly a prank, but the message said they were being ganged up on by one person. If that wasn’t a joke, what else could it be?

…

When Ling Xiao arrived, all he saw were disciples strewn across the ground, faces bruised and swollen, each clutching some part of their body and groaning softly in pain.