Chapter 280 - 168: The Demon King Passes Through, Shock of Old Acquaintances

Chapter 280: Chapter 168: The Demon King Passes Through, Shock of Old Acquaintances

At this moment, behind the Demon Ridge, along the coastline of Thousand Sects Island. Inside a private teahouse dedicated to providing rest for Cultivators, a group of travel-worn Cultivators who had just returned to the Thousand Sect Island Realm were gorging themselves, frantically replenishing the Spiritual Power they had consumed while flying over the Demon Ridge.

Led by three Elders, the group consisted mostly of young Cultivators from the current generation.

"How could we encounter a ’Demon King Migration’ while crossing the Demon Ridge this time? What rotten luck."

"Thank goodness Junior Sister Qingyi spotted it in time, and that we had three Elders accompanying us. Otherwise, we would have surely been doomed."

"Fortunately, it was just a scare, and everyone made it across safely. However, we must report this anomaly in the Demon Ridge to the sect immediately."

"It’s strange, though. Ever since all the Saint Realm Powerhouses of Thousand Sects Island ventured deep into the Demon Ridge to suppress it, there hasn’t been any unusual activity for hundreds of years. Why would a ’Demon King Migration’ suddenly happen now?"

"Could something major have happened deep within the Demon Ridge again?"

"Whatever happened, it’s beyond the reach of people at our cultivation realm. We just need to report this matter once we return to the sect."

Lingering dread covered everyone’s faces, their eyes still flickering with traces of terror. It was evident that this group of Cultivators had narrowly escaped the Demon Ridge with their lives and were still reeling from the shock. This was especially true for one young maiden among them; even now, the image of a senior brother being crushed into a bloody mist by a Demon King kept replaying in her mind.

"Junior Sister Qingyi, are you alright?" a young man asked, noticing her pale complexion.

Hearing this, the maiden snapped back to reality. She squeezed out a miserable smile and replied, "Senior Brother, I’m fine. I just haven’t fully recovered yet."

"That’s completely normal. After all, it’s your first time encountering such a terrifying demon. You’ll get used to it over time."

"Don’t even mention Junior Sister Qingyi; I was scared half to death myself. I’ve never seen so many Demon Kings migrating together. Something massive must have occurred deep in the Demon Ridge."

As they conversed, a heavy silence soon fell over the group. However, right at that moment, an untimely discussion drifted over from nearby. It came from a group of local Cultivators sitting a short distance away, who were gathered together and gossiping.

"Who would have thought? The Beardless Sect was on the verge of losing its legacy, yet just as the ’Three Flowers Gathering at the Top’ approaches, they actually acquired such a peerless genius."

"It just goes to show that the Beardless Sect isn’t fated to perish. Their Eldest Senior Brother might truly become the turning point for this Holy Sect."

"I heard this person originally went to join the Cyan Mist Sect, but their people looked down on him, allowing the Sect Leader of the Beardless Sect to capitalize on their mistake and snatch him up."

"The hilarious part is that on the day of the conferment ceremony, the Evergreen Saint Venerable even showed up to fight for that youth. Wasn’t he just slapping his own face?"

"It wasn’t just the Evergreen Saint Venerable who showed up. Didn’t you see? How many Saint Realm Dharma Aspects were projected across the entire Thousand Sect Island Realm? The whole of Thousand Sects Island was shaken."

"Isn’t that completely normal? After all, he’s a peerless monster capable of ascending the ninety-five Saint Steps. Let alone ordinary Saint Realm Powerhouses, even Saint Venerables would be tempted."

"What exactly is the background of this Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect? To think he could stir up such massive waves in a lion’s den like the Thousand Sect Island Realm."

"Who knows? All we know is that he’s a mysterious Cultivator from the outside. Aside from a name, we know almost nothing about him."

Hearing the remarks from the neighboring table, the group of travel-worn Cultivators blanked for a moment. Then, they raised their heads, clearly seeing the astonishment reflected in each other’s eyes.

"The Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect?" the young man who had just expressed concern for the maiden exclaimed, his face filled with shock and bewilderment.

This group was none other than a contingent of Beardless Sect disciples returning from an expedition. And the maiden they called "Junior Sister Qingyi" was none other than the beloved daughter of the Li Family from the Xingyue City realm. Recruited into the Beardless Sect over a decade ago, she was also the childhood friend and closest confidante of Ye Qingxian—Li Qingyi!

"Our Beardless Sect appointed an Eldest Senior Brother?"

"Could it be Senior Brother Jun?"

The first person that came to everyone’s mind was Jun Yichen, one of the ten peerless geniuses of the Beardless Sect. After all, the sect had established the position of an Eldest Senior Brother, not an Eldest Senior Sister.

They exchanged bewildered glances before one of the Beardless Sect disciples stood up and walked toward the gossiping Cultivators under everyone’s watchful eyes.

"Brothers, please excuse my sudden intrusion. What were you just discussing about an Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect? Did the Beardless Sect confer such a title?"

As the young man finished speaking, the few locals looked him up and down. However, when they sensed the terrifying Spiritual Power fluctuations radiating from the three Beardless Sect Elders nearby, their attitudes instantly softened.

"Are you completely unaware, friend? This matter has been the talk of the town for a while now. By now, the entire Thousand Sects Island knows about it! What a grand spectacle that day was. I’ve lived for so long and have never seen so many Saint Realm Powerhouses appear at the same time."

At this moment, Li Qingyi and the others were not wearing their Beardless Sect uniforms, so the locals didn’t recognize who they were. Upon hearing these words, the Beardless Sect disciples were utterly astounded.

The young man nodded slightly. It seemed to be true—the Beardless Sect had indeed established the position of Eldest Senior Brother.

After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Then may I ask who the current Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect is? Is it Senior Brother Jun Yichen? Or perhaps Senior Brother Fan Tian?"

"Neither."

"Neither?"

Li Qingyi and the others froze slightly upon hearing this.

Neither of them? Then who could it be?

"The new generation’s Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect isn’t actually a formal disciple of the Beardless Sect. Strictly speaking, he should be called the honorary Eldest Senior Brother, as he is merely an honorary disciple."