Wu Xing didn't rush to act.
He walked toward Ma Hongjun step by step, unhurried, the soles of his shoes crunching over the gravel.
With every step, the White Tiger behind him faded a little.
With every step, the air grew a little hotter.
By the time he was three steps away from Ma Hongjun, the White Tiger had vanished completely.
In its place, a golden-red light filled the street.
A fiery bird wreathed in golden-red flames rose behind Wu Xing, spreading its wings and illuminating the entire street.
Its flames weren't dark red, nor were they an eerie purple.
They were pure golden red, like the rising sun, like molten magma.
It was the real thing, radiating an aura that crushed everything in its path.
Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul burst out of him involuntarily.
He hadn't wanted to release it. The Evil Fire Phoenix had sensed an enormous threat and instinctively tried to resist.
A dark-red firebird appeared behind him, spreading its wings as two Spirit Rings rose into the air.
Then.
The moment that dark-red firebird saw the golden-red Vermilion Bird opposite it, it shrank back.
Its wings folded in, its flames dimmed, and its entire phantom curled into a ball, trembling.
Like a frightened chicken.
No.
It was a chicken.
A scruffy chicken with ruffled feathers, cowering in a corner and shaking.
"Y-you... What are you going to do?!"
Ma Hongjun's voice quavered. His legs had gone weak, and his back was pressed against the wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Wu Xing looked at him without a word and raised his right hand.
Golden-red flames gathered in his palm. The heat climbed higher and higher until the air began to warp.
Ma Hongjun's pupils contracted sharply. He suddenly understood what Wu Xing wanted!
"N-no... Don't! I was wrong, I shouldn't have..."
He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't obey.
He wanted to use a Soul Skill, but the Evil Fire Phoenix had curled into a ball and wouldn't listen to him.
All he could do was kowtow and beg for mercy, hoping the other man would spare him because he'd admitted his mistake.
"When you ran your mouth, did you ever think this would happen?"
Wu Xing's voice was calm, but it sent chills down Ma Hongjun's spine.
"When those little girls you preyed on begged and pleaded, did you ever spare them?"
"Since you wanted Rongrong to taste the Evil Fire Phoenix, I'll let you taste what it's like to be burned."
He flicked a finger.
A ball of golden-red flame shot out. It was small, no bigger than a thumb.
But it moved so fast Ma Hongjun couldn't even see it.
The flame didn't hit his face or his chest.
It landed precisely below his lower abdomen.
"Sss..."
As if something had caught fire.
Ma Hongjun froze for a second.
Then.
"AAAH...!!!"
His scream rang through the entire street. It didn't sound human, but like the wail of something being burned alive.
Ma Hongjun clutched his crotch and writhed on the ground, kicking wildly, his face twisted beyond recognition.
The golden-red flames burned through his trousers and seared his skin, then kept burning deeper.
This wasn't an ordinary fire.
It was the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.
It didn't burn the flesh. It burned the source.
The source of his evil fire.
At that moment, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul let out a wail, then dimmed completely.
It hadn't disappeared. It had been ruined.
His Martial Soul was still there, but the part that produced the evil fire had been burned away without a trace.
From now on, he would no longer be tormented by the evil fire, nor could he use it as an excuse.
In a way, Wu Xing had done a good deed: he'd avenged the little girls who weren't even eleven or twelve yet, and cured Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul defect.
Two birds with one stone.
He'd done such a good deed without leaving his name. From now on, they could call him Wu Lei Feng.
Ma Hongjun curled up on the ground, trembling all over, his face slick with either tears or cold sweat.
His trousers had a hole burned through them, exposing the charred skin beneath. The sight was too gruesome to look at.
Wu Xing lowered his hand, and the golden-red flames vanished with it.
He looked down at Ma Hongjun, his tone flat.
"That way, you won't be able to prey on anyone anymore."
Because Ma Hongjun no longer had the ability.
Ning Rongrong watched it all, her heart churning with feelings she couldn't put into words.
When Ma Hongjun had insulted her with his filthy mouth, she hadn't cried.
When Dai Mubai had glared at her and threatened her, she hadn't been afraid.
But now, her eyes were red.
Not because she was sad, and certainly not because she felt sorry for that bastard Ma Hongjun.
It was because someone had stood up for her.
Not with words.
With fists, with fire, with actions!
It reminded her of when she'd first joined Shrek Academy. Back then, everyone had ostracized her and scorned her for being spoiled.
No one had ever stood up for her then. She'd never forgotten it, and she'd kept it in her heart all this time.
But today, Wu Xing had trampled the person who'd bullied her beneath his feet and taken revenge for her with his own hands.
His defense of her was scorching and sincere.
Xiao Wu stood nearby, looking from Ma Hongjun, curled up on the ground, to Wu Xing's back, her eyes shining.
So fierce.
So domineering.
And so protective.
She really loved it!
Dugu Yan folded her arms, her gaze fixed on Wu Xing, hearts practically shining in her eyes.
Decisive and ruthless, quick to act, and ready to protect the people he cared about. Everything had come true.
This was the man she'd set her sights on!
Ye Lingling still said nothing, but she never once looked away from Wu Xing.
He'd gone to such lengths to avenge the woman he loved. It wasn't about how cruel his methods were.
It was that he remembered.
He remembered who had bullied the women he loved, and he remembered to stand up for every one of them.
The Nine Heart Begonia bloomed only once in a lifetime.
At that moment, it wanted to bloom.
There was no need to wonder who it would bloom for.
Zhu Zhuqing stood closest, and her Nether Civet Martial Soul was still restless.
Wu Xing was still holding her, and now he had stood up for Rongrong, too.
She ought to have been jealous.
But she wasn't.
She had never once felt protected by Dai Mubai.
He'd never said, "She's mine. Touch her again and see what happens!"
She had never experienced that feeling of being cherished and cared for.
Not until now.
At that moment, she wanted to draw closer, to get even closer.
Just like her restless Martial Soul, she wanted to become one with him.
Wu Xing turned and walked back to the women. His face was expressionless, as if he'd just done something trivial.
"Let's go."
Two words, spoken in an even tone.
Yet they brought all the women back to their senses.
Ning Rongrong followed, walking to Wu Xing's side. She said nothing, simply matching his stride.
Xiao Wu bounced along behind them, unable to suppress the joy and excitement in her eyes.
Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling exchanged a glance, then followed as well.
Behind them.
Dai Mubai lay sprawled in the rubble, never once lifting his head.
He no longer had the strength to raise it.
His right arm was broken, several ribs were broken, and there was a footprint on his chest.
Ma Hongjun was curled up in the corner, still trembling all over.
His trousers had a hole burned through them, and the skin beneath was charred black.
The source of the Evil Fire Phoenix had been burned away.
He would never have evil fire again, but he would never be a man again either...
Before you continue