With a muffled thud, Tang San planted his foot and retreated. The chubby kid was also knocked back several steps. The two had actually fought to a draw. The fat boy's Soul Power seemed to be only marginally lower than Tang San's.
The fat boy stared for a moment. "So you're a Soul Master too. No wonder you had the nerve to meddle in my business. Let me show you what real power looks like."
As he spoke, the fat boy let out a low shout, "Phoenix, Possess My Body!"
At the word "Phoenix," both Tang San and Xiao Wu felt a chill run through them. Among Beast Martial Souls, there were a few that were exceptionally powerful, and the Phoenix was one of them. The Phoenix was also called the Seven-Colored Bird. A Phoenix Martial Soul not only granted its host the ability of flight, but also bestowed devastating fire-attributed offensive power. It was among the very finest of assault-type Martial Souls.
A purple-red radiance surged out from the chubby boy's body. His short hair instantly grew longer and gathered toward the center, forming a style resembling a mohawk. Wings didn't materialize, but the moment that purple-red glow seeped outside his body, it released an intense wave of heat. Two yellow Soul Rings rose simultaneously from beneath his feet, and long, flowing plumes extended along his bared, thick arms. His hands transformed into claw-like shapes.
Xiao Wu burst out laughing at the sight. "Is there really such a fat phoenix? He looks more like a scrawny chicken to me."
Ma Hongjun's appearance at that moment was admittedly somewhat comical — a round, bulging body, arms lined with long purple-red feathers, hair standing straight up. If anyone claimed he was a phoenix, few would believe it. He looked far more like a pudgy hen.
Ma Hongjun reacted as though someone had struck a raw nerve. He flew into a rage. "Who are you calling a scrawny chicken?!" He raised both hands, his first Soul Ring flaring to life, and opened his mouth wide. A thin stream of purple-red flame shot toward Xiao Wu.
The intense heat warped the air, and the purple flame, though it didn't look particularly fierce, extended outward like a line of fire stretching through the air.
"Watch out!" Tang San swept his right hand, and a long blue vine coiled gently around Xiao Wu's slender waist, pulling her sideways toward him just in time to dodge the blast of fire.
But Ma Hongjun clearly had no intention of letting them off so easily. The flame in his mouth maintained a burning length of five meters without extinguishing, and he whipped it sideways to follow Xiao Wu's body — like a five-meter-long weapon forged of fire.
Tang San gripped Xiao Wu's hand and retreated at high speed, while several strands of Blue Silver Grass had already shot along the ground. Through his brief observation, he had already deduced that the temperature of Ma Hongjun's flame must be extremely high, but it had one weakness — its range was limited to five meters. As long as he could restrict the fat boy's movement, dealing with him wouldn't be difficult.
Sure enough, the moment Ma Hongjun tried to give chase, he felt his feet lock up. His legs had been tightly bound by Blue Silver Grass. A sharp stinging pain shot through the skin of his legs, followed immediately by a wave of numbness.
Ma Hongjun was startled and looked down to see the Blue Silver Grass coiling around him. Without a moment's hesitation, he activated his second Soul Ring skill.
With a muffled boom, fierce purple flames erupted all over his body. Ma Hongjun's massive, rotund frame burst outward from within, the blaze spreading rapidly. The Blue Silver Grass wrapped around him made contact with the purple flame and immediately ignited fiercely, turning to ash in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Tang San couldn't help but be startled. He could clearly sense that Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul seemed to be a natural counter to his own.
Though the Blue Silver Grass had become incredibly tough under the enhancement of his two Soul Rings, as a plant-type ability, it was still extremely vulnerable to fire — at least for now.
Ma Hongjun, now wreathed in purple flame from head to toe, looked vastly more imposing. Fury blazed in his eyes as he strode toward Tang San and Xiao Wu, fire streaming from his mouth like a fire god descended upon the mortal world.
"I'll go." Before Tang San could grab her, Xiao Wu had already darted forward. Her furry rabbit ears quivered slightly with her rapid movement, her entire body glowing with red light as her Soul Power was fully released.
Tang San's fingers twitched slightly as several Hidden Weapons materialized in his grip. His eyes shimmered with a faint purple glow — the instant he sensed Xiao Wu was in danger, he would strike without hesitation.
Though this fat boy's Martial Soul was formidable, their earlier exchange had confirmed that his Soul Power was still a notch below Tang San's own. He wouldn't be able to withstand Tang San's Hidden Weapons the way Zhao Wuji had.
Ma Hongjun saw Xiao Wu charging straight at him and was delighted. He unleashed a blast of fire without holding back, the flame tracing a circle through the air to seal off every avenue of advance.
*Damn girl, you dare call me a scrawny chicken? I'll teach you a lesson if it's the last thing I do — they don't call me the Evil Fire Phoenix for nothing!* But even as the thought crossed his mind, he considered that she was rather pretty, and it would be a shame to burn her beyond recognition. With that in mind, the flame he sprayed weakened slightly — enough to hurt, but not enough to kill.
Xiao Wu immediately noticed the drop in the purple flame's temperature. *This guy's going easy on me? Fine. I'll be gentle with you too.*
Just when Ma Hongjun thought Xiao Wu was about to be struck by his first Soul Ring skill, Phoenix Fire Line, her body suddenly curled up in midair. She twisted gracefully, her incredibly supple body seeming to defy the limits of human flexibility as she threaded through the gap in his fire stream. When she unfurled again, she was already right beside Ma Hongjun.
What was Xiao Wu's level of ability? Even without using his Hidden Weapons, Tang San could at best fight her to a standstill — and only as long as she didn't get close.
Ma Hongjun's second Soul Ring skill, Fire Phoenix Immersion, was a comprehensive defensive ability that also carried offensive power. But Xiao Wu had already released her Soul Power externally, so fending it off for a short time was absolutely no problem.
When Tang San watched Xiao Wu close the distance to Ma Hongjun, he tucked the Hidden Weapons back into Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlit Night. There was no longer any suspense in this battle.
(End of Chapter)