Ma Hongjun strolled leisurely along the forest path, his fiery red hair cascading down his back, occasionally reaching out to stroke the rough bark of the trees.
"It's been so many years, but I still miss it." Ma Hongjun sighed, his eyes filled with melancholy.
Just then, a bird call rang out in the sky, and two crows descended from the sky, flying straight to the big tree where Ma Hongjun was.
The two birds landed on a branch, preening each other's feathers and glancing occasionally at Ma Hongjun standing under the tree.
Ma Hongjun stared intently at them, reminiscing about the past, and murmured, "How wonderful, the two of you have such a good relationship. Chenxiang and I were like that back then..."
The crow clearly couldn't understand Ma Hongjun's words, but seeing that he was staring at him and his wife, it was obvious that he was getting angry.
He plucked a fruit from the book and threw it at Ma Hongjun. Ma Hongjun didn't dodge; he let it hit his head and even laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, protecting my wife... If Chenxiang were here, I would protect her just as much..."
"Gaga! Gaga!"
The crow cawed loudly at Ma Hongjun a few times, then gently nudged its wife and moved a little further up the branch with her.
It was as if it were saying, "Honey, let's stay away. There's a fool here; we don't want to catch his ailment."
Immediately, the two crows raised one wing above their heads, like humans, to cover their heads, and walked away to one side.
Ma Hongjun laughed as he looked at the two crows, then turned and left, though the melancholy in his eyes remained undiminished.
Gradually, the loneliness in his heart and Bai Chenxiang's past smile appeared before his eyes, and a tear fell unconsciously.
"Withered petals fall, love cannot continue; tears fall in the Yellow Springs, gazing until the wild geese disappear..."
Ma Hongjun walked dejectedly for a while, then seemed to remember something and quickly ran forward.
Suddenly bursting out of the dense forest, they saw a pile of broken walls and ruins ahead.
Ma Hongjun reached out and touched the collapsed earth and rocks, but nothing from the past remained.
"Ten thousand years have passed, I have returned, but you are no longer here."
This is the place where Ma Hongjun and his wife Bai Chenxiang used to live. However, he was not ambitious enough and only became a first or second-level Deity, the Phoenix God, and was unable to bring his wife into the Divine Realm.
This has always been a lifelong source of pain for him.
However, he quickly recovered from his grief, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, forced a smile, and said, " Chenxiang, don't worry, when the changes on the continent are resolved, we will finally meet again."
The souls of those who die here actually wander the world, aimlessly drifting, waiting only for the opportunity to be reincarnated.
However, such opportunities are rare, and many more souls perish and shatter in the world because they never get the chance.
Over the years, Ma Hongjun had been helping Tang San with his work, which is why he was able to store Bai Chenxiang's soul for him.
This time, Tang San told him that if he could eliminate the variable that was disrupting the world, he would help Ma Hongjun revive his wife Bai Chenxiang.
Under these conditions, how could Ma Hongjun possibly refuse? Even though it violated the rules of the Divine Realm, he still secretly came to the mainland through a spatial rift.
In order to avoid causing the world to collapse, he tried his best to suppress the Divine Power within his body every day.
He came here simply to take one last look at the beautiful memories he shared with his wife before he went to eliminate any potential threats.
Through his investigations over the past few months, he has identified an organization called Shadow Garden as the source of this variable. This organization nearly destroyed Shrek Academy, which is likely responsible for its influence on the situation on the continent.
"Third Brother, this is the last time I'll help you. I hope you'll keep your word after this."
" Shadow Garden, hmm, it's time to make a fuss."
Ma Hongjun looked up at the sky, and suddenly a few wisps of pure flame appeared on his body.
The moment the flame appeared, Ma Xiaotao felt a jolt in her heart, her blood instantly boiling and her inner guidance reaching its peak.
Ma Xiaotao suppressed her intense emotions, lowered her body, and wanted to leave first. This man seemed to be hiding some secrets.
Her intuition told her that if she were discovered, she would probably never be able to escape.
Just as Ma Xiaotao lowered her body, wanting to leave as soon as possible, a sudden chill ran down her spine, a feeling just like that one she had experienced back then.
The fear I felt when I first encountered Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, the fear that came from the depths of my heart, that my legs wouldn't obey me and I couldn't move at all.
Ma Xiaotao's pupils trembled as she looked in the direction of the man.
Ma Hongjun stared at her coldly. Despite the dense foliage providing cover, Ma Xiaotao felt as if she were in an open space.
Ma Hongjun's lips curled into a smile, and a fiery red Phoenix Flame rose from his hand as he spoke towards Ma Xiaotao, "Young friend, you've followed me all this way, shouldn't you come out and greet me?"
Ma Xiaotao was terrified; her pupils contracted sharply, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "This... this flame is...!"
Ma Xiaotao bit her tongue, the pain jolting her awake. She clenched her right hand, and a jet-black longsword instantly appeared in her grasp, covered by red flames. Seven Soul Ring suddenly materialized behind her.
Large flames suddenly erupted in the forest, and a sharp phoenix cry rang out, causing the surrounding space to tremble.
"Huh? Fire Phoenix? No, that's not right!..."
" The Evil Fire Phoenix, evolved from the Evil Fire Phoenix!"
Ma Hongjun sensed the familiar aura contained within, his pupils trembled slightly, and he immediately withdrew the flame in his hand.
A gust of wind blew from ahead, and a Fire Phoenix over fifty meters long burst forth from the sea of fire, its eyes flashing with intense flames, and it flew recklessly toward Ma Hongjun's position.
Seventh Soul Skill: Phoenix True Body!
Without hesitation, Ma Xiaotao used her strongest Soul Skill, her Martial Soul Avatar, and attacked Ma Hongjun without holding back.
Ma Hongjun, seeing the Fire Phoenix so close at hand, showed no fear. He took a step forward and slowly raised his right hand to block it.
Ma Xiaotao was secretly delighted, thinking that the man was being arrogant. She thrust her long sword straight out, instantly merging with the beak of the Fire Phoenix. The extreme killing intent was unmatched and suddenly exploded out.
Buzz!
The moment the Fire Phoenix's hand touched Ma Hongjun's, an invisible ripple appeared, preventing the Fire Phoenix from taking another step forward.
Ma Xiaotao felt her brain instantly shut down; all the sounds of the world seemed to disappear at that moment.
Immediately afterwards, the flames on her body receded, and the enormous Fire Phoenix transformed into specks of starlight and dissipated into the air.
Ma Xiaotao felt a sudden lightness in her body as the Slime Bodysuit that had been protecting her instantly returned to her body, and the longsword in her hand also disappeared.
To her astonishment, she only saw a smile of utmost tenderness on the man's face.
"Hmm? My face feels warm, what is this...?"
Ma Xiaotao subconsciously touched her cheek, and when she looked down, tears seemed unstoppable, streaming down her face.
"What... what's wrong with me? Why... why am I crying?"
Ma Xiaotao was very surprised and had no idea why this was happening, but then she heard a gentle voice in her ear.
"My child, my descendants... I will never let you suffer again."
Then, Ma Xiaotao's vision went black, and she collapsed into Ma Hongjun's arms.