The Might of Karmic Fire

At the entrance to the Papal Hall in Spirit City, evening had already fallen.

"Ma Hongjun, what were you doing in there with my teacher again?"

Ma Hongjun stammered, unable to get a word out. Seeing him panting and drenched in sweat, Hu Liena could barely contain her anger.

"You must have been doing something bad in there! Tell me! What filthy tricks did you use to bewitch my teacher?"

"I didn't," Ma Hongjun said.

"If you didn't, why won't you say anything?"

Of course Ma Hongjun dared not say anything. After all, every time Bibi Dong summoned him, it was to study that mysterious cultivation method with him.

That cultivation method required them to perform a strange dance. According to the method, it was something called Yoga.

The dance movements called Yoga were bold and uninhibited, and two people had to work together to practice it perfectly.

Most importantly, after they finished practicing, both of them were left looking drunk, dazed and muddleheaded.

If an outsider saw them in that state, Ma Hongjun would never be able to explain himself, even with ten mouths.

That was why he was always extremely careful whenever he entered or left the hall, terrified of being seen. But today was different. Bibi Dong had made him stay behind in front of everyone, and sure enough, Hu Liena was waiting for him outside the hall.

"If you haven't done anything shameful, then tell me what you were doing inside the hall! Why has my teacher summoned you specially five times? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

The barrage of demands left Ma Hongjun flustered.

He simply lowered his head and tried to hurry away. Whether it was what happened in the hall or the cultivation method, he did not want to tell anyone about either.

"First Soul Skill, Charm!"

A yellow soul ring slowly lit up around Hu Liena, and she blew Ma Hongjun a kiss. The kiss formed a pink heart that flew straight at him.

Ma Hongjun hastily dodged. "We're right outside the Papal Hall! How dare you use a soul skill to hurt someone here?"

"I'm the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. Let's see who dares stop me." With that, Hu Liena closed in and threw a punch at Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun dared not fight back. Ever since the incident with Tang Hao, he had understood one thing.

When you had no powerful backer, you must never force yourself into the spotlight, or your opponent's backer could easily jump out and beat you to death.

Even a genius like Zhu Zhuqing had been killed by Tang Hao for her bone, hadn't she?

This was Spirit Hall's headquarters. Ma Hongjun had only just arrived and dared not confront Hu Liena head-on. Getting beaten up and suffering a few minor injuries would be fine, but if he actually defeated her and she held a grudge, what would he do if Hu Liena brought out Bibi Dong?

The Titled Douluo of this world really would kill people when they were angry!

Ma Hongjun hurriedly tried to escape. As long as he reached somewhere with more people, Hu Liena would not dare keep attacking him with her martial soul.

Hu Liena chased him furiously, but Ma Hongjun wanted only to flee for his life. On top of that, his martial soul was the Karmic Fire Phoenix, giving him an advantage in speed. Hu Liena really could not catch him anytime soon.

Seeing that he was about to slip away right under her nose again, Hu Liena stamped her feet in anger.

Who could have expected a large foot to suddenly stick out and trip Ma Hongjun flat onto the ground?

Ma Hongjun hurriedly turned around, only to discover that the person behind him was actually Dai Mubai.

"Boss Dai!"

"Mubai, hurry and help me catch him!" Hu Liena called.

Dai Mubai immediately twisted Ma Hongjun's arms behind his back and pinned him to the ground. Even when Hu Liena arrived, Ma Hongjun's face was still filled with disbelief.

"Dai Mubai, you actually betrayed me!"

Dai Mubai looked utterly unconcerned. "I couldn't stand you even back at Shrek Academy."

"You went whoring every day, using your martial soul problems as an excuse. You're nothing but a beast controlled by desire!"

"What right do you have to accuse me of betraying you? We were never teammates. How could there be any betrayal?"

"Back at Shrek Academy, the headmaster favored you, so there was nothing I could do. But now we're in Spirit City. This isn't a place where you can run wild. Upholding fairness and justice is our bounden duty!"

Hearing this, Hu Liena's eyes practically sparkled with little stars.

