Our eldest brother never hides good things from us.

The words fell.

Shen Yao could hardly believe her ears.

Ask Shen Nianqing for help? She's a disgraced daughter of the Shen family! How could she possibly be of any help?

Could it be that she also possesses a sacred body?

"impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

Shen Yao denied this answer from the bottom of her heart.

She is the only one with a Holy Body in the entire Shen family; there is no way there could be a second one!

The more than seven hundred elders who supported him also changed their expressions slightly, and looked at Shen Nianqing, their brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

With their keen eyesight, they could naturally see that Shen Nianqing not only possessed the bloodline of the Shen family, but also had extremely pure and special physical fluctuations.

It seems to be... the Yin-Yang Sacred Body, ranked second on the Sacred Body Ranking?

Once they confirmed this, they could no longer remain calm.

The disgraced woman they expelled from the family is actually more talented than Shen Yao? And by a significant margin?

If they didn't trust the fortune teller, they would have dragged him out and given him a good beating.

You call this a sinner? You deliberately don't want to see the Shen family prosper, do you?!

Shen Nianqing remained calm.

Looking at Shen Pingping, he said, "As I just said, if the Shen family is willing to come to the aid of the Northern Wilderness, then I will wipe the slate clean of my grudges with the Shen family."

"Now you want me to do it, but that's at a different price."

Another price!

In short, completely sever ties with the Shen family!

This also caused Shen Pingping's wishful thinking to vanish completely.

"Shen Nianqing! My Shen family's resources are as heavy as a thousand pounds, and sending troops to the Northern Wilderness to provide aid is a laborious and costly undertaking. You think you can just wipe the slate clean with a single sentence?"

Shen Yaojiao's voice rang out, "What right do you, a disgraced daughter of the Shen family, have to say such things!"

Did I speak to you?

Shen Nianqing glanced at Shen Yao indifferently.

"Shen Nianqing!"

Shen Yao frowned.

She had been instilled with hostility toward Shen Nianqing by Ye Shuangjin since childhood, and it had long since become a physical instinct.

Moreover, as the young master of the family, how could she allow Shen Nianqing to disrespect her?

They immediately wanted to speak up and suppress him.

But Shen Pingping stopped him.

"That's enough! This is none of your business!"

Shen Pingping spoke coldly, "Guards! Take the young clan leader away and lock her up! No one is to release her without my order!"

As soon as she finished speaking, several guards in Shen family uniforms appeared and stood in front of Shen Yao to await her orders.

"Why should I?! She's a disgraced daughter of the Shen family!"

Surrounded by people, Shen Yao remained defiant, saying, "You're so protective of her, aren't you afraid the fortune teller's words will come true, and you'll become the eternal sinner of the Shen family!"

"What are you all standing there for! Throw her out!"

Shen Pingping did not waver in the slightest and gave the order directly!

He didn't know if the fortune teller's words would come true, but he did know that the sword in Chang Wen's hand was probably quite hard...

"Elders, are you really going to just stand by and watch him destroy the Shen family?!"

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Shen Pingping, Shen Yao directly sought help from the more than 700 elders.

Only by relying on the elders' influence can she have the leverage to negotiate with Shen Pingping! She is well aware of this.

I just don't know if the current council of elders will still support her.

"Master of the family."

"Young Master is right. Shen Nianqing is indeed a disgraced daughter of our Shen family, and we have already offended her. As the ancients said, a broken mirror is hard to mend, and this still applies to relationships between people."

Third Elder Shen Lang knew that if he didn't step forward, he would completely lose power. So he boldly stepped forward.

He looked at Shen Pingping and continued, "Even if Shen Nianqing can sever ties with us, she will still harbor resentment because of our past actions, making it difficult for her to wholeheartedly serve the Shen family. The young clan leader... is the one who truly deserves the full support of the Shen family."

"Now that things have come to this, I urge the head of the family and everyone to recognize reality and not make a foolish decision."

The words fell.

The more than seven hundred elders began to make their own calculations.

This is indeed the case.

A broken mirror is hard to mend; who can guarantee that Shen Nianqing can truly erase past grievances?

Even if she is willing to go to Jin'an City, will she be willing to work for the Shen family in the future?

not necessarily.

That's what they're worried about.

If this offends Shen Yao, and Shen Nianqing refuses to serve the Shen family in the future, wouldn't that be pleasing neither side?

They've calculated this very clearly.

"Patriarch, the Third Elder is right. The young patriarch grew up in the Shen family, and even if he's a bit unruly, he still has feelings for the Shen family. But Shen Nianqing might not be the same..."

"Yes, Master, please think twice before you act!"

"Most importantly, I have no grudges against Beihuang in the past or present. His difficulties are his own business. What reason do I have to help him unconditionally?"

"I second that. I have cultivated for tens of thousands of years to reach my current level; I am not here to work for someone unconditionally."

"..."

Many elders echoed this sentiment, some supporting Shen Yao, others refusing to go to the Northern Wilderness.

In short, the majority of the voices were against it.

Shen Yao was secretly pleased upon hearing this.

With the support of the elders, her position remains unshakable, and she has nothing to fear from Shen Pingping.

Now it's up to Shen Pingping to decide how to handle this.

Seeing that more than 700 elders held opposing views, Shen Pingping also felt embarrassed.

He turned back to Chang Wen and the others with an awkward smile, "Please excuse my poor performance."

"It's alright, it's alright. Every family has its own troubles. Fellow Daoist Shen, please continue. I can wait a little while."

Lin Baoding smiled, not wanting to embarrass Shen Pingping.

Shen Pingping nodded awkwardly, then looked at Chang Wen. Seeing that Chang Wen didn't seem unhappy, she felt relieved and decided to carry out a major purge.

He looked at the more than seven hundred elders, his voice regaining its authority.

"So, you intend to disobey my orders?"

"Patriarch, we did not intend to disobey orders, but rather we wanted the Shen family to continue on the great and correct path."

Third Elder Shen Lang responded.

This drew agreement from the elders, who secretly thought that he truly deserved to be called the Third Elder.

Among the hundreds of peak Mahayana cultivators present, there was a reason why he was able to become the Third Elder; his words were exceptionally eloquent.

"Don't waste your breath on me!"

Shen Pingping acted swiftly and decisively, turning to the other elders, "You are all high-ranking members of the Shen family, each with countless achievements. In consideration of your past merits, I will give you a chance to choose again."

"You're all seasoned veterans; I believe you don't need to explain what I mean."

"Half an incense stick's time."

"Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you may come here on your own; I will forgive and forget your past actions."

"Start the timer now."

A divine incense stick formed from half a stick of divine consciousness appeared.

The hall fell silent once more.

Looking at this scene, Chang Wen felt a sense of pressure and tension, like when he was choosing sides in the struggle for the throne among the nine princes.

Watch quietly.

Three to five breaths later.

With no one moving, Elder Shen Lang, who had been holding his breath, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Yao and Ye Shuangjin's hearts were somewhat at ease.

As long as this group of people firmly supports them, no matter how strong Shen Pingping is, she cannot shake their foundation.

However, at that moment, a tentative, aged voice suddenly rang out in the hall, attracting everyone's attention.

"Master, I have a question. May I ask?"