Douluo Continent: The Eye of Truth

Chapter 40 The Terrifying Evil Phoenix

The seven players from both sides spread out and began discussing tactics.

Dai Yueheng smiled as he looked at Xu Sanshi, Xiao Xiao, and Huo Yuhao, who were in the reserve team.

Among the official team members, whether it was sparring or teamwork, they had already performed repeatedly in the inner court, so they were very familiar with each other's abilities.

Therefore, the only thing he was uncertain about in this battle was the ability and strength of these three reserve team members.

"Junior students, please introduce your martial spirit and abilities first. San Shi, you can start."

Xu Sanshi nodded and said, "You all already know my soul power level and cultivation direction: level 43, defensive type Battle Soul Master."

"My martial soul is the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield. My first soul skill is a control-type soul skill, my second soul skill is a defensive-type soul skill, my third soul skill is an amplification-type soul skill, and my fourth soul skill is quite special. It can swap the position of myself with that of anyone within a certain range of my line of sight."

Upon hearing this, Dai Yueheng nodded: "Very good, Junior Brother Sanshi, your ability will be very helpful for our next tactical arrangements. Next up is Junior Sister Xiaoxiao."

Xiao Xiao was a little flustered, after all, her current strength was only at the second ring, which was quite a gap compared to those Soul Venerables, Soul Masters, Soul Kings, and Soul Emperors. However, she still reported her Martial Soul and Soul Skill configuration.

Dai Yueheng nodded after listening. Xiao Xiao's first and second soul skills were already considered dispensable in this level of battle.

All Xiao Xiao could do was try her best to protect herself. If she could block one or two offensive soul skills for her team at a critical moment, she would be considered to have made a great contribution.

When it was his turn, Huo Yuhao calmly announced his prepared soul skill configuration: "My martial soul is Spirit Eye, and my first soul skill is Insight, which makes it easier for me to discover the trajectory and loopholes of others' actions."

"My second soul skill is mental suggestion. Under the influence of mental suggestion, I can interfere with the mind of people within a certain range. The larger the range, the weaker the effect. If it is just a single person, I am confident that I can control even a Soul King for a period of time."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Dai Yueheng's eyes lit up slightly: "Not bad. This will make things easier from here on out. The battle from here on out will mainly depend on the cooperation between Junior Brother Sanshi and Junior Brother Yuhao."

"Among Xiao Tao's group, the most threatening one besides herself is Ling Luo Chen, and Ling Luo Chen's cultivation level is just enough to be suppressed by Junior Brother Yu Hao."

"Once the battle begins, I'll go first and fight Xiao Tao. You guys stick together and advance. San Shi, your mission is very important. You need to switch Ling Luo Chen over as soon as possible."

"Next it's up to you, Yuhao. Zifeng, you come with me later to put pressure on the other side and create opportunities for Xixi."

"Haoxuan, you and your juniors work together to control Ling Luochen. Don't give Ling Luochen a chance to struggle."

The short Yao Haoxuan nodded and said, "Understood."

"Xixi, you and Yuhao should take care of Ling Luochen first, and then go support Zifeng."

"In this battle, apart from Xiao Tao and Ling Luochen, the only inner court student in the opposing team is Gongyang Mo."

"Gongyang Mo is a support Soul Master. Without the protection of teammates, his combat power is negligible."

"Next, as long as Xixi takes care of Gongyang Mo, I'll hold off Ma Xiaotao. With Xixi and Zifeng working together, taking down the others shouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Xixi and Chen Zifeng both nodded, agreeing with Dai Yueheng's plan.

"Alright, let's all do our best and win!" Dai Yueheng nodded. Although he said they would win, his eyes were fixed on Ma Xiaotao and her group in the distance, with a hint of worry in them.

Previously, due to the influence of the Evil Flame of the Martial Soul, Ma Xiaotao, although a member of the regular team, rarely participated in the team's operations.

Therefore, apart from Gongyang Mo, who has a better personality, Ma Xiaotao's relationship with the other members of the main team can only be considered average.

Moreover, for unknown reasons, Ma Xiaotao had not participated in the training of the regular team for nearly a year. And when she returned recently, Ma Xiaotao's soul power had surpassed Dai Yueheng's, and her status was also subtly superior to his.

