CHAPTER 103: The Phoenix of Darkness and the Shifting Balance

Chapter 103: The Phoenix of Darkness and the Shifting Balance

The moment Ma Xiaotao's martial soul mutated into a dark, blazing phoenix cloaked in black flames, the old man from the Holy Spirit Church narrowed his eyes, excitement flashing across his face. That power—it was unmistakable. A black flame phoenix… a perfect vessel for darkness. This wasn't just a mutation—it was an opportunity.

If he could report this anomaly to the Holy Spirit Church quickly, this discovery alone might earn him the necessary resources to break through to Title Douluo. The merit alone would overshadow any of his past contributions.

Without hesitation, he activated his soul guide communicator and dialed a number.

"Xiaobai, let your junior brother go," the old man ordered calmly. "He may have deceived me, but thanks to him, I've found the Holy Maiden of our Holy Church. That achievement more than makes up for his mistake. Let's not pursue this deception further."

Before the one called Xiaobai could respond, a panicked voice broke through from the other end of the communicator—the Death Messenger.

"Master! I didn't lie to you! I swear, I would never dare deceive you!"

His voice was full of desperation. He had never felt so wronged before. Everything he said was true, yet no one had believed him.

"You still dare to talk back? This time I'll let you go since you helped us find the Holy Maiden, but don't expect to receive your reward. You've lied to me too many times already."

"Teacher! I really am innocent!" the Death Messenger cried out pitifully.

But the old man had already ended the call. He had no more patience to deal with this disciple. Right now, his only focus was reporting Ma Xiaotao's situation to the Holy Church and ensuring the Saint returned to her rightful place.

His eyes remained fixed on Ma Xiaotao, who stood like a burning comet on the competition field. The battle was coming to an end.

As her phoenix flames were engulfed by darkness, Ma Xiaotao's mutated martial soul—now infused with both evil fire and shadow—reached the realm of extreme fire. Her soul power surged with third-degree intensity, thanks to the mutation. At level 70, she completely overwhelmed Ma Rulong and Lin Xi. If not for the swift action of the referee, both might have perished under her blazing onslaught.

The moment the battle concluded, Elder Xuan flew to the stage without hesitation. His level 98 soul power allowed him to easily bypass the competition's defensive soul barrier, which was once again shattered. The poor soul masters maintaining the shield suffered internal injuries and vomited blood for the second time.

Elder Xuan immediately restrained Ma Xiaotao while Yan Shaozhe stepped forward, attempting to suppress her rampaging dark fire with his own light-element soul power. But the black flames showed no sign of yielding.

"No good. If I forcefully suppress it, I'll risk damaging Xiaotao's soul foundation," Shaozhe muttered, troubled. "Only the teacher can handle this without harming her."

"Elder Xuan, take Xiaotao back to the academy immediately and seek Elder Mu's help," he said firmly. "Her condition is critical. My soul power can only hold her for a short time. You're the fastest among us. Go now, while we can still stabilize her."

Elder Xuan nodded and turned his gaze toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. His eyes locked on the Sword of Judgment in their possession.

He considered pressuring them into surrendering it—after all, with his strength, he could force the issue. But with Jing Hongchen and Bupo Douluo on the opposing side, a battle would be inevitable. Worse still, Elder Xuan could sense hidden forces lurking in the shadows, making the outcome of any confrontation uncertain. And Ma Xiaotao couldn't afford delays.

"Fine. You handle the rest. I'll take Xiaotao to Elder Mu," Elder Xuan said decisively. Then, after glancing at the Sun Moon Royal Academy's lineup, he scoffed. "Just a few five-ring Soul Kings. This match isn't worth worrying about."

"Don't worry, Elder Xuan. I'll take care of the rest," Yan Shaozhe replied with a nod.

Before departing, Elder Xuan's voice rang across the arena once more: "If the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy dares threaten you with their students, have the referee protect you. We're in the Xingluo Empire—they'll have to give us an explanation."

His words sent waves of discomfort through the spectators. The faces of the Xingluo Empire's emperor and Tiansha Douluo both darkened.

Tiansha Douluo, in particular, grimaced. He still remembered how Elder Xuan had beaten him up single-handedly decades ago. He didn't dare cross the man even now.

But that didn't mean he was confident in protecting Shrek Academy either. Unlike Bupo Douluo, he didn't have an indestructible defensive soul guide device. He had only his soul power and battle instincts—and unfortunately, he wasn't a defense-type soul master.

The idea of defending others while lacking the appropriate abilities was not only laughable but potentially suicidal. He might survive if things went south, but the humiliation of being beaten in front of everyone again? That would hurt more than any physical injury.

"I swear, I'll never serve as a referee again. No matter what they say, they can find someone else to suffer!" Tiansha Douluo cursed under his breath.

With Elder Xuan gone, Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen finally emerged from the waiting area and stepped onto the stage for the final match. They didn't know whether they'd face Xiao Qiang this time, but they weren't taking any chances. Both wore specially-crafted mental defense helmets.

Seeing the rare spirit defense soul guides—which had only recently been recovered for research—being worn by Shrek Academy's students, even the stoic Emperor of the Xingluo Empire couldn't hide his displeasure. His brows twitched slightly.

He knew exactly how valuable those helmets were—and how they'd been "lost." But because future cooperation with Shrek Academy was crucial to standing against the Sun Moon Empire, Emperor Xu Jiawei had no choice but to swallow his frustration and consider the price paid as an unfortunate necessity.

"Despite the suspicion of cheating, Shrek Academy still won this match," he said, clearly forcing himself to remain composed. "A Soul Emperor and a Soul King against two Soul Kings—Shrek had the advantage."

His words were more for his own benefit, a way of mentally distancing himself from the frustration of being pressured into compensation and expensive purchases.

Hearing her brother speak, Princess Xu Jiujiu also nodded slightly. "Indeed. While some of their tactics were unsightly, Dai Yueheng's strength is genuine. A 35,000-year sixth soul ring and level 65 soul power. Ling Luochen has a top-tier martial soul and level 55 power. This match was never really in doubt."