At a juncture like this, unless the people of the Purple Smoke Sect had been hit in the head by a door, who would dare step forward and object? Every single high-ranking member of the sect was plastering on their most obsequious smiles.
Truth be told, they had never even heard of Jiang Yu before all this. But right now, they had no choice but to show him the utmost respect.
Because it was clear to all of them that this young man had likely suffered terribly under Yin Hongxue's hands over the years — endured grievance upon grievance.
The fact that he had restrained himself from cutting Yin Hongxue down on the spot already spoke volumes about his self-control.
Any young man with a vengeful streak, seeing an emperor-realm powerhouse backing him like this, would have seized the opportunity to go on a massacre.
It was precisely because they feared Jiang Yu might lose his temper and lash out that the Purple Smoke Sect elders behaved with extraordinary courtesy, every one of them smiling so hard their faces could bloom into flowers.
Yin Hongxue clutched her burning cheek, sobbing uncontrollably. But inside, her emotions were a churning tempest that refused to settle.
She was wracked with regret. All her life, she had amused herself with handsome men, always searching for someone who could conquer her psychologically.
But she had never found him. Not a single man had ever made Yin Hongxue bow down in genuine admiration, made her feel compelled to set aside her pride and reach for something greater.
Yet now, gazing at the proud bearing on Jiang Yu's face, a strange feeling suddenly stirred within her heart. In the haze of that feeling, she sensed she had missed out on something immense.
This delicate-looking young man appeared gentle and fragile, his martial cultivation rather unremarkable. But behind that frail exterior beat a heart full of pride.
All these years, he had never once begged her for mercy, never once tried to curry favor or suck up to her.
And now, with an emperor-realm powerhouse standing behind him, he still showed no trace of smug self-satisfaction.
A man like that — one who could endure humiliation in adversity without breaking, who could remain humble in prosperity without growing arrogant — and who had the backing of an emperor-realm cultivator on top of it all — Jiang Yu absolutely had the potential to become someone extraordinary!
For a moment, Yin Hongxue was overcome with a sense of loss, drowning in regret. She truly realized that when it came to this man, she had been wrong — catastrophically, irreparably wrong.
Only, a man like this was simply not destined to be hers.
Yin Hongxue's mind was a tangled mess. Even though she had been publicly slapped across the face and publicly humiliated, she found that she could not summon even a shred of hatred.
She felt that everything she was suffering was her own doing — the consequence of her own sins.
Jiao Yun watched as Jiang Yu, after years of bottled-up resentment, chose not to erupt in fury but instead handled the situation with such calm composure. He was mildly surprised.
"The young men of the Jiang family are truly a magnanimous lot. Young Master Jiang Chen being so extraordinary is one thing — but this cousin of his, born in some mundane kingdom, to possess such breadth of character as well? His martial cultivation may be too weak for now, but he is still young, and he is definitely moldable talent!"
Jiao Yun had not had particularly strong feelings about Jiang Yu before, but now he found himself treating the young man with genuine respect.
He flashed a cool smile and let his gaze sweep across every elder of the Purple Smoke Sect. "You should count yourselves fortunate that you offended someone without a strong taste for vengeance. Otherwise, the Purple Smoke Sect would be painting these grounds red with blood today."
The Purple Smoke Sect elders stood frozen, faces pale as chalk, not daring to talk back.
They knew the emperor-realm senior was speaking nothing but the truth.
After finishing, Jiao Yun turned to Jiang Tong and his son with a warm smile. "Gentlemen, is there anything else you still need to take care of?"
Jiang Tong's face was ashen. He shook his head. "No. There is nothing."
Jiang Yu pressed his lips together and did not look back. "Senior, let us go."
Jiao Yun nodded. A streak of light swept up around them, carrying the Jiang father and son into its glow. In the blink of an eye, the three of them vanished without a trace.
The entire Purple Smoke Sect breathed a collective sigh of relief. The boulder that had been crushing their chests was finally lifted away.
Thank the heavens — that calamity had at last been averted.
The Purple Smoke Sect's grand ancestor cast a cold glance at Grand Elder Yin Tianchou. "Tianchou — if a child is not taught properly, the fault lies with the parent. Who exactly raised this granddaughter of yours? If you are incapable of disciplining her, I will have the Enforcement Hall do it for you."
Yin Tianchou was drenched in cold sweat. "Grand Ancestor, every bit of this is my fault. I accept punishment. Hongxue has been utterly spoiled by me. When we return, I will punish her severely and keep her under strict discipline. She will never cause trouble for the sect again."
Honestly, every senior member of the Purple Smoke Sect harbored a simmering anger in their hearts.
The situation just now had been genuinely perilous. Once an emperor-realm powerhouse decided to unleash his wrath, there was simply nothing the Purple Smoke Sect could do to stop it.
Without exaggeration, in that single instant, the Purple Smoke Sect had walked right up to the very edge of total annihilation — and back again.
The Purple Smoke Sect Master cupped his fists toward the Grand Ancestor. "Grand Ancestor, as Sect Master, I bear responsibility in this matter as well. This incident should serve as a wake-up call for our sect. Our sect's rules and regulations have perhaps become too lax, too lenient. From now on, we must restructure the sect, redraw our code of conduct, and rein in our disciples."
The Grand Ancestor nodded. "That is the right way to think about it. Don't imagine that our Purple Smoke Sect is some great power just because we reign supreme in the Phoenix Cry Lower Domain. When measured against the entirety of the human territories, our Purple Smoke Sect — a mere third-rate sect — doesn't amount to a fart! Across all the human lands, there are no fewer than three thousand third-rate sects, possibly five thousand. To put it bluntly, in the Upper Eight Domains, even a fourth-rate sect might be stronger than our third-rate one!"
The Grand Ancestor's status within the Purple Smoke Sect was beyond question, and he had traveled far and wide, accumulating vast experience. With his age and wisdom, every member of the sect — whether elder or grand elder — was junior before him, and none dared to talk back.