The Holy Spirit Cult's Prying Eyes, Dai Yueheng's Curiosity

As Zhang Lexuan's words fell, the members of the Inner Court immediately charged into the valley.

The Evil Soul Masters within the valley had not yet realized what was happening when they saw a streak of moonlight descend from the sky, illuminating the silhouette of every one of them.

"Oh no! It's Shrek!!"

An Evil Soul Master with quick reflexes realized something was wrong; just as he was about to alert the others, scorching dark red flames surged before him.

The next moment, before he could finish his sentence, his entire body exploded under the impact of the Evil Fire.

Ma Xiaotao's strike signaled that this one-sided slaughter had officially begun.

"BOOM--"

Dark red flames soared into the sky, illuminating the entire valley until it was bright as day.

The high temperature instantly distorted the air, burning away a large patch of the surrounding poisonous miasma.

Ma Xiaotao hovered in mid-air, the light from her fifth and sixth soul rings shining brilliantly.

Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike!

Phoenix Meteor Shower!

In the past, whenever she used these two moves, she always had to hold back her strength, fearing that an overly violent release of soul power would lead to a backlash from the Evil Fire.

But today was completely different.

Is this the power of controlling the flames?

Ma Xiaotao looked at her palms, feeling the Evil Fire that had never been so obedient to her, and felt mesmerized.

The clear and smooth sensation in her meridians made her feel utterly exhilarated.

Her soul power as a six-ring Soul Emperor poured out without reservation, and the comfort that seeped from her very bones made Ma Xiaotao unable to stop herself from letting out a long cry.

The Evil Soul Masters below didn't even have time to scream, and the five-ring Evil Soul Master leader naturally received special attention.

He had only just manifested his martial soul when he was engulfed head-on by these tyrannical flames, burning him directly into charcoal.

Dai Yueheng swatted away a Soul Grand Master attempting a sneak attack, looked up at the dazzling fire in the sky, and knitted his brows into a knot.

Did this crazy woman take the wrong medicine today?

He retracted his martial soul and walked to the side.

Looking at it this way, it seemed there was nothing left for them to do today.

Ling Luochen stood not far away, still clutching an ice cone she hadn't released.

She had been keeping her eyes on Ma Xiaotao, ready to step in and help her cool down at any moment, only to realize now that there was no need for her to intervene at all.

Those Evil Soul Masters hadn't even survived Ma Xiaotao's first round of outbursts before the battle was already over.

Zhang Lexuan stood on a high treetop, watching the destructive battle below, and was also somewhat surprised.

Xiaotao's Evil Fire... there isn't even a sign of it losing control this time?

The battle ended extremely quickly.

Of the dozen or so Evil Soul Masters, except for the one living captive that Zhang Lexuan had specifically requested to be spared, the rest had been wiped out by Ma Xiaotao alone.

She even felt it wasn't enough, bombarding the valley repeatedly with her fifth and sixth soul skills before finally feeling satisfied.

Ma Xiaotao descended from mid-air, clapped her hands, and was in a great mood.

Dai Yueheng walked over, looked her up and down, and asked with a hint of confusion in his tone.

"What's wrong with you today? You used so many ten-thousand-year soul skills in a row; aren't you afraid the Evil Fire will become uncontrollable?"

Gongyang Mo also crowded over, looking completely baffled.

"You usually have to ask Luochen to help you cool down after using just two thousand-year soul skills, and today you're throwing out ten-thousand-year soul skills like nothing. Aren't you afraid the Evil Fire will backfire and set yourself ablaze?"

Facing their questioning, Ma Xiaotao proudly lifted her chin, her face glowing.

"Backfire my foot!"

"This lady is in great shape right now!"

Ling Luochen walked closer, carefully sensing the aura on Ma Xiaotao, and frowned slightly.

"Your Evil Fire... has it been suppressed? Who did it?"

The people of the Inner Court knew Ma Xiaotao's condition all too well.

Even Dean Yan and the various elders of the Sea God Pavilion had said there was nothing to be done, so how did it suddenly get better today?

