The moment he saw Ma Xiaotao, Huo Yuhao instantly understood Zhongli Wu's arrangement.
In Zhongli Wu's eyes, the pupil technique Amaterasu that he had previously displayed was the highest level of evil fire, the only ability that could allow Ma Xiaotao's own evil fire to advance to its ultimate form.
The Evil Fire Phoenix was different from the Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix of pure ultimate fire, and also different from the Dark Phoenix of ultimate fire plus ultimate darkness. The evil fire was an energy belonging to one of the seven original sins, the sin of Lust.
In the original novel, Ma Xiaotao's ancestor, one of the original Shrek Seven Devils, evolved his martial soul into the top-tier Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix, a martial soul of ultimate fire, after consuming an immortal herb called the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, which removed the impurities from his evil fire.
But looking at the original series, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Evil Fire Phoenix is weaker than the Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix or the Dark Phoenix. On the contrary, uncontrollable power is the strongest power. Doesn't the God Realm also have the Seven Great Original Sin Gods, including the God of Lust?
To put it in modern terms, if you can't control it, then just let it be.
Ma Xiaotao's evil fire had erupted earlier because she was affected by the negative spiritual energy of Huo Yuhao, who had just devoured countless souls. She was then controlled and captured by Zhongli Wu and brought back to the Holy Ghost Cult.
Just as in the original novel, the Holy Ghost Cult simply intended to use this Saintess, Ma Xiaotao, as a weapon. Wherever war broke out, they would send her there, letting her vent her evil fire to her heart's content, step by step allowing evil thoughts to occupy her mind until she eventually degenerated into a war machine that only knew how to kill.
"Eh, an Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul?" The two maids left after placing the unconscious Ma Xiaotao on Huo Yuhao's bed. Bibi Dong's surprised voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind at this moment.
"Yes, she's a pitiful person," Huo Yuhao nodded. Before returning, he had mentioned to Zhongli Wu that he had a way to evolve Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul again and had asked for her to be sent to him.
"Without that kind of immortal herb from Tang San to purify the evil fire, this girl will eventually perish in her own flames," Bibi Dong sighed softly. Her knowledge of this martial soul was limited to ten thousand years ago. In that era, aside from the one from the original Shrek Seven Devils, no owner of the Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul had a way to solve their own problem.
Without the immortal herb, Huo Yuhao had no absolute certainty of evolving Ma Xiaotao's martial soul either, but he didn't want to watch her become the Holy Ghost Cult's thug. Regardless of the outcome, he had to give it a try.
Although the original text didn't explicitly describe it, by connecting it to the early introduction of Ma Hongjun in Douluo Dalu I, Huo Yuhao could guess just how much pain Ma Xiaotao's unventable evil fire caused her during its initial outbreaks.
The direct disciple of the dean of Shrek's martial soul department, the number one genius in the academy for hundreds of years, forced to resort to those strange ways to solve her own martial soul problem by herself...
Just as it seemed that the appearance of Huo Yuhao's second martial soul, the Ultimate Ice, would bring a turning point for Ma Xiaotao's problem, she was forced by an opponent's soul tool during a competition to transform into the Dark Phoenix. In the end, she fled Shrek Academy, lost her sanity, and was taken away by the Holy Ghost Cult.
There was no description, no narration. No one could have imagined how a girl who had lost her reason and needed to constantly vent her evil fire would be used after falling into the hands of the Holy Ghost Cult.
When they met again, Ma Xiaotao's strength had soared, and she was occupied by a new personality. Perhaps completely forgetting those experiences was, for her, a form of release.
At the end of the story, Ma Xiaotao's evil fire was completely cleansed by Huo Yuhao. Carrying that painful and unbearable experience, she returned to the Shrek that had raised her and shouldered the responsibilities that originally belonged to Huo Yuhao.
Perhaps this was just over-reading it, but if one carefully reviewed the way Ma Hongjun solved his evil fire problem in the early stages of Douluo Dalu I, and the conversation Ma Xiaotao had with Xu Sanshi when she first appeared in a clear-headed state and saw Huo Yuhao, one could read something different into it.
