(Beautiful illustration of Ma Xiaotao from the manga)
How was a mere One-Ring Soul Master like him supposed to fight a rampaging Six-Ring Soul Emperor like Ma Xiaotao?
Better make a run for it!
Wind Fire Wheels!
Without hesitation, Lin Ye summoned the Wind Fire Wheels.
Two rings of fire appeared out of thin air beneath his feet. Each was about half a meter in diameter, its entire surface a brilliant crimson gold,
and its rim was covered in ancient flame patterns. Blazing flames roared across them as they hovered half a foot above the ground, slowly spinning with a faint whooshing sound.
From a distance, they looked like two compressed suns.
Lin Ye stepped onto them, ready to leap into the air and flee.
But at that very moment...
The red figure was drawing closer and closer. Her utterly frenzied aura pressed down like a tidal wave, and the scorching air currents made the air itself begin to twist.
Lin Ye had just steadied himself and was about to take off.
A figure dressed in red had already charged right up to him.
A red mask concealed half her face. Behind her, a pair of blazing wings spread wide, rolling waves of heat making the air ripple and distort.
It was Ma Xiaotao!
The searing heat washed over Lin Ye. A wave of hot air struck his face, curling his hair.
But Lin Ye could at least control fire, so this heat was no threat to him.
The water and fire affinity brought by his Lotus Martial Soul let him breathe, barely, amid the waves of heat.
But following close on the scorching heat came the shockwave of force released by Ma Xiaotao.
Its impact was far more terrifying than the heat, like an invisible wall slamming into him!
Lin Ye felt the violent surge behind him, but there was no time to dodge.
"So fast—"
Before he could finish speaking, the shockwave sent him flying!
"Bang!"
He hit the ground hard. His back burned with pain, as if it had been seared by a branding iron.
Damn it, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor was no joke!
Gritting his teeth against the agony in his back, Lin Ye quickly rolled over and scrambled to his feet.
The Wind Fire Wheels were still spinning by his feet, whooshing, but Ma Xiaotao was already right in front of him. The eyes peering through her mask glowed an unnatural red as they fixed on him.
This wasn't an ordinary Six-Ring Soul Emperor.
Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire came incredibly close to Ultimate Fire, and in her madness, she was unleashing every last bit of the power she had suppressed for far too long.
All of her Evil Fire!
She was like a moving sun, scorching waves of heat bursting outward in one surge after another, distorting the air all around her.
Ma Xiaotao's heaving chest rose and fell violently. Her breaths were heavy and ragged, and the half of her face visible beneath her mask was flushed an unnatural red.
"Hah."
She gave a low shout, then beat her fiery wings hard. She lunged forward again, chasing after Lin Ye, who had been blasted aside by the shockwave!
Lin Ye's mind raced.
What could he do to make her stop?
Shrek Academy couldn't even keep an eye on one Ma Xiaotao!
No wonder the Holy Spirit Cult had managed to kidnap her!
He knew exactly what was going on:
Ma Xiaotao had Evil Fire within her, and when it flared up, she practically couldn't tell friend from foe.
And her teacher was Yan Shaozhe.
Who was Yan Shaozhe?
The dean of Shrek Academy, a Rank 95 Super Douluo of the Power Attack System, titled the "Bright Phoenix."
A Titled Douluo like that couldn't stop Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Emperor?
What a joke!
And what about that old schemer, Mu En? With Ma Xiaotao's aura going berserk like this, could an Ultimate Douluo really not sense it?
Besides, although Mu En was crippled, it wasn't as if he couldn't use his power. At worst, he was only a tiny bit weaker than Xuan Zi.
But what now?
A rampaging Six-Ring Soul Emperor was charging all over the academy, and still no one had come out to stop her!
The management at this academy was truly something else.
Lin Ye had no time to think any further.
Ma Xiaotao was charging at him again, her terrifying speed carrying the full force of her unrelenting frenzy!
He couldn't dodge!
Lin Ye gritted his teeth and activated his torso-bone skill without hesitation.
"Nine-Grade Lotus Platform Body Protection!"
Before his voice had even faded, a lotus platform coalesced out of thin air in the space beneath his feet.
Nine tiers of lotus platforms overlapped one another, rising from beneath his feet to envelop his entire body.
The lotus petals joined end to end, layer upon layer, forming a sealed barrier of lotus armor.
The nine tiers of lotus platforms distributed the impact layer by layer. If one broke, there were still eight beneath it.
This was Lin Ye's strongest defensive technique at the moment.
Ma Xiaotao crashed into him without the slightest finesse—
"Boom!"
Four tiers of lotus platforms shattered instantly!
The impact pierced through the lotus armor. Though most of its force had been blunted, the power that remained still sent Lin Ye flying!
"Damn—"
Lin Ye spun twice in midair. Even as his body kept tumbling, his mind had already caught up.
He immediately used the force of the impact to accelerate the Wind Fire Wheels beneath his feet.
With a whoosh, he shot off into the distance like a cannonball!
As Lin Ye flew toward the horizon, he congratulated himself: Good thing I reacted fast!
The old fogeys at Shrek Academy should come out now, right? Then they'll be able to stop Ma Xiaotao.
He couldn't help glancing back—
Ma Xiaotao was actually catching up!
Her fiery wings beat frantically, and she was faster than him. Her eyes beneath the mask stayed fixed on him, like a beast that had picked out its prey.
Lin Ye's face turned green. "What's going on? Lady, what do you want with me?!"
Gritting his teeth, he poured all his Soul Power into the Wind Fire Wheels and urged them to accelerate with everything he had.
The fiery rings beneath his feet let out a shrill whine as their speed surged to its limit.
Soon, he had flown beyond the bounds of Shrek Academy.
But Ma Xiaotao was even faster!
The ball of red flame in his field of vision grew larger and larger, drawing nearer and nearer—
"Holy crap!"
Lin Ye had only just managed to shout those two words when Ma Xiaotao slammed into him like a meteor!
Four more tiers of lotus platforms shattered!
The lotus petals scattered through the air as specks of golden light.
The two of them collided and plunged straight downward!
"Boom—"
They crashed into the woods outside Shrek Academy. Branches snapped with a series of sharp cracks, and leaves scattered everywhere.
Ma Xiaotao was still on top of Lin Ye, her entire body pressed against him like a scorching-hot iron.
Lin Ye grimaced. "Damn it! I still have to be the landing pad!"
The final tier of the lotus platform shattered the instant they hit the ground. Its golden light faded, and Lin Ye's lower back slammed hard into the earth. He let out a muffled groan.
But Ma Xiaotao had fallen into his arms, and the softness of his embrace had given her a decent cushion.
Ma Xiaotao's mask flew off during the fall, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.
Their eyes met.
Her pale pink eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water, with a naturally bewitching quality that made it impossible to look away.
Her cheeks were flushed, her breath scorching, her chest rising and falling violently. Her whole body radiated a dangerous allure that was impossible to resist.
Lin Ye froze.
Ma Xiaotao froze too.
They stayed locked in an embrace, staring into each other's eyes, while the air seemed to solidify around them.
Lin Ye stared into those burning pink eyes, a thought flashing through his mind.
Evil Fire, huh? Then I'll help you let it out!
Before you continue