Removing the Evil Fire

With Yang Jian's reminders, Ma Xiaotao restrained herself significantly. Although she still let out an occasional seductive moan, she was, on the whole, much better behaved.

Yang Jian finally began to settle his mind to help Ma Xiaotao suppress the Evil Fire.

It was fortunate that Ma Xiaotao's attribute was merely a top-tier fire attribute, rather than Ultimate Fire. Had it been Ultimate Fire, the collision between two ultimate attributes—if guided even slightly improperly—would have led to a catastrophic clash of poles. Furthermore, while his combat power could rival a Soul Emperor, his Soul Power Level was only at rank thirty-eight; Ma Xiaotao's Soul Power Level of over fifty would have been enough to suppress him in return.

The current situation was just right.

Relying on the attribute suppression of Ultimate Water, he was perfectly capable of keeping Ma Xiaotao in check.

The alternation between warmth and heat plunged Ma Xiaotao into a truly wondrous state; she couldn't even describe what this sensation was like. Although there was a faint trace of pain, compared to the agony of an Evil Fire outbreak, it didn't cause her any distress at all. On the contrary, it brought her an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Coupled with the gentle nature of the Ultimate Water attribute, Ma Xiaotao felt as if she were drifting in a sea of clouds, her entire being floating. Since the Evil Fire first manifested in her body, this was the first time she had felt such comfort.

Moreover, as time passed, Ma Xiaotao was surprised to discover that the Evil Fire within her did not seem to be merely suppressed deep within her bloodline as it had been before; it was... actually diminishing?

Ma Xiaotao's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she cast a surprised glance at Yang Jian.

At this moment, wisps of white mist were rising from Yang Jian's body, clinging to his skin. The parts of his torso exposed to Ma Xiaotao's view were slightly flushed, and his entire person radiated a scorching heat.

Ma Xiaotao was not stupid; she could naturally see what was happening.

Yang Jian had not chosen to simply suppress the Evil Fire within her; he was attempting to guide and vent it out!

And the outlet for this venting and guidance was none other than Yang Jian himself!

This was completely different from what they had agreed upon beforehand... They had clearly agreed that he would only use his Ultimate Water soul power to suppress the Evil Fire, but what he was doing now was equivalent to channeling the Evil Fire into his own body!

Ma Xiaotao bit her lip, a strange look flickering in her eyes.

Even if Yang Jian possessed the Ultimate Water attribute and the Evil Fire shouldn't cause him any harm, this was still far too reckless!

However, Ma Xiaotao soon had no time to dwell on this.

As the Evil Fire within her decreased, Ma Xiaotao was astonished to find that the bottleneck in her soul power, which had troubled her for so long, was actually showing signs of loosening!

Perhaps she could take this opportunity to make a breakthrough in one go!

As for Yang Jian, who had helped her so much... a sense of apology welled up in Ma Xiaotao's heart, but it was overshadowed by a surge of gratitude.

Although the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul was considered a top-tier beast martial soul, in reality, it still fell short of the true top-tier. Ultimately, the reason lay in the Evil Fire itself. Only the purest Fire Phoenix martial soul could be considered a top-tier beast martial soul; the existence of the Evil Fire was more like an impurity within the martial soul itself.

Yang Jian's actions were equivalent to helping Ma Xiaotao purge a portion of the impurities from her martial soul. It was only natural that she would feel the changes within herself, and it was normal for her Soul Power Level to show some improvement.

However, Yang Jian was not acting out of some naive sense of altruism when he drew the Evil Fire into his own body.

While the Evil Fire was a fatal flaw for Ma Xiaotao, for him—possessing the Silver Howl Divine Dog and the Ultimate Chaos attribute—it was nothing at all.

Even after entering his body, the Evil Fire could not stir up any trouble; instead, it allowed him to take this opportunity to master a certain degree of fire-attribute power.

Even if the Evil Fire did not reach the level of Ultimate Fire, mastering fire attributes in advance would be helpful for his future absorption of Ultimate Fire, and it would even be of no small benefit for mastering the Ultimate Darkness attribute later on.

After all, the Evil Fire contained a certain amount of darkness attribute; otherwise, Ma Xiaotao's martial soul would not have mutated into a Black Phoenix, leading her to become a saintess of the Holy Spirit Cult.

Under Yang Jian's guidance, the Evil Fire in Ma Xiaotao's body flowed continuously into his own, circulating through his meridians without causing any damage.

Yang Jian didn't even need to mobilize his Ultimate Water soul power; the Evil Fire was suppressed firmly until it was assimilated into his own soul power.

Ma Xiaotao had successfully broken through her soul power bottleneck, and the aura around her had stabilized, yet she seemed to have lost consciousness, her body leaning against Yang Jian's involuntarily.

Feeling the soft body pressed against him, Yang Jian slowly opened his eyes. A deep, crimson glint flashed in their depths, and the aura around him also stabilized.

He had not completely eradicated the Evil Fire within Ma Xiaotao, but had only channeled a portion of it into his own body.

Even so, this was enough to improve Ma Xiaotao's condition significantly. Now, Ma Xiaotao could cultivate without restraint and unleash her full strength without worrying about the Evil Fire erupting.

He, too, had gained a great deal.

Relying on the Ultimate Chaos attribute to suppress and master the Evil Fire, he could now fully manifest the power of the Evil Fire, effectively having refined it.

Beyond that, Yang Jian's soul power, which had just broken through not long ago, had improved once more. Even if he was still some distance from rank thirty-nine, he could easily reach it—and perhaps even break through to rank forty—if he did this a few more times.

Looking at Ma Xiaotao lying against him, Yang Jian reached out and patted her face:

"Wake up, stop sleeping. At such a young age, how can you be so sleepy?"

Following Yang Jian's words, Ma Xiaotao slowly stirred and opened her eyes. By now, her gaze had completely cleared. For over a decade, ever since her martial soul awakened, she had been tormented by the Evil Fire.

She had had no choice but to endure it in silence, unless she chose to succumb to depravity.

But now, she had never felt such a wonderful sensation.

The Evil Fire within her had diminished significantly, and the remaining portion showed no signs of agitation, having fallen completely dormant. This state... even by a conservative estimate, could last for several months!

In the past, this was something she wouldn't have dared to imagine.

Ma Xiaotao propped herself up, a blush rising to her face:

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it. After all, we agreed on this beforehand; this was our pact, and I am merely acting according to our agreement. Besides, your Evil Fire didn't cause me any harm; on the contrary, it did me a favor."

As he spoke, Yang Jian rose from the bed and straightened his clothes.

Immediately after, Ma Xiaotao's earnest voice came from behind him: "It's not the same."