I'm an Evil Soul Master, but Ma Xiaotao Doesn't Count? Fuck, That's Some Double Standard!

When the pale blue tide of Soul Power swept past the tree hollow for the third time, Lu Jing knew he could no longer stay hidden.

That Soul Power carried the pure aura unique to the Light Goddess Butterfly, almost piercing through the cover of the vines and touching his skin. If he waited any longer, the three of them would surround him, leaving him without even the slightest chance to fight back.

"Now!"

A cold gleam flashed in Lu Jing's eyes as he fiercely mobilized every last bit of Soul Power inside his body.

The World-Destroying Black Lotus above his head instantly expanded. Black mist spilled out like ink, engulfing the entire tree hollow. He thrust both hands forward, and the black lotus platform, now two meters across, shot toward Tang Ya a hundred meters away with a howl that seemed to Tear the Air!

"Watch out!" Beibei reacted first. With an enraged roar, blue lightning formed a massive shield before him as he rushed toward Tang Ya, intending to shove her aside.

The Goddess of Light Butterfly Wings behind Wang Dong'er beat once, and pale blue wings of light instantly spread open, forming an impregnable wall of light before the three of them.

But the World-Destroying Black Lotus was simply too fast.

The Destructive aura contained within that black mist was the bane of plant-type martial souls. The Blue Silver Grass Tang Ya hastily summoned withered the moment it touched the mist, as if splashed with strong acid. Even her Soul Power barrier collapsed in an instant.

"Puh—"

The Black Lotus grazed the edge of the wall of light and slammed viciously into Tang Ya's chest. She flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into an ancient tree with a dull thud. Blood spurted from the corner of her mouth, and her aura instantly weakened.

"Xiaoya!" Beibei's eyes nearly split with rage. He turned to help her, only to see Lu Jing dart out of the tree hollow and sprint deeper into the forest.

"Stop him!" Beibei roared as he gave chase.

But Wang Dong'er stood frozen where she was.

She stared at the tiny figure running beneath the cover of black mist. He was only five or six years old, dressed in a short tunic faded white from washing. His thin little body staggered through the woods. No matter how she looked at him, he was just an ordinary child.

"Wait..." Wang Dong'er called out instinctively. Her wings of light dimmed somewhat as she asked in confusion, "Senior, could we have made a mistake?"

"No mistake! It's him!"

Beibei's voice was full of gnashing fury. Blue lightning exploded beneath his feet, making him even faster as he answered, "His martial soul is incomparably sinister. You saw it yourself just now!"

Lu Jing ran only a few steps before realizing Wang Dong'er had not followed. He simply stopped and turned to face the two of them. The World-Destroying Black Lotus floated behind him, wreathed in black mist, making his childish face look especially grim.

"Mistake? I think you're the ones who are fucking blind!" Lu Jing cursed furiously. "I only awakened my martial soul today! I don't even have a Soul Ring, yet you've been chasing me down to kill me and branding me an Evil Soul Master? What kind of fucking logic is that?"

Wang Dong'er watched his chest heaving violently, then looked at Tang Ya coughing on the ground in the distance. Her brows gradually furrowed. She hated Evil Soul Masters, but this child before her... truly did not seem like a vicious criminal.

"Senior."

Wang Dong'er's voice was hesitant. "Is he telling the truth? Did he really just awaken his martial soul?"

"Don't let him fool you!"

Beibei shouted angrily, lightning crackling all around him. "From the moment an evil martial soul awakens, it carries evil energy. If we let him live, he'll become a great menace! How many tragedies Ten Thousand Years Ago began just like this?"

As he spoke, he gathered Soul Power once more, clearly intending to attack again.

"Bullshit!"

Lu Jing trembled with rage and pointed at Beibei's nose as he cursed, "The Bone Douluo Ten Thousand Years Ago had the Bone Dragon as his martial soul. Isn't that evil enough? Yet he was an elder who protected the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! Are you too blind to see that?"

Wang Dong'er's pupils contracted slightly. She had heard of Bone Douluo's deeds. His martial soul had indeed been sinister, yet he had acted with integrity.

"That's different!"

Beibei stiffened his neck and retorted, "Bone Douluo was an exception! The vast majority of people with evil martial souls eventually fall into darkness!"

"The vast majority? So because of that, you want to kill everyone with an evil martial soul?"

Lu Jing sneered, then suddenly turned toward Wang Dong'er. His voice abruptly rose. "Sister! Let me ask you something. Does the Evil Fire Phoenix count as an evil martial soul?"

Wang Dong'er froze for a moment, then nodded instinctively. "The Evil Fire Phoenix's flames carry a vicious aura. It should... count."

"Good!"

Lu Jing looked as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. "Then let me tell you this: the Successor to Shrek Academy's next dean, the descendant of Ma Hongjun, has the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul! So what, are you going to kill her too?"

Wang Dong'er abruptly turned to Beibei, her eyes full of shock. "Senior, is he telling the truth?"

This was the first time she had heard this information.

Beibei's expression stiffened, but he quickly declared with complete confidence, "Senior Xiaotao is from Shrek! With Shrek's guidance and restraints, she will never fall onto the evil path! How can she be compared to this wild child?"

"Wild child?" Lu Jing's voice suddenly turned cold. "So whether someone has a background, whether they belong to Shrek, determines whether they're an Evil Soul Master?"

He pointed at himself and spoke word by word. "I have no background. I'm not from Shrek. The moment I awakened my martial soul, you wanted to wipe me out. But because Ma Xiaotao is from Shrek, you can accept her even though she has the Evil Fire Phoenix? Is this Shrek's logic? If this isn't a double standard, then what is?"

Wang Dong'er fell silent.

She looked at Beibei's self-righteous face, then at the undisguised mockery and rage in Lu Jing's eyes. Suddenly, she felt somewhat suffocated.

That was right. They both had special martial souls, so why were they treated so differently? Could the name Shrek erase the "evil" of a martial soul? And what had this child before her done wrong?

"Wang Dong, don't listen to his sophistry!"

Seeing Wang Dong'er waver, Beibei hurriedly shouted, "Evil Soul Masters are best at bewitching people! If we don't kill him today, it'll become a grave mistake in the future!"

"What grave mistake?"

Lu Jing refused to give an inch. "Becoming like you, chasing after a child and shouting that he should be killed? Or becoming like you, judging others by double standards?"

He took a step back. The World-Destroying Black Lotus began spinning again, and illusory lotus petals flickered within the black mist. "If you want to kill me, fine. But remember this: the one you kill today won't be some Evil Soul Master. He'll just be someone who wanted to live!"

Wang Dong'er's wings of light drooped. Pale blue radiance flickered uncertainly in her eyes. She looked at Beibei's enraged face, at the injured Tang Ya on the ground, then at the child who was clearly trembling in fear but still stubbornly held his head high. Suddenly, she felt that the forest night was even darker than she had imagined.

When Beibei saw that Wang Dong'er still would not make a move, he roared anxiously and charged at Lu Jing alone. "If you won't do it, I will!"

Blue lightning tore through the darkness and shot straight at Lu Jing's face.