On the way back to their dorm room, Wang Dong toyed with the Gold Soul Coin Bank Card he had earned.
"Making money is way too easy, isn't it?"
Wang Dong couldn't help marveling.
"Of course it is." Ye Chen looked as though it went without saying.
Once he started making Battle Armor and Mecha, that would be a business where a single investment brought ten thousandfold returns.
After all, ten thousand years later, when it came to personal wealth, probably no one could rival Zhenhua, the continent's only Divine Craftsman, right?
The next day,
After breakfast, Ye Chen and Wang Dong went for a stroll near Sea God Lake.
Outside the Sky Screen, in the Spirit Hall Era.
The moment Bo Saixi heard the words "Sea God Lake," she focused intently on the Sky Screen.
She didn't care about the grudges between Shrek and Spirit Hall. All she cared about was whether Sea Soul Masters still existed ten thousand years later.
"Since Shrek Academy has a Sea God Lake, it must have plenty of Sea Soul Masters, right?" Bo Saixi speculated.
Meanwhile, inside the Sky Screen.
While strolling, Ye Chen and Wang Dong happened to run into Huo Yuhao head-on.
The instant Huo Yuhao saw Ye Chen, his expression changed, as though some bitter blood feud lay between them.
Just then, Bibi Dong in the Sea of Spirit seemed to sense something and warned him.
"Ye Chen, a Soul Emperor is flying toward you at high speed."
Ye Chen looked in the direction Bibi Dong indicated. Sure enough, a red figure was rapidly flying toward them.
"Wang Dong, let's go." Without further explanation, Ye Chen grabbed Wang Dong and hurried away.
They left a bewildered Huo Yuhao standing frozen in place.
By the time Huo Yuhao reacted, it was already too late to dodge.
Even Ye Chen and Wang Dong, who had fled ahead of time, were caught in the fallout.
Terrifying heat erupted in an instant, and scorching flames immediately engulfed the area.
"Hmph! Mere evil fire dares to block my way?" Ye Chen immediately released his Three-Eyed Golden Lion martial soul, and his ultimate flames instantly suppressed the evil fire.
"Ye Chen, what's going on?" Only then did Wang Dong react.
"It's nothing. An Inner Courtyard student's martial soul just went out of control," Ye Chen said casually.
Evil fire running out of control-who else could it be but Ma Xiaotao?
"Will Huo Yuhao die?" Wang Dong asked.
Even he felt a lingering chill of fear at the heat just now.
"Relax. Anyone else might die, but not Huo Yuhao," Ye Chen said.
Just as Ye Chen had said, when Huo Yuhao was about to faint under the assault of the intense heat,
His other, still-unformed ice martial soul was immediately triggered.
His originally deep-blue eyes turned white in an instant.
A wave of ultimate cold suddenly spread from his body, instantly turning the area a hundred meters in diameter around Huo Yuhao into a world of ice and snow.
Stimulated by this ultimate ice, a clear, ringing phoenix cry came from the red figure.
An enormous fire phoenix rose into the air, and six Soul Rings ascended.
At the same time, the flames behind her instantly turned dark red.
Inside the Sky Screen, Ma Hongjun recognized the familiar scene at once.
"Could her martial soul be the Evil Fire Phoenix?"
Elsewhere, Yu Xiaogang was completely captivated by Ma Xiaotao's strength.
"She doesn't look very old, yet she already has six rings. It seems my Shrek Academy really is flourishing!"
"It seems quite a few people at my Shrek Academy reach six rings before twenty! Even someone we happen to encounter is a Soul Emperor!"
Of course, more people focused on the dark-red flames.
Especially those from the Dragon King Era. Having suffered terribly at the hands of Evil Soul Masters, and with the cautionary examples of Yan Shaozhe and Tang Ya before them, they naturally viewed Ma Xiaotao through tinted lenses.
[Xu Xiaoyan: Dark-red flames? Don't tell me she's another Evil Soul Master?]
[Ma Hongjun: Dark-red flames don't mean someone is an Evil Soul Master! Just vent the evil fire, and it's fine.]
