Her cultivation had gone out of control again today. The backlash from her evil fire phoenix martial soul's evil fire left her in unbearable pain. She desperately tried to suppress the evil fire within her, but no matter what she did, she could not hold it down. She needed an ice-attribute aura to suppress it, or the consequences would be unthinkable.
Just then, she sensed an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure ice-attribute aura.
That aura came from a figure nearby, Huo Yuhao, who was cultivating with her eyes closed. Driven by instinct, Ma Xiaotao rushed toward that aura.
When Wang Dong arrived, he saw Ma Xiaotao throw her arms around Huo Yuhao, greedily absorbing the aura from her body.
The sudden embrace startled Huo Yuhao. She was about to struggle when she felt scorching heat radiating from Ma Xiaotao, so hot that she nearly cried out.
"Don't move..." Ma Xiaotao's voice was hoarse and pained. "Let me... let me hold you for a while..."
Watching Ma Xiaotao cling tightly to Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong was utterly dumbfounded.
Of course he recognized Ma Xiaotao, the bearer of the evil fire phoenix martial soul, Shrek Academy's greatest genius, a prodigy who had broken through to become a Six-Ring Soul Emperor before turning nineteen.
She was also the future Holy Maiden of the Holy Spirit Cult in the original story, a pitiful woman tormented unbearably by evil fire.
Only an ultimate ice martial soul could suppress her evil fire. In the original story, without the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's help, Huo Yuhao would have nearly been burned alive by Ma Xiaotao's evil fire.
And now, Ma Xiaotao had lost control, seized Huo Yuhao in an embrace, and was greedily absorbing the trace of ice-attribute aura from her body.
But Huo Yuhao's ice-attribute aura was far too faint, nowhere near enough for Ma Xiaotao to absorb.
Wang Dong saw that Huo Yuhao's face was already turning pale. Her body trembled slightly, and even her lips had lost their color. Clearly, the intense heat from Ma Xiaotao's body had burned her.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead, only to evaporate instantly into white mist in the intense heat. It was as though she had been thrown into a steamer; even breathing had become difficult.
Just then, Xuan Zi and the others hurried over as well. As they watched the scene, troubled expressions appeared on their faces.
On one side was Shrek Academy's greatest genius, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor not yet nineteen; on the other was the personal disciple Mu En had just taken in.
What were they supposed to do? Suppress Ma Xiaotao by force? What if they hurt her? But if they did nothing and something happened to Huo Yuhao, it would be difficult to answer to Mu En.
While they hesitated, Wang Dong moved first.
His figure flashed as he rushed straight to Ma Xiaotao's side. Grabbing her shoulders with both hands, he unleashed his brute strength and forcibly separated her from Huo Yuhao.
Ma Xiaotao was immensely strong. Her evil fire phoenix martial soul gave her physical capabilities far beyond those of others at her level, but Wang Dong's Golden Dragon King bloodline held the edge in strength.
Gritting his teeth, he exerted his arms and tore Ma Xiaotao away from Huo Yuhao as though prying apart two red-hot iron plates.
Pushed away, Huo Yuhao staggered several steps before falling into a sitting position on the ground, gasping for breath.
Parts of the hem of her clothes were scorched, and several burn marks remained on her skin, but fortunately, she was not seriously hurt. Looking at Wang Dong's back, she felt her eyes grow hot. Him again... Wang Dong had saved me again.
She bit her lip and clenched her fists as an indescribable emotion welled up within her.
Ma Xiaotao, however, grew frantic. The evil fire within her was still surging, and the abrupt disappearance of that ice-attribute aura left her in such agony that she nearly went mad.
The backlash of the evil fire felt like tens of thousands of needles piercing her meridians at once, burning until all her internal organs seethed with heat.
Instinctively, she lunged at Wang Dong and flung her arms around him, pressing greedily against his body as she tried to draw in that aura from him.
Wang Dong felt scorching heat radiating from Ma Xiaotao, so hot that his whole body shuddered, as though he were holding a furnace. He sucked in a sharp breath, feeling as though his clothes were about to catch fire.