Ma Xiaotao couldn't keep things to herself, or rather, she wanted to show off.

"Who else could it be? It's naturally thanks to my little Yuhao!"

"Little Yuhao?"

Dai Yueheng was stunned for a moment, frowning in thought.

"Since when did we have someone like that in our Inner Court?"

"What Inner Court? He's a freshman from the Outer Court!"

Ma Xiaotao's tone turned light and airy whenever she mentioned Huo Yuhao.

"Don't look down on him just because he only has one ring. I'm telling you, with his talent and methods, he'll be a seed player for our Inner Court sooner or later!"

The moment these words left her lips, everyone around her was stunned.

A first-ring freshman from the Outer Court?

He solved the Evil Fire Phoenix problem that had plagued Ma Xiaotao for over a decade?

And he was being called an Inner Court seed by the notoriously arrogant Ma Xiaotao?

Gongyang Mo stroked his chin, looking thoughtful.

"Interesting. There's such a peculiar person in the Outer Court? I'll have to go see for myself once we get back."

Ling Luochen didn't say anything, but her expression clearly showed she was intrigued as well.

Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao realized she had let something slip.

She immediately took a wide step forward, blocking the others like a mother hen guarding her food.

"I'm warning you all!"

"Little Yuhao is mine! No one is allowed to have any ideas about him!"

"Especially you, Ling Luochen! Don't you dare set your sights on our little Yuhao!"

Ling Luochen let out a cold snort and turned her head away.

"Boring."

Watching Ma Xiaotao's nervous display from the side, Dai Yueheng's curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

He truly wanted to see what kind of person could make Ma Xiaotao act so protective.

To be able to resolve the hidden dangers of the Evil Fire Phoenix...

If such a rare talent could be recruited into the White Tiger Duke mansion and used for his own purposes...

On a mountain peak far away.

The night wind howled.

The Zhongli Brothers exchanged glances, each seeing the wariness in the others' eyes.

The gathering of so many evil soul masters here was their doing, intended to test the true strength of the Shrek Academy Inner Court disciples.

But now, seeing fellow evil soul masters so brutally wiped out, the three brothers couldn't help but feel a sense of shared grief.

Zhongli Tian watched the dark red flames in the valley slowly die out, instinctively swallowing hard as he said with a hint of fear.

"That fire is too wicked."

"If we were at the same level, I'm afraid the three of us would be burned straight through by her."

Zhongli Ren chimed in from the side.

"Exactly. How are these Shrek Academy Inner Court disciples even more like evil soul masters than we are when they fight?"

Zhongli Di remained silent on the side.

Standing before them was a man whose aura of evil was several times stronger than that of the three brothers, and he remained silent.

He stared in the direction of the valley, not with fear, but with intense greed written across his face.

Scorpion Tiger Douluo, Zhang Peng.

"That is the aura of ultimate destruction. What a fine seedling."

Hearing the three brothers, Zhang Peng chuckled, his voice raspy as if rubbing against sandpaper.

"This girl was born to be one of our Holy Spirit Cult."

Zhongli Tian stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

"Venerable, should we strike now? They just finished fighting; their consumption must be high."

Zhang Peng waved his hand.

"No rush."

"The girl hasn't fully matured yet; taking her back now wouldn't be of much use."

He turned around, his black robes snapping in the wind.

"Let Shrek continue to raise our future Saintess for us."

"When the time is right, she will come to our cult on her own."

With that, the four of them vanished into the darkness, leaving not a trace behind.

The following evening.

Outside the Outer Court gates, Dai Yueheng, having inquired about the information early on, arrived at the snack street he had almost never visited before.

Watching Huo Yuhao skillfully prepare the delicious grilled fish, for some reason, a sense of familiarity stirred within his heart.

Yet, Dai Yueheng was certain he had never met this newly enrolled student before.

"Interesting."

Dai Yueheng rubbed his chin, a decision forming in his mind, and then he walked straight toward the grilled fish stall.

This person, he was determined to have!