"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Protection Barrier."
Qin Ye unfurled a black-and-gold dome of light, standing firm amid the sea of flames.
Ma Hongjun jumped in fright when he saw the Evil-Eyed White Tiger behind Qin Ye. "Wait! Boss Dai, how could you switch sides! Isn't that your martial soul?"
At that moment, Dai Mubai was slumped weakly against a sofa in the spectator stands, without an ounce of strength in his body, as though Qin Ye had sucked him dry.
Hearing Ma Hongjun's complaint, Dai Mubai replied feebly.
"You think I wanted this? I-cough, cough-can't control it either!"
Although Qin Ye had withstood Ma Hongjun's attack, the Phoenix Fire Line covered an enormous area. If Qin Ye chose to charge into close combat, Ning Rongrong behind him would inevitably be exposed to Ma Hongjun's barrage.
With every step fraught with difficulty, Qin Ye simply turned to Oscar.
"Heart Demon Interference."
Buzz!
Oscar, who had been poised to act, felt his head sink as his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
"Hiss! My head's spinning. Where am I?"
Oscar looked around blankly, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Oscar!"
Ning Rongrong's clear, lilting voice rang out behind Oscar.
"Rongrong!"
Oscar turned around in delight, only to find Ning Rongrong looking furious. The little princess stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him indignantly, with loathing practically written all over her face.
"Oscar! Do you hate me?"
"Huh? No, I don't. Rongrong, why would you think that?"
Oscar instantly panicked. His entire consciousness seemed to be dragged into a mire by a pair of invisible hands, even his thoughts held in their grasp.
The more anxious and nervous he grew, the stronger the heart demon's interference became.
At the same time, the Ning Rongrong before Oscar grew ever more lifelike, her expression even angrier. This was practically stepping on his own foot to spiral straight into the sky.
"If you don't hate me, why did you bring Ma Hongjun here to take down Brother Ye and me?"
"Huh?" Oscar scratched his head. "Well..."
"Rongrong, let me explain. Qin Ye was the one I wanted to target, not you."
"Then why are you targeting Brother Ye!" Ning Rongrong grew increasingly indignant.
"Brother Ye is such a good person. He not only competes with me, but protects me like an older brother, too. We're all classmates at Shrek, so why are you targeting him!"
"I..." Oscar felt as though a stone had lodged in his throat. For a long while, he couldn't get a single word out.
"Hmph, take a closer look, then. I'm right inside Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line. If it weren't for Brother Ye, I'd already be roasted!"
"But you? Not only are you refusing to protect me, you're helping Ma Hongjun replenish his soul power. If that isn't hating me, what is?"
"That's not... Rongrong, let me explain. I really don't hate you. I-I'm not lying!"
"I'm not listening. Hmph." Ning Rongrong turned away, showing Oscar only her haughty back. "I only look at actions, not you boys' honeyed words. If you keep saying you like me while throwing heavy punches at me, I'll only look down on you even more!"
"Oscar, you've disappointed me so much. I hate you!"
Crack!
The dark space around Oscar shattered like a broken mirror.
Along with it shattered Oscar's ardent heart.
"Rongrong..." Oscar stood rooted to the spot, repeating her name blankly, while Ma Hongjun beside him was already sweating buckets from the heat.
"Xiao Ao, give me two Big Sausages. I've already used up half my soul power."
Ma Hongjun held out his right hand to Oscar and beckoned.
When Oscar still didn't move, Ma Hongjun instinctively urged him on.
"Xiao Ao, what are you doing? We're in a match! Give me the sausages already!"
"Hongjun..." Oscar suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with dejection and confusion.
"Why don't we surrender? I don't want to fight anymore."
"What!!!"
Ma Hongjun seriously wondered whether he'd misheard! "Wait! Xiao Ao, are you messing with me? We clearly agreed we'd beat Qin Ye together, then you'd go after Ning Rongrong, and I'd go after the other two beauties. How can you change your mind at the last minute!"
"Isn't that deserting!"
Ma Hongjun abandoned his attack and shook Oscar forcefully, his furious eyes practically spitting flames.
"Then call me a deserter. I'm done fighting." Oscar wrenched free of Ma Hongjun's arms, turned around, and headed off the arena platform.
"Wait, Xiao Ao, don't scare me!" Ma Hongjun immediately ran over to stop Oscar. "Without you, Qin Ye is definitely going to beat me senseless. Can you really bear to watch your brother get beaten into a pig up here?"
Seeing that force wouldn't work, Ma Hongjun immediately played the emotional card.
"I..." Oscar clenched his fists, caught in an agonizing inner struggle.
On one side was the brother who was as close to him as his own flesh and blood every day; on the other was the goddess he'd fallen for at first sight.
What was he to do? What should he do?
An intense tearing sensation spread through Oscar's soul. At that moment, he felt as though two ropes inside his head were pulling at him, trying to rip his soul in half.
"No! Don't force me! I don't want to do anything wrong! Who am I supposed to choose! What am I supposed to do!"
Smack!
Oscar suddenly dropped to his knees and slammed a fist into the floor.
"Oscar, say something! What exactly are you going to do? Why can't you do anything? What do you want to do right now!"
Oscar kept questioning himself, his brain on the verge of exploding like a pressure cooker.
Against someone lost and lacking firm resolve, the heart demon's interference would undergo a qualitative leap in effectiveness. Even without Qin Ye doing anything, the victim would finish himself off.
Ma Hongjun felt his scalp prickle, too.
Oscar had suddenly become like this, and half of Ma Hongjun's soul power was already gone. Could he really beat Qin Ye?
"Hey, where are you looking?"
Qin Ye's voice suddenly sounded behind Ma Hongjun.
Qin Ye stood with his arms folded across his chest, watching the two of them with an amused expression.
"It was you!" Ma Hongjun immediately realized. "Take my First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fire Line!"
Bang!
Qin Ye instantly accelerated! His fist slammed into Ma Hongjun's lower abdomen!
Urgh!
Ma Hongjun dry-heaved twice, his first soul skill forcibly interrupted.
"Using a ranged soul skill right in front of me? You really aren't treating me as a person, are you?"
Qin Ye spoke mockingly beside Ma Hongjun's ear. "I heard your phoenix evil fire can burn away people's reason, leaving them trapped in desire."
"So, what would happen if I completely awakened the evil fire inside you right now?"
Qin Ye injected a trace of his soul power into Ma Hongjun's body. Like a spark falling into a powder magazine, it utterly ignited the flames of lust pent up deep in Ma Hongjun's heart!
"Aah!!!"
Ma Hongjun threw back his head and roared! His entire consciousness had already been devoured by desire.
Even Qin Ye was driven back by the scorching evil fire and couldn't help voicing his admiration.
"What a domineering flame."
"Women, women! I need to vent this fire! Give me women!" As though he'd thrown his brain away, Ma Hongjun leaped wildly around the platform, frantically searching for a target.
Soon, Ning Rongrong, the only girl on the platform, was seared deep into Ma Hongjun's mind.
"What a beautiful woman. You're mine! Give me your body! Give it to me!"
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