Chapter 20: Zhai Zhe's Frenzy

"Bang!"

Zhai Zhe slammed his palm against Shi Muran’s chest, attempting to force her to cough up the divine medicine.

No one had expected Zhai Zhe to launch a sudden attack. Several disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect gasped in shock before quickly covering their mouths. In the distance, Shen Beijia was radiating killing intent, her eyes wishing she could tear Zhai Zhe into a thousand pieces.

Shi Muran was in a bad state. Despite the protective magic treasure on her person, she was still slammed into the stone wall by the force of the blow, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Zhai Zhe had not held back at all; had she not been protected by that treasure, she would have been reduced to dust.

She looked at Zhai Zhe with eyes full of pain, seemingly recalling something, and let out a mocking laugh.

"I... I knew it. Master... you truly would not let it go."

"But I never thought... *cough, cough, cough*... I never thought you would be this heartless..."

Shi Muran fell to the ground like a kite with a snapped string. She struggled to support herself and sat up, looking as if her life was hanging by a thread.

The others in the Heavenly Dao Sect had not expected their own sect leader to strike so suddenly and were gripped by a sudden sense of dread. After all, she was once his most prized personal disciple! How could he bring himself to do this to her? What did this mean for the rest of them?

Zhai Zhe had not yet realized the heavy atmosphere within the Heavenly Dao Sect, and hearing Shi Muran’s words only felt grating. Especially after noticing the expression in her eyes, Zhai Zhe felt a shiver run through his heart!

Immediately after, Zhai Zhe saw Shi Muran spitting out large mouthfuls of blood, yet there was no sign of the divine medicine.

How could this be... how could it be like this!

He began to panic.

"I..." Zhai Zhe opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. He looked at his hands, which were trembling, unable to wrap his mind around why things had turned out this way. Deep down, he cared for this disciple; he hadn’t intended to be so heavy-handed. But just now, he truly could not control himself—that was an opportunity for ascension! In his rage, he had subconsciously assumed that since she was at the Golden Core stage, taking a single blow wouldn't matter.

After struggling for words, Zhai Zhe, his eyes bloodshot, managed to blurt out: "Noisy."

"The sound of you spitting blood is annoying. Shut up!"

The crowd: "???"

No! Have you lost your mind!? What kind of idiotic remark is that! You demon!

Even Gongxi Xinghe and Shan Qixiang, who were at odds with Zhai Zhe, could not help but be stunned by his ruthlessness. Good heavens, Zhai Zhe, you aren’t even a practitioner of the Heartless Path, so why are you more heartless than those who are?

"Ha..." Shi Muran let out a laugh, which only caused more bright red blood to spill out, looking particularly glaring against her pale face.

"Don't laugh!"

"You look ugly when you laugh. Did I give you permission to laugh?"

Zhai Zhe’s words were baffling again, but his reddened eye sockets betrayed the turmoil in his heart. Then, the crowd watched as Zhai Zhe waved his hand like a madman; a sudden force of suction lifted Shi Muran into the air, and he grabbed her by the throat with one hand!

The veins on the back of Zhai Zhe’s hand bulged, his eyes glowing with an unnatural red as he glared at her weak face and spat out threats.

"I said, don't you dare laugh!"

"And spit out the divine medicine! Otherwise, this sect leader will not allow you to die!"

"Spit out the divine medicine!!!"

His roar echoed throughout the entire mountain range, leaving the three major factions outside feeling bewildered. Had Zhai Zhe been blinded by rage? Had he gone insane? Questioning a dying person? Who didn't know that divine medicine dissolved upon contact—how could one just spit it out if they wanted to?

Yet, Zhai Zhe persisted in clutching Shi Muran’s throat, as if he intended to snap it. Shi Muran felt as though she could no longer breathe. Her eyes filled with terror, and tears welled up and spilled over in that moment: "Ma... Master."

Zhai Zhe’s hand jerked.

"Bang!" Shi Muran was dropped to the ground!

Damn it!

Shi Muran had nearly been killed by the fall! She had already decided that Zhai Zhe would definitely have the most miserable death in the future! With this thought, she put on a look of utter terror, her eyes showing disappointment and alienation. It was as if she suddenly didn't recognize Zhai Zhe—no, rather, this Zhai Zhe did not seem like the Master she once knew!

"Are you... afraid of me?" Zhai Zhe’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice hoarse. If one listened closely, they could hear the tremor in his tone.

Shi Muran was so proud; even when she acted spoiled with Zhai Zhe as a child, she had always been fearless, never showing a look of terror. Now, Zhai Zhe had seen it with his own eyes. He felt as if he were falling apart, various emotions swirling in his brain. He felt that these were not emotions a Spirit Severing stage cultivator should possess!

"Why, why can't you just apologize? Why must it come to this?!"

"This is not how our master-disciple relationship should be!"

"Right! Your blood! Drinking your blood should also allow one to obtain the power of the divine medicine!"

"Give me all your blood! We will still be the best master and disciple!"

Watching the unhinged Zhai Zhe, Shi Muran instinctively felt that something was wrong with him. Regardless of the reason, to avoid further complications, she had to act quickly and finish this performance.

And so.

As Zhai Zhe was raving, he saw Shi Muran pull a miserable smile. He froze abruptly; the smile did not reach her eyes, and it was bitter and astringent. It seemed that in this moment, she thought of many, many things—the scenes of their past.

"But, Master, you clearly know that I didn't do it, and even more so, I did nothing wrong."

"It is clearly you who have changed! Yet you are unaware of it! It is only because you once possessed it that you feel such a massive disparity at this moment. Do you even understand that?!"

Shi Muran’s voice was torn and desperate: "The year I first entered the sect, I was three years old and couldn't cultivate. It was you, Master, who raised me with your own hands. I respected you as I would my own parents!"

"Do you remember? On the day I successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I asked you what would happen if one day, no one believed in me."

As she spoke, tears swirled in her eyes as she looked at Zhai Zhe with a nostalgic smile: "You said, 'My disciple would never be in the wrong. Even if you were, it is not for others to believe or not. With me as your master, no one can harm you in the slightest!'"

"You said... 'As a master, I side with my own, not with logic. A teacher for a day is a father for life. I will protect you for a lifetime of peace.'"

...

As she spoke, various scenes flashed through Zhai Zhe’s mind.

The "memory kill" began.

At first, he promised the little Shi Muran: "Little Muran will be my last disciple, my second personal disciple."

Later, he took in Jiang Wanwan, and facing Shi Muran’s protest, he scolded: "As the senior sister, how can you be like this? This is your junior sister! Can't you be a little more sensible?"

At first, he showered Shi Muran with praise: "Oh, my good disciple has improved again! This is a birthday gift I prepared for you. One day, my disciple will surely be the most dazzling of all!"

Later, he was dissatisfied with everything about her: "This is a birthday gift I found for your junior sister Wanwan, not for you. What? Yesterday was your birthday too? What kind of birthdays do cultivators need to celebrate! You truly disappoint me, Master!"

Many, many words converged together, and Zhai Zhe suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Shi Muran, had she really suffered so much?

"Cough, cough, cough!" At this moment, Shi Muran coughed up more blood and, trembling, took out an object and handed it to Zhai Zhe.

Zhai Zhe’s pupils dilated in shock!

"This..."