However, since returning, Ma Xiaotao's temperament seems to have become exceptionally cold, and her actions and fighting are more irritable than before.

Even Gongyang Mo, who originally had a good relationship with Ma Xiaotao, seemed to have been alienated by her. In addition, in the previous sparring sessions, Ma Xiaotao had always been the one to dominate Dai Yueheng. This is why, despite having devised a seemingly reasonable plan, Dai Yueheng was able to avoid being bullied.

However, he was actually troubled by a worry in his heart. But this battle was just a friendly match, and Elder Xuan was watching from the sidelines, so there shouldn't be any problems, right? Dai Yueheng thought to himself.

In contrast to the rather harmonious scene at this moment, which was quite different from the team led by the rather shrewd Dai Yueheng.

The atmosphere in Ma Xiaotao's team had reached rock bottom.

Because of Ma Xiaotao's presence, her aura, accompanied by an invisible pressure, made everyone present feel somewhat breathless.

Gongyang Mo forced a smile, and, being on good terms with Ma Xiaotao, he spoke first: "Xiaotao, how do you plan to fight this next battle?"

After looking at everyone present, Ma Xiaotao spoke in a somewhat stiff tone.

"Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng, leave them to me."

"The rest are yours."

Hearing this, Ling Luochen frowned, but she wasn't one to talk much, so she didn't object to Ma Xiaotao's arrangement.

Gongyang Mo sighed with a wry smile and looked at the other four reserve team members who were still somewhat reserved.

"Four junior students, please introduce your abilities. I believe that with Xiaotao's abilities, as long as we cooperate properly, defeating the opponent will not be a problem."

After Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, ​​and Wang Dong introduced their abilities, Gongyang Mo nodded: "Alright, then the support role will be handed over to me and junior Ning Tian."

"Prioritize helping Xiao Tao strengthen herself. Next, Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan, you two are responsible for keeping Xi Xi occupied. I believe that with my and Ning Tian's enhancement abilities, plus your cultivation levels, there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"As for the others..."

"Leave it to me." Ling Luochen's cold voice rang out: "Junior Brother Wang Dong, just protect yourself. If you have the chance, you can try to take care of Huo Yuhao and Xiao Xiao, whose soul power cultivation is relatively low."

Listening to the discussion, Ma Xiaotao didn't say much. She just closed her eyes and quietly waited for time to pass by.

Xuanzi observed both sides' behavior and couldn't help but sigh silently when he saw Ma Xiaotao, who seemed unapproachable.

Since the incident at Poseidon Lake a year ago, Ma Xiaotao seems to have become a different person, isolating herself, although she still follows her teachers' instructions to carry out daily cultivation or participate in training.

However, it was no longer as lively as before, and this matter caused Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department, a great deal of trouble. Moreover, the matter seemed to be getting more and more serious as time went by.

Yan Shaozhe initially thought Ma Xiaotao was just having an emotional problem, so he gave her some time to adjust herself. However, it seems that even the anger that had been troubling Ma Xiaotao disappeared without a trace.

It was from this moment that Xu Sanshi was finally liberated, no longer having to suffer as a suppressor of evil fire.

However, even after the evil fire disappeared, Ma Xiaotao's self-isolation showed no signs of recovery, and even Mu En was helpless about it.

As an elder of the Sea God Pavilion, Xuanzi was naturally aware of the situation, but he couldn't do anything about it. After all, even Mu En, a Limit Douluo powerhouse, couldn't solve it or even see Ma Xiaotao's problem, so what could he do?

According to Mu En's understanding, this matter might be a mental burden on Ma Xiaotao's heart, but because Ma Xiaotao resisted communication, they have been unable to pinpoint the root cause and can only let it be.

Now, Xuanzi only hopes that with the help of her teammates, Ma Xiaotao can open her heart again and get out of the shadows.

However, what they didn't know was that the knot in her heart was just a trigger. The problems Ma Xiaotao was experiencing now were no longer just mental illnesses; the influence of the evil energy had already penetrated deep into her bones and would inevitably erupt sooner or later.

Ten minutes later, Xuanzi's voice rang out again: "From now on, you are not classmates but rivals. To earn the chance to prove you're not pigs, I won't say more. Let's begin!"

With Xuanzi's command, both sides immediately entered a state of combat readiness.

