Douluo Jueshi: Picking up Firefly at the Beginning

"boom--"

With a deafening roar, the golden energy ball struck the Black Phoenix with perfect accuracy. In an instant, it seemed as if the entire world stopped turning, followed by a massive, earth-shattering explosion.

The intense light burst forth like a blazing sun, illuminating the entire sky and making even daytime pale in comparison.

A massive mushroom cloud shot into the sky, seemingly about to pierce the heavens and reach the ninth heaven. The shockwave, centered on the explosion point, spread wildly in all directions like a raging tsunami, mercilessly destroying everything in its path.

The surrounding air was instantly sucked out, creating a huge vacuum area.

Immediately afterwards, surging air currents rushed in from all directions, filling the vacuum area and emitting a deafening howl, as if the heavens and earth were mourning this tragic explosion.

At the epicenter of the explosion, the Black Phoenix let out an extremely mournful cry, a sound filled with pain and despair that pierced the hearts of those who heard it.

Under the impact of this devastating energy, its once magnificent feathers fell off one by one, scattering in the air like black snowflakes.

The burning black flames dimmed considerably in the face of this terrifying power, becoming flickering as if they might be extinguished at any moment.

Although the Black Phoenix managed to withstand the fatal blow with its tenacious vitality and the unique abilities of its Phoenix Martial Soul, it was now severely injured, its breath weak, and its body swaying precariously, as if a gentle breeze could blow it off the sky.

Severely injured, Ma Xiaotao was no longer able to maintain her Martial Soul True Body state and was forced to deactivate it, reverting to her original human form.

Her body, like a falling meteor, plummeted uncontrollably from the sky.

"Oh!"

A dull, heavy thud was heard as Ma Xiaotao crashed heavily into the military camp, instantly creating a huge and deep crater.

The billowing dust rose into the sky like dark clouds, shrouding everything in a hazy mist.

Through the billowing smoke and dust, one could vaguely see a figure engulfed in black flames, struggling and swaying as it climbed out of the crater.

At the same time, Meteor also deactivated his Martial Soul True Form, and with a flash, landed steadily not far from Ma Xiaotao.

It was obvious to everyone present that Ma Xiaotao had already lost this battle.

This fierce contest, which determined the fate of the Molten Knights, now seems to have come to an end.

However, the battle was not truly over until Ma Xiaotao personally admitted defeat.

On the high platform, Zhongli Wu remained seated expressionless, as if everything happening before him had nothing to do with him.

But Orange, who was not far from him, keenly sensed that the surrounding air had become a bit colder at some point, as if an invisible pressure was quietly spreading.

As time passed, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, revealing Ma Xiaotao in her disheveled state.

A trickle of blood clung to the corner of her mouth, and her once fair skin was covered with crisscrossing wounds, making her appear extremely weak. Even in such a wretched state, her female instincts compelled her to maintain the burning of the black flames on her body, using them to conceal her exposed flesh.

Meteor keenly noticed the unusual thing about Ma Xiaotao.

The cold, piercing look in her eyes was gone, as were the anger and madness she displayed during the battle. Instead, her eyes were filled with deep confusion and endless pain.

"Could it be...?" Meteor was startled, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

His Sunwheel Golden Wing Flame has a powerful restraining effect on mental abilities and souls. After fighting him for so long, Ma Xiaotao's spirit and soul have inevitably been damaged by the Sunwheel Golden Wing Flame.

But this is not the most crucial factor. The most important factor is that the secret methods used by the Holy Spirit Cult to control its followers are clearly based on mental abilities.

This control technique was most likely completely destroyed by the Sun Wheel Golden Wing Flame during the fierce battle just now, especially by the devastating attack launched by the final meteor.

Therefore, Ma Xiaotao, who is standing in front of everyone at this moment, has broken free from the control of the Holy Spirit Cult's secret techniques. She is no longer the Fire Phoenix Saintess manipulated by the Holy Spirit Cult, but the proud Ma Xiaotao of Shrek Academy.

Ma Xiaotao covered her head tightly with both hands, her face showing an expression of extreme pain.

At this moment, her mind was in turmoil, with all sorts of memories flooding in like a tidal wave.

She has fond memories of Shrek Academy, a dark past of being controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult, but even more so, bloody memories of killing innocent people while under her control.

These memories were like sharp blades, piercing her heart and plunging her into immense pain and deep guilt.

Since Ma Xiaotao turned evil and joined the Holy Spirit Cult, how could she have been able to advance so quickly to become a Soul Douluo, and even approach the level of a Title Douluo, without using the Holy Spirit Cult's evil cultivation methods?
That's why her hands were now stained with the blood of countless innocent people, and the heavy sense of guilt made it hard for her to breathe.

In the world of Soul Masters, killing is sometimes considered a common occurrence. After all, battles, sparring, and even life-or-death struggles between Soul Masters are commonplace, and most Soul Masters have long been accustomed to them. Ma Xiaotao was no exception in the past and did not feel too much guilt for simply killing someone.

However, when she recalled those she had killed, the pain in her heart was as overwhelming as a surging tide.

Those innocent lives were all honest and law-abiding ordinary people. They were powerless and posed no threat whatsoever to Ma Xiaotao, a Soul Master.

What pained her even more was that among them were innocent children, even infants still in swaddling clothes.

For evil spirit masters, killing to cultivate, drinking human blood, and devouring flesh and souls are extremely cruel acts that have long been commonplace.

They also knew that Soul Masters possessed more powerful Soul Force, making cultivation more effective, but hunting Soul Masters often came with enormous risks.

In comparison, killing defenseless ordinary people is much easier and carries almost no risk.

Therefore, many evil spirit masters, in pursuit of increased power, will extend their evil hands to these innocent ordinary people.

Ma Xiaotao, manipulated by the Holy Spirit Cult, was not spared either, becoming a victim of the cult's slaughter. (End of Chapter)