Dai Mubai wore a confident smile, while thinking to himself, I've done Hu Liena such a huge favor, even going so far as to draw a line between myself and my former companion. Surely she'll let me steal a kiss now.

Ma Hongjun gritted his teeth, but could not break free. He could only let Dai Mubai pin him down and spout his pompous nonsense.

"Mubai, keep him pinned down. I'm going to find out just what you were doing with my teacher inside the hall!"

With that, Hu Liena immediately activated Martial Soul Possession, and a large, fluffy tail emerged behind her.

Now, even without using her first soul skill, Hu Liena's power of charm soared. Even Dai Mubai, who had been keeping Ma Hongjun pinned down, could not help turning his attention to her.

"Third Soul Skill, Demon Fox Transformation!"

Hu Liena positioned herself to make sure Ma Hongjun could see her, then concentrated her soul power. A large cloud of purple smoke shot straight into his eyes.

In Ma Hongjun's eyes, Hu Liena was now nothing short of a fairy descended from heaven, her entire body shining with light.

The fairy walked up to him, crouched down, and blew him a kiss. Ma Hongjun instantly felt his heart melt, almost forgetting that Dai Mubai was holding him down from behind.

Ma Hongjun felt his head grow fuzzy, as though it were made of cotton.

"What were you doing with my teacher in the hall?"

Dazed, Ma Hongjun opened his mouth to reveal the cultivation method, but a surge of ignorance fire erupted from his sea of consciousness, instantly snapping him awake.

The fury rose from between his brows. Ma Hongjun's eyebrows bristled, and his whole body burst into flames.

"Hmph, what's the use of struggling now? Martial Soul Possession!" Dark gold radiance instantly covered Dai Mubai's entire body, short fur sprouted across him, and his overall defense increased.

Dai Mubai grabbed and twisted with both hands, trying to force Ma Hongjun down, but to his surprise, Ma Hongjun stood straight up.

"Dai Mubai, what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you to keep him pinned down?" Hu Liena shouted.

"I was already holding him down with all my strength, but for some reason, I couldn't exert any force for a split second just now."

Dai Mubai raised a hand to express his apology. To his surprise, the moment he raised it, it broke clean off at the wrist.

That brief instant had actually turned both his hands to charcoal. Dai Mubai had not even felt any pain. Only now did an agonizing pain pierce his heart.

"Aaaah!!!!!!!"

"Ah! My hand! My hands!" Piercing, wretched screams tore through the night sky.

Hu Liena jumped in fright. She had never seen flames of such terrifying power.

They had burned a Soul Elder's arms to charcoal in an instant, even under Martial Soul Possession. What level of destructive power was this?

This power did not merely bridge the gap of one major rank. It had reached a level Hu Liena could not comprehend at all.

"Impossible, impossible! How could this damned fatty be so strong?"

Resistance alone could never stop flames with such destructive power. She could only charm him first, then seize the chance to call for help.

Hu Liena hurriedly activated her third soul skill. "Third Soul Skill, Fox Demon Transformation! First Soul Skill, Charm!"

Fox Demon Transformation could greatly enhance all her attributes, while Charm allowed Hu Liena to forcibly bewitch her opponent's mind, making herself the person they loved most.

A streak of purplish-pink energy shot straight toward Ma Hongjun's eyes, but the instant it approached him, the entire mass of energy was incinerated by the ignorance fire enveloping his body, like steam meeting a blazing fire.

Ma Hongjun's eyes held endless, towering fury as he advanced on Hu Liena, step by step.

Hu Liena instantly panicked.

"Stay away from me, you damned fatty!"

"Disgusting!"

"Get away from me! Somebody save me!!!"

Flames coiled around Ma Hongjun's entire body. He reached for Hu Liena's throat without any regard for anything else, but a fair, delicate hand seized his arm firmly.

"All of you, stop!"

Torches lit up one after another all around them, illuminating the dignified, stately woman in their midst.

"Little Na, tell me exactly what happened."

Hu Liena burst into tears with a wail.