Chapter 295 - 173: Demon Poison Erosion, Mu Yunko’s Shock

Chapter 295: Chapter 173: Demon Poison Erosion, Mu Yunko’s Shock

Feeling the Mortal Shedding aura radiating from Jiang Hao, Mu Yunko couldn’t help but furrow her brows. Unlike Mu Yunshang and the other nine, her eyes held almost no respect for him. As a Venerable Realm Cultivator of the Beardless Sect, she didn’t need to bow and scrape even when facing the Elders. Naturally, when looking at Jiang Hao—a Beardless Sect Eldest Brother who was even younger than her—she viewed him as an equal at best. This was the confidence born from her own formidable strength.

Jiang Hao paid no mind to the slight offense in Mu Yunko’s eyes. At the end of the day, his title as Eldest Brother carried only status and position. Sect rules aside, this was still a world where strength reigned supreme.

"Qin Fan greets Senior Sister Yun Ke," he said, taking the initiative to bow slightly to her. However, both his tone and expression maintained an attitude of complete equality.

Mu Yunko’s brows finally smoothed out. Flashing a radiant smile, she said, "Junior Brother Qin, as the Eldest Brother of the Beardless Sect, it stands to reason that I, a mere disciple, should be the one to greet you first. You certainly don’t put on airs."

"Senior Sister, you are an esteemed Venerable Realm expert and a core pillar of our Beardless Sect," Jiang Hao replied calmly. "My position as the Eldest Brother is nothing more than a title. In private, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. Calling me ’Junior Brother’ is perfectly fine."

Mu Yunko seemed highly satisfied with this response. Even as a Venerable, she couldn’t simply flout certain sect rules, but adhering to them still left her feeling stifled. This newly appointed Eldest Brother of the Holy Sect was quite perceptive, at least making the interaction comfortable.

Sure enough, her smile grew significantly warmer at his words. Looking at the young man before her, she casually praised him, "To be favored by the Sect Leader and the two Celestial Elders, and then crowned as the Holy Sect’s Eldest Brother, Junior Brother Qin must possess extraordinary talents. However, given the special circumstances today, please forgive me for not being able to host a proper welcome banquet for you."

"These are unprecedented times. You worry too much, Senior Sister," Jiang Hao replied.

Receiving his answer, Mu Yunko smiled faintly and then paid no further attention to this so-called Eldest Brother of the sect. It was glaringly obvious that to powerhouses like her, strength was the only currency that mattered. Even if sect rules bound them, they wouldn’t truly accept someone beneath their level.

Just as their conversation concluded, Mu Yunshang inexplicably chimed in from the side. "Sister, Eldest Brother doesn’t just possess extraordinary talents—he’s strong. Absurdly strong. He is by far the most powerful peer genius I have ever seen."

Jun Yichen and the others immediately echoed her sentiments, as if they still hadn’t recovered from the shock of that earlier sword strike.

"She’s right. Eldest Brother is the first genius I’ve encountered in my entire life who is qualified to participate in the struggle for the ’Three Flowers Gathering at the Top’. Being defeated by him, I, Fan Tian, am the first to be utterly convinced of his superiority."

"On the day of the coronation ceremony, Eldest Brother ascended the ninety-fifth holy step! The entire Thousand Sect Island Realm was in an uproar. He has far more than just ’extraordinary talents’."

"Senior Sister Yun Ke, not a single Elder or disciple within the entire Beardless Sect objected to his coronation. His title as Eldest Brother is fully deserved."

The ten of them chimed in one after another, clearly still suffering from the aftershocks of profound awe. Hearing this, a trace of astonishment rippled through Mu Yunko’s beautiful eyes. The look she gave Jun Yichen and the rest was filled with helplessness and surprise. She was particularly stunned when she noticed the strange glimmer that danced in her sister Mu Yunshang’s eyes at the mere mention of the words "Eldest Brother." It was an unusual gleam that Mu Yunshang and the others hadn’t even noticed themselves—perhaps it would be more accurate to call it outright worship.

She thought, "Yun Shang is still too young."

To Mu Yunko, the talent and potential of these peerless prodigies were indeed astonishing, but in the eyes of a true powerhouse like her, they were still far too green. She completely dismissed their praises. From her perspective, even if the Beardless Sect managed to unearth a world-shocking genius today, they wouldn’t be vastly superior to her sister’s group. After all, if there truly were a monster capable of rivaling the Cyan Mist Saintess, they would have long since been discovered and swept away by some Holy Sect or ancient heritage ground.

At this thought, Mu Yunko couldn’t help but shoot Jiang Hao another glance. Although she didn’t take their words to heart, their claim that he was qualified to compete for the ’Three Flowers Gathering at the Top’ still managed to mildly surprise a Venerable like herself.

"Yun Shang, Junior Brother Qin, the Holy Sect sent you here this time to delve into the Demon Ridge and gather intelligence, correct?" she asked.

Everyone nodded in unison at her words.

In truth, she had guessed as much long ago. Following historical precedent, whenever there was unrest in the Demon Ridge, the Thousand Sects would dispatch their strongest batch of young geniuses to investigate. First, the sects weren’t raising sheltered flowers; this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity for them to temper themselves. Second, these unparalleled prodigies would eventually take over as the inheritors of the Thousand Sect Island Realm in the centuries to come. Participating in the matters of the Demon Ridge early on would allow them to understand exactly who the shared enemy of the Thousand Sects Island Realm was.

After all, once these individuals proved their Dao and attained Sainthood, they would shoulder the arduous task of suppressing the Demon Ridge. Moreover, with the current era locked in a struggle for supremacy among geniuses—where even the Demon Race fell under certain constraints—sending the sects’ top prodigies into the Demon Ridge to uncover the truth was the most optimal choice.

At the mention of the Demon Ridge, the expressions of Mu Yunshang’s group instantly turned solemn.

"Sister, what exactly happened inside the Demon Ridge?" Mu Yunshang asked, taking the lead. "Why are all those demonic beasts acting like they’ve gone mad, attacking humans on sight?"