Granting the Ultimate Evil-Extinguishing Fire

Following Wang Dong, the group ate until they were oblivious to everything else; the gold standard of the Succubus Grilled Fish continued to rise!

Leaning against the same tree as Xiao Xiao, Su Qing silently glanced toward Sea God Lake. If things went as expected, Ma Xiaotao should be arriving soon, though her figure was not yet visible on the water.

As for how to handle her appearance, the method was simple. Just like the principle he used to neutralize the Demon Flame in the forest, he could instantly elevate Ma Xiaotao's origin fire to the Ultimate Fire, forcing her to resolve the evil fire herself. Although he could not maintain this state for long, it would be enough to temporarily restore Ma Xiaotao's clarity.

At the very least, this group of people would not be harmed as they were in the original story.

"Xiao Qing, what are you looking at?"

Xiao Xiao was puzzled. Sea God Lake was vast and boundless; what could there possibly be to see? The little ones who often came here for training were already bored of the view.

Hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, tired from eating, also looked toward Sea God Lake. With this look, Huo Yuhao, who possessed excellent eyesight, actually discovered something amiss.

"Sea God Lake seems a bit hazy today. Hey, look over there, there's a red dot in the distance. Wait, why does it seem to be getting bigger?"

Following the direction of Huo Yuhao's finger, the three indeed saw a red dot. As it drew closer, they realized it was a person in red, shrouded in rapidly rising, hazy water mist. Huo Yuhao and his companions were initially confused as to how someone could run on the water, but they relaxed upon realizing it was likely an inner court student engaged in rigorous cultivation.

"As expected of an inner court student, they are truly diligent!"

Watching the figure, Huo Yuhao felt a sense of inferiority. To train so hard even without supervision—it seemed he still had much to learn.

However, as time passed, the surrounding temperature began to rise. The heat waves radiating from the red-clad figure distorted the air, causing everything near her to warp in the eyes of the group.

As she approached, the sizzling sound from the heat waves reached their ears clearly. The water vapor was so thick it completely obscured the red figure. In their sight, the flash of red vanished entirely, replaced by a dense wall of white steam rushing toward them.

"It's so hot, what's going on?"

Xiao Xiao was confused. Why would an inner court student train so close to them? Weren't they afraid of accidentally injuring them while testing soul skills? Before she could figure it out, the rapidly rising temperature made the surrounding air scorching. She felt a burning sensation in her lungs, and her consciousness began to blur.

But just before losing consciousness, she suddenly felt herself being pulled into an embrace. Immediately after, a wave of coolness eased the pain in her lungs, allowing her to gradually wake up. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Su Qing's concerned gaze, followed by his slightly furrowed brows as he looked toward Sea God Lake.

"Strange, Huo Yuhao has already fainted, yet Sky Dream Ice Silkworm still hasn't made a move. What exactly is it planning?"

Su Qing looked at the unconscious Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong nearby. Fortunately, he had acted in time to imbue Ma Xiaotao with the Ultimate Fire, burning away the evil fire that controlled her mind, which allowed her to regain her senses and immediately terminate the soul skill she was casting.

Ma Xiaotao, having regained her composure and realizing she had caused trouble, instinctively wanted to come over to check on the situation. However, fearing that she might lose control again, she ultimately decided to leave first and let Yan Shaozhe handle the aftermath. In her heart, she only hoped that these students would be alright!

"Xiao Xiao, can you move?"

Seeing Ma Xiaotao depart, Su Qing patted Xiao Xiao, who was still pressed entirely against him in his arms. This girl definitely still had strength; otherwise, she wouldn't be clinging to him like a suction cup.

"Mmph~"

But how could Xiao Xiao let go of this hard-won opportunity? Facing Su Qing's inquiry, she shook her head weakly, let out a soft "mmph" as if she didn't even have the strength to speak, and continued to cling to Su Qing of her own accord.

"Alright, alright."

The excitement in her eyes was undisguised, and he could clearly see that she was perfectly fine. Thus, he casually set Xiao Xiao aside and turned to check on Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. There was no helping it; these two looked like they were half-dead.

"Brother Sky Dream, am I dead?"

Huo Yuhao, whose consciousness had been pulled into the spiritual sea by Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, asked with a desolate expression. He hadn't yet avenged his mother; how could he die here? But even Su Qing wouldn't have been able to survive under that kind of flame.

Thinking of this, a sense of self-reproach welled up in his heart. If he hadn't suggested grilling fish here, he wouldn't have caused his companions' deaths...

"Rest assured, you only fainted from the heat. That Brother Su of yours just now used some unknown method to drive away the person who attacked you. What a formidable human, though it's a pity he didn't need a soul ring at the time..."

"Brother Sky Dream!"

Seeing Sky Dream Ice Silkworm revealing a hint of regret as it spoke, Huo Yuhao nearly fainted again. This Brother Sky Dream was simply too unreliable; and to think he was a million-year soul beast.

"Is your bratty mind thinking something impolite?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, interrupted mid-sentence, saw Huo Yuhao's expression and immediately became displeased. This kid must be secretly cursing him!

"No! Absolutely not! Brother Sky Dream is the most amazing, the strongest soul beast!"

Huo Yuhao's consciousness body waved his hands frantically, nearly caught in his small thoughts, and began to flatter the other party heavily. Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, who loved this sort of thing, felt flattered and, while coyly telling him to be modest, sent Huo Yuhao's consciousness back out of the spiritual sea.

"Huh? Why did you two wake up at the same time?"

Su Qing had originally intended to check if these two still had a pulse, but before his hand could reach them, both guys opened their eyes simultaneously. Since his hand was already extended, it felt like something was missing if he just pulled it back, so he used his thumbs to press firmly into the philtrums of both.

"Ah!!" ×2

After two consecutive screams, the four gathered once more, discussing the recent experience with lingering fear, though two of them had to rub the red, swollen flesh under their noses every time they opened their mouths.

"Brother Su, next time, can you not press our philtrums? It hurts like hell!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Seeing Huo Yuhao, whose face was twisted in pain, start complaining first, Wang Dong quickly chimed in. This guy's grip was way too strong; it was fortunate he only pressed once, otherwise, they might not have been burned to death by fire, but they would have been pained to death.

"Oh, don't blame Xiao Qing, he was just worried about you guys."

Xiao Xiao grabbed Su Qing's arm to defend him. She hadn't even gotten warm in Su Qing's arms before he tossed her aside, anxious to check on the two of them. He was so urgent; surely it wasn't just to play with their philtrums?

"Are you all alright?"

Before the group could finish speaking, a crowd of people dressed in white teacher uniforms gathered around them.