The Saintess's Temptation

"Then how do you plan to obtain your fifth Soul Ring? Do you want my help?"

Tang Ya looked up, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. Her voice held concern, but also a trace of that subtle, dejected realization of her own inadequacy.

"Don't worry, I have my own arrangements," Lin Feng said in a steady, reassuring tone. "Just focus on packing your things these next few days. Leave the rest to me."

"Mm." Tang Ya nodded. She didn't ask further, simply holding him quietly for a moment longer before slowly loosening her arms.

As his embrace fell away, the warmth lingered, but that familiar sense of powerlessness—born from her own lack of strength—quietly welled up in her heart once more.

Standing beside Lin Feng, who shone with ever-increasing brilliance, she always felt too small, as if there was so little she could do for him.

If only she possessed a legendary bloodline and power like the Blue Silver Emperor.

Lin Feng sat with Tang Ya in the small shop for a while longer, and once the tea was finished, he rose to his feet.

"I have some matters to attend to in the Inner Court. Get some rest early."

"Alright, be careful on your way."

After bidding Tang Ya farewell, Lin Feng took out the list of fire-attribute soul masters from Shrek Academy that he had stored in his soul tool.

He had already visited those in the Outer Court one by one; now, his target naturally shifted to the deeper foundations of the Inner Court.

His fingertip slid down the list, finally stopping at a name.

"Wu Ming, twenty-six years old, Martial Soul: Golden Crow. Level 65 Assault System Battle Soul Emperor, known as the Golden Crow Saintess..."

Since successfully devouring the source of Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix Fire, Lin Feng had gained considerable confidence in consuming the flames of powerhouses at or above the Soul Emperor level.

Wu Ming's Martial Soul, the Golden Crow, was a divine bird born alongside the sun, rumored to be a close relative of the Phoenix. The Golden Crow True Fire it nurtured, while not quite reaching the level of Ultimate Fire, was not far off, and was on par with Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix.

Lin Feng soon arrived at the Inner Court. After making a few inquiries, he learned that Senior Sister Wu Ming had headed toward a secluded area on Sea God Island.

He followed the trail, eventually sensing intense fire-attribute soul power fluctuations—and the faint sound of water—in a remote, tree-shaded corner of Sea God Island.

His spiritual detection spread out instinctively—

He saw a clear forest lake, with a figure submerged within the water.

Beneath the surface, her curves were hazy, and her long golden hair fanned out like seaweed, shimmering under the sunlight.

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. Realizing the impropriety, he moved to withdraw his spiritual detection.

However, the person in the lake seemed to react faster than he did.

"Splash—!"

With a light sound of water, a figure gracefully swept out from the lake, carrying crystalline droplets.

The next moment, a pair of golden wings unfolded behind her back, and with a gentle flap, the water vapor around her body was completely evaporated.

Lin Feng's gaze inevitably caught a glimpse of that unadorned, graceful figure, and he felt a rush of hot blood surge straight to his head and nose.

Although this Golden Crow Saintess was over twenty-five, she looked like a woman in her early twenties, similar in age to Ma Xiaotao.

Her features were not as dazzlingly beautiful as Ma Xiaotao's, but she possessed a clear, heroic spirit, with brows and eyes as delicate as a painting; she was undoubtedly a beauty.

However, Wu Ming calmly reached for the clothes on the shore, dressing herself piece by piece with composed, natural, and fluid movements.

Yet, her gaze swept vaguely over the direction from which Lin Feng's spiritual detection had originated, and the corners of her lips curled into a... subtle, playful arc.

After dressing, she glanced in that direction one last time, then flapped her golden wings, transforming into a streak of light that vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Junior brother, was it a good view?"

A female voice filled with playful mockery came from behind him, startling Lin Feng into a shiver.

"Damn it... Senior Sister, I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to. My name is Lin Feng, I came to find you for a real matter."

Lin Feng hurriedly turned to explain, his heart sinking.

This Senior Sister Wu Ming had appeared behind him without a sound, her face still wearing that seemingly gentle, yet bone-chilling smile.

Lin Feng's intuition told him that this woman was absolutely a smiling tiger.

In fact, earlier when he was asking about her whereabouts, Lin Feng had noticed the fear in the eyes of the Inner Court seniors when they mentioned her name—it was exactly the same look the academy gate guards had when they saw Ma Xiaotao.

"Oh? A 'real matter'?" Wu Ming raised an eyebrow, her tone still light, but her words made the back of Lin Feng's neck go cold. "Then Senior Sister will give you a chance. Give me a reason that satisfies me, otherwise..."

Her smile deepened as her fingertips brushed against Lin Feng's cheek: "I can't guarantee that these restless eyes of yours will remain intact to enjoy the scenery."

Lin Feng's guess was correct. The danger level of this senior sister was likely on par with the volatile, evil-fire-plagued Ma Xiaotao.

It seemed that few high-level female fire-attribute soul masters were easy to deal with—from Ma Xiaotao and Zhou Yi to this Wu Ming.

He would have to subdue her by force.

Lin Feng said no more, quietly circulating the Flame Mantra.

A wisp of dark red, near-black flame rose from his palm, radiating a heart-stopping violence.

"This is... Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire source?!" The smile on Wu Ming's face vanished instantly, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes as she stared at the flame. "You... you also have the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul? No, your aura is wrong..."

"Senior Sister, look at this instead." Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged.

The wisp of dark red evil fire in his palm suddenly shifted into a pure, crimson gold. The previous violence was swept away, leaving only the aura of pure and sacred Phoenix Fire.

"This... this is pure Phoenix True Fire?! You... how on earth did you do that?" Wu Ming's pupils contracted sharply. Her surprise this time was even greater, bordering on horror.

Her mind surged with turbulent thoughts; how could these two top-tier flames, possessing diametrically opposed natures yet originating from the same source, be controlled and transformed so effortlessly by a single person?

Lin Feng watched the shifting expressions on Wu Ming's face, knowing the time was ripe, and said slowly, "If I told you that I helped Senior Ma Xiaotao completely purify the Phoenix Evil Fire entangled within her, and even assisted in the evolution of her martial soul into a pure Fire Phoenix possessing the attribute of Ultimate Fire, would you believe me?"

Strength and the facts laid out before one's eyes are always more persuasive than empty words.

Wu Ming stared fixedly at that wisp of pure Phoenix Fire, the shock and suspicion in her eyes eventually giving way to realization.

The smile vanished from her face, replaced by a solemnity—the instinctive yearning of a soul master for a higher level of power.

Her Golden Crow martial soul was a top-tier fire-attribute beast martial soul, a divine bird legendary enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the phoenix; it was only a few steps away from the legendary Ultimate Fire, yet those were the most difficult steps of all.

If what this youth before her said was true, and he could purify Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Evil Fire, did that mean... he might also be able to help her purify her Golden Crow True Fire, or even... touch that legendary level—the Ultimate Fire of the Three-Legged Golden Crow?

This thought caused her heart to race uncontrollably.

"Speak. What do you need me to do, or what conditions do you want?"

Wu Ming took a deep breath, suppressing her churning thoughts, and looked sharply at Lin Feng, getting straight to the point.