He lowered his head to glance at Ma Xiaotao. Her eyes were dazed, and she murmured, "Hot... so hot... I feel like I'm going to explode..."
At the sight, the expressions of Xuan Zi and the others changed drastically. "Has that boy gone mad?! He's killing himself!"
Yan Shaozhe grew anxious too. "Hurry! Separate them! If something happens to Wang Dong, how are we supposed to answer to Mu En?!"
Huo Yuhao climbed up from the ground. Seeing Ma Xiaotao clinging tightly to Wang Dong, her gaze instantly turned icy. Her fingertips trembled slightly as killing intent surged in her heart.
If Ma Xiaotao dared to hurt Wang Dong, she would kill her. Even if the other woman was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, even if she was no match for her at all, she would never back down. She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, the pain keeping her clearheaded.
Held in Ma Xiaotao's arms, Wang Dong felt as though his entire body was about to burn. Fuck! It's so fucking hot!
He felt as though he had been thrown into a furnace. Even his skin was sizzling.
He could feel the intense heat scorching his clothes, giving off a burnt smell. But he did not panic. He had come prepared.
He abruptly bit his finger open. Blood welled out, and he pressed his finger straight against Ma Xiaotao's lips.
Aside from ultimate ice, there should be a second way to suppress the evil fire phoenix martial soul.
Ma Xiaotao had a phoenix martial soul, while he had the Golden Dragon King martial soul, supreme and supremely yang, domineering to the utmost. Dragons and phoenixes were beings of the same rank to begin with.
Perhaps his blood could suppress Ma Xiaotao's evil fire too.
Wang Dong's gamble paid off.
As Ma Xiaotao came into contact with Wang Dong's blood, her body shuddered violently. Her previously dazed eyes suddenly regained a measure of clarity, and the evil fire within her actually began to retreat, as though it had encountered some natural enemy.
Her martial soul trembled violently. The aura of the evil fire was being suppressed, and there were even faint signs of evolution. The pained expression on her face gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable serenity.
"This... how is this possible?" Xuan Zi's eyes widened. Watching the evil fire on Ma Xiaotao visibly diminish, he froze in shock.
"Wang Dong's blood actually works on Ma Xiaotao's evil fire?"
Yan Shaozhe sucked in a sharp breath as well. "Just what martial soul does that boy have? It can even suppress the evil fire phoenix's evil fire?"
At some point, Mu En had appeared at the edge of the scene. As he watched, a glint flashed through his cloudy old eyes. He spoke slowly. "Everyone, stay calm. Don't act rashly. I'm here, ready to intervene at any moment."
Hearing Mu En's voice, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. With Mu En present, even if something unexpected happened, he could stop it in time. Yet their gazes remained fixed on Wang Dong and Ma Xiaotao, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Ma Xiaotao, however, seemed to have tasted some delicacy. Grabbing Wang Dong's finger, she shoved it straight into her mouth and sucked hard.
The sensation sent a shiver through Wang Dong's entire body.
Wang Dong was completely unnerved. Looking at this, he could not help feeling that it was a little criminal.
He tried to pull his hand back, but Ma Xiaotao held it in a death grip, leaving him unable to withdraw it at all. He could only watch helplessly as she sucked his blood, the expression on her face growing more serene and satisfied.
"Look... that's about enough..." Wang Dong gritted his teeth, his voice trembling slightly. "If you keep sucking, I'm going to lose too much blood..."
As though she had not heard him, Ma Xiaotao continued greedily sucking his finger. At that moment, her aura underwent an earth-shaking transformation.
The evil fire on her body was being purified bit by bit, its formerly savage, frenzied aura gradually turning docile. Her martial soul was transforming, evolving, changing in an entirely new direction.
The flames surrounding her were changing color too, gradually brightening from their original scarlet, as though they had been washed clean, revealing a pure luster.
Watching this, Xuan Zi murmured to himself, "The evil fire... has been purified? How is that possible? Just where did that boy come from?"
With those thoughts, Wang Dong promptly fainted.
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