Li Changsheng withdrew his hand, and the golden light at his fingertips gradually faded. He let out a long breath, fine beads of sweat seeping from his brow. "It's temporarily suppressed, but completely eradicating it will take time. The evil fire in her body is too deeply entangled with the origin of her martial soul, like a poisonous vine that has taken root. It must be stripped away bit by bit."
His words were half true, half false. With the merit power of the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, he might have been able to eradicate the evil fire completely. But he had deliberately slowed the process—he wanted Shrek to see the effort he was putting into Ma Xiaotao. Once Ma Xiaotao fully recovered, that fiery senior sister would surely be grateful for his kindness. If the need arose, her words would carry no small weight within the academy.
Yan Shaozhe indeed harbored no doubts. Looking at Ma Xiaotao, whose breathing had steadied atop the ice platform, genuine gratitude appeared on his face. "You've worked hard. Even Xuan Zi was helpless in Xiaotao's condition. Only you could suppress it."
Soon after, the two left the Sea God Pavilion once more and returned to the Inner Court.
As time passed, evening arrived. Within the Sea God Pavilion, sandalwood incense curled through the air. Mu En remained half-reclined in his wicker chair, while Elder Xuan sat on a stone stool nearby, calmly regarding Jing Hongchen across from him.
The master of the Sun Moon Empire's Mingde Hall wore luxurious brocade robes. A polite smile was plastered across his face, though a hint of urgency lay concealed in his eyes.
"Hall Master Hongchen, you have come from afar. What brings you here?" Elder Xuan spoke first, his voice carrying a