Chapter 264: Senior Brother!

He Qing listened to the rumors spreading outside, his expression indifferent as he looked at the woman before him and said:

“Are you warning me because you’re worried I’ll cause him trouble?”

Xia Yanhuan spread her hands, her expression somewhat innocent.

“How could I have the qualification to warn you? I’m just passing on a message.”

He Qing’s gaze grew a bit heavier. Xia Yanhuan, ranked second among the True Disciples, her strength unfathomable—her ranking just below his spoke volumes.

But that wasn’t what he truly feared. What he cared about was the man standing behind Xia Yanhuan.

Anyone within the sect who knew the internal situation understood that Xia Yanhuan was that Senior Brother’s woman, even though that Senior Brother always explained that he had no such intentions.

Yet, every time someone who didn’t know better offended Xia Yanhuan, they would inevitably get beaten into the ground by that Senior Brother.

Last time, an Elder made an inappropriate remark while drunk, teasing her in public.

As a result, that very night, the Elder fled from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, and eventually to the depths of the sect.

Along the way, his screams echoed nonstop, with blood splattered everywhere.

That Senior Brother simply followed behind him with squinted eyes and a smile, punching him relentlessly. No matter who tried to mediate, no one could stop him.

In the end, that Elder was beaten to the point of near-crippling and has been lying in bed for two years. It was said he still couldn’t get up.

It could be said that Senior Brother rarely appeared in the sect, but in a certain sense, Xia Yanhuan was his spokesperson.

He Qing looked at Xia Yanhuan and asked cautiously:

“Did Senior Brother ask you to say this?”

“Mm-hmm~”

Xia Yanhuan gave a noncommittal response, looking at He Qing with a slightly mischievous expression.

After a moment, He Qing sighed helplessly and said:

“Senior Brother really likes to meddle. Doesn’t he know what kind of person I am? A few rumors like this aren’t enough to make me petty enough to go after Gu Fan. Don’t worry.”

Xia Yanhuan smiled and said:

“That’s what I thought too. I do understand your temperament, He Qing. After all, we do share a bit of a bittersweet past. Back in those days…”

“Shut up! Shut up!”

He Qing immediately panicked, cutting her off mid-sentence. His expression turned nervous as he glanced around and then warned:

“Are you crazy or what?! What past do I have with you?! Wasn’t it just that we had a few fights when we were competing for rankings back then?!”

“Be a decent person! Don’t go spouting nonsense! I don’t want Senior Brother creeping up to my place in the middle of the night!”

After saying that, He Qing immediately waved her off:

“Go, go, go. Leave quickly. Don’t linger around here. I won’t lay a hand on Gu Fan. Just get out of here!”

With that, he threw Xia Yanhuan out of the cave residence and waved his hand disdainfully, activating the restriction to seal it off.

Xia Yanhuan was dumbfounded. She had merely wanted to build a bit of rapport, but instead, she was treated like a plague and driven out.

“So strange…”

After Xia Yanhuan left in confusion, a figure hidden within the void watched the cave residence below and chuckled softly.

“He Qing is still very obedient. That’s good… saves me from feeling unbalanced and hurting our relationship by taking action.”

Muttering to himself, the figure slowly faded into the void.

From then on, Gu Fan barely appeared before the public eye. He spent his time traveling between two realms, focusing on cultivation.

Occasionally, Nan Xuanrou would come to chat with him. Even though she was the one who came over, she would always wear a cold expression, leaving Gu Fan with a headache.

Time quietly passed, and it was now half a month before the Eastern Region Assembly.

After continuous cultivation, Gu Fan finally broke through to the mid-stage of the Solar Radiance Realm.

However, what puzzled him was that no thunder tribulation descended during this breakthrough.

When he had broken through to the Divine Moon Realm, he had used the thunder tribulation to annihilate the entire Qiao Family.

But now that he had broken through to the Solar Radiance Realm, why hadn’t the thunder tribulation appeared?

Later, Gu Fan speculated that the likely reason the tribulation didn’t descend this time was due to the Sacred Domain.

Perhaps once he left the Sacred Domain, the thunder tribulation would be triggered.

As for why the Sacred Domain could block the descent of thunder tribulation… even he could not speculate on this.

On this day, Gu Fan was still cultivating inside his cave residence when he suddenly received a summons from the sect.

By the time he arrived at the grand hall atop one of the main peaks, there were already several people seated inside.

A few of them were familiar faces.

Nan Xuanrou, Xia Yanhuan, Qingxia Young Master, and others.

At that moment, Xia Yanhuan waved at him and then nudged Qingxia Young Master beside her:

“Move over a bit. You’re fourth now—don’t you know your place? Make some room for my younger brother Gu Fan.”

Qingxia Young Master’s face darkened, and he grumpily shifted over on the meditation cushion.

Gu Fan, taking the opportunity, sat down where he had just moved from.

“Senior Sister Xia, is there something going on?”

Xia Yanhuan smiled and said, “Let Xuanrou explain it to you. I’m not taking this job.”

Nan Xuanrou immediately blushed slightly, then coughed once and explained:

“Today we’re discussing matters related to the Eastern Region Assembly. I, Senior Brother, and the top five True Disciples are all here for it.”

Gu Fan’s eyes lit up. Eastern Region Assembly!

“So that’s it. It’s finally time?”

He had been waiting for this day for a long time. Once this was over, he could focus entirely on planning his return to Destiny Continent.

“The Eastern Region Assembly is set at a location quite far from our sect, so we need to depart a little earlier… We’ll probably set off in about three days.”

Gu Fan nodded in understanding, then looked toward a few people he didn’t quite recognize.

“The one sitting over there in the first spot is He Qing, ranked first among the True Disciples. The man behind him is Cang Ya, ranked fifth—the one you just displaced.”

Gu Fan nodded again, and finally, his gaze fell upon a man seated to the right of the main seat.

The man seemed to sense Gu Fan’s gaze and looked over as well, revealing a kind smile.

Gu Fan had some impression of this man. Back when he fought Xia Qianliu, this man had stood in the air in white robes, shielding the aftermath of the battle.

At that time, he already sensed that this man’s strength was terrifying. Every gesture and movement carried an unusual rhythm.

Now, seeing him again, it turned out he was also among the disciples!

“Junior Brother Gu Fan, greetings. I’m the one they call Senior Brother.”

Gu Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Senior Brother!

This name had been heard countless times in the Immortal Ai Sect. In a certain sense, his status was no less than that of the Holy Son within the Burning God Sect back then.

The only difference was that Senior Brother rarely appeared in public, making him particularly mysterious.

Gu Fan immediately responded with a smile.

“I’ve long heard of your great name, Senior Brother. I’m Gu Fan. This is our first meeting—please guide me well.”

The meeting between the two went far more smoothly than anyone expected.

Gu Fan had no conflict with the other party, and this Senior Brother seemed especially candid.

There was no trace of aloofness—he always wore a simple, honest smile that made him seem completely harmless.

Just then, an elder appeared inside the grand hall. Gu Fan recognized him as the Grand Elder who had interrogated him some time ago.

The many disciples all stood up upon seeing the Grand Elder.

“Greetings, Grand Elder!”

The Grand Elder nodded, then swept his gaze around and said:

“There will be some changes to this year’s Eastern Region Assembly. It might not be as easy as previous years.”

Everyone looked puzzled. After exchanging glances and confirming none of them knew the details, they all turned their eyes to the elder.

“Next, I’ll explain the details. If there are no objections, we’ll officially depart in three days!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep