"I agree that you are allowed to kill anyone, but you need to have the strength for that. Do you really think that you can face me?" Mu Zheng said.

"I took the Strength Ranking test half a year ago when I was way weaker than I am now. If you can't even defeat the old me in the Strength Rankings, do you really think you can defeat me now?" he said in a mocking tone.

"If you don't put your sword down in the next 10 seconds, I promise that you'll find out!" Long Chen said as he got serious as well.

"You're really getting on my nerves. I guess I won't kill you. I'll destroy your Martial Soul instead. You'll have a life way worse than death. Although I'd get scolded, it's worth it if I get to teach respect to an arrogant prick like you," Mu Zheng said as he glared at Long Chen.

"Soul Devouring!" Mu Zheng said loudly.

Before Long Chen could respond, A black, semi-transparent specter came out of My Zheng's hands and struck Long Chen.

It entered Long Chen's body. 

"What?" Long Chen groaned in pain as he fell down to his knees.

A dark mist was starting to shroud his martial space.

Long Chen felt extreme pain as half of his martial space was covered in the mist.

Mu Zheng, on the other hand, was enjoying the pained look on Long Chen.

Long Chen's heart demon was sleeping calmly when the dark mist touched him, but it disintegrated without even affecting it.

From that moment on, the mist stayed away from his heart demon.

One-third of Long Chen's Martial Space was swallowed by the mist. Long Chen's face had turned pale white.

"That's what you get for having so much attitude without having the necessary strength to back yourself up," Mu Zheng chuckled as he stared at Long Chen.

Long Chen was struggling to even think clearly. He wanted to bring the Talisman out and contact Mu Zheng, but before he could do that, everything changed.

His long silent Martial Soul finally opened his eyes.

The blood-red eyes seemed like they had seen countless people die. They were so fierce that they looked like the eyes of the God of Slaughter itself.

As soon as the eyes opened, the mist disappeared entirely as it had never been there.

The heart demon that was sleeping felt a terrifying aura as it hurriedly opened his eyes as well.

Long Chen's Martial Soul didn't stop there. It looked like it was angry that someone had dared to attack it. It was looking for revenge.

It looked straight ahead.

Mu Zheng, who was laughing till now, suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood.

"Aaaaaa," he roared in pain.

Mu Zheng couldn't see it, but it was all because of his Martial Soul. His martial soul had suddenly started burning.

The revenge didn't stop here. Somehow, his martial soul was sliced in half by some invisible force.

Mu Zheng fell down to the ground as his body lost all its strength. His eyes lost their focus.

After being done with Mu Zheng, Long Chen's Martial Soul glanced towards Long Chen's heart demon that was shivering by now.

It didn't do anything though. His Martial Soul closed its eyes and returned to the way it had been for years.

"W-what was that?" Long Chen's Heart Demon said. He was still shivering in fear.

"Is that his Martial Soul? How frightening," the Heart Demon muttered to himself.

"Why didn't it attack me though? Maybe it does not consider me harmful to his existence? I'm after all not trying to hurt him. I have no such intention. I just want him to be true to his instincts. Maybe that's why it didn't target me?" he said.

_________________________________

Long Chen was groaning in pain, but the pain suddenly disappeared as if it was never there. His pale face also gained back its original color, but his heart was still beating fast.

He stood up as he brought out his King's Sword. He was ready to slaughter Mu Zheng. He was ready to throw his Illusion at a moment's notice, but he was shocked to see Mu Zheng lying on the ground.

His eyes had lost all focus. In fact, if he didn't see him breathing, he would have thought that Mu Zheng was dead.

"Just what the heck happened here?" Long Chen said with a frown as he saw Mu Zheng.

He moved closer to Mu Zheng and kicked him.

Mu Zheng flew back and crashed on the ground, but Long Chen still didn't see him move his body.

"Has he gone crazy?" Long Chen muttered with a frown on his face.

Right that instant, a Winged Lion landed near them. An Elder hurriedly got down of the Winged Lion and ran towards Mu Zheng.

Long Chen recognized that Elder. It was the same person who he faced in the Strength Ranking test. He was a peak Sky Realm cultivator of the Sect and the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder checked Mu Zheng and frowned.

"What did you do to him?" Grand Elder asked as he glared at Long Chen.

"I did nothing. He himself fell on the ground and started acting like that!" Long Chen explained.

"Oh really? Why is his sword lying there?" Grand Elder said as he pointed towards Mu Zheng's sword that was lying on the ground.

"Also, why do you have a sword in your hand?" He continued asking.

"Let me explain everything. He came to me to ask about the secrets of passing the Demon Ranking test. I refused to tell him and he brought out his sword," Long Chen began explaining. 

"I warned him and instead of using his sword to attack me, he used some spell to target me. I went through so much pain as I was struck by that spell," he explained.

"When I recovered, I brought out my sword, but just as I stood up and looked towards him, I saw him lying on the ground in this condition. I don't know what happened to him," Long Chen finished his explanation.

"That? Am I supposed to believe that? You must come with me to the Sect Master. She'll judge you," Grand Elder said. He didn't believe a single word Long Chen had said.

Right at that instant, another Winged Lion landed there and a person came down from it.

It was Lang Jing, the person that brought Long Chen here.

"Grand Elder Chu, May I ask, what happened here?" Lang Jing asked as he stood between Long Chen and Grand Elder Chu.

"Look for yourself. Your disciple made Mu Zheng like that!" Grand Elder Chu said as he pointed towards Mu Zheng lying on the ground.

"He's also lying that he didn't attack him. He's saying that he himself fell to the ground and became like that. Only an idiot will believe that!" Grand Elder Chu said.

"How can a cultivator's Martial Soul be destroyed like that! It's clear that he used some strange spell to do that. I need to take him to the Sect Master for his Punishment!" He said.

"Grand Elder Chu, if my disciple is saying that he didn't do it, then I believe him. Also, aren't you forgetting something?" Lang Jing said in full seriousness.

"Are you siding with him? What am I forgetting?" Grand Elder Chu asked.

"You should know that my disciple is a 1st Ranked Demon Ranker. Even if he killed someone, he can't be punished as long as he hasn't betrayed the sect. Even the Sect Master herself can't break the rules made by the sect ancestors!" Lang Jing said. The more he said, the louder his tone got.

"Y-you dare oppose the Sect Master!" Grand Elder Chu said loudly.

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