Chapter 094: The Sacred Brahma Realm Officially Comes to an End

Three days remained until the secret realm closed, and now, among all the disciples of the Xuantian Sect participating in the Brahma Secret Realm trial, only Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu had yet to return; the others were already back. After the commotion caused by Sun Changfeng and Qiu Shuoran, everyone gathered in the main hall, engaged in heated debate.

“Beast Lure Powder? Xiao Jihan must be mad—it's strictly forbidden to concoct such a thing by decree!”

“What did he plan to do with Beast Lure Powder in the Brahma Secret Realm? With his cultivation, was he seeking death?!”

“He didn’t use it on himself. I just heard Uncle Sun and Qiu Shuoran say that at the crucial moment, Xiao Jihan scattered Beast Lure Powder on them, forcing them to abandon their opportunity and crush their jade tokens to exit the secret realm!”

“What a venomous mind! Someone like him shouldn’t remain in the Xuantian Sect!”

“We owe Uncle Sun an explanation, don’t we? If everyone starts behaving like this, what does it mean to be a sect? If word gets out, how will others view our Xuantian Sect?”

The voices outside thundered, and Pang Feiyan and Meng Yu, who were healing in their open room, naturally heard everything clearly.

Pang Feiyan looked at Meng Yu and whispered, “Master, do you think Uncle Sun and Qiu Shuoran staged all this themselves? Xiao Jihan never even entered the dense forest, and besides, those two are hardly virtuous. With his limited cultivation, how could Xiao Jihan get close enough to them?”

Meng Yu frowned but said nothing.

The more Pang Feiyan considered it, the more reasonable her analysis seemed. “Master, should we go out and tell Elder Liu the truth?”

“What you say is only speculation,” Meng Yu replied, frowning. “Without evidence, rushing out would only add to the chaos. Besides, Uncle Yan and Xiao Jihan haven’t yet left the secret realm. Even if Sun Changfeng wants Xiao Jihan expelled from the sect, it must wait until they return and the Disciplinary Hall decides.”

“And furthermore, Xiao Jihan is Uncle Yan’s only direct disciple. Unless the evidence is irrefutable, Uncle Yan could still protect him.”

Hearing this, Pang Feiyan relaxed. “You’re right, Master.”

Meng Yu glanced at her. “You seem quite concerned about Xiao Jihan?”

“No, not at all.” Afraid of being misunderstood, Pang Feiyan hurriedly explained, “I just can’t stand the way Uncle Sun and his disciple behave. If it were someone else, I’d feel the same!”

Meng Yu responded with a quiet hum and withdrew his gaze, saying nothing more.

Pang Feiyan longed to ask whether her master cared deeply for Elder Yan, but she lacked the courage. Yet even without asking, she knew the answer.

Just as Meng Yu anticipated, in the face of the disciples’ heated debates and Sun Changfeng’s so-called irrefutable evidence, Liu Zhiqing merely frowned and said, “Whether someone is to be expelled from the sect is not for me alone to decide. Moreover, my junior sister and Xiao Jihan have not yet left the secret realm. The truth must be determined face-to-face when they return.”

Sun Changfeng, dissatisfied, shook his robe indignantly. “Senior Brother Meng Yu can testify. In that opportunity, only disciple, Qiu Shuoran, and Xiao Jihan were present. Beast Lure Powder was all over me and Qiu Shuoran, and we were forced out of the secret realm. Who else could it have been but Xiao Jihan?!”

Liu Zhiqing found Sun Changfeng’s aggressive persistence tiresome.

To be frank, he was fiercely protective. For Xiao Jihan to have offered his heart blood to Yan Shu for a year and to have helped her rid herself of inner demons, it was impossible for Liu Zhiqing to expel Xiao Jihan from the sect without Yan Shu’s consent. Moreover, as an alchemist, he admired Xiao Jihan, who had only recently begun studying alchemy yet could already concoct Beast Lure Powder.

Thus, he replied coldly, “As I said, even if your account is true, we must wait for Xiao Jihan to return from the secret realm and let the Disciplinary Hall decide. Only a few days remain—why are you so eager?”

Realizing he had overstepped, Sun Changfeng could not hide his indignation. He refused to swallow his grievances, but Liu Zhiqing’s reasoning was sound: only a few days remained, and everyone had seen the Beast Lure Powder on him. He was confident that once back in the sect, Xiao Jihan would not escape justice.

Sun Changfeng gritted his teeth. “You’re right, Uncle. I will wait a few more days. I hope the sect will give me a proper explanation!”

Liu Zhiqing rolled his eyes internally, but his expression remained calm as he nodded, “Rest assured, the Disciplinary Hall will settle everything.”

Thus, the matter was decided, and Sun Changfeng and Qiu Shuoran returned to their rooms in frustration.

However, the story of how Xiao Jihan—the sole direct disciple of Yan Shu, the unrivaled prodigy of the Supreme Peak of Xuantian Sect—in the Brahma Secret Realm used Beast Lure Powder to frame others, forcing his fellow disciples to abandon their opportunity and exit the secret realm, spread like wildfire. Almost all sects knew about it.

In turn, Yan Shu’s own reputation suffered, as she had entered the secret realm to protect Xiao Jihan.

As people scorned Xiao Jihan, they would add, “Without Yan Shu shielding him, how could a mere four-attribute pseudo-spiritual root dare act so arrogantly?!”

Everyone waited to see Xuantian Sect’s disgrace—to watch as the sect turned on itself.

With the anticipation mounting, the day arrived when the Brahma Secret Realm closed.

Yet, Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu did not emerge.

Everyone was stunned. Could it be? Was the once-in-a-millennium cultivation prodigy to perish in a mere low-level Brahma Secret Realm?

Yu Wenche refused to believe it—in truth, he dared not believe it. Early the next morning, he personally visited to inquire about Yan Shu.

Liu Zhiqing’s feelings were complicated. He told Yu Wenche, “I don’t know why my junior sister and Xiao Jihan haven’t come out yet. But last night I contacted Senior Brother, who said their soul lamps were not only intact but even burning brighter. They must have encountered some hidden opportunity within the secret realm.”

Hearing this, Yu Wenche relaxed and took his leave.

Many came to inquire, and Liu Zhiqing answered each in turn, so rumors spread that Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu had obtained a great opportunity.

For a time, jealousy and bitterness ran rampant; some even cursed the heavens for rewarding Yan Shu and Xiao Jihan, who had plotted against their peers, while those who had worked hard for years gained nothing.

Among them, Sun Changfeng and Qiu Shuoran were the most resentful.

After Liu Zhiqing’s reply, their envy grew wild.

The opportunity should have been theirs—should have been theirs!

They became all the more determined to have Xiao Jihan expelled from the sect.

On the third day, the sects were compared. The jade tokens served not only as life-saving devices but also as records.

Since Xiao Jihan and Yan Shu did not possess their tokens, Xuantian Sect’s rankings could not include them.

This time, the Taichu Sect took first place, Brahma Sect second, Beast Master Sect third, and Xuantian Sect fourth.

Thus, the ten-year Brahma Secret Realm officially came to an end.