175: Chapter 175: The Crisis Facing the Jade Maiden Palace

The expressions of the three Nascent Soul Old Ancestors changed drastically, and they hurriedly bowed in salute, their faces filled with anxiety and dread.

The three of them did not know what these two had come here to do, but no matter what it was, it was unfavorable to them. The three truly had not expected that these two individuals who never concerned themselves with worldly affairs would also be alarmed!

"Old Ancestor Qinghe..." Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji's voice was somewhat trembling.

Shen Qinghe ignored him.

She walked into the main hall, her gaze sweeping across the crowd present, finally landing on Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan felt his heart crawl with terror from her gaze, and he secretly circulated his spiritual power, ready at any moment to execute the Blood Spirit Escape and run for his life.

This person was at the Late Stage Nascent Soul!

She was the strongest existence in the entire Jade Maiden Palace! If she also wanted to snatch the dan bell, whether someone with his little bit of strength could escape or not was a huge question!

Shen Qinghe looked at him, the corners of her lips curling up slightly, a trace of unusual meaning flashing through her eyes.

That gaze was like an appraisal, yet also like curiosity, and it even carried a trace of... playful amusement?

A chill ran down Xiao Yuan's back.

Shen Qinghe withdrew her gaze and looked at Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji and the other two.

She did not speak, only looking at them indifferently.

That gaze was as calm as water, yet it made the cold sweat pour instantly from the three Nascent Soul Old Ancestors.

"Old Ancestor Qinghe, we..."

Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji had just opened his mouth when Shen Qinghe softly let out an "en".

Just a single sound.

Then...

Boom!

A terrifying oppressive might, resembling the heavens collapsing and the earth shattering, directly pressed down upon Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji and the other two!

The strength of that oppressive might far exceeded the might the three of them had previously released by tenfold!

"Plop!"

Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji was the first who couldn't hold on, his knees buckling as he heavily knelt on the ground!

"Plop! Plop!"

Grand Ancestor Zhou Yanzhen and Grand Ancestor Liu Xuanyin followed closely behind, both of them collapsing to their knees!

The three Nascent Soul Old Ancestors knelt neatly in the center of the main hall, their complexions flushed, blue veins bulging on their foreheads, yet they didn't even dare to raise their heads!

In front of a Late Stage Nascent Soul, an Early Nascent Soul stage Cultivator was as fragile as a child. Despite both being in the Nascent Soul Stage, the gap in strength was extremely obvious!

The entire scene was dead silent!

Xiao Yuan widened his eyes, looking at this scene, his entire person completely dumbfounded.

Nascent Soul Old Ancestors had knelt?

Just like that... they knelt?

The seven women of Dan Peak were also stunned, each and every one of them opening their mouths wide, unable to believe their own eyes.

Shen Qinghe said indifferently, "Bullying the small with the large, bullying the few with the many, you lot have really grown some skills."

Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the floor, his voice trembling: "Ol—Old Ancestor Qinghe, appease your wrath; we were merely..."

"Merely what?" Shen Qinghe interrupted him, "Merely coming to Dan Peak to act wildly? Merely bullying a junior? Merely wanting to search the soul?"

Her voice was not loud, but every word was like a blade: "Do you lot still have even a shred of the appearance of Nascent Soul Cultivators?"

Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji and the other two trembled all over, not daring to say a single extra word.

Shen Qinghe looked toward Xiao Yuan, her gaze softening by a few fractions.

"You are Xiao Yuan?"

Xiao Yuan hurriedly nodded: "Yes... Disciple Xiao Yuan greets Old Ancestor Qinghe."

Shen Qinghe nodded slightly: "Not bad, you have backbone."

She paused, the corners of her lips hooking into a smile: "This seat already knows about the matter of the dan bell. Rest assured, this seat will not make things difficult for you."

Xiao Yuan was stunned, a wave of astonishment rising in his heart. What did her words mean?!

Although she hadn't stated it explicitly, it was obvious that she similarly concluded the dan bell was on him?!

However, one point could be certain: the other party clearly was not like the others who also came to snatch the dan bell.

Otherwise, with the other party's cultivation, wanting to snatch the dan bell would be far too simple! Furthermore, she wouldn't have opened her mouth to praise him!

Although there was temporarily no way to determine the other party's intentions, Xiao Yuan's heart still relaxed slightly. At the very least, he didn't need to run for now!

The seven women were also stunned, and then wild joy flashed through their eyes! Since these two people before them were not here to snatch the dan bell, there was still room for discussion!