Ma Xiaotao charged forward, and fiery red feathers sprouted from her body, transforming into blazing and magnificent wings. Incredibly hot, golden-red phoenix flames burst forth, illuminating the surrounding environment.

However, in Huo Yuhao's eyes, beneath these specks of golden-red sparks lay an incomparably cold and profound hellfire.

Two beams of different colored lights lit up behind Ma Xiaotao, the radiance of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the Rainbow Dragon Martial Soul.

A dazzling array of colors flowed and shimmered, as several different colored streaks of light, accompanied by the flashing of Ning Tian and Gongyang Mo's Soul Rings, merged into Ma Xiaotao's body.

With the enhancement of their soul skills, the already domineering phoenix flames surged once more, adding a unique touch to Ma Xiaotao's already magnificent wings.

Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan followed closely behind, using the phoenix wings for cover as they rushed towards Dai Yueheng's team. Wang Dong and Ling Luochen were slightly less advanced, but they also consciously hid themselves behind Ma Xiaotao.

During the tactical discussion just now, they naturally revealed the situation of Xu Sanshi and Huo Yuhao, who were the most threatening players in the opposing team's reserve team. At this moment, they were also on guard against Xu Sanshi's actions.

However, this is ultimately just a temporary measure. After all, there's no such thing as being able to guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days. As the battle progresses and you engage with the enemy, even the most conservative strategy will eventually reveal its flaws.

Dai Yueheng took the lead, and the Evil-Eyed White Tiger and the Evil Fire Phoenix clashed, but the battle quickly turned into a one-sided affair.

Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng already had a difference in soul power, and with the amplification of Gongyang Mo and Ning Tian's soul skills, Dai Yueheng's side was immediately at a disadvantage.

Even though Dai Yueheng activated the White Tiger Protective Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and White Tiger Demon God Transformation immediately, the combined efforts of these three defensive and amplifying soul skills, along with the support from Yao Haoxuan behind him, were to no avail.

With her fourth soul skill, Phoenix Roaring Strike, Ma Xiaotao transformed into a fiery phoenix, her body wreathed in flames, and collided with Dai Yueheng. The powerful and scorching shockwave immediately made it difficult for anyone else to get close.

Having taken the full force of the attack, Dai Yueheng felt as if his entire body was being scorched by flames, as if he were about to be burned. At the same time, the powerful impact of the flames also made his arms go numb.

It should be noted that Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix is ​​more adept at strong attribute attacks, and its physical attack is only average. However, it has actually made the Evil Eye White Tiger, which is good at physical attacks, feel troubled. This is no ordinary difference.

However, Ma Xiaotao's offensive was not over yet. She activated her fifth soul skill, Phoenix Piercing Cloud Strike, and the flames that had been caused by Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike and had not yet dissipated were reassembled by Ma Xiaotao.

These flames propelled Dai Yueheng toward Chen Zifeng, who was standing to the side.

Seeing this, Chen Zifeng's eyes widened. He was indeed good at strong attacks, but his defense was too weak. Ma Xiaotao's posture suggested that she might want to kill him!

Seeing Ma Xiaotao's cold gaze, Chen Zifeng's heart pounded. He summoned his martial spirit, the Soul-Chasing Sword, and slashed at the flames rushing towards him.

The spirit rings flashed repeatedly, and the incomparably sharp Soul-Chasing Sword directly shattered the most ferocious first wave of Phoenix Cloud Piercing Strike. Although he was still injured by the residual power of the flames, he seized the opportunity to save Dai Yueheng from Ma Xiaotao.

At this moment, Dai Yueheng's face looked rather pale, and his entire body was covered in a strange red color, clearly indicating that he had been burned.

He overestimated himself and underestimated Ma Xiaotao. Under Ma Xiaotao's pressure, he and Chen Zifeng were drawn into the battle, which directly disrupted the tactics and plans originally devised by Dai Yueheng.

Even though Dai Yueheng and Chen Zifeng were both outstanding disciples of the inner court, they were still beaten so badly that they couldn't lift their heads. This was because Ma Xiaotao's attacks were too aggressive, especially now that the essence of her martial soul was beginning to change.

The evil energy that the Evil Fire Phoenix originally had was now the source of its power. With the support of this power, Ma Xiaotao's strength is now far superior to her previous level. The Evil Fire Phoenix and the Evil Eye White Tiger are not even in the same league.

(End of this chapter)