Chapter 23: Yan Shaozhe (I)

The Blazing Bone Dragon Vulture's proud Innate Spirit Skill, Ten Thousand Fathom Bone Feathers, had now transformed into the Seraphim's most powerful area-of-effect attack: Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory!

"Go!"

With a single command, the ten thousand holy sword blades that filled the sky moved instantly, all shooting upward and piercing through the clouds!

After ascending a certain distance, the holy sword blades suddenly plummeted like arrows released from bows. They carried the overwhelming momentum of a heavenly barrage as they swept across the sky with unstoppable force!

The sharpness that could pierce through everything and annihilate all things covered the sky. Even the moon seemed to have its light obscured by this display!

The fire phoenix that Ma Xiaotao had transformed into let out a series of sharp cries. Sensing the magnificence of Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory, the flames around her body surged once more, and the outer flames completely turned into pitch-black evil fire!

Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory descended mightily!

The phoenix's cry pierced the sky as it soared against the overwhelming force!

"What... what a terrifying spirit skill..."

Xu Sanshi frantically dove toward the bottom of Sea God Lake. He finally understood why Ling Bai had told him to run; each light sword among the ten thousand blades contained enough sharpness to easily pierce the Mystic Deep Turtle's shield!

Not only Xu Sanshi, but even the Dean watching the battle wiped his eyes in disbelief!

You've got to be kidding me!

The Dean could never have imagined that his personally trained disciple would be suppressed to this extent by a 4-ringed Spirit Ancestor!

Ling Bai's golden hair fluttered wildly in the wind, yet his figure remained gracefully suspended in the air. Wielding the Angel Sword, he gathered the Holy Sword Energy once again. The clear, resonant sound of the sword echoed through the sky!

"Screech—"

In almost an instant, Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory violently tore through the Phoenix Cloud Piercing Strike!

The cry of the phoenix was heartrending as it echoed mournfully across the sky!

The fire phoenix dissipated, reverting to Ma Xiaotao's form as she fell. Unable to control her descent, she plummeted straight into Sea God Lake, sending up a splash of water.

The icy waters of Sea God Lake jolted her back to her senses slightly. Recently, the evil fire had been showing signs of flaring up, and her intense cultivation had made it increasingly uncontrollable. That's why she had sought Xu Sanshi's help tonight to suppress the evil fire. Unexpectedly, Ling Bai had burst in.

And then she was beaten up!

Now, with the evil fire raging in her body and her spirit power completely exhausted, she didn't even have the strength to swim back to Sea God Island.

As she gritted her teeth to endure the evil fire, Ma Xiaotao saw a golden light descend on the surface of the lake. A pair of hands slipped under her arms and grasped her shoulders, lifting her out of the frigid water.

Ma Xiaotao turned her head to look at the figure. Golden hair, golden eyes, and a flawless, delicate face. He seemed young yet surprisingly handsome. However, tormented by the evil fire, she was in no mood to appreciate his appearance.

"Who... are... you? I don't think I've seen you before." Her eyes were filled with confusion as she bit her lower lip and asked with difficulty.

Ling Bai held her arm with one hand to prevent her from falling back into the lake and said, "Ling Bai, your new neighbor. You were making a lot of noise tonight. Initially, I wanted to reason with you, but you insisted on settling things physically."

Ma Xiaotao's mind was a haze, unable to process Ling Bai's words. Desperately, she said, "It doesn't matter who you are. I can't control the evil fire anymore! Let me go and leave quickly—I don't want to hurt you!"

"So hot... it hurts!"

Ma Xiaotao couldn't hold on any longer. She closed her eyes tightly and let out a series of anguished screams as the evil fire rampaged through her meridians. To make matters worse, she felt a tearing pain all over her body!

The intense pain had little to do with the evil fire itself. The Ten Thousand Blades Radiant Glory, amplified by the Angelic Domain, Holy Heart, and Angel Sword, was not something that could be easily endured!

Unintentionally, Ling Bai had indirectly caused the most severe evil fire outbreak Ma Xiaotao had experienced since her Martial Spirit awakened!

Ling Bai noticed something was seriously wrong with Ma Xiaotao. Her skin was alarmingly hot, and she was starting to tear at her own clothes in a frantic manner.