Shen Qinghe turned her head to look at the three people kneeling on the ground, saying indifferently: "Get up, all of you. You are making a disgrace of yourselves."

Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji and the other two acted as if they had received a great amnesty, hurriedly crawling to their feet and standing with hands hanging down, not even daring to draw a heavy breath.

Shen Qinghe looked at them, her tone calm: "The dan bell acknowledging its master is a fortunate event for Dan Peak, and also a fortunate event for Jade Maiden Palace. As Old Ancestors, rather than thinking about how to protect the younger generation, you instead ran over to coerce and bribe them, and even wanted to search their souls... Do you think this is what a Nascent Soul Cultivator should do?"

The three lowered their heads, their faces burning hot.

Shen Qinghe continued: "Today's matter, this seat has noted it down. If there is a next time..."

She paused, her voice turning abruptly cold: "This seat wouldn't mind letting you taste the feeling of having your soul searched as well. As for whose hands the dan bell is in, that is not something you should care about either... You only need to fulfill your own duties and nothing more... Do you understand?!"

The three trembled all over, hurriedly bowing: "We understand... We wouldn't dare! We never dare again!"

Shen Qinghe waved her hand: "Scram."

The three acted as if granted amnesty, turning around and leaving immediately. That speed was so fast it was just like running for their lives.

Inside the main hall, it finally quieted down.

Shen Qinghe turned to look at Xiao Yuan and smiled slightly.

That smile was like melting ice and snow, like a spring breeze brushing across the face.

"Xiao Yuan, Cultivate well. Since the dan bell has acknowledged you as its master, it is your fortune. This seat will wait to see how far you can go."

Speaking up to this point, she looked toward the seven women, a trace of complexity flashing through her eyes, and then she gave Xiao Yuan another deep look.

"Furthermore, my Jade Maiden Palace... or perhaps... will face a great tribulation... Their cultivation... I leave them in your care..."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan was slightly startled. He could faintly hear that the other party's words had a deeper meaning, especially when combined with the four Nascent Soul Cultivators coming to pressure the palace for the dan bell.

In the entire Jade Maiden Palace, I'm afraid things were not as peaceful as they appeared on the surface.

He nodded and solemnly saluted: "This Disciple will definitely not live up to Old Ancestor's expectations."

Shen Qinghe nodded and turned to leave, bringing Shen Qinglian with her.

As for Shen Qinglian, when she turned around, she glanced at Xiao Yuan, a trace of unusual color flashing through her eyes. She gave Xiao Yuan a peculiar smile, and then she also followed and left!

Meanwhile, Shen Qinghe walked to the doorway and glanced back at Xiao Yuan once more. Without saying another word, her figure soared into the air and left.

Xiao Yuan looked at the doorway where the figures of the two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors had long since vanished, a look of deep contemplation appearing in his eyes!

The other party had just come over like this, helped him smooth over the trouble, and left just like that?!

She hadn't even asked a single question about the matter of the dan bell, simply concluding that the dan bell was on him?!

Furthermore, what did that sentence of hers—entrusting the cultivation of the Dan Peak women to him—mean?!

And what did Patriarch Qinglian's deeply meaningful gaze mean?!

"What are you thinking about?"

Peak Master Yun Ruowei's voice suddenly rang out, pulling Xiao Yuan back from his wild train of thought.

He raised his head to look, and the seven beautiful Elders were all uniformly gazing at him with varied expressions.

Peak Master Yun Ruowei let out a light sigh and slowly began, "Are you wondering why Old Ancestor Qinghe helped you?"

Xiao Yuan nodded.

Peak Master Yun Ruowei looked around the surroundings, seeing that there were no outsiders left in the main hall, before speaking in a low voice: "Among the six Old Ancestors of Jade Maiden Palace, the only ones who truly wholeheartedly serve the Sect are Old Ancestor Qinghe and Patriarch Qinglian."

She paused, a trace of bitterness flashing through her eyes: "As for the remaining four, every single one of them is selfish and self-interested. There's no need to mention Zhao Quanzhen; as for the three who came today—Grand Ancestor Tie Wuji, Grand Ancestor Zhou Yanzhen, and Grand Ancestor Liu Xuanyin—which one of them isn't waving the banner of the Sect while carrying out matters for their own private gain?"

Xiao Yuan frowned: "They are snatching the dan bell for themselves?"

Peak Master Yun Ruowei nodded, then shook her head: "Not just for themselves. I suspect that they might be in collusion with other Sects. If the dan bell falls into their hands, who knows, in the blink of an eye it might be sent away to other Sects."