Inside the Sky Screen, Bibi Dong asked the same question.
"Is this woman's martial soul the Evil Fire Phoenix?"
"Yes. Her martial soul is the same Evil Fire Phoenix that Ma Hongjun had ten thousand years ago. But Ma Hongjun would vent his evil fire, while Ma Xiaotao won't, so her Evil Fire Phoenix keeps going out of control," Ye Chen said.
"Couldn't Shrek Academy find a solution?" Bibi Dong asked.
Surely the continent's foremost academy could at least solve a problem like evil fire?
Ye Chen shook his head, his eyes full of disdain. "Shrek Academy indeed failed to find a solution. In the end, Ma Xiaotao fell and became an Evil Soul Master, becoming another holy maiden of the Holy Spirit Cult."
What infuriated Ye Chen most was that, just like Tang Ya, Ma Xiaotao had killed so many people while in the Holy Spirit Cult! Her cultivation had even risen to Titled Douluo.
Yet after Huo Yuhao rescued her, she could still have her slate wiped clean!
And according to the story's ending, Ma Xiaotao even became the Sea God Pavilion Master!
Ten thousand years later, in the Dragon King Era, the Holy Spirit Cult had grown to such an enormous scale.
Perhaps it had relied on its two great holy maidens!
One was the Tang Sect's sect master, and the other was the Sea God Pavilion Master. Perhaps it was with their help
That the Holy Spirit Cult, originally destroyed by Huo Yuhao, had risen from the dead!
Ye Chen's words completely ignited the fury of everyone watching the Sky Screen.
In the Spirit Hall Era, Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue were already burning with rage.
"The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy-they certainly know how to harbor Fallen Soul Masters!"
As heirs of the angel lineage, they hated Fallen Soul Masters to the bone.
"Are there no Angel Martial Souls left ten thousand years later? They can't even suppress Fallen Soul Masters! They've let an organization founded by a Fallen Soul Master run rampant like this!"
Meanwhile, in the Dragon King Era, the Holy Spirit Cult's Underworld Emperor and Ghost Emperor were already grinning from ear to ear.
"So ten thousand years ago, our Holy Spirit Cult, the Tang Sect, and Shrek were all one family?"
"In that case, why should we slaughter one another?" the Ghost Emperor said with a sinister laugh.
Meanwhile, inside a conference room in the Sun-Moon Federation,
The Federation Speaker had already received the information on Tang Ya, and his face was filled with fury.
"Fine, fine, fine. What a Tang Sect! They actually let a holy maiden of the Holy Spirit Cult succeed as their sect master."
"As far as I'm concerned, there's truly no need for your Tang Sect to exist anymore!"
"Do you really think I don't know you've been secretly supporting the Star Luo Continent and the Dou Ling Continent all these years?"
Without the Tang Sect supporting the two empires, how could their technological capabilities possibly have advanced so quickly?
Now, after hearing Ye Chen's words, the Federation Speaker forcibly suppressed his anger.
"Go. Look into this Ma Xiaotao!"
In the Dragon King Era, the Tang Sect and Shrek were completely bound together. Move against either one, and the other would undoubtedly offer unconditional support.
Moreover, both organizations were already deeply rooted in the Federation.
Who knew how many supporters stood behind them?
Besides, if Shrek Academy hadn't stood in their way, the Sun-Moon Federation would have unified the continent long ago!
How could the insignificant Star Luo Empire and Dou Ling Empire possibly have stopped them?
After all, the current Federation Speaker was a hawk!
"If we're going to act, we must eliminate their influence on every front!"
"Then we'll start by making them lose the people's support!"
"It would be best to further inflame the conflicts between the Spirit Pagoda, Shrek Academy, and the Tang Sect. There are some things our Federation can't do openly."
Then the Federation Speaker dialed the Communication Soul Tool beside him.
"Hello, this is the Federation Speaker. Put me through to the War God Temple's temple master, Chen Xinjie."
The matter between Chen Xinjie and Long Yeyue was no secret among the older generation.
The Federation Speaker wanted to see exactly what attitude Chen Xinjie would take toward Shrek Academy under these circumstances!