"What the...?!"

He tried his best not to look, but Ma Xiaotao's assets were simply too prominent. He couldn't help but catch a glimpse of her perfectly curved, fair skin.

"Stay still!"

Ling Bai quickly clasped her hands behind her back. Their faces were so close together that there was less than ten centimeters between them. The woman's wrists were held tightly in his grasp, and the slight indentation in her skin showed an alluring light pink color. The awkward posture made her feminine attributes all the more pronounced!

"Ugh... hmm?"

Ma Xiaotao's eyes fluttered open again. Losing control due to the evil fire, she instinctively wanted to resist yet didn't know how. The handsome young man in front of her seemed like a mighty dragon, and under his icy gaze, she could only become as docile as a puddle of spring water, letting him stir up ripples as he pleased.

Ling Bai's gaze fell upon her alluring red lips. Her slightly parted mouth was constantly exhaling moist breath that carried a rich, rose-like scent. He inwardly cursed the trouble that had befallen him.

"Where the hell are those Shrek guys when you need them? All this commotion and not a soul in sight..."

He muttered a few complaints under his breath. Then, with a stern expression, he looked at the voluptuous, stunning woman before him and said seriously:

"I'm going to help you control the evil fire now, but let me make it clear—this is my first time doing something like this. If anything goes wrong...

Don't blame me! Don't blame me! Don't blame me!"

His tone was firm, but the repeated emphasis at the end betrayed his lack of confidence.

"Angelic Domain, enter the body!"

The golden light of the Angelic Domain blanketed the sky as Ling Bai compressed its boundless holy power into a fine thread of golden Holy Sword Energy, and forcefully injected it into Ma Xiaotao's body!

"Ah—!!"

Ma Xiaotao's body abruptly tensed, and she let out a piercing scream akin to a phoenix crying out in agony, her body quivering uncontrollably from the searing pain.

The Holy Sword Energy coursed through every inch of her meridians. Meanwhile, the phoenix evil fire detected the foreign intrusion and surged forth to confront it, bent on eradicating this invading force that dared infringe upon its domain!

While both Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Holy could expel the evil fire, their approaches differed greatly. Ultimate Ice was akin to taking medicine, using its cool and gentle properties to neutralize the evil fire's violent nature. However, Ling Bai's current less-than-pleasant mood caused the Holy Sword Energy, embodying the Ultimate Holy attribute, to be anything but gentle...

Evil fire?

Violent??

I'm helping you, and you dare to resist???

The phoenix evil fire was fierce, but Ling Bai and the Holy Sword Energy were even fiercer!

Under Ling Bai's sweeping control, the Holy Sword Energy acted like a scalpel, meticulously cutting away the chaotic evil fire in Ma Xiaotao's body.

In moments of unconsciousness, people instinctively gravitate toward what brings them comfort. As the evil, scorching energy dissipated, she unconsciously pulled him tightly into her embrace.

Feeling the pressure on his chest and the warm, moist breath near his ear, Ling Bai silently rolled his eyes. He had to carefully control the Holy Sword Energy. If the holy power went out of control...

Well, Ma Xiaotao wouldn't have to worry about the evil fire anymore—just dig a hole and bury her!

Ma Xiaotao slowly opened her eyes. Having returned to normal, her eyes changed from the scorching crimson to a subtly alluring light pink. The evil fire had been tormenting her since her Martial Spirit awakened twelve years ago. Many times during her cultivation, the evil fire had driven her to the brink of collapse. Her teacher could not bear to see her suffer, so he suggested an alternative method for releasing the evil fire.

And therein lay the problem—the phoenix evil fire...

Was lust fire!

Her ancestor, Ma Hongjun, was a man, and in a sense, releasing the phoenix evil fire served as a legitimate reason for hookups. But for a girl, especially one as proud and self-respecting as she was, the phoenix evil fire was undoubtedly one of the cruelest punishments in the world.

Feeling an unprecedented lightness in her body, she looked at the young man beside her carefully controlling the Holy Sword Energy. Forcing herself to speak, she managed to say:

"Th-thank you..."

Then she promptly fainted.