"You want to save her?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Yes. The transformation of a martial soul is produced by the stimulation of one's own spirit and body. With Tsukuyomi, this isn't difficult to do. The rest depends on her own mentality," Huo Yuhao said with a smile. Then, he put his hands together and cheekily pleaded with Bibi Dong, "Your Majesty, with this kid's current strength, I'm afraid I can't use Tsukuyomi for a long time. I'll have to ask you to help."
"You've already learned to drag these old bones of mine out to be a coolie," Bibi Dong rolled her eyes at Huo Yuhao, her charm endless.
"Not at all, not at all. Your Majesty is in the prime of her life, a celestial being..." Huo Yuhao continued to lay on the free flattery but was kicked out of his spiritual sea with a mental boot.
Huo Yuhao came to Ma Xiaotao's side. Her soul power had already been completely sealed by Zhongli Wu. Even if he woke her up directly, she wouldn't pose any threat to him.
"Ma Xiaotao, in this life, I hope you will no longer experience pain."
Huo Yuhao murmured to himself, then condensed his soul power at his fingertips, placed them on his glabella to draw in a portion of his spiritual power, and then pointed towards Ma Xiaotao.
"Wake up!"
Ma Xiaotao had been forcibly suppressed and knocked unconscious by Zhongli Wu's group. The moment Huo Yuhao released her from her unconscious state, her explosive temper couldn't be held back, and she immediately flipped over and stood up.
Ma Xiaotao, already at the Soul Emperor realm, definitely had rich combat experience. Upon realizing she didn't have a shred of soul power in her body, she kicked out at Huo Yuhao while her body twisted back towards the door.
No matter what Huo Yuhao's cultivation level was, as long as he counter-attacked her kick out of self-preservation, Ma Xiaotao could use the force to rush out of the room and escape the devil's clutches.
From Ma Xiaotao waking up, to formulating an escape plan, to striking like lightning, it all took less than a few breaths. From this, one could see that Shrek was indeed skilled at nurturing most talents.
Even Huo Yuhao didn't have time to figure out Ma Xiaotao's plan. However, he didn't try to intercept the kick. Instead, he directly widened his right eye, and his martial soul possessed him.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Ma Xiaotao's entire plan hinged on Huo Yuhao's counter-attack. Who would have thought he would directly activate his martial soul? Her soft kick just grazed past Huo Yuhao's short shoulder, and in that instant, her scenery was greatly revealed.
Huo Yuhao was in no mood to admire the beautiful scenery. When Tsukuyomi was activated, Ma Xiaotao happened to meet his eyes. His peak Spirit Abyss-level spiritual power, mixed with Rakshasa divine power, gushed out and instantly invaded her consciousness.
"Not good, this... is an illusion technique!" An alarm bell went off in Ma Xiaotao's heart, but without soul power to resist, she could only let her consciousness fall into the enemy's illusion.
"Welcome to my world."
Ma Xiaotao looked up and saw Huo Yuhao's detestable face. Through her senses, she could clearly discern Huo Yuhao's pitiful soul power, yet she was powerless against his methods.
"You... what do you want to do?" Ma Xiaotao forcibly suppressed her fear of the unknown, pretended to be calm, and questioned Huo Yuhao coldly.
"Ma Xiaotao, direct disciple of Shrek's martial soul department dean, Yan Shaozhe. Martial soul, Evil Fire Phoenix. Nickname, Flame Maniac. Known as one of the two active volcanoes of the inner court..." Huo Yuhao rattled off Ma Xiaotao's identity and background as if listing family treasures.
"You've investigated me?" Ma Xiaotao asked coldly, her face turning even uglier. The details Huo Yuhao mentioned were simply too exhaustive.
"Jie jie jie, it's hard to say. My purpose this time... is to turn you into... Evil-Fire Succubus Ma Xiaotao!"