Huo Wu's Proof!

Their lips parted, leaving a glistening thread and a lingering, intoxicating fragrance that begged to be savored.

"A-Ci..."

Huo Wu let out a soft, husky moan, her voice thick with emotion.

Murong Ci patted her shoulder gently, his voice soft. "Alright, go absorb the spirit ring first, before it dissipates."

Huo Wu turned back, and seeing the ink-black spirit ring appearing to fade, she couldn't help but panic.

"You should have told me sooner!"

Huo Wu hurriedly broke free from Murong Ci's embrace and trotted toward the spirit ring.

She sat cross-legged beside the corpse of the Crimson Flame Dragon Lizard, forming hand seals to draw the spirit ring slowly toward her.

She couldn't help but glance at Murong Ci, her panic laced with a hint of tenacity.

Murong Ci extended his forearm, clenched his fist, and gave a downward pump.

"Go for it."

Huo Wu hesitated no longer and immediately guided the ten-thousand-year spirit ring into her body.

The Fire Shadow manifested, and the high temperature of the Ultimate Fire radiated outward, the golden-red light flashing brilliantly.

But the moment that light touched the spirit ring, a domineering Wraith Qi enveloped Huo Wu's entire body, shattering the golden-red radiance into pieces.

Huo Wu's face turned deathly pale; she let out a muffled groan, her body tensing up.

Murong Ci lost his composure, shedding his usual devil-may-care attitude to stare at Huo Wu without blinking.

He immediately stepped forward, intending to place his hand on Huo Wu to soothe the spirit beast and provide her with spirit power support.

But Huo Wu glared at him fiercely, her eyes resolute, and she shook her head.

Yes, she was a genius, recognized as such throughout Heaven Dou City, but ever since Murong Ci arrived, all her light had been stolen away.

He was stronger than her, more talented, and more composed.

She seemed unable to surpass him in anything.

She wasn't angry; she clung to him, asking only to remain by his side.

But she was no mere accessory; she had backbone, pride, and substance. She refused to be a vase, and she would not allow herself to be truly inferior to him.

She had to prove that she could stand as his equal.

Murong Ci couldn't help but clench his fists; he finally understood that Huo Wu's pride had never vanished—it had only been tucked away for his sake.

But she was no longer the little woman of the past who believed "the husband is heaven."

[If you go now, you will only harm her. Trust her; she is stronger than you think.]

The system's voice also shed its cynical tone.

Murong Ci felt it then—the same sensation as when he had sealed the Ice Jade Scorpion. A barrier had enveloped Huo Wu, isolating her from the outside world.

Murong Ci kept his eyes fixed on her, though his clenched fists had turned deathly white, drained of all color.

Huo Wu was gritting her teeth, cold sweat pouring down her body.

Although the Ultimate Fire could suppress the flames of the Dragon Lizard, it could not suppress the resentment and entanglement left behind at the moment of its death.

"I'll burn you to ashes!"

Huo Wu roared in her heart, and in an instant, the flames surged, wave after wave.

Her body began to tremble, and sweat soaked through her clothes.

Outside the barrier, Murong Ci could still feel the intense heat of the flames, though they were now tainted with Wraith Qi, intertwined and fused.

[Black flames? Fusing Wraith Qi into fire, similar to Ma Xiaotao's Black Phoenix. But is the resentment of that Dragon Lizard truly this potent? Indeed, despite possessing dragon bloodline, it also inherited the violent and bloodthirsty nature of the dragon race.]

Murong Ci was incredibly surprised; was Huo Wu actually manifesting something like Ma Xiaotao's mutated Black Phoenix?

However, the Wraith Qi Huo Wu was dealing with was clearly of a higher grade; even Murong Ci's Ultimate Fire could not avoid being eroded.

But what surprised Murong Ci even more was that when this mass of Wraith Qi rushed into the Yongzhen, it was absorbed and converted into energy.

Truly, "Yongzhen" lived up to its reputation.

[You had best not let her be tainted by Wraith Qi and become an Evil Spirit Master, or she will suffer a backlash whenever she nears an Angel Martial Soul in the future.]

