"If Ling Chen violated the rules and killed Murong Dutong, even if I killed Ling Chen, I would have no justification. However, Ling Chen was only doing what a genius is supposed to do! Aren’t we hosting this Qing Province Genius Ranking to select the talented individuals from everywhere? To put it bluntly, if Murong Ziyi died, it’s because he was inferior in skill, he deserved it!" "But Murong Dutong, because of his son’s death, tried to kill Ling Chen. Did he ever consider the Lord Governor? The Lord Governor values the talents who participate in the Qing Province Genius Ranking greatly and has commanded that these talents must not be harmed." "Even if these individuals are at fault, they must report to the Lord Governor before taking any action, and not directly kill! This is to prevent people from using excuses to stifle talents." "In the end, Ling Chen is not at fault, it is Murong Qingshan who made the mistake. Just because Murong Qingshan died, should Ling Chen be completely annihilated? Is this fair to Ling Chen?" Ice City’s Huang Dutong was righteously indignant. He simply could not tolerate it. Such a talent as Ling Chen, how often does one appear! Ling Chen comes from such Wasteland as the Eastern Domain, his cultivation resources are far lesser than those of the geniuses of the Northern Domain. Yet even so, Ling Chen still stands tall among the geniuses. This shows how terrifying his talent is! "Indeed, Commander Huang is right!" "We agree with Commander Huang’s opinion, we absolutely cannot kill Ling Chen!" "Right, although Ling Chen is at fault, Murong Qingshan was at fault first." Several commanders spoke in turn. Mu Qing’s gaze fell on Jiang Bufan of Ice City. He could not understand why Jiang Bufan had such intense killing intent towards Ling Chen! The other commanders, most were pleading for Ling Chen. Yet, Jiang Bufan, explicitly advocated for killing Ling Chen. Could it really be because of his own attitude? "Enough, stop arguing!" Mu Qing shouted sternly: "It is now time for the heads of the Eight Great Families!" The seven leaders of the great families spoke one by one. They too valued Ling Chen’s talent. Pleading for Ling Chen. Punishment is acceptable, but it should not be excessive. It is best to give Ling Chen a chance to redeem his merits. "Jiang Domain Master!" Jiang Bufan hastily said: "My Lord, although it’s true that Ling Chen killed the commander, if we don’t punish him, it will harm the prestige of our Qing Province. Even though Murong Dutong was at fault first, Ling Chen shouldn’t have killed him. However, because there was a reason for it, Ling Chen was acting in self-defense. Moreover, Ling Chen, as a participant in the Qing Province Genius Ranking, has exceptional talent and may likely bring glory to our Qing Province! Therefore, I suggest, punishing Ling Chen by having him serve in the mines for a year as a corrective measure." Mu Qing nodded, saying, "I have heard everyone’s opinions. The majority thinks we should punish Ling Chen, but not too harshly. However, killing a commander, if we let people know it’s only a year of mining, that might be too lenient." "Let’s do this, sentence Ling Chen to serve a year in the World Prison and do not deny him the opportunity to participate in the Qing Province Genius Ranking!" Upon hearing this, everyone’s expression changed. Jiang Bufan said: "My Lord, isn’t this punishment too severe?" Prisoners in the World Prison are all extremely vicious and brutal! Whether Ling Chen can survive is questionable. Ling Chen is a six-star emperor, yet his strength is comparable to a seven-star emperor. He definitely has to be placed into a Demon-level World Prison. "This matter is settled, you may leave now!" Everyone could only accept the orders and leave. "Jiang Domain Master, before Ling Chen is escorted to the World Prison, I will personally oversee it. Additionally, announce the fall of Netherworld Commander and the punishment of Ling Chen to the world three days later!" Mu Qing instructed again. Only two people were left in the great hall. "Ling Chen, are you satisfied?" "Thank you, my Lord." Ling Chen nodded heavily. Mu Qing removed Ling Chen’s World Seal, with a solemn expression he said: "Ling Chen, inside the World Prison, Spiritual Energy is extremely scarce. In there, you can only use Spirit Crystals for cultivation. Moreover, the inmates are not easy to get along with. Be cautious above all." "Three days from now, you and some other inmates will enter the World Prison together. If there’s anything you need to take care of, do it as soon as possible in these few days." He needed to meet with the representatives of the Four Domains Alliance who had come to Qing City. After all, he was still the Alliance Hierarch. Ling Chen contacted Qin Wufa and others. Then, Mu Qing broke through the Void, and sent Ling Chen away. After all, Ling Chen was guilty, and it was not convenient for him to leave the State Governor Mansion. Members of the Four Domains Alliance were all gathered here. Since arriving in Qing City, everyone had been very low-key. They spent most of their time cultivating here. With their Six-Star Emperor-level strength, they were not very noteworthy in Qing City. Qin Wufa, Liu Ruyun, Ouyang Jie, and the others looked at Ling Chen with excitement. The news of what Ling Chen did in Soul City had already spread. That their Alliance Hierarch was able to defeat talents like Lan Hongming thrilled them. This was their glory! Ling Chen smiled and said, "My friends, I am here today to inform everyone that before the Qing Province Talent List begins, you may not see me. Therefore, you need to choose a new Alliance Hierarch." Liu Ruyun and the others were stunned. Ling Chen was their biggest support. Without Ling Chen, they simply couldn’t compete with the geniuses from the Northern Domain! Although there were new rules announced and the Northern Domain geniuses dared not harm them severely, if a conflict arose, humiliation was unavoidable. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Rest assured, when the Qing Province Talent List commences, I will rejoin you," Ling Chen said. "However, I have to leave for the next year. Do not ask about it; in three days, you will know why." Hearing that Ling Chen was just temporarily leaving, Liu Ruyun and others felt relieved. "Alliance Hierarch, why not appoint someone directly as the acting Alliance Hierarch?" Liu Ruyun suggested with a smile. Ling Chen nodded and said, "Then let Lady Liu temporarily take the position of Alliance Hierarch. Does anyone have any objections?" Among the Four Domains Alliance, Liu Ruyun was the strongest. "We will follow the Alliance Hierarch’s order!" Everyone responded in unison. Now, Ling Chen had become their central pillar. "Good, let it be settled then. During the time I am away, everyone try to avoid conflicts with the people of the Northern Domain. Although the new rules offer protection, it is still very likely that we will be humiliated," Ling Chen said. Everyone quickly nodded. "Lady Liu, please come with me!" Ling Chen looked at Liu Ruyun. Liu Ruyun followed Ling Chen into a secret room. "Here are some Spirit Crystals. As you aren’t far from reaching the fifth level of the World Realm, these should be able to help you! I’m entrusting you with the difficult task during the time I am away." Ling Chen handed over a storage ring. "Thank you, Alliance Hierarch!" Liu Ruyun hurriedly took it. "I have nothing else to say. Just try to be patient during this time," Ling Chen said. He was very aware that once his imprisonment in the World Prison was announced in three days, countless Northern Domain talents would celebrate. He had killed dozens of Northern Domain talents, and it was very likely that their anger would be vented on Liu Ruyun and others.