As the system finished speaking, Murong Ci hurriedly summoned the Yongzhen, and the Grey Light transformed into a tether, connecting him to the barrier.

Murong Ci began to absorb the Wraith Qi from within the barrier.

The effect was immediate; the interior of the barrier was no longer so dark, and the golden-red flames successfully reclaimed half the territory.

Taking the lead!

The Wraith Qi absorbed by Murong Ci was buried deep within a corner of the Yongzhen.

It was the aura of Ultimate Evil!

But Murong Ci was clearly unable to withstand such potent evil energy for long and had to temporarily avoid its edge.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, Evil attribute affinity increased by 10%.]

With the two of them complementing and supporting each other, Huo Wu's trembling gradually subsided.

Huo Wu's Fire Shadow martial soul did not mutate, nor did she become an Evil Soul Master.

However, what Murong Ci did not know was that within Huo Wu's Sea of Consciousness, he had clashed countless times with the Soul Form Huo Wu and the Crimson Flame Dragon Lizard.

His own trembling and the surging Wraith Qi were merely ripples spreading outward from the Sea of Consciousness.

Murong Ci had only absorbed the dissipated Wraith Qi, which was not enough to feed back into Huo Wu and turn her into an Evil Soul Master.

The credit still belonged to Huo Wu alone.

"A-Ci, this time... I really solo-killed it..."

Soul Form Huo Wu withdrew her hands, and the flames dimmed slightly as she finally struck down the dragon lizard, causing the Sea of Consciousness to fall silent.

The ink-black ten-thousand-year spirit ring slowly shrank, attaching itself to Huo Wu and pulsing rhythmically.

The barrier shattered, and Huo Wu stood up, her steps unsteady.

Murong Ci hurried to support her, helping her sit slowly on a rock.

Huo Wu's face remained pale and her mind somewhat hazy, yet she kept dizzily calling out for A-Ci, a smile never leaving the corners of her lips.

"Silly girl."

Murong Ci lightly scolded her, reaching out to flick her nose.

Huo Wu's smile deepened, but she could no longer withstand the exhaustion and fainted.

Murong Ci slowly hoisted her onto his back, his movements gentle.

He was terrified of waking her.

He looked back at the massive dragon lizard.

Murong Ci sighed helplessly, summoning the Yongzhen Grey Light to slowly draw the lizard inside.

Beads of sweat fell from his forehead involuntarily.

It was simply too large.

Finally, the dragon lizard, along with its spirit bone, was stored away into the Yongzhen Space.

Murong Ci looked at Huo Wu on his back, deep in thought.

If he took Huo Wu to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to absorb the spirit bone now, would the enhancement to her be even greater?

He decided to act immediately!

Murong Ci steeled his heart and strode quickly toward the depths of the forest.

Along the way, he encountered a few small streams, and a new plan formed in his mind.

He had already imprinted the lightning attribute but had yet to use it.

This was the perfect opportunity for a test.

Murong Ci carefully placed Huo Wu on the grass and walked alone to the edge of the stream.

Summoning Yongzhen, he focused his thoughts, and the outer layer of the Grey Light became wrapped in several patterns of lightning.

Murong Ci guided the Grey Light to descend into the water.

Slowly...

Slowly...

"Zzzzt!!!"

In an instant, Murong Ci saw with his own eyes that the ten-meter stretch of the stream was filled with lightning.

All the fish within it died instantly.

Murong Ci couldn't help but be startled; he truly hadn't expected the destructive power of the lightning attribute to be so great.

But he soon calmed down.

Ice meets fire to become water, and water conducts electricity; therefore, combining ice, fire, and lightning would be powerful.

Using ice as a carrier, fire as an auxiliary, and lightning as the primary attack, this combination would become a lethal trump card with immense destructive potential in the future.

Hmm~

Murong Ci proudly tilted his head, clearly very satisfied with his own genius idea.

Just as he was pondering, golden light flickered across the stream, and specks of shattered light scattered over the water's surface.

The sun was setting; it was evening.

Murong Ci hurriedly gathered all the electrocuted fish into the Yongzhen Space.

Then, he gently carried Huo Wu on his